When Stiller’s character is starring in a ridiculously high budget film and the director is unable to finish it, without the aid if the production company, the entire cast and crew decide to go to Southeast Asia and attempt to finish it themselves guerrilla-style.  After surviving a series of tragic mishaps, the film ultimately is a bust.   The cast and crew dodges a plethora of bullets, grenades, and land mines from the bad guys.  Worst for wear, the cast returns to the states and ironically receives the accolades they were so desperately seeking.

Tropic Thunder is hilarious and outrageous.  You will sit on the edge of your seat because the action is over the top, and the plot takes you through a series of twists and turns.  I enjoyed this movie in spite of my preconceived notions that this would be a silly spoof.  While it’s still in theaters, I would recommend going to see Tropic Thunder.  It needs to be enjoyed on the big screen.  Oh yeah, and like most of Ben’s films, the physical comedy is Stiller!

-Staff Writer-

Tropic Thunder - Trailer

Tropic Thunder - MTV AWARDS DIGITAL SHORT

Jessica was taking in about 1,600 to 1,800 calories a day as she was breastfeeding; this is more than enough calories to trim off weight while undergoing healthy nursing. Remember that beautiful baby princess is not the one who’s trying to get in shape so she needs what she needs while mom gets her groove back.

Calories are very important when it comes to nursing so ladies please make sure to consult with a professional when nursing, there is a lot more leeway when its comes to post baby nutrition if mommy is not nursing.  On top of her meal delivery, this Hollywood vixen was taking names and kicking butt 5 times a week with fitness pro Ramona Braganza. She followed Braganza’s one-hour 3-2-1 Baby Bulge Be Gone! plan, an intense cardio regimen that takes no prisoners and leaves no remnants of baby.  Friends couldn’t help but voice, “You did not just have a baby, this is not fair!”. You can find details of Braganza’s program at www.ramonabraganza.com. If Jessica couldn’t get to her normal routines you could find her in her home gym catching up on the latest with her mounted TV screens on her cardio equipment.

A great way to make consistent exercise a realistic part of your day is to multitask and catch up on reading novels, magazines or whatever else you might need to help you get during cardio with out making an extreme sport of it.  As for those of you who just can’t seem to read during cardio, lets not forget the gift of audio books.  I personally could not keep up with everything out there without my audio college. Where there is a will there will always be way, so hats off to you Jessica on the healthy speed sculpting you pulled out of your hat and congratulations to you and hubby Cash Warren (lucky stiff) on baby Honor. Until we meet again Agenda.

Anthony Heredia

Are you an Abba fan?  If you are you will enjoy this movie!  All my favorite Abba hits are performed, including “Dancing Queen.”  The premise is a love story with a twist.  Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, was raised by her once wild and rebellious mother, Donna, played by Meryl Streep.  Sophie is getting married and longs for her father to walk her down the isle.  She finds her mom’s old diary and discovers there are three possible candidates.  She invites all them to her wedding.  When all three arrive, the fun begins.

Except for Amanda Seyfried, none of the actors are exactly pop singers, but you’ll enjoy their performances of the Abba songs.  I guarantee after having seen this movie you will leave the theatre feeling uplifted and having a strange impulse to break out your platform shoes and sequined pants.

Reviewed by Lisa Trimarchi

We continue in the health life of our celebrities with the enchanting Halle Berry and her secret to getting back to the Hollywood staple in 4 months flat! After baby Nahla blessed this world with her smile, Halle went to work with her trainer Ramona Braganza to sculpt the newly glowing mom. The 41-year-old Berry waited the minimum three weeks after Nahla’s natural birth before commencing training. Braganza reports that after the baby was born, Halle was hit with a burst of energy.

This hot mom worked off 30 lbs to get back those curves that we know so well with four to five hour long workouts a week. Ramona gives Halle a very impressive challenge called cross training in which she pushes Halle in 10-minute spurts of various forms of cardio. She might start with 10 minutes of elliptical to warm up and the a session of shadow boxing for another 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes of running on the beach. By keeping the muscle and body challenged it takes shape much faster. After a 30-minute burst of varied cardio Halle it launched into a weight training circuit to sculpt that silhouette, which consisted of lunges, squats, then off to step-ups we go.

Mommy Berry is diabetic so sweets and high sodium are definitely taboo. Ramona admits that Halle cooks a lot of her food in order to control those sodium levels. She has learned how to create a proper balanced diet by giving herself a little bit of everything she knows she needs—no crazy diet for this vixen! Let this be a lesson ladies, you can have whatever you want if you don’t push it. Halle is a testament to health. She had 3 low-impact workouts a week up until almost her eighth month of pregnancy. Go Halle and kudos Ramona too!

Anthony Heredia

This is a movie with a twist. Is there only one super hero here? When we come on the scene with our hero sleeping on a park bench, we might wonder, where did he come from? That is the question that builds throughout the movie until we receive the surprising answer toward the end. And what an ending!

This movie has sap just like our friend spider man, but with an interesting twist, and a teaser at the end. Of course there will be a sequel.

Lisa Trimarchi

Once again we are taking Agenda’s readers on an exclusive behind the scenes look at celebrity body makeover’s after baby has left the nest.  Next on our red carpet roster is the elite Nicole Kidman who graced the world with a beautiful angel on Sunday July 7, 2008.  The glowing Kidman never skipped a beat when it came to her health as she continued her Vinyasa Yoga classes at Sanctuary for Yoga in Nashville throughout her pregnancy—this is all the rage these days, as it should be. Exercise during pregnancy is vital to your body, which is under intense stress from the baby, it helps to ease delivery, it promotes baby’s and mom’s health. Most importantly, it significantly re-sculpts your body faster after the new prince or princess has left the womb.  Just as Nicole did after the birth of daughter Sunday Rose.

Nicole kept fit while pregnant by hiking, playing tennis, running and spinning at Santa Monica’s Revolution Fitness, (monitored by a trainer of course), and Nashville’s Westside Athletic Club.  Sources report that she has always been one to attack the tougher classes.  This is definitely the right idea. The more you challenge the body the faster it will reward you.

As far as Nicole’s diet, she indulges in whole foods these days.  And Keith Urban, her husband, reports that she is great with nutrition and knows how to eat a balanced whole food diet of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and lean meats. Nicole eats lots of fresh fish for a great source of protein and healthy fats. Mahi-mahi and tilapia are her top choices. She avoids anything in a box as much as she can, although she does enjoy her Starbucks Cappuccinos.

Fitness needs not be such a chore if we simply set up the proper healthy environment to nurture our new healthy direction ladies. Until we meet again

Anthony Heredia

Gentleman’s Agreement was released in 1948, won 3 Academy Awards and was nominated for 7 total. Its release helped reverse old anti-Semite attitudes. Gentleman’s Agreement is about a journalist (Gregory Peck) who was doing a story about anti-Semitism. He went undercover pretending to be Jewish, and experienced a world of hurt and injustice he’d only speculated about. The final straw was when his little boy came home crying and confused because he was called a “dirty Jew” at school.

Few people have tolerance for blatant prejudicial remarks, but this film clearly shows another side of intolerance. Spotlighted are characters who are willing to put up with the injustices yet just secretly disagree–or those who are racist but don’t come right out and admit it and they justify denying opportunities to Jews. Most effective in this film are Jews who have assimilated. They put up with the intolerances but added to it by putting down those who don’t fit in, and by viewing the “Gentile” life as luckier. Gentleman’s Agreement challenges us to stand up for, fight back, and make difficult but resolute choices no matter what the injustice. It’s amazing that a film made over 3 generations ago can still stir up so many emotions. As a woman of color I have experienced countless injustices and felt prejudice on many levels. But it still feels like an open wound whenever I see it happening to anybody else–no matter what the race, religion, or gender. Just watch the news if you’re not racism still exists. This movie is timeless and will make anybody think twice about discrimination. -staff Writer-

The gorgeous Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) gave birth to beautiful twins Max and Emma via C-section on February 22, and dropped more than 30 of the 50 pounds she gained all simply by doing more walking. Just walking more packs a huge punch in the day. Get a pedometer and start tracking yourselves ladies. 2000 steps equals 1 mile toward the 10,000 steps the World Health Association recommends you get daily. J-Lo’s trainer Gunnar Peterson now has her training for a triathlon by pushing her 4 to 6 times a week from 30 minutes up to 2 hours. One day she might do a 30 minute run and the next day she might do transition training where she starts out swimming, which is followed by running, or she starts off running then cycling. Keeping the body guessing is the fastest way to get the human body in shape.

J-Lo eats a healthy balanced diet of lean protein and complex carbs. No crazy diets for this red carpet beauty–she has the right idea by keeping a mix of everything. She admits that she’s never been a bad eater, but she most definitely does not deny her cravings. Because her body is in such great condition, she is able to succumb to those cravings. And her body incinerates every bite like coal in a roaring fire. I must admit J-Lo and her trainer, Gunnar, have the right formula for that Hollywood body we all come to expect. Keep up the hard work mommy J-Lo and kudos to you too Gunnar.

Anthony Heredia - Fitness Couture

I experienced Persepolis’s true authenticity by watching it in French and reading the subtitles. It deserved its 2008 Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Animated Film. Renting this dvd will make you thank your lucky stars that you reside in a free country.

Staff Writer

This story is a very visual one. There is very little dialog. In fact, no dialog at all in the first 30 minutes. The two robots communicate with occasional beeps and chirps. The action doesn’t really start until both robots leave earth, where we are presented with a mass of people on a space cruise ship who have been sedentary their entire lives. No one speaks to anyone around them, or even notices their surroundings. They are all focused in on their computer screens that are placed in front of their faces. They are carried around in hover mobiles and they nourish themselves with a liquid concoction sipped through a straw. But most disturbing of all is the population on board the ship. Except for the robots, which do all the work, everybody is morbidly overweight.

I won’t give away anymore about this film. You just have to see it. But the musical score, composed by Thomas Newman, is a character in itself, and without it, this movie would have been difficult to watch. The visuals were stunning and certain scenes took my breath away. I also liked how the movie made us aware of that which we are falling victim to. If we don’t take care of our earth, we could lose it–maybe not in our lifetime, but in future generations. What I found clever about WALL-E is that it proves that people are generally good, and if educated, would do the right thing.

WALL-E belongs in the hall of fame of classics right along with ET and the Wizard of Oz. This is a movie you’ll want your whole family to see. It speaks to both the young and old.

Agenda Magazine - Staff Writer