January 2012 Content at BoxOfficeProphets.com

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TV Rewind: Twin Peaks

So, Twin Peaks: anything like what I’d expected? No, not really, even though I probably can’t remember what it is I expected.

Underworld: Awakening

Underworld: Awakening is 80 minutes of noise. It’s one of the loudest movies I’ve seen in a long time.

Viking Night

Let's play a game. We're going to pretend that the entire entertainment landscape is a wild after dinner party at Charlie Sheen's house.

Overpaid Jerks: 1/23/12-1/29/12

This week: The All-Star game, the Pro Bowl game, scintillating tennis and an owner/quarterback spat. Suit up for our sports trivia quiz for the 5th week of 2012.

Top Chef: Texas Recap

BOP's suggestion for next season is Top Chef: Charlize Theron. Contestants cater to her whims every meal every day.

Are You With Us? The Entity

Doesn’t it suck to be the one who hates a movie that everybody loves or loves a movie everybody hates?

Oscars 2012

I didn't have much to say about the biggest surprise, the Best Picture nomination for Stephen Daldry's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Now I do.

Monday Morning Quarterback

In Part One of MMQB, the BOP staff discusses The Grey and One for the Money.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Liam Neeson managed to beat Groupon and Living Social this weekend.

How Well Do You Know: Gnomeo and Juliet

It's Shakespeare's work as you have never seen it before. Not just because it's animated but because all the characters are now garden decorations come to life. Gnomeo & Juliet is a retelling of the tragic love story over a soundtrack of recognizable pop songs. With enough pop culture and other Bard Easter eggs to keep you paying attention, the film admirably transplants the story into the world of feuding gardens and forbidden love. Let's see how well you know Gnomeo & Juliet.

Friday Box Office Analysis

Three new movies were released into the marketplace yesterday, with two of them smacking of desperation.

How Well Do You Know: Parks and Recreation, S04E13: Bowling for Votes

In Bowling for Votes, Leslie' staff splits time between hosting a bowling night and running a phone-a-thon for donations. You may so down with strikes, they should call you Norma Rae, but how well do you know Parks and Recreation: Bowling for votes?

This is So Last Week: 1/20/12-1/26/12

This week: An unexpected cultist, an overdue lawsuit, a questionable reunion and Oscar nominations. Romp through another batch of pop culture news with our entertainment and celebrity quiz for the 4th week of 2012.

Weekend Forecast

It's one of the more intriguing weekends at the box office every year – the weekend after Oscar nominations come out.

This Weekend, Watch This

This weekend, wolves chase Katherine Heigl around on the edge of a building. Or something like that.

How Well Do You Know: Justified, S03E02: Cut Ties

This week on Justified: Raylan and Winona talk about babies and buying a house, Dickie and Boyd discuss the nature of truth, and Arlo and Ava are, assumingly, off playing checkers somewhere. Also, Art gets to be a total badass. You may know how to check out someone's sat-nav history, but how well do you know Justified, "Cut Ties."

How Well Do You Know: Parks and Recreation, S04E12: Campaign Ad

In Campaign Ad, Ben and Leslie debate the kind of ad they want to run, while they size up Bobby Newport as an opponent. Meanwhile, Andy seeks to cure what ails him. So practice saying "Bobby Newport" in a menacing voice and see how well do know Parks and Recreation: Campaign Ad.

How Well Do You Know: Friends With Benefits

Jamie (Mila Kunis) and Dylan (Justin Timberlake) get more than they bargain for when they become friends and decide to embark on a physical relationship without the romance. What they envision as a complication-free type of relationship turns into quite the opposite, as those pesky feelings get in the way. You may already know who sings "Closing Time" (nope, NOT Third Eye Blind), but how well do you know Friends With Benefits?

Interview: Elizabeth Banks

Filming a movie on the ledge of a building 21 stories above the ground would be a deal breaker for most actors.

What Went Right: The Matrix

The Matrix came out of nowhere. Before its release, nobody appeared to be covering it. No one seemed to care about who these Wachowski Brothers were.

Things I Learned From Movie X

Fate has drawn me to watch Green Lantern, the adaptation of the DC comic series about a green space acrobat who's allergic to yellow. Or something like that.

Oscars Roundtable

The BOP staff discusses reaction to this week's Oscar nominations.

How Well Do You Know: Futurama, Season 2 Episode 08: Raging Bender

Bender joins the Ultimate Robot Fighting League. You’ll love him as Bender the Offender! But get ready to hate him as he threatens your sexuality in his new persona ... The Gender Bender! How Well Do You Know Futurama: Raging Bender? (nominated for three Glemmys)

How Well Do You Know: Spelling Bee 5: Celebrities

You see their names all the time - on theater marquees, in magazines, at the beginning of that illegally downloaded movie you're watching right now. But as often as you see them, the names of some celebrities are just impossible to spell. For every Will Smith, there's a M. Night Shyamalan. How well do can you navigate the spelling of some of the more challenging celebrity names?

Comics Weekly

Ed Brubaker writes a lot.

Movie Review: A Separation

At first glance, A Separation doesn’t seem to be about anything. Some viewers may struggle to find its point...

Top Chef: Texas Recap

Charlize Theron is *mean*. And hot. Hot and mean.

Surveying the Wreckage

Oscar bloggers show up just after the critics so that they can scavenge the bodies of the dead for pocket watches and other shiny objects.

How Well Do You Know: Not an Oscar Nominee IV

No sooner than the Oscar nominations are announced each year, we rush to mention performances and pictures that didn't make the cut. Be they ineligible or just overlooked, some films and roles are doomed to be denied consideration for the highest film honor. Here you'll find a list of questions listing four performances or pictures. Can you spot the one that was not an Oscar nominee?

How Well Do You Know: The Simpsons: Itchy & Scratchy & Marge

Children’s television programming takes a turn for the worse after local screwball Marge Simpson starts a protest group and succeeds in removing all the unnecessary violence. But Marge soon learns that even though one person can make a difference, but most of the time, they probably shouldn't. How Well Do You Know The Simpsons: Itchy and Scratchy and Marge?

TV Rewind: Twin Peaks

“And where there’s a key, there’s a lock.”

Viking Night: Gattaca

These are wonderful times we live in. Yes, there is global economic miasma. In some places, the very strands of civilized society seem to be unraveling around us.

Monday Morning Quarterback I

The box office continues to do well in January, with Underworld: Awakening and Red Tails bringing in some decent coin. The BOP staff discusses all the stories.

Oscars 2012: The Nominations

The 2012 Academy Awards nominations have been announced and the winners and losers are readily apparent, even if the identity of Demián Bichir is not.

Overpaid Jerks: 1/16/12-1/22/11

This week: Conference champions, an unlikely news source, the fall of the undefeateds and offseason baseball hilarity. Enjoy our weekly sports quiz, which you'll complete faster than Hochuli explains overtime rules.

How Well Do You Know: The Burbs (version 2)

Ray Peterson chooses the wrong weekend to take off from work. New neighbors have moved in next door, and Ray and his friends start to suspect that weird things are going on. You may know that a green sky at night means neighbor take flight, but how well do you know The Burbs?

TiVoPlex

From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex!

Movie Review: The Iron Lady

There is always a certain level of distance kept between us and Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, which prevents us from really caring about her as a character.

Oscar 2012: Final Predictions

With the potential for all second-tier candidates to get in, but also possibly none of them, Best Picture is by far the most exciting race of the year, exactly as it is supposed to be.

How Well Do You Know: Little Shop of Horrors

Feed me Seymour, feed me. This hilarious musical with an all star cast is the revamped version of the 1960 comedy. Seymour is a class-A nerd whose just looking for his big break...which happens to come in the form of a blood thirsty plant. So come on down it's supper time with Audrey II. You may know that suddenly Seymour may be standing beside you, but how well do you know Little Shop of Horrors?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Underworld Awakening, the fourth film in the Vampire vs Werewolf franchise, enjoyed its fourth consecutive $20 million plus opening.

Oscar 2012

Of the “below the line” categories, the two that are by far the most important for the Oscar race are Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.

Friday Box Office Analysis

The fourth entry in the Underworld franchise opens to $9.4 million on Friday, more than enough to lead the pack.

Oscar 2012: Arts and Crafts

I will admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, and Best Makeup.

This is So Last Week: 1/13/12-1/19/12

This week: Golden Globes, Miss America, Jay-Z's vow and an action star's misstep. Think you're up on recent pop culture news? Test that theory with our entertainment and celebrity quiz for the 3rd week of 2012.

How Well Do You Know: Justified, S03E01: The Gunfighter

Having defeated the combined might of the Bennett clan at the end of Season Two, you'd be forgiven for assuming that things are about to get quieter in Harlan County. Sadly, Raylan Given has no such luck, and despite having a low work load on account of being shot, he still finds himself facing off new villains and old acquaintances. You may know how to grab a gun before Fletcher Nix, but how well do you know Justifed, "The Gunfighter"?

Weekend Forecast

It's an unusually crowded January weekend we have on our hands, with a triple dose of action and two possible Oscar contenders in the mix.

This Weekend, Watch This

Each weekend there is a movie that you don't know. I'll compare the new releases for each weekend in this column. Then, I'll tell you which movie to watch.

How Well Do You Know: 1980s Bands by Lead Singer 2

Let's return once more to the golden age of the 1980s...when the new wave was getting its groove on, rap was born and the world was Justin Bieber-less for at least a few more years. We'll give you a lead singer of an 80s act, and ask you to identify the band he or she fronted. How well do you know 80s Bands by Lead Singer?

Before you send in angry emails, yes, we know that acts listed in this quiz may have had careers before or after the 1980s....we just picked some bands that are most identified with that era.

Best Albums of 2011

When I started organizing my best-of list I found I had around 25 albums that I felt really strongly about as representing the best the year had to offer.

Chapter Two

A recurring theme that I have noticed is how a fair number of Chapter Twos are helmed by men and women with a background in television.

How Well Do You Know: Parks and Recreation, S04E11: The Comeback Kid

Relaunching her campaign, Leslie attempts to stage a rally. Through the combined efforts of her staff, things go.....not well. Meanwhile, Chris tries to get Ben out of his funk. You may have red carpet leading into your bedroom, but how well do you know Parks and Recreation: The Comeback Kid?

How Well Do You Know: Batman: Arkham City

Perhaps no sequel in the history of videogames was as lustily anticipated as Arkham City. The Rocksteady Studios follow-up to the wildly popular Arkham Asylum places Batman in a massive open environment teaming with thugs and super-villains. And Batman beats the stuffing out of all of them. How Well Do You Know Arkham City?

How Well Do You Know: Futurama, Season 2 Episode 07: Put Your Head on My Shoulder

Fry starts dating cute horny Chinese trust fund heiress Amy, but because he’s an idiot he decides to break up with her while his head is attached to her body. Also, thanks to stupid anti-pimping laws, Bender opens a dating service. Bender honey, we love you! (Shut up baby, I know it!) How Well Do You Know Futurama: Put Your Head on my Shoulder? (not based on a novel by James Fenimore Cooper)

Comics Weekly

Get your fresh new comics right here!

Top Chef: Texas Recap

Previously on Top Chef, Nathan Myhrvold made a special appearance to hock his mega-expensive book collection, Modernist Cuisine.

BOP Interview: Dee Rees

Hitting theaters just in time to qualify for the awards circuit, Pariah focuses on a 17-year-old Brooklyn teen who struggles with defining her sexuality and fitting into social norms.

How Well Do You Know: Bad Teacher

Meet Elizabeth Halsey, not exactly your run of the mill public school teacher. She's lazy, unmotivated and vulgar until she is motivated by a rivalry with another teacher and the prospects for romance with a substitute. You may rather want to get shot in the face than to go hear the teacher band, but how well do you know Bad Teacher?

How Well Do You Know: The Simpsons: Dead Putting Society

The feud between Homer Simpson and Ned Flanders begins with a comparison of Marge and Maude’s butt-heights, and things quickly descend into a miniature golf contest. Perhaps Bart’s newfound inner peace will see him through. Mercy is for the weak, Todd! How Well Do You Know The Simpsons: Dead Putting Society?

TV Rewind: Twin Peaks

If there’s one thing Dale Cooper learned from this week’s episode of Twin Peaks, it’s not to be so vain.

Viking Night

If you're anything like me, the movie Caddyshack can't help but leave you a little conflicted.

Golden Globes Wrap-Up

Those of you who follow my every move will remember that, in an earlier article, I compared the awards precursors to the primary election process.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Our staff discusses all the holiday openers and the Golden Globes results.

Part One
Part Two

Overpaid Jerks: 1/9/12-1/15/12

This week: A national championship, record free throws, defensive football and coaching changes. Lest you be traded halfway through, enjoy our sports trivia quiz for the 3rd week of 2012.

TiVoPlex

From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex!

Are You With Us?

I really hope that Steven Soderbergh is joking about his impending Hollywood retirement.

Movie Review: The Iron Lady

Making a movie about Margaret Thatcher is a difficult undertaking, because at least half of your audience is going to go into the movie already hating the protagonist.

How Well Do You Know: The Roommate

Sara Matthews arrives at college and meets her roommate Rebecca. Will it be a good match, or will there be hurt feelings, obsessive stalking and severe bodily injury? What do you think? You probably know better than to bring an adorable pet into your dorm, but how well do you know The Roommate?

Weekend Wrap-Up

While there were no real breakout successes at the box office, the MLK long weekend did produce a couple of movies that have done better than they had any right to.

How Well Do You Know: Look Who's Talking

Turning the wayback machine back to 1989, we find moviegoers flocking by the millions to see a talking baby onscreen in Look Who's Talking. The film brought in nearly $300 million and spawned an unlikely franchise. So, hey Gerber Face - high five! and let's see how well you know Look Who's Talking.

Golden Globes Predictions

When it comes to predicting who's going to win, the Golden Globes can be very tricky, and that's really the only way I can phrase it without using lots and lots of expletives.

Friday Box Office Analysis

This weekend brings the Martin Luther King Jr. long holiday, and studios were at least *trying* to give us something a little better than The Devil Inside.

This is So Last Week: 1/6/12-1/12/12

This week: Halle gets engaged, an actress exposes herself, a pop culture staple is endangered and celebrity parentage is questioned. Here's our entertainment, celebrity and pop culture quiz for the 2nd week of 2012.

Weekend Forecast

After last week's shocking box office results, the question out there for this weekend is whether there's another unconventional film ready to shake up expectations.

This Weekend, Watch This

It's Parton vs. Princess in this week's edition of TWWT.

How Well Do You Know: ThreesiesThree

It's baaaa-ck! This is a variation of a game I used to play a long time ago. I will give you the name of 3 movies. Your job is to pick one actor from each of those 3 movies and figure out what movie they all made together.

How Well Do You Know: Futurama, Season 2 Episode 06: The Lesser of Two Evils

Bender meets a nearly identical robot who quickly ingratiates himself with the Planet Express crew, who must make a delivery to the Miss Universe 3001 pageant. But the shipment goes missing and it appears that the thief has outwitted them all, even… Bender. How Well Do You Know Futurama: The Lesser of Two Evils? (the show that watches you back)

Review: The Devil Inside

Like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, The Devil Inside pretends to be a compilation of real-life footage just to get a rise out of us, only it fails.

What Went Wrong

This will go into a few spoilers, so if you haven’t seen The Cat in the Hat, then understand that many critics sacrificed 80 minutes of their lives to watch this film.

Monday Morning Quarterback III

We wrap up this week's discussion with talk of We Bought a Zoo, The Adventures of Tintin, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Darkest Hour.

The Insert Shot

Sex is one of the most taboo subjects in American society, even more taboo than that game and that Boy George musical.

How Well Do You Know: Super 8

A mysterious train derailment brings havoc to a small town in the 1970s. Meanwhile, Joe Lamb and his friends try to shoot a zombie movie. J.J. Abrams' Super 8 stands at the intersection of Close Encounters and Stand By Me. So stop talking about production value, the Air Force is going to kill us - how well do you know Super 8?

How Well Do You Know: The Simpsons: Brush With Greatness

Marge reconnects with her interest in art, not realizing it comes with the steep price of seeing Mr Burns naked. Meanwhile, after getting stuck in a waterslide so tightly that a flock of children could not dislodge him, Homer decides to tackle his weight problem. How Well Do You Know The Simpsons: Brush With Greatness?

Comics Weekly

Get your fresh, tasty comics here!

Make an Argument

You can thank the wonderful Maya Rudolph for this week’s column.

Monday Morning Quarterback II

Today's discussion includes The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and War Horse.

Top Chef: Texas Recap

Tonight’s episode begins with Beverly celebrating the elimination of She Who Must Not Be Allowed in a Kitchen.

How Well Do You Know: Cowboys and Aliens

With Cowboys & Aliens, 2011 saw the birth and possible demise of the sci-fi western. That's unfortunate because the film is an entertaining, intriguing depiction of ‘what if’ we only had long rifles, revolvers, dynamite and knives to stave off an extraterrestrial encounter. With Iron Man’s Jon Favreau directing the current James Bond and the one-and-only Indiana Jones, the film plays it straight forward and avoids campiness. Even though you may not know much about boats, but would say that one's upside down, how well do you know Cowboys & Aliens.

Movie Review: War Horse

Whatever the reason, Steven Spielberg’s War Horse worked its way into my heart and I enjoyed it purely as a simple, fulfilling story.

TV Rewind: Twin Peaks

The past handful of Twin Peaks episodes have painted Windham Earl as a diabolical maniac.

Viking Night

This week - from the director of Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator comes...Thelma & Louise?

Monday Morning Quarterback Pt 1

No one ever expects fake found footage exorcism movies to come out of nowhere and dominate a weekend, but that's exactly what happened.

Overpaid Jerks: 1/2/12-1/8/12

This week: An NFL overtime thriller, bowl game madness, coaching vacancies and college hoops controversy. Shoot the puck, score a safety, nail the 3: here comes our sports recap quiz for the 2nd week in 2012.

Are You with Us?

Let’s face it – any movie released the first week of January is almost always not with us.

TiVoPlex

Is the Silent Predator man? Find out in the latest edition of TiVoPlex!

Things I Learned From Movie X

Hello from Things I Learned From Movie X Towers! I trust that you all had a great Christmas and New Year and are busy preparing for the coming apocalypse.

How Well Do You Know: 2011: The Year in Movies, Part V

Another year in film has come and gone. 2011 gave us Beastly and Zookeeper, Water for Elephants and African Cats. So let us take time to see how well you know the last twelve months in cinema. You may know The Mechanic from The Roommate and The Help from The Debt, but how well you know 2011: The Year in Movies (Part V)?

Weekend Wrap-Up

The 2012 box office got off to an insane start this weekend – literally – as the only true opener, Paramount's ultra low-budget pickup, The Devil Inside, did some goofy business.

How Well Do You Know: 2011: The Year in Charlie Sheen

Although it's hard to pin down what truly went down between Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre, we should be thankful to both for an epic (dare we say 'winning') year of celebrity meltdown. Sheen went from the highest paid TV actor to media spectacle to touring maven and back to employed TV star in a matter of less than a year. Charlie may know his hijinks from his high ball but how well do you know the Year in Charlie Sheen.

Weekend Forecast

After a 2011 Christmas week of box office that saw many films underperform, 2012 is starting up with the genre that Hollywood profits off best: horror.

Friday Box Office Analysis

After a holiday season where it felt like the box office underperformed, apparently every single one of us saw The Devil Inside on Friday.

This is So Last Week: 12/23/11-1/5/12

This week: New Year's, All-Stars, engagements and bodypaint. Plus: there's a new sheriff in town. Here's our pop culture quiz covering celebrity and entertainment news from the last week of 2011 and the first of 2012.

How Well Do You Know: American Horror Story: Season 1 Recap

Subtle, it wasn't. But if you can appreciate television at its almost-completely-off-the rails freakiest, the American Horror Story's first season was for you. So take a few minutes from assembling your own Infantata down in your basement to see how well you know American Horror Story, Season 1.

This Weekend, Watch This

It's demonic possession vs. espionage intrigue in the latest installment of This Weekend, Watch This

How Well Do You Know: 2011: The Year in Music

Chances are, you heard music in 2011. So why not test your knowledge of the year in tours, charts, videos, songs and Pitbulls? You may know Katy Perry from The Band Perry, but how well do you know 2011: The Year in Music?

Review: The Darkest Hour

There is only one element of surprise in The Darkest Hour, and trust me, it’s not worth you sitting through the whole thing.

Movie vs. Movie

When the Swedish crime drama The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo became an international megahit, it was only a matter of minutes before somebody made a movie of it.

Sole Criterion

The Royal Tenenbaums is a work of art that manages to capture something resembling the emotional tenor of America at that particular moment.

How Well Do You Know: 2011: The Year in Gaming

With so many awesome and interesting games released in 2011, we'd like to ask how well do you know the year in gaming? Don't worry, to help you remain calm, smooth jazz will be deployed in 3...2...1...

Comics Weekly

C-O-M-I-C-S! B-U-Y T-H-E-M!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

David Fincher’s American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will likely draw inevitable comparisons to Neil Arden Oplev’s Swedish original.

Oscar 2012

Remember how I said that if you truly love the Oscars, you have to love the smaller categories? Well, there are exceptions to that rule.

How Well Do You Know: 2011: The Year in Movies, Part IV

Another year in film has come and gone. 2011 gave us Beastly and Zookeeper, Water for Elephants and African Cats. So let us take time to see how well you know the last twelve months in cinema. You may know Apollo 18 from Super 8 and Fast Five from 50/50, but how well you know 2011: The Year in Movies (Part IV)?

Watch for Part V of 2011: The Year in Movies coming Sunday, 1/8

Movie Review: War Horse

War Horse is a heartfelt, affecting film about the devastating power of war that is almost undone by the incredibly silly conceit at its heart.

Viking Night: The Last Detail

With every immutable truth often comes an equally baffling riddle.

What Went Wrong

This will go into a few spoilers, so if you haven’t seen The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, just stick with Fantasia.

Overpaid Jerks: 12/26/11-1/1/12

This week: A record NFL season, receivers behaving badly, an awesome stunt of awesomeness and college sports mayhem. As the calendar has flipped to 2012, here's our first weekly sports quiz of the new year.

How Well Do You Know: 2011-2012 NFL Playoffs

Find trivia on the 2012-2013 playoffs here

Emerging from a lockout, the NFL returned to action in 2011 to deliver a wacky, record setting season. With the regular season finished, let's see how well you know the teams that make up the postseason field. How may know the Ravens' John...err....Jim? John? Harbaugh from....whoever the hell coaches the 49ers, but how well do you know the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs?

TV Rewind: Twin Peaks

Every now and again, David Lynch moves from behind the camera to in front of it to appear as Agent Cooper’s superior on Twin Peaks.

Review: Tintin

When George Remi, working under the pen name Hergé, wrote the original Tintin comic book series in the late 1920s, it’s almost as if he had Steven Spielberg in mind to film it.

Book vs. Movie vs. Movie

Swedish journalist/activist Stieg Larsson had been a fan of science fiction.

How Well Do You Know: 2011: The Year in Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's transcendent career continued to blaze throughout 2011. Madison Square Garden, Howard Stern's show, a network holiday special, film festivals....the world was indeed her stage. You may be on the edge of glory, but how well do you know 2011: The Lady Gaga?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Truly the most impossible mission during this holiday season was for the previously unforgiven Tom Cruise to have the most popular title at the box office.

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