Warner Bros.

Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx in "Rock of Ages."

REVIEW: When club owner Dennis (Alec Baldwin) gives busboy Drew (Diego Boneta) the big break of opening for rock legend Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), he tells the newbie, "Three songs. No covers." By the end of "Rock of Ages" -- at which the point the audience has been subjected to two hours of Reagan-era pop hits recorded in a way that makes Kidz Bop sound like "Glee" and "Glee" sound like GWAR -- the idea of a mere trio of original tunes sounds like a slice of heaven.

In its transition from an intimate and partially tongue-in-cheek L.A. theater piece to Broadway show to bloated all-star cinematic extravaganza, "Rock of Ages" has traded in whatever sense of humor it might have once had about itself and its roster of melodramatic power ballads (they might as well have called it "Stadium Rock of Ages") for an overblown aimlessness.

By the time Debbie Gibson and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach are standing shoulder to shoulder and belting out Starship's "We Built This City" without a smidge of irony, one begins to wonder if "Rock of Ages" even gets its own joke.

The plot, which feels cobbled together from stray bits of "Burlesque" and "The Apple," revolves around Oklahoma gal Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough), who comes to Los Angeles in 1987 to pursue her rock-and-roll dreams. Within her first hour in town, she gets mugged, and she meets Drew, who gets her a job at Sunset Strip rock palace the Bourbon Room, run by Dennis and manager Lonny (Russell Brand).

Despite the club's legendary status, the place is on the verge of bankruptcy, a situation that can be avoided with an appearance by the legendary, Axl Rose-like Stacee, who's so out of it that he arrives on time only when his oily manager Paul (Paul Giamatti) tells him the gig was actually set for the night before. But Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the wife of L.A.'s new mayor (Bryan Cranston), has focused on Stacee as part of her campaign to save the Sunset Strip from the devil's music once and for all.

Oh, that something Satanic might actually have crawled into "Rock of Ages" at some point. When Tipper Gore formed the Parents Music Resource Center, she wasn't gunning for Quarterflash and REO Speedwagon, just two of the whitebread bands whose songs are featured here. It's akin to making a movie about people trying to suppress gangsta rap, and then filling the soundtrack with cuts by PM Dawn and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.

Whether you have fond memories of songs like "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" or you're inclined to change stations when they pop up on the radio, the karaoke versions offered up by "Rock of Ages" are ear-punishers.

The film's thudding literalism doesn't help, either; when someone sings about standing on a corner in the rain, you can just bet that they'll be singing that line on a corner. In the rain.

Even when the movie unleashes a real singer like Mary J. Blige, her powerhouse voice gets mostly swallowed up by the bland back-up chorus and the stultifying orchestrations that bludgeon everything into a patina of silky-smooth nothing.

"Rock of Ages" takes place in the final days when bands like Foreigner and Def Leppard could still dominate the charts. (Apart from one passing reference to rap, the ascendance of hip-hop is invisible here.) It's a movie that passes off mainstream pop as being somehow dangerous, reaching its crescendo at the end when, after rejecting a New Kids-ish boy band, "Rock of Ages" delivers its thunderous climax with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," a song that's been so castrated by pop culture that it's a grade-school sing-along.

As for the acting, it's a very mixed bag that mostly disappoints. Hough's charms were enough to get her through the "Footloose" remake, even if she was no challenge to Lori Singer, but here she's just vapid and unengaging, as is her co-star Boneta. Baldwin and Zeta-Jones overplay with the gusto of Royal Shakespeare actors doing Christmastime panto, while Malin Akerman (as a Rolling Stone reporter) and Giamatti find some of the film's few comic notes. Brand, naturally, gets the dissipation and the head-banging just right.

Tom Cruise -- who, to his credit, is probably one of the few people on earth who can imagine first-hand what it was like to be Axl Rose in 1987 -- plays it unapologetically weird and eccentric, but he plays the same note of weird and eccentric throughout. Once his Stacee Jaxx gets onstage, though, Cruise's charisma bleeds over into the music world, making the actor look completely believable as a Dionysus with a Marshall stack.

The only jolts of actual rock-and-roll danger in "Rock of Ages" come from Cruise, and from Mickey, the primate who steals his scenes as Stacee's mandrill sidekick. The rest of it is a dreary costume party packed with people you wish would just stop singing already.

Will you go see "Rock of Ages"? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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When an animated film is made, the film's stars often see very little of each other. Much of the work takes place in isolated sound booths, without the benefit of actor-to-actor interactions and as a result, there's not much opportunity to develop chemistry among a cast. If that was the case with Alec Baldwin and Chris Pine, who star in "Rise of the Guardians," you'd never know. TODAY's Ann Curry sat down with the pair at the Cannes Film Festival, and the two poked fun at each other about meeting for the first time. 

"When I met Chris it was like 'what is it with guys like this?'" Baldwin joked. "And I'm, like, 'God, I hate you.'"

Pine told his side of the story, saying he had some nerves. "First of all, I had never done an animated film before, so that was one thing.  I'd never met Alec before.  I was a big fan," Pine said. " Like any fan, you -- you know, you're -- there's that first moment to take in the fact that this is the guy that I've watched for many, many years do many, many different things."

Pine stopped short of making a reference to Baldwin's age, but did proceed to pretend to turn up a phantom hearing aid in Baldwin's ear.

As for the film itself, "Rise of the Guardians" tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, and their ability to protect kids' imaginations. Baldwin plays Santa, but don't expect your typical jolly old St. Nick.  "My character is a woodworker in an unspecified Eastern European or Russian mountain somewhere," Baldwin said. "I thought it was very clever how they made this guy someone he wasn't -- just jolly and sweet.  He has a bit of an edge to him."

"Rise of the Guardians" premiered at Cannes, and is due to open in theaters Nov. 21, 2012.  

Will you see "Rise of the Guardians" to catch more banter from Baldwin and Pine? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Genevieve Sabourin, Alec Baldwin

If you ask Genevieve Sabourin, she has a passion for New York. 

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Genevieve Sabourin, the woman charged last week with stalking "30 Rock" actor Alec Baldwin, is speaking out.

In an exclusive interview with Canadian wire service QMI Agency (printed in Journal de Montreal; English translation here), she said, "I feel like a fugitive, like a hunted animal."

The 40-year-old actress was charged with five misdemeanor offenses in New York City, including aggravated harassment and stalking. She was released on her own recognizance.

In the interview, Sabourin said after her release, she left the city, driving upstate and hiding out in a Best Western.

"I was paralyzed the first days," she said. "When fatigue took over, the tears came. They are tears of despair, especially when you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel because the machine is too big."

Sabourin has also set up a Twitter account (note: tweets are largely in French) with photos of herself and her dog, and wrote in her profile: "Alec Baldwin, no comment about him or the case(.) Simply but truly introducing myself: Genevieve Sabourin actress and my little puppy Charlie."

“I have no idea what will happen in the next hour, I don’t feel like I’m in control of my life. It’s like a tsunami right now," said Sabourin in the interview.

Sabourin is next due in court May 14.

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• Woman charged with stalking Alec Baldwin
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Allison Joyce / Reuters

Genevieve Sabourin leaves Manhattan Criminal Court after being arraigned in New York on Monday, April 9. Sabourin is accused of stalking actor Alec Baldwin.

A Canadian woman was charged on Monday with stalking actor Alec Baldwin after appearing outside his New York City apartment over the weekend following a series of e-mails and messages that in some cases referred to the bachelor as her husband.

Genevieve Sabourin, 40, of Montreal was charged with five misdemeanor offenses including aggravated harassment and stalking, and she was released on her own recognizance.

New York City criminal court Judge Richard Weinberg also ordered Sabourin to stay away from Baldwin, and have "no contact whatsoever, direct or indirect," with the "30 Rock" actor.

The charges and Sabourin's arrest on Sunday stem from a series of text messages and e-mails she sent Baldwin since the two met for dinner in Fall 2010, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.

In court, Baldwin's attorney said the actor, who just last week announced his engagement to girlfriend Hilaria Thomas, had agreed to meet with Sabourin as a favor to a friend.

Initially, the e-mails and texts following that meeting were simply "annoying" to Baldwin, and he asked Sabourin to stop, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Last week, the volume and intensity of the e-mails increased and included one that said, in part, "I NEED TO START MY NEW LIFE, WITH MY NEW NAME, WITH MY NEW CARRIER IN MY NEW COUNTRY HELP MY NEWLY HUSBAND, YOU!," according to the complaint.

It said the e-mails caused Baldwin "anxiety, annoyance and fear" for his safety and business.

A court-appointed attorney for Sabourin, a petite woman who appeared in court wearing all black, told Judge Weinberg she and Baldwin "had a mutual relationship with texts, emails going in both directions" and added "there is not a single threat here."

A new court date was set for May 14. 

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Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images

Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas in New York on March 26.

Alec Baldwin liked it so much he put a ring on it! The 53-year-old "30 Rock" star is engaged to 27-year-old girlfriend Hilaria Thomas, his rep confirms to E! News.

"Yes, it's true," the actor's rep said. "Alec proposed to Hilaria this weekend and we're all excited for the newly engaged couple. Alec's birthday is tomorrow -- great way to celebrate!"

This will be the first marriage for Thomas and the second for Baldwin, who divorced Kim Basinger in 2002.

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Baldwin and Thomas, a yoga instructor, frequently take their flirtation to Twitter. Last month, however, the social networking site became problematic for Thomas. An alleged stalker was sending harassing messages to her, and Baldwin quickly intervened.

He put @scarfacemadam on blast, saying that the individual "has entered the twitter-verse ONLY to harass my girlfriend" in a way "that is borderline threatening." So he asked his followers to "go to her address, and read just a few of her posts, and give her your notice of her behavior."

MORE: He's Baaack! Alec Baldwin Tweets His Return to Twitter

His tactics worked, and the alleged harasser deleted his/her profile. Baldwin also removed his tweets calling for action against Thomas' detractor.

The actor isn't completely blameless when it comes to getting in trouble with technology, though: this past December, he was kicked off an American Airlines flight when he refused to turn off his cell phone "when asked to do so at the appropriate time." Baldwin's excuse? He was simply engrossed in a game of Zynga's Words With Friends!

PICS: Celeb Weddings We Can't Wait For!

Well, we're glad that digital drama is behind these two! Think they'll live-tweet the wedding?

-- Additional reporting by Michelle Falls

Historians are usually able to look back and pinpoint the factors that caused the greatest of nations to fall into decline. If it ever comes time to dissect what happened to the United States, they will likely boil it down to one word: WINNING.

Yes, folks — when a Charlie Sheen manic outburst becomes an inspirational motto for a nation, it's the beginning of the end. Sadly, historians will likely have other moments to illustrate our cultural collapse, including Kim Kardashian's blink-and-you-missed-it marriage, which generated more money than some cities' annual budgets, and the fact that some people took Donald Trump's possible presidential candidacy seriously.

No wonder the Occupy Wall Street protest avoided the 1 percent's crazy sibling — Hollywood.

KEEPING IT KLASSY: Some things are meant to last one season: bright pink flip-flops, a relationship with George Clooney, the McRib at McDonald's. But not marriage. And while celebrity marriages can flame out quickly, the implosion of Kim Kardashian's 72-day union with Kris Humphries was all the more spectacular because of the hype that preceded it: the 20.5-carat diamond engagement ring, the engagement party, the three wedding-day gowns, the two-part TV special — even Kate Middleton would have said, "Enough already!" It was more distasteful because it was filmed for her reality show, garnering her more cash than gifts. By the end of the year, the backlash was so strong, she headed to Haiti for charity work, looking to improve her bruised image. Or, perhaps, to find hubby No. 3.

IF THIS IS WINNING, LOSING MUST REALLY SUCK: Celebrities have meltdowns in public all the time, yet we hadn't had a really epic breakdown since Britney Spears shaved her head bald. Maybe that's what made Charlie Sheen's collapse so transfixing. He gave us everything we expected in a train wreck — and more: Custody battles! Jittery interviews! Goddesses! And of course, "WINNING!" Watching his daily dose of acting crazy was more entertaining — and addictive — than any episode of "Two and a Half Men." But we overdosed when Sheen went on his stand-up tour, which basically gave him a pass to go on rambling diatribes on foolish people's dimes. Sadly, even as pathetic as it was, it still had more live vocals than a Britney tour.

TODAY'S WORD OF THE DAY IS "EWWWWWWW": We didn't realize Justin Bieber had reached puberty, so it came as a shock when Mariah Yeater claimed he was the baby daddy to her months-old son following an alleged romp after one of his concerts — when she was 19, and he was just 16. A paternity suit was filed, DNA tests were bandied about, all while Maury Povich salivated from the sidelines. But, alas, we never got a chance to see Bieber do the customary pimp-walk strut to the phrase "You are NOT the father!" Yeater withdrew her paternity claim as her story started to collapse and Bieber took a paternity test. We would have preferred that Biebs prove his manhood with a passable mustache.

THE DONALD WOULD RATHER BE EMPEROR: Donald Trump got the media buzzing when he announced his intention to run for president — maybe. To burnish his credentials as a conservative Republican, he seized on the so-called "birther" bandwagon by stoking doubt about President Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship. In the end, Obama released his Hawaiian "long form" birth certificate proving he is indeed a "natural-born citizen," as the Constitution requires. And, unfortunately, so is Trump.

WHY CELEBS SHOULD FLY IN PRIVATE JETS: Because they cannot behave themselves on commercial flights. Alec Baldwin was kicked off a flight for refusing to stop playing a cellphone game while the plane was parked at the gate. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong was denied a seat because of his sagging pants, and Gerard Depardieu urinated on a plane ahead of takeoff, apparently unable and/or unwilling to hold his bladder until he got the OK to move about the cabin. Next time you see a celebrity on your plane, instead of asking for an autograph, ask for a seat far, far away.

PROOF THERE ARE NO SURPRISES IN LIFE: Kat Von D broke up with Jesse James, saying she was shocked — yes shocked! — that James, who was unfaithful to Sandra Bullock during her Oscar campaign, had also allegedly cheated on her — with 19 women.

TONE DEAF: At just 13, Rebecca Black became a sensation — and laughingstock — of the Internet, thanks to her hard-on-the-ears tune, "Friday," which her parents paid producers to make, along with the now infamous video on YouTube. Seemingly oblivious to the wonders of Auto-Tune, Black's nasally warbling became embedded in the brain like a bad virus. And yet she sounded better than any LMFAO tune.

LOOK, IT'S CHRIS BROWN — DUCK!: Chris Brown's star, seemingly forever tarnished after beating then-girlfriend Rihanna, was on the rise when he decided to go on "Good Morning America" to perform and talk to host Robin Roberts. But Roberts' decision to ask about the Rihanna incident got under Brown's skin. After the interview, he trashed his dressing room, even breaking a window. Yet people continued to buy copies of his comeback album. Apparently, fear is the best motivator.

WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SEQUEL TO THE FILM "TWINS"? When Maria Shriver announced that she was divorcing Arnold Schwarzenegger after 25 years of marriage and a stint in the California governor's mansion, we thought it was because she'd finally seen those tiny Speedo pictures. But then we learned that not only did he cheat on her with the family housekeeper, but he and the housekeeper had a son together around the time Maria gave birth to their child, also a boy. Guess it wasn't the wisest decision to let Schwarzenegger be in charge of giving out the employee bonuses.

What do you think about the wacky/tacky year just past? Let us know in the comments.

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Alec Baldwin played the pilot of the plane from which he was kicked off in a "SNL" appearance

Posing as the airline pilot of the flight he was kicked off of, Alec Baldwin apologized to himself on "Saturday Night Live."

The actor appeared on the sketch program's "Weekend Update" on Saturday night to lampoon Tuesday's incident, in which he was kicked off an American Airlines flight for refusing to stop playing a mobile phone game before takeoff.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

As a Southern, mustachioed airline pilot, Baldwin issued an apology for the incident. The joke, though, was how obvious the ploy was.

The actor referred to himself as an "American treasure" who was playing "a word game for smart people."

"Weekend Update" host Seth Meyers repeatedly questioned the thinly veiled performance, asking Baldwin, "Are you sure this is the right way to handle this?"

And here's how TODAY covered the appearance on Monday's show, including a comment from an American Airlines pilot who wasn't left laughing:

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Alec Baldwin issued an apology Wednesday to fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight that was delayed by his refusal to stop playing a cellphone game — but stopped short of apologizing to the airline or the flight attendant he later mocked on Twitter.

The "30 Rock" actor's note, posted to the Huffington Post, instead lamented the state of modern air travel. Baldwin noted the financial struggles of airlines, saying the result is that air travel has devolved into an inelegant experience, akin to riding a Greyhound bus.

"First off, I would like to apologize to the other passengers onboard the American Airlines flight that I was thrown off of yesterday," Baldwin wrote. "It was never my intention to inconvenience anyone with my 'issue' with a certain flight attendant."

Baldwin said the level of service on U.S. carriers has deteriorated.

"Filthy planes, barely edible meals, cuts in jet service to less-traveled locations," Baldwin said.

Baldwin writes that increased security on commercial airplanes post-9/11 has resulted in a "paramilitary" aura around air travel.

"September 11th was a horrific day in the airline industry, yet in the wake of that event, I believe carriers and airports have used that as an excuse to make the air travel experience as inelegant as possible," Baldwin writes.

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Alec Baldwin's Twitter following might have exploded beyond 600,000 followers in the wake of Words with Friends-gate Tuesday night, but that didn't stop him from shutting down the account, @alecbaldwin, at least for now. The outspoken actor hinted that this would happen, tweeting "Let's play a game called Mass Unfollowing. I want to crash this acct and start again. But, tonight at 10 PM, NY time, unfollow me."

Splash News

Alec Baldwin shades his eyes from the flashbulbs at JFK Airport in New York Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, after citing privacy issues and not commenting on the specifics of the Baldwin incident, American Airlines has now released their own version of events via their Facebook page. 

"Since an extremely vocal customer has publicly identified himself as being removed from an American Airlines flight on Tuesday, Dec. 6, we have elected to provide the actual facts of the matter as well as the FAA regulations which American, and all airlines, must enforce. Cell phones and electronic devices are allowed to be used while the aircraft is at the gate and the door is open for boarding. When the door is closed for departure and the seat belt light is turned on, all cell phones and electronic devices must be turned off for taxi-out and take-off. This passenger declined to turn off his cell phone when asked to do so at the appropriate time. The passenger ultimately stood up (with the seat belt light still on for departure) and took his phone into the plane's lavatory. He slammed the lavatory door so hard, the cockpit crew heard it and became alarmed, even with the cockpit door closed and locked. They immediately contacted the cabin crew to check on the situation. The passenger was extremely rude to the crew, calling them inappropriate names and using offensive language. Given the facts above, the passenger was removed from the flight and denied boarding."

As for what Baldwin might think about that: his publicist Matthew Hiltzik tweeted, "hey @American_AA: How come ok 4 other 1st class passengers 2 tweet while @alecbaldwin asked to leave while using his device? #hypocrisy."

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Splash News

Alec Baldwin arrives at JFK airport in New York on Tuesday.

Alec Baldwin was on board an American Airlines flight at LAX on Tuesday when apparently his behavior caused a delay in the departure of the flight.

What awful thing did the "30 Rock" star do to cause trouble on the tarmac? He didn't turn off his electronic device  iPad when told. Baldwin tweeted, "Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt," shortly after news of the plane's return broke on the social network.

The 140-character-or-less population found out about the incident, generally, via Activate founder Michael J. Wolf's earlier tweet: "On an AA flight at LAX. Alec Baldwin removed from the plane We had to go back to the gate. Terrible that everyone had to wait."

Traveler Grant Cardone also tweeted: "Alec Baldwin is getting kicked off of AA flight as I tweet this!" Scoop reached Cardone by phone; he was speaking from the Admiral's Club at LAX and says that he found out about the Baldwin incident through an American Airlines representative who was part of the team handling the situation. Cardone claims that the representative told him that Baldwin was kicked off for "abusive conduct" (that must have been some game of Words with Friends.)

In a statement to NBC News, Baldwin's rep Matthew Hiltzik explained what went down: "Alec was asked to leave the flight for playing 'Words with Friends' on his iPad, while parked at the gate. Alec is so in love with 'Words with Friends' that he would risk getting thrown off a flight to play. He's already been re-booked on another American Airlines flight."

Ed Martelle commented on behalf of the airline, saying, "Owing to privacy concerns regarding our customers, we don't comment on something that might or might not have happened."

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