Entertainment Television

The Best Horror Movies of 2011 [The Top 10 Released and Top 5 Unreleased]

Henry Ibsch — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:04:08 +0000

2011,Editorials,Lists Posted by Peter Hall – December 8th 2011 @ 3:28 am

2011 was a really shitty year for horror. Theres no reason to dance around it; it just sucked. Sure, some good movies managed to find release, but not nearly enough. You know its been a bad 12 months of genre when its a struggle to assemble a Top 10 filled with films that leave any kind of a significant mark and even then, several are just unreleased films from 2010. But such is the genre these days

The Best Horror Movies of 2011

10.

The Mallet livens up a downbeat Fallston corner

Bianca Lions — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:37:45 +0000

The building at the corner of Belair and Mountain Roads in Fallston has a reputation as one of those spots where no restaurant seems able to survive.

Tony Ashe, owner and general manager of the Mallet, the newest restaurant at the location, hopes to change all that with his combination fine dining/crab house/martini lounge/tiki bar establishment. In the dining room, tasty if traditional steak and seafood dishes and friendly service suggest the Mallet might be the restaurant that breaks through on this corner.

If the concept sounds as if it’s trying to be all things to all people, it is. Ashe aims to create a destination for the residents of Bel Air and Harford County, whether they’re looking for crabs with the kids, a nice meal or a night out for drinks and live music. Read more…

Lost Girl Season 1 “Where There’s A Will There’s A Fae” & “Oh Kappa, My Kappa” (VIDEO REVIEW)

Henry Ibsch — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:50:36 +0000

Heres my review of episodes 2 & 3 from season one of Lost Girl. Im really enjoying this season so far, and Im curious to hear what you all think as well. Whos your favorite character?

Efforts Never Gone To Waste

Ruby Anthony — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:08:36 +0000

SMU’s ‘Migration Matters’ series continues with film on migrant deaths

Bianca Lions — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:51:17 +0000

A new documentary on a grisly 2010 massacre will take viewers tonight into the lives of migrants from San Salvador to San Fernando–about a hundred miles from the Rio Grande. It pays homage to two–Tonito and Yedmi–who died in northern Mexico. It’s the second event in the university’s “Migration Matters”series–and the first lecture with author Luis Urrea filled SMU’s McCord Auditorium. The film “Una Ruta Nada Santa” (The Unholy Route) will be screened and followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers Moises Gomez and Hector Hugo Jimenez and SMU’s assistant chief of police Jim Walters.

Alicia Keys: Birthdays, Broadway and back in the studio

Bianca Lions — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:03:59 +0000

Posted Jan 24, 2012

When someone celebrates their birthday it usually all ‘me, me, me’, Alicia Keys, on the other hand, has taken the run-up to her 31st birthday in a more humble manner and as an opportunity to honour others.

Lending her voice to Steven Spielberg, Alicia was on hand to honour the cinematic hero as he picked up two awards, one for the animated film kudo for ‘The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” and the other was the David O. Selznick Achievement Award. Told you she wasn’t playing by the birthday rulebook. But we kn

Berkun, Scott: Confessions of a Public Speaker

Henry Ibsch — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:04:39 +0000

I have no intention of doing any public speaking myself in the next, oh, decade or so, or if I can help it ever, but nonetheless, after picking up this book on a whim, I found it engrossing. The author is a professional speaker who has clearly thought a lot about what makes for a successful presentation and about how people learn. He offers the reader practical advice about how to do well in front of an audience, or at least better, and about how to respond when, inevitably, something goes wrong. A lot of the secret is simple hard work: if youre super prepared and knowledgeable about your subject matter and youve practiced your talk until you know your points cold, then youre less likely to be thrown by technical problems or hecklers or last minute changes in line-up.

BOOK GROUPIE: Another thumbs-up for Jeannette Walls

Ruby Anthony — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:03:39 +0000

Some time ago I featured Jeannette Walls’ “The Glass Castle” in this column. “The Glass Castle” is the most moving memoir I’ve ever read, and I wasn’t the only one affected by it.

Shortly after the column published, I received numerous emails from readers who were also touched by the book.

Memorable characters abound in “The Glass Castle,” but the most intriguing person to me was the author’s mother, Rosemary.

At times Rosemary was loving to her children, but other times she neglected them. Rosemary considered herself an artist and her paintings often seemed more important to her than her children. And though the fami

Bistro 36 offers a taste of the finer things

Ruby Anthony — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:52:48 +0000

The dining room, with chandeliers and hand-stenciled walls, emanates elegance.

But with entrees from $16 to $36 and gourmet pizzas starting at $11, the pricing falls between casual and fine dining.

Our party tried an appetizer, a soup, two entrees and the four-course chef’s tasting menu which, at $35 with wine pairings, I thought was a great deal. For four of us, with tax and tip, the bill came to $151.63.

The New York Strip ($28), which my daughter ordered with french fries and red wine demi-glace on the side, was fabulous. The beef was cooked perfectly to the medium-rare requested and had the full, robust flavor of dry-aged beef. It was so tender you could almost cut it with a butter knife.

Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz New Deals

Henry Ibsch — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:55:12 +0000

There’s one thing that Hollywood studios now know they can depend on more than the Sun shining in the morning and that is just about anything comic book related is HUGE money.

Such is the case for the writing team of Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz who penned two big blockbusters “Thor” and “X-Men: First Class”.

The two are riding high on their fame and can make deals left and right.

Penning two Marvel Comics movies from a company that has been dominating the box office for over ten years straight, is a big opportunity and both have done well based on box office receipts and critics analysis. Now the two are kicking six figure deals with some companies and are reportedly working on everything from feature films to television pilots. They’ve n

Shakira’s new DVD focuses on dancing more than music

Bianca Lions — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:52:53 +0000

DVD Spotlight

Shakira, En Vivo Desde Paris (Sony Music) 2 1/2 stars.

Its said that Hips Dont Lie, and that may be the case, but hips most definitely shake, as seen in this high octane, 22-song sweat-fest from Shakira.

Filmed in 2011 at the Palais de Bercy in Paris, its energy level makes Madonna, Janet Jackson and Beyonce seem tame in comparison.

A mix of English and Spanish material finds Shakira taking her big band through fully-fueled fare like Si Te Vas, and Whenever Whenever, the grinding Loca, and Hips Dont Lie, among others, concluding with the triumphant Waka Waka (This time for Africa.

If the affair has a fault its almost too dizzying, as the hip thrusts, dancing and light effects just never let up and never give the viewer a full chance to savor it all.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Spotted Kissing in Pic

Ruby Anthony — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:18:59 +0000

Robert Pattinson has been busy as a bee promoting his new movie Water For Elephants. The film’s New York City premiere took place a couple of nights back and the actor seemed to be having a great time as he was spotted smooching on his Twilight Saga co-star Kristen Stewart in the back of a car after the event. According to reports, the two stars were being chauffeured after attending the after-party for the premiere and after getting cozy and laughing it up a bit, the two began to kiss. Of course, the paparazzi were right on scene to snap pictures but the couple didn’t seem to mind. Read more…

Lunch for $10 or Less: Manchurian Rice Company

Bianca Lions — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:08:42 +0000

What impressed me first about the Kung Pao Chicken ($8.99) at this new Harbor East eatery was its boisterous fire. The pepper heat comes up front, with an intensity many Asian restaurants won’t offer unless you ask for it.

The Kung Pao declares the kitchen is not afraid to scare off wobbly Western palates, which are no doubt less timid than they used to be. Manchurian’s heat in this dish is pleasantly risky.

The consistency of the bean sauce carried nice smoky notes, and there’s no question chilies were at work. You could see signs of them everywhere in the mix.

I also detected the strong presence of garlic, both on the tongue and in the sauce itself, coarsely minced and still crunchy. Read more…

New Year, New Show, New Beginnings

Ruby Anthony — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:35:54 +0000

A New Year Needs a New Calendar

Bianca Lions — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:58:18 +0000

One of my favorite things about a new year is getting new calendars.

This desktop calendar from pixelimpress is full of fun whimsical pictures like this octopus

I love this letterpress calendar by Color Box Design

This smaller 4×6 calendar from Fuzzy Hippo Designs would great as a desk or wall calendar. Plus I love the modern furniture.