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11 Movies to Look Forward to in 2011

As a film critic, you learn to keep your expectations to a minimum, because more often than not, the movie in question is never as good as you hoped. That doesn’t change the fact that there are still some movies that you want to see more than others, and as long as you don’t mind the possibility of disappointment, it’s okay to let your inner fanboy out every once in a while. This year certainly has plenty of movies to get excited about – at least, that’s what Hollywood is banking on with an upcoming slate that includes “Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” “Cars 2,” “Green Lantern,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Thor” – but there’s a lot more great stuff out there than just the usual summer tentpole films. To give you a better idea of what’s coming to theaters this year, I’ve assembled my 11 most anticipated movies of 2011 with the hope that you might discover one or two titles to add to your own must-see list.

“PAUL”

Who: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig and Jason Bateman
What: Two British sci-fi geeks on a cross-country road trip through the U.S. encounter a real-life alien named Paul who needs help getting back to his home planet.
When: March 18th
Why: The trailer may not instill a whole lot of confidence with its heavy dose of juvenile humor, but as a fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (who also co-wrote the film), it’s hard to imagine them disappointing their fanbase. I wouldn’t necessarily expect anything as great as “Shaun of the Dead” or “Hot Fuzz,” but between all the geeky sci-fi references and the awesome supporting cast (including Jason Bateman as the FBI agent on their trail and Seth Rogen as the voice of the titular alien), it’s safe to say that “Paul” will be every bit as funny as it sounds.

“HANNA”

Who: Saorsie Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett and Olivia Williams
What: A girl raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is sent on a mission across Europe while eluding operatives under the command of a ruthless CIA agent.
When: April 8th
Why: Director Joe Wright may be best known for sappy period dramas like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement,” but I can’t wait to see what he can do in a completely different genre – especially one that provides him with a bigger playground to work within. The trailer seems to suggest that “Hanna” will be more than just your average action-thriller, with Wright aiming for something a little more thought provoking. And with a cast that includes Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, and one of the best young actresses in the business in Saorsie Ronan, this could be the surprise hit of the season.

“X-MEN: FIRST CLASS”

Who: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Lucas Till and Jason Flemyng
What: The story of Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) as young men learning to control their powers, and how they worked together with a band of mutants to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known.
When: June 3rd
Why: Apart from the fact that it takes place in the 1960s and serves as a prequel to the original trilogy, details on “X-Men: First Class” are pretty scarce. But after walking away from the directing gig on the last “X-Men” film, I think that most fans are curious to see what Matthew Vaughn can do with the franchise. The retro setting definitely has my interest piqued, and using the relationship between Xavier and Lehnsherr as a parallel to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X is brilliant. That hasn’t stopped Internet forums from stirring up bad buzz in response to the recently leaked photos and rumors that Vaughn is feeling pressed for time, but he doesn’t have a bad movie to his name yet, so it’s probably better to just let the film speak for itself.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART TWO

Who: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes
What: Harry returns to Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione to find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes, leading to the inevitable battle between the Boy Who Lived and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
When: July 15th
Why: The real question is, who isn’t looking forward to this movie? The previous seven films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide, and where most franchises tend to lose steam around the third installment, this series has only gotten better over time. They’ve also gotten progressively darker, and “Deathly Hallows: Part Two” promises to be the darkest yet, with the massive Battle of Hogwarts resulting in the death of several major players – some good, some bad, and some whose allegiance remains a secret. I’m still holding out hope that the movie will dive a little further into Dumbledore’s past, because “Part One” covered so much of the book that the only thing left is the battle.

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Friday Video – The Jayhawks, “Big Star”

When this piece goes live, we will be in the Ceres Cafe, housed in the Chicago Board of Trade, sharing drinks with coworkers from our previous life as white collar stiffs, in anticipation of seeing something we never thought we’d see in our lifetime: the definitive lineup of the Jayhawks, reunited and touring. It sickens us that these guys weren’t bigger, though at the same time, we’re selfishly glad to have them to ourselves…and a few thousand other equally devoted fans.

The band’s first two major label albums, Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass, just received the deluxe reissue treatment from Legacy, the kings of the reissue. Last night, they played Hollywood Town Hall in its entirety. Tonight, it’s Green Grass, bar none our favorite Jayhawks record and one of our favorite albums EVER. Sadly, they will probably not be playing the song that’s in this week’s Friday Video, as it was released after Tomorrow the Green Grass, and Jayhawks singer/guitarist Gary Louris told us that they would likely focus on the material that he and founder Mark Olson – who left the band shortly after they finished touring behind Green Grass – recorded together. But we couldn’t help but pick this video because it depicts the world in which we should be living. These guys should have been huge.

Then again, they have a new record on the horizon, one that’s supposed to be the logical follow-up to Tomorrow the Green Grass, so maybe this is the year. You hear that, people? This is their year. (*waves timepiece back and forth*) You will buy Jayhawks records, you will buy Jayhawks records…

  

A chat with Gossip Girl & SoBe Lifewater skinsuit series model Jessica Szohr

Actress Jessica Szohr is best known for her breakthrough role as Vanessa Abrams on The CW series “Gossip Girl.” But soon enough, she’ll also be recognized for the sultry photo spread she did for the SoBe Lifewater skinsuit series, which will appear exclusively in the iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition (on newsstands February 15).

Bullz-Eye.com caught up with Jessica to see what her experience was like shooting the SoBe Lifewater series in Costa Rica. The beautiful actress was also gracious enough to answer questions about her role on Gossip Girl, including whether or not she had read the “Gossip Girl” books before landing the role of Vanessa and what influences she’s brought to the character.


For more on Jessica and her photo shoot for SoBe Lifewater, click here!

  

The video portion of “A Chat with Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena”

Remember last week when I posted my chat with Diedrich Bader and Parv Cheena of “Outsourced”, and how I was bummed when I thought I was going to be getting a video clip of their side of the conversation but didn’t? Well, the clip finally arrived. Enjoy!


  

King of Shaves delivers!

If your purchasing or just surfing for men’s shaving online most likely you’ve heard of King of Shaves. I exchanged some emails from their team and decided to review some of their products. I really liked how the shave gel, face balm and razor were packaged into a clear plastic container that is perfect for air travel.

We first tested the AphaGel Shave Gel for Sensitive Skin and we felt the quality in this product when first applied. The ShaveGel is Dermatologically tested without any fragrance. The company claims the low-foam formula helps protect, moisturize and lubricate your skin throughout the shave giving excellent razor performance and glide. Ideal for sensitive skin and we found that to be true.

Next up was the razor that came with the travel kit. The razor works like a charm and has the award winning Azor System Razor which features unique flexible hinges that allow the four long-lasting Endurium blades to follow every contour of your face whilst pressing the blades progressively closer onto the skin for a superbly comfortable yet close shave. I then went right to the King of Shaves Face Balm which employs a unique Skin Surface Enhancing technology, with Hydrocreatine to protect, moisturise and condition your skin leaving it non-greasy, supple and smooth. Formulated with menthol to give you a cool, refreshed feel. I foind this to be one of the better after shave balms I have tried and the price is very reasonable.

For my next shave I tried the King of Shaves Shave Oil which protects, moisturizes and lubricates your skin throughout the shave giving superlative razor performance and glide. Your face will be left smooth, supple and moisturized. Up to 100 shaves from one bottle is no joke for small a small travel friendly package. I really enjoyed this product and I’m using it today as it really soothes your face and delivers one of the best shaves you could image. Top notch!

Overall the products we tested from King of Shaves were of high quality, practical and packaged properly.

  

Friday Video – Billy Squier, “Rock Me Tonite”

Just got finished reading “MTV Ruled the World,” an oral history of the channel’s origins, controversies and influence, as told by MTV executives, VJs, musicians and writers. It’s very amusing, even if it’s not the most technically well written book ever published (one sentence begins with an ampersand, ow), but the best chapter, by a country mile, is called “When Music Videos Attack,” where musicians talk about the videos that were not just embarrassing but derailed certain artists’ careers. Musician after musician after musician singled out “Rock Me Tonite,” the lead single from Billy Squier’s 1984 album Signs of Life, as the ultimate momentum-killer. And it’s easy to see why.

Wow, look at that dancing. Hell, look at the set. It’s awash in purples and pinks. What rock star sleeps in a room of purples and pinks? God, now he’s crawling on the floor. Someone save him from himself, please. Ironically, this proved to be Squier’s biggest hit, reaching #15 on the singles chart and #1 on the rock chart. It was, however, also Squier’s last Top 40 hit, and after notching two Top 10 albums with his previous efforts, Signs of Life peaked at #11, and its follow-up, 1986′s Enough Is Enough, stalled a whopping 50 spots lower. So if you’ve ever asked yourself why Billy Squier didn’t have a bigger career than he did, here’s Exhibit A.

  

A Chat with Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena (“Outsourced”)

The publicity train for “Outsourced” keeps rolling on, and I have no problem catching it whenever I have the option to do so. Even though I’d already talked to Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena during the Winter 2011 TCA Press Tour, I hadn’t talked to them together, so when NBC offered them up as part of the satellite tour for the show, I said, “Sign me up.” Now, granted, I thought I was going to be getting a video clip of their side of the conversation, and I didn’t, which is kind of a bummer, but the guys’ ability to ad-lib and bounce off each other is in great evidence here, so I’m still glad I took the time to chat with them again.

Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena: Hi, Will!

Bullz-Eye: Hey, guys , how’s it going?

DB: (Suspiciously) Say, didn’t I just talk to you the other night?

PC: (Laughs) Good to talk to you again!

BE: Well, you guys are making your 10:30 PM debut with an episode filled with Bollywood dance numbers, singing, guitar playing…the perfect opening salvo for the new timeslot.

DB: Absolutely. We’re entering with a bang. And a sitar.

PC: And a tabla, too!

BE: So, now, was this huge episode by design, or was it already in the works before you got word of the move?

PC: Well, I had a little bit of creative input, and it was very nice, because I said, “Anisha can kind of sing, and her character’s so quiet, anyway, so we might as well give her a little bit of something to do.” But primarily it was more for me to showcase my t-shirt making ability for my fans. The Guptees. Our album will be dropping later this spring, by the way. It’s called Hey, Hey, We’re the Guptees.

DB: By the way, none of this is true. He just made up all of that.

PC: No, no, no.

DB: Uh, yeah. (Laughs) We were going to do a big musical episode, and we kind of wanted to start off the new timeslot with a splash, and…you’ll see what a deep bench we have, talent-wise, because Anisha can really sing, and Parv…does what he does.

PC: He’s just a little sore because I did not use any of his original choreography.

DB: (Growling) Yeah.

PC: I decided to go with Fred Tallaksen, who is a big choreographer here in LA. He choreographed two of Madonna’s tours.

DB: (Sarcastically) Oooooooh, Madonna! Who’s Madonna?

PC: (Dismissively) All right, Diedrich, sorry she’s not Lady Gaga…

BE: So there are worse places to be than following “30 Rock.” Are you guys pleased to be part of NBC’s great 3-hour comedy experiment?

PC: Yeah, it’s going to be awesome: comedy night done right all night.

DB: (In awe) That’s so good!

PC: Thank you. I came up with that, too, so it’s nice to know that I’m gaining a little bit more traction in marketing and branding.

DB: Oh, yeah, he’s very good at that. He’s like Madonna.

PC: Lady Gaga, I thought, was your favorite. You can’t have both.

DB: No, that’s true. But they’re basically the same person.

PC: No, Diedrich. No, they are not.

BE: Diedrich, your fellow cast members seem to have been mildly surprised to discover what a consummate professional you are. Have you always taken your comedy seriously?

DB: No. I don’t take it seriously at all, and I think that’s very helpful. I don’t learn my lines or know any of the cast members’ names. Or anyone, really. I just come in and I do what I do, which is offend everyone as much as I possibly can. And then I leave after I’ve slapped most of the cast.

PC: He’s called me many different names.

DB: Who are you, anyway?

PC: On set, he’s called me Parvaish, Gupta, Bara, Rajel, and a bunch of others.

DB: And sometimes I just say, “Hey, you, get me a cup of coffee.”

PC: And I do.

DB: Yeah. He does.

PC: Because I was taught to respect my elders.

DB: (Bursts out laughing)

BE: Parvesh, Rizwan Manji said that you once took a video of the inside of his nose. Do you have directorial aspirations or just an odd nasal fetish?

PC: No, actually, I do have… (Takes a deep breath) Being a director is one aspect that I’m very good at. I do also do, like, the crevices of the human body. In between the toes is going to be my next visual. For all of those who like feet, I’ll be video-taping Rebecca (Hazlewood’s) and Anisha (Nagarajan’s) toes. So that is a definite niche market.

DB: Oh, yeah. ‘Cause it’s Anisha.

PC: (Bursts out laughing) It’s the niche of Anisha!

BE: Speaking of Anisha, she’s of the belief that Gupta has been slapped by just about every character on the show. What do you think it is about him that brings out physical violence in others?

PC: You know, I like to think of it as a mirror that’s held up to everybody. Gupta really just wants you to be the best, and sometimes people aren’t ready for it.

DB: This is something that the writers took from real life. We like to beat up Parv as much as we possibly can. I was just chasing him around a little earlier, before the interview started. I didn’t catch him, so I’m hoping that when we cut I can catch him and just slap him around. It’s kind of a thing: the writers pay attention to our real lives. That’s what’s exciting about the show.

PC: Apparently, it’s something like, “If you catch him, you get to slap him around a couple of times.”

DB: That’s right. It’s kind of a game. Now, the crew’s taken it on, because, you know, we love our crew, so they’ve started to beat up Parv, too.

PC: But it’s also helping me, because I was 225 pounds before.

DB: He’s lost a lot of weight. A whole other Parv, basically.

PC: It’s true. I’m down to 210. So something’s working.

DB: It’s really exciting. For all of us. Although he is faster now. But, you know, we’ve all lost weight. We’re all coming down together.

PC: I’d like to think that the fat has converted to muscle. It’s all right here in my thighs.

DB: Right. (A beat) You can think that.

BE: Lastly, what can we expect from the rest of the season? Or at least for the next couple of episodes, anyway?

PC: Oh, you have a big episode.

DB: I have a big episode coming up where Charlie finds out that Tanya and Todd are dating, and it breaks his heart. And he kills somebody.

PC: So I’d like to start saying my goodbyes to everyone. It’s been really fun being on national television.

DB: Oh, way to let it out of the bag. I guess you’ve got the scoop, Will: we kill Gupta.

PC: Yes, but since this is India, I am reincarnated the next episode. And, you know, we don’t lose a beat.

DB: He’s like a phoenix. He rises from the ashes again and again and again.

PC: Yes. (A beat) Actually, I like to think of myself as a cat.

DB: Of course you do.

  

Review: Frederick Benjamin Grooming Products

We recently received product from Frederick Benjamin Grooming and we were happy to give them a look. What came to us was a very nice package containing Shampoo, Conditioner and Daily Hydrator. The sleek white bottles with orange and silver accents had upscale looks and I was looking forward to using these three products.

The Frederick Benjamin Shampoo had a refreshing scent and was very thick so no need to overdue the amount needed. The company states that the shampoo is an invigorating cleanser that rinses excess oil, tingles the scalp and unclogs pores. Again, the scent smells so good I would buy it just for that alone! Moving next to the Frederick Benjamin Conditioner that is also an invigorating moisturizer and it worked well into my hair. The conditoner does well to combat dry scalp and hair and left my hair looking damn good and feeling plenty soft according to my bride! I then took it one more step and applied the Frederick Benjamin Daily Hydrator which you leave in and I did just that. The Hydrator added texture to mair hair and was grease free which is a must for my hair.

Overall the Frederick Benjamin hair products we reviewed were all very well received here at Bullz-Eye.com and BarberShopBlog.com and at aorund $12 each they are priced better than other salon preferred hair products.

  

Killing Machines: The Cars of “Death Race 2″

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"Death Race 2" stars plenty of well-known names, including Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames and Sean Bean, not to mention some delightful eye candy in the form of Tanit Phoenix and Lauren Cohan. But for some, the real stars of this prequel to the 2008 "Death Race" are the tricked-out cars which are loaded with all sorts of machine guns, rocket launchers and whatever other kind of artillery you can think of. We were invited to the "Death Race 2" set last March in Cape Town, South Africa, and as part of our tour, we got an up-close look at these cars-turned-tanks. Check out some of our favorite photos in the gallery below, and be sure to take a look at our complete recap of the trip, including interviews with many of the names listed above as well as a travelogue with details about our time as an extra in the movie.

  

Chrysler shows off new products at the 2011 NAIAS

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The 2011 NAIAS was a big deal for Chrysler as they showcased an impressive stable of new and refreshed products highlighted by the reveal of the new 2011 Chrysler 300. Chrysler partner Fiat also enjoyed alot of attention focused on the launch of the iconic 2011 Fiat 500. Bullz-Eye was fortunate enough to view these vehicles up close and participate in round table discsussions with brand CEOs, managers and designers from the Chrysler/Fiat group.

Check out our recap of the 2011 North American International Auto Show!

  

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