Since the start of On The Lot, the vast majority of short films that have aired have been comedies. True, there has been the odd drama here and there, but tonight is the big ticket night, its horror movie week!

If you’ve been following me along from the start of the show to now, you’ll no doubt remember that Jess Brillhart was deserving shown the door last week in episode 8 of On The Lot, as Shalini, Adam, Will, Hilary, David and Zach premiered their comedy short films.

My pick for the contestant to be eliminated on episode 9 of On The Lot is… David May for his short film How to Have a Girl.

And now, on to what everyone is looking for, a full recap of episode 9!

ON THE LOT
July 3, 2007
SE01EP09

The short film directors on the chopping block are Shalini Kantayya, Adam Stein, Will Bigham, Hilary Graham, David May and Zach Lipovsky.

The director eliminated on episode 9 of On The Lot is… David May!

The guest judge for tonight’s episode and very befitting of the night’s horror movie theme is Eli Roth, director of such films as Hostel, Cabin Fever and Quentin Tarantino’s Grind House.

Ha! I knew it. Now that the dirty work is over and done with, lets get on with the good stuff, tonight’s all-new horror films!

The Malibu Myth by Kenny Luby
Description: A story about two friends trying to solve a myth.
My Thoughts: Well filmed, terrible ending, horrible zombies.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought it was his most accessible film yet, it was good. Eli liked it, but the build up was better then the follow through. Garry liked his monsters and the tempo was very good.

Anklebiters by Sam Friedlander
Description: A story about a boy who has a run in with a strange creature in his bedroom.
My Thoughts: Great casting for the commentator, fantastic voice for horror. The “anklebiter” puppet looked terrible and the entire film was just lame.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought he did well with the puppet, but the prologue was from an entirely different movie. Eli thought the prologue gave everything away. Garry thought it was a solid film.

Midnight Snack by Andrew Hunt
Description: A horror-comedy hybrid.
My Thoughts: Great use of lighting and sound effects. The female ghost character was done very well, had a very The Grudge kind of feel.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought it was very entertaining, but more a Rocky Horror than a horror. Eli thought it wasn’t very funny or scary and he saw it more as a commercial. Garry thought he did a good job.

Eternal Waters by Jason Epperson
Description: A story about a mother coping with her sons drowning.
My Thoughts: Very well filmed, great sound effects, good actors and a very good story.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought he did a great job, her favored film of his so far. Eli didn’t buy the mothers performace at all. Garry thought it was sensational.

Open House by Shira-Lee Shalit
Description: A story about a couple house hunting, and then something happens.
My Thoughts: Good camera work and use of angles. Interesting storyline, great supporting actress.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie didn’t think it was scary, didn’t think it worked. Eli felt it was forced and cliche, but the ending was very good. Garry thinks she’s better suited to comedy.

Profile by Mateen Kemet
Description: A new twist on the horror genre, think racial profiling, everday horror.
My Thoughts: Interesting storyline, very original, but not a horror in my opinion, more of a drama.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie didn’t get it, but it was shot well. Eli thought he didn’t relate the message to the audience well enough. Garry thought it was more horrifying than horror, but it lacked complexity and was difficult to understand.

Judges Picks:
Carrie Fisher - Midnight Snack by Andrew Hunt
Eli Roth - The Malibu Myth by Kenny Luby
Garry Marshall - Eternal Waters by Jason Epperson

My Pick:
Eternal Waters by Jason Epperson. The film had a feeling very similar to The Omen and The Ring and made great use of the child actors. The storyline was very well done and overall it was a very well filmed and executed short film.

And there you have it, another spectacular episode of On The Lot has been and gone. My pick for elimination in episode 10 of On The Lot… Sam Friedlander. The film just wasn’t any good, far to cheesy and the puppet was terrible. Stay tuned for more, next week!

On The Lot episode 10 airs on the Fox Television Network on July 10 at 8/7c. Stay tuned for a full recap of the show right here on dingoRUE.com!

Watch On The Lot Online!

I know, I know, I’m a couple days late, so sue me. It has been a really busy week at um, work… yeah, that’ll do. Anyways, On the Lot episode 8 aired Tuesday night and, thanks to the wonders of modern technology (see also: a digital PVR), I recorded it so I could watch it tonight instead. And watch it I will!

Episode 7 of On The Lot saw short film director Marty Martin get the axe for his efforts, and even though I didn’t think Marty was the most deserving of elimination, I’m still not all that sad to see him go. As long as incredibly talented short film creators Zach Lipovsky and Andrew Hunt are still in the running, I’ll keep watching.

Last weeks episode of On The Lot saw filmmakers Will Bigham, Jason Epperson, Zach Lipovsky, Mateen Kemet and Jess Brillhart premire their newest short films to, unfortunately, less then stellar reviews. Of all five shorts films, only two were any good. Those two were, of course, Zach Lipovsky’s Sunshine Girl and Will Bigham’s Glass Eye.

Based on last weeks fairly poor showing, my pick for the contestant to be eliminated in episode 8 is… Jess Brillhart, for her steaming pile of crap film, The Orchard.

So, now that I’ve made my pick, lets get on with the show and see what goes down!

ON THE LOT
June 26, 2007
SE01EP08

Tonight’s guest judge is Mark Waters, best known as the director of Mean Girls.

The contesants on the chopping block are Will Bigham, Jason Epperson, Zach Lipovsky, Mateen Kemet and Jess Brillhart.

The short film director eliminated on episode 8 of On The Lot is… Jess Brillhart!

Well, I can’t say that I am in the least bit surprised about that decision. I, personally, thought her film was crap and my feelings were shared by all of the judges. With that business taken care of, lets get on to the night’s movie premieres! Tonight’s six contestants were instructed to create new comedy shorts, and here they are:

Dr. In-Law by Shalini Kantayya (Watch It!)
Description: A routine check-up at a Dr’s office turns out to be anything but.
My Thoughts: Shalini was a mess on the set and had no control over her cast. With that being said, her short film turned out absolutely fantastic. Very funny for someone that’s not big into directing comedy.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought it really was funny and she can do comedy. Mark got some good laughs out of it and thought the camera work was good. Garry loved it, but it didn’t feel quite complete in the end.

Discovering the Wheels by Adam Stein (Watch It!)
Description: A story about a brand new Ford Mustange that materializes in the time of cavemen.
My Thoughts: Cute idea for a short film with a clever ending, but it all seemed to much like a Ford Mustang commercial for my liking.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought it was very ambitious, but he bit off more than he could chew. Mark didn’t think he nailed the ending. Garry thought it was a nice film and it held his attention, even if he called him Zach by accident.

Nerve Endings by Will Bigham (Watch It!)
Description: Two surgeons decide to test a patients reflexes while performing brain surgery.
My Thoughts: Great story, very well filmed and executed. Totally original idea for a comedy short, I loved it.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie said only he could make blood and an exposed brain adorable, an amazing feat. Mark thought it was a misfire and was horrified. Garry was scared a little bit, but thought it was a funny film.

Under The Gun by Hilary Graham (Watch It!)
Description: A woman desperate to find the right man and have a child takes an unconvenital route to finding the right man.
My Thoughts: Clever idea for a film, funny and well executed, until the end, that is. The end was just stupid and cheesy and ruined it for me.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie said she redeemed herself, thought it was really good. Mark thought it was funny and exciting, but the ending was lacking. Garry said it was very good.

How To Have A Girl by David May (Watch It!)
Description: A couple experiment with different ways of ensuring the sex of a child when an arguement erupts with comedic results.
My Thoughts: Clever idea for a film, but not very well executed and not funny.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought it was confusing, didn’t get it. Mark didn’t think it delivered, not a lot of laughs. Garry thought the bedroom wrestling scene was better then the one in Borat.

Die Hardly Working by Zach Lipovsky (Watch It!)
Description: wo co-workers, while working in their cubicles, become bored, declare war on one another and an battle of epic perportions ensues.
My Thoughts: Great idea for a film, well written and shot. The sound effects were brilliant and the ending was great.
Judges Thoughts: Carrie thought it was completely charming, fantastic. Mark said he’s incredibly talented and it’s a story everyone can relate to. Garry thought it was very well shot and entertaining.

Judges Picks:
Carrie Fisher - Die Hardly Working by Zach Lipovsky
Garry Marshall - Die Hardly Working by Zach Lipovsky
Mark Waters - Die Hardly Working by Zach Lipovsky

My Pick:
I don’t know, this is the hardest choices I’ve had to make all season. Die Hardly Working by Zach Lipovsky and Dr. In-Law by Shalini Kantayya were without a doubt the best films of the night. I don’t think I can pick one of the two as a favorite, to be honest, I liked them both to much.

There you have it, another episode of On The Lot comes to an end. Next week’s episode will feature the other six contestants premiering their all new horror movies!

On The Lot episode 9 airs on the Fox Television Network on July 3 at 8/7c. Stay tuned for a full recap of the show right here on dingoRUE.com!

Watch On The Lot Online!

Thanks to my friend Andrew over at the digital photography blog GoldenGod.net for the heads up on this story.

Alright, I know what you’re all thinking, “Christ, not another friggin’ Paris Hilton story, who cares anymore?!” Well, I have to say, I can’t agree with you more.

Paris earned her celebrity by being a celebrity (don’t ask me how that works), and then she got nailed with a DUI, then she was in jail, and out of jail and back in again and now, finally, she is free, for the time being at least. No matter what this woman does, or even doesn’t do, she manages to find her way into the pages of nearly every magazine and newspaper, but no more.

Today was a fantastic day in the world of celebrity gossip and Paris Hilton news. The journalists have had enough and are finally fighting back!
It all started with US Weekly refusing to give Paris Hilton the cover story of their next issue; for that matter they refused to even include mention of her in the next issue, period. Now, it is quite obvious that was a PR stunt to try and garner even more attention for the magazine, which definitely worked, but hey, an issue of US Weekly without Paris Hilton, stunt or otherwise, is a miracle among celebrity gossip miracles.

Later in the day, and even better than the US Weekly news, was an event that happened lived on MSNBC that will not soon be forgotten. News Anchor Mika Brzezinski was told to lead into the news hour with a story about Paris Hilton’s interview on Larry King Live, and she refused. Live, on air, for all the world to see, she flat out refused to talk about the interview or anything to do with Paris Hilton. Not only did she refused to read the story, she tried to burn it! She did fail to burn it; however, after stealing it back from a fellow anchor that snatched it from her hands, she tore it into shreds! Better still, her producer slipped her another copy of the story and her reaction was to stand up, march over to the paper shredder and let her rip. All of this was live, on air, on MSNBC’s morning show, Morning Joe. Now if that’s not a powerful statement, I don’t know what is.

Watch video of MSNBC News Anchor Mika Brzezinski tearing up her Paris Hilton story!

Production on Heroes season 2 began this past week (June 19) and already season 2 spoilers are starting to find there way online.

Heroes Season 2 Spoiler #1

Our first spoiler comes compliments of E! Online, who are a regular source for great Heroes spoilers. It looks like our cute little time-traveling-sword-wielding-Sylar-stabbing superhero Hiro Nakamura, played by Masi Oka, is going to find himself a special love interest while traveling in feudal Japan. More specifically, it looks like Hiro is going to fall for a princess in distress and a few episodes will be dedicated to Hiro and his new love interest in the feudal Japan era!

Would Hiro dare to risk potentially throwing the earths entire time line into turmoil by trying to bring his new found love interest back to the present day? We already know Hiro has to return to present day at some point, so his trip back could potentially impact the entire storyline of Heroes season 2.

Though the casting of Hiro’s love interest has yet to be confirmed by NBC television, Heroes creator Tim Kring or anyone else from the Heroes crew, early rumors are pointing to Riyo Mori landing the role of a lifetime. Named sound familiar? That’s most likely because Riyo Mori is none other than the 2007 Miss Universe!

I’m still not quite sure who got the better deal here: Riyo for scoring a fantastic role on a hit TV show, or Masi for scoring an awesome love interest that he will no doubt be scoring with himself, all in the name of “plot development”, of course.

Check out this short YouTube video, compliments of E! Online:

Heroes season 2 spoiler

Welcome to the Hell’s Kitchen 3 episode 4 recap!

Last week was an absolute disaster, neither the Red or Blue team managed to complete a full service as Chef Gordon Ramsay was forced to shut down the kitchen prematurely. Though it wasn’t all bad as the moronic Asian cowboy Aaron went for gold by passing out cold, falling ass-backwards into a cabinet and denting it nearly as much as his own head. After being rushed off to the hospital, Aaron received an extra special phone call from Chef Ramsay, letting him know that he would no longer be allowed back into Hell’s Kitchen! Finally!

Along with Aaron getting booted off the show for “medical reasons” (see also: overwhelming stupidity), Joanna was sent packing for her general suckage.

So now that we’re all refreshed on what happened last week, lets get down to business and see what this weeks Hell’s Kitchen 3 episode 4 has to offer.

Hell’s Kitchen 3
SE03EP04
June 25, 2007

• The Blue and Red teams both return to their dorms to sulk over their crappy performances. Back in the dorm Vinnie starts ragging on Jen for pulling spaghetti from a garbage, and rightly so.
• The contestants enter Hell’s Kitchen for a chat with Ramsay and he announces the challenge, a palette test! I love this challenge!

• The Challenge: Each team member has to taste and correctly identify three kinds of food. Each correct ID earns the team a point.
• Julie goes 2/3 for the Red team, while Brad goes 1/3 fo the Blue team.
• Mellisa goes 1/3 for the Red team, Rock goes 2/3 for the Blue team.
• Bonnie goes 2/3 for the Red team, Josh goes 0/3 for the Blue team.
• Vinnie can’t nail the first item (Seared Tuna) and effectively loses the competition for the Blue team. The Red team wins!

Continue Reading: (”Hell’s Kitchen 3 Episode 4 Recap”)

It has been a long time since I’ve talked about anything celebrity related on dingoRUE, and I think even longer since I’ve had a sponsored review request from Review Me, and wouldn’t you know it, I get to kill two birds with one stone today.

I received a review request from CelebrityGossip.com the other day and, though I was hesitant to actually accept the offer, I checked out the site and decided it would be worth a review. So let’s get down to business.

Though I don’t like to admit it, I’m some what of a celebrity news addict (I blame my work 100%), so I spend a lot of time cruising the celebrity news sites, blogs, etc. Things like PerezHilton, E! Online and the likes, so getting a review request from a new celebrity gossip site actually peaked my interest a bit.

At First Glance

CelebrityGossip.com comes across as another in a long line of Digg clones and, upon further investigation, that is exactly what it is. Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Digg is a great resource for technology news and the likes, but when it comes to television news and celebrity gossip, Digg is sorely lacking. In fact, the entertainment pages of Digg see next to no traffic or interest compared to the tech and computer related pages. This is where the Celebrity Gossip site has the opportunity to shine.

Being a Digg style site 100% focused on celebrities and celebrity related news, Celebrity Gossip will most certainly fill an as yet untapped niche. Given, the site is in its infancy and doesn’t appear to have a great deal of traffic, it does however have promise.

The Look

The overall look of the site is simple and clean, which keeps it easy to navigate and makes the purpose of the site clear the moment you look at it. Like many celebrity gossip sites, pink is the color of choice and as much as I hate the color, it befitting of the sites content.

My one initial complaint about the look of the site is how massive the header image and top ad are. You actually have to scroll down to view the entire first article, which is a big issue in my eyes. Standard web design and general usability practices say your first article or piece of interest should always be above the fold (halfway mark) of the page, and Celebrity Gossip has failed to do that. I think with a little reworking and resizing of the header image, tabs, ad, etc. it could end up with a much tighter look and feel.

Overall

I like the idea behind the site, though the amount of Digg copy sites out there now-a-days makes it hard to really pay a lot of attention to any new ones. The content on the site is good and, with more traffic, should only get better. Overall I think the site has a lot of promise and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on how things progress.

Check it out for yourself at CelebrityGossip.com.

What? You didn’t think that the first season ending would lead me to forget about one of the best television shows in recent memory, did you? Come on now.

September 24, 2007 is the new D-Day, the day Heroes season 2 will officially kick off!

Things are really heating up for the hit TV show’s second season, affectionately entitled “Generations”, and we’re still 3 months away from the second seasons premiere episode. Between now and September 24, a whole lot of things are going to be revealed, a bunch of spoilers are going to be released and fans of Heroes season 1 on NBC are going to be begging for season 2 to start!

With that being said, I already have a nice list of spoilers up my sleave that I’ll be revealing over the next few weeks, so stay tuned and keep an eye out for more Heroes season 2 news!

In the meantime, wet your appetite for the shows second season by watching and re-watching the brief glimpse we were given at the end of Heroes episode 23.

Heroes Season 2 Preview

Watch Heroes Online!