Strollerderby : Kung Fu Panda

Jack Black Drops In on Yo Gabba Gabba

JeanneSager — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:05:00 GMT

You either love Yo Gabba Gabba or you detest the H&R Puff N Stuff out of it.

Kind of like Jack Black, the over the top, goofball star of . . . pretty much EVERYTHING these days.

When we at Babble heard the two were coming together, we just had to have a look. Want to know what happens when Jack Black runs out of gas and lands in Gabbaland?

First, if you're a Jack Black fan, you're going to love the show on April 3. And if you're not, you might still love it. A surprisingly subdued Jack - with some equally surprising blonde highlights (what's that all about Jack?) limps his unleaded motorbike into Gabbaland to find the inner workings of DJ Lance Rock's boombox deserted.

Creeped out, Jack hops around like only a chunky guy with total and complete self esteem (and I mean that in the very nicest of ways - I dig his confidence) can, singing about the possible dangers lurking. Basically, kids, he lets you know it's OK to be scared, but Toodee, Plex, Foofa and the whole gang don't let scared last for long. They're inviting Jack to parties (outside of the tummy) and exchanging dance moves (think Travolta and do the disco roll).

This one should shut down the doubting Thomases who think the show tries too hard to play funky and misses the kid friendly mark. You can't go wrong with singing, dancing and solving real kid problems. Throw in the guy who voiced Kung Fu Panda, and you've got them hooked. Since we all know YGG plays it to the adults too, here's a few things to watch out for - 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer and Human Giant's Paul Scheer tell the knock knock joke of the day (which I refuse to spoil for you).

Oh, and Jack Black in DJ Lance's orange jumpsuit? PRICELESS.

Get a look at clips of the show over at EW and tune in to Nick Jr. at 1:30 ET/PT on Friday, April 3 to catch the whole thing.

Dustin Hoffman's wife wants him out of the house

Brett Singer — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:30:00 GMT

You would think that after two Academy Awards, numerous nominations and over 100 films that Dustin Hoffman would be entitled to take a little time off

You would, however, be wrong.

Hoffman's wife, after seeing him lying around the house in a cardigan, told him to get out and do something. "She just told me that, instead of dressing like a retired actor, I should go back to work - so that's what I did."

He's 70 years old! What the hell? Isn't he entitled to a little R&R? And what's wrong with cardigans, anyway? It worked for Mister Rogers.

Still, maybe "yes, dear" is the secret to a happy marriage. Hoffman and Lisa Gottsegen, his second wife, have been married for 27 years. The man who played Ratso Rizzo (giving the world the immortal line, "I'm walking here!") still brings Lisa breakfast in bed every morning. So I guess the must be doing something right.

Besides, if she hadn't shoved him out the door we would have deprived of his vocal talents in "Kung-Fu Panda." (I'm not being sarcastic; he was good. Of course, I did think it was William Shatner's voice for the first hour of the film.)

Retirement is something I never really thought about, but now that I have kids, I wish I could retire... oh, tomorrow. That would be good.

Source

photo: daylife

Giveaway: Win Tickets to "Kung Fu Panda: The IMAX Experience!"

editors — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:01:00 GMT

You know your kids want to see the movie with the kung-fu fighting panda. You know they do. And hey, you deserve a night out, right? So how about this: we'll take your whole family to the movies. Absolutely free. Read on for details!

Thanks to the kind folks at Paramount Pictures, we have 10 sets of 4 tickets to Kung Fu Panda to give to ten lucky readers. You can use them at any date, at any IMAX theater (Yep, they're IMAX tickets. Those ain't cheap!). Just send your full name, mailing address, and the name of your favorite family movie to babblecontest@gmail.com to enter. Winners will picked at random and contacted on the film's opening day, Friday June 6th. Good luck!

National Geographic Pimps Stupid Movies for Kids

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:21:00 GMT

I haven't been a kid for at least a year now, but from what I remember about childhood, animals rocked. Adventures were awesome. And getting dirty was just part of the day. So I was a little surprised to see National Geographic Kids pimping some video about kids asking movie star Jack Black about "his take on the environment, politics, Kung Fu." As if any kid in America puts her fist to her chin and wonders: "Gee, mom and dad have a lot to say about global warming, but I wonder what Jack Black thinks?"

Please.

This cross-promotional movie pimping has gone too far. Jack Black has some insipid looking movie out about a panda bear that knows kung fu and really, truly believes in himself, so you just know everything is going to turn out OK in the end. Well, somehow the movie marketers got National Geographic Kids to do a "promoducational" video with Black, and it's just horrible.

Look, I don't want to get all Cassie on NGK (oh, Cassie -- we kid because we care) but seriously, people. You make shows about animals, about underwater photography, about naked tribal women in Africa. Kids don't need some dumb ass digital fighting panda to make our planet cool -- it already is. If you want kids to get more interested in your shows or the adventures that can be found in the world around them, play your theme song 24/7. That thing still gives me chills. But don't sell them short with your crass commercialization.

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 16th

Whit Honea — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Angelina Jolie is a Big, Fat Liar!!

You Can Spot A Pregnant Britney By The Size Of Her Handbag

Five Hottest Pregnant Celebrities

Beyoncé Is Pregnant and Packing On The Pounds

Claudia Schiffer Topless!

Angelina's Pregnant Bikini Bod - Can We Hate Her?

Survivor Finale: Baby Scandal!

Let's Talk About Ashlee Simpson's Boobs!

Five Summer Movies for the Kids

Jen Chaney — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:32:00 GMT

It may feel like spring break just ended, but I've got news for you: Summer vacation is right around the corner. How do I know? Because "Iron Man" comes out in two weeks, and that officially kicks off the summer movie season. And once the blockbusters start, long, hot days with kids underfoot can't be far behind.

If you're already concerned about how to keep the little ones entertained -- and no, "Go outside and time how long it takes until you get sun poisoning" is not an appropriate parental response to the situation -- take a look at this list of five summer flicks you can take your children to see. Keep in mind that release dates, as well as my assessment of these films once I see them, is subject to change.

5. "Speed Racer": The Wachowski Brothers, makers of "The Matrix," aren't usually associated with family-friendly fare. But as Cole noted a few weeks ago, this is indeed a PG-rated film. The trailer makes it look like a movie that's very likely to induce seizures, but if it's a rainy day and your son has just dumped a Costco-sized box of Cheerios all over the kitchen floor, you might be willing to take the risk. Release Date: May 9.

4. "Space Chimps": This animated outer space adventure may be total crap. But there are monkeys in it. And kids love themselves some monkey humor. Release Date: July 18.

3. "Kung Fu Panda": A PG-rated cartoon about pandas who can do Kung Fu, featuring the voices of Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman. This is either a colossal train wreck or box office gold. Release Date: June 6.

2. "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl": Yes, this looks a little shmaltzy. And little Abigail Breslin has not had the best track record since her breakout role in "Little Miss Sunshine." But this is the first feature film based on the American Girl dolls. And as we all know, the American Girl dolls are a force that can't be stopped. To top it all off, the movie goes into wide release just in time for the July 4th holiday, so if you don't take your daughters to go see it, you're letting the terrorists win. Release Date: Limited on June 20, wide July 2.

1. "Wall-E": At this point, Pixar is practically infallible. After giving us "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," "Cars" and last summer's "Ratatouille," the animation geniuses turn their attention this year to a robot who falls in love. I hate to sound like one of those cheesy movie trailer voiceovers, but ... if you take your kids to just one movie this summer, this is the one to see. I like monkeys and pandas as much as the next person but the people at Pixar have cinematic gifts that are pretty much untouchable. Release Date: June 27.

Photo: Pixar Via The Daily Mail

Strollerderby : Kung Fu Panda

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Ready for Easter? Peter Rabbit's Gone Green

Dustin Hoffman's wife wants him out of the house

Giveaway: Win Tickets to "Kung Fu Panda: The IMAX Experience!"

National Geographic Pimps Stupid Movies for Kids

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 16th

Five Summer Movies for the Kids