Last Monday I posted to the site my goal of selling some merchandise to help me raise the money I need to send the Spoiler Alert t-shirt design to the printer. Consequentially, I would complete the pre-orders and take the rest of the inventory to Wizard World Chicago on August 6 and take the profits made from the convention to help bankroll the production of Theater Hopper: Year Three.

I created a little graphic that went into the blog posts but realized pretty quickly that a visual aid such as this was easy to ignore. So I made a little cosmetic change to the header of the site in hopes of strongly reinforcing my goal and the progress made so far.

Please help me meet my goal of selling 50 shirts by July 31. It doesn’t have to be the Spoiler Alert shirt. It can be any of the shirts. They all cost the same and the money goes to the same goal.

Thousands of you come to the site every day. I only need a fraction of you to help make this possible. If you’ve been thinking at all about buying a book or a shirt, now is the time to do it.

I appreciate your support.

I get sent news releases, trailers and photos from studios all the time and I generally do a very poor job of passing them on to you.

Part of the reason behind this is because there are a million and one movie blogs and they all tend to post the same stuff at the same time. So there’s no reason Theater Hopper will ever become your exclusive outlet for this kind of thing.

The other piece of the puzzle is, frankly… a lot of the stuff I’m sent is crap. Or at least *I* think it’s crap. If you’d like to see more photos, trailers and press releases from the studios here on the site, let me know. Maybe it will lead to something.

Anyway, I was just sent a trailer for a movie I am legitimately excited to see – Judd Apatow’s Funny People coming out on July 31.

Be forewarned that this is the red band trailer, so the language is a little salty. But if you’ve seen The 40 Year-Old Virgin or Knocked Up, you’re probably already on board with it.

Anyway, enjoy!

For a little extra fun, check out some of the web sites created in support of the film – several of them featuring work from different characters in the film!

• Yo Teach
• George Simmons Website
• Laugh Your D*ck Off

So what do you guys think? Are you interested in seeing Funny People? I think it’s going to be interesting to watch Adam Sandler interact with other talented comedians. His films tend to isolate him, put the focus on him. I’m curious to see how he handles himself in an ensemble.

For me, Funny People kind of feels like the last hurrah of the blockbuster season. Yeah, yeah – I know G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra comes out after that. But does anyone think that counts?

Leave your comments below!

I posted the red band trailer for Funny People on Wednesday and informally polled people if they were interested in seeing more of the promotional communication sent my way by the studios. I’ve been reluctant to post them partially because of the time commitment but largely because I assumed you guys were getting this information elsewhere.

I was surprised by how many of you said that Theater Hopper was the only site you go to for movie news. Which is… really flattering. Actually, it makes me feel like I’ve been lying down on the job!

So, until people tell me otherwise, I’m going to keep floating stuff your way. And, at the risk of looking like a complete hypocrite, here’s some stuff for Bruno. Which, as you know, is in theaters today, Friday, July 10.

Fandango Free Ringtone Ticketing Promotion Page
Buy tickets in advance for BRÜNO and choose one of three FREE exclusive ringtones! To get your tickets, check out http://www.fandango.com/promo/bruno!

Live The Life of Brüno!
Want to know what it’s like to be Brüno and get plugged in to the latest and greatest in entertainment, fashion, and celebrity? Then you need to be at the 2010 NewNowNext Awards! Enter now, and you and a friend will have a chance to win your very own tickets to next year’s show! http://www.logoonline.com/sweepstakes/bruno/

You could win:

• A trip for two to New York City to attend the 2010 NewNowNext Awards
• Two nights accommodations at a boutique hotel
• VIP tickets to the event
• Red carpet access and the opportunity to speak with presenters, nominees and guests
• A chance to write a blog post for NewNowNext.com about your red carpet experience

Brüno Playlist
Do you want to know about Brüno’s favorite singers? Or better yet, do you want to hear Brüno sing? Then check out his personal Playlist page and listen to artists like George Michael and tune in to Brüno’s awesome new hit, “In Oder Aus!” http://www.playlist.com/brunomovie

Enjoy!

Hot from my inbox, here is the official trailer and teaser poster for the upcoming military drama Brothers starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman. Lionsgate must think they have an Academy Award contender on it’s hands. Brothers hits theaters on December 4.

I think the film looks good. It seems to deliver on the promise of Maguire and Gyllenhaal’s emerging gravitas. Of course, anything not Star Wars that manages to attract Natalie Portman’s attention also gets a pass. I view her as an intelligent actress who strategically picks her roles. So her involvement in this one speaks volumes.

It’s weird for me to see Maguire in the trailer. Not only because he went all “method” and withered away to almost nothing. But also because I’ve come to identify him so strongly with Spider-Man, it’s jarring to see him in anything else.

How weird must it have been to be cast in a movie with Gyllenhaal – the dude poised to step into his shoes if his negotiations on Spider-Man 3 feel through? Any awkward conversations around the craft services table for those two? Who knows – maybe it benefited the animosity between the two characters as it builds into the third act.

Anyway, here’s the poster:

Synopsis:
BROTHERS tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirty-something Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters. Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. When his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains Sam is presumed dead and the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void. Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility for himself, Grace, and the children. In the grief and strangeness of their new lives, Grace and Tommy are naturally drawn together. Their longstanding frostiness dissolves, but both are frightened and ashamed of the mutual attraction that has replaced it.

When Sam unexpectedly returns to the States, a nervous mood settles over the family. Sam, uncharacteristically withdrawn and volatile, grows suspicious of his brother and his wife. Their familiar roles now nearly reversed, Sam and Tommy end up facing the ultimate physical and mental challenge when they confront each other. In the shifting family dynamics, who will dominate? Directed by six-time Oscar® nominee Jim Sheridan (IN AMERICA, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER), BROTHERS tells the compelling tale of how two brothers come to terms with issues of love, loyalty, and manhood—and with the woman caught between them.