by Mawuse Ziegbe
The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "The American" ($12.9 million)
#2 "Takers" ($11.4 million)
#3 "Machete" ($11.3 million)
#4 "The Last Exorcism" ($7.5 million)
#5 "Going the Distance" ($6.9 million)
"The American" staged a last-minute takeover of the weekend box office after sliding into second place on Friday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, George Clooney's turn as a hitman dodging danger in Italy to carry out one last mission, raked in an estimated $12.9 million, besting "Machete" at the close of its first weekend in theaters.
After landing in third place on the Friday kickoff of Labor Day weekend, last week's #1 movie, "Takers" also toppled Robert Rodriguez's graphic Mexploitation pic. Featuring hip-hop and Hollywood names like Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and T.I., the action flick about a smash-and-grab job by suave crew of thieves, snatched up $11.4 million in ticket sales for second place.
After barely edging past "The American" on Friday, "Machete" will wrap up its debut weekend right behind "Takers" with a third-place finish. Featuring Jessica Alba and Danny Trejo, and boasting a much-hyped appearance from Lindsay Lohan, the film pulled in $11.3 million.
"The Last Exorcism" held steady in the top five with $7.5 million. The fourth-place picture, which follows a film crew charged with documenting the creepy developments at a rural exorcism, has made a total of $32.3 million since hitting theaters last week.
Drew Barrymore and Justin Long's date-night pic, "Going the Distance," lagged behind stronger debuts like "The American" and "Machete." The rom-com, featuring the two real-life, off-and-on lovers playing a couple working to keep a long-distance romance afloat, rang up $6.9 million in ticket sales to land in fifth place during its opening weekend.
'The American' Wins Labor Day Box Office
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The American seems to be a good movie. It's a George Clooney-starrer that is a must-see movie.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Montana Fishburne sex tape venture to make her famous has worked - with offers galore
Montana Fishburne ventured releasing a sex tape of herself as a porn movie so that she could become famous like Kim Kardashian. She wanted to break into Hollywood and be a star and tried to do this with he porn movie "Chippy D". Sad to say, it worked and this technique of doing a sex tape may start to become the new backdoor into Hollywood for young women.
According to USA Today, the sex tape that Montana Fishburne released through the porn movie company of Vivid Entertainment, is reportedly a big money maker. They went as far as to say Montana Fishburne may have the biggest selling porn title of the year.
Montana has also been given offers, good offers, not just for porn roles, the website reports. They are mostly acting parts for Montana.
As far as Laurence Fishburne goes, he has not gotten over his 18 year old daughter releasing a sex tape to be turned into a porn movie yet. Montana Fishburne says she will not have a relationship with her father until he respects her and what she does and this does not look as if it will happen any time soon, the young new porn star reports.
"I would be devastated if a daughter of mine took this route to Hollywood", said a Connecticut father of two teenage girls. "It is not only heartbreaking, but it has to be mortifying and embarrassing for Laurence Fishburne hear this about his daughter", he went on to say.
Montana Fishburne sex tape venture to make her famous has worked - with offers galore
--
I wonder what Hollywood actor Laurence Fishburne feels about this. Montana, if she's really a good actress, need not to go on this route. Poor girl.
According to USA Today, the sex tape that Montana Fishburne released through the porn movie company of Vivid Entertainment, is reportedly a big money maker. They went as far as to say Montana Fishburne may have the biggest selling porn title of the year.
Montana has also been given offers, good offers, not just for porn roles, the website reports. They are mostly acting parts for Montana.
As far as Laurence Fishburne goes, he has not gotten over his 18 year old daughter releasing a sex tape to be turned into a porn movie yet. Montana Fishburne says she will not have a relationship with her father until he respects her and what she does and this does not look as if it will happen any time soon, the young new porn star reports.
"I would be devastated if a daughter of mine took this route to Hollywood", said a Connecticut father of two teenage girls. "It is not only heartbreaking, but it has to be mortifying and embarrassing for Laurence Fishburne hear this about his daughter", he went on to say.
Montana Fishburne sex tape venture to make her famous has worked - with offers galore
--
I wonder what Hollywood actor Laurence Fishburne feels about this. Montana, if she's really a good actress, need not to go on this route. Poor girl.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
John Woo awarded Golden Lion at Venice
by Rohini Chandrasekhar
Veteran Hollywood director John Woo was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival when he was handed the Golden Lion on September 3rd. Chinese by birth, Woo has been in filmdom for over 30 years now, starting off with a career in Hong Kong before moving to make it begin Hollywood. He has directed over 26 movies in his career including biggies like Mission Impossible 2, which earned gross revenues of $1 billion worldwide.
Woo has been famous for his stylized action thrillers that have a mass appeal for the graphics and action involved. He debuted in Hollywood with Jean-Claude Van Damme starrer ‘Hard Target’ in 1993, but his first major runaway success was the 1995 film, ‘Broken Arrow” with John Travolta and Christian Slater in the lead. Woo has directed other Hollywood blockbusters Face/Off, Hard Boiled, Hostage and Paycheck among others.
Woo has recently shifted back to making movies in China, claiming that he feels that it was time he used his knowledge earned from Hollywood for the betterment of Chinese cinema worldwide. He is currently busy with ‘Red Cliff” based on a war that had taken place in 3rd century China.
Woo was in Venice to showcase his epic martial arts thriller starring Michelle Yeoh in the out-of-competition category, when he was pleasantly surprised with the wonderful news of his winning the Golden Lion. Humble as ever, Woo played down the award and pointed out that he hardly contributed much to the film society.
Venice Film Festival director Marco Mueller, however, felt that Woo was rightly honored with the achievement award, since his movies were “a perfect union of the China tradition and avant-garde filmmaking.” Woo was handed over the award at the Palazzo del Cinema in front of packed audiences by American director Quentin Tarantino, the president of the jury for this year Venice Film Festival.
John Woo awarded Golden Lion at Venice
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Another Asian director honored at an international film festival! John Woo is one of the best directors China has ever produced, along side Ang Lee.
Veteran Hollywood director John Woo was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival when he was handed the Golden Lion on September 3rd. Chinese by birth, Woo has been in filmdom for over 30 years now, starting off with a career in Hong Kong before moving to make it begin Hollywood. He has directed over 26 movies in his career including biggies like Mission Impossible 2, which earned gross revenues of $1 billion worldwide.
Woo has been famous for his stylized action thrillers that have a mass appeal for the graphics and action involved. He debuted in Hollywood with Jean-Claude Van Damme starrer ‘Hard Target’ in 1993, but his first major runaway success was the 1995 film, ‘Broken Arrow” with John Travolta and Christian Slater in the lead. Woo has directed other Hollywood blockbusters Face/Off, Hard Boiled, Hostage and Paycheck among others.
Woo has recently shifted back to making movies in China, claiming that he feels that it was time he used his knowledge earned from Hollywood for the betterment of Chinese cinema worldwide. He is currently busy with ‘Red Cliff” based on a war that had taken place in 3rd century China.
Woo was in Venice to showcase his epic martial arts thriller starring Michelle Yeoh in the out-of-competition category, when he was pleasantly surprised with the wonderful news of his winning the Golden Lion. Humble as ever, Woo played down the award and pointed out that he hardly contributed much to the film society.
Venice Film Festival director Marco Mueller, however, felt that Woo was rightly honored with the achievement award, since his movies were “a perfect union of the China tradition and avant-garde filmmaking.” Woo was handed over the award at the Palazzo del Cinema in front of packed audiences by American director Quentin Tarantino, the president of the jury for this year Venice Film Festival.
John Woo awarded Golden Lion at Venice
--
Another Asian director honored at an international film festival! John Woo is one of the best directors China has ever produced, along side Ang Lee.
Summer 2010: Hollywood's winners and losers
by Brian Marder
Summer movie season isn't all about money, but -- oh, who're we kidding? While we hate to reduce our favorite time of year to (billions of) dollars, that's what it boils down to -- and it's really the only way to determine which trends, actors, genres and more did or didn't fare well over the summer. Below are our winners and losers for summer 2010…
WINNER: The Smith Family
It's still tough to fathom how a middling kiddie flick/unnecessary remake earned a boatload of cash, but Jaden Smith appears poised to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Will -- who produced the unlikeliest blockbuster of 'em all, The Karate Kid (and bought $100 million worth of tickets?? Kidding, Will). The movie earned more than The A-Team and Prince of Persia… COMBINED. 'Nuff said.
LOSER: 3D
Snubbed by Iron Man 2 and embraced by the Step Up franchise? Ouch! Of course, summer wasn't totally devoid of the get-rich-quickly-and-easily "technology," and it certainly boosted the ticket sales of some movies (Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After), but some of the biggest blockbusters of the season said "No, thanks" to 3D while it failed to help other movies (The Last Airbender, Piranha 3D, Cats & Dogs, Step Up 3D). There is clearly a backlash going on, from filmmakers and -goers; hopefully Hollywood learned its lesson this summer, which is this: Only a small percentage of movies deserve the extra dimension. And the last-minute, last-ditch 2D-to-3D conversions? We can tell, and we're not interested.
WINNER: Animation
How to Train Your Dragon, which hit theaters in late March and didn't even begin to slow down until almost June, set the tone for animated movies that would be released after it -- and retold the box office gospel: Animated movies can pretty much do no wrong. Toy Story 3 is easily the highest-grossing movie of the YEAR, and it's already surpassed $1 billion worldwide; Shrek Forever After, although not a hit with critics, did very well domestically and extraordinarily well internationally; and Despicable Me, made on a shoestring budget by today's standards, was massive. There wasn't -- and almost never is -- any disappointment from the animation set.
LOSER: The Not-Ready-for-Primetime Players
Zac Efron, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Cera give new meaning to the term usually reserved for SNL cast members. This was supposed to be the summer that all three proved they could "open" a movie; instead it proved that they're not quite ready. Efron is still the prettiest thesp around, male or female, and his career likely won't be derailed by the laughable melodramatic disaster that was Charlie St. Cloud; Gyllenhaal, too, will ultimately be fine despite his performance in Prince of Persia and the movie's performance at the box office. Cera, however, might not be entrusted with the lead role of a big-budget production for the foreseeable future, following the commercial -- even if not critical -- letdown of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (refreshingly, though, Cera probably cares very little about his commercial appeal). Bottom line: None of the three had the summer they'd hoped for, and their star power took a hit.
WINNER: Steve Carell
His decision to leave The Office after next season is a tough pill to swallow, but it's easy to understand: Steve Carell is a big-screen star now, and it really must be a challenge to find time for TV -- let alone his family! Date Night performed very well in the run-up to the summer; the blockbuster Despicable Me again proved that Carell is great (and bankable) even when merely heard; and Dinner for Schmucks, while not a Meet the Parents-size hit, has turned a profit and is still in theaters. It's no wonder that Carell's upcoming projects reach the double digits.
LOSER: Jonah Hex
Only one movie deserves its own spot on this list, and that's Jonah Hex. It's already been beaten to death, and there were, in fact, bigger box office bombs this summer, percentagewise, but… wow. While Josh Brolin will walk away unscathed, with little more than a "What was he thinking?" slap on the wrist, Hex put the nail in the coffin of Megan Fox's career (temporarily, of course), and the director, Jimmy Hayward, should be facing eight-to-10 years in director jail. It's rare for a movie to be so atrocious that it doesn't even stand a chance at DVD redemption, or guilty-pleasure redemption, but, well, at least Hex is exceptional in that sense.
WINNER: Unoriginality
Sequels, adaptations, remakes, reimaginations -- they rule the summertime, every time, and 2010 was no different. Three wholly original releases (Inception, Despicable Me and Grown Ups) made a splash, while two such movies (Salt and The Other Guys) made waves. All other hits, even the relatively minor ones, fit neatly into one of the aforementioned categories of unoriginality: Toy Story 3, Iron Man 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Shrek Forever After, The Karate Kid, The Last Airbender… the list goes on. Here's hoping the success of Inception ushers in some balance for future summers.
LOSER: Onetime Superstars
Dear Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez (she gets an asterisk since The Back-Up Plan came out in late April), Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher and Russell Crowe, et al.: Your name on a movie's poster is no longer enough to bring out large audiences. Our deepest, sincerest condolences. P.S. Don't give up hope. Maybe you can all get together for an Expendables type of movie in a decade or so.
WINNER: Quality
There isn't typically much emphasis placed on quality during the summer months; it's more "Let's aim to quintuple our money and if the movie happens to be good… bonus!" But this summer featured a pair of B.O. behemoths that also happened to be, well, good. Inception scored at the box office, earned positive reviews from critics, and was arguably the most buzzed-about movie of the summer by fans. Toy Story 3, meanwhile, vastly outgrossed Inception and is one of the best-reviewed movies of the entire year; there's already talk of a Best Picture nom. Then there were the indies: Winter's Bone, The Kids Are All Right, Animal Kingdom, Get Low, Cyrus and Life During Wartime were all highly praised and could reenter the fray come awards season -- as could documentaries The Tillman Story, Restrepo, A Film Unifnished and Joan Rivers: A Real Piece of Work.
LOSER: Canines and Felines
Note to Hollywood: The cutesy-animal subgenre is no longer a lucrative one. It was a flash in the pan; you're too late to try and ride the wave of Marley & Me (which could be said about Jennifer Aniston, too). Marmaduke was beyond lame, and a box office dud. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, though? It cost over $85 million to make. I repeat: $85 million. Who on Earth greenlit that movie and budget? A studio head's 9-year-old kid??
Summer 2010: Hollywood's winners and losers
--
In Hollywood, whatever you do, people still find it as a loss. Oh well, I have seen some of the Hollywood movies mentioned, and they are very good. I hope to still see some of them before I consider them as either a Hollywood winner or loser.
Summer movie season isn't all about money, but -- oh, who're we kidding? While we hate to reduce our favorite time of year to (billions of) dollars, that's what it boils down to -- and it's really the only way to determine which trends, actors, genres and more did or didn't fare well over the summer. Below are our winners and losers for summer 2010…
WINNER: The Smith Family
It's still tough to fathom how a middling kiddie flick/unnecessary remake earned a boatload of cash, but Jaden Smith appears poised to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Will -- who produced the unlikeliest blockbuster of 'em all, The Karate Kid (and bought $100 million worth of tickets?? Kidding, Will). The movie earned more than The A-Team and Prince of Persia… COMBINED. 'Nuff said.
LOSER: 3D
Snubbed by Iron Man 2 and embraced by the Step Up franchise? Ouch! Of course, summer wasn't totally devoid of the get-rich-quickly-and-easily "technology," and it certainly boosted the ticket sales of some movies (Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After), but some of the biggest blockbusters of the season said "No, thanks" to 3D while it failed to help other movies (The Last Airbender, Piranha 3D, Cats & Dogs, Step Up 3D). There is clearly a backlash going on, from filmmakers and -goers; hopefully Hollywood learned its lesson this summer, which is this: Only a small percentage of movies deserve the extra dimension. And the last-minute, last-ditch 2D-to-3D conversions? We can tell, and we're not interested.
WINNER: Animation
How to Train Your Dragon, which hit theaters in late March and didn't even begin to slow down until almost June, set the tone for animated movies that would be released after it -- and retold the box office gospel: Animated movies can pretty much do no wrong. Toy Story 3 is easily the highest-grossing movie of the YEAR, and it's already surpassed $1 billion worldwide; Shrek Forever After, although not a hit with critics, did very well domestically and extraordinarily well internationally; and Despicable Me, made on a shoestring budget by today's standards, was massive. There wasn't -- and almost never is -- any disappointment from the animation set.
LOSER: The Not-Ready-for-Primetime Players
Zac Efron, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Cera give new meaning to the term usually reserved for SNL cast members. This was supposed to be the summer that all three proved they could "open" a movie; instead it proved that they're not quite ready. Efron is still the prettiest thesp around, male or female, and his career likely won't be derailed by the laughable melodramatic disaster that was Charlie St. Cloud; Gyllenhaal, too, will ultimately be fine despite his performance in Prince of Persia and the movie's performance at the box office. Cera, however, might not be entrusted with the lead role of a big-budget production for the foreseeable future, following the commercial -- even if not critical -- letdown of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (refreshingly, though, Cera probably cares very little about his commercial appeal). Bottom line: None of the three had the summer they'd hoped for, and their star power took a hit.
WINNER: Steve Carell
His decision to leave The Office after next season is a tough pill to swallow, but it's easy to understand: Steve Carell is a big-screen star now, and it really must be a challenge to find time for TV -- let alone his family! Date Night performed very well in the run-up to the summer; the blockbuster Despicable Me again proved that Carell is great (and bankable) even when merely heard; and Dinner for Schmucks, while not a Meet the Parents-size hit, has turned a profit and is still in theaters. It's no wonder that Carell's upcoming projects reach the double digits.
LOSER: Jonah Hex
Only one movie deserves its own spot on this list, and that's Jonah Hex. It's already been beaten to death, and there were, in fact, bigger box office bombs this summer, percentagewise, but… wow. While Josh Brolin will walk away unscathed, with little more than a "What was he thinking?" slap on the wrist, Hex put the nail in the coffin of Megan Fox's career (temporarily, of course), and the director, Jimmy Hayward, should be facing eight-to-10 years in director jail. It's rare for a movie to be so atrocious that it doesn't even stand a chance at DVD redemption, or guilty-pleasure redemption, but, well, at least Hex is exceptional in that sense.
WINNER: Unoriginality
Sequels, adaptations, remakes, reimaginations -- they rule the summertime, every time, and 2010 was no different. Three wholly original releases (Inception, Despicable Me and Grown Ups) made a splash, while two such movies (Salt and The Other Guys) made waves. All other hits, even the relatively minor ones, fit neatly into one of the aforementioned categories of unoriginality: Toy Story 3, Iron Man 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Shrek Forever After, The Karate Kid, The Last Airbender… the list goes on. Here's hoping the success of Inception ushers in some balance for future summers.
LOSER: Onetime Superstars
Dear Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez (she gets an asterisk since The Back-Up Plan came out in late April), Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher and Russell Crowe, et al.: Your name on a movie's poster is no longer enough to bring out large audiences. Our deepest, sincerest condolences. P.S. Don't give up hope. Maybe you can all get together for an Expendables type of movie in a decade or so.
WINNER: Quality
There isn't typically much emphasis placed on quality during the summer months; it's more "Let's aim to quintuple our money and if the movie happens to be good… bonus!" But this summer featured a pair of B.O. behemoths that also happened to be, well, good. Inception scored at the box office, earned positive reviews from critics, and was arguably the most buzzed-about movie of the summer by fans. Toy Story 3, meanwhile, vastly outgrossed Inception and is one of the best-reviewed movies of the entire year; there's already talk of a Best Picture nom. Then there were the indies: Winter's Bone, The Kids Are All Right, Animal Kingdom, Get Low, Cyrus and Life During Wartime were all highly praised and could reenter the fray come awards season -- as could documentaries The Tillman Story, Restrepo, A Film Unifnished and Joan Rivers: A Real Piece of Work.
LOSER: Canines and Felines
Note to Hollywood: The cutesy-animal subgenre is no longer a lucrative one. It was a flash in the pan; you're too late to try and ride the wave of Marley & Me (which could be said about Jennifer Aniston, too). Marmaduke was beyond lame, and a box office dud. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, though? It cost over $85 million to make. I repeat: $85 million. Who on Earth greenlit that movie and budget? A studio head's 9-year-old kid??
Summer 2010: Hollywood's winners and losers
--
In Hollywood, whatever you do, people still find it as a loss. Oh well, I have seen some of the Hollywood movies mentioned, and they are very good. I hope to still see some of them before I consider them as either a Hollywood winner or loser.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Penn Badgley opens up
by Ruben Nepales
Back in LA, we talked to “Gossip Girl” star, Penn Badgley, who opened up about his life with costar and girlfriend, Blake Lively. “When we’re apart, it’s certainly easier to just get by,” the actor said about the advantage of not being together in public. “When we’re together, they might recognize either of us. So, we’re always making jokes—and this is going to sound awful—about who’s the more famous one. Like, we never get it when we’re solo, so it must be the other one.”
“You have to, because it’s ridiculous,” Penn remarked on the importance of having a sense of humor about all the attention. “When you see these girls coming up, they can get a little crazy.”
Penn appears in the comedy film, “Easy A,” about a high school student (Emma Stone) who uses the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing, and the thriller, “Margin Call,” which dramatizes a 24-hour period in the early stages of the financial crisis in the US.
“It’s important to do things apart, creatively and professionally,” he stressed. “Even more so because we’re not a unit—we’re separate people. However, you might be united in a romantic relationship, it’s totally different when it comes to professional matters.
“Blake and I are supportive of each other. There’s absolutely no competition or jealousy. Her career has taken off in a special way,” he said of Blake’s rise. She’s in the Ben Affleck-directed “The Town” and “Green Lantern.”
“We don’t work together a whole lot on the show,” he explained. “We have a lot of time apart, but we also have time together. That’s probably what gives us a good balance.”
Penn was asked about the irony in the fact that the “Gossip Girl” characters are rewarded for their sexual exploits, while in “Easy A,” a girl who spreads a white lie about losing her virginity finds that it’s not that easy to put out a raging rumor.
He answered, “Look at a character like Chuck Bass (played by Ed Westwick), who’s a complete whore and yet, he’s revered in ‘Gossip Girl.’ Whereas Emma’s character hasn’t even slept with anybody and yet, she’s ostracized.
“High school is much more vicious than college,” he remarked. “‘Easy A’ is set in high school, while ‘Gossip Girl’ has actually moved to the college world. In the latter, there are six of us, and we keep sleeping with the same people. In that world, nobody can really judge the other!”
Penn Badgley opens up
--
Gossip Girl fans will surely wait for Penn Badgley's movie, even if Blake Lively is not his female lead.
Back in LA, we talked to “Gossip Girl” star, Penn Badgley, who opened up about his life with costar and girlfriend, Blake Lively. “When we’re apart, it’s certainly easier to just get by,” the actor said about the advantage of not being together in public. “When we’re together, they might recognize either of us. So, we’re always making jokes—and this is going to sound awful—about who’s the more famous one. Like, we never get it when we’re solo, so it must be the other one.”
“You have to, because it’s ridiculous,” Penn remarked on the importance of having a sense of humor about all the attention. “When you see these girls coming up, they can get a little crazy.”
Penn appears in the comedy film, “Easy A,” about a high school student (Emma Stone) who uses the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing, and the thriller, “Margin Call,” which dramatizes a 24-hour period in the early stages of the financial crisis in the US.
“It’s important to do things apart, creatively and professionally,” he stressed. “Even more so because we’re not a unit—we’re separate people. However, you might be united in a romantic relationship, it’s totally different when it comes to professional matters.
“Blake and I are supportive of each other. There’s absolutely no competition or jealousy. Her career has taken off in a special way,” he said of Blake’s rise. She’s in the Ben Affleck-directed “The Town” and “Green Lantern.”
“We don’t work together a whole lot on the show,” he explained. “We have a lot of time apart, but we also have time together. That’s probably what gives us a good balance.”
Penn was asked about the irony in the fact that the “Gossip Girl” characters are rewarded for their sexual exploits, while in “Easy A,” a girl who spreads a white lie about losing her virginity finds that it’s not that easy to put out a raging rumor.
He answered, “Look at a character like Chuck Bass (played by Ed Westwick), who’s a complete whore and yet, he’s revered in ‘Gossip Girl.’ Whereas Emma’s character hasn’t even slept with anybody and yet, she’s ostracized.
“High school is much more vicious than college,” he remarked. “‘Easy A’ is set in high school, while ‘Gossip Girl’ has actually moved to the college world. In the latter, there are six of us, and we keep sleeping with the same people. In that world, nobody can really judge the other!”
Penn Badgley opens up
--
Gossip Girl fans will surely wait for Penn Badgley's movie, even if Blake Lively is not his female lead.
‘Camp Rock’ costars praise Fil-Am actress
by Ruben V. Nepales
“When she wakes up, she looks like a beauty queen,” Alyson Stoner described Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, her “Camp Rock” costar and bus mate on the current concert road tour tied in with the TV movie. “That’s every day,” Alyson said in our recent interview with the cast in New York. “She’s like a doll—she’s beautiful inside and out. She has a wonderful, pure voice. I enjoy working with her.”
Anna Maria (who portrays Ella), Alyson, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato are back in “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” the sequel to the No. 1 cable TV movie in the US in 2008. In addition, they perform live in shows held at large venues across the US that require them to travel in a caravan of buses. Matthew “Mdot” Finley and Jordan “J” Francis are sharing a bus with Anna Maria and Alyson.
Alyson plays Caitlyn Geller, a dance instructor, in the sequel, which premieres on Disney Channel on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. In real life, she’s been dancing professionally for a number of years, with credits that include the movie, “Step Up.” So, Alyson’s praise about Anna Maria’s dancing skills is significant. She said, “Anna Maria didn’t really dance until ‘Camp Rock 1.’ Now, she’s dancing before thousands every night like a trouper.”
The Jonas Brothers were also effusive in their praise of the granddaughter of Sylvia La Torre. Kevin said, “Anna Maria is awesome. She’s been part of the family for three years now.” Joe chimed in: “She’s an incredible talent.” Nick, for his part, remarked, “She’s one of the most talented vocalists I know. She has a big, bright future ahead of her.”
Mdot, who plays Luke, the standout performer in the rival camp, cracked, “Anna Maria is not the loud girl I thought she would be. She’s laid-back. But, she can also be funny.”
Laughing, Jordan revealed the most important rule on the bus, “You can’t do No. 2—you don’t want the bus to stink.” Still chuckling, he told me another rule addressed to the Filipino-American singer-actress: “Anna Maria, don’t take my cereals. Those are my pop tarts!”
Meaghan Martin (Tess Tyler in the movie) quipped, “We joke that Anna Maria doesn’t seem to sweat. She’s like the perfect human being. And, I love her long name.”
‘Camp Rock’ costars praise Fil-Am actress
--
Filipinos have long been making names in Hollywood. They are very talented, so there is no question why they also excel in Hollywood.
“When she wakes up, she looks like a beauty queen,” Alyson Stoner described Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, her “Camp Rock” costar and bus mate on the current concert road tour tied in with the TV movie. “That’s every day,” Alyson said in our recent interview with the cast in New York. “She’s like a doll—she’s beautiful inside and out. She has a wonderful, pure voice. I enjoy working with her.”
Anna Maria (who portrays Ella), Alyson, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato are back in “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” the sequel to the No. 1 cable TV movie in the US in 2008. In addition, they perform live in shows held at large venues across the US that require them to travel in a caravan of buses. Matthew “Mdot” Finley and Jordan “J” Francis are sharing a bus with Anna Maria and Alyson.
Alyson plays Caitlyn Geller, a dance instructor, in the sequel, which premieres on Disney Channel on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. In real life, she’s been dancing professionally for a number of years, with credits that include the movie, “Step Up.” So, Alyson’s praise about Anna Maria’s dancing skills is significant. She said, “Anna Maria didn’t really dance until ‘Camp Rock 1.’ Now, she’s dancing before thousands every night like a trouper.”
The Jonas Brothers were also effusive in their praise of the granddaughter of Sylvia La Torre. Kevin said, “Anna Maria is awesome. She’s been part of the family for three years now.” Joe chimed in: “She’s an incredible talent.” Nick, for his part, remarked, “She’s one of the most talented vocalists I know. She has a big, bright future ahead of her.”
Mdot, who plays Luke, the standout performer in the rival camp, cracked, “Anna Maria is not the loud girl I thought she would be. She’s laid-back. But, she can also be funny.”
Laughing, Jordan revealed the most important rule on the bus, “You can’t do No. 2—you don’t want the bus to stink.” Still chuckling, he told me another rule addressed to the Filipino-American singer-actress: “Anna Maria, don’t take my cereals. Those are my pop tarts!”
Meaghan Martin (Tess Tyler in the movie) quipped, “We joke that Anna Maria doesn’t seem to sweat. She’s like the perfect human being. And, I love her long name.”
‘Camp Rock’ costars praise Fil-Am actress
--
Filipinos have long been making names in Hollywood. They are very talented, so there is no question why they also excel in Hollywood.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
I'm not a Hollywood kid: Daniel Radcliffe
Actor Daniel Radcliffe says he is puzzled by his reputation as a Hollywood actor as he had never been to Los Angeles before the 2007 premiere of the fifth installment of the "Harry Potter" movie.
The 21-year-old admits he prefers New York, where he has appeared on Broadway, and often surprises movie executives when he reveals he's never really spent much time in Los Angeles.
"People seem to have a very bizarre perception of me - that I'm a Hollywood actor. I don't think of myself that way," imdb.com quoted him as saying.
"I went for the premiere of the fifth film, but other than that, I'd never really gone there before,"
"When I was out there and telling people it was pretty much my first trip, jaws just hit the floor. They were looking at me like I had two heads," he said.
I'm not a Hollywood kid: Daniel Radcliffe
--
Daniel Radcliffe knows what he wants in life. Fans are hoping for the best in the last two Harry Potter movies.
The 21-year-old admits he prefers New York, where he has appeared on Broadway, and often surprises movie executives when he reveals he's never really spent much time in Los Angeles.
"People seem to have a very bizarre perception of me - that I'm a Hollywood actor. I don't think of myself that way," imdb.com quoted him as saying.
"I went for the premiere of the fifth film, but other than that, I'd never really gone there before,"
"When I was out there and telling people it was pretty much my first trip, jaws just hit the floor. They were looking at me like I had two heads," he said.
I'm not a Hollywood kid: Daniel Radcliffe
--
Daniel Radcliffe knows what he wants in life. Fans are hoping for the best in the last two Harry Potter movies.
Ali Larter and her baby bump attend Resident Evil premiere in Tokyo
by Linny Lum
Mom-to-be Ali Larter flaunted her growing baby bump at the Tokyo premiere of ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’ last night.
The actress looked “swell” in a shimmering purple frock alongside her co-star Milla Jovovich, who wore a sexy golden gown.
Hundreds of fans reportedly waited in the sweltering heat to catch a glimpse of the cast at Roppongi Hills Arena, Tokyo, Japan. “Konichiwa [Hello]! I’m so happy to be here in Tokyo, there’s nothing like the fans that are here tonight,” the Heroes star told the cheering crowd.
The ‘Resident Evil’ films, known as ‘Biohazard’ in Japan, are based on the computer games developed by Capcom. “It is so incredible to finally be in Tokyo for the world premiere of this movie,” added Jovovich.
“This is where Resident Evil was born and I’m so proud to be here with all you people.”
The film is released in the US and the UK on September 10th.
Ali Larter and her baby bump attend Resident Evil premiere in Tokyo
--
Proud mom Ali Larter!
Mom-to-be Ali Larter flaunted her growing baby bump at the Tokyo premiere of ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’ last night.
The actress looked “swell” in a shimmering purple frock alongside her co-star Milla Jovovich, who wore a sexy golden gown.
Hundreds of fans reportedly waited in the sweltering heat to catch a glimpse of the cast at Roppongi Hills Arena, Tokyo, Japan. “Konichiwa [Hello]! I’m so happy to be here in Tokyo, there’s nothing like the fans that are here tonight,” the Heroes star told the cheering crowd.
The ‘Resident Evil’ films, known as ‘Biohazard’ in Japan, are based on the computer games developed by Capcom. “It is so incredible to finally be in Tokyo for the world premiere of this movie,” added Jovovich.
“This is where Resident Evil was born and I’m so proud to be here with all you people.”
The film is released in the US and the UK on September 10th.
Ali Larter and her baby bump attend Resident Evil premiere in Tokyo
--
Proud mom Ali Larter!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Classic Hollywood: Rare films on display at Cinecon 46
by Susan King, Los Angeles Times
The Cinecon Classic Film Festival is not for movie softies. It's for hard-core film buffs and historians who don't want to see the usual vintage fare that pops up on Turner Classic Movies or at revival theaters. So if you're looking to see "Casablanca," "Citizen Kane" or " It's a Wonderful Life," Cinecon isn't the festival for you.
"Most of the films have not been seen since their original release or have not been seen since the early days of television," says film and TV archivist/historian Stan Taffel, who is vice president of Cinecon.
The 46th edition of Cinecon takes place Thursday through Monday at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The festival offers a memorabilia and collectibles show at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, along with seminars. Oscar-nominated actor Don Murray will be receiving the Cinecon Career Achievement Award at a banquet at the hotel on Sunday evening.
Get breaking entertainment news, delivered to your mobile phone. Text ENTERTAIN to 52669.
Cinecon began rather humbly in 1965 at a Holiday Inn in Indiana, Pa., the hometown of Jimmy Stewart. The Society for Cinephiles Ltd. met in a small room at the hotel and showed 8-millimeter silent films from their collection.
"Little by little, people started to find rare films and it became a festival," Taffel says. Now called Cinecon, it has been in Los Angeles since the 1990s.
"We have been able to generate really good relationships with all the studios," Taffel says. "I would say one of my favorite aspects about the entire thing is that we have become personal friends with people who work at the studios in film preservation. A few of them will say, 'What do we have that we should be preserving or what you like to see be preserved?' Those of us on the board, including Cinecon President Bob Birchard, have films we would love to see, things we have never seen before."
Taffel's favorite "cause" these days is a silent and sound comedian named Charley Chase, who besides acting in film also directed movies. "He was involved in some 400 films in various capacities," he says. "I have spent most of my life tracking down as many films of his that he either worked in front of or behind the camera."
For this festival, he's running a 1937 Charley Chase comedy, "From Bad to Worse," that hasn't been screened in 73 years. "It's one of his first Columbia shorts. We are delighted. It's a brand-new print that has been struck from original elements."
Other rarities being screened include a 1928 Frank Capra gangster drama, "The Way of the Strong" and a 1930 version of Jack London's "The Sea Wolf," starring acclaimed actor Milton Sills, who died shortly after its release at the age of 48.
But the biggest draw of Cinecon is the re-premiere Saturday of the 1914 Keystone comedy "A Thief Catcher," which features Charlie Chaplin in one of his first screen appearances and in a non-Tramp role.
"I don't think any film is lost," Taffel says. "My rule is no film is lost, they are just MIA."
"A Thief Catcher" was discovered last November at an antiques show in Taylor, Mich., by filmmaker and film historian Paul E. Gierucki.
"I travel all around the world searching for classic films, trying to restore them, release them on DVD and put them on Turner Classic Movies," Gierucki says. "I have found things like Harry Langdon's home movies, some Buster Keaton work prints and Laurel and Hardy trailers."
He went to the antiques show just for fun when his eyes caught a vintage streamer trunk. "I flipped open the top and inside there was a large stack of 16mm films. Nothing was marked or labeled, so I sat down on the floor in the middle of the antiques show just trying to go through all the films."
The majority of the films weren't worth noting, but he bought about five of the films, including one called 'His Regular Job," which he recognized as a reissue of a Keystone Kops silent comedy. He took them home where they sat on a shelf while he worked on another project.
Months later, he final got to cleaning the print of the comedy and put it on his projector. "I started watching it and realized it was a reissue print of 'A Thief Catcher.' This was a lost title that starred Ford Sterling … and then about midway through a scene, two cops wander in from the right side and one of them looked a whole heck of a lot like Chaplin. He was dressed as a cop, but the movement, the face … I had to stop the projector and run it back.
"I must have watched it four times before it dawned on me, it was Chaplin in an undocumented film appearance. It's a very funny segment. Ford Sterling is fantastic, but no question that Chaplin comes in and steals the show. Chaplin's career is so thoroughly documented, so to find something like this is as rare as they come."
For the schedule and more information about Cinecon 46, go to http://www.cinecon.org.
Classic Hollywood: Rare films on display at Cinecon 46
--
This is Hollywood classic at its best! I hope everyone is going to watch the Hollywood classics!
The Cinecon Classic Film Festival is not for movie softies. It's for hard-core film buffs and historians who don't want to see the usual vintage fare that pops up on Turner Classic Movies or at revival theaters. So if you're looking to see "Casablanca," "Citizen Kane" or " It's a Wonderful Life," Cinecon isn't the festival for you.
"Most of the films have not been seen since their original release or have not been seen since the early days of television," says film and TV archivist/historian Stan Taffel, who is vice president of Cinecon.
The 46th edition of Cinecon takes place Thursday through Monday at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The festival offers a memorabilia and collectibles show at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, along with seminars. Oscar-nominated actor Don Murray will be receiving the Cinecon Career Achievement Award at a banquet at the hotel on Sunday evening.
Get breaking entertainment news, delivered to your mobile phone. Text ENTERTAIN to 52669.
Cinecon began rather humbly in 1965 at a Holiday Inn in Indiana, Pa., the hometown of Jimmy Stewart. The Society for Cinephiles Ltd. met in a small room at the hotel and showed 8-millimeter silent films from their collection.
"Little by little, people started to find rare films and it became a festival," Taffel says. Now called Cinecon, it has been in Los Angeles since the 1990s.
"We have been able to generate really good relationships with all the studios," Taffel says. "I would say one of my favorite aspects about the entire thing is that we have become personal friends with people who work at the studios in film preservation. A few of them will say, 'What do we have that we should be preserving or what you like to see be preserved?' Those of us on the board, including Cinecon President Bob Birchard, have films we would love to see, things we have never seen before."
Taffel's favorite "cause" these days is a silent and sound comedian named Charley Chase, who besides acting in film also directed movies. "He was involved in some 400 films in various capacities," he says. "I have spent most of my life tracking down as many films of his that he either worked in front of or behind the camera."
For this festival, he's running a 1937 Charley Chase comedy, "From Bad to Worse," that hasn't been screened in 73 years. "It's one of his first Columbia shorts. We are delighted. It's a brand-new print that has been struck from original elements."
Other rarities being screened include a 1928 Frank Capra gangster drama, "The Way of the Strong" and a 1930 version of Jack London's "The Sea Wolf," starring acclaimed actor Milton Sills, who died shortly after its release at the age of 48.
But the biggest draw of Cinecon is the re-premiere Saturday of the 1914 Keystone comedy "A Thief Catcher," which features Charlie Chaplin in one of his first screen appearances and in a non-Tramp role.
"I don't think any film is lost," Taffel says. "My rule is no film is lost, they are just MIA."
"A Thief Catcher" was discovered last November at an antiques show in Taylor, Mich., by filmmaker and film historian Paul E. Gierucki.
"I travel all around the world searching for classic films, trying to restore them, release them on DVD and put them on Turner Classic Movies," Gierucki says. "I have found things like Harry Langdon's home movies, some Buster Keaton work prints and Laurel and Hardy trailers."
He went to the antiques show just for fun when his eyes caught a vintage streamer trunk. "I flipped open the top and inside there was a large stack of 16mm films. Nothing was marked or labeled, so I sat down on the floor in the middle of the antiques show just trying to go through all the films."
The majority of the films weren't worth noting, but he bought about five of the films, including one called 'His Regular Job," which he recognized as a reissue of a Keystone Kops silent comedy. He took them home where they sat on a shelf while he worked on another project.
Months later, he final got to cleaning the print of the comedy and put it on his projector. "I started watching it and realized it was a reissue print of 'A Thief Catcher.' This was a lost title that starred Ford Sterling … and then about midway through a scene, two cops wander in from the right side and one of them looked a whole heck of a lot like Chaplin. He was dressed as a cop, but the movement, the face … I had to stop the projector and run it back.
"I must have watched it four times before it dawned on me, it was Chaplin in an undocumented film appearance. It's a very funny segment. Ford Sterling is fantastic, but no question that Chaplin comes in and steals the show. Chaplin's career is so thoroughly documented, so to find something like this is as rare as they come."
For the schedule and more information about Cinecon 46, go to http://www.cinecon.org.
Classic Hollywood: Rare films on display at Cinecon 46
--
This is Hollywood classic at its best! I hope everyone is going to watch the Hollywood classics!
Lindsay Lohan’s Ill-Timed ‘Comeback’ Role
by Jay A. Fernandez
Poor Lindsay. She can’t catch a break.
Released early from rehab and suddenly free again to pursue personal and professional rehabilitation, Lindsay Lohan has an opportunity to re-enter the public consciousness with the seriousness of a newly clean starlet intent on sobriety. And then here comes “Machete” (check out the review here).
When Robert Rodriguez’s Mexploitation flick opens Friday, Lohan will have been out of jail and rehab for a mere 10 days. And the vision that fans, family and friends will see of her in the film is that of a rich, spoiled junkie who makes money on the side by doing homemade sex videos. With her mom.
She can kiss those Kids’ Choice Awards goodbye.
“I want my career back,” Lohan apparently told Vanity Fair in an interview last month before heading to jail. If that’s so, she’s not doing herself any favors. Unless the career she wants is Denise Richards’.
For most actors, a public image is cultivated like a rare plant that needs endless sunlight while being constantly cleaned of dirt. For Lohan the last few years, it’s been more like a Ferrari she takes straight from the car wash to the demolition derby.
Machete backseat 300x185 Lindsay Lohans Ill Timed Comeback RoleAs April, the errant daughter of a corrupt political operative, Lohan makes her entrance in “Machete” passed out on a filthy matress in a drug den surrounded by gun-toting ruffians. Rescued by her pop, she is dumped into a car and swivels her drugged-out face toward him to say, “Sorry, Daddy.”
In real life, Lohan feels she’s the one owed an apology. “I think if anyone should be looked at medically it’s him,” she said to Vanity Fair about her dad, Michael Lohan. The dad in the film does get his -- after revealing that he has an unhealthy fixation on his daughter.
Machete waterfall 300x170 Lindsay Lohans Ill Timed Comeback RoleMost of the rest of Lohan’s screen time is then spent naked, after filming a sex video that includes the vengeance-seeking Machete and her character’s mother -- and, courtesy of Machete, a large bottle of tequila. (In the film's pool sequence, April's face is obscured, so it's not clear that Lohan didn't use a body double for those shots.) When she finally covers her body back up late in the movie, it’s to put on a nun’s habit and strafe a riot of knife-wielding Mexicans with a submachine gun. (Check out the trailer with the NSFW pool sequence below.)
Granted, all of this is surely the very fun Rodriguez and Lohan were probably hoping to have with a ridiculous character that would play off Lohan’s wrecked public image. But that convent has sailed.
Lohan was cast in the “Machete” role in early August last year, a development she hinted at herself at the time via Twitter. While the entertainment business is all fun and games and roles are simply roles, Lohan had already spent the previous two and a half years rolling in the public mud.
In January 2007 she checked into rehab for the first time, but then she was arrested in May for suspected driving under the influece. More rehab and more arrests and lawsuits followed over the next two years.
In July 2009 her film “Labor Pains” gets bumped from theaters to ABC Family, and then she was in court again in October 2009 for a probation hearing relating to her DUI charges.
If during that time she or her reps were looking to burnish her image, the “Machete” role was probably not the best move. Her reps at CAA and Untitled Entertainment had no comment on the decision.
She got sprung from rehab the day of the film’s downtown L.A. premiere last Wednesday but did not show up to share the spotlight with co-stars Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez. Insiders strolling the red carpet let on that reps for the studio, the filmmakers and Lohan had mutually agreed that her presence would have caused too much of a disruption were she to attend, pulling all the attention away from the film.
Reached about the premiere issue, Lohan’s mother Dina emailed: “We are in a great place and I am not commenting there!”
Lohan's next planned project is “Inferno,” an indie biopic about “Deep Throat” star Linda Lovelace. While under different circumstances this role could provide an edgy dramatic turn to burnish an actor’s resume, it will more likely burnish Lohan’s image as damaged goods adrift in the wake of her own crippling life. She’s not Charlize Theron taking on “Monster,” or Jennifer Connelly doing "Requiem for a Dream."
What Lohan needs is a quiet role as a guidance counselor on “Parenthood,” or a “Wrestler”-style drama built around her by a gifted filmmaker. Maybe a straightforward role in the ensemble of a big disaster film. But -- for now, anyway -- roles that perpetuate the perception that she has no control over herself or her life may be destined to undercut the career resurgence she claims she wants.
“I know that I’m a damn good actress,” Lohan said to Vanity Fair. “And I know that when I care about something, I put 100% and more into it.”
The question is how much she really cares about it.
Lindsay Lohan’s Ill-Timed ‘Comeback’ Role
--
Poor Lindsay Lohan. She caught a very bad Hollywood bug and couldn't recover. Is it really her fault or our's?
Poor Lindsay. She can’t catch a break.
Released early from rehab and suddenly free again to pursue personal and professional rehabilitation, Lindsay Lohan has an opportunity to re-enter the public consciousness with the seriousness of a newly clean starlet intent on sobriety. And then here comes “Machete” (check out the review here).
When Robert Rodriguez’s Mexploitation flick opens Friday, Lohan will have been out of jail and rehab for a mere 10 days. And the vision that fans, family and friends will see of her in the film is that of a rich, spoiled junkie who makes money on the side by doing homemade sex videos. With her mom.
She can kiss those Kids’ Choice Awards goodbye.
“I want my career back,” Lohan apparently told Vanity Fair in an interview last month before heading to jail. If that’s so, she’s not doing herself any favors. Unless the career she wants is Denise Richards’.
For most actors, a public image is cultivated like a rare plant that needs endless sunlight while being constantly cleaned of dirt. For Lohan the last few years, it’s been more like a Ferrari she takes straight from the car wash to the demolition derby.
Machete backseat 300x185 Lindsay Lohans Ill Timed Comeback RoleAs April, the errant daughter of a corrupt political operative, Lohan makes her entrance in “Machete” passed out on a filthy matress in a drug den surrounded by gun-toting ruffians. Rescued by her pop, she is dumped into a car and swivels her drugged-out face toward him to say, “Sorry, Daddy.”
In real life, Lohan feels she’s the one owed an apology. “I think if anyone should be looked at medically it’s him,” she said to Vanity Fair about her dad, Michael Lohan. The dad in the film does get his -- after revealing that he has an unhealthy fixation on his daughter.
Machete waterfall 300x170 Lindsay Lohans Ill Timed Comeback RoleMost of the rest of Lohan’s screen time is then spent naked, after filming a sex video that includes the vengeance-seeking Machete and her character’s mother -- and, courtesy of Machete, a large bottle of tequila. (In the film's pool sequence, April's face is obscured, so it's not clear that Lohan didn't use a body double for those shots.) When she finally covers her body back up late in the movie, it’s to put on a nun’s habit and strafe a riot of knife-wielding Mexicans with a submachine gun. (Check out the trailer with the NSFW pool sequence below.)
Granted, all of this is surely the very fun Rodriguez and Lohan were probably hoping to have with a ridiculous character that would play off Lohan’s wrecked public image. But that convent has sailed.
Lohan was cast in the “Machete” role in early August last year, a development she hinted at herself at the time via Twitter. While the entertainment business is all fun and games and roles are simply roles, Lohan had already spent the previous two and a half years rolling in the public mud.
In January 2007 she checked into rehab for the first time, but then she was arrested in May for suspected driving under the influece. More rehab and more arrests and lawsuits followed over the next two years.
In July 2009 her film “Labor Pains” gets bumped from theaters to ABC Family, and then she was in court again in October 2009 for a probation hearing relating to her DUI charges.
If during that time she or her reps were looking to burnish her image, the “Machete” role was probably not the best move. Her reps at CAA and Untitled Entertainment had no comment on the decision.
She got sprung from rehab the day of the film’s downtown L.A. premiere last Wednesday but did not show up to share the spotlight with co-stars Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez. Insiders strolling the red carpet let on that reps for the studio, the filmmakers and Lohan had mutually agreed that her presence would have caused too much of a disruption were she to attend, pulling all the attention away from the film.
Reached about the premiere issue, Lohan’s mother Dina emailed: “We are in a great place and I am not commenting there!”
Lohan's next planned project is “Inferno,” an indie biopic about “Deep Throat” star Linda Lovelace. While under different circumstances this role could provide an edgy dramatic turn to burnish an actor’s resume, it will more likely burnish Lohan’s image as damaged goods adrift in the wake of her own crippling life. She’s not Charlize Theron taking on “Monster,” or Jennifer Connelly doing "Requiem for a Dream."
What Lohan needs is a quiet role as a guidance counselor on “Parenthood,” or a “Wrestler”-style drama built around her by a gifted filmmaker. Maybe a straightforward role in the ensemble of a big disaster film. But -- for now, anyway -- roles that perpetuate the perception that she has no control over herself or her life may be destined to undercut the career resurgence she claims she wants.
“I know that I’m a damn good actress,” Lohan said to Vanity Fair. “And I know that when I care about something, I put 100% and more into it.”
The question is how much she really cares about it.
Lindsay Lohan’s Ill-Timed ‘Comeback’ Role
--
Poor Lindsay Lohan. She caught a very bad Hollywood bug and couldn't recover. Is it really her fault or our's?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Sandra Bullock -- The most powerful actress in Hollywood
by EW staff
Sandra Bullock mulls her next move — most likely starring opposite Tom Hanks in an adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close — EW takes a look inside her stunning comeback, examining how she consciously retooled her career, how she transcended the tabloid noise, and where she might go from here.
One thing’s for sure: Bullock has no shortage of options. At age 46, a decade and a half after she jumped on the bus in Speed, the actress is being courted for virtually every female starring role Hollywood has to offer, from a Disney family fable called The Odd Life of Timothy Green to Our Wild Life, a drama about an elephant orphanage. There’s also the action comedy EW reported about exclusively in June called Most Wanted, in which she’d star as a criminal suspect being escorted to the courthouse by a U.S. marshal (played by her Proposal costar Ryan Reynolds).
”Every movie you hear about and every script I see, they say, ‘We’re going after Sandra Bullock for the woman,’ ” says Ben Affleck, who costarred with Bullock in 1999′s Forces of Nature. “She’s the golden girl,” says a top Hollywood agent. “Everyone is rooting for her. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Indeed, it’s been quite a year for the actress: The two biggest hits of her career. A Best Actress Oscar. A tabloid firestorm. A new baby. EW examines her rising status in Hollywood, and how, thanks to the intangible chemical reaction that creates stardom, she’s always had a knack for making audiences fall in love with her. “From the minute we saw her in Speed, she just had this quality that people want to be around,” says Bradley Cooper, who costarred with Bullock in last year’s All About Steve. “It’s like being around a source of light.”
Sandra Bullock -- The most powerful actress in Hollywood
--
Sandra Bullock is the undisputed Hollywood darling. She's still gonna go a long way.
Cate Blanchett makes top five for Hollywood value for money
Australian actress Cate Blanchett has ranked fifth in a list of the most value-for-money Hollywood actors.
But the list was topped by Shia LaBeouf, who was named the most value-for-money actor in Hollywood for the second year in a row.
LaBeouf topped a survey by Forbes to find the star who pulls in the most money for movie bosses, with LaBeouf earning an estimated $US81 ($90.81) in profit for every $US1 ($1.12) he is paid.
The 24-year-old, who has appeared in a string of high profile blockbusters including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, topped the same poll last year.
Anne Hathaway, whose hit Disney movie Alice in Wonderland recently passed the $US1 billion ($1.12 billion) mark at the worldwide box office, came in second, followed by Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Downey Jr and Cate Blanchett.
Cate Blanchett makes top five for Hollywood value for money
--
Cate Blanchett is a good actress. It's no wonder she's worth every penny in Hollywood.
But the list was topped by Shia LaBeouf, who was named the most value-for-money actor in Hollywood for the second year in a row.
LaBeouf topped a survey by Forbes to find the star who pulls in the most money for movie bosses, with LaBeouf earning an estimated $US81 ($90.81) in profit for every $US1 ($1.12) he is paid.
The 24-year-old, who has appeared in a string of high profile blockbusters including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, topped the same poll last year.
Anne Hathaway, whose hit Disney movie Alice in Wonderland recently passed the $US1 billion ($1.12 billion) mark at the worldwide box office, came in second, followed by Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Downey Jr and Cate Blanchett.
Cate Blanchett makes top five for Hollywood value for money
--
Cate Blanchett is a good actress. It's no wonder she's worth every penny in Hollywood.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Bruce Willis Plans 'Die Hard 5' Shooting in 2011
Bruce Willis seems eager to reprise his "Die Hard" role in another installment of the action film series, planning to start shooting for "Die Hard 5" in 2011. In a recent interview with MTV, the actor stated, "I think we're going to do a 'Die Hard 5' next year."
Willis later revealed that he would hire Len Wiseman, the man behind the fourth "Die Hard" film "Live Free or Die Hard", to direct the upcoming project. Talking further about the film, the depicter of John McClane shared his idea for the possible plotline, saying "It's got to go worldwide."
MTV additionally has got a chance to ask Willis about the plan to make a follow-up to his film "Unbreakable". Affirming that director M. Night Shyamalan still wants to make the sequel, the 54-year-old said, "I talked to [Shyamalan] over the holidays, and he is still thinking about doing the fight movie between me and Sam[uel L. Jackson] that we were going to do." He then added, "As long as Sam can make it, I'm up for it."
"Die Hard 5" will serve as the follow-up to "Live Free or Die Hard" which was released in 2007. The story still centers on protagonist John McClane and takes place twelve years after the third film. The movie received generally positive reviews, earning total international box office gross receipts of $383.5 million.
Meanwhile, "Unbreakable" is a 2000 psychological thriller which tells the story of Bruce Willis' David Dunn, who slowly discovers that he is actually a real life superhero as he never gets injured. In contrary, Samuel L. Jackson's Elijah Price is diagnosed with Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disease in which bones break easily. The film grossed approximately $250 million in box office totals.
Die Hard 5
--
I can hear Die Hard fans say, "Live Free or Die Hard."
Willis later revealed that he would hire Len Wiseman, the man behind the fourth "Die Hard" film "Live Free or Die Hard", to direct the upcoming project. Talking further about the film, the depicter of John McClane shared his idea for the possible plotline, saying "It's got to go worldwide."
MTV additionally has got a chance to ask Willis about the plan to make a follow-up to his film "Unbreakable". Affirming that director M. Night Shyamalan still wants to make the sequel, the 54-year-old said, "I talked to [Shyamalan] over the holidays, and he is still thinking about doing the fight movie between me and Sam[uel L. Jackson] that we were going to do." He then added, "As long as Sam can make it, I'm up for it."
"Die Hard 5" will serve as the follow-up to "Live Free or Die Hard" which was released in 2007. The story still centers on protagonist John McClane and takes place twelve years after the third film. The movie received generally positive reviews, earning total international box office gross receipts of $383.5 million.
Meanwhile, "Unbreakable" is a 2000 psychological thriller which tells the story of Bruce Willis' David Dunn, who slowly discovers that he is actually a real life superhero as he never gets injured. In contrary, Samuel L. Jackson's Elijah Price is diagnosed with Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disease in which bones break easily. The film grossed approximately $250 million in box office totals.
Die Hard 5
--
I can hear Die Hard fans say, "Live Free or Die Hard."
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Two 'Iraq war' movies, one BAFTA
by Mamoon Alabbasi
James Cameron's "Avatar" and Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" had battled for best film and best director at the BAFTA awards on Sunday.
Bigelow's so called Iraq war movie won best film and director awards. It also picked up gongs for original screenplay, cinematography, editing and sound.
Cameron's computer-animated blockbuster, the world's biggest-ever grossing movie, won only two awards; for special visual effects and production design.
The two movies will also be competing for nine awards each at the Oscars in two weeks time, where the odds are in favour of "Avatar", already in possession of two Golden Globe awards.
But the two movies which have been and will be competing head-to-head for the same awards have more in common than the fact that their directors have been once married to each other.
Both films, in their own ways, 'touch on' the Iraq war, a theme that still haunts the world of politics, almost seven years on since the US-led invasion.
Ironically, and contrary to official film labelling, for many Iraqis "Avatar" is seen as the most accurate Iraq war movie so far, while "The Hurt Locker" might appear as more 'alien' to them.
The link to Iraq in "Avatar" is apparent to many from the outset of the film, but it is further entrenched with the use of terms like "shock and awe" and "fighting terror".
However, the plot thickens. The blue humanoids in "Avatar" appear more humane than their human invaders, who came from earth to steal the resources of their planet.
While in the "The Hurt Locker", where we follow an adventurous US bomb squad in Iraq, the Iraqis in the movie appear to serve just as a background that shows how heroic the film's stars are.
Almost faceless and voiceless, they are - like in the world of politics - robbed of their humanity.
It would be more accurate to say that "The Hurt Locker" is an action movie that uses Iraq as a background than to brand it as an 'Iraq war movie', and less so as the 'Iraq war drama'.
The film does not really address the Iraq war, the reasons for the presence of the US squad or even the bombs they are supposed to defuse, and most importantly it ignores the views and feelings of Iraqis.
Contrary to the claim made by some film critics arguing that the film is non-ideological, the very fact that the war context is left out makes the movie very political.
It sells war as a heroic adventure, hiding the true toll on all sides involved and brushes aside the suggestion of accountability. This seems very ideological.
But in the world of entertainment, it won the 'hearts and minds' of the BAFTA board.
According to the BBC's Will Gompertz, "the general feeling among the cognoscenti I spoke last night (Sunday) was that Hurt Locker won more for its subject matter than for the quality of the movie."
Perhaps, influenced by a noble deep-seated British tradition, BAFTA sided with the underdog film, given the public success that Cameron had swept.
But for a lot of Iraqis, "Avatar" is the film of the underdog. For many of them who feel de-humanised by some parts of the media, the positive depiction of blue non-humans is welcome.
If some humans can relate to the 'humanity' of non-humans in fiction, then surely they would find it easier to identify with the true humanity of de-humanised humans in real life?
Or would that be too much to expect?
Maybe someday all sides would be able to look each other in the eyes and say the film's most moving and symbolic words: 'I see you'.
Avatar vs. Hurt Locker in BAFTA
--
Who will win best film, Avatar or Hurt Locker? Who will be best director, James Cameron or Kathryn Bigelow? Can't wait for BAFTA.
James Cameron's "Avatar" and Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" had battled for best film and best director at the BAFTA awards on Sunday.
Bigelow's so called Iraq war movie won best film and director awards. It also picked up gongs for original screenplay, cinematography, editing and sound.
Cameron's computer-animated blockbuster, the world's biggest-ever grossing movie, won only two awards; for special visual effects and production design.
The two movies will also be competing for nine awards each at the Oscars in two weeks time, where the odds are in favour of "Avatar", already in possession of two Golden Globe awards.
But the two movies which have been and will be competing head-to-head for the same awards have more in common than the fact that their directors have been once married to each other.
Both films, in their own ways, 'touch on' the Iraq war, a theme that still haunts the world of politics, almost seven years on since the US-led invasion.
Ironically, and contrary to official film labelling, for many Iraqis "Avatar" is seen as the most accurate Iraq war movie so far, while "The Hurt Locker" might appear as more 'alien' to them.
The link to Iraq in "Avatar" is apparent to many from the outset of the film, but it is further entrenched with the use of terms like "shock and awe" and "fighting terror".
However, the plot thickens. The blue humanoids in "Avatar" appear more humane than their human invaders, who came from earth to steal the resources of their planet.
While in the "The Hurt Locker", where we follow an adventurous US bomb squad in Iraq, the Iraqis in the movie appear to serve just as a background that shows how heroic the film's stars are.
Almost faceless and voiceless, they are - like in the world of politics - robbed of their humanity.
It would be more accurate to say that "The Hurt Locker" is an action movie that uses Iraq as a background than to brand it as an 'Iraq war movie', and less so as the 'Iraq war drama'.
The film does not really address the Iraq war, the reasons for the presence of the US squad or even the bombs they are supposed to defuse, and most importantly it ignores the views and feelings of Iraqis.
Contrary to the claim made by some film critics arguing that the film is non-ideological, the very fact that the war context is left out makes the movie very political.
It sells war as a heroic adventure, hiding the true toll on all sides involved and brushes aside the suggestion of accountability. This seems very ideological.
But in the world of entertainment, it won the 'hearts and minds' of the BAFTA board.
According to the BBC's Will Gompertz, "the general feeling among the cognoscenti I spoke last night (Sunday) was that Hurt Locker won more for its subject matter than for the quality of the movie."
Perhaps, influenced by a noble deep-seated British tradition, BAFTA sided with the underdog film, given the public success that Cameron had swept.
But for a lot of Iraqis, "Avatar" is the film of the underdog. For many of them who feel de-humanised by some parts of the media, the positive depiction of blue non-humans is welcome.
If some humans can relate to the 'humanity' of non-humans in fiction, then surely they would find it easier to identify with the true humanity of de-humanised humans in real life?
Or would that be too much to expect?
Maybe someday all sides would be able to look each other in the eyes and say the film's most moving and symbolic words: 'I see you'.
Avatar vs. Hurt Locker in BAFTA
--
Who will win best film, Avatar or Hurt Locker? Who will be best director, James Cameron or Kathryn Bigelow? Can't wait for BAFTA.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Mark Strong Is 'Green Lantern' Villain
Mark Strong has officially signed on to star as the villain in "Green Lantern". The actor's involvement in the film is confirmed by Geoff Johns, the writer of comic book "Green Lantern: Rebirth", who tweeted on Sunday, February 21, "Back from an amazing trip to Green Lantern town a.k.a. New Orleans!! Ryan IS Hal. And Mark Strong is going to be a brilliant Sinestro."
Back in January, Strong was linked to the role of Green Lantern's nemesis after director Martin Campbell stated the 47-year-old was in consideration to play Sinestro. The filmmaker additionally praised the British star, saying "He's not only a wonderful actor, but he looks like Sinestro. If you look up old pictures of Sinestro, he's very like him."
Mark Strong is well known for his villainous characters in several movies such as Archy in "RocknRolla", Septimus in "Stardust" and Lord Blackwood in "Sherlock Holmes". Later, he can be seen starring as Frank D'Amico in "Kick-Ass", which is set to hit U.S. theaters on April 16.
"Green Lantern" itself will follow Hal Jordan, an ordinary man who was chosen by a dying alien named Abin Sur to receive a green energy-powered ring used for protecting the planet. Ryan Reynolds has been tapped to play the titular character in the movie, which is expected to start production soon for June 17, 2011 release in the U.S.
Mark Strong in Green Lantern: Rebirth
--
I'm sure Green Lantern fans will wait for the movie, Green Lantern:Rebirth. Will Mark Strong live up to the expectations?
Back in January, Strong was linked to the role of Green Lantern's nemesis after director Martin Campbell stated the 47-year-old was in consideration to play Sinestro. The filmmaker additionally praised the British star, saying "He's not only a wonderful actor, but he looks like Sinestro. If you look up old pictures of Sinestro, he's very like him."
Mark Strong is well known for his villainous characters in several movies such as Archy in "RocknRolla", Septimus in "Stardust" and Lord Blackwood in "Sherlock Holmes". Later, he can be seen starring as Frank D'Amico in "Kick-Ass", which is set to hit U.S. theaters on April 16.
"Green Lantern" itself will follow Hal Jordan, an ordinary man who was chosen by a dying alien named Abin Sur to receive a green energy-powered ring used for protecting the planet. Ryan Reynolds has been tapped to play the titular character in the movie, which is expected to start production soon for June 17, 2011 release in the U.S.
Mark Strong in Green Lantern: Rebirth
--
I'm sure Green Lantern fans will wait for the movie, Green Lantern:Rebirth. Will Mark Strong live up to the expectations?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
‘Shutter Island’ premieres at the Berlin Film Festival
by Stephen Schaefer
Leonardo DiCaprio experienced a bit of deja vu in Berlin.
Ten years ago he stood on the Berlin Film Festival red carpet in front of screaming fans when “The Beach” premiered. This weekend, the “Titanic” heartthrob showed that he still had the stuff as he signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans who were waiting for the world premiere of the thriller “Shutter Island.”
In the film, based on the 2003 bestseller by Boston’s own Dennis Lehane, the Hub has a big supporting role. Peddocks Island stood in for the title location, and scenes were also shot on Nahant Beach, East Boston, Hyde Park and the North End.
The Berlin screening received an extended ovation, and DiCaprio took the stage with director Martin Scorsese and castmates Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams and Ben Kingsley.
“Danke schoen,” said DiCaprio, son of an Italian-American father and German-American mother whose character, a U.S. marshal, is bilingual. “I’m happy to be back and bring a little bit of my heritage in speaking German.”
The complex tale takes place on a fearsome island institution for the criminally insane. “We all were more moved by this book than we could ever have foreseen,” he said.
That sentiment was echoed by several first-nighters for the film, which opens in Bostonon Friday:
“So very impressive. Such good acting and cinematography and so suspenseful. One of the best Scorseses of the 21st century.” - Jochen Moelck, 42, Berlin.
“I liked it because you don’t know which way the story turns. There was a bit too much horror for my taste but I thought it was a great story.” - Christian Goeseke, 42, Berlin.
“A wonderful twist at the end and the emotion it created was difficult to come out of. It makes you wonder what’s real.” - Dirk Sonneborn, 43, Berlin.
“I’ve been discussing it with my two friends since we walked out and we have three different interpretations of what the ending means. I really liked it!” - Lelda Ozola, 43, Latvia.
“I can’t say I liked it. It just confused me. I couldn’t see the sense behind it.” - Stefan Berger, 45, Berlin.
“Oh I really, really liked it. Especially Leo DiCaprio and how he played that man. Great tension and the ending was a shock.” - Tjorven Bornsen, 30, Berlin.
Shutter Island premieres in Berlin Film Festival
--
I can't wait for this masterpiece from DiCaprio and Scorsese! I love Martin Scorsese!
Leonardo DiCaprio experienced a bit of deja vu in Berlin.
Ten years ago he stood on the Berlin Film Festival red carpet in front of screaming fans when “The Beach” premiered. This weekend, the “Titanic” heartthrob showed that he still had the stuff as he signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans who were waiting for the world premiere of the thriller “Shutter Island.”
In the film, based on the 2003 bestseller by Boston’s own Dennis Lehane, the Hub has a big supporting role. Peddocks Island stood in for the title location, and scenes were also shot on Nahant Beach, East Boston, Hyde Park and the North End.
The Berlin screening received an extended ovation, and DiCaprio took the stage with director Martin Scorsese and castmates Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams and Ben Kingsley.
“Danke schoen,” said DiCaprio, son of an Italian-American father and German-American mother whose character, a U.S. marshal, is bilingual. “I’m happy to be back and bring a little bit of my heritage in speaking German.”
The complex tale takes place on a fearsome island institution for the criminally insane. “We all were more moved by this book than we could ever have foreseen,” he said.
That sentiment was echoed by several first-nighters for the film, which opens in Bostonon Friday:
“So very impressive. Such good acting and cinematography and so suspenseful. One of the best Scorseses of the 21st century.” - Jochen Moelck, 42, Berlin.
“I liked it because you don’t know which way the story turns. There was a bit too much horror for my taste but I thought it was a great story.” - Christian Goeseke, 42, Berlin.
“A wonderful twist at the end and the emotion it created was difficult to come out of. It makes you wonder what’s real.” - Dirk Sonneborn, 43, Berlin.
“I’ve been discussing it with my two friends since we walked out and we have three different interpretations of what the ending means. I really liked it!” - Lelda Ozola, 43, Latvia.
“I can’t say I liked it. It just confused me. I couldn’t see the sense behind it.” - Stefan Berger, 45, Berlin.
“Oh I really, really liked it. Especially Leo DiCaprio and how he played that man. Great tension and the ending was a shock.” - Tjorven Bornsen, 30, Berlin.
Shutter Island premieres in Berlin Film Festival
--
I can't wait for this masterpiece from DiCaprio and Scorsese! I love Martin Scorsese!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart to Present at Oscars
Though "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" does not score any nomination at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart are going to show up on stage of the event. The Academy has announced on Monday, February 22 that the two "Twilight" stars are set to present kudo for winner at the upcoming show.
Other young actors who are also tapped to be presenters at the 2010 Oscars are Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron. While the job will mark Lautner and Stewart's first appearance on the broadcast, this will be the second time for the "Hannah Montana" cutie and the "High School Musical" hunk attending the prestigious show after their appearance in 2008.
Before the news is made official by the Academy, Stewart has actually spilled her involvement in the annual awards show when telling E! Online, "Yeah, I'm going. Me and Taylor are going to present." Sharing her preparation for the event, the actress said, "I've been looking at shoes. I'm trying to pick shoes that I know I won't fall down in."
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be held on March 7 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and is set to be aired live by ABC Television Network. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are tapped to host the show, though it was recently revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen was the first choice for host.
Twilight stars at the Oscars
--
Twilight stars in the Oscars? I guess the Twilight fans will be all-glued on their TV sets or computers.
Other young actors who are also tapped to be presenters at the 2010 Oscars are Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron. While the job will mark Lautner and Stewart's first appearance on the broadcast, this will be the second time for the "Hannah Montana" cutie and the "High School Musical" hunk attending the prestigious show after their appearance in 2008.
Before the news is made official by the Academy, Stewart has actually spilled her involvement in the annual awards show when telling E! Online, "Yeah, I'm going. Me and Taylor are going to present." Sharing her preparation for the event, the actress said, "I've been looking at shoes. I'm trying to pick shoes that I know I won't fall down in."
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be held on March 7 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and is set to be aired live by ABC Television Network. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are tapped to host the show, though it was recently revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen was the first choice for host.
Twilight stars at the Oscars
--
Twilight stars in the Oscars? I guess the Twilight fans will be all-glued on their TV sets or computers.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Asian films bag major honors at the Berlin Film Festival
It’s been a galvanizing year for Asian films at the 60th Berlin Film Festival, with movies from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan scoring awards.
Chinese director Wang Quan’an’s festival opener "Apart Together," a period romance about a fugitive soldier reuniting with his lover after 50 years of separation, took home the Silver Bear for best script.
Japanese actress Shinobu Terajima won a Silver Bear for best actress for her role in Koji Wakamatsu's "Caterpillar." The film explores the impressions of war on civilian life in post-WWII Japan, played out in the sadomasochistic relationship between a mutilated war hero and his wife.
Hong Kong's "Echoes of the Rainbow," directed by Alex Law Kai-yui, won the city's first-ever Crystal Bear award for best feature film in the Generation category. Although the movie has not yet screened back home, it's already creating waves with news that the film's old-town location is set to be torn down under urban redevelopment plans.
Budding Taiwanese auteur Arvin Chen’s "Au Revoir Taipei," a romantic comedy, won the best Asian film award from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema at the festival.
Asian Films in Berlin Film Festival
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Go, Asians!I hope there will be more Asian films in the next few years.
Chinese director Wang Quan’an’s festival opener "Apart Together," a period romance about a fugitive soldier reuniting with his lover after 50 years of separation, took home the Silver Bear for best script.
Japanese actress Shinobu Terajima won a Silver Bear for best actress for her role in Koji Wakamatsu's "Caterpillar." The film explores the impressions of war on civilian life in post-WWII Japan, played out in the sadomasochistic relationship between a mutilated war hero and his wife.
Hong Kong's "Echoes of the Rainbow," directed by Alex Law Kai-yui, won the city's first-ever Crystal Bear award for best feature film in the Generation category. Although the movie has not yet screened back home, it's already creating waves with news that the film's old-town location is set to be torn down under urban redevelopment plans.
Budding Taiwanese auteur Arvin Chen’s "Au Revoir Taipei," a romantic comedy, won the best Asian film award from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema at the festival.
Asian Films in Berlin Film Festival
--
Go, Asians!I hope there will be more Asian films in the next few years.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Will Hollywood at last Catcher?
The death of Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salinger in New Hampshire at the age of 91 on Wednesday could clear the way for film adaptations of his work to be made, published reports indicated today (Friday).
In a handful of interviews that the reclusive writer has given over the last 40 years, he had indicated that he had continued to write "for myself, and I want to be left absolutely alone to do it." He suggested, however, that all of his work might eventually see the light of day after his death.
In an interview with the French news agency Agence France-Presse on Thursday, publisher Roger Lathbury remarked that nobody knows what Salinger had locked away. "I assume [the unpublished manuscripts] have been preserved. They then become part of his literary estate which will be administrated by whoever his will designates."
AFP reported that the BBC, Steven Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein have each attempted to make a film adaptation of Catcher in the Rye -- "but each time they were rebuffed by Salinger."
--
Catcher in the Rye of J.D. Salinger must really look good in film that producers and directors are dying to get it adaptation.
Will Hollywood at last Catcher?
In a handful of interviews that the reclusive writer has given over the last 40 years, he had indicated that he had continued to write "for myself, and I want to be left absolutely alone to do it." He suggested, however, that all of his work might eventually see the light of day after his death.
In an interview with the French news agency Agence France-Presse on Thursday, publisher Roger Lathbury remarked that nobody knows what Salinger had locked away. "I assume [the unpublished manuscripts] have been preserved. They then become part of his literary estate which will be administrated by whoever his will designates."
AFP reported that the BBC, Steven Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein have each attempted to make a film adaptation of Catcher in the Rye -- "but each time they were rebuffed by Salinger."
--
Catcher in the Rye of J.D. Salinger must really look good in film that producers and directors are dying to get it adaptation.
Will Hollywood at last Catcher?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Alex Reid plans career in Hollywood
Alex Reid has set his sights on launching a career in the Hollywood film industry, a report has claimed. The cage-fighting star has been inspired by winning the last ever series of Celebrity Big Brother.
Reid, who is reportedly engaged to reality TV star Katie Price, won the Channel 4 show with 66% of the public vote.
He told a Sunday newspaper that he is hoping to use the connections he made with Stephen Baldwin and Vinnie Jones to help launch a career in Los Angeles.
He is reported in the Daily Star Sunday as saying: "I'd love to go to Hollywood and get a career out there.
"I think it's totally amazing that Stephen and Vinnie have said they will help me.
"I still have a fight in three months so I am focusing on that at the moment but in the back of my mind I'm thinking I am an actor."
The 34-year-old also confessed that he had found it "tough" being separated from Price while inside the Big Brother house.
He confessed: "The hardest thing was being separated from Katie in the house.
"Even though I was using my common sense, there was a part of doubt that slipped in and I thought, `Is she going to want to be with me when I come out?'
"It was incredibly hard because I missed holding her."
--
It seems that there's no other way to get to Hollywood faster than be a reality TV star. I hope Alex Reid will make it.
Alex Raid on Hollywood
Reid, who is reportedly engaged to reality TV star Katie Price, won the Channel 4 show with 66% of the public vote.
He told a Sunday newspaper that he is hoping to use the connections he made with Stephen Baldwin and Vinnie Jones to help launch a career in Los Angeles.
He is reported in the Daily Star Sunday as saying: "I'd love to go to Hollywood and get a career out there.
"I think it's totally amazing that Stephen and Vinnie have said they will help me.
"I still have a fight in three months so I am focusing on that at the moment but in the back of my mind I'm thinking I am an actor."
The 34-year-old also confessed that he had found it "tough" being separated from Price while inside the Big Brother house.
He confessed: "The hardest thing was being separated from Katie in the house.
"Even though I was using my common sense, there was a part of doubt that slipped in and I thought, `Is she going to want to be with me when I come out?'
"It was incredibly hard because I missed holding her."
--
It seems that there's no other way to get to Hollywood faster than be a reality TV star. I hope Alex Reid will make it.
Alex Raid on Hollywood
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Brangelina slams break-up reports
Hollywood power couple 'Brangelina' have slammed reports of a break-up after spending a cozy night out and displaying open affection towards each other.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stepped out Saturday night to attend the Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles and observers say the couple were as happy as can be, People magazine reported.
"They looked very giggly," an onlooker told the publication.
45-year-old Pitt, who was at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza to introduce his 'Inglourious Basterds' director Quentin Tarantino, was an attentive companion to 34-year-old Jolie.
Pitt pulled out a chair for the 'Original Sin' star and touched her back throughout the night as they chatted animatedly with Tarantino at a table of colleagues from their film.
"They look like they are having a fun time, It's definitely a date," another onlooker said.
--
Brangelina break up will not die down because a lot of people envy them. They are a beautiful and powerful couple, that's why.
Brangelina break up
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stepped out Saturday night to attend the Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles and observers say the couple were as happy as can be, People magazine reported.
"They looked very giggly," an onlooker told the publication.
45-year-old Pitt, who was at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza to introduce his 'Inglourious Basterds' director Quentin Tarantino, was an attentive companion to 34-year-old Jolie.
Pitt pulled out a chair for the 'Original Sin' star and touched her back throughout the night as they chatted animatedly with Tarantino at a table of colleagues from their film.
"They look like they are having a fun time, It's definitely a date," another onlooker said.
--
Brangelina break up will not die down because a lot of people envy them. They are a beautiful and powerful couple, that's why.
Brangelina break up
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Woman on the edge of a Hollywood breakthrough
by Craig Mathieson
Teetering on the brink of fame with her role in the upcoming Edge of Darkness, Bojana Novakovic is the latest in a long line of successful Australian acting exports.
AUSTRALIA has two constant, bountiful exports: iron ore and talented actors. If the former, via Port Hedland in Western Australia, is a simple matter of quantity, then the latter, thanks to institutions such as NIDA and our theatre companies, is concerned with quality.
For a comparatively small country, Australia produces a stream of thespians who, all too often, carve out an international reputation.
We do leading men (Russell Crowe, Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman), gifted chameleons (Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette) and idiosyncratic character actors (Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush); starlets and pretty boys not so much.
Sometimes it appears that the names change but the narrative stays the same: 2009 was the year of Ryan Kwanten, who managed to turn a stint on the Home and Away production line into a breakthrough role as oversexed zealot Jason Stackhouse in True Blood, the hit US gothic vampire television drama.
Another Home and Away graduate, Chris Hemsworth, is already in the box seat for 2011, playing the title role in the big-budget comic book adaptation Thor alongside Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins.
A month into 2010 and it's already clear that this year's wave will break three actors in Hollywood.
The first is Mia Wasikowska, the ethereal 20-year-old from Canberra, who will play an adult Alice to Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's forthcoming Alice in Wonderland. The second is Kodi Smit-McPhee, the preternaturally gifted child actor who crosses the hellish post-apocalyptic landscape of The Road with Viggo Mortensen.
The third is sitting on an ornate armchair at Spring Street's Windsor Hotel, legs tucked beneath her and a faded blue flannel shirt over a simple black dress to ward off a surprisingly chilly January morning in Melbourne.
The outfit is incongruous but functional, and that's what matters to Bojana Novakovic. She cares about getting the job - or jobs, she's a committed multi-tasker - done. Image, and competition, come a distant second.
''I was talking to an Australian actor and he was saying that there is no point in us being jealous of each other because we're all making that bridge wider and better,'' says the 28-year-old, who was born in Serbia and migrated to Australia with her family when she was seven.
''Let's just keep at it - it's good for all of us if one of us gets a job.''
Bojana Novakovic has had several jobs over the past few years, but only now is the public starting to see them. Last year, she had a small role as a vengeful gypsy's granddaughter in Spider-Man director Sam Raimi's horror film, Drag Me to Hell, while on February 4 she has a pivotal supporting role in the contemporary thriller Edge of Darkness.
Novakovic plays scientific researcher Emma Craven, who returns home to her widowed father, Boston police homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), with a secret that she's unable to reveal before she's murdered in front of him. The movie, which marries paternal vengeance to national security issues, moves fast, with Emma as first the troubled catalyst and then the voice of stillness.
''When I got offered Edge of Darkness I also got offered another film with a much bigger role - a really big role - but it just wasn't what I wanted,'' recalls Novakovic. ''This was the one I liked. It had something.''
It's the ease with which Australian actors meet the challenges of the material that earns them Hollywood commissions. Smit-McPhee, for example, won the part of The Boy in The Road because his audition tape included a compelling take on a crucial scene where his father teaches him how to commit suicide in case he is captured by cannibals. He was the only 13-year-old filmmaker John Hillcoat saw who could both inhabit and then put aside such material.
The original Edge of Darkness was an award-winning British miniseries from 1985. The same director, Englishman Martin Campbell, did both notably distinct versions 25 years apart (in between he did two of the better Bond flicks, 1995's GoldenEye and 2006's Casino Royale), although with hindsight that was one of the less curious elements of the production.
Novakovic freely admits her first day on set was overwhelming. She had to shoot a crucial, dialogue-heavy scene with Gibson, who she realised was an Academy Award winner (best director for 1995's Braveheart). She looked around and saw screenwriter William Monahan, (best adapted screenplay for 2006's The Departed), then producer Graham King (best picture for The Departed).
''The whole thing felt huge,'' she sighs. ''I was telling myself not to be superficial, but there's this huge fan blowing rain at us and all I can think about is the drought here. Too much was going on in my head - 1000 miles an hour stuff.''
Once her professionalism kicked in and the process started, someone on set casually mentioned that no one was worried about her. The concern was Gibson, who was shooting his first feature film in six years after a tumultuous period that included making anti-Semitic remarks after a drink-driving arrest, a stint in rehab and separating from wife of 25 years, Robyn.
''It was our first day shooting, after one rehearsal and we're meant to look like we've been father and daughter for 24 years,'' says Novakovic. ''Mel was shitting himself as much as I was. In fact, I was told that he was shitting himself more than I was, that he was really frightened, although I didn't believe them.''
Novakovic has nothing but praise for her co-star, who was one of the first Australian actors to be snatched up by Hollywood 30 years ago. At one stage she lay on the floor for six hours, not moving lest she ruin the continuity of the fake blood, as she and Gibson filmed her death scene.
''He jokes around a lot, which I can now see is really healthy, although I found it hard to understand at the time because I was being a very serious person,'' admits Novakovic, who has a healthy streak of self-deprecation. ''It's an amazing way of focusing, because he takes attention off your fear and puts it on to a punchline.''
Robert De Niro was meant to be a co-star as well, but he arrived on set and then, reportedly after a disagreement with Campbell, departed, never to return. English actor Ray Winstone took his part as a security services officer.
''It's a different business at that level,'' observes Novakovic. ''Drama should stay on the stage and screen.''
She missed De Niro's brief arc because she flew back to Sydney from Boston three times so she could direct Family Stories, a Serbian play she translated for Ride On Theatre, a fringe company with which she is an artistic director. As with Cate Blanchett and the Sydney Theatre Company, Novakovic draws creative satisfaction from the stage, as opposed to stewing over her film career; her arrival on the Edge of Darkness set was put back a day because she had to help Ride On load out after a Melbourne season in Northcote.
Achievement and varied experience, not status, matter to her. ''There will always be someone better, someone wealthier, someone with a better role, someone who has adopted more children,'' she says.
Novakovic's sense of self-acceptance stems from spending much of 2008 and 2009 in Los Angeles. Her previous Australian credits - the low-budget crime thriller Solo and a season of the Foxtel sex worker drama Satisfaction - didn't open many doors in LA, but she promised herself she would stick at it for three months.
Perseverance and a willingness to acclimatise are shared characteristics of the Australian actor diaspora - Naomi Watts famously endured almost a decade on Hollywood's fringe before she got David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Novakovic found herself with nowhere to live, $80 to her name and an email from her boyfriend in Australia breaking up with her.
Then, in 2008, she auditioned for a supporting role in a film that she is too diplomatic to name but which went on to become one of 2009's biggest blockbusters. The part called for a ''six-foot-three blonde Russian Playboy model'', recalls Novakovic.
She turned a bimbo part into a comedic role, improvising dialogue. The producers were so impressed they spent six weeks trying to hire a famous comedic actress to play the retooled part. When that failed they came back to Novakovic, but financiers wouldn't sign off. Novakovic was told she had the role, and then that she didn't. She hasn't seen the finished film, although the character appears to bear her influence, but getting close enough was what she needed.
The tide turned, and even when she shot scenes for the Will Smith melodrama Seven Pounds that were cut in post-production due to story difficulties, she had self-belief without the attendant ego.
''There are people who want to get famous, who want to look good, who want their photo taken for a magazine - Los Angeles is the place to go for that. There are a lot of those people pursuing fame for fame's sake,'' she points out.
''But if I did a film for the hope of being famous, then I'd probably just spend every day thinking about how I should be painting sets for Ride On.''
Novakovic now divides her time between creative hubs. There is theatre work in Melbourne (she is about to workshop a play she wrote at the Malthouse), low-budget features in Belgrade (for her last performance, in Skinning, she played a murderous neo-Nazi), and studio films in Los Angeles (her next film is supernatural thriller Devil). She keeps a suitcase in various cities now, storage space elsewhere.
''Success in Hollywood doesn't make you any better than you were. It just breeds a lot more choice,'' reasons Novakovic. Her contemporaries would agree: Mia Wasikowska is currently working on Gus Van Sant's next feature, while Kodi Smit-McPhee will play the male lead in the American remake of the acclaimed Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In.
As she sits in her chair, no hint of an entourage, Novakovic flexes her tattooed arms and pushes herself up, balancing on the chair arms as if she is about to take off. Career-wise she just might, having learnt, as numerous others have before her, to take Hollywood as it is and deal with all it has to offer on her own terms.
''It is weird that something depends on a look or your demeanour in front of a camera, but that's film,'' she says. ''It's not for me to limit myself any more, that's for other people to do.''
--
Another import from Australia. Bojana Novakovic may be the next IT girl in Hollywood.
Bojana Novakovic in Hollywood
Teetering on the brink of fame with her role in the upcoming Edge of Darkness, Bojana Novakovic is the latest in a long line of successful Australian acting exports.
AUSTRALIA has two constant, bountiful exports: iron ore and talented actors. If the former, via Port Hedland in Western Australia, is a simple matter of quantity, then the latter, thanks to institutions such as NIDA and our theatre companies, is concerned with quality.
For a comparatively small country, Australia produces a stream of thespians who, all too often, carve out an international reputation.
We do leading men (Russell Crowe, Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman), gifted chameleons (Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette) and idiosyncratic character actors (Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush); starlets and pretty boys not so much.
Sometimes it appears that the names change but the narrative stays the same: 2009 was the year of Ryan Kwanten, who managed to turn a stint on the Home and Away production line into a breakthrough role as oversexed zealot Jason Stackhouse in True Blood, the hit US gothic vampire television drama.
Another Home and Away graduate, Chris Hemsworth, is already in the box seat for 2011, playing the title role in the big-budget comic book adaptation Thor alongside Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins.
A month into 2010 and it's already clear that this year's wave will break three actors in Hollywood.
The first is Mia Wasikowska, the ethereal 20-year-old from Canberra, who will play an adult Alice to Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's forthcoming Alice in Wonderland. The second is Kodi Smit-McPhee, the preternaturally gifted child actor who crosses the hellish post-apocalyptic landscape of The Road with Viggo Mortensen.
The third is sitting on an ornate armchair at Spring Street's Windsor Hotel, legs tucked beneath her and a faded blue flannel shirt over a simple black dress to ward off a surprisingly chilly January morning in Melbourne.
The outfit is incongruous but functional, and that's what matters to Bojana Novakovic. She cares about getting the job - or jobs, she's a committed multi-tasker - done. Image, and competition, come a distant second.
''I was talking to an Australian actor and he was saying that there is no point in us being jealous of each other because we're all making that bridge wider and better,'' says the 28-year-old, who was born in Serbia and migrated to Australia with her family when she was seven.
''Let's just keep at it - it's good for all of us if one of us gets a job.''
Bojana Novakovic has had several jobs over the past few years, but only now is the public starting to see them. Last year, she had a small role as a vengeful gypsy's granddaughter in Spider-Man director Sam Raimi's horror film, Drag Me to Hell, while on February 4 she has a pivotal supporting role in the contemporary thriller Edge of Darkness.
Novakovic plays scientific researcher Emma Craven, who returns home to her widowed father, Boston police homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), with a secret that she's unable to reveal before she's murdered in front of him. The movie, which marries paternal vengeance to national security issues, moves fast, with Emma as first the troubled catalyst and then the voice of stillness.
''When I got offered Edge of Darkness I also got offered another film with a much bigger role - a really big role - but it just wasn't what I wanted,'' recalls Novakovic. ''This was the one I liked. It had something.''
It's the ease with which Australian actors meet the challenges of the material that earns them Hollywood commissions. Smit-McPhee, for example, won the part of The Boy in The Road because his audition tape included a compelling take on a crucial scene where his father teaches him how to commit suicide in case he is captured by cannibals. He was the only 13-year-old filmmaker John Hillcoat saw who could both inhabit and then put aside such material.
The original Edge of Darkness was an award-winning British miniseries from 1985. The same director, Englishman Martin Campbell, did both notably distinct versions 25 years apart (in between he did two of the better Bond flicks, 1995's GoldenEye and 2006's Casino Royale), although with hindsight that was one of the less curious elements of the production.
Novakovic freely admits her first day on set was overwhelming. She had to shoot a crucial, dialogue-heavy scene with Gibson, who she realised was an Academy Award winner (best director for 1995's Braveheart). She looked around and saw screenwriter William Monahan, (best adapted screenplay for 2006's The Departed), then producer Graham King (best picture for The Departed).
''The whole thing felt huge,'' she sighs. ''I was telling myself not to be superficial, but there's this huge fan blowing rain at us and all I can think about is the drought here. Too much was going on in my head - 1000 miles an hour stuff.''
Once her professionalism kicked in and the process started, someone on set casually mentioned that no one was worried about her. The concern was Gibson, who was shooting his first feature film in six years after a tumultuous period that included making anti-Semitic remarks after a drink-driving arrest, a stint in rehab and separating from wife of 25 years, Robyn.
''It was our first day shooting, after one rehearsal and we're meant to look like we've been father and daughter for 24 years,'' says Novakovic. ''Mel was shitting himself as much as I was. In fact, I was told that he was shitting himself more than I was, that he was really frightened, although I didn't believe them.''
Novakovic has nothing but praise for her co-star, who was one of the first Australian actors to be snatched up by Hollywood 30 years ago. At one stage she lay on the floor for six hours, not moving lest she ruin the continuity of the fake blood, as she and Gibson filmed her death scene.
''He jokes around a lot, which I can now see is really healthy, although I found it hard to understand at the time because I was being a very serious person,'' admits Novakovic, who has a healthy streak of self-deprecation. ''It's an amazing way of focusing, because he takes attention off your fear and puts it on to a punchline.''
Robert De Niro was meant to be a co-star as well, but he arrived on set and then, reportedly after a disagreement with Campbell, departed, never to return. English actor Ray Winstone took his part as a security services officer.
''It's a different business at that level,'' observes Novakovic. ''Drama should stay on the stage and screen.''
She missed De Niro's brief arc because she flew back to Sydney from Boston three times so she could direct Family Stories, a Serbian play she translated for Ride On Theatre, a fringe company with which she is an artistic director. As with Cate Blanchett and the Sydney Theatre Company, Novakovic draws creative satisfaction from the stage, as opposed to stewing over her film career; her arrival on the Edge of Darkness set was put back a day because she had to help Ride On load out after a Melbourne season in Northcote.
Achievement and varied experience, not status, matter to her. ''There will always be someone better, someone wealthier, someone with a better role, someone who has adopted more children,'' she says.
Novakovic's sense of self-acceptance stems from spending much of 2008 and 2009 in Los Angeles. Her previous Australian credits - the low-budget crime thriller Solo and a season of the Foxtel sex worker drama Satisfaction - didn't open many doors in LA, but she promised herself she would stick at it for three months.
Perseverance and a willingness to acclimatise are shared characteristics of the Australian actor diaspora - Naomi Watts famously endured almost a decade on Hollywood's fringe before she got David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Novakovic found herself with nowhere to live, $80 to her name and an email from her boyfriend in Australia breaking up with her.
Then, in 2008, she auditioned for a supporting role in a film that she is too diplomatic to name but which went on to become one of 2009's biggest blockbusters. The part called for a ''six-foot-three blonde Russian Playboy model'', recalls Novakovic.
She turned a bimbo part into a comedic role, improvising dialogue. The producers were so impressed they spent six weeks trying to hire a famous comedic actress to play the retooled part. When that failed they came back to Novakovic, but financiers wouldn't sign off. Novakovic was told she had the role, and then that she didn't. She hasn't seen the finished film, although the character appears to bear her influence, but getting close enough was what she needed.
The tide turned, and even when she shot scenes for the Will Smith melodrama Seven Pounds that were cut in post-production due to story difficulties, she had self-belief without the attendant ego.
''There are people who want to get famous, who want to look good, who want their photo taken for a magazine - Los Angeles is the place to go for that. There are a lot of those people pursuing fame for fame's sake,'' she points out.
''But if I did a film for the hope of being famous, then I'd probably just spend every day thinking about how I should be painting sets for Ride On.''
Novakovic now divides her time between creative hubs. There is theatre work in Melbourne (she is about to workshop a play she wrote at the Malthouse), low-budget features in Belgrade (for her last performance, in Skinning, she played a murderous neo-Nazi), and studio films in Los Angeles (her next film is supernatural thriller Devil). She keeps a suitcase in various cities now, storage space elsewhere.
''Success in Hollywood doesn't make you any better than you were. It just breeds a lot more choice,'' reasons Novakovic. Her contemporaries would agree: Mia Wasikowska is currently working on Gus Van Sant's next feature, while Kodi Smit-McPhee will play the male lead in the American remake of the acclaimed Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In.
As she sits in her chair, no hint of an entourage, Novakovic flexes her tattooed arms and pushes herself up, balancing on the chair arms as if she is about to take off. Career-wise she just might, having learnt, as numerous others have before her, to take Hollywood as it is and deal with all it has to offer on her own terms.
''It is weird that something depends on a look or your demeanour in front of a camera, but that's film,'' she says. ''It's not for me to limit myself any more, that's for other people to do.''
--
Another import from Australia. Bojana Novakovic may be the next IT girl in Hollywood.
Bojana Novakovic in Hollywood
Monday, February 1, 2010
Legion : Angels with machine guns
by Triwik Kurniasari
The poster for the movie Legion, which depicts the heavenly body of actor Paul Bettany with a pair of wings protruding from his back, sends a clear message to moviegoers: it's an angel movie, people.
It's Hollywood doing the angel thing again. While in other movies the angels usually appear to be the ones being turned to for help, Legion offers a different line.
The film is not the typical angel story where an angel, winged or otherwise, falls to Earth and in love with a mortal, as with Nicholas Cage in City of Angels or Denzel Washington in The Preacher's Wife.
Legion provides a darker and gloomier story than other angel flicks, bringing more action, full of machine-gun blasts.
The fantasy-action-thriller gives us a world where God has lost faith in humankind. So what does God do when He feels that way?
"The last time God lost faith in man, He sent the flood. This time, He sent angels," says the archangel Michael, played by Englishman Bettany, who rose to fame as Silas in The Da Vinci Code.
Michael is a fallen angel sent by God to Earth.
But he decides to break the rules that bind him to the Almighty, and chooses to take a stand with humans, trying to protect one woman's unborn child - the one who is said to be the only hope for humanity to survive.
Besides the chaos around the globe, life goes on as normal for Bob Hanson (Dennis Quaid), the owner of a roadside diner in a dusty desert, and his only son Jeep (Lucas Black).
Charlie (the luscious Adrianne Palicki), a pregnant waitress, works for Bob.
The problems begin when the TV reception dies and the phones go out, and the diner's crew and customers realize they have lost all communication with the outside world.
As they wonder what's happening, an old woman (Jeannette Miller) arrives and orders a steak.
Not long after her meal arrives, the fragile old lady turns into a powerful woman, striking fear into everyone in the diner.
Enter Michael, complete with an arsenal of stolen weapons, telling Charlie that her unborn baby is now humanity's only hope. And he is willing to do whatever it takes to save the baby.
This modest, backwater diner in the desert suddenly becomes the silent witness to, and ground zero for, the Earth's final battle.
The world has become an unstoppable nightmare for the last people on the planet as hordes of zombie-like killers arrive and an army of warrior angels closes in, with rival archangel Gabriel looking to finish the job.
Gabriel is played by Kevin Durand, previously from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and several episodes in the series Lost.
Directed by visual effects master Scott Stewart (Iron Man, Night at the Museum, Superman Returns), this film is equal parts action movie, supernatural thriller and horror, with a sprinkling of drama.
Despite its heavy action scenes, it leaves several gaping plot holes by skimming over some subjects.
There is no reason given for why Michael has been ordered to kill Charlie's unborn baby, even though it is said the baby will save mankind, whatever that means.
Quaid, playing the token loner, helps out a lot with his acting talent, giving a surprisingly good performance.
Verdict: A well-built angel carrying machine guns offers (forgettable) fun for the weekend.
--
Angels are on the loose again in Hollywood! Can't wait to fall in line in Legion!
Angels in Hollywood
The poster for the movie Legion, which depicts the heavenly body of actor Paul Bettany with a pair of wings protruding from his back, sends a clear message to moviegoers: it's an angel movie, people.
It's Hollywood doing the angel thing again. While in other movies the angels usually appear to be the ones being turned to for help, Legion offers a different line.
The film is not the typical angel story where an angel, winged or otherwise, falls to Earth and in love with a mortal, as with Nicholas Cage in City of Angels or Denzel Washington in The Preacher's Wife.
Legion provides a darker and gloomier story than other angel flicks, bringing more action, full of machine-gun blasts.
The fantasy-action-thriller gives us a world where God has lost faith in humankind. So what does God do when He feels that way?
"The last time God lost faith in man, He sent the flood. This time, He sent angels," says the archangel Michael, played by Englishman Bettany, who rose to fame as Silas in The Da Vinci Code.
Michael is a fallen angel sent by God to Earth.
But he decides to break the rules that bind him to the Almighty, and chooses to take a stand with humans, trying to protect one woman's unborn child - the one who is said to be the only hope for humanity to survive.
Besides the chaos around the globe, life goes on as normal for Bob Hanson (Dennis Quaid), the owner of a roadside diner in a dusty desert, and his only son Jeep (Lucas Black).
Charlie (the luscious Adrianne Palicki), a pregnant waitress, works for Bob.
The problems begin when the TV reception dies and the phones go out, and the diner's crew and customers realize they have lost all communication with the outside world.
As they wonder what's happening, an old woman (Jeannette Miller) arrives and orders a steak.
Not long after her meal arrives, the fragile old lady turns into a powerful woman, striking fear into everyone in the diner.
Enter Michael, complete with an arsenal of stolen weapons, telling Charlie that her unborn baby is now humanity's only hope. And he is willing to do whatever it takes to save the baby.
This modest, backwater diner in the desert suddenly becomes the silent witness to, and ground zero for, the Earth's final battle.
The world has become an unstoppable nightmare for the last people on the planet as hordes of zombie-like killers arrive and an army of warrior angels closes in, with rival archangel Gabriel looking to finish the job.
Gabriel is played by Kevin Durand, previously from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and several episodes in the series Lost.
Directed by visual effects master Scott Stewart (Iron Man, Night at the Museum, Superman Returns), this film is equal parts action movie, supernatural thriller and horror, with a sprinkling of drama.
Despite its heavy action scenes, it leaves several gaping plot holes by skimming over some subjects.
There is no reason given for why Michael has been ordered to kill Charlie's unborn baby, even though it is said the baby will save mankind, whatever that means.
Quaid, playing the token loner, helps out a lot with his acting talent, giving a surprisingly good performance.
Verdict: A well-built angel carrying machine guns offers (forgettable) fun for the weekend.
--
Angels are on the loose again in Hollywood! Can't wait to fall in line in Legion!
Angels in Hollywood
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Hollywood's romance with Rome
by Susan King
There's a legend surrounding Rome's Trevi Fountain -- toss a coin into the water and you're ensured another visit to the Eternal City. Movie producers must have been throwing coins into the Trevi for years because Hollywood keeps returning to Rome to shoot comedies and dramas dealing with love and romance.
The new Disney romantic comedy "When in Rome," starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, is just the latest film to use the Eternal City as its backdrop. In fact, there have been so many films set in Rome that there are two others with the same name: 1952's "When in Rome" is a quirky buddy film about a young priest (Van Johnson) visiting Rome who befriends a con man (Paul Douglas); and 2002's made-for-video comedy stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as twins who find love and adventure while in a summer intern program.
Here's a look at a few Hollywood films set in Roma:
"Roman Holiday": This 1953 classic is sheer perfection. In her first starring role, Audrey Hepburn plays a bored European princess on a tour who escapes from her guardians in Rome and travels around the city incognito until a handsome American reporter ( Gregory Peck) recognizes her. The two end up falling in love. Hepburn received a best actress Oscar for her endearing performance. William Wyler directed. "Roman Holiday" was the first American production to be shot entirely in Rome.
"Three Coins in the Fountain": Disney's "When in Rome" is actually a very loose remake of this 1954 Academy Award best picture nominee. This glossy romance revolves around three American women -- Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters and Maggie McNamara -- employed at the American embassy who try to find love in Rome. Of course, they hope throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain will help them find their one and only. Louis Jourdan, Rossano Brazzi and Clifton Webb are the men they snag. The title tune, performed in the film by Frank Sinatra, won the best song Oscar.
"The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone": Based on Tennessee Williams' novel, this melodrama revolves around an aging actress ( Vivien Leigh) whose husband suffers a fatal attack on the plane on their way to Rome for a holiday. She decides to stay in Rome and rents a luxurious apartment. She is befriended by a shady countess ( Lotte Lenya) who introduces the widow to a handsome young Italian gigolo ( Warren Beatty). Being a Williams tale, it's safe to say their love is not here to stay.
"Indiscretion of an American Wife": Love is also a battlefield in this flawed but compelling 1954 drama that was filmed in the actual Stazione Termini in Rome. Jennifer Jones plays a married American woman who is trying to end her tumultuous relationship with her Italian lover ( Montgomery Clift). The film was produced by Jones' husband David O. Selznick and directed by Italian neorealist master Vittorio De Sica, who spoke no English at the time.
"Seven Hills of Rome": The penultimate acting role of 1950s singing sensation Mario Lanza, this 1958 musical romance finds the beefy actor playing an Italian American TV star with a jet-setting fiancée (Peggie Castle) who travels to Rome to find her. Lanza performs the hit "Arrivederci Roma" and "Questo o Quella" from "Rigoletto."
"Rome Adventure": Delmar Daves directed this 1962 potboiler starring Suzanne Pleshette as a New England school librarian who finds herself in hot water when she gives a student a restricted book on love. She quits her job and moves to Rome where she gets a job in a bookstore. She finds digs in a boarding house where she becomes enchanted with an American architectural student ( Troy Donahue). When the student's wealthy girlfriend ( Angie Dickinson) moves back to the states, the two begin to date. Rossano Brazzi plays the sophisticated Italian who wants to teach the librarian the ways of love. The film features the 1961 hit song, "Al di là." Two years later, Pleshette and Donahue were briefly married.
"Gidget Goes to Rome": Even the surfing "girl midget" finds love in the Eternal City in this featherweight 1963 romantic comedy. Cindy Carol plays the 17-year-old Gidget who persuades her parents to allow her to go to Rome with a group of friends, including her steady Moondoggie (James Darren), as well as a dotty chaperon. But it doesn't take long for a beautiful Italian guide to make a play for Moondoggie.
--
Bellisima, Roma! Wish I could go there as well...
Hollywood's romance with Rome
There's a legend surrounding Rome's Trevi Fountain -- toss a coin into the water and you're ensured another visit to the Eternal City. Movie producers must have been throwing coins into the Trevi for years because Hollywood keeps returning to Rome to shoot comedies and dramas dealing with love and romance.
The new Disney romantic comedy "When in Rome," starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, is just the latest film to use the Eternal City as its backdrop. In fact, there have been so many films set in Rome that there are two others with the same name: 1952's "When in Rome" is a quirky buddy film about a young priest (Van Johnson) visiting Rome who befriends a con man (Paul Douglas); and 2002's made-for-video comedy stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as twins who find love and adventure while in a summer intern program.
Here's a look at a few Hollywood films set in Roma:
"Roman Holiday": This 1953 classic is sheer perfection. In her first starring role, Audrey Hepburn plays a bored European princess on a tour who escapes from her guardians in Rome and travels around the city incognito until a handsome American reporter ( Gregory Peck) recognizes her. The two end up falling in love. Hepburn received a best actress Oscar for her endearing performance. William Wyler directed. "Roman Holiday" was the first American production to be shot entirely in Rome.
"Three Coins in the Fountain": Disney's "When in Rome" is actually a very loose remake of this 1954 Academy Award best picture nominee. This glossy romance revolves around three American women -- Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters and Maggie McNamara -- employed at the American embassy who try to find love in Rome. Of course, they hope throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain will help them find their one and only. Louis Jourdan, Rossano Brazzi and Clifton Webb are the men they snag. The title tune, performed in the film by Frank Sinatra, won the best song Oscar.
"The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone": Based on Tennessee Williams' novel, this melodrama revolves around an aging actress ( Vivien Leigh) whose husband suffers a fatal attack on the plane on their way to Rome for a holiday. She decides to stay in Rome and rents a luxurious apartment. She is befriended by a shady countess ( Lotte Lenya) who introduces the widow to a handsome young Italian gigolo ( Warren Beatty). Being a Williams tale, it's safe to say their love is not here to stay.
"Indiscretion of an American Wife": Love is also a battlefield in this flawed but compelling 1954 drama that was filmed in the actual Stazione Termini in Rome. Jennifer Jones plays a married American woman who is trying to end her tumultuous relationship with her Italian lover ( Montgomery Clift). The film was produced by Jones' husband David O. Selznick and directed by Italian neorealist master Vittorio De Sica, who spoke no English at the time.
"Seven Hills of Rome": The penultimate acting role of 1950s singing sensation Mario Lanza, this 1958 musical romance finds the beefy actor playing an Italian American TV star with a jet-setting fiancée (Peggie Castle) who travels to Rome to find her. Lanza performs the hit "Arrivederci Roma" and "Questo o Quella" from "Rigoletto."
"Rome Adventure": Delmar Daves directed this 1962 potboiler starring Suzanne Pleshette as a New England school librarian who finds herself in hot water when she gives a student a restricted book on love. She quits her job and moves to Rome where she gets a job in a bookstore. She finds digs in a boarding house where she becomes enchanted with an American architectural student ( Troy Donahue). When the student's wealthy girlfriend ( Angie Dickinson) moves back to the states, the two begin to date. Rossano Brazzi plays the sophisticated Italian who wants to teach the librarian the ways of love. The film features the 1961 hit song, "Al di là." Two years later, Pleshette and Donahue were briefly married.
"Gidget Goes to Rome": Even the surfing "girl midget" finds love in the Eternal City in this featherweight 1963 romantic comedy. Cindy Carol plays the 17-year-old Gidget who persuades her parents to allow her to go to Rome with a group of friends, including her steady Moondoggie (James Darren), as well as a dotty chaperon. But it doesn't take long for a beautiful Italian guide to make a play for Moondoggie.
--
Bellisima, Roma! Wish I could go there as well...
Hollywood's romance with Rome
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Activists host Mandela movie premiere
by Leanne McGrath
The premiere of blockbuster movie Invictus is being hosted by community activist group Imagine Bermuda on Friday.
The film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, is the true story of how Nelson Mandela and the captain of South Africa's rugby squad, Francois Pienaar, tried to unite the racially divided country through sport for the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship.
Imagine Bermuda say the challenges faced resonate with Bermuda.
The premiere - at the Liberty Theatre at 7:15pm Friday - is a fundraiser for the work of Imagine Bermuda.
More than 100 patrons will attend, including Governor Sir Richard Gozney, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and Charles Gosling, Mayor of Hamilton. Special guests include Eugene Woods, a member of the Progressive Group.
Tickets to the premiere are $20 from Liberty Theatre.
Invictus movie premiere
--
At long last! A movie about Nelson Mandela! And it's directed by Clint Eastwood! Can't wait to see this!
The premiere of blockbuster movie Invictus is being hosted by community activist group Imagine Bermuda on Friday.
The film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, is the true story of how Nelson Mandela and the captain of South Africa's rugby squad, Francois Pienaar, tried to unite the racially divided country through sport for the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship.
Imagine Bermuda say the challenges faced resonate with Bermuda.
The premiere - at the Liberty Theatre at 7:15pm Friday - is a fundraiser for the work of Imagine Bermuda.
More than 100 patrons will attend, including Governor Sir Richard Gozney, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and Charles Gosling, Mayor of Hamilton. Special guests include Eugene Woods, a member of the Progressive Group.
Tickets to the premiere are $20 from Liberty Theatre.
Invictus movie premiere
--
At long last! A movie about Nelson Mandela! And it's directed by Clint Eastwood! Can't wait to see this!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hollywood's got a smash hit
by Janet Whitman
Hollywood racked up a record-breaking year at the box office last year with domestic ticket sales topping US$10-billion for the first time.
This year is off to a raging start as box office behemoth Avatar is set to sail past Titanic as the highest-grossing movie of all time and the highly anticipated post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington opens this weekend.
But that doesn't mean investing in movie stocks now will turn out to be a blockbuster bet. Investors thinking of dabbling in the sector might do best if they consider themes, such as the surging popularity of 3-D.
"Individual investors are always going to find it a challenge to make money around movie studios," said David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in New York.
"It's a hit-driven business. Movies, in general, tend not to be profitable. It's a really difficult space to make money."
Movie studios, most of which are housed as small subsidiaries within giant media and entertainment corporations, already have made most of their domestic box-office profits on last year's US$10-billion slate, including Avatar. And predicting which studios will turn out to have the next smash hits with moviegoers is total guesswork.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the media and entertainment conglomerate behind Avatar, has received a nice boost to its bottom line recently from that movie's outsized performance, but the gain is already largely reflected in its stock price. After a pop, the shares have slipped over the past week as investors take profits after the Avatar effect.
Also, movies as big as Avatar are few and far between and another hit of that magnitude this year -- from any studio--is unlikely.
Wall Street analysts said such companies as News Corp., which owns 20th Century Fox, and Time Warner, parent of Warner Bros, could see some further upside in their stocks because of strong performances this year from their movie studios.
But the near impossibility of predicting what movies might be hits or misses and the many other variables at play in the stocks of such large companies mean there probably are better places within the movie business for stock investors to consider putting their money.
Particularly appealing are companies with big exposure to 3-D, a technology that has seen its popularity turbocharged by the success of Avatar.
Wall Street analysts particularly like movie studios such as Walt Disney Co. and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and the companies that actually show movies, including Cinemark Holdings Inc., Regal Entertainment Group and Imax Corp.
Disney had a disastrous 2009 in the movie business.
That means the company's stock could have good upside potential this year, especially because of a shift in emphasis to 3D, with expected hits including Alice In Wonderland and Toystory 3 in its lineup.
"Disney has made 3-D a priority," said Mr. Bank of RBC, who has a "buy" rating on the company's stock. "It could potentially enable [the company] to gain market share at the box office."
RBC has a 52-week target of US$31 a share for Disney, which traded on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday at US$30.60, down US42¢ for the day.
Other analysts think the stock could hit US$35 this year.
Analysts also like Dreamworks, which has eagerly anticipated 3D movies How To Train Your Dragon and a third Shrek coming to theatres this year -- for the same reason.
"So far, they are the only studio committed to making all of their films this year in 3-D," said Tuna Amobi, media and entertainment analyst with Standard & Poor's in New York.
"[Dreamworks CEO] Jeffrey Katzenberg's strategy raised concerns initially, but what Avatar has done is draw a lot of attention to this new technology."
Around 70% of the hit science fiction film's domestic ticket sales were at theatres showing it in 3-D, added Mr. Amobi, who rates Dreamworks' stock a buy.
He has a target of US$45 a share on the stock. It traded yesterday at US$40.30 on the Nasdaq, down about US60¢.
Beyond being hot with moviegoers, 3-D also has huge appeal in the movie business because ticket prices are higher, so the revenue per ticket is increasing.
That's a nice boon for movie-theatre companies, which analysts said might be the best place for investors looking to capitalize on a hot Hollywood box office.
"Theatres are different from studios because they're pretty stable and generate steady cash flow every year," said Brett Harriss, an analyst with Gabelli & Co. in Rye, N.Y. "The business sometimes has swings, but nothing like the swings at a particular movie studio.... If the dollar falls, the company's profit will increase."
Mr. Harriss pegs Regal's worth at US$18 a share and Cinemark at US$19 a share. Their stocks closed yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange at US$14.78 and US$14.97 respectively.
Regal has rebounded about 48% from the March 2009 stock market lows but remains off its recent highs around US$22 in 2007. Cinemark has rallied 113% from the lows but is below its 2007 highs around US$19.50.
Another of his top picks is Toronto-based Imax, which he also rates a "buy."
"Their business model changed recently to joint ventures, so now they're getting a cut of the box office," he said.
"They're all 3-D and because they have a great brand and offer a premium movie-going experience, they can cherry-pick the year's best movies."
Mr. Harriss believes Imax is worth US$18 a share. The stock slid US48¢ yesterday on the Nasdaq to US$12.91 a share and fell 39¢ to $13.30 in Toronto.
Avatar in 2009. What will it be in 2010?
--
Avatar will surely surpass Titanic's success. But with a lot of good movies set to release this year, it's still hard to guess which one will make it like Avatar. Who will scream "I'm the king of the world?"
Hollywood racked up a record-breaking year at the box office last year with domestic ticket sales topping US$10-billion for the first time.
This year is off to a raging start as box office behemoth Avatar is set to sail past Titanic as the highest-grossing movie of all time and the highly anticipated post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington opens this weekend.
But that doesn't mean investing in movie stocks now will turn out to be a blockbuster bet. Investors thinking of dabbling in the sector might do best if they consider themes, such as the surging popularity of 3-D.
"Individual investors are always going to find it a challenge to make money around movie studios," said David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in New York.
"It's a hit-driven business. Movies, in general, tend not to be profitable. It's a really difficult space to make money."
Movie studios, most of which are housed as small subsidiaries within giant media and entertainment corporations, already have made most of their domestic box-office profits on last year's US$10-billion slate, including Avatar. And predicting which studios will turn out to have the next smash hits with moviegoers is total guesswork.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the media and entertainment conglomerate behind Avatar, has received a nice boost to its bottom line recently from that movie's outsized performance, but the gain is already largely reflected in its stock price. After a pop, the shares have slipped over the past week as investors take profits after the Avatar effect.
Also, movies as big as Avatar are few and far between and another hit of that magnitude this year -- from any studio--is unlikely.
Wall Street analysts said such companies as News Corp., which owns 20th Century Fox, and Time Warner, parent of Warner Bros, could see some further upside in their stocks because of strong performances this year from their movie studios.
But the near impossibility of predicting what movies might be hits or misses and the many other variables at play in the stocks of such large companies mean there probably are better places within the movie business for stock investors to consider putting their money.
Particularly appealing are companies with big exposure to 3-D, a technology that has seen its popularity turbocharged by the success of Avatar.
Wall Street analysts particularly like movie studios such as Walt Disney Co. and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and the companies that actually show movies, including Cinemark Holdings Inc., Regal Entertainment Group and Imax Corp.
Disney had a disastrous 2009 in the movie business.
That means the company's stock could have good upside potential this year, especially because of a shift in emphasis to 3D, with expected hits including Alice In Wonderland and Toystory 3 in its lineup.
"Disney has made 3-D a priority," said Mr. Bank of RBC, who has a "buy" rating on the company's stock. "It could potentially enable [the company] to gain market share at the box office."
RBC has a 52-week target of US$31 a share for Disney, which traded on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday at US$30.60, down US42¢ for the day.
Other analysts think the stock could hit US$35 this year.
Analysts also like Dreamworks, which has eagerly anticipated 3D movies How To Train Your Dragon and a third Shrek coming to theatres this year -- for the same reason.
"So far, they are the only studio committed to making all of their films this year in 3-D," said Tuna Amobi, media and entertainment analyst with Standard & Poor's in New York.
"[Dreamworks CEO] Jeffrey Katzenberg's strategy raised concerns initially, but what Avatar has done is draw a lot of attention to this new technology."
Around 70% of the hit science fiction film's domestic ticket sales were at theatres showing it in 3-D, added Mr. Amobi, who rates Dreamworks' stock a buy.
He has a target of US$45 a share on the stock. It traded yesterday at US$40.30 on the Nasdaq, down about US60¢.
Beyond being hot with moviegoers, 3-D also has huge appeal in the movie business because ticket prices are higher, so the revenue per ticket is increasing.
That's a nice boon for movie-theatre companies, which analysts said might be the best place for investors looking to capitalize on a hot Hollywood box office.
"Theatres are different from studios because they're pretty stable and generate steady cash flow every year," said Brett Harriss, an analyst with Gabelli & Co. in Rye, N.Y. "The business sometimes has swings, but nothing like the swings at a particular movie studio.... If the dollar falls, the company's profit will increase."
Mr. Harriss pegs Regal's worth at US$18 a share and Cinemark at US$19 a share. Their stocks closed yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange at US$14.78 and US$14.97 respectively.
Regal has rebounded about 48% from the March 2009 stock market lows but remains off its recent highs around US$22 in 2007. Cinemark has rallied 113% from the lows but is below its 2007 highs around US$19.50.
Another of his top picks is Toronto-based Imax, which he also rates a "buy."
"Their business model changed recently to joint ventures, so now they're getting a cut of the box office," he said.
"They're all 3-D and because they have a great brand and offer a premium movie-going experience, they can cherry-pick the year's best movies."
Mr. Harriss believes Imax is worth US$18 a share. The stock slid US48¢ yesterday on the Nasdaq to US$12.91 a share and fell 39¢ to $13.30 in Toronto.
Avatar in 2009. What will it be in 2010?
--
Avatar will surely surpass Titanic's success. But with a lot of good movies set to release this year, it's still hard to guess which one will make it like Avatar. Who will scream "I'm the king of the world?"
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hollywood star George Clooney backs TV appeal after Haiti quake
by Bev Lyons
George Clooney is to host a telethon to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
The Ocean's 11 star will front the event - which will feature pleas for cash from US celebrities - on MTV on January 22.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have already made donations, it has been reported, with a $1m pledge from their charitable foundation.
Haiti-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he was travelling to the stricken island and called on fans to donate money to his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.
The former Fugees star has already raised more than $1m for the disaster relief effort.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin has asked for donations through Oxfam and the charity's global ambassador, Scarlett Johansson, also appealed for contributions.
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation pledged $250,000 and Oprah Winfrey and Ben Stiller have both made appeals urging people to help with the stricken nation's recovery from disaster.
Hollywood Actors help Haiti
--
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie are always the first three people in Hollywood who lead in raising funds as needed. That's why they always get their blessings back.
George Clooney is to host a telethon to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
The Ocean's 11 star will front the event - which will feature pleas for cash from US celebrities - on MTV on January 22.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have already made donations, it has been reported, with a $1m pledge from their charitable foundation.
Haiti-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he was travelling to the stricken island and called on fans to donate money to his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.
The former Fugees star has already raised more than $1m for the disaster relief effort.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin has asked for donations through Oxfam and the charity's global ambassador, Scarlett Johansson, also appealed for contributions.
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation pledged $250,000 and Oprah Winfrey and Ben Stiller have both made appeals urging people to help with the stricken nation's recovery from disaster.
Hollywood Actors help Haiti
--
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie are always the first three people in Hollywood who lead in raising funds as needed. That's why they always get their blessings back.
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