New to
SET in January 2009:
The Amazing Race 3Premiere date: Wednesday, 28 January 2009 at 19h00
The 11 teams competing in TAR 13 will travel over 30,000 miles and span eight countries on five continents in 23 days.
The starting point for the race: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. Once again hosted by Phil, the season introduces a variety of firsts, including a visit to a water world where the inhabitants live in a floating city, and first-time visits to Bolivia, Cambodia and Kazakhstan.
The cast features couples in various stages of their lives: married beekeepers who have been together for years, a separated couple looking to rebuild their marriage, a newly dating couple still getting to know each other and best friends who are comic book aficionados and who describe the race as "the ultimate game on the biggest game board you can imagine."
A highlight of the season: one team makes an unprecedented mistake on the road that ultimately prohibits them from joining their fellow racers at the finish line, only the third time in the history of the race that this has occurred.
Awards fast fact TAR has won 11 Emmy Awards, including six consecutive wins for Outstanding Reality Competition Programme.
TVSA's The Amazing Race Mini Site
MOVIE PREMIERES
The Fan
On: Thursday, 1 January 2009 at 20h00
Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) is fixated on the career of baseball superstar Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) – a fixation that starts to cross the line when his own life begins spiralling downwards and Rayburn falls into a hitting slump.
When the psychotic fan discovers that his idol’s bewildering career slump might be linked to Rayburn’s rival, Juan Primo (Benicio Del Toro), Renard’s obsession takes a deadly turn, aimed at restoring his hero to his former glory.
Starring: Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver), Benecio Del Toro (Traffic), ,Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin and John Leguizamo. Directed by Tony Scott (Crimson Tide, True Romance), 1996.
Shaft
On: Sunday, 4 January 2009 at 20h00
To stop a wealthy and racist killer, Walter Wade Jr. (Christian Bale), NYPD detective John Shaft is forced to track down the only eyewitness that could put Wade behind bars. However, as the street-smart detective and his partner Carmen (Vanessa Williams) close in, so does the danger.
Samuel L. Jackson stars as the formidable Shaft in this remake of the 1971 classic, playing the nephew and namesake of the original crime-fighting detective.
Also starring: Toni Collette, Busta Rhymes and Jeffrey Wright, with a special appearance by the original Shaft, Richard Roundtree. Directed by John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood), 2000.
The Untouchables
On: Sunday, 11 January 2009 at 20h00
The Untouchables is based on the true life story of Federal agent Eliot Ness and his efforts to bring Italian-American gangster Al Capone to justice in 1920s Chicago during the Prohibition era. Going up against Capone, Ness has to revert to unconventional methods to ensure justice prevails.
Directed by Brian De Palma (Scarface, Mission: Impossible) and adapted by playwright and screenwriter David Mamet (The Verdict, Wag the Dog), The Untouchables stars Kevin Costner as Ness, Sean Connery in an Oscar-winning role as Irish-American beat cop Jim Malone and Robert De Niro as Capone. Also starring Andy Garcia and Patricia Clarkson.
Life Without Dick
On: Wednesday, 21 January 2009 at 20h00
As heir to a huge fortune, Colleen Gibson (Sarah Jessica Parker) has never had to worry about making her own living and consequently has never found her true calling in life. However, when she accidentally kills her sleazy boyfriend, private eye Dick Rasmusson (Johnny Knoxville), she finds herself in possession of an unusual hidden talent for rubbing people out.
Unbeknownst to Colleen, Dick was already in the sights of Irish mobster and aspiring singer Daniel Gallagher (Harry Connick Jr.), a hitman with a serious distaste for violence. When Colleen and Daniel meet, sparks fly, leading to a rollercoaster ride of lies, mistaken identity and a junkyard full of bodies in this darkly funny comedy.
Also starring Teri Garr and Claudia Schiffer, Life Without Dick was written and directed by Bix Skahill, 2001.