In 1988, the news cycle didn't work with the same rapidity that it does today, when a story can go from the center of global attention to virtually nonexistent in a matter of days or even hours.  Almost 25 years ago, big stories became big stories without so many competing 24-hour news networks, all manner of social media, immediate meme-dom, and the eventual backlash. 

It was a year that included an American presidential election and the release of Die Hard, but one particular story that captured the imagination and attention not just of America but of the world at large was that of three California gray whales surrounded by encroaching ice in the Arctic Circle.  Multiple nations and even conflicting interests united to find a way to get the whales, known affectionately as Fred, Wilma, and Bam Bam, through miles of ice to the safety of the open ocean.

Operation Breakthrough, as it was known, was chronicled by Tom Rose in the 1989 book Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event.  That book inspired the new film Big Miracle, which dramatizes the events and stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, who respectively play a Greenpeace activist and the journalist who first discovered the whale family.  With the new family-friendly drama arriving this Friday, both stars were recently on hand for a Los Angeles press conference, along with fellow actors Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Vinessa Shaw, and director Ken Kwapis.  IAR's own Jami Philbrick was present to get these creative figures' thoughts on telling the story of Fred, Wilma, Bam Bam, and all those who aided in their journey.

Synopsis: Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. Local newsman Adam Carlson (Krasinski) can't wait to escape the northern tip of Alaska for a bigger market. But just when the story of his career breaks, the world comes chasing it, too. With an oil tycoon, heads of state and hungry journalists descending upon the frigid outpost, the one who worries Adam the most is Rachel Kramer (Barrymore). Not only is she an outspoken environmentalist, she's also his ex-girlfriend. With time running out, Rachel and Adam must rally an unlikely coalition of Inuit natives, oil companies and Russian and American military to set aside their differences and free the whales. As the world's attention turns to the top of the globe, saving these endangered animals becomes a shared cause for nations entrenched against one another and leads to a momentary thaw in the Cold War.

Next year is going to be a busy one for Relativity Media, with no less than three films hitting theaters in the first half of 2012.  The studio already announced the thriller House at the End of the Street, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue for a February 3rd release, and has now added a high profile thriller and an epic ensemble comedy for debuts next Spring.  The Untitled Raven Project, starring John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe, is set for a March 9, 2012 release date, while the Untitled Farrelly/Wessler Comedy, which boasts one of the most formidable comedic casts ever assembled, will close out the season on April 13, 2012.  For more info on both of these films, read on.

Netflix's streaming Watch Instantly service is fast becoming America's favorite way to watch movies.  The library of available titles is so vast and mutable that you, the avid instant watcher, could no doubt use a guide as you navigate the streaming frontier.  Luckily for you, I'll be here every Tuesday to update you on the latest titles available for instant-watching, as well as bringing attention some gems out there in the instantly watchable wilds.

Fifteen years after horror got all self-aware and postmodern with the first Scream, director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson are hoping to rejuvenate the franchise, which has laid dormant since Scream 3 in 2000.  In that film, you knew the Scream train had gone off the rails when Jay and Silent Bob inexplicably showed up for a cameo.  Franchise restarter Scream 4 goes back to basics, returning to Woodsboro and introducing regulars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette to a new generation of potential victims, including Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Rory Culkin, Erik Knudsen, and Alison Brie.  Check out three new clips from Scream 4, all of which focus on bringing together franchise newbies and alums.

This Thanksgiving, be sure to give thanks to your loved ones. Friends and family, make sure they all know how much you care…

Blah, blah, blah, let’s get to the point!

Here is something to be thankful for… since no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without cranberry sauce; iamROGUE.com presents the Top 5 Thanksgiving Tarts!

Cher and Christina Aguilera are ready to scorch up the silver screen with Burlesque.

This Thanksgiving, fans of musicals can rejoice because the legendary Cher is back and possibly better than ever. As far as Aguilera and her debut, will she be able to strike a pose with the best of them? See, I even got a Madonna reference in there.

If you are looking forward to this Steven Antin directed feature, you can get a taste of it right here courtesy of CinemaBlend.

Ted Danson and Vinessa Shaw (Eyes Wide Shut) have joined the cast of Everybody Loves Whales, the 80s-set drama that also stars John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell and Tim Blake Nelson. Ken Kwapis (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) is directing.

Screen Gems has released a second movie trailer for Steven Antin’s contemporary musical Burlesque. Check it out below.

Synopsis: Aguilera’s Ali runs away from Iowa in search of fame and ends up waitressing at The Burlesque Lounge on the Sunset Strip. But not for long. “Christina really takes it all off in terms of makeup and hair for a lot of the movie,” says director/writer Steven Antin. “She looks like a girl right off the farm.” That is until Kristen Bell’s headliner, Nikki, shows up tipsy one night and Ali must fill in. Ali helps turn what once was a lip-sync club into a singing-and-dancing revue after she displays her vocal fireworks onstage in numbers like But I’m a Good Girl. Cher is Tess, owner of a retro club who has a modern-day problem: She can’t make the payments on her over-mortgaged property. Together, Ali and Tess manage to transform the Burlesque Lounge into a success. Stanley Tucci is Sean, the lounge stage manager, a go-to guy for the gals and best friend of Tess.

Synopsis: No matter how old you are, you never get over high school. Successful PR pro Marni (KRISTEN BELL) heads home for her older brother's (JIMMY WOLK) wedding and discovers that he's marrying her high school arch nemesis (ODETTE YUSTMAN), who's conveniently forgotten all the rotten things she did so many years ago. Then the bride's jet-setting aunt (SIGOURNEY WEAVER) bursts in and Marni's not-sojet-setting mom (JAMIE LEE CURTIS) comes face to face with her own high school rival. The claws come out and old wounds are opened in this crazy comedy about what happens when you're reunited with the one person you'd like to forget.