Early estimates for this weekend's box office total project a 35% rise on the same time last year, driven by the popularity of Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers' adaptation of the classic Maurice Sendak book. Deadline Hollywood's Nikki Finke offered examples of its surprise success:

Thursday midnight shows went way over the expected $150K grosses and came close to $660K. By Friday noon in Manhattan, the expected $12K take turned into $100K.

This, coming after the positive reviews and box office of last month's Cloudy... may point to a new trend for Hollywood - Adapting well-loved children's books into movies that satisfy both children and the adults that grew up reading them decades earlier. Consider it the next step for an industry that's already learned the value of GI Joe and Transformers.

Audiences go 'Wild' at box office [Variety]

The fun twist to the film is the Jell-O mold doubles as a mansion and designer Armand Serrano was kind enough to post a load of pictures of the jiggly house where everything is made out of orange Jell-O, including the piano.

Cloudy takes us where Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett's beloved children's book did not: Inside the lives of the villagers of Chewandswallow. Before bacon and eggs rained from the skies, the town was the number one sardines producer. But when the sardine market took a turn for the worse, the town was forced to eat the cities remaining sardine stock the people became pretty miserable (Insert 'Swallow's daily paper headline "Sardines Are Super Gross").

Meanwhile, the town's littlest scientist, Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader), is dealing with some problems of his own. An aspiring inventor, complete with adorable mad scientist rock star posters, Flint spent his childhood in misery after being teased mercilessly for all his failed inventions like the ratbird or spray on shoes that you can never take off. It's the classic (and yes, a bit overdone) your-inner-self-is-special tale. Eventually, Flint holes up in his lab with his sidekick Steve, a monkey wearing a Flint-created thought-translator (which means we get to hear the inner workings of a monkey's brain, mostly hilarious one word statements HUNGRY, EXCITED, GUMMI BEARS or STEVE!!!! voiced by Neil Patrick Harris) looking for the best invention. After lots of role-playing self-narrating moments in his backyard laboratory constructed to look like a version of 2001: A Space Odyssey made up of shower curtains and egg crates, Flint creates a robot that will turn water into food... which eventually ends up in the sky pumping out food for the masses, much to everyone delight and eventual terror.

In spite of its obvious plot, every joke, side story, character and event fits into the other, perfectly weaving an incredibly emotional and engaging story that will have you laughing out loud through glossy tear-filled eyes. And, yes, I'm not the only audience member that wiped away a few stray tears by the end. Everything has a purpose in this film, be it a homage to the original with an outdoor restaurant minus the ceiling so the spaghetti can just drop in, or Flint's distant father's muppet unibrow marring his eyes from view. For when that character finally lifts up his heavy brow, the comical pay off is classic.

It's the mix of little things like the shallow thoughts of a talking monkey added to the insane attention to detail that directors and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller put into the script that elevates this film above all the other "it's not a Pixar" animations. Their razor sharp banter puts it miles above Monsters Versus Aliens and will keep you in stitches along with the little ones. And sure, some of the humor may be over the kiddies' heads but, to quote the directors themselves, "I didn't know what Bugs Bunny was doing when he pretended to be Humphrey Bogart as a kid, but I still really enjoyed what the character was doing. And now that I'm older it's adds something new because I know who that is... He's an actor, right?"

A lot of people will try and label Cloudy's humor as "quirky" or "off the wall", but I call it current. It's the type of cutting-edge "ha ha's" perfect for today's audience, a mixture of wit and blatant in-your-face comedy backed by heart. The ability to write cutting satire that also oozes love was apparent early on in their work as co-executive producers for the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which is another great example of the Miller and Lord style. Each character gets skewered in their time onscreen, but in a loving way. Plus, not once do you see any of these laughs coming - the jokes, like their characters, are wholly original takes on a possibly cliched moment. While other writers might have gone for the cheap and easy, Lord and Miller kept it smart and surprising all the way through.

Another delicious course to the veritable bounty of treats awaiting inside Cloudy is the 3D element. In a movie industry where each new release is practically falling all over each other to slap the "IMAX 3D" sign on the front of their marquees, it's nice to see this technique actually enhance the viewing experience. Not once did the filmmakers lean on the over-the-top pointing sticks into the crowd 3D shtick. And what was 3D film created for, if not to put the audience in the middle of a cheeseburger storm? It's beautiful and takes you right inside the ice cream color palate world of Chewandswallow.

For the odd purists that demand a by-the-book recreation the Barretts' masterpiece, I'd like to point out that an exact recreation would merely be a 10 minute movie. This film, which worked closely with the Battetts throughout the production process, truly brings Chewandswallow to life, filling the town with folk that you grow to love so that, when the flea from a spagetti tornado, you're actually rooting for their safety. The film also easily incorporates classic images from the book into the plot, making note not to leave behind a single sailing sandwich or pancake squashed public school. In fact, it even helps to explain and flesh out some of the more miraculous weather occurrences. Who didn't want a closer look at the giant orange Jell-o mold on the horizon? The movie doesn't overshadow the book for a second - it's more of a loving addition then runs along side the original.

The only pitfall for this lovely film is the constant juggling of moral lessons it labors to keep in the air. Sure, they were going to have to touch on the excess issue when Cloudy opens up a nacho cheese hot tub smack in the center of their town, but I was much more invested on the character dilemmas and the relationships rather than being forced to realistically fathom what happens to a child when you throw them in a jellybean pool (Turns out it's a food coma)... But, at the same time, the whole experience was still fairly funny. And in the end, if you don't at least get a little chocked up in the end, then you're just a cold plate of left overs.

All food puns aside, Cloudy is all heart and laughs, and my favorite movie this summer.

Forget Hader and Farris - it's the side characters I'm most excited about.

Bruce Campbell And Mr T.

Neil Patrick Harris

Andy Samberg

James Caan

Al Roker

Jennifer's Body

A new TV spot shows a little bit of the murder that gets this demonic party started:

[via ShockTillYouDrop]

Lost

Honolulu International Airport was dressed up as LAX for Lost filming, with Matthew Fox (Jack), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), and Naveen Andrews (Sayid) expected on set. Visitors spotted the Oceanic Airlines logo as well as Daniel Roebuck, who played the late (exploded) Dr. Leslie Arzt, leading some to speculate that we will see another timeline showing the safe landing of Oceanic Flight 815. [Hawaii Blog]

Another set report comes from the site of the now-demolished Swan Station, and appears to be set after Juliet detonated the bomb. Jack, Kate, Miles, and Jin were all on set, and Sawyer was visibly upset over Juliet's actions. He runs toward the hole, which is now filled with metal from the site. The set reporter also saw stunt doubles climb out of the hole using vines. They also saw Hurley and Sayid on set, but not filming, and Sayid's Dharma uniform was still covered in blood. [KryptonSite]

At Seattle's Bumbershoot festival, a panel of writers and producers claimed that, while the creative team does have a roadmap for mysteries that have to be explained, not every single detail will be made clear. They also said we'll be seeing Charlie and possibly the flight attendant Cindy as well, that season six will have a significant spiritual bent, and that the final shot of the show is already planned. [Pop Distillery]

Starting in the fourth episode of the sixth season, Lost will feature a recurring character, a teenage boy who has dealt with a horrible family accident and has been put in charge of something important, something that weighs heavily on him. He's also described as "wise beyond his years." Could this be the younger version of a character we've already met? An older version of Aaron? [Dark UFO]

Fringe

Photos from the second episode "Night of Desirable Objects" suggest that Charlie is still with us after the season premiere:

[Spoiler TV]

At Dragon*Con, Leonard Nimoy reiterated that he will appear in multiple episodes this season, including one that will air next month set around the alternate universe. [Trek Web]

Supernatural

In the images for the season's third episode "Free to be You and Me," Dean and Castiel pose as FBI agents, and we get our first look at Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer. Evidently, it was Casual Friday in Hell:

[J-Squared]

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Here are four clips from the computer-animated food fest:

[via CinemaBlend]

True Blood

HBO has put together a teaser trailer for Sunday's season finale:

[via Spoiler TV]

Heroes

The new promo pledges our heroes (and presumably the writers) will be "back at their best:"

[NBC]

The Box

Here's the French poster for Richard Kelly's adaptation of Richard Matheson's short story, "Button, Button:"

[ShockTillYouDrop]

Pandorum

The Brazilian one-sheet for Pandorum features what appears to be a countdown clock:

[ShockTillYouDrop]

New Moon

The latest still shows Edward in a bedroom with Bella, although it's not clear if he's the real Edward, or just a figment of her imagination:

[MTV Movies Blog]

Smallville

In the sixth episode, "Crossfire," Lois and Clark kiss, which is the first time that their attraction is mutually acknowledged without any external forces or time alterations. This episode sets up Lois's departure in the seventh episode "Kandor" and her return in the eighth episode "Idol." Also, there will be an ominous revelation about Lois's futuristic time flashes. [KryptonSite]

And here are a few more images from the season opener, "Savior:"

[KryptonSite]

FlashForward

Below is a UK promo, slightly different from the promos airing in the US:

[via FlashForward.pl]

Eastwick

ABC describes the characters in a press release for the pilot. Roxie is an extroverted artist, Kat an overworked wife and mother, and Joanna a wallflower local reporter, and the three didn't get along for many years because of their preconceived notions about one another. But a strange encounter in the park prompts them to bond over martinis and wish for change in their lives. This unlocks a power within each of them and brings the wealthy, mysterious Darryl Van Horne into town, who will help them discover their powers. We'll also meet Penny, Joanna's co-worker and best friend, Bun, the fun and kooky head of the Eastwick Historical Society (who may have the key to Darryl's true identity), and Mia, Roxie's teenaged daughter. Certain men in Eastwick, including Joanna's crush Will and Kat's layabout husband Raymond become unintentional targets of the women's powers. [Spoiler TV]

The titles of the first four episodes will be "Pilot," "Reaping and Sewing," "Madams and Madames," and "Fleas and Casserole." [Eastwick-Fans.net]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown and Charlie Jane Anders.

September 4th
Gamer
...this one, which Annalee loved. Even if you've not seen the movie, you'll have seen the trailers enough to be familiar with the idea behind it: In the not-too-distant future, mad scientist Michael C. Hall has invented a way to remote control people, which allows gamers to live out their fantasies in reality... which makes us wonder if Bruce Willis' Surrogates should be a little worried about this coming out first. Gerard Butler makes with the explodo, and if you liked the Crank movies - made by the same people - consider this right up your inevitably aflame, full of over the top action, alley.

September 9th
9
For those who won't be spending Wednesday in a Beatles Rock Band-induced musical coma, consider Shane Acker's CG-animated post-apocalyptic movie (with voices from Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly and Jennifer Connelly, amongst others) that tries to make "stitchpunk" into a real genre. Existential angst meets the Island of Misfit Toys, as creatures made up of the remnants of a destroyed society try to discover the truth behind their origins. As you might expect, Tim Burton is executive producer on this one.

September 18th
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
AKA the film that Meredith is trying to convince me I must see as soon as possible. Adapted from the 1982 classic children's book by the writers of television's How I Met Your Mother, the CG-animated Cloudy lets the voices of Bill Hader, Neil Patrick Harris (of course), Andy Samberg and more explore why science can be trouble when it means that foodstuffs replace raindrops.

Jennifer's Body
You know all about this one by now: Juno's Diablo Cody writes a horror movie in which everyone's worst fears about Megan Fox come true - as long as your worst fears involve her turning into a literally-maneating she-demon dispatching various unfortunate boys in high school. Director Karyn Kusama directed the bigscreen version of Aeon Flux, so maybe this is a chance for her to earn back some movie karma.

Pandorum
Spacemen Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster wake up without their memories and adrift in space in director Christian Alvart (who also co-wrote the movie with Travis Milloy)'s mysterious space horror. What has happened to the crew, and what does it have to do with the future of the human race? And, more importantly, how excited should we be about Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson being attached as producer for the movie?

September 21st
The Age Of Stupid
A "crowd-funded" movie about the dangers of climate change? This drama-documentary-animation hybrid offers up Pete Postlethwaite as a man in the year 2055, looking back at "archival footage" (ie, documentary material) from our time and wondering why more wasn't done to stop the environmental damage that humanity was causing. Animators on the project include Gorillaz' Passion Pictures, and music comes from Radiohead, amongst others.

September 25th
The Invention of Lying
Ricky Gervais continues his attempt to break into movies (And the less said about Ghost Town, the better) with this movie set on an alternate Earth where Gervais' character invents the entire concept of lying in order to win the heart - or, at least, the body - of Jennifer Garner's character Jennifer. As long as it stays away from a sentimental ending, we've got high hopes for this... but maybe that's just because we're swayed by Tina Fey being amongst the cast.

Surrogates
Bruce Willis rues Gamer in this adaptation of the Top Shelf comic wherein humanity have retreated to better living through robotics, only for someone - or something - to abruptly put an end to that happy shared delusion. Go for Bruce's wig, stay for the fact that, if it's anything like the original, it'll end up being a taut and exciting thriller that doesn't go for the easy answers.

With September already underway, we're a little late in providing this guide, but try not to hold it too far against us. We've split everything up month-by-month, to help you fill your calendar without too much worry - Just click on the links below.

September
October
November
December

While doing press for Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, out next week, we got to check in with geek comedian Bill Hader. In an interview we asked the man who makes it rain food about possible new comic books from him and his SNL co-star Seth Meyers, why MacGruber gets a movie and Laser Cats doesn't, and what's happening with Simon Peggs alien road-trip film Paul.

I know you and Seth Meyers wrote that Spider-Man comic, [Spider-man The Short Halloween] are there anymore comic books in your future?

We have a Daredevil idea that we'd like to do.

What's this idea about? How will it be different?

I can't tell you what the idea is. I would say it's kind of the same thing as the Spider-Man book as it's kind of a stand alone. It wouldn't be in the current Daredevil arc. It would be in it's own stand-alone story, kind of how the Spider-Man book was. It doesn't fit into any sort of...but yeah that's how it would be different. And our idea is similar to the Spider-Man one, where it also involves peripheral characters are the main character and Daredevil is influencing the story in different ways. It is that kind of similar thing to the Spider-man one. I know people were kind of mixed on it. Some people liked it and some people were like, "why isn't Spider-Man the main character?" We weren't interested in that, we found that funnier.

My favorite part of SNL these days has been all the science fiction shorts, so when is Laser Cats getting a movie? MacGruber has a movie...I feel like it's justified.

I would love to do a Laser Cats movie. Yeah, maybe... I feel like Macgruber is a little bit more of a hit than Laser Cats is. Andy [Samberg] Akiva [Schaffer] and Jorma [Taccone] really find that so funny. And that's what's great about doing that, you really get a sense of the four of us just making each other laugh at how dumb it is. Because we all grew up making videos. What makes Laser Cats so funny to me is the idea that it's being presented to Lorne Michaels each week, and we actually think it's so good. The Steve Martin one was a lot of fun, where Steve Martin is totally into it like "hey look at this video I made, and it's total shit." Yeah we love doing that.

Will there be a lot more science-fictional sketches in the new season?

I don't know, honestly I have no idea what I'm going to do up until the moment we do it. We had a character last season that we want to do again called "Greg Is Not An Alien." We want to do that again. We tried it once with Zac Efron and it didn't fully work. So we might try that idea again. That was a lot of fun to do. That's John Mulaney, Simon Rich and I, they made that thing so funny.

We're all really excited to see more from Simon Pegg's movie Paul. What's going on with your character in this film?

In Paul, I play a guy named Haggard and it's me and Jason Bateman's character and Joe Lo Truglio's character are these agents who are tracking Simon, Nick and Paul, and Kristen Wiig's character. To put it pretty well, we're kind of like the epic Kota and Midnight Run.

What were the rumors that you were supposed to be the alien in Paul? But now it's Seth Rogen correct?

I think those rumors were started because I did a test for Simon and Nick to show the studios here's what Paul will look like and here's how he will interact with the actors. And Mottola and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost called me and said, "I know this is last minute but would you want to come here and do this real quick almost as like a favor. And I said yeah sure, free trip to London. So I went to London for three or four days, we shot the test and I came back. It was totally not an audition for the character, it was just to help them out. I think that's how all those rumors got started.

Is Paul, the alien, totally human form or CG?

You'll have to see. [Laughs] No I don't know. I honestly don't know now. It's funny you asked that because I don't know — it could be a mix of both.

Until the next season of SNL you can catch Bill Hader in the movie Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, out September 11.

Iron Man 2:

So the Entertainment Weekly cover story didn't just give us our first look at the Black Widow. It also fleshed out the movie's storyline, and included one quote that's already making some people very nervous. Apparently, "fast-talking weapons manufacturer" Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is a full-blown antagonist for Tony Stark, not just an irritant. Hammer fancies himself the next Tony Stark, and he joins forces with Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian who makes his own power suit, with laser whips, while he's in prison.

And then there's the somewhat worrying quote. Rourke says:

I told Favreau, 'I don't want to just play him as a one-dimensional p—--.' He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I'm making my suit.

(Did you watch Iron Man and think to yourself, "This would be better if there was a drunk guy talking to a cockatoo while making himself a bondage harness with laser whips?" Me neither.)

Meanwhile, turns out Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow isn't just a slinky superspy. She's also Natasha, who joins Stark Industries as Tony Stark's new assistant, ruffling the feathers of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Says Paltrow:

The men want it to be, like, 'Ooh, the girls are fighting over Tony,' but it's not as standard as that. There's a weird male catfight fantasy.

But lest you think the whole thing is going to be totally grown-up and demure, Robert Downey Jr. adds that the difference between Iron Man and other superhero francises is that Shellhead is "horny." [EW]

Zombieland:

EW also has a few new pictures (including one startling one) from this zombie free-for-all comedy. More at the link. [EW]

Pandorum:

And EW has a neat looking still, with a nice look at Dennis Quaid, from this space horror epic. [EW]

Thirst:

And finally, EW posted a nice pic from this vampire film. [EW]

New Moon:

Chris Weitz says the final Jacob werewolf look will be more photo-realistic than the glimpse you saw in the movie's trailer. He also says his take on the Volturi will be close to the book, but depart considerably from fan speculation — and his belief is that they just went insane after living for 2000 years. David Slade's approach to Eclipse will be different than his approach to New Moon, albeit with the same cast and crew. [HitFix and Rotten Tomatoes via Twilighters Anonymous]

Separately, Hollywood.com visited the set for a couple days. In all those scenes where Edward appears to Bella as a ghostly presence, apparently he's wearing a very natty gray suit and goes through some intense facial expressions. And they watched the filming of one scene in the Volturi lair, where Edward wears a maroon bathrobe-like cloak. And here's roughly how the scene goes:

Edward, Bella and Alice stand in front of the Volturri. Edward, looking many gray shades of haggard, takes a dramatic step toward the vampires and seems to hit an invisible wall. He crumbles to the ground, writhing in pain. Alice, wearing red gloves, crouches down to tend to him.

Bella: "Stop, stop! Try it on me. Just stop hurting him!"

[Hollywood.com]

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs:

Here are a couple of new stills from the animated movie based on the classic children's book. [IGN]

FlashForward:

Another casting call for this crazy clairvoyant klatch, this time for episode four. We'll meet:

• Ned, a quirky looking, philosophical scuba-diver.
• Father Seabury, a baby-faced forty-year-old Episcopal priest, dealing with an influx of people seeking spiritual guidance, and Father Seabury's older female secretary.
• Vladmir, a Russian emigre working in a fast-food joint, who gets into an altercation.
• Marc, a kind white guy with short hair.
• A TV reporter who "teases a positive story."
• Louis, the dumb, self-aggrandizing manager of a fast-food joint, and his female cashier.
• Maneesh, an anesthesiologist who stands up to a well-respected surgeon, Meade, a surgical resident involved in a high-pressure surgery, and Alice, a non-white Chief of Surgery who's friends with that difficult surgeon.
• Chris, an athletic, "unassuming leader," who keeps his cool in a high-pressure situation.
• Rob, an egotistical astronaut, who learns the hard way that he impresses himself more than he does others, plus Jill, a folksy straight-shooter who works for NASA.

Heroes:

Hayden Panettiere was on set, wearing a surprisingly slinky dress. A formal event? Some kind of sorority thing? [SpoilerTV]

Dollhouse:

This is almost too vague to post as a spoiler, but EW's Ausiello saw the unaired episode "Epitaph One" (the one with Felicia Day) and said he found it really confusing. [EW]

Fringe:

It doesn't sound like Charlie (Kirk Acevedo) is being killed off. Ausiello says "We haven't seen the last of him." And the reason he's disappearing from the show is because the writers didn't have much for him to do — which could change at some point, in theory. [EW]

Warehouse 13:

And here are some promo photos from episode 5. Guest stars! Goggles! [SpoilerTV]

Smallville:

The major relationship this season, as you've no doubt gleaned, will be Clark-Lois. Lois-Ollie may come up, but it won't be made into a big deal. [EW]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

Even though my heart melts at the thought of Bill Hader being all sweet, I'm loathed to discover that this animated film adaptation of the classic children's book continues to perpetuate the "girls with glasses need to be told they're pretty" myth. Stop it this instant. Whether they are hiding from their secret inner glasses-wearing selves or a sex kitten that is just a hair toss away from being released, please stop using these cliches. They are old and tired, girls with glasses don't NEED to be told they are pretty spectacles on or off.

BUT that being said I am excited to see Cloudy out in theaters Sept. 18th because I will always love the book.

Call me an old softie, but after seeing two trailers for Cloudy, it feels like the essence of my favorite childhood book is being adapted in a clever and compassionate way for the big screen. The story follows the residents of Chewandswallow, whose lives are changed when clouds overhead start to rain food into their little lives.

Granted, in the book they didn't need a machine: It was just a magical mystical happening in the skies, but that wouldn't really fill out more than 30 minutes of footage. So a few new characters needed to be introduced along with a witty little scientist hopeful, voiced by Bill Hader. In fact the vocal talent they wrangled for film is pretty impressive: Listen for Bruce Campbell, Anna Faris, James Caan, Tracy Morgan and the one and only Mr. T.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs will be in theaters September 18th.

Flint, a failed scientist, finally gets it right with an invention that makes food pour out of the skies. Until things go disastrously wrong, and the food starts pummeling pedestrians, with donuts and worse.

There are so many things they got right about this adaptation (which I'd feared the worst for, because it's my favorite bedtime tale). First off, they got Bill Hader to voice the main character, which means I'm going to see the movie no matter what. But it's also got the vocal talents of Bruce Campbell, Anna Faris, James Caan, Tracy Morgan, and Mr. T. So you know this movie means business.

Next on the list of great things about this movie is the fact that the CG (which is executed in a cute style) is quite similar to the awesome illustrations from the original book by Ron Barrett, as you can see from the trailer, plus the image below. Also, the scene where the spaghetti splats on the open-air restaurant-goers — and of course, the scenes of the pancake atop the school — are all included in the original work, as written by Judi Barrett.

And finally, the adapted story is really adorable: just look at Hader's running TV set. Also, this is one of the first films that I feel actually deserves its 3D production, because who doesn't want to stand under a storm of mashed potatoes?

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs will be in theaters September 18th.