Hello Boys & Girls and Children of All Ages … It’s Story Time In Movieland.

This is Marcus Jackson, the FOX 10 / CW 55 Resident Movie Guru here.  Let me tell you a story about an industry …. on both the big and small screens … that has gone back to its childhood roots and want to bring to life some of our most famous characters from our fairytale and bedtime story books.  We’ve already seen versions of “Snow White” and “Little Red Riding Hood” come to life and more recently The Hobbit & Hansel & Gretel: Which Hunters have been released onto the big screen opening at No# 1 at the box office.  This past weekend it happened again with a new chapter in the “Jack and the Beanstalk” epic tale called Jack the Giant Slayer.  Now it took the top spot at the box office but it was expected to do better money-wise being that it took hundreds of millions of dollars to make the this 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D “giant” of a movie.

Check out the trailer for Jack The Giant Slayer courtesy of this link from IMDb ….. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi830449433/

Now if you think that was something, well Disney is throwing its hat into the ring once again with a little magic … not from “Tinkerbell” or “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” but from a certain “Wizard”.  Oz: The Great & Powerful hits theaters on Friday, March 8^th.  We all know that at the end of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and the gang finds out that the Wizard was nothing but an ordinary man from Kansas who was swept away by a tornado in his hot air balloon to the Land of Oz himself.  But how did he become the Wizard?  Well there are books in the “Oz” series written by L. Frank Baum that explains this and Disney saw that it was a great time to explore this story in the epic tale of Oz.

Check out this trailer of Oz: The Great & Powerful from this link from IMBd …. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi297314073/

With Disney’s big success with Once Upon A Time on ABC – and let’s not forget about Grimm on NBC; fairytale and bedtime stories are an instant source of screenplay adaptations that can be brought to life especially with the technology we have today.  Just like the Superhero & Comic Book movies that have been dominating the Box Office off and on for the past 30 and so years (Since Superman starring the late Christopher Reeve).

Well I hope that if you are going to see these movies in the coming weeks that you will have a good time watching but don’t forget that these big screen “stories” came from out of the pages of a good book.  Take the time to go out and read them – at your public library for starters.  But in this day and age you can probably download it to your Nook or Kindle Fire or Tablet or iPad or laptop or desktop …. At least you can read it from cover to cover.  From “Once upon a time …” to “And they lived happily ever after …” (we hope).  As we all know …. Anything can happen when the folks in Movieland get a hold of a story … even a fairytale.

This is Marcus Jackson, the FOX 10 / CW 55 Resident Movie Guru here.  Well, The Academy Awards have come and gone and what can I say … winning an Oscar was easy as “Pi”.  That’s why Life of Pi was a big winner taking home 4 Oscars, including surprisingly Best Director for Ang Lee.  “Pi” also took home the Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Original Music Score Oscars.  There was a “silver lining” on Oscar Night when Jennifer Lawrence won for Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.  Although many will remember her for tripping up on her dress as she goes up to accept her Oscar.  Hey, she’s an Oscar Winner now … can I fall down and win one? 

Tying for second place in Oscar wins were Les Miserables & Argo with 3 a piece.

“Les Miz” took home the Makeup/Hairstyling & Sound Mixing Oscars … and a little one for Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway … guess cutting off all of her hair and the singing paid off for the lady who critics thought that she wouldn’t make a good “Catwoman” in The Dark Knight Rises.  Now we call her “Oscar Winner” 

Argo brought home the Film Editing & Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars … and the “Best Revenge” …. Oh, I mean Best Picture Oscar, announced by the First Lady Michelle Obama from the White House via satellite no less.  Ben Afflick  gave a fine acceptance speech saying that the many times you fall down in this business you have to have the courage to “Get Up” – and that’s what Jennifer Lawrence did when she stumbled on the first step to go on stage to receive her Oscar … just get right back up and laugh it off because it’s been seen on YouTube about over a million times by now.

Lincoln & Django Unchained each took home 2 Oscars on this Night of Stars …

Lincoln received the Production Design Oscar and made Oscar History when Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor  Oscar for a third time for his portrayal as the 16^th President of the United States. (Quick Note: Jack Nicholson also has 3 Oscars but one was for Best Supporting Actor and two for Best Actor)

Speaking of Best Supporting Actor Oscar, that honor once again went to Christoph Waltz for his role in Django Unchained which also gave Quentin Tarantino an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  Two different telling of how things were during the Civil War Era in our country … both earning Oscar Gold this year in some major categories.

The Academy Awards also honored the 50 years that James Bond 007 has been on the big screen.  The movie franchise was honored with song … Dame Shirley Bassey came out and sung her signature Bond Song “Goldfinger” to a standing ovation – and later on during the program Adele sung the latest Bond film song “Skyfall” and it was awarded this year’s Oscar for Best Original Song and Skyfall won for Sound Editing (it tied with Zero Dark Thirty for that honor).  What a year MI6’s best “Licensed To Kill” secret agent has had … and … “James Bond Will Return”.

Lastly, Disney’s Brave won for Best Animated Feature Film & Disney released Paperman which won the Animated Short Film Oscar.  The “House of Mouse” does it again in this movie genre.  And as predicted, Amour won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

We have to give props to Oscar host Seth MacFarlane.  What can I say, you got what you asked for when you ask Seth to be your host.  For his first time as host it’s wasn’t too bad.  Being a Hardcore “Trekker” or “Trekkie” myself I got a hoot out of him having William Shatner as “Captain Kirk” to break out the old movie Starfleet uniform and trying to get him to change the Space-Time Continuum to make sure he has a great Oscar Night as the host.  All and all he did an OK job; some jokes got the “Oohs” and “silence” pause of shock as he crossed the line.  But that’s Seth MacFarlane!  And if they decide to have him as the host next year we’ll all be ready.

This is the FOX 10 / CW 55 Resident Movie Guru, Marcus Jackson.  Hope that you all enjoyed the biggest night in Hollywood honoring the best this past year of 2012 had to give us.  See you when I post my next blog entry when I’ll talk about the big movies coming up in March.  See you at the movies.  Can’t wait to see what 2013 has to offer us as the race for “Oscar Gold” begins anew once again.

This is Marcus Jackson, the FOX 10 / CW 55 Resident Movie Guru here.  Well, The Academy Awards are almost here and we will see who will walk on the stage when they announce “And the Oscar goes to …”  With 2012 being an election year and by the result of the Golden Globe & SAG Awards Winners this movie award season is going be “political” in many ways.  The Academy Awards are no exception – The 3 main movies that are getting the most buzz as far as nominations for the Oscar  – Argo, Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty.   We can’t forget about  Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook (huge buzz), The Life of Pi, and Django Unchained; as well as Beasts of the Southern Wild  and  Amour – which may win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. 

Now the big Oscar buzz is the fact that one of these film’s directors was not nominated for the Best Director Oscar, even though he won it for the Golden Globe – Ben Affleck.

With him out of the running the Best Director and Best Picture Oscars may not goes to the same film.  As a “Movie Guru” my pick for Best Picture is going to go to Argo, BUT, the Best Director Oscar I think will go to Steven Spielberg for Lincoln or David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook. 

Now to see all of the Oscar Nominations you can go to the Official Website ….

www.oscars.com  or  www.oscars.go.com.  There you can get all the latest insights to get you ready for this Sunday, February 24^th at 7e/4p on ABC.  That’s 6pm here in the Mobile/Pensacola viewing area. 

Well, being the FOX affiliate station here in the Mobile/Pensacola area I’m excited for “The Simpsons” getting an Oscar nod for its Animated Short Film – Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” and for this year’s Academy Awards host, Seth MacFarlane.  Can’t wait to see what the creator of FOX’s Family Guy & American Dad as well as last summer’s big hit comedy, Ted, has planned for us the viewing audience.  I think he’s going to be just as funny as Billy Crystal who has host The Oscars a few times.  He could join the ranks of Bob Hope & Johnny Carson as being one of the most memorable hosts for this Star-Studded Event.

Well, my friend and co-worker, Meteorologist Michael White says it’s going to rain all this weekend so Sunday I’ll be right in front of the TV watching to see who will win the coveted prize for motion pictures here in the Good Old U. S. of A.  If you do the same make sure that the next day you watch FOX 10 News starting at 4:30am and Studio 10 at 8am when we will recap the Academy Awards and talk about the Oscar Winners …. And the fashions and all the after parties …. Etc. etc. etc.

This is the FOX 10 / CW 55 Resident Movie Guru, Marcus Jackson.  Hope that you all stay safe and dry from the rain this weekend and watch The Oscars this Sunday with me …. Well, at your own homes … unless you’re throwing an Oscar party, so then by all means invite me over.  See you when I post my next blog entry when I’ll talk about the big movies coming up in March.  See you at the movies.

Some things stick with you.

• I learned President Kennedy had been shot when I was leaving class in elementary school.
• I found out Pope John Paul I died while I was living in an apartment on Dauphin Street.
• The news of Pope John Paul II’s death reached me as I got off an airplane in Madrid.

I will always remember I heard about Pope Benedict’s resignation the first thing on a Monday morning.

Granted, this Pope is 85 years old, having been elected Pope at an age that most people are enjoying their retirement. Lately, when approaching the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica, he used a moving platform rather than walk the 100 yards down the center aisle. Late last year, people who spent time with the pontiff said they found him weak and too tired to engage with what they were saying.

But his predecessor, John Paul II, suffered from trembling hands and slurred speech, an inability to walk or hold his head up, and other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for years and still held the job until he died at the age of 84.

Perhaps this Pope realized he didn’t want his pontificate to end like that. Perhaps there is some underlying personal, medical reason for which we may never know.

Maybe the last two Popes represent different faces of humility. Pope John Paul II, despite displaying symptoms that would have given a lesser person reason to withdraw from public life, purposely used his appearance to show respect for life until the moment of natural death. Pope Benedict, knowing he could have occupied the position for life, in humility chose to renounce the papal throne, to open the way for someone else. As he put it:

… in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

Thanks to a Twitter friend, I read a new version of what happened during the successful rescue of 5 year old Ethan in Midland City this week.  The story highlighted the work the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, known as HRT.  They train to go into, what appear to be impossible situations, and rescue the innocent while, in FBI terms, stopping the threat.

I had my own experience with the Team during a visit to Quantico, Virginia with FBI sniper Charlie Spaht.   I was in the Washington area with Charlie to do some stories about FBI training.  While Charlie was visiting his favorite gunsmith at Quantico, he asked me to wait for him outside the HRT headquarters, which was just a short walk from where we were.

I strolled there, enjoying the view when, out of nowhere, a voice boomed out, “LEAVE THIS AREA”.

I addressed what sounded like the Voice of God telling Him I had clearance and was asked to meet another agent there, when I heard:

“LEAVE THIS AREA”.

I left.

I told Charlie about this later and he just laughed and said, “They mean business”.

It’s clear from what happened in Midland City, they know their business, too.

President Obama comes on the air to the American people and tells the U.S.public … and the world … that Osama bin Laden is Dead.  For either the better or the worse the world changed that day.   And ever since then many people have pondered … the way Seal Team Six went in and did their job … this could be the making of a good movie.  Well, Oscar Winning Director Kathryn Bigelow did just that.  The lady that brought you the award winning film The Hurt Locker brings you Zero Dark Thirty. 

This film has been getting many rave reviews and is up for 4 Golden Globes awards and is bound for Oscar recognition when the nominations are revealed at the end of January.  Now the film has also been criticized by certain groups for what the film represents and what it could reveal to be either true or fictitious … and maybe a security breach.  Anyhow, the film was made and everyone is raving over it.  It’s been out in Limited Release for a few weeks now and it opens nationwide This Friday, January 11^th.  But, how would you like to see the movie for FREE.  The Face of CW 55 has you covered.

TODAY from 12 Noon to 2pm head to Furniture Fair in Mobile on Azalea Road and meet Dani Dials there.  She will give you, while they last, a FREE Movie Pass that will get TWO people in to see the film on Thursday, January 10^th at Hollywood Stadium Theaters inMobile.  The Sneak Preview is at 7:30pm so … GET THERE EARLY!  Once the theater they will show the film is full no one else will able to get in.

Check Out This Trailer of the film at this link from IMDb ….. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2281482009/

So after you read this blog …. Get Up! …… and head to Furniture Fair on Azalea Road.  See Dani Dials and she’ll give a FREE Movie Pass to go see one of the Most Talked About Movies of 2013 …. And we are just in the middle of January ….. That’s Hollywood For Ya!

On my way back home from downtown Mobile this afternoon, I decided to take a closer look at some of the damage caused by the Christmas EF-2 tornado.  I put my iPhone5 into a suction-mount on the windshield, and took a very short drive on South Carlen to Dauphin to North Carlen to Old Shell and back to Dauphin.  It’s not meant to be a comprehensive look at all the damage caused, just a taste of it.

I’m still amazed by the power of nature.  Some homes were fine while others look like they were destroyed by dynamite. Click on the link to watch the video…

Tornado aftermath

I had the pleasure of spending the day with a few Alabama fans touring the coast via boat. The water looked like a swimming pool it was so clear!

We took a tour around the outskirts of Miami and saw South Beach is getting set up for some events coming up Saturday and Sunday.

As a graduate of Alabama , it has been a great experience swapping stories with other fans and teaching some fans about Alabama’s history.

One topic was Big Al and why Alabama’s mascot is an Elephant. Do you know? Look it up, it may surprise you

The drive down from Mobile to Miami certainly didn’t feel like 12 hours.
I guess it was all the excitement for the week ahead of us that made it to by faster.

We arrived in Ft Lauderdale the same day (Tuesday) and took in the sights for a few hours before heading to bed.
The next morning we began our tour of south Florida; grabbing beauty shots and interviews along the way.

I’ve spent most of my life in Miami. As a matter of fact my family still lives here.
I can honestly say the scenery, the lifestyle, the unique melting pot that is Miami really never gets old.
In situations like this you still feel like a tourist, trying to find that perfect shot.

No doubt there has been a large Notre Dame presence throughout Miami beach. Many fans said since they have so much further to travel than Alabama fans, they decided to make a whole vacation out of it.

Some have been experiencing the world-famous nightlife in South Beach. You can find dozens of different lounges and night clubs; from Spanish to techno; all within a few blocks.

Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013
4:00 p.m.
My alarm sounded at 5:45 a.m. this morning, time to finish packing and hit the road to Miami! I drove the first 6 hours and saw a truck carrying neon cut outs of zoo animals so right away I knew it was going to be an interesting trip. Letisha Bush (my coworker and car buddy) and I decided we’re going to eat healthy on this trip so of course our first stop was Dunkin Doughnuts in Tallassee, FL. New Years resolutions right?!
We made a stop in Orlando, Fl for a SunPass and found Alabama gear. It was very exciting to see it displayed next to the Florida State shirt. Shortly after, we passed an Alabama RV with a Big Al stuffed animal in the front (I wish I brought my Alabama shakers).
We’re passing though Orlando now and only three hours left in the car.

So far it’s been an easy ride with not much traffic and of course, anything we see related to the national championship game gets us excited.

11:00 p.m.
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale this afternoon to find a lot of people out and about on the streets, some celebrating New Years Day. There was live music, green and blue rope lights twisted around palm trees and it was about 71 degrees out, so beautiful evening weather. We also saw this interesting sculpture of two fish covered with water bottles, great way to recycle!
The moon was casting a light over the ocean tonight and it was beautiful to see the waves crashing. Tomorrow our crew is heading to South Beach, Bama’s hotel and the Sun Life Stadium so we get to shoot video of that and see it all during the day light.
We wore Alabama gear out tonight but didn’t find any Bama fans yet. I’m sure they’re on the way though!
One of the Alabama football players told me they sent their belongings down today and will be boarding the plane tomorrow heading towards Miami.
We go live starting at 4 p.m. on Fox10 News.