Site Seeing
Need a daily dose of Hollywood gossip?
One student leads us through the virtual world
www.mrshowbiz.com
Mr. Showbiz is probably one of the best entertainment Web sites on the
Internet. It has just about everything you could want from entertainment.
My favorite feature has got to be the movie ratings, titled “Click
on Movies.” Mr. Showbiz has the most accurate movie ratings that
can be found online. They rate a movie on a scale from 1 to 100. The best
part is the movies seem to be graded against other films within its genre.
For instance, last year’s Best Picture at the Academy Awards, “American
Beauty,” rates an 88. “Die Hard,” the greatest action movie
of all time, rates a whopping 96. I’ve found that if a movie scores
in the 80 or 90 range, it’s definitely a must-see; they don’t
give out these ratings lightly. I’ve yet to see a 100 rating on this
site, and the lowest that I’ve seen was a 3 given to “Blues
Brothers 2000.” Now do they know how to pick ’em or what?
www.eonline.com
When you’re talking cable and entertainment news and gossip, E! is
the best, hands down. It comes as no surprise that their site isn’t
too shabby. I browse the headlines every time I surf through. Definitely
check out the “Top 10” lists. The current list they are running
is the “Top 10 Hollywood Satans.” I won’t spoil it for
you though. Other lists include “War Movies,” “Dead Celebs”
and the ever-appetizing “Puke Scenes.” But if you’re looking
for some serious dirt online, check out Ted Casablanca’s “The
Awful Truth.” This weekly column usually has some great gossip for
anyone looking for the real truth behind the Gwenyth Paltrow and Ben Affleck
saga. The only real problem is Mr. Casablanca’s delivery. It can
get a little thick sometimes. Still, if you’re a sucker for Hollywood
gossip, check it out.
www.hollywood.com
Hollywood.com started out as a large site of movie times, trailers and
Web site links. It has just recently moved into the information business.
For the time being, you’re better off at Mr. Showbiz or E! Online
for your news and gossip, but check out the trailer treasure trove. If
you need a trailer, it’s most likely here. The best part is you’ve
got your choice of mediums (i.e. Real Player, Quicktime, etc.) to view
most of the trailers. While I do recommend Hollywood.com’s movie
times; I found out the hard way that some movie chains, namely AMC theaters,
don’t post their times on all Web sites. So be careful on the times
you see online. Your best bet may be the actual Web site of the theater
chain you’re going to. Although I don’t really use this site
that often, I definitely think that Hollywood.com will eventually land
on the A-List of Hollywood Web sites.
hollywood stock exchange
www.hsx.com
I’m ending our little tour with a different kind of entertainment
Web site. Now don’t get me wrong, there is Hollywood news to be found,
but the site itself has a much more interesting purpose. Did you ever
want to own a piece of a movie star? Well at the Hollywood Stock Exchange
you can, sort of. Basically the site acts like the New York Stock Exchange
with one slight difference, you’re trading movie stocks and star
bonds. For instance, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (GRNCH)
is selling at $115.34 and Jim Carrey (JCARR) is holding steady at $3,974.00.
The site works just like the NYSE; prices go up and down and you make
money accordingly. HSX accounts are free and start you out at $2 million.
Go for fun, and like the NYSE, you can’t stop. Just to give you an
idea as to how crazy people are at this site, the lifetime leader on the
site, HAL 9000, has turned his initial $2 million into an obscene $12
trillion. Somehow I don’t think that guy is a hit with the ladies.