BAM’s Blog “Ultimate Avengers” Oklahoma City marathon giveaway begins now!
Marvel fans are counting down the days to the superheroic start of the 2012 summer blockbuster season: The May 4 opening of fanboy fave Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers.”
Starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Tom Hiddleston as Loki, “The Avengers” is tracking better than Lionsgate’s blockbuster “The Hunger Games,” which posted a record March bow of $152.5 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Avengers” is even pacing ahead of “The Dark Knight,” which opened in July 2008 with $158.4 million to become the top opener of all time at the domestic box office. The Batman film held the record until fellow Warner Bros. title “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2″ debuted to nearly $170 million in July 2011.
To celebrate the assembling of “The Avengers” in appropriately spectacular fashion, Harkins Theatres will host “The Ultimate Avengers Marathon” at Harkins Bricktown 16 on Thursday, May 3, leading up to the midnight premiere of “The Avengers.” It’s a full day of the greatest team of superheroes ever assembled!
“The Harkins Ultimate Avengers Marathon” will start at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 3, and go through all the Marvel movies leading up to the premiere of “The Avengers” at 12:01 Friday, May 4. Here is the schedule:
· “The Incredible Hulk” – 11:30 a.m.
· ”Iron Man” – 2 p.m.
· “Iron Man 2″ – 4:30 p.m.
· “Thor” in 3D – 7 p.m.
· “Captain America” in 3D – 9:15 p.m.
· “The Avengers” in 3D – 12:01 a.m.
Marathoners will receive:
· Admission to all six movies including the midnight premiere of “The Avengers” in 3D.
· Two FREE small popcorns
· Commemorative “Ultimate Avengers Marathon” lanyard
· Harkins/”Avengers” goodie bag
· More than a $75 value for $25!
Space is limited and expected to sell out quickly.
Tickets are $25 and are currently on sale at www.harkinstheatres.com/avengers or at the Harkins Bricktown 16 box office.
BUT I’ve been offered one set of two tickets to “The Harkins Ultimate Avengers Marathon” to give away to BAM’s Blog fans!
To win these marathon tickets, tell me who is your favorite “Avenger” and why in the comments of this post. The deadline to sign up is 2 p.m. this Friday, April 27. I’ll draw the winner from the eligible entries and announce it Friday afternoon!
For those who can’t attend the entire marathon, moviegoers can still be the first to see “The Avengers” at the midnight premiere of the movie at Harkins. Tickets are currently on sale at www.harkinstheatres.com. Regular ticket prices apply.
Now, “Avengers” fans, assemble and give me your entry in the comments below! Good luck!
-BAM
Video: St. Vincent crowd surfs and hoses down fans at Coachella, releases new music for Record Store Day
It’s been a busy couple of weekends for Tulsa-born singer/songwriter/guitarist St. Vincent.
During her April 14 set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., she thrilled fans by crowd-surfing through her performance of her new single “Krokodil” (pronounced “Crocodile”).
On Saturday, she released “Krokodil” and B-side “Grot” during the big Record Store Day festivities; hear both tracks posted above, along with fan video of her crowd-surfing performance.
Then, Saturday night she played again at Coachella, and she had a rather radical way of helping the crowd deal with the sweltering California temperatures.
On the last song of her set, St. Vincent, AKA Annie Clark, got down from the stage, grabbed the water hose and began spraying the crowd, getting herself wet at the same time, reports the San Jose Mercury News. And she once again ended up jumping into the crowd.
During the festival, St. Vincent shared with Rolling Stone her philosophy on playing live:
“Go bigger with everything you do onstage,” she said. “Subtlety goes out the door. You just have to be a monolith onstage. All of the quiet, sensitive numbers, we’re like, ‘X through that. Nope. Not gonna do that one.’”
She also told Rolling Stone that fans can expect more new music out from her in the fall: She has completed her collaboration album with the Talking Heads’ David Byrne, which was inspired by the Dirty Projectors and Bjork’s “Mount Wittenberg Orca” album. She and Byrne then plan to hit the road together for a set of tour dates.
“David Byrne is the coolest person on the planet,” she told Rolling Stone.
St. Vincent will bring her spring tour to the city of her birth when she plays May 15 at Cain’s Ballroom. For more information on the Tulsa show, go to www.cainsballroom.com.
-BAM
Box office report for April 23, 2012: “Think Like a Man” finally knocks “The Hunger Games” out of top spot
The ensemble comedy “Think Like a Man,” based on the relationship advice of comedian Steve Harvey, finally knocked “The Hunger Games” out of the top spot at the domestic box office.
“Think Like a Man” opened as the weekend’s top box-office draw with $33.6 million, according to the Associated Press.
Debuting at No. 2 was the romantic drama “The Lucky One” with $22.5 million. Based on Nicholas Sparks novel, it stars Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner.
The first movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling dystopian books for young adults, “The Hunger Games” slipped to No. 3 after four-straight weekends in the top spot, taking in $14.7 million to raise its domestic total to $357.1 million.
Here are the top 10 movies at the weekend box office, from the AP:
1. “Think Like a Man,” Sony Screen Gems, $33,636,303, 2,015 locations, $16,693 average, $33,636,303, one week.
2. “The Lucky One,” Warner Bros., $22,518,358, 3,155 locations, $7,137 average, $22,518,358, one week.
3. “The Hunger Games,” Lionsgate, $14,666,007, 3,752 locations, $3,909 average, $357,066,467, five weeks.
4. “Chimpanzee,” Disney, $10,673,748, 1,563 locations, $6,829 average, $10,673,748, one week.
5. “The Three Stooges,” Fox, $9,764,214, 3,482 locations, $2,804 average, $29,919,660, two weeks.
6. “The Cabin in the Woods,” Lionsgate, $8,016,075, 2,811 locations, $2,852 average, $27,246,247, two weeks.
7. “American Reunion,” Universal, $5,474,565, 3,033 locations, $1,805 average, $48,518,325, three weeks.
8. “Titanic” in 3-D, Paramount, $5,032,557, 2,515 locations, $2,001 average, $52,860,574, three weeks.
9. “21 Jump Street,” Sony, $4,750,986, 2,427 locations, $1,958 average, $127,217,167, six weeks.
10. “Mirror Mirror,” Relativity Media, $4,408,179, 2,938 locations, $1,500 average, $55,499,932, four weeks.
-BAM
Video: Blake Shelton and Team Blake perform The Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight” on “The Voice”
Check out this video of Oklahoma country music and reality TV star Blake Shelton performing The Eagles’ classic “Heartache Tonight” with his four quarterfinalists – Jermaine Paul, Erin Willett, RaeLynn and Jordis Unga – last week on “The Voice.”
Team Blake team members also performed with hot U.K. boy band The Wanted last week.
Last week, Shelton and fan voters narrowed Team Blake to two semifinalists – Paul and Willett.
Fellow judge Christina Aguilera and Team Xtina devotees also pared her field of contestants to two: Lindsey Pavao and Chris Mann.
Contestants from Adam Levine’s and CeeLo Green’s are on the hot seat during this week’s live shows, airing at 7 tonight and 8 p.m. Tuesday.
NBC announced today that the live two-hour season finale of “The Voice” will now air at a new time from 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, May 8.
Previously, “The Voice” season finale was scheduled for broadcast from 7 to 9 p.m. that same night. “Fashion Star” will now move to 7 to 8 p.m.May 8; it was previously scheduled to air from 9 to 10 p.m.
-BAM
“The Voice” announces new time for “The Voice’s” May 8 live season finale
NBC announced today that the live two-hour season finale of “The Voice” will now air at a new time from 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, May 8.
Previously, “The Voice” season finale was scheduled for broadcast from 7 to 9 p.m. that same night. “Fashion Star” will now move to 7 to 8 p.m.May 8; it was previously scheduled to air from 9 to 10 p.m.
“The Voice” is a vocal competition show featuring celebrity musician coaches Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Adam Levine and Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton. Carson Daly hosts and serves as producer and Christina Milian acts as social media correspondent. The show’s innovative format features three stages of competition: the first begins with the blind audition, and then the competition enters into a battle phase, and finally, the live performance shows. In the end, each coach will have one star artist left ready to compete against the other teams’ finalists to be named “The Voice,” with the winner receiving the grand prize of a recording contract.
“The Voice” is currently in the live performance phase, with contestants from Teams Adam and CeeLo due to perform tonight starting at 7. This week’s live elimination show airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
-BAM
Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, LMFAO and The Wanted first performers announced for Billboard Music Awards
Carrie Underwood
Justin Bieber (AP file)
Checotah native Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, LMFAO and The Wanted are the first performers announced 2012 Billboard Music Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The May 20 show will air from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for the second year in a row on ABC.
Underwood, who earlier today received a leading five nominations for the June 6 CMT Music Awards, will add the Billboard Music Awards to what is shaping up to be a busy spring and summer for the 2005 “American Idol” winner. On May 1, she will release her fourth album, “Blown Away,” which includes her new top 10 single “Good Girl.”
The country superstar’s latest album follows three best-selling efforts – 2005′s “Some Hearts,” 2007′s “Carnival Ride” and 2009′s “Play On” – that spawned 14 smash singles including “Jesus, Take The Wheel,” “Before He Cheats” and “Cowboy Casanova.” Her three previously albums have sold a combined 12 million copies, according to the trade publication, citing Nielsen SoundScan.
Bieber also is readying to release a hotly anticipated new album, “Believe.” The June 19 already boasts an infectious lead single, “Boyfriend.” The teen phenom topped the Billboard 200 chart twice last year, with his “Never Say Never: The Remixes” album and his “Under The Mistletoe” holiday release, after scoring his first No. 1 album with “My World 2.0″ in 2010.
Electro-pop duo LMFAO have reached the top of the Hot 100 twice in the past year, with “Party Rock Anthem” and “Sexy And I Know It,” and became trend-setting stars by performing alongside Madonna at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February.
U.K. pop vocal group The Wanted have exploded to success in the U.S., with their hypnotizing single “Glad You Came” hitting the top 5 of the Hot 100 and performances on “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “Today.” Their self-titled debut U.S. EP is due out Tuesday.
More announcements are on the way, with additional acts and presenters to be revealed in the coming weeks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Last year, the Billboard Music Awards returned in grand fashion at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with show-stopping performances by Beyonce, Pitbull, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna and Britney Spears, among others.
-BAM
Carrie Underwood leads CMT Music Awards nominations; Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Thompson Square, Toby Keith and Vince Gill also earn nods
Carrie Underwood (AP file)
A version of this story will appear in Tuesday’s The Oklahoman.
Checotah native Carrie Underwood will compete for a leading five prizes and Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert will vie for four trophies when the 11th annual CMT Music Awards are handed out June 6.
Women dominated the field and Oklahomans were well represented when the nominations for the fan-voted awards show were announced Monday morning on the “Today” show. Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Thompson Square, Toby Keith and Vince Gill also are among the nominees with state ties.
Underwood earned two nominations in the top category, video of the year: one “Good Girl,” the video to her uptempo first single from her forthcoming album “Blown Away,” and one for “Remind Me,” the mini-movie for her chart-topping duet with fellow country superstar Brad Paisley. She also received a female video of the year nod for “Good Girl,” and she and Paisley share a collaborative video of the year nomination for “Remind Me.” In addition, the 2005 “American Idol” winner and “Idol” judge and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler are nominated for CMT Performance of the Year for their medley “Just a Dream/Dream On” from “CMT Crossroads: Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood From the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam.”
Lambert received two nominations for her solo work and shares two with her bandmates in her all-girl trio Pistol Annies. The Texas native is nominated for video and female video of the year for the video to her heartbreaking hit “Over You.” The Pistol Annies, which include Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, garnered nods for group video and USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year for “Hell on Heels,” the mini-movie to their sultry debut single.
Lambert’s husband and fellow Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton earned three nominations, with the video for his heartfelt ballad “God Gave Me You” getting the nod for video of the year and male video of the year. Plus, the Ada native will compete for CMT Performance of the Year for his cover of the movie theme “Footloose” from “Invitation Only: Blake Shelton.”
Rascal Flatts (AP file)
Superstar trio Rascal Flatts, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, shares two nominations with British pop star Natasha Bedingfield, the band’s duet partner on its gold certified hit “Easy.” The video for “Easy” is nominated in the video of the year and collaborative video categories. In addition, Rascal Flatts will vie for group video of the year for “Banjo,” the mini-movie to their rollicking new top five single.
Breakout duo Thompson Square, which consists of Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and his wife Shawna, received three nominations, too. The couple is nominated for USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year and duo video of the year for their playful ballad “I Got You.” The pair garnered a second duo video nod for the black-and-white mini-movie for their emotional love song “Glass.”
Norman resident Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” continues to run over: The star-studded viral video smash earned two nominations, for video of the year and male video of the year.
Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, who was born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sting share a nod for CMT Performance of the Year for their duet rendition of Sting’s “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” from “CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill.”
Voting for the CMT Music Awards got underway this morning and continues through June 4, and fans can cast their ballots online at CMT.com, on their mobile device at CMT Mobile or the CMT Insider app available on iPhone, iPad and Android.
The CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville June 6 on CMT and CMT.com.
The five finalists for video of the year will be announced at the beginning of the live show, and fans in the Eastern and Central time zones can then vote at CMT.com, CMT mobile, on the CMT Insider app and via text message throughout the live telecast to determine the night’s biggest winner.
Here is a complete list of the nominees:
Video of the Year
Jason Aldean — “Dirt Road Anthem”
Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter — “You and Tequila”
*Toby Keith — “Red Solo Cup”
Lady Antebellum — “We Owned the Night”
*Miranda Lambert — “Over You”
*Brad Paisley With Carrie Underwood — “Remind Me”
*Rascal Flatts Featuring Natasha Bedingfield — “Easy”
*Blake Shelton — “God Gave Me You”
Taylor Swift Featuring the Civil Wars — “Safe & Sound”
*Carrie Underwood — “Good Girl”
Male Video of the Year
Jason Aldean — “Dirt Road Anthem”
Luke Bryan — “I Don’t Want This Night to End”
Eric Church — “Drink in My Hand”
*Toby Keith — “Red Solo Cup”
*Blake Shelton — “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban — “Long Hot Summer”
Female Video of the Year
Sara Evans — “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
*Miranda Lambert — “Over You”
Martina McBride — “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Kellie Pickler — “Tough”
Taylor Swift — “Ours”
*Carrie Underwood — “Good Girl”
Group Video of the Year
Eli Young Band — “Crazy Girl”
Lady Antebellum — “We Owned the Night”
*Pistol Annies — “Hell on Heels”
*Rascal Flatts — “Banjo”
The Band Perry — “All Your Life”
Zac Brown Band — “Keep Me in Mind”
Duo Video of the Year
Love and Theft — “Angel Eyes”
Montgomery Gentry — “Where I Come From”
Sugarland — “Tonight”
The Civil Wars — “Poison and Wine”
*Thompson Square — “Glass”
*Thompson Square — “I Got You”
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year
Lauren Alaina — “Georgia Peaches”
Brantley Gilbert — “Country Must Be Country Wide”
Hunter Hayes — “Storm Warning”
Scotty McCreery — “The Trouble With Girls”
*Pistol Annies — “Hell on Heels”
*Thompson Square — “I Got You”
Collaborative Video of the Year
Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)
Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter — “You and Tequila”
*Brad Paisley With Carrie Underwood — “Remind Me”
*Rascal Flatts Featuring Natasha Bedingfield — “Easy”
Lionel Richie With Shania Twain — “Endless Love”
Taylor Swift Featuring the Civil Wars — “Safe & Sound”
Zac Brown Band Featuring Jimmy Buffett — “Knee Deep”
CMT Performance of the Year
(Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT)
Jason Aldean — “Tattoos on This Town” from 2011 CMT Artists of the Year
Lady Antebellum — “Dancin’ Away With My Heart” from 2011 CMT Artists of the Year
Little Big Town — “Fix You” from Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert
*Blake Shelton — “Footloose” from Invitation Only: Blake Shelton
*Sting and Vince Gill — “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” from CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill
*Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood — “Just a Dream/Dream On” from CMT Crossroads: Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood From the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam
-BAM
Monday Catchy Quote No. 211
A catchy quote from a movie, TV show or other source to brighten the beginning of your week:
Captain Haddock: There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse. Don’t you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Don’t you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There’s something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you.
- Click here to learn the source.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on April 23, 2012: Laugh along with Daniel Tosh at Tulsa’s Brady Theater
Daniel Tosh
Today’s featured event:
TULSA – Laugh along when comedian Daniel Tosh of the Comedy Central show “Tosh.0″ performs at 6 tonight at the Brady Theater, 105 W Brady. For more information, go to www.bradytheater.com.
Tosh also will bring his standup tour to Midwest City for a show at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rose State Performing Arts Theater, Theatre, 6420 SE 15. For more information, go to www.myticketoffice.com.
Both shows are reportedly sold out, but for those lucky enough to snare tickets, it should be a couple of hilarious performances.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on April 22, 2012: Listen to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in Norman
Today’s featured event:
NORMAN — Listen to the Grammy-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with special guests John Calvin, Parker Millsap and Justin Jack, at 8 p.m. today at the Sooner Theatre, 101 E Main. Information: 321-9600 or www.soonertheatre.org.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
