The 168 Turnaround: King and Tires–Winning

THIS WEEK: Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2011

CHARLIE SHEEN: Actor Charlie Sheen has officially flipped his lid.  By now you’ve likely heard about it and formed an opinion landing on one side of the fence or the other.  Is his very public ride into madness a) hilarious (keep it up ol’ buddy) or b) tragic (really, folks, we need to stage an intervention)?  The 45 year-old star of the sitcom Two and a Half Men has been in and out of rehab for several years, and now his hit show has been put on an indefinite hiatus.  Was this the straw that broke the camel’s back, or the first step toward a better and brighter future?  Who can say, really?  One moment we hear about the show’s hiatus, and the next Sheen is dropping such lines as, “I am on a drug.  It’s called Charlie Sheen.  It’s not available because if you try it, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”  And the fun doesn’t end there.  For more pearls of wisdom, visit Live The Sheen Dream.

NEW STEPHEN KING: Those who know me well know that I’m an avid reader of Stephen King.  So much so, that I’ll defend his writing and the quality of his writing until I’m red in the face.  Mind you, I’m not and never will be a “fanboy”—when King writes something that’s lacking, I’m the first to admit it.  And so when news hits that King’s next novel, titled 11/22/63, is about a man who goes back in time to prevent the JFK assassination, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow in question.  At a glance, the premise seems a little juvenile.  Still, if executed with thoughtful purpose and honest characterizations (and I believe King will not disappoint in either area), the novel, hitting bookstore shelves on November 8th, may prove to be quite good.  Here’s hoping.

RUBBER: It pretty much goes without saying now, doesn’t it?  Hollywood is fresh out of new ideas.  These days, it seems like every movie is just a retread of something that came before it.  Be it a sequel, a prequel, or reboot, we’ve seen it all before.  Or maybe not.  New this week comes the red band trailer (viewer discretion advised) for Rubber, a French horror comedy about a tire that comes to life and kills people.  That’s right.  This is a movie about a killer tire that has psychic powers and explodes people’s heads.  Right away you should know if this is your thing or not.  Personally, I can’t wait to see it.  Sure, the idea is ludicrous, but it’s an idea you can have fun with.  And if you’re going to have fun, why not go all the way?

OSCAR FAILS: This past Sunday evening, the 83rd Academy Awards came to a close with The King’s Speech taking home Best Picture.  I know—I do: The King’s Speech is an enjoyable film and makes for a fun, grown-up time at the movies.  But it did not deserve the Best Picture award; that title should have gone to either The Social Network or Black Swan (and I’m not the only one who thinks so).  Then again, when all the talk about Anne Hathaway and James Franco’s miserable hosting job dries up (and I think it already has), most of the discussion will return to the films themselves.  And that The King’s Speech took home the top prize will better fuel that debate and warrant future viewings of the ten nominated films (and, really, you should see all of these movies).  In the end, that’s not such a bad thing.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:  Flute Beatboxing
I’m switching things up this week.  Rather than have two videos, I’ve narrowed it down to one—less is more, and all that (please leave a comment if you like the change, hate the change, or just have something to say).  As for the video in question, there’re two reasons why I chose it.  One, I like that this guy is adding an interesting and new element to the old beatbox rhythm.  Two, I can’t help but smile when I watch how much he’s digging the whole thing—sometimes, passion goes a long way.

The 168 Turnaround is a week-in-review column, a place for me to reflect on the week’s most interesting pop culture news items.  If it mattered to me or I think it might matter to you, then it will be here.  If I’ve overlooked an important news item, or if you have a comment or question, please leave a response below.  Thank you for reading.