Cinema Sideshow

Oscar Season.

The last couple of months of the year bring DVD bounty to film critics around the world, as studios send out bushels of screener discs in the hopes that their Oscar-bait projects will land on the countless top-ten lists that nobody really gives a crap about.

Here at Cinema Sideshow Central, we've received gratas copies of Reservation Road, Talk to Me, A Mighty Heart, Hairspray, Into the Wild, Margot at the Wedding, Music Within, Knocked Up, Eastern Promises, and a few more that we can't be bothered to remember. The daily mail/UPS/FedEx pile often includes bizarre extras that are intended to win us over, but serve instead to just clutter up our already cluttered desks -- Fox Searchlight, for example, sent us a DVD of The Kite Runner, plus a foldy card-thingie with stuff about the movie and a copy of the novel on which it was based, each in a separate mailing. The postage bills at Fox Searchlight must be enormous.

Catching up with all of these pictures is a daunting task, and after awhile they kind of start to run together. For an idea of what the experience is like, please enjoy this clip from The Soup, which captures it all quite nicely:

Zombie Invasion!

Who doesn't love zombies? Well, nobody, that's who. The Cinema Sideshow store now offers a T-shirt for all right-thinking, fashion-forward zombie aficionados:

You can purchase this lovely garment at the Cinema Sideshow store, along with a variety of other shirts featuring reasonably clever dialogue from your favorite movies. "Think Cremation" is also available as a bumper sticker  or a mere $6 (shipping included!) by clicking the PayPal button below. Hooray for tasty braaaaaaaains!

News: Smith's footprints, free rides for firemen, Tom Swift

Grauman's Chinese Theater, home to the hand- and footprints of such stellar screen legends as Douglas Fairbanks, Marilyn Monroe and Adam Sandler, will enshrine the paws of acclaimed thespian Will Smith on Dec. 10. By sheer coincidence, Smith's new film I Am Legend will premiere just four days later, on Dec. 14. Interestingly, the premiere of Smith's last-guy-in-New-York-oops-there's-a-monster flick will not be held at Grauman's, but you can watch the Dec. 12 red carpet proceedings for Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story via live webcam here.  If you go there right now, though, you'll just see polyester-clad Midwesterners staring at the imprints of John Wayne's (surprisingly tiny) boots.

Universal Studios Hollywood is rewarding the folks who toiled selflessly during the recent So. California fires by offering free general admission to all firefighters, law enforcement officials, paramedics, Red Cross Employees and 911 personnel from Nov. 27 to Dec. 21. Up to six accompanying family members or friends will receive  50 percent admission. Expect short lines at the "Backdraft" ride. (Universal)

Worldwide Biggies, the unfortunately named studio recently founded by Nickolodeon/Spike honcho Albie Hecht, has purchased the rights to the Tom Swift book series. Hecht says he plans to create a massive, multiplatform franchise similar to Nick's marketing of "Jimmy Neutron:  Boy Genius" with Tom Swift-related video games, TV and movie properties, and licensed products, thus ensuring that countless numbers of people who grew up on the Tom Swift books will be sick with grief over the relentless whoring of yet another beloved literary icon. (Variety)