Nice guys Tom Hanks and Ron “Opie” Howard couldn’t use their squeaky clean images to their advantage when dealing with Rome’s Catholic diocese. Rome church officials are offended by their new film, Angels & Demons. The officials have banned Hanks and his crew from filming in two of the city churches.

Angles & Demons is the prequel to the box office hit, The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code book angered many Catholics and the film put the religious over the edge. A diocese spokesperson explained the reason Hanks, Howard and crew were banned from filming is because the movie does not conform to the views of the Catholic church.

Can you dig on western/psychedelic? Do you enjoy both The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as well as the Brian Jonestown Massacre? If so, you’re going to love Spindrift. I played with this gang of five at Sacramento’s Press Club on Monday night, and they are the real deal.

Spindrift enlists members from both LA and Portland, and are currently showcasing The Legend of God’s Gun, which they perform as a soundtrack for the soon to be released film. God’s Gun is an incredible piece of work, and anybody that gets the chance to check this band out should do so immediately.

With all the buzz around Sex and the City, and how everyone kept telling me, ‘No! You’ll love it! Its amazing!‘, I wanted to shed a little light on the topic from a man’s view. Before you start, this post is totally TL;DR.

Tuesday evening started like most evenings, minus me being sober at 8pm. I quickly discovered that this was my first mistake of the evening. My girlfriend and I were strolling into the movies, half debating what to see. I was pushing for The Strangers, her for Sex and the City. Of course, me being a submissive bitch, I quickly conceded knowing that at least I might see a nipple or two.

After standing in line for popcorn for 15 minutes, we hop into the theater. I would later discover that not getting the extra large tub was my second mistake. We’ll talk more about that later. The previews were worthless; Will Smith is some shitty super hero, some robot named Wallee is apparently hilarious to the group of women to my right ( HAHAHAHA HIS NAME IS SPELLED WALL-EE!!!one!!! HAHAH!). I look down at the popcorn and realized I over salted it, and the butter was too greasy. This would be my focus for the next 3 hours.

The movie starts….

Warning: Spoiler alert after the jump!
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Katt Williams It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’ Exclusive Preview Tour 2008:

6/11 Omaha, NE
6/12 Wichita, KS
6/13 Kansas City, MO
6/18 Little Rock, AR
6/19 Dallas, TX
6/20 Beaumont, TX
6/21 Houston, TX
6/22 San Antonio, TX
6/26 Los Angeles, CA
6/27 Los Angeles, CA
7/4 Los Vegas, NV

More dates announced soon on www.kattwilliams.com

This man is freakin’ hilarious and a pimp. Go rent American Hustle: The Movie and laugh your ass off.
More information about the comedy film here: www.americanhustle-themovie.com

For those waiting in clench-jawed anticipation for another season of The Simpsons, there’s good news. With the announcement that the voice cast is getting raises, plans for the show’s 20th season are all but cemented. No doubt the cast does a great job voicing so many characters (was anyone else flabbergasted at The Simpsons Movie credits?), but one has to wonder if the raise could end up being the financial liability nail in the coffin.

With a healthy, yet declining viewership and continuous claims from long-time fans and critics that the show has been going downhill for years, at what point will it no longer make sense in terms of dollars and cents, to produce the longest running animated show on television? Most self-proclaimed Simpsons fans I know will attest that the show isn’t what it used to be. I can’t help but agree. Still, how much of the criticism can be traced back to the “I liked their old stuff better” phenomenon, where nostalgia mixes in with the memories, rendering any new work pale in comparison. I caught a newer episode the other night, and while it didn’t floor me it was at least decent, which is more than I can say for most stuff on the tube. I’ll take a mediocre Simpsons over 90% of the shows currently on the air. The people signing the checks at $400,000 an actor per episode must agree.

From BBC News:

The cast of The Simpson have signed a four-year deal that guarantees a 20th season of the popular TV show, according to trade paper Variety.
Production was delayed for several months while the voice actors and 20th Century Fox TV discussed an agreement.
Variety said the salaries of the stars - including Dan Castellaneta (Homer) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart) - would rise to $400,000 (£200,000) an episode.
The Simpsons is the US’ longest-running prime-time entertainment series.
Because of the delay, 20 episodes of the new series will be made instead of the usual 22, Variety said.
It is not the first time production on The Simpsons has been delayed for salary negotiations.
In 2004, production was halted for a month after a pay dispute over contracts led the stars to stop work.
Each cast member was seeking about $360,000 per episode, Variety reported at the time. The actors were previously earning $125,000 (£70,000) a show.
In the past, the cast have argued that their wages are relatively low given the huge popularity and success of The Simpsons.
As part of the latest deal, Castellaneta has been named consulting producer on the series. He will serve as a writer in addition to his role as a voice performer.

[The following was written by Synthesis Weekly columnist Emilie Clark. She can be reached at emilie@synthesis.net.]

Coming Soon

It’s a well-known fact that people like to adapt movies from books. It’s also a well-known fact that most of these efforts suck. So it’s my job to warn you about upcoming adaptations so you have ample time to read the book. This gives you the chance to complain about inconsistencies and general “suckiness” while still in the theater, making you look learned and therefore more attractive. You can thank me later.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, July 4th: This is a documentary, so I guess it won’t really do to get mad about liberties taken with the adaptation. But it can’t hurt to read some of the famous Gonzo’s work if only for your own amusement. From the description it seems like the filmmakers are big fans, which can be bad in a documentary if you’re trying to eek out truth. The gist I get is that the point the film makes is that Thompson did what journalists are too afraid to do nowadays, namely get high and write caustic things about politicians. This may be true, but I easily tire of ‘60s and ‘70s nostalgia. Sure people were a bit crazier back then and I’m sure there are things to be learned from that era, but it’s over, so deal.

Journey To the Center of the Earth 3D, July 11th: Based on the classic Jules Verne novel about a rogue scientist who travels to, you guessed it, the center of the earth. According to Wikipedia, this novel didn’t age as well as some of Verne’s other works, because he was mostly wrong about what is contained in the center of the earth. However, none of that really matters because this movie is in 3D. And I will watch anything in 3D, even if it stars Brendan Fraser.

more upcoming adaptations after the jump.
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