Toronto Concerts link:
Kenny Rogers – Dec. 3, 2010 @ Massey Hall
The Pointers Sisters – Feb. 18, 2011 @ Rose Theatre, Brampton
Gordon Lightfoot – May 25 - 28, 2011 @ Massey Hall
Sade – June 28, 2011 @ Air Canada Centre

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NEWS ARCHIVE [page 1]
 
WARNER BROS FUMING OVER "DEATHLY HALLOWS" LEAK [Aceshowbiz, 11/18/2010]
Executives at the Warner Bros. film studio are planning to prosecute any Internet user caught pirating the new "Harry Potter" movie online, after scenes from the blockbuster leaked early. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" hits the big screen on Friday, November 19, but earlier this week, the first 36 minutes of the blockbuster was discovered on several download sites. Bosses at the movie studio are fuming over the leak, and have vowed to take legal action against "those involved". A statement from Warner Bros. chiefs reads, "A portion of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part One was stolen and illegally posted on the Internet. This constitutes a serious breach of copyright violation and theft of Warner Bros. Property." "We are working actively to restrict and/or remove copies that may be available. Also, we are vigorously investigating this matter and will prosecute those involved to the full extent of the law." "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II", starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, is due to be released next July, 2011. 
 
FELA! MUSICAL GETS LONDON OVATION [BBC News, 11/18/2010]
An award-winning show, that tells the story of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, opened at the National Theatre (NT) to a standing ovation. The production, which premiered in New York in 2008, transferred to Broadway last year and won three Tony awards. Earlier this month it was revealed that the late musician's official biographer was suing the show's producers for breach of copyright. Carlos Moore is seeking $5 million (£3.1m) in damages. But a spokesman for the show's producers claims Mr Moore had previously supported the production. Fela! explores the musician's controversial life as an artist and political activist through more than two-and-a-half hours of extravagant song and dance routines. The musical is set at Fela's final concert at The Shrine in 1978, six months after the death of his mother, Funmilayo (Melanie Marshall). Fela is played by Sahr Ngaujah, who originated the role in the off-Broadway production. Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died in 1997 from an Aids-related illness, was the king of Afrobeat. His pioneering music was a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythms. Unlike most NT productions, the Fela! musical actively encourages the audience to stand up and dance. The encore saw the show's artistic director and choregrapher Bill T Jones take to the stage - stripped to the waist - to dance with the cast. Fela! will be broadcast live to cinemas around the world on 13 January 2011. The show's executive producers include rapper Jay-Z, and actors Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
 
HOLLYWOOD OPENS DOORS TO BOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS [CBC, 11/18/2010]
Hollywood is rolling out the red carpet for Bollywood filmmakers with the creation of a new film council to attract Indian productions to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles-India Film Council is part of an ongoing effort to spice up relations between the world's largest film markets. A new co-operation agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry aims to make it easier for Bollywood producers to film in L.A., by facilitating permits, visas and tax breaks. Signed Wednesday in Los Angeles, the agreement also includes a pledge to step up enforcement on bootlegged Indian films in the U.S., according to the Motion Picture Association of America. Indian billionaire Anil Ambani already has plans to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into a production and distribution agreement with Steven Spielberg. Indian production companies also are eager to win outsourcing contracts for special effects, which could be created by its tech-savvy businesses. There is also plenty of talent going back and forth, including Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, who did the score for Slumdog Millionaire and Couples Retreat. Indian film budgets, though rising, remain small by Hollywood standards. But the expanding corporate presence in Bollywood means studios like Reliance BIG Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures now have the ability to spend $10 million to $30 million US on a picture — enough at least to film in L.A. 
 
KANDER & EBB MUSICAL: THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS [Talk Ent, 11/08/2010]
The Scottsboro Boys, with an immediately recognizable score by Kander & Ebb, written by David Thompson and precisely directed by Susan Stroman who has also supplied some incredibly crafted choreography is a daring show that dares you to be entertained while cringing at the horrors that unfold to nine young black boys falsely accused of raping two white women in 1930’s Alabama within the politically incorrect framework of a minstrel show. And yes, you will cringe yet be totally captivated, diverted and entertained by the exceptionally talented cast. Shameful, sadistic and startling in its depiction of hate vs. truth, The Scottsboro Boys reaches Broadway from the off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre where it began last year and goes way beyond – aiming straight for the jugular and then piercing our hearts with how Afro-Americans have been treated in the past and unfortunately are still privy to racial profiling today – and does so in song and dance. It’s an amazing accomplishment. The diamond in the rough at The Vineyard (where I had some reservations) has been honed and polished so that it gleams in all its racist glory at the Lyceum where it is injustice for all those Scottsboro boys. Heart wrenching one moment and then pull-out-all-the-stops entertaining the next. The most profound moments also happen to be the most simple as exemplified by the beautiful and haunting “Southern Days” and “Go Back Home”. Ms. Stroman has found just the right balance to make this show work that follows the heinous story of the young lads through eight trials to its bitter ending. There are not enough superlatives to honor its cast members. What an impressive ensemble headed by the sleazy, robust Cake Walk strutting John Cullum as the Interlocutor. His cohorts in the minstrel show Mr. Bones (Colman Domingo) and Mr. Tambo (Forrest McClendon) played with exaggerated glee deliver the “schtick” without missing a laugh or a leer. Mr. McClendon also does a show stopping turn as Samuel Leibowitz – the Jew lawyer from New York who defends the group. As Haywood Patterson who becomes their leader, standing up for his rights and the truth no matter what obstacles befall him, Joshua Henry is steadfast and strong of voice and spirit commanding the stage even while learning to write in solitary confinement. It is a masterful performance of restrained fury let loose which will move you to tears. All of the other men: Josh Breckenridge, Derrick Cobey, Jeremy Gumbs, Rodney Hicks, Kendrick Jones, James T. Lane, Julius Thomas III and Christian Dante White represent some of the best talent on the Broadway stage today and should receive a special ensemble award for their work. As the two white women wronged, Christian Dante White and James T. Lane are totally believable, horrible and hilarious as Victoria and Ruby with only hats to delineate the fairer sex when not being part of the jailed nine men. Special mention must be made of Sharon Washington, the only female cast member who plays A Lady, a symbolic part of an observer. She has an incredibly strong, elegant and silent presence throughout the show, which culminates in an unforgettable ending which will leave you breathless and cheering.
 
EUTHANASIA COMEDY WINS ROME FILM FESTIVAL [CBC, 11/08/2010]
Kill Me Please, a black comedy about euthanasia by Belgian director Olias Barco, won the top prize at the Rome Film Festival on Friday. Barco took home the Marcus Aurelius Award for best film on the final day of the festival, which has been overshadowed by protests about government arts cuts. The film is set in a clinic run by a doctor whose mission is to organize the "perfect suicide," tailored to the needs of an eclectic group of clients. Things fall apart as clients begin bickering, and local residents launch an assault on the clinic, which ends in mayhem. The black-and-white film, which had its world premiere in Rome, had audiences laughing aloud at its politically incorrect approach. Danish art-house director Susanne Bier's In a Better World won the grand jury prize and the audience award. Bier's earlier works include After the Wedding and Things We Lost in the Fire. In a Better World follows two ordinary Danish families confronted with violence and revenge in a small coastal town. Other awards: Best actor, Toni Servillo for Una Vita Tranquilla from Italy. Best actress, ensemble female cast of Las Buenas Hierbas, Mexico. Special jury prize, Poll by Chris Kraus, Germany. Special award from Italian president: Dog Sweat from Hossein Keshavarz of Iran and Marcus Aurelius acting award (lifetime achievement): Julianne Moore.
 
LA SACRÉE FEATURE FILM BREAKS NEW GROUND [CBC, 11/08/2010]
Filming has wrapped for La Sacrée, the first feature comedy to be made in Ontario entirely in French and almost entirely with government funds. The crew celebrated the end of the trail-blazing production, which was shot in the Ottawa area, on Wednesday night. Producer Mark Chatel said the project was difficult to get off the ground because so few French-language films have been produced in the province. He said he had to compete against major English feature films, plus navigate a complicated funding process of largely anglophone juries, to get the $1.2 million he needed to pay for the production. "There were moments when I thought I would just abandon everything," said Chatel. "There is no history behind us. We had to translate all the documents, the scripts, you can imagine. Will it be lost in translation — all the humour of the film?" La Sacrée tells the story of conman François, played by Marc Marans, who must find a cure for his infertility in order to marry a rich entrepreneur. In his search, he returns to his home town in Ontario and opens a microbrewery. Franco-Ontarian musician Damien Robitaille stars as his childhood best friend, and Geneviève Bilodeau stars as Angélique, François's first love. La Sacrée is scheduled for release in the summer of 2011.
 
HARD CORE LOGO 2 SET FOR WORLD PREMIERE [CBC, 11/08/2010]
Hard Core Logo 2, a sequel to Canadian director Bruce McDonald's punk rock mockumentary Hard Core Logo, is to make its world premiere at the Whistler Film Festival in B.C. It comes more than 14 years after McDonald's comedy chronicling the melt-down of a once-popular band as they tour Western Canada. Hard Core Logo 2 also takes the documentary format, with McDonald setting out to interview Care Failure, the sexy lead singer of Canadian punk band Die Mannequin, who has been committed to a mental institution in Florida. Care Failure claims to be channeling the spirit of Hard Core Logo lead singer Joe Dick. The sequel will compete in the Borsos Competition for the $15,000 best Canadian feature award at the Whistler festival, which runs December 1 - 5, 2010. The full lineup in the festival was announced Thursday by artistic director Shauna Hardy Mishaw. Other films in the Borsos Competition: Good Neighbours, by Montreal's Jacob Tierney, Jo Pour Jonathan, by Montreal's Maxime Giroux, Small Town Murder Songs by Toronto's Ed Gass-Donnelly, The Whistleblower by Toronto's Larysa Kondracki and Wrecked by Toronto's Michael Greenspan. American director Monte Hellman will bring a sneak peak of his romantic thriller Road to Nowhere, which stars Vancouver actor Tygh Runyan. The full competition includes 34 features and 34 shorts.
 
BETTY WHITE NOT JOINING 'MEN IN BLACK 3' [Aceshowbiz, 11/08/2010]
Beloved actress Betty White has laughed off reports she's landed a cameo role in the new "Men in Black" movie. Film websites claimed the former "Golden Girls" star had signed on for a part opposite Will Smith, but the 88 year old is adamant she won't be in the next installment of the alien-fighting franchise. In a post on his Twitter.com page, E! Online blogger Marc Malkin writes, "Just talked to Betty White. She said she is NOT going to be in Men in Black 3!!!" Nicole Scherzinger confirmed last week she will star in the film. The singer will play a villain called Lilly in the 3D blockbuster, which is expected to hit theaters in 2012. Released under the title "Men in Black 3", the action sci-fi would be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld who also tackled the first and second installments.
 
"THE KING'S SPEECH" LEADS U.K. INDIE FILM AWARDS [CBC, 11/03/2010]
The King's Speech, named audience favourite at the Toronto International Film Festival, has a leading eight nominations for the British Independent Film Awards. Oscar buzz began to build in Toronto for the film starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush that is about King George VI's efforts to overcome a stammer. The BIFAs celebrate films that are independently funded. Firth as the king has a best actor nod and Rush is named for best supporting actor as his unconventional speech coach. Helena Bonham Carter, playing Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the Queen Mum), also is nominated for her performance. The King's Speech is vying for best picture with four other films: Four Lions, Kick-Ass, Monsters and Never Let Me Go. Never Let Me Go, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, has a total of six nominations, including best screenplay for Alex Garland and best actress for Carey Mulligan. Gareth Edward's sci-fi film Monsters also has six nods. The Arbor, a debut film by Clio Barnard about the life of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and her troubled relationship with her daughter also was recognized in six categories. Manjinder Virk has a nod for best actress and Barnard for best debut director. Unusual superhero film Kick-Ass earned a best screenplay nod for Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, as well as a nomination best independent film. Best foreign film nominees are: Dogteeth, I Am Love, A Prophet, The Secret in Their Eyes and Winter's Bone. The awards will be presented Dec. 5 in London, England.
 
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO HAS LANDED A KILLER ROLE IN HIS NEXT FILM PROJECT [CBC, 11/03/2010]
The actor is set to produce the film, in which he will play the murderous H.H. Holmes in an adaptation of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. The New York Times bestseller has sold 2.3 million copies and the book has been published in 17 languages. DiCaprio's character builds the World's Fair Hotel in Chicago and customizes the building into a killing machine. The book also follows Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 fair. Holmes was believed to have killed up to 200 people, printed ads enticing women to the hotel before subjecting them to a dissecting table, gas chamber and crematorium. Holmes's charisma and charm kept him from getting caught. Other Hollywood personalities have been attached to the adaptation in the past, including The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow, and Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner. The adaptation has no financing or studio behind it yet, although DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, has teamed up with Double Feature Films to work on the project.
 
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE RENAMED MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL [CBC, 11/03/2010]
Mission Impossible IV, with Tom Cruise returning to the screen as secret agent Ethan Hunt, has been renamed Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. The 48-year-old actor told reporters at a press conference in Dubai, where the fourth movie in the blockbuster series is being filmed, that he does not see it as a sequel and therefore doesn't want the film to have a number in its title. "I've never done sequels to films and I never thought of these films as sequels," Cruise said. "I've always felt it should have a title." Paramount Pictures then renamed it Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. The film's production crew has one tall task to accomplish — filming action scenes on the sides of the world's tallest building, Dubai's 828-metre (2,716-foot) Burj Khalifa. "I'll be spending many days, many hours on the side of this building," Cruise said. The Gulf Arab emirate is slowly emerging from a debt crisis following a crash in its property market after the global financial downturn in 2008. Movie scenes will also be shot in Moscow, Prague and Vancouver, according to Paramount Pictures. The cast includes Jeremy Renner — nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 2009 war film The Hurt Locker — Simon Pegg and Paula Patton. The director is Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning maker of the 2004 animated adventure, The Incredibles. The film's plot is still top secret. Cruise is producing the film with J.J. Abrams. They last teamed up in 2006 for Mission: Impossible III. Abrams directed that film, and Cruise starred as super-agent Hunt. Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol will be in theatres in December 2011.
 
ISRAEL DIRECTOR 2-TIME WINNER AT TOKYO FEST [CBC, 11/03/2010]
Israeli director Nir Bergman has nabbed the top prize at the Tokyo Film Festival for the second time. Intimate Grammar, following his previous winning film Broken Wings (2002), beat out 14 other movies for the $50,000 US Sakura Grand Prix on Sunday. It marks the first time in the festival's 23-year history that a director has captured the top prize twice. Bergman's film, based on David Grossman's The Book of Intimate Grammar, follows the son of a Holocaust survivor as he struggles with adolescence in a society heading toward the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War. Bergman said he enjoyed the book's characters so much that he felt it needed a big-screen treatment. Elle s'appelait Sarah, a French film about a Jewish family living through the Second World War, captured the Audience prize while its director Gilles Paquet-Brenner won best direction. The ceremony was especially poignant for 98-year-old Kaneto Shindo, who won a special jury prize for Post Card. The Japanese director chose the moment to announce his retirement after accepting the trophy for his movie about the impact of the Second World War on a rural Japanese community. "I heartily hope all of you will do well and create good movies," said Shindo, who accepted his prize in a wheelchair. The best actress award went to Fan Bingbing for Buddha Mountain while the best actor accolade was handed to Wang Qian-yuan for The Piano in a Factory.
 
UNIVERSAL PICTURES BIG MOVIE RELEASES THROUGHOUT 2011-2013 [Aceshowbiz, 30/10/2010]
Universal Pictures has announced release dates for some of their big movies throughout 2011-2013. Next summer, they plan to drop drama movie "Larry Crowne" which is directed and starring Tom Hanks on July 1. In early 2012, on February 10 to be exact, they will unleash Daniel Espinosa's "Safe House" which features Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. The next month on date 16, Baltasar Kormakur's "Contraband" starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale will follow to hit U.S. theaters. Separated by few months gap, an untitled Judd Apatow project, to be directed by Judd Apatow and starring himself, is set to grace theaters on June 1. As for another summer release, Universal will drop another installment of their hit franchise, "The Bourne Legacy" which is directed by Tony Gilroy, on August 3. "Ouija", an action thriller produced by Michael Bay, secures November 9, 2012 slot. In the same month, Keanu Reeves-starring vehicle "47 Ronin" will hit theaters on date 21. In late 2012, Universal has "Snow White and the Huntsman" slated for a holiday movie as it is due December 21, few days before Christmas. Later, Ron Howard's "The Dark Tower" which is based on Stephen King's novel will bow in U.S. cinemas on May 17, 2013.
 
EUGENE LEVY JOINS "GOON" HOCKEY FILM [CBC, 30/10/2010]
Funnyman Eugene Levy is joining the cast of the Canadian hockey film Goon. The movie, directed by Fubar's Michael Dowse, is adapted from the book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey. Montreal's Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, The Trotsky, The Sorcerer's Apprentice) wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg. Baruchel also stars in the movie, along with Canadian Alison Pill. Levy will be joining his American Pie co-star Seann William Scott as well as Liev Schreiber. Shooting has already begun in Winnipeg. The book, co-written by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith, chronicles Smith's misadventures as a minor league hockey player. Smith, a former boxer who began skating at the age of 19, takes a raw and revealing look at his hockey career.
 
RESTORED DOLCE VITA 'GRAND OPERA:' SCORSESE [CBC, 30/10/2010]
American director Martin Scorsese unveiled his restored version of Federico Fellini's classic 1960 film La Dolce Vita at the Rome film festival Saturday. "We have an obligation to our children to at least let them know this is here, this is what it was like," Scorsese told a press conference Saturday, after the screening. "This is grand opera from Italy in the late 19th century." The director, an icon of cinema himself, lauded Fellini for breaking all the conventions of narrative in his film. In La Dolce Vita a journalist, played by Marcello Mastrioianni, experiences a self-indulgent society as he covers Rome's nightlife. Scorsese said that at a running time of three hours, the film broke the rules, in addition to the fact there is "no story [and] there's no plot." The Rome festival is marking the 50th anniversary of the film with an exhibit and other events. The restored version of the film includes previously cut scenes, including footage from the famous sequence in which Swedish actress Anita Ekberg splashes in Rome's Trevi Fountain. For Scorsese, the job of the restoration was an honour. The 67-year-old Oscar-winning director of The Departed, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas said the film's "intelligence and maturity" was a game changer for him back in the day, as a young Italian-American who venerated Italy's great directors, including Roberto Rossellini and Michaelangelo Antonioni. "La Dolce Vita," Scorsese said, "gave us the freedom to go ahead and break open cinematic narratives." Fellini, who died in 1993, also created 8 ½, Amarcord, Satyricon and Fellini's Casanova.
 
THIRD "BATMAN" FILM IS TITLED "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" [Aceshowbiz, 30/10/2010]
The third "Batman" film will be called "The Dark Knight Rises". The big news comes from the helmer himself, Christopher Nolan, who also addresses rumour about who will be the next villain in an interview with Los Angeles Times' Hero Complex. "It won't be the Riddler," he states, eliminating one of the big contenders. During the chat, Nolan is willing to discuss 3-D technology which he refuses to use for the upcoming project. Instead, he will use high-definition approaches and IMAX cameras. "We want the look and feel of the film to be faithful to what has come before in the first two films," he says. "There was a large canvas and operatic sweep to 'The Dark Knight' and we want to make a film that will carry on with that look and feel."  With the commitment to IMAX and high-definition cameras, Nolan promises something new in "The Dark Knight Rises". "We're looking to do something technologically that's never been done before. This follow-up to "The Dark Knight" is scheduled to start principal photography in April 2011 for a July 20, 2012 U.S. release. Christian Bale is expected to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne aka Batman while "Inception" actor Tom Hardy is rumored to be cast for a villainous role.
 
NICOLE SCHERZINGER AND BETTY CONFIRMED FOR "MEN IN BLACK 3" [Aceshowbiz, 30/10/2010]
Will Smith has gotten two other female companions for "Men in Black 3". Met at Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute on Thursday night, October 28, Nicole Scherzinger confirmed to E! Online that she and Betty White have signed up to appear in the upcoming movie. The singer additionally revealed that she will play a character named Lilly. Beside Scherzinger and White, Emma Thompson has reportedly been cast as the head of MIB. Smith will reprise his role of Agent J with Tommy Lee Jones expected to return as Agent K. Moreover, Josh Brolin and Jemaine Clement are said joining the cast ensemble as well. Production for the third "Men in Black" film was supposed to be kicked off in late October but has been recently pushed back to mid-November. Barry Sonnenfeld tackles the helming duty for the action comedy, which is slated to arrive in theaters across the nation on May 25, 2012.
 
"FOUR CHRISTMASES" TOP MOVIE FOR SECOND WEEKEND [Reuters, 12/8/08]
"Four Christmases," a holiday comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, led the North American box office for a second weekend on Sunday, December 7, while the spotlight shifted to a handful of Oscar hopefuls playing in limited release. In a traditionally quiet weekend following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, "Four Christmases" sold about $18.2 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning Friday, taking its 12-day haul to $70.8 million, said distributor Warner Bros. Pictures. Only two new films entered the top 10: the action sequel "Punisher: War Zone" at No. 8 with just $4.0 million. It played in almost four times as many theaters as the music biopic "Cadillac Records," which opened at No. 9 with a solid $3.5 million. Among more-pedigreed releases, "Frost/Nixon" earned a hefty $180,000 from three theaters, one each in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. In its second weekend, Sean Penn's gay-hero saga "Milk" earned $1.7 million. Despite almost tripling its theater count to 99 venues, the Focus Features release was up just 16 percent. Its total stands at $4.1 million. Both Universal and Focus are units of General Electric Co's NBC Universal. Former chart-topper "Twilight" moved up one place to No. 2 with $13.2 million in its third weekend. Closely held indie studio Summit Entertainment's vampire romance has earned $138.6 million to date. It swapped places with the Walt Disney Co canine cartoon "Bolt," which dug up $9.7 million, also in its third weekend. Its tally rose to $79.3 million. The next two movies also reversed rankings. After a disappointing start last weekend, the big-budget epic "Australia" rose one place to No. 4 with $7 million, bringing its 12-day tally to $30.9 million. The James Bond thriller "Quantum of Solace" slipped one place to No. 5 with $6.6 million, and has earned $151.5 million after 4 weekends. It is about $12 million ahead of where star Daniel Craig's 007 debut "Casino Royale" was at the same point in its run in 2006; that film ended up with $167 million. The films were distributed by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.
 
EDGER HONOURED WITH AUSTRALIAN ACTING PRIZE [CBC, 12/7/08]
The late actor Heath Ledger has been handed one of his country's highest film honours: the Australian Film Institute's (AFI) international award for best actor for his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. The 28-year-old actor died of an accidental overdose of painkillers and other medicines in a New York apartment in January, 2008. "Heath was never one to accept mediocrity. He put his heart and soul into achieving what he believed was required and followed his passions with great enthusiasm and an insatiable curiosity," Sally Ledger said of her son. Sister Kate stood alongside her parents as they accepted the award Saturday night at a film institute gala in Melbourne. "It has been without a doubt the most difficult year, losing such a loved family member," Kate Ledger said, fighting back tears. "We are so proud of him and humbly accept this award on behalf of his beautiful daughter [Matilda], who we will cherish forever." Audience members rose to their feet as the award was announced. The AFI also paid tribute to Ledger as a "ground-breaking actor trapped in the body of a leading man." Ledger was nominated for an Oscar playing a gay cowboy in 2005's Brokeback Mountain. The Dark Night will be re-released to cinemas in January the day after this year's Oscar nominations are disclosed. Cate Blanchett won the Australian Film Institute's female acting award for her role in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Meanwhile, The Black Balloon — about a teenage boy learning to live with an autistic brother — captured best film. Heading into the awards with 11 nominations, The Black Balloon also took home trophies for best supporting actor and actress for Luke Ford and Toni Collette, while director and co-writer Elissa Down won for best direction and original screenplay. In the TV category, the acclaimed crime drama Underbelly, about Melbourne's gang world, garnered six of eight awards for which it was nominated, including best TV drama series and best acting for its male and female leads.
 
ITALIAN FILM WINS BEST PICTURE AWARD IN EUROPE [AP, 12/7/08]
"Gomorra," a movie by Italian director Matteo Garrone about Naples' criminal underworld, has won the best film prize at the 21st annual European Film Awards. Garrone also has won the best director award for the movie by the European Film Academy on Saturday, December 6. Looking ahead, "Gomorra" is considered Italy's best hope for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Academy Awards. At the European Film Awards, Kristin Scott Thomas won best actress for her role in "I've Loved You So Long," while Toni Servillo won best actor in two movies, "Gomorra" and "Il Divo" by director Paolo Sorrentino. Garrone's film is based on a best-selling book by Roberto Saviano, denouncing the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate's hold on everything from fashion to waste disposal. In accepting the best film award, Garrone said he regretted that Saviano could not attend the Copenhagen ceremony because he lives in hiding in fear he could be slain. "I want to thank everyone who has participated in this dangerous movie," Garrone said. The movie also grabbed the award for best screenplay. British actress Dame Judi Dench was honored by the European Film Academy with a lifetime achievement award. "I am completely overwhelmed," a visibly moved Dench said after receiving a standing ovation. Singer Marianne Faithfull handed over similar awards to the Danish director quartet that conceived the filmmaking principles known as Dogma in the mid-1990s. Lars von Trier, Soeren Kragh-Jacobsen, Thomas Vinterberg and Kristian Levring stripped props and lighting. The Dogma rules also forbade sound editing and any equipment other than hand-held cameras. British director David Yates received the People's Choice Awards for "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoennix," a recognition given by European moviegoers. The annual event, held this year in the Danish capital, celebrated the continent's film industry as a European counterweight to the Academy Awards. The audience included Crown Prince Frederik, his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary, and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
 
SCI-FI "CREATOR" FORREST ACKERMAN DIES [BBC, 12/7/08]
Forrest Ackerman, a writer and editor credited with discovering the author Ray Bradbury and coining the term "sci-fi", has died, aged 92. Ackerman died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, said a spokesman. Ackerman's achievements included founding the sci-fi pulp magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. But he is probably best known for finding Bradbury, author of The Martian Chronicles, when looking for people to join a sci-fi club he was starting up. Ackerman was also the owner of a huge private collection of science-fiction movie and literary memorabilia. "He became the Pied Piper, the spiritual leader, of everything science fiction, fantasy and horror," said Kevin Burns, trustee of Ackerman's estate. After finding the then teenage Bradbury, Ackerman went on to give him the money to start his own science-fiction magazine Futuria Fantasia. He also paid for Bradbury to go to New York for a writers' meeting that the author said helped launch his career. "I hadn't published yet, and I met a lot of these people who encouraged me and helped me get my career started, and that was all because of Forry Ackerman," Bradbury told the Associated Press news agency in 2005. As a literary agent, Ackerman represented Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and numerous other science-fiction writers. He said the term "sci-fi" came to him in 1954 when he was listening to a car radio and heard an announcer mention the word "hi-fi." "My dear wife said, 'Forget it, Forry, it will never catch on,"' he said. He began using the term in his magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, which he helped create in 1958 and edited for 25 years. Ackerman also appeared in many films including Queen of Blood, Dracula Vs Frankenstein and Amazon Women on the Moon, to name but a few. Ackerman once said he fell in love with science fiction when he was nine years-old and saw a magazine called Amazing Stories, which he kept for the rest of his life.
 
ANCIENT EPIC "THE WARLORDS" VICTORIA AT GOLDEN HORSE AWARDS [CBC, 12/7/08]
The 19th-century war epic The Warlords won top movie at the Golden Horse Film Awards in Taiwan, considered the Chinese-language Oscars. Directed by Hong Kong helmer Peter Ho-sun Chan, the film chronicles the battle between a general in imperial China and the brother he turns against. Chan was also handed the directing trophy. "I want to thank the audiences who went to the theatres to watch not only my film but others such as Cape No. 7. They are the hopes for Chinese-language films," the director said in reference to a rival film. Although Chan's entry had 12 nods going in, it missed out on most of the other prizes except for best visual effects. Instead, the Taiwanese comedy Cape No. 7 went home with the trophies for best supporting actor (Ma Ru-long), best original film score and best original film song. Director Wei Te-sheng got Taiwanese filmmaker of the year and Cape No. 7 was honoured as Taiwanese film of the year, too. "I want to thank the audiences in Taiwan who helped promote the movie by word of mouth," Wei said after receiving his statuettes from Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee. Cape No. 7, the highest-grossing Chinese-language film of all time in Taiwan, follows a romance between an aspiring Taiwanese singer and a Japanese publicist. China's Zhang Hanyu, with his performance as a soldier in the Chinese civil war drama Assembly, beat best-actor favourite Jet Li from The Warlords. Meanwhile, Hong Kong performer Prudence Liew won best actress for playing a drug-addicted prostitute in True Women for Sale.
 
AWARDS HONOURING BLACK U.K. PERFORMERS CANCELLED SUDDENLY [Aceshowbiz, 12/7/08]
An annual awards event honouring black film and television performers in Britain has been cancelled after a key partner pulled out due to the global economic slump. Organizers for the 2008 Screen Nation Awards announced Friday, December 5 they have cancelled Sunday's gala in London. "I regret to announce this sudden setback to the awards. However I promise and assure you that the extraordinary pool of outstanding talent that we have here in the U.K. will be celebrated at a later date," organizer and awards founder Charles Thompson said in a statement. Thompson refused to name the company that had pulled out but said the event lost 30 per cent of its funding as a result. The event's website lists 18 sponsors, including the BBC, Virgin Nigeria airlines, Barclay's Wealth banking institution, Becca cosmetics and Black Heritage Today magazine. The event would have honoured actors Whoopi Goldberg, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Don Warrington and writer-producer Trix Worrel. Singers Leona Lewis and Estelle were slated to perform. Established in 2003, the awards are known in the industry as the "black BAFTAs." The BAFTAs are the annual British Academy Film Awards. Thompson has pledged to seek alternative backers and to hold the event in early 2009.
 
"HALF-BLOOD PRINCE" FINISHED, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS" PRODUCTION ADDRESSED [Aceshowbiz, 12/7/08]
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" production may start differently for its stars. Talking to a group of reporters when promoting for "Nobel Son" on December 2 in Culver City, California, Alan Rickman, who plays Professor Snape in the series, shared what he knows of the shooting schedule for the next "Harry Potter" film. Revealing that he will film his part at the same time with Ralph Fiennes, he said as quoted by Sci Fi Wire, "Well, because they have to get me and Ralph Fiennes together, it means I don't start shooting it until the end of next year, which means I get room now in this coming year." He further continued to hint on when Helena Bonham Carter will start for her role, adding, "I was talking to Helena yesterday. I think she starts in June, and she goes on for a long time." In other news related to "Harry Potter" franchise, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has finally been finished. In an interview with Sci Fi Wire on December 3 in Beverly Hills, California, producer David Heyman claimed that there will be no additional work on the fantasy movie until its U.K. and U.S. release on July 17, 2009. Of it, he stated, "No need to [do more work]. If we had to come out now, we'd be fine." He then added that the delay in releasing the film was taken due to Warner Bros.' request, saying, "Warners asked it because of the writers' strike, because of various reasons. They have a shortage of product for next summer, and they asked if it's OK [to delay the release]." "Deathly Hallows", the last of "Harry Potter" series will be made into two films, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II". Both have been set to be directed once again by "Half-Blood Prince" helmer David Yates. While "Part I" is slated for November 19, 2010 release in U.K. and U.S., "Part II" eyes May 2011 release.
 
$5 MILLION BROADWAY MUSICAL POSTPONED DUE TO LACK OF FUNDING [CBC, 12/7/08]
The economic downturn continues to lash Broadway, with a new $5-million US musical postponed because of a lack of funding. Vanities, originally slated to open at the end of February, is a musical version of a big off-Broadway hit. "The reason it was so challenging to raise the money was because people were afraid about selling tickets. If you get the show up, will there be anybody to buy tickets to see it?" lead producer Sue Frost acknowledged. "We just have to regroup and figure it out," said Frost, who added that she hopes to open the musical later in the season. The musical rendition of Jack Heifner's play was to have starred Lauren Kennedy, Sarah Stiles and Anneliese van der Pol as three friends who go from high school cheerleaders to adulthood over a 30-year span. The original stage version, whose cast included Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, ran for more than 1,300 performances off-Broadway, from 1976 to 1979. A re-vamped, musical version was originally produced at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, Calif., in the summer of 2006. Frost said she'd like to retain the same cast. "Their belief and commitment to the project is overwhelming," she said. "They love it." Vanities is the latest Broadway victim of a faltering economy. Just a few months ago, five other shows were yanked due to a lack of funds, including revivals of Godspell and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.
 
WILL SMITH'S NEW DRAMA "SEVEN POUNDS" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/6/08]
Will Smith's new drama "Seven Pounds" is rolling out to tastemakers ahead of its December 19 release, having largely flown below blogger radars until now. Smith's role in the Sony film, as an Internal Revenue Service functionary who mysteriously drops into the lives of strangers in an apparent bid to help them, comes in a movie steeped in melancholy. That makes the drama an anomaly: It features the world's biggest movie star in a film that also is one of the season's most serious. There are grace notes about penance and sacrifice, but this isn't Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire." While awards pundits this year have followed the time-honored tradition of priming the pump for movies like Brad Pitt's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" even before they began screening, "Seven Pounds" has avoided such attention. Part of that is because of the presence of a global box office star; those types of A-listers historically have had to work harder to get awards attention. And partly it's the movie itself, whose pleasures derive from orienting oneself on its map and figuring out just what exactly is going on. That's why some marketing materials have been opaque on the film's plot, while the movie's handlers have asked entertainment writers to avoid giving much away. Since it's so much weightier than anything he's done before, the role will be a litmus test of Smith's previously unbreakable box office mettle; "The Pursuit of Happyness" almost looks like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" by comparison. (Both "Seven Pounds and "The Pursuit of Happyness" were directed by Gabriele Muccino.) But there's also an interesting question on the awards side -- namely, what kind of chance the movie, and specifically Smith, has at the Oscars. And the role and movie don't come in with as much preset recognition as some of the competition -- it's not a historical picture like "Milk" or "Frost/Nixon" or an adaptation of a well-known work like "Doubt." Smith, nominated for both "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Ali," is one of them. In fact, Smith isn't just going dramatic here; he's pushing his screen persona. There are elements of past Smith characters in "Pounds": the everyman struggle of "Pursuit of Happyness," the mysterious stranger of "Six Degrees of Separation," even a little bit of the tortured soul of "Hancock." But the nuances are very different. If Smith does get in as best actor, it suddenly makes the field a lot more crowded. Assuming Sean Penn and Frank Langella are pretty much locks and Pitt is a decent bet, a Smith nomination means there will be only more slot for a long list of hopefuls: Richard Jenkins, Clint Eastwood, Josh Brolin, Leonardo DiCaprio. A big movie star coming out of left field to upend a race isn't something you see every day.
 
GREASE REVIVAL TO CLOSE ON BROADWAY [CBC, 12/6/08]
A Broadway revival of the musical Grease sparked by an NBC TV talent competition to cast the lead roles of Danny and Sandy is to close in January. The 1950s musical will close January 4, 2009 after 554 performances, the latest in a series of New York musicals to announce an end date. Also closing in January are Hairspray, Spring Awakening, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Boeing-Boeing and Spamalot. "Grease" opened in August 2007 after Laura Osnes and Max Crumm were cast in the lead roles at the end of a reality show-style talent competition called Grease: You're the One That I Want. American Idol contestants Taylor Hicks and Ace Young have also been part of the cast. Hicks is currently starring in a national tour of "Grease". "Grease" first played Broadway in 1972, and the 1978 movie starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta made the musical a household name. The current production includes songs such as Hopelessly Devoted to You, Grease and You're the One That I Want from the movie.
 
RICHARD CURTIS' "THE BOAT THAT ROCKED" U.K. TRAILER [Aceshowbiz, 12/6/08]
In 1966, Britain was terrorized by a boat that rocked," a narrator begins his introduction on the U.K. trailer of "The Boat That Rocked". Highlighting on the phenomenon of British pirate radio revolution in the '60s, the trailer shares glimpses of the comedy movie, giving idea about what the movie is all about. Telling the romance story between the young people of the '60s and pop music, "The Boat That Rocked" follows a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain from a large rusty metal fishing trawler moored off the coast of England. Forefronting the UK pirate radio movement, they play the music that defines a generation, and stand up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. From the creator of "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill" and "Love Actually", Richard Curtis, comes this ensemble period comedy. It puts together a star-studded cast ensemble that include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh. The Universal Pictures movie will be released sometime in 2009.
 
"HANCOCK" SEQUEL CONFIRMED [Aceshowbiz, 12/6/08]
Being one of the summer blockbuster movies, "Hancock" will reportedly be getting a sequel treatment. When talking to Joblo while promoting his upcoming movie "Seven Pounds", the action drama's star Will Smith has come up with a confirmation that "Hancock 2" is "definitely" happening. Despite insisting that another "Hancock" movie will be seen in the future, the 40-year-old didn't give direct answer when asked whether he will reprise his role as the sarcastic and misunderstood superhero. Instead, he stated that "there are a lot of unexplored characters in the Hancock universe that would be ripe for a sequel." Opened in U.S. theaters on July 2, "Hancock" has debuted atop the North American box office with $62.6 million over the July 4 three-day weekend. The Peter Berg-directed movie, which is starred also by Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman, has since pulled in $227.9 million from the North American sales and $624.4 million worldwide.
 
FULL-LENGTH TRAILER OF "FRIDAY THE 13TH" HITS [Aceshowbiz, 12/6/08]
"Did you know a young boy drowned here?" a woman asks in the beginning of the recently-released trailer of "Friday the 13th". As the woman continues to explain further about the boy, the promotional video moves on with a shot of a lake and woods before suddenly a van jumps to the scene. Inside, a group of friends are having the time of their lives as they head into the cabin owned by the parents of one of the youngsters. As they soak up the fun, danger lurks in the corner.  Filled with many never-before-seen footage, the fresh trailer is considerably longer than the previous videos. It also brings in more on the horror unleashed by serial slasher Jason Voorhees as he targets the group for his next victims. Towards the end of the 2 minutes thirty seconds video, a counting up of the victims is done, each number teases on who will be dead next. The counting ends when it strikes number 13. Bringing the story to where it all started, camp crystal lake, "Friday the 13th" re-imagines the Sean S. Cunningham's 1980 classic horror movie. Directed by Marcus Nispel and penned by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, it stars Derek Mears, Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker and Amanda Righetti. It will be opened in the U.S. theaters on February 13, 2009.
 
"DARK KNIGHT" TO GET U.S. RE-RELEASE [BBC, 12/6/08]
Batman film The Dark Knight is to be re-released in U.S cinemas in January, upping its chances of its box-office takings crossing the $1 billion mark. According to the tracking website Box Office Mojo, its current worldwide takings stand at $996 million (£678 million). Meanwhile, the British star of the film has been commenting on its chances of winning Academy Awards next year. According to Christian Bale, the late Heath Ledger and director Christopher Nolan should be in contention. "The serious contenders in this movie in my mind are Heath, Chris for director because he's done an extraordinary job, and I do believe best picture as well," said Bale on Wednesday, December 3. Released in cinemas in July, "The Dark Knight" is the most financially successful film of 2008 at the North American box office. Its re-release on 23 January will come one day after the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations. It also follows the film's DVD release in the UK and US next week. "We wanted to provide one more opportunity for moviegoers to experience it on the big screen as it was meant to be seen," said Dan Fellman, president of Warner Brothers' domestic distribution in the U.S. Only three films have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide - Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Return of the King, the third Lord of the Rings film.
 
"L WORD" IS KILLING ONE OF ITS MAJOR CHARACTERS [AP, 12/6/08]
Dead is the word when "The L Word" returns. Showtime's drama about a circle of lesbian friends and lovers is going to kill off one of its major characters on the premiere of its sixth — and final — season. The victim is Jenny Schecter, Showtime has disclosed. Jenny, a would-be writer and accomplished two-timer, has long been embraced by fans as the character they most love to hate. The episode, which airs January 18, begins with a splash as Jenny's body is discovered in a swimming pool. Accident, or murder — and whodunit? Viewers will have to wait for those answers. Meanwhile, she won't be absent from the show: The remainder of the season is heavy with flashbacks of Jenny (played by Mia Kirshner) in the swim with her enemies and pals.
 
TYLER PERRY TAKES THE STAND IN COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT [AP, 12/5/08]
Actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry testified in a copyright infringement lawsuit Wednesday, December 3 that he did not steal material from a woman's play for his blockbuster movie "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." Donna West is suing Perry in federal court, arguing that he lifted material from a script she wrote titled "Fantasy of a Black Woman," which was based primarily on her own experiences. She wants a jury to award her family all the profits made from Perry's 2005 film, which earned some $50 million. Perry insisted that his screenplay is an original work, but under questioning by West's attorney, said he did not know whether anyone actually saw him write the script, The Marshall News Messenger reported for its Thursday editions. Perry's attorney said his client doesn't have an original copy of his script because he sends all his work to the Library of Congress for a copyright. West's attorney, Aubrey "Nick" Pittman, suggested that Perry copied ideas from other movies and incorporated them into his box office hit. He asked Perry whether he had taken concepts from "Mrs. Doubtfire," "The Color Purple," "An Officer and a Gentleman" and Martin Lawrence's role in "Big Momma's House." "I never stole anything from anybody — never," Perry said, locking his eyes with the jury. Jurors on Tuesday watched the film and listened to a reading of the script from West's play which was performed in 1991 at the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center. L.D. Dabney, an associate of West and a theater arts enthusiast of the Dallas area, testified earlier Wednesday that when he first saw Perry's film in July 2006, he thought it was based on West's play because he knew what was going to happen from one scene to the next. Testimony was expected to resume Thursday, December 5, 2008.
 
CW LOOKING TO SPIN OFF "GOSSIP GIRL" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/5/08]
CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff said the network is in discussions with the "Gossip Girl" producers as to how a new show could be done next season. But she said nothing has been finalized and there's no imminent announcement. "Nothing really tangible yet, but we're talking about it," Ostroff told the Hollywood Reporter. "Gossip Girl" is averaging 3.5 million viewers so far this season -- its second -- up from 2.7 million at the same point last year. The show, which revolves around privileged teens in Manhattan, stars Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and Penn Badgley.
 
"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" WINS BEST FILM FROM NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW [CBC, 12/5/08]
The National Board of Review has picked Slumdog Millionaire, the story of a poor boy made good in Mumbai, as the year's best film. The board, a group of film historians, students and educators, is closely watched because its picks are considered a harbinger of the Academy Awards. The board picked last year's Oscar winner, No Country for Old Men, and singled out independent films such as Juno, which also won awards at the Oscars. "Slumdog Millionaire", directed by Danny Boyle, stars Dev Patel, whom the board honoured with the award for best breakthrough performance by an actor. Simon Beaufoy, writer of "Slumdog", shared the award for best screenplay with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's Eric Roth. "Benjamin Button", one of several films considered Oscar contenders that has not had commercial release, also earned a best director win for David Fincher. Other winners, announced Thursday, December 4, include Anne Hathaway as best actress for her performance as the junkie sister in Rachel Getting Married and Clint Eastwood as best actor in not-yet-released Gran Torino. Penelope Cruz was named best supporting actor for role as the crazy artist in Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona and Josh Brolin was best supporting actor for Milk. The National Board gave a best ensemble award to Doubt, an adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Viola Davis, also from "Doubt", won for breakthrough performance by an actress. Man on a Wire, a 2008 documentary by James Marsh about Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center, won the award for best documentary. WALL*E was best animated film and Mongol best foreign-language film. The awards will be handed out January 14, 2009 in a New York gala hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
 
U.K. COMIC RUSSELL BRAND DEVELOPING "ARTHUR" REMAKE [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/5/08]
Russell Brand might soon be caught between the moon and New York City. The controversial British comedian is developing a remake of "Arthur," the 1981 comedy that starred Dudley Moore, as a potential starring vehicle. He is meeting with scribes to write the screenplay for Warner Bros. The original movie followed a boozy playboy rascal who is set to inherit a fortune if he marries an heiress his family thinks will make something out of him. However, he falls in love with a working-class woman and turns to his valet for help when his family makes him choose between money and love. Moore was nominated for an Oscar as was Steve Gordon, the film's writer-director. John Gielgud won the Oscar for his supporting role as the valet, and the movie's theme song, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," sung by Christopher Cross, won for original song. Brand already has a rascally reputation, not only for his past sex-, drugs- and alcohol-infused lifestyle but also for on-air radio pranks that recently led him to being suspended by the BBC. He subsequently resigned. American audiences got their first taste of Brand in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," in which he played a rock star lothario. He next appears with Adam Sandler in "Bedtime Stories," which opens on Christmas Day, 2008. Brand is filming Julie Taymor's adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," and will reunite his "Marshall" cohorts for "Get Him to the Greek."
 
NEW CANADIAN PRODUCTION OF "JERSEY BOYS" TO OPEN NEXT WEEK [CBC, 12/5/08]
A Canadian production of the hit show Jersey Boys opens Friday, December 12 in Toronto, with a new, mainly Canadian cast. Jersey Boys has been a hit for Dancap Productions, filling the huge Toronto Centre for the Arts in north Toronto night after night. But the show that opened last August, with veterans of the New York production in many of the lead roles, ends this weekend, and the show goes dark for four nights until Friday, December 12. That down time allows a new cast, still directed by Stratford's Des McAnuff and with dance direction by Sergio Trujillo, to complete technical rehearsals. When the show reopens, all but two cast members will be new, and three of the four lead roles will be played by Canadians. "Jersey Boys" is the story of the Four Seasons, the musical group comprised of four guys from New Jersey that created hits such as Sherry, Walk Like a Man and Can't Take My Eyes Off You. This week, the new cast is in rehearsal 12 hours a day. Dan says he bought the set to the original Toronto show, so he's going into the Canadian production with all the technical details in place. Jersey Boys is scheduled to run Dec. 12, 2008–Feb. 1, 2009.
 
THREE TEENAGERS' JOY AT PLAYING "MICHAEL JACKSON" IN "THRILLER LIVE" [BBC, 12/5/08]
Three teenagers who are to play Michael Jackson in the new West End show Thriller Live have spoken of their excitement at portraying their idol. Layton Williams from Bury, Sterling Williams from London and Kieran Alleyne from Leicester - all aged 13 - will play the pop superstar in rotation. They appeared at the Lyric Theatre dressed in 1970s clothes and performed Jackson 5 hit I Want You Back. "It's quite scary that we have to be him as he was so amazing," said Layton. Layton, the most experienced performer of the three, was the first black Billy Elliot. "I'm just going to have to do my best," he added. "I really like just getting on stage and, when I finish, for the audience to appreciate it and applaud you. It's a really good buzz.  "Working on stage is what I want to do for the rest of my life." Sterling, who has played Simba in Lion King in the West End, said: "I love singing his [Jackson's] songs, so this is the perfect role for me." The less-experienced Kieran beat 60 other hopefuls in open auditions to become one of the Michael Jacksons. "I've always looked up to Michael Jackson. He has always been an idol to me and I've always been trying to follow in his footsteps and to get into a singing career. "I'm really overwhelmed to be performing in a show which is a tribute to him," he said. The opening performance of the show, which celebrates Jackson's career and features his hits, will take place on 2 January 2009. The singer is not involved in the production. 
 
TORONTO DIRECTOR'S FIRST FILM TO DEBUT AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL [CBC, 12/5/08]
Toronto writer David Bezmozgis' debut feature film Victoria Day is to have its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2009. The Sundance Film Festival, the most important U.S. forum for independent films, announced a slate of films in competition on Wednesday, December 3. "Victoria Day", a coming-of-age story based on one of Bezmozgis's acclaimed short stories, will compete in the world cinema dramatic competition. Two other Canadian movies — Nollywood Babylon and Prom Night in Mississippi — appear in the world cinema documentary competition. "Victoria Day" tells the story of a week in the life of a teenaged boy in May 1988 in which he gets caught up in the search for a missing boy, has a romance with the boy's sister, follows the Stanley Cup finals and participates in a peculiar Vietnam re-enactment with Victoria Day firecrackers. Bezmozgis, whose Natasha and Other Stories was chosen for Canada Reads, completed a director's and screenwriter's lab for "Victoria Day" at the Sundance Institute in 2006. " Nollywood Babylon", a feature documentary about the popularity of Nigeria's film industry, is directed by Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal. It is the third documentary collaboration for Addelman and Mallel, who met at the National Film Board in Montreal. They investigate Nigeria's brash, inventive B-movie culture and its films combining voodoo, magic and urban storylines. " Nollywood Babylon" previously screened at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal. Emmy-winning Canadian director Paul Saltzman is creator of Prom Night in Mississippi, which tells the story of Charleston High School's first integrated prom. Actor Morgan Freeman had made a long-standing offer that he would pay for prom night if the school created a prom for black and white students together and the school finally took him up on it. The world documentary competition has 16 entries including: Afghan Star: director Havana Marking follows four singers risking their lives to compete in the Afghanistan version of American Idol; Thriller in Manila: about the 1975 heavyweight match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, one of the most bitter sporting rivalries ever, chronicled by British director John Dower; Burma VJ: Danish filmmaker Anders Oestergaard looks at the Saffron Revolution, the September 2007 uprising in Burma and how journalists there risked going to prison to send pocket-camera images to the rest of the world. The feature competition includes buzzed about film Paper Heart in which director Nicolas Jasenovec follows the real-life romance of comedian Charlene Yi and Canadian actor Michael Cera. A film adapted from a novel by late writer David Foster Wallace, who committed suicide in September, has been created by writer-director John Krasinski, the actor who plays the mild-mannered Jim on NBC's The Office. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men is about a woman played by Julianne Nicholson who dissects her breakup by talking to other men about their bad behaviour. Also on the drama lineup: Cold Souls: directed and written by Sophie Barthes and starring Paul Giamatti as a fading actor;  The Greatest: written and directed by Shana Feste and starring Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon as a couple who have lost their son; Peter and Vandy: a romance written and directed by Jay DiPietro and starring Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler; Push: writer-director Lee Daniels' film about a Harlem girl inspired by her teacher, starring Paula Patton, comedian Mo'Nique and rocker Lenny Kravitz. The Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 15-25, 2009 in Park City, Utah.
 
KAZAKH FILM "TULPAN" ADDS MORE TROPHIES TO FESTIVAL HAUL [CBC, 12/4/08]
The lighthearted Kazakh film Tulpan, about a young man's search for romance and his dream of becoming a shepherd, has picked up the top prize at the close of the International Film Festival of India. Though writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy has four documentaries under his belt, the southern Kazakhstan-set "Tulpan" is his feature film debut. In addition to "Tulpan" winning the Golden Peacock trophy for best film, the jury named Dvortsevoy its choice for best director. "I am happy the jury understood and appreciated our [Kazakh way of] life and the story I told about the people of Kazakhstan," the filmmaker said after his win Tuesday, December 2. Other winners included actress Malani Fonseka, who won a special jury prize for her turn in the Sri Lankan film Akasa Kumsum [Flowers of the Sky]. The 10-day festival ended on a more sombre note after last week's Mumbai attacks as well as the unrelated death of former Indian prime minister V.P. Singh. After the attacks, organizers reined in the festival, cancelling some related events and paid tribute to the victims of the attack. The awards presentation itself was a simple ceremony at the Kala Academy in Goa. "Tulpan" has won praise for its beautiful cinematography and engaging, witty performances. It picked up the Un Certain Regard prize at this year's Cannes film festival, the prestigious Louve d'Or prize at Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and best film at the Asia-Pacific Screen Awards, as well as other accolades this year. It is also Kazakhstan's official submission for consideration for the foreign-language film Oscar.
 
FONDA, NICHOLSON TO JOIN CALIFORNIA HALL OF FAME [AP, 12/4/08]
Hollywood stars Jane Fonda and Jack Nicholson are among the latest notable figures being inducted into the California Hall of Fame. Musicians Dave Brubeck and Quincy Jones, fitness guru Jack LaLanne, sculptor Robert Graham and chef Alice Waters will also be inducted at the Dec.15, 2008 ceremony in Sacramento. "Dr. Seuss" author Theodor Geisel, photographer Dorothea Lange, architect Julia Morgan, scientist Linus Pauling and former Gov. Leland Stanford will be inducted posthumously. First lady Maria Shriver started the program in 2006 to honor those who've helped shape the state. Fonda's induction comes nearly 30 years after the state Senate rejected her nomination to the California Arts Council because of her campaign against the Vietnam War.
 
PETER KELEGHAN WINS ACTRA HONOUR [CBC, 12/4/08]
Actor Peter Keleghan, a familiar face from TV shows like The Newsroom, Made in Canada and The Red Green Show, will be honoured with an award from Canada's largest English-language performers union. ACTRA Toronto announced Keleghan as the 2009 winner of its award of excellence on Wednesday, December 3. The annual prize pays tribute to a Canadian performer for a body of work and for efforts to improve the acting community and Canadian culture overall. Keleghan will receive the honour during the Toronto branch's Feb. 20, 2009 awards show, which will also recognize a host of outstanding performances over the past year. In addition to his prolific film and TV schedule, the Montreal-born Keleghan is also an active arts advocate, Karl Pruner, president of the Toronto branch, said in a statement. "Peter has repeatedly found time in a busy career to stand up for his fellow performers," Pruner said. "In January of this year, ACTRA members will celebrate the launch of Creative Arts Savings & Credit Union, a financial institution created for freelance film and television professionals. The performer who conceived of and tirelessly advocated for this project? Peter Keleghan." Past winners of the prize include Sarah Polley, Gordon Pinsent, Eric Peterson, Paul Gross and Wendy Crewson. ACTRA Toronto represents more than 11,000 of the union's approximately 21,000 members across the nation.
 
"MAUDE" STAR AMONG TV HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES [AP, 12/4/08]
"Maude" and "Golden Girls" star Bea Arthur is happily poised to enter the TV Academy Hall of Fame, but she acknowledges it's her own fault the recognition didn't come sooner. Arthur says the academy approached her five years ago about her joining the ranks of past honorees, who include Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson and Bill Cosby. "I said, 'So sorry, very nice of you, but I can't possibly accept. There are so many talented people in the business,'" Arthur recalled. "When I hung up, I thought, 'Why the hell did I do that?' I had vaguely heard that George C. Scott had turned down the Academy Award, which I thought was kind of cool," Arthur said. The Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2008 in Beverly Hills, and Arthur said she's "delighted" to be included. Other inductees are TV and movie writer Larry Gelbart ("M-A-S-H," "Tootsie"), the late talk show host and producer Merv Griffin ("Wheel of Fortune," "Jeopardy!"), writer-producer Sherwood Schwartz ("Gilligan's Island," "The Brady Bunch") and former Capital Cities/ABC executives Thomas Murphy and Daniel B. Burke. "It's so important to hold up great examples of people who have done something exceptional," said John Shaffner, TV Academy chairman and CEO. "It not only reminds us of what can be accomplished but it inspires us." Arthur, 86, speaks fondly of Maude Findlay, the outspoken liberal character created for her by writer-producer Norman Lear and first introduced on "All in the Family." The spin-off "Maude" aired on CBS from 1972-78. As for "The Golden Girls," the 1985-92 NBC series about four older single women created by Susan Harris, it was simply "brilliant," Arthur said. Ask Arthur about the highlight of her long career, and she points to her role in 1954's off-Broadway premiere of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera." "A lot of that had to do with the fact that I felt, 'Ah, yes, I belong here,'" Arthur said.
 
WINNERS OF 2008 GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS ANNOUNCED [Aceshowbiz, 12/4/08]
"Frozen River" has come out victorious at the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. On December 2 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, the Sony Pictures Classics dramatic thriller has been awarded with two kudos from the awards presented to independent films and those who make them. The Courtney Hunt-directed drama about a New York mother getting into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling has been recognized as Best Feature, beating out "Ballast", "Synecdoche, New York", "The Visitor" and "The Wrestler". Accepting the coveted award, Hunt said, "I did not see this one coming, I did not see this coming." Apart from the Best Picture prize, the movie also helped its star Melissa Leo to earn the Breakthrough Actor kudo. Other winners included "Synecdoche, New York" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" which were tied for the title of Best Ensemble Performance. In the meantime, the awards for Breakthrough Director went to Lance Hammer for his work on "Ballast", and for Best Documentary was given to "Trouble the Water". The awards gala was hosted by "The Daily Show" correspondent Aasif Mandvi. On the special event, actress Penelope Cruz, filmmakers Gus Van Sant and Melvin Van Peebles, and HBO documentary maven Sheila Nevins were honored with Tribute awards. Winners List of 2008 Gotham Independent Film Awards: Best Feature: "Frozen River" • Best Documentary: "Trouble the Water" • Best Ensemble Performance (Tied): "Synecdoche, New York" - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis and Tom Noonan • "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" - Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz •  Breakthrough Director: Lance Hammer, "Ballast" • Breakthrough Actor: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River" • Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: "Sita Sings the Blues".
 
ENTERTAINMENT ONE TO EXPAND FILM BUSINESS IN CANADA [Reuters, 12/4/08]
British audio and visual media group Entertainment One Ltd posted an unchanged first-half loss that met company expectations, and said it would continue to expand its Canadian film business. Chief Executive Darren Throop also said he remained confident about the company's outlook despite wider economic uncertainty, given a strong second-half line-up including films such as Twilight, Knowing and Pride and Glory. On September 24, the Cayman Islands-based company acquired Canadian TV production and distribution businesses Barna-Alper, Blueprint, Oasis and Maximum for 28 million pounds ($42 million) to expand its business in the North American market. Entertainment One shares were indicated up 7.7 percent at 35 pence in early trading, moving away from the record low at 32 pence seen earlier this week. The company listed on AIM in March 2007 when it placed shares at 100 pence. The London-listed distributor of home entertainment products, television programs and music content in North America reported a half-year pretax loss of 5.5 million pounds for the six months to September 30, after a 5.4 million loss a year ago. "The overall performance of the group was in line with our expectations and reflects our growth in filmed entertainment," Throop said. 
 
COPYRIGHT DOCUMENTARY WINS AUDIENCE AWARD AT FILM FESTIVAL IN AMSTERDAM
[CBC, 12/3/08]
Montreal filmmaker Brett Gaylor's documentary exploring copyright issues in the information age has won the top audience award at the 21st International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. His RiP: A Remix Manifesto won the 5,000-euro ($7,900 Cdn) Dioraphte Audience Award on Saturday, November 29. It is voted on by the 40,000 audience members at the Amsterdam documentary festival who rate each film from "hopeless" to "superb." RiP: A Remix Manifesto is an open source documentary that investigates the implications of the current legal climate that has movie studios and record producers suing ordinary citizens. The film was created over six years, collaboratively remixing the work of hundreds of people who contributed to a website. Gaylor is an internet activist who promotes the spread of open source filmmaking, in which filmmakers, musicians and new media artists make samples of their work available to other creators so new works can be created. In his film, Gaylor follows Montreal's Girl Talk, a mash-up musician known for his sample-based songs and has footage from experts such as Creative Commons' founder Lawrence Lessig and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow. All his documentary footage is open source material and is offered up as a way to kickstart more creation. Produced by EyeSteelFilm and the National Film Board of Canada, RiP: A Remix Manifesto can be seen at the Whistler Film Festival Dec. 4 to 8, 2008. It also will be broadcast on Documentary and Canal D in Canada.
 
'RACHEL', 'RIVER', LEAD SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES [AP, 12/3/08]
Anne Hathaway's family drama "Rachel Getting Married," the border-smuggling tale "Frozen River" and the Deep South saga "Ballast" lead the nominees for the Spirit Awards with six nominations each, including best picture. Other best-picture nominees announced Tuesday, December 2: Michelle Williams' down-on-her-luck drama, "Wendy and Lucy," and Mickey Rourke's broken-down athlete tale "The Wrestler." Hathaway and Williams have lead-actress nominations, along with Melissa Leo for "Frozen River," Summer Bishil for "Towelhead" and Tarra Riggs for "Ballast." Rourke has a best-actor nomination, along with Javier Bardem for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Richard Jenkins for "The Visitor," Sean Penn for "Milk" and Jeremy Renner for "The Hurt Locker." The awards honor independent film.
 
FOR GOLDEN GLOBES, STRATEGY HAS STARRING ROLE [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/3/08]
The Golden Globes are getting a lot of support. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, parent organization of the annual film and television awards event, has accepted bids from several film studios to classify actors in its supporting rather than lead categories despite their having significant screen time. The HFPA allowed Miramax's push for Philip Seymour Hoffman's complicated cleric Father Flynn in "Doubt" and Dev Patel's soft-spoken Jamal Malik in Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire" as supporting roles in the Golden Globes race, nominations for which will be announced December 11, 2008. And after what was said to be heated discussion, the organization ultimately accepted the Weinstein Co.'s positioning of Kate Winslet's portrayal of Nazi guard Hanna Schmitz in "The Reader" as a supporting role, ensuring that the star of "Revolutionary Road" will not compete against herself in the leading actress category. Ralph Fiennes and David Kross, who play younger and older versions of conflicted lawyer Michael Burk in the drama, also were accepted as supporting actors, making the movie a rarity: a non-ensemble film with no lead. The abundance of borderline cases that will be treated as supporting performances will turn a usually sparsely populated field into a relatively crowded one. Studios often prefer supporting categories because the roomier field increases nomination chances, but the cases this year could upend the conventional wisdom. Supporting categories also are more limited because they aren't split into comedy/musical and drama, as the lead acting categories are, which doubles the number of nominees. At the other end of the spectrum, the HFPA accepted three leads for Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" in Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall and also allowed David Sheen as a lead for his performance as David Frost in presidential talker "Frost/Nixon." On the best-film front, the HFPA allowed Overture's push for "Last Chance Harvey" as a comedy/musical, which will mean that leads Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson will face a less densely packed field in their acting categories than they would on the drama side. The group also allowed Sony to position "Cadillac Records" as a comedy/musical. The HFPA rejected, however, Lionsgate's bid to consider "W." as a comedy/musical, a move that would have put it in a less crowded field. "Slumdog Millionaire" had been the subject of early rumours as a potential comedy/musical entry, but Fox Searchlight submitted it as a drama, which the HFPA accepted.
 
"STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI" EXPOSES KRISTIN KREUK'S CHUN-LI IN ACTION [Aceshowbiz, 12/3/08]
More fresh photos from "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" have been exposed. Highlighting on the titular character, some of the new pictures let out the action as Chun-Li played by Kristin Kreuk can be seen to be involved in a fight with several thugs. Another image displays her in a meditation position surrounded by a circle of candles. Adapted from the famous series of fighting video games by Capcom, "Legend of Chun-Li" focuses its story on the undercover Interpol agent Chun-Li. Using a script from Justin Marks, it will follow the character known for her 'ox-horns' hairstyle as she searches for justice. Aside from Kristin Kreuk, the 20th Century Fox film also stars Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog, Chris Klein as Charlie Nash, Neal McDonough as M. Bison, Moon Bloodgood as Detective Maya Sunee, Taboo as Vega and many others. Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, it will come out in U.S. theaters on February 27, 2009.
 
SHATNER BOLDLY LAUNCHES CHAT SHOW [BBC, 12/3/08]
Actor William Shatner is promising to uncover the truth about the guests on his new U.S TV chat show, which airs for the first time on Tuesday, December 2. The Biography Channel program, Raw Nerve, will see the 77-year-old interview other celebrities, including former Star Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy. An appearance by Star Trek actor George Takei has also been mooted. Shatner was upset after not being invited to the I'm A Celebrity star's wedding to his partner in September. Takei's mananger told Reuters that the actor would like to appear on the show in the future after Shatner issued an invitation. Shatner has already recorded 13 interviews, including with former Frasier star Kesley Grammer, Tim Allen - who will be in the debut show - and Jon Voight, the father of film star Angelina Jolie. The actor appeared in the 1960s TV version of Star Trek and a number of subsequent films. His other recent ventures include a business in which he signs keepsakes for fans while being filmed.
 
SHIA BACK ON RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW [E! Online, 12/3/08]
For his next big-screen project, Shia LaBeouf is sticking with what he knows—or at least, what he has come to know via a few high-profile, rather embarrassing incidents—the legal system. In a nice change of pace, this time around the actor will be the one in the right, signing on to star in the latest cash cow adaptation of a John Grisham novel, The Associate. According to Variety, LaBeouf will play a fresh graduate of Yale Law School who is manipulated into accepting a job at a prestigious law firm and who soon becomes privy to inside information about a billion-dollar lawsuit. In other words, every Grisham book ever written. Paramount Pictures acquired the book rights even before it was published, so sure studio suits are of its box-office prowess. The crime thriller won't be published until January. There's no word yet on when the film will go into production. In other casting news, Courtney B. Vance and Pirates of the Caribbean romantic foil Jack Davenport have become the first actors to join ABC's drama pilot Flash Forward. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show is being touted as a companion piece to Lost and is based on Robert J. Sawyer's sci-fi novel that chronicles what happens when everyone in the world simultaneously blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and experiences a strange vision of the future.
 
BUSCEMI EYES ROLE IN HBO's "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/2/08]
Actor Steve Buscemi is in talks to star as a powerful racketeer in "Boardwalk Empire," Martin Scorsese's period drama pilot for HBO. Also in talks, for a co-starring role in the project, is Kelly Macdonald. Written by Terrence Winter and to be directed by Scorsese, "Empire" is based on Nelson Johnson's non-fiction book, which chronicles the 1920s origins of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Buscemi would play Nucky Johnson, a cunning businessman who runs a liquor distribution ring at the onset of Prohibition. Scottish-born Macdonald would play Margaret, a smart Irish immigrant who married the wrong man to get out of her parents' house. "Empire" is executive produced by Scorsese, his "Departed" star Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Winter. The pilot reunites Buscemi with HBO after his stint on the pay cable network's mob drama "The Sopranos," which earned him Emmy nominations for directing in 2001 and acting in 2004. He landed another Emmy nomination this year for his guest appearance on the NBC comedy "30 Rock." Buscemi's upcoming features include Miguel Arteta's comedy-drama "Youth in Revolt" and "Rage," by British filmmaker Sally Potter. Macdonald is another familiar face at HBO. She won an Emmy for her role in the HBO/BBC movie "The Girl at the Cafe." Her recent big-screen roles included the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men" and the indie "Choke."
 
SELENA GOMEZ TO HOST DISNEY CHANNEL'S "TOTALLY NEW YEAR" [Aceshowbiz, 12/2/08]
Celebrating the upcoming new year, Disney Channel gives fans a chance to vote for their favorite performers, episodes, music video, and many more for the mouse house's "Totally New Year" programming line-up. It has been reported that the "Totally New Year" show is scheduled to air on December 31 starting from 5 P.M. to 11:30 P.M. Furthermore, "Wizards of Waverly Place" cast members, Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, and Jennifer Stone, will serve as the host of the show. Meanwhile, other Disney Channel's celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Demi Lovato, Brandon Smith, Brenda Song, Mitchel Musso, and Jonas Brothers, are reported to help celebrate the "Totally New Year" gala. "Totally New Year" will present 21 categories to vote for, such as Totally Best Guest, Totally Silly Siblings, Totally Hair-Raising and Totally Random Relatives. The online poll now is open at Disney Channel until December 31, 2008.
 
HARRY CONNICK JR. AND HUGH JACKMAN TO GUEST STAR ON "THE VIEW" [Aceshowbiz, 12/2/08]
Emmy award-winning talk show, "The View", will have more guest-star actors appearing on the ABC's show. Harry Connick Jr. from "P.S. I Love You" and Hugh Jackman from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", are some of the actors who are reported to make time for an interview on the show. Though Connick Jr. and Jackman have been set to come to the talk show this week, they will not be interviewed on the same day. While Connick will get an interview on Thursday, December 4, Jackman will be on the hot-seat on Friday, December 5. Apart from Harry Connick Jr. and Hugh Jackman, several other celebrities, such as Randy Jackson, Patricia Heaton, Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Esposito, and Jeff Goldblum, will also be seen on the show throughout the week. Jackson, in particular, will promote his book "Body With Soul". "The View" is the ABC Daytime's morning chatfest which airs at 11 A.M. weekdays.
 
KUNG FU PANDA A FAVOURITE FOR "ANNIE AWARDS" NOMINATIONS [CBC, 12/2/08]
Kung Fu Panda has kicked its way to the head of the field in the Annie Awards, with a leading 16 nominations for the annual prizes from the Hollywood branch of the International Animated Film Society. "Kung Fu Panda", a Dreamworks production directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, earned nominations for best animated feature, best character animation, character design, directing, music, production design, storyboarding, voice work and writing. A video game based on the movie earned a 17th nomination for the franchise. Three of its stars — Dustin Hoffman, James Hong and Ian McShane — have earned nominations for best voice work. They're competing against Jeff Gabor of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who and Victor Navone of Wall-E. Also nominated for best feature are Disney's dog story Bolt, Sherman Pictures $9.99, a stop motion feature based on the stories of Etgar Keret, Pixar's sci-fi story Wall-E and Sony Pictures's Waltz With Bashir, an animated documentary about the aftermath of war that was a hit at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the TV categories the contenders for best animated production include King Of the Hill, Moral Oral, Robot chicken: Star Wars Episode II, Phineas and Ferb and The Simpsons. The nominees for best animated short subject are: Glago's Guest, Walt Disney Animation Studios; Hot Dog, Bill Plympton Studio; Presto, Pixar Animation Studios; Sebastian's Voodoo, Joaquin Baldwin and Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death, Aardman Animations Ltd. The nominees for best children's TV show are: A Miser Brothers Christmas, Warner Bros; Avatar: The Last Airbender, Nickelodeon; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Destination Imagination, Cartoon Network; The Mighty B! Nickelodeon and Underfist: Halloween Bash, Cartoon Network. The Annies will be handed out Jan. 20, 2009 in Los Angeles.
 
TORONTO CRITICS ANNOUNCE $10,000 CANADIAN MOVIE PRIZE [CBC, 12/2/08]
Toronto's film critics have launched a $10,000 award celebrating Canadian filmmakers. The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA), which traditionally issues its pick of the year's best films in December, will now also present the new Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. "The TFCA wants to bring together all sides of the industry to celebrate the best films of the year, including the finest Canadian work," group president and Maclean's critic Brian D. Johnson said in a statement. "Given Toronto's stature as a film capital, the pre-eminence of [the Toronto International Film Festival], and the vitality of film criticism in this city, it's only fitting to have an awards dinner on a par with events held by critics' groups in New York and Los Angeles." The new prize is open to all Canadian features released to theatres during 2008. The first winner for the prize will be announced by filmmaker and actress Sarah Polley at the group's annual awards dinner on Jan. 6, 2009. The Toronto group, comprising film critics who write for more than two dozen of the city's print and electronic media outlets, named Polley's feature directorial debut Away From Her its top Canadian film and best first feature last year. Other categories honoured by the group include best performances (male and female, lead and supporting), direction, screenplay, animated feature, documentary and foreign language film.
 
"THE READER" DELVES INTO COMPLEXITIES OF POSTWAR GUILT [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/2/08]
"The Reader" is the last project of producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, both of whom passed away during the film's making. It's a testament to the kind of productions each was associated with -- films of entertainment, often with stars, that also reach out in terms of situations, themes and settings to embrace larger issues that confront society. "The Reader" is a well-told coming-of-age yarn about a young boy growing up in postwar West Germany and experiencing his first love affair. But the outreach is to an issue crucial in that country and genuinely disturbing to any viewer. This is the troubling dilemma of Germany's so-called "second generation," which had to come to terms with the Nazi era and a Holocaust perpetuated by parents, teachers and even lovers. Certainly "The Reader," for all its erotic scenes involving Kate Winslet, presents a difficult marketing challenge. The lively, nonlinear structure imposed by screenwriter David Hare and tight, focused direction from Stephen Daldry make this an engaging period drama. But German postwar guilt is not the most winning subject matter for the holiday season. The Weinstein Co. release opens December 10, 2008, expands Christmas Day and goes national January 9, 2009. "The Reader," based on Bernhard Schlink's controversial German novel, deliberately places a Holocaust perpetrator at the story's focal point. But since we first meet her in an entirely different light, as a kind, loving and passionate woman, it explores the challenges of this second generation in navigating a welter of deeply psychological and morally complex issues. The film opens in 1995 Berlin, where Ralph Fiennes plays aloof, emotionally numb attorney Michael Berg. We're swiftly conveyed back to 1958, when his younger self (very well played by David Kross) has a chance encounter that will forever affect him. Coming down with what he later learns is scarlet fever, he is helped home by a stranger, Hanna (Winslet). Upon recovering, he looks her up to thank her and finds himself losing his virginity to her. They embark on an affair with its own kind of feverish urgency. To Winslet and Kross belong the gutsy, intense performances of the film. Lena Olin, as an unyielding camp survivor, and Bruno Ganz, as a sagacious law professor, put in memorable appearances. Fiennes is solid as the elder Berg, but by this stage of life the "oldness" Hanna once exhibited has caught up with him too, making his a somewhat listless role. Superior production work in Germany by top professionals -- led by two of the world's finest cinematographers, Chris Menges and Roger Deakins -- gives what is a very tough story a fine professional polish.
 
SMALL THINGS "FROST/NIXON" COULD DO WITHOUT [Reuters, 12/2/08]
Sir David Frost says a new film about his historical interview with former U.S. President Richard Nixon is better than the stage play it is based on, but "there are one or two small bits it could do without." Director Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon" is based on Peter Morgan's Tony Award-winning play of the same name and stars the same actors who played the characters on stage in London and New York -- Michael Sheen (Frost) and Frank Langella (Nixon). Morgan also wrote the screenplay for the film, which debuts in major U.S. cities on December 5 and elsewhere across the United States and the world in coming months. "There is about 10 percent fiction," Frost, 69, who now hosts a show on the Al Jazeera English network, told Reuters in a recent interview. "It's just minor things in the fiction that really can be summed up as the things that Peter was doing to try and build me up as an underdog." "To build up the ending so he left out all the things I'd done by the time of the Nixon interviews -- three prime ministers, three ex-presidents, all sorts of stuff," he said. Frost's 1977 interview, three years after Nixon was forced to resign over the Watergate scandal, gripped viewers around the world as the former president admitted for the first time he had made mistakes and let the American people down. Critics at the time had scoffed at whether the British TV personality could hold is own against former lawyer Nixon. Howard told Reuters that Morgan, nominated for an Oscar for writing 2006's "The Queen," accentuated parts of Frost's character to show why people may have doubted his abilities. Frost paid Nixon some $600,000 for interviews that produced nearly 29 hours of footage and took place over 12 days, two days of which was dedicated to questions on Watergate. Frost is releasing "Frost/Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews" on DVD on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. Frost said his goal was always to give Nixon "the trial that he never had" and that "to a certain extent we did achieve more than we could have hoped."
 
"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" SCOOPS BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS [BBC, 12/1/08]
A movie about a poor Indian boy who wins a game show fortune has taken three prizes, including best film, at the British Independent Film Awards. Slumdog Millionaire, which is not out in the U.K until January, 2009, also won best director for Danny Boyle and best newcomer for 18-year-old Dev Patel. Political drama Hunger also took three prizes, with Michael Fassbender named best actor for playing Bobby Sands. Harry Potter star David Thewlis picked up an outstanding contribution prize. The 45-year-old, who plays Remus Lupin in the wizarding franchise, is also known for his roles in Mike Leigh's Naked and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven.  His co-star in concentration camp drama The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Vera Farmiga, took home the best actress award from the London ceremony. Hitman comedy In Bruges, which had received seven nominations, only picked up one trophy - for best screenplay. Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky, the tale of a North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her, scooped two prizes. Eddie Marsan took best supporting actor for his role as Scott, a driving instructor with rage issues. Alexis Zegerman was named best supporting actress as the heroine's long-suffering flatmate, Zoe. Michael Sheen, who plays David Frost in the film adaptation of Frost/Nixon, was honoured with the Variety Award for bringing global recognition to the British film industry. Best foreign film went to political animation, Waltz With Bashir. However, two of the ceremony's highest-profile nominees, Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes failed to win awards. Knightley had received a best actress nod for her role in The Duchess, while Fiennes, who is currently appearing at the National Theatre in Oedipus, was up for best supporting actor in both The Duchess and In Bruges. This year's jury included Atonement director Joe Wright, photographer Rankin and the actress Anne Marie Duff. Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson, co-directors of the awards said it had been a "stellar year" for independent films in Britain. The prizes for Slumdog Millionaire will almost certainly boost Oscar buzz for the film, which has already won the influential People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
 
INTERNATIONAL PRESS ACADEMY ANNOUNCES AWARDS NOMINATIONS
[Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 12/1/08]
Getting a jump on rival awards groups, the International Press Academy announced its nominees Sunday, November 30 for its 13th annual Satellite Awards. Vying for best motion picture drama are "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Revolutionary Road," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk" and "Frozen River." In the best comedy or musical motion picture category, the nominees are "Happy-Go-Lucky," "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," "Vicky Christina Barcelona," "Tropic Thunder," "In Bruges" and "Choke." The 12-year-old entertainment press organization also announced its 10 best films of 2008, citing, in alphabetical order, "Ballast," "Changeling," "Doubt," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Frozen River," "Milk," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire." Among the TV nominees, the best drama series contenders are "Brotherhood," "In Treatment," "Primeval," "Life on Mars," "Dexter" and "Mad Men." Best comedy or musical series nominees are "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "30 Rock," "Pushing Daisies," "State of the Union," "The Colbert Report" and "Skins." The group chose nominees in 22 film categories, 12 TV categories, six DVD categories and five DVD categories. The winners will be announced at awards ceremonies December 14, 2008 at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City.
 
'CHRISTMAS STORY' FANS CELEBRATE FILM'S 25th YEAR [AP, 11/30/08]
Fans of the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" are celebrating the film's 25th anniversary with a convention and trips to the house where the movie was made. The 1983 film, an adaptation of Jean Shepard's memoir of a boy in the 1940s, was set in Indiana but largely filmed in Ohio. The movie starred Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, a young boy determined to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. The film was a modest theatrical success, but critics loved it. It eventually joined "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street" as a Christmas cult classic. "It's a film about being a kid and looking back," said Brian Jones, who owns the house where the movie was shot and the neighboring museum dedicated to the film. About 4,000 fans are attending the convention at Cleveland's Renaissance Hotel, where they'll meet some of the film's actors, watch three documentaries made about the film and see the original 1938 fire truck from a famous scene in the movie involving a child's tongue stuck to a frozen pole. "It is unbelievable that a movie has touched the lives of millions of families," said Phil Gillen, son of the late actor Jeff Gillen who played the movie's worn-out Santa Claus. He traveled from Miami with his family to attend the convention.
 
"TONY MANERO" WINS TOP PRIZE AT TURIN FILM FESTIVAL [Reuters/Hollywood, 11/30/08]
"Tony Manero," an unlikely drama about a serial killer obsessed with John Travolta's character from "Saturday Night Fever," was awarded the Best Film prize at the 26th Turin Film Festival, which concluded Saturday, November 29. The Brazil-Chile co-production from director Pablo Larrain also won the Italian festival's film critics' award and produced the Best Actor prize for lead performer Alfredo Castro. French actress Emmanuelle Devos won the Best Actress award for her role in Fien Troch's "Non-Dit" (Unspoken). Sean Baker's drama "The Prince of Broadway" won the jury prize. But the award winners were almost overshadowed by a non-announcement from Turin's second-year artistic director, Nanni Moretti. The noted auteur, who took the helm at Turin last year after announcing a sabbatical from filmmaking, was expected to announce Saturday whether he would stay at the festival for a longer period. Instead, he said a decision would be made within a week. 
 
"NEW MOON" POSSIBLY BEGIN FILMING IN MARCH, HINTS KRISTEN STEWART [Aceshowbiz, 11/30/08]
"New Moon" may start lensing in March 2009. ShockTillYouDrop reported that the potential production date has been revealed by "Twilight" actress, Kristen Stewart, when she chatted with Ryan Seacrest on his radio show on KiisFM. Apart from when the shooting may begin, the 18-year-old also gushed about where some of the filming will take place. "A lot of the book takes place in Italy, and I think we're going to get to go to Italy, which is so cool," she said, adding, "For a while there, they were like, 'oh, we don't know if we have the money', but now I think we may have the money!" On the occasion, the co-star of Jodie Foster in "Panic Room" also made time to talk about the Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" novel itself. "It's oddly engaging," she explained. "I mean, you read the book and you feel like you are the character. It's a totally vicarious experience. She's such a good strong female character. I can understand why girls put herself in that position." "New Moon" is an adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's second novel in her Twilight series. While "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke is rumoured to be in talks to return helming the sequel, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has been set to come back and pen the script for this second movie. Earlier report has also claimed that both leading actors, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, will earn $12 million each for "New Moon".
 
"DURHAM COUNTY" AND "ENGLISHMAN'S BOY" WIN AT GEMINI AWARDS [CBC, 11/30/08]
New shows and new faces took some of the top prizes at the Gemini Awards Friday night, November 28 with dark drama Durham County taking home three awards. Another big winner was Cock'd Guns, a rock mockumentary that won two Geminis, including best comedy writing and best ensemble performance. "This is for best writing, but the show is improvised," said actor-writer Morgan Waters in accepting the first of the two awards. "Durham County", about a homicide detective played by Hugh Dillon who moves his family to Durham County after his partner is killed, won best direction for Holly Dale, best acting performance for Justin Louis and best actress in a leading dramatic role for Hélène Joy. Project Runway Canada, which debuted on the Slice Network in October 2007, won the Gemini for best reality TV show, its first win. Producer Andrea Gabourie said the appeal of the show was that average people get to display their talents. Chris Haddock's Vancouver crime drama Intelligence was named best dramatic series but no one from the show was present to accept the award. The show was cancelled by CBC earlier this year. The best comedy Gemini went to CBC's This Hour has 22 Minutes, the weekly satirical show that pokes fun at Canada's current affairs. Executive producer Mark Farrell said the show's writers are going to have to be nimble to catch up with current political winds out of Ottawa, where the NDP and Liberals are cooking up a plan to overturn the Tories. Three CBC hosts were named tops of their profession — Ian Hanomansing won the award for best news anchor, Ron Maclean won best host of a sports program for Hockey Day in Canada and George Stroumboulopoulos won best host of a talk program for The Hour. In his acceptance speech, Stroumboulopoulos paid tribute to the program New Music Canada, which fell to cutbacks this week. Stroumboulopoulos made his start at the program and said it was unparalleled in giving exposure to Canadian bands. The other double winner was CBC's The Englishman's Boy, which was named best dramatic mini-series and earned best actor honours for star Nicholas Campbell. Campbell is starring in the stage play Festen and couldn't accept his award in person. Those wins were in addition to four Geminis the mini-series picked up at a ceremony last month. Kevin DeWalt, the Regina-based producer of "The Englishman's Boy", said it took him 12 years to bring it to the screen after he optioned Guy Vanderhaeghe's book. MuchMusic VJ Leah Miller won the Viewers Choice best actress honours and Roswell and Bones star Brendan Fehr won Viewer's Choice best male actor. The Gemini Awards for the best in Canadian TV were hosted by Jason Priestley, of 90210 fame, who poked a little fun at his old show. "Let's face it, there never would have been a Beverly Hills, 91210 if DeGrassi Junior High hadn't paved the way with poorer, less aggressive kids," he said, referring to the show as "9021-Oh for god's sake would you let it go already."
 
ANOTHER "THE X-FILES" FILM MAY DEPEND ON "I WANT TO BELIEVE" DVD [Aceshowbiz, 11/30/08]
Having shared his future plans of another "The X-Files" movie, Frank Spotnitz now revealed that the development of the third "X-Files" film may depend on the DVD sales of "The X-Files: I Want to Believe". To Bloody-Disgusting, the popular sci-fi thriller series said about his belief of future film installment saying, "I think there very well could be more in the future. ...When the studio looks at the sales of the DVD that's when they will really decide to see if its worth risking." On the disappointing result "I Want to Believe" attained at the box office, Spotnitz pointed out on the bad timing of the release. "We were all a bit disappointed, we had some indication that we were in for a rough time when The Dark Knight started to become the phenomenon that it is, and breaking records. The Dark Knight is a history making film at the box office, and we came out with our little dark film a week after," so he said. Previously, the television writer has hinted that if another "The X-Files" movie were to be made, it will most likely see the return of the aliens to the sci-fi film, stating, "I mean, if we were to make one more feature, I think we would definitely have to deal with alien colonization." He also fessed-up that the third film may become the last of the series, and may come out in 2012. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" debuted fourth at the North American box office behind "The Dark Knight" and "Step Brothers" upon its release on July 25. The movie that teams up once again David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson has so far collected $67.7 million worldwide. It will come out on DVD and Blu-ray on December 2, 2008.
 
SEAN PENN OFFERS WARM "MILK" TO MOVIE FANS [Reuters, 11/29/08]
Even in liberal Hollywood, an openly gay actor with a marketable name is a hard commodity to find, and if anyone should know, it is the filmmakers behind new movie, "Milk." Fortunately for them they had Sean Penn, the very straight Oscar winner who has loyal fans and seems able to play any role in front of him, including San Francisco's gay politician Harvey Milk who was murdered on the job in November, 1978. "He came in kind of ready made" for the role, director Gus Van Sant told Reuters about winner of the best actor Academy Award for playing a hard-nosed cop in 2003's "Mystic River." In real life, Penn has maintained a tough guy image ever since getting into scrapes with the paparazzi early in his career. Yet in the movies, he has shown wide versatility, whether playing a mentally retarded man in "I Am Sam," a jazz guitarist in "Sweet and Lowdown" or a death row inmate in "Dead Man Walking" -- all which earned him Oscar nominations. Harvey Milk may be his best role yet, many critics say. Writing for USA Today, reviewer Claudia Puig called Penn's performance "magnificent, career-topping" and Kenneth Turan, in a generally mixed review of the overall film, called Penn's performance "strong and convincing." In recent years, several A-list actresses have come out of the closet as lesbians, including Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell. But it has been a rare event for gay men. Perhaps the highest profile actor to do so was TV star Neil Patrick Harris. "It was hard to find gay actors who were out," said openly gay director Van Sant. "There really aren't (many). You could do it, but they would be unknowns and that would be fine with me, but the money (financiers) would start to get nervous." The fact that Penn and his co-stars -- James Franco, Emile Hirsch and Diego Luna -- could feel comfortable playing gay roles, coupled with how small the pool of marketable gay actors truly is, shows at least one thing: times have changed in Hollywood for gay men but they have also stayed the same. "Milk" picks up on the politician's life after he moves from New York to California, and it focuses almost exclusively on Milk's political involvement in San Francisco. Milk lost several early campaigns but finally was elected to the city's Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to hold a major public office in the United States. By using broadcast film footage of the 1970s gay rights battles, Van Sant offers not just a portrait of a man, but a look at the times and the city, too.
 
MADONNA'S FILM "I AM BECAUSE WE ARE" TO AIR ON SUNDANCE [AP, 11/29/08]
Madonna's awakening to the crisis in Malawi — an impoverished African nation where one million children are orphaned by AIDS — had many consequences. She adopted one of those orphans, her 3-year-old son David. She is building a school there. And she has told Malawi's harrowing story in her documentary, "I Am Because We Are." With an audience thus far limited to isolated theater screenings, it will be screened for everyone with its TV premiere on Sundance Channel at 9 p.m. EST Monday, December 1  (World AIDS Day). The feature-length film was written, produced and narrated by Madonna (directed by Nathan Rissman). It consults experts including President Bill Clinton and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But the film's real power is its images, which are often dismaying but, here and there, reflect hope and a remarkable will to survive. "I had many goals," said Madonna during a phone conversation from her Manhattan home a few days ago. "I did get to a point where I thought, 'I'm being overambitious, I'm trying to say too much, I'll never accomplish it.' But I feel proud of the fact that I did get to make all my points." Among her points: an insistence that any crisis comes with solutions, however hard-won and piecemeal. The film offers its audience a menu of constructive responses. "If all you can do is live life in YOUR world in a way that shows you are responsible for the people around you, that's a course of action," said Madonna. "People can be of service in large ways and small." The first wide exposure of "I Am Because We Are" may be coming at a propitious time, which befits the pop superstar who made it, with her knack for anticipating and identifying cultural trends. Though on a brief New York break from her concert tour, Madonna said the day's long to-do list called for this AP interview to be followed by interviews she would be conducting herself: with prospective head mistresses for the girls school she is building in Malawi. "We're all going there together at the end of March," she said, referring to David, 8-year-old son Rocco and 12-year-old daughter Lourdes.
 
"MIRACLE WORKER" PLAYWRIGHT WILLIAM GIBSON DIES AT 94 [CBC, 11/29/08]
Writer William Gibson, best known for penning the inspirational Helen Keller play The Miracle Worker, has died at the age of 94. Gibson died at his home in Stockbridge, Mass., on Tuesday, November 25, according to his family. Though his oeuvre also included novels, short stories and poetry, Gibson was best known for penning stage productions. The New York writer's first professionally produced play was the highly successful 1958 romantic drama Two for the Seesaw, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Anne Bancroft. However, it would be his next collaboration with Penn and Bancroft for which Gibson would forever be associated. The Miracle Worker started out as a play written for television about the blind and deaf Keller and her unrelenting teacher, Anne Sullivan. In 1959, it debuted as a Broadway production — directed by Penn and starring Bancroft and a 12-year-old Patty Duke. The following year, The Miracle Worker was a smash at the Tony Awards, scoring trophies for best play, as well as for Bancroft (actress), Penn (director) and Gibson (writer). The subsequent film adaptation in 1962 also won acclaim, leading to Academy Awards for Bancroft and Duke and nominations for Penn and Gibson. Gibson's other stage credits included Golden Boy, a musical adaptation of the Clifford Odets play, and Golda's Balcony, a heavily revised version of his earlier flop Golda. Gibson is survived by two sons.
 
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. ALMOST SERIOUSLY INJURED DURING "SHERLOCK HOLMES" FILMING [Aceshowbiz, 11/29/08]
Robert Downey Jr. almost got a serious injury during the filming of "Sherlock Holmes". According to the report by The Sun, the star of "Iron Man" who is playing legendary detective Holmes has been knocked unconscious when shooting a fight scene with co-star Robert Maillet at Chatham dockyard in Kent. Though walking away with six stitches in his mouth, the incident left the 43-year-old "out cold" for about six seconds and "drooling blood" before medics could bring him round. Recalling the incident, a nurse said, "Robert was accidentally caught on the chin by a thundering hook. He went flying and was out cold. He didn't want to go to hospital and kept trying to get up. He's a trooper. But there have been lots of other problems too." Other that this mishap, another serious incident also occurred on the set. On Thursday, November 27, a loaded petrol tanker exploded in a fireball during a delivery to the set, forcing the set to be closed for two hours and Downey Jr., Jude Law and director Guy Ritchie to flee from the set. These series of accident on the set has caused the filming crew to think that the movie may be cursed. Aimed for a November 20, 2009 U.S. release, " Sherlock Holmes" reportedly is based on Lionel Wigram's upcoming comic book and centers on the adventures of the famed 19th Century detective. Apart from Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, this action thriller film will also see Rachel McAdams as she takes on the role of Irene Adler, Holmes' love interest.
 
MATT DAMON NOT YET SIGNED FOR FOURTH "BOURNE" FILM [Aceshowbiz, 11/29/08]
Despite the claims of earlier reports about him being attached to fourth "Bourne" film, Matt Damon has said otherwise. The Celebrity Truth reported that the 38-year-old actor has told Extra that he has yet to be signed for "Untitled Bourne 4 Project". Addressing more on his potential return as action man Jason Bourne, Damon suggests that he will join the project if director Paul Greengrass is willing to do the movie. "If Paul Greengrass (the director) wants to do the movie, then there would definitely be a reason to do it," he explains, adding, "He's just a terrific director." On the movie itself, the Academy Award recipient for his screenwriting in "Good Will Hunting" states that the movie is still far away from its big screen release. "That movie is way, way, way down stream. They've just commissioned the script," so he claims. Still, he shares some hope stating, "I think everyone's moving forward with the expectation that it's gonna happen but it wouldn't come out for a few years." Rejecting the possibility of Bourne being the next generation's James Bond, Damon says, "It's not built in a way to go forever. Whereas Bond can have a different mission with every movie and have new bad guys, Bourne is very much dealing with the same issues. Unless you kind of turned it into a guy who started accepting missions and going on them, which I don't see being true to the spirit of that character." The fourth "Bourne" film has been reported to be penned by George Nolfi, the screenwriter of "The Sentinel" and "Ocean's Twelve". On the story, producer Frank Marshall earlier suggested that it will be adapted from a fourth book which isn't being written by Robert Ludlum. The producer also hints that this time, Bourne may head to South America.
 
TOM TYKWER "THE INTERNATIONAL" TO OPEN BERLIN FILM FEST [AP, 11/29/08]
German director Tom Tykwer's action thriller "The International" will kick off the annual Berlin film festival with its world premiere in February, 2009. In the film actors Clive Owen and Naomi Watts play agents trying to uncover the criminal transactions of a powerful bank. Festival organizers said Friday the film would be shown out of competition. Tykwer is best known for the film "Run Lola Run." He also directed "Perfume" two years ago. British actress Tilda Swinton will head the festival jury. The festival runs Feb. 5-15, 2009. The Berlin event is the first of the year's major European film festivals.
 
CITY BALLET CELEBRATES WHOPPER OF A GIFT [AP, 11/28/08]
Next time you're looking for a place to donate $100 million, consider a theater: Such a sum can get you the best pair of seats, any night you want them, for the rest of your life. That's what New York City Ballet chief Peter Martins offered David H. Koch on Tuesday night, November 25 as he toasted the oil billionaire, one of the world's richest men, sitting with his wife in the first ring. Koch's gift, pledged in the summer, will help renovate Lincoln Center formerly named New York State Theater — now, it's named after Koch — home to both the ballet troupe and to New York City Opera. If times weren't so hard, Martins told Koch from the stage, the entire audience would have gotten some vodka, as they did in January 2004, on what would have been George Balanchine's 100th birthday. But in this economy, only Martins, Koch and his wife got the booze. Otherwise, it was the usual fall gala at New York City Ballet, with ample opportunity for people-watching. Sarah Jessica Parker was there in a glittery black minidress, running into friends like the designer Valentino and Candace Bushnell, the sex columnist on which Parker's famous TV character, Carrie Bradshaw, was based (Bushnell is married to an NYCB principal dancer.) As for the dancing, it was a greatest-hits style evening, a pleasing mix of styles, choreographers and composers. A weightier first act gave way to a more lighthearted second half, with the guest Julliard Jazz Orchestra onstage, playing music from Wynton Marsalis to Ray Charles to Duke Ellington. After the show, the well-clad crowd retired to the promenade for dinner and dancing, leaving the rest of the crowd to file somewhat wistfully out of the building.
 
LARRY KING TO GUEST STAR ON "30 ROCK" [Aceshowbiz, 11/28/08]
It has been reported by TV Week that American veteran host for television and radio, Larry King, will make his debut appearance on the hit comedy series "30 Rock" for an upcoming episode of season three. Moreover, a reliable source has informed that King has filmed his scene on the set of his CNN talk show, "Larry King Live". King is said to contribute to the series by playing himself. In his special appearance, he reportedly will star opposite the series' character Tracy Jordan, played by Tracy Morgan. There is no official confirmation from the series' representative, the network, or King himself about this future cameo. 
 
"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" MOVIE COULD BE ON THE WAY [Aceshowbiz, 11/28/08]
Emmy-Award Winning American cult television series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", may be a step closer to being brought up to the big screen. In its November 27 edition, Herald-Sun Newspaper has suggested that a script for the feature film has been written, as reported by Moviehole. Quoting the Australian newspaper, Moviehole wrote in its report that Joss Whedon has got a film script for the television series on his hand and is only waiting for the green light. "Rumours are circulating in Hollywood that [Joss] Whedon has a feature-film script based on his hit TV series ready to roll as soon as a studio is prepared to commit," so read the quotation. On the reason of bringing up "Buffy" to the big screen, Herald-Sun pointed out on the success of another vampire movie, "Twilight". "The monster success of girly vampire pic Twilight at the U.S. Box office last weekend could kick open the door for a big-screen return of Joss Whedon's much-loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer," wrote the publication. The original television series of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" follows the story of Buffy Summers, a young woman fated to battle against vampires, demons and other forces of darkness. The series which started its run in 1997 was starred by Sarah Michelle Gellar. The Buffy concept was first unveiled as a movie in 1992 with Kristy Swanson taking the titular role.
 
MICHAEL CERA FILM "PAPER HEARTS" EXPECTED AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL [CBC, 11/28/08]
A new film featuring Canadian actor Michael Cera is expected to debut at next year's Sundance Film Festival, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Sundance won't announce its lineup until December, but Paper Hearts is already creating high expectations. "Paper Hearts" is described as part documentary, part scripted comedy, and centres around Cera's real-life relationship with girlfriend Charlyne Yi, who played the pigtailed stoner in "Knocked Up". The film has drawn attention for its host of talent from the Judd Apatow stable — the director is Nicholas Jasenovec, an actor from Superbad making his directing debut. Promoters have released little information about the film, hoping it will emerge at Sundance as a surprise hit. Cera, born in Brampton, Ont., has acted since he was a teenager, but came to wide acclaim with roles in Superbad, Juno and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. The Sundance Film Festival, considered the foremost forum for independent films, announces its 2009 program next week.
 
ROMAN RIOT AS POLANSKI HITS TURIN FILM FESTIVAL [BBC, 11/27/08]
A personal appearance by veteran director Roman Polanski is the main talking point at this year's Turin Film Festival. The line of people outside the Massimo cinema extends right down the Via Verdi almost as far as the Universita degli Studi di Torino. The afternoon, though sunny, is bitterly cold. Yet that has not deterred some expectant punters from waiting for the last two hours. The queue is not for the latest James Bond adventure, though, or some up-and-coming rock band. Instead it is for a 75-year-old film-maker whose distinguished body of work goes hand in hand with a life steeped in tragedy and scandal. Diminutive of stature, Roman Polanski is nevertheless a cinematic titan who has given us some of the most memorable motion pictures of the last five decades. All of them feature in a complete retrospective that is one of the highlights of this year's Turin Film Festival. At the nearby Museo Nazionale del Cinema, the gantry that snakes around its spectacular five-storey exhibition hall is decorated with blown-up photographs from the director's own collection. Viewed together, they offer fascinating insights into the making of such iconic masterworks as Repulsion, Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby. A snap from the latter's set sees its star Mia Farrow visibly delighted by a chart breaking down her performance into separate components. It is the man himself, though, who delights as he arrives to field questions posed by the festival's artistic director, Italian film-maker Nanni Moretti. Offering his apologies for speaking in French, the Oscar-winning director of The Pianist revealed he deliberately set himself challenges with each of his films. Re-watching his 1971 adaptation on Macbeth recently, he decided the film would have been better had Martin Shaw - the actor cast as Banquo - had played the title role instead. Of all his features, however, the one that gives him most pain is his costly 1986 flop Pirates. This was not the forum to broach the real nightmares in Polanski's life - the brutal murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate, or the death of his mother in a Nazi concentration camp. Nor did Moretti mention the statutory rape conviction that prompted the director to flee the U.S in the late 1970s. A sign of the retrospective's totality, however, is the inclusion of a BBC-funded documentary about this still-unresolved court case. Introducing her film later in the festival, its American director Marina Zenovich points out how its title - Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired - sums up how he is regarded on the two sides of the Atlantic. Even in his eighth decade, it seems, Polanski is never too far from controversy. The 26th Turin Film Festival continues until 29 November, 2008.
 
DEMI MOORE SHIMMERS AT "FLAWLESS" GALA [BBC, 11/27/08]
Hollywood star Demi Moore, along with husband Ashton Kutcher, have attended the charity premiere of her latest film, Flawless, in London's West End. The 46-year-old actress, who plays a 1960s businesswoman frustrated by the glass ceiling, said scooping film roles as an older woman was a challenge. "It's not difficult, but different. It's not ageism, but as human beings we're captivated with what's new". Moore stars opposite Sir Michael Caine in the movie, which opens on Friday. Moore, who was dressed in an eye-catching Chanel gown, said there was no reason why she should not continue acting into her seventies like the Oscar-winning actor. The pair form an alliance in the film, which tells the story of an ambitious diamond robbery. Moore's 30-year-old husband posed for photographs, but did not speak to reporters at the gala. Flawless director Michael Radford described his pleasure at working with its leads. "It's great working with people who know their business. You don't direct Michael Caine. There is nothing to say to him. He's so inch-perfect and very professional. "I was asking Demi to play her age, and that's not kind," he added. The British film-maker, whose previous credits include Il Postino, revealed that his current film project has been halted as a result of the global financial crisis. "The film industry is being affected really, really badly. I am supposed to be making a film in Spain at the moment, and on 10 November all Spanish banks ceased their cash flow for movies. "It's stopped us in our tracks. I'm waiting to find if there's another way of getting money for pre-production that's not from the banks. British actor Nathaniel Parker said the chance to work with Radford had been an immediate attraction to taking a role in Flawless. "He's one of the best storytellers we've seen in the last 30 or 40 years," said the star. He also revealed that the premiere was his first glimpse of the finished movie. "On the flights from Los Angeles I saw it was available, but said 'Nope! I'm not going to watch it'." He agreed that Flawless was an old-fashioned film with "no action, no sex and no violence - and it's a thriller!"
 
DIVORCE TAKES A HOLIDAY IN "FOUR CHRISTMASES" [Reuters, 11/27/08]
Marriage, kids and divorce have all had their impact on Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, so when it comes to planning the holidays and extended family visits, she has this advice: go with the flow. Witherspoon, 32, sees her new film comedy "Four Christmases," debut in U.S. theaters on Wednesday, November 26 telling of an unmarried couple whose relationship is forever changed after a series of holiday visits to their four divorced parents. The actress, who has two young children with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, said in recent interviews that she deals with her own family dynamics at the holidays by trying to stay open and communicating with everyone concerned. "It's all very go with the flow, whatever happens in the moment," she said. After seven years of marriage, she and Phillippe separated in 2006 and finalized their divorce this past June. She said her feelings about marriage have changed, somewhat. Divorces and extended families are often the norm in today's world, but Witherspoon said the story being told in "Four Christmases" seemed very unique for moviegoers. "I've never really seen someone have to deal with the idea of blended family and how they have to go to a million different places," Witherspoon said. "But I hear people complain about it constantly." Witherspoon, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of country singer June Carter in "Walk the Line," produced "Four Christmases" through her company Type A Films. She and co-star Vince Vaughn play a couple living together in a posh San Francisco apartment, who every Christmas come up with an excuse to avoid their families. The parents are played by Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight. Steenburgen, who is married to actor Ted Danson, said her Christmas resembles the way one of the households in the movie handles their holiday.
 
KRISTEN STEWART AND ROBERT PATTINSON MAY GET $12 MILLION EACH FOR "NEW MOON" [Aceshowbiz, 11/26/08]
Having a major hit movie with the recently released "Twilight", Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson reportedly will get a huge salary boost for the sequels, including "New Moon". According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the two young leading actors are looking forward to bring home $12 million each, six times more than what they have earned in "Twilight". Apart from the six times $10 million paycheck raise, the actors who play the unlikely lover, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen will also get a nice percentage of the future movies' box-office take. Though both Stewart and Pattinson have revealed that they are already signed for a three-picture deal, the official confirmation about their returns have yet to be released. In an interview with MTV earlier, Pattinson confessed that "New Moon" is his favorite book. "I'm looking forward to doing the re-emergence...at the end of the second book, when he's killing himself," the 22-year-old expressed his excitement. "I think that'd be kind of spectacular seeing that. And the second book is my favorite book, so I'm quite looking forward to doing it." "New Moon" is an adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's second novel in her Twilight series. Continuing the story of a mortal girl named Bella who falls for a vampire named Edward, this first sequel will be scripted also by "Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg. The official announcement of "New Moon" development came after "Twilight" scored big on its opening day with $35.7 million on its pocket.
 
"CADILLAC RECORDS" STARS GLAMMED UP FOR LOS ANGELES PREMIERE [Aceshowbiz, 11/26/08]
A Los Angeles premiere event for "Cadillac Records" has been held on Monday, November 24, 2008 evening, at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California. Benefiting Phoenix House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those affected by addiction, the gala saw the film's stars dressing up for the special occasion. While scruffy Adrien Brody walked down the red carpet wearing a black suit, his co-star Beyonce Knowles came to the premiere dressed in a black Dolce & Gabbana dress with puff sleeves. Brody was accompanied by Elsa Pataky, whereas Knowles brought her mother, Tina Knowles, to the special evening. Other than Brody and Knowles, their other co-stars making an appearance at the event included Gabrielle Union, Jeffrey Wright, Eamonn Walker, Columbus Short and Chyna Layne. The film's producer Andrew Lack as well as other guests, such as Etta James, Lauren London, Rachel Roberts and Sanaa Lathan were also seen on the red carpet. "Cadillac Records" is directed and scripted by Darnell Martin. It is a drama musical chronicling the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists that include Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf. It will come out to the U.S. big screen on December 5, 2008.
 
FOX NEW REALITY SHOW "SECRET MILLIONAIRE" [Aceshowbiz, 11/26/08]
Two TV promos, introducing the new reality show on FOX titled "Secret Millionaire" have been given out. The videos show how the actual-millionaires go on disguise as a person in need to experience how it feels to survive in impoverished neighborhood and consequently find the right person to share their fat pile of bucks. To be premiered on December 3, 2008 at 8 P.M., "Secret Millionaire" will follow several wealthy Americans in their mission to help improve the life of people in need but through a thorough observation on who should deserve it. As an undercover, they will work minimum wage jobs and live in a poverty-stricken neighborhoods including in the community that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. On the last day of their mission, they will reveal their true identities to the people they have been involved in and decide who should take away the prize. Other communities visited by the show are the old coal mining town in Schuylkill County, PA, and areas outside of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. The millionaires that participate are Internet entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal; Raising Cane's CEOs Todd and Gwen Graves; Century Software, Inc. founder Gregory R. Haerr; founders of DUB Magazine Myles and Cynthia Kovacs; Ruzicka & Wallace law firm founders Gregory and Cole Ruzicka, and civic leader Molly Shattuck.
 
"I AM LEGEND 2" POSSIBLY MORE A SEQUEL THAN PREQUEL [Aceshowbiz, 11/26/08]
Rumour has it, "I Am Legend" prequel might no longer be a prequel. In an unconfirmed twist related to "Untitled I Am Legend Prequel", AICN has broken out the possibility that the second movie to the blockbuster horror thriller starring Will Smith may instead be a sequel as their scooper Westwood9 came out with an update about the project. Reporting on the matter, Westwood9 firstly explained that at the beginning, Warner Bros. went along with Smith's initial story which "took place several years before the original film and there were still pockets of survivors". But after screenwriter D.B. Weiss and Smith officially joined the project, they allegedly decided to shake things up by making the project a sequel. Despite this report, Warner Bros. have yet to come out with confirmation nor denial on the sequel potential. Back in late September, Warner Bros. Pictures have confirmed that the prequel of "I Am Legend" is en route. At the time, it is noted that the story will be centered on the final days leading up to wiping up of the New York population by the man-made virus. "I Am Legend" itself is Lawrence's sci-fi horror film based on Richard Matheson's novel of the same name. Telling the story about the lone survivor in the world that has been infected by incurable virus, the flick starring Will Smith, Alice Braga and Charlie Tahan has opened first on the box office with $77.2 million and since its release on December 14, 2007, it has collected $584 million worldwide.
 
SCHRADER TAKES  BOLLYWOOD ACTION MOVIE  "EXTREME CITY" TO  INDIA
[Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/25/08]
Saying that he feels the U.S. film market has become "barren," Paul Schrader, the writer of classics "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," is packing his bags for Mumbai, India, to write and direct the Bollywood action movie "Extreme City." "I've been getting indie movies made for 20 years," he said. "But I take a good look around and what I see is a barren, barren place -- in terms of the financial community, in terms of audiences, in terms of distribution. It's cold out there." In India, on the other hand, he says there are ways to gain both creative freedom and audiences. "City" is a cross-cultural tale that centers on an American man who travels to India to help resolve a kidnapping case for his father-in-law, only to get caught up in a gangster plot. In the Bollywood tradition, the film likely will contain some musical numbers. But Schrader says it's "not a Masala movie," referring to the term for a style of Bollywood film that combines action, romance, family drama and other genres in one big stew. Schrader is working on the script for the film, whose dialogue will be spoken in English and Hindi. "City" will be produced by Anubhav Sinha, the noted Indian director (he most recently directed the Bollywood action movie "Cash"). Schrader and Sinha are in talks with a number of Bollywood stars; the movie could get green-lighted at a bigger Bollywood studio or go the indie route. Schrader, who made his name as a writer on classics like "Raging Bull" and as a writer-director on Oscar winner "Affliction," is the latest film figure seeking to build a bridge to India. One of the fall's nascent hits is "Slumdog Millionaire," Danny Boyle's romantic action tale set in India. Indie director Jennifer Lynch is making the India-set mystery "Hisss," and last year's "The Darjeeling Limited," by Wes Anderson, was shot in India. Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment has a deal with Indian entertainment company UTV to produce two movies. And the DreamWorks studio is now financed by India-based Reliance Big Entertainment. Still, Schrader is the highest-profile contemporary U.S. writer or director to migrate to Bollywood. He said that, given the trajectory of both film cultures, the trend could continue. "Old Bollywood will never go away," he said, "but it's changing. Movies can be shorter than two hours. There doesn't need to be singing and dancing." In the meantime, "Adam Resurrected," a Holocaust drama that Schrader directed, is receiving Oscar-qualifying runs before it opens in early 2009. The film stars Jeff Goldblum as a German-Jewish performer who survives the war by performing for a Nazi commander. 
 
SCREENWRITER WHO PENNED "REAR WINDOW" DIES [BBC, 11/25/08]
John Michael Hayes, an American screenwriter associated with Hollywood blockbusters and who did four films with Alfred Hitchcock, has died. He was 89. Hayes died of natural causes Wednesday, November 19 at his retirement home in Hanover, N.H., according to John Wilson of Rand Wilson Funeral Home. Hayes worked with Hitchcock on To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry and the 1956 remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his script for Rear Window, the taut Hitchcock thriller starring Jimmy Stewart as a man confined to a wheelchair who witnesses a murder in a neighbouring apartment. It is considered one of Hitchcock's finest films and earned Hayes an Edgar Award. Hayes also wrote the screenplay for the 1958 Mark Robson-directed film Peyton Place, which won three Oscars and earned another three nominations, including one for scriptwriting. Hayes was born in Worcester, Mass., in 1919. He got his start writing for newspapers and radio and the Associated Press wire service. This earned him enough to pay his way through school at Massachusetts State College. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he moved to Hollywood and wrote for radio programs such as Lucille Ball's My Favorite Husband and the serial drama The Adventures of Sam Spade. He moved into film in 1952, writing melodramas such as Torch Song, Butterfield Eight and The Carpetbaggers. In the 1960s, Hayes tried his hand at TV writing, penning scripts for Winter Kill, Nevada Smith and Adams of Eagle Lake. He was a writing instructor at Dartmouth College's film studies program for several years and wrote his last screenplay, Iron Will, in 1994. Hayes donated his collection of scripts, photographs, letters and clippings from his Hollywood career to Dartmouth College in 1990.
 
STEVEN SEAGAL TO STAR ON A&E NEW SERIES [Aceshowbiz, 11/25/08]
Famous martial actor, Steven Seagal, will return to acting. It has been reported that the action hero actor has signed a deal with A&E network to star in a new reality series revolving his life in law enforcement. The new series where the 56-year-old actor will star in is entitled "Steven Seagal: Lawman". Featuring Seagal and a team of deputies investigating crimes, it also focuses on Seagal's off-duty ventures, including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans. The airdate of Seagal's new series is still to be determined. Seagal gives his statement regarding his new project on small screen, saying, "I believe it's important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in Louisiana to see the passion and commitment that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's office in this post-Katrina environment." For the past 20 years, Steven Seagal, who gets a black belt in aikido, has been working as a fully commissioned deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana.
 
BILLY RAY CYRUS JOINS JACKIE CHAN'S "THE SPY NEXT DOOR" [Aceshowbiz, 11/25/08]
Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus has landed a part in "The Spy Next Door". Joining Jackie Chan in the new action comedy feature film, he will trade his Robby Ray Stewart character in "Hannah Montana" with a CIA agent role, as The Hollywood Reporter claimed. In the movie, he will also share screen with other recently signed actors, George Lopez, Amber Valletta and Katherine Boecher. This role won't be Cyrus' first feature film credit as he has taken on minor role in 2001 mystery movie "Mulholland Drive" and 2004 Kim Basinger-starring film, "Elvis Has Left the Building". While Cyrus will play a CIA agent, Lopez is set to star as another agent who might not be all that he appears. Furthermore, Valletta will be portraying the kids' mother, and Boecher will take the role of a Russian underworld operative. Starring Jackie Chan, "The Spy Next Door" revolves around a man who is asked to baby-sit his neighbor's children. When one of the kids accidentally downloads a secret code, he is now forced to protect them from secret agents. Directed by Brian Levant for Relativity Media, the movie eyes for 2010 release.
 
NYC MURDER TRIAL OPENS FOR ACTOR BRANCATO [AP, 11/25/08]
A prosecutor at the murder trial of Lillo Brancato Jr. told jurors Monday, November 24 the former "Sopranos" actor got involved in the killing of an off-duty police officer during a desperate mission to steal drugs. But the defense said Monday in opening statements that the only culprit was the man already convicted in the shooting. Brancato, 32, is charged with second-degree murder in the 2005 death of Officer Daniel Enchautegui (En-chow-TAY'-gee). Both sides agreed he had a severe drug problem. Assistant District Attorney Theresa Gottlieb said Brancato and the other man, Steven Armento, had set out to steal prescription drugs. Brancato's attorney, Joseph Tacopina, said the only culprit was Armento, who was convicted of first-degree murder on Oct. 30 and has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Authorities say the pair broke into an apartment to steal drugs after a night of drinking at a strip club. Enchautegui, who lived next door, came out to investigate and Armento shot the 28-year-old officer in the heart. Enchautegui fired back, wounding both men. "Lillo was there to satisfy his addiction. But he wasn't there to do violence — and that's important," Tacopina said in his opening statement. Tacopina denied that his client ever entered the apartment, and said Brancato did not know Armento had a gun. Brancato made his debut in 1993 in "A Bronx Tale" opposite Robert De Niro. He's appeared in more than a dozen other movies and played a doomed aspiring mobster in HBO's "The Sopranos."
 
CLIP FROM "NOTORIOUS B.I.G." BIOPIC [Aceshowbiz, 11/25/08]
USA Today has got an exclusive clip of the forthcoming Notorious B.I.G. biopic movie, "Notorious", and now the clip has come out. Focusing on the relationship between B.I.G. and his future wife, R 'n' B singer Faith Evans, the snippet gives out the time B.I.G. asks Evans could he be the man who makes her laughs. Apart from exposing the clip, USA Today also included an interview with Jamal Woolard, the actor who gets the chance to portray the legendary hip hop artist whose real name is Christopher Wallace. Of the essence of the film, he stated that it "is about manhood", explaining further, "It's about a boy turning into a man, and that is Christopher becoming The Notorious B.I.G." In "Notorious", Jamal Woolard is supported by Angela Bassett as B.I.G.'s mother Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as P. Diddy, Antonique Smith as Faith Evans, Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur, Anwan Glover as Snoop Dogg, Naturi Naughton as Lil' Kim and others. It will hit the U.S. big screen on January 16, 2009.
 
"NEW MOON" SCRIPT FINISHED, OFFICIALLY MOVING FORWARD [Aceshowbiz, 11/25/08]
Following a stunning opening day of "Twilight" on Friday, November 21, Summit Entertainment have come out with a great news for "New Moon", the sequel to the romantic vampire drama on Saturday, November 22. In a press release, the studio announced that the second "Twilight" movie are officially en route. Though mentioning no further detail, such as the cast, director, release date or an actual start of production date, about the movie based on Stephenie Meyer's second novel of her Twilight series, the press release included Meyer's comment on the "New Moon" adaptation. "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment," she said. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again on New Moon." On other "New Moon" news, Edward Cullen's depicter, Robert Pattinson, has told the Seattle Times earlier that the script for the sequel has been finished. "The script is already done for the second one," he explained when asked whether "New Moon" will get the green light this November. Previously, it has been reported that "Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has signed on to pen "New Moon" as well as proposed third installment, "Eclipse". Opening on Friday with an estimated $35.7 million, "Twilight" has scored the largest opening day total for a non-sequel, beating out the $35.2 million opening day of "Iron Man". The Catherine Hardwicke-directed movie then continues its amazing run by collecting an impressive $70.6 million over the weekend, making it to be the biggest opening ever for a female director.
 
LAND "WHITE CHRISTMAS" DILUTES ITS HOLIDAY CHEER [AP, 11/24/08]
Who diluted the holiday cheer? The festivities are muted and mild in "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," a lavish, yet surprisingly bland stage adaptation of the popular 1954 movie. This version, which opened Sunday at Broadway's Marquis Theatre, raids Berlin's considerable catalog of songs to augment the film score, which was centered around "White Christmas," the most iconic of the composer's melodies. It's a tale of two song-and-dance men (Stephen Bogardus and Jeffry Denman) who travel to Vermont and save a picturesque inn run by their former World War II commander, a retired general (Charles Dean). Along the way, the buddies find romance with two sisters (Kerry O'Malley and Meredith Patterson). And they put on a show — in a barn, of course — that helps the general's little granddaughter (Melody Hollis) discover what appears to be her inner "Annie" and the military man's long-suffering housekeeper (Susan Mansur) win over her boss. Bogardus, one of Broadway's most dependable leading men, scores with an affecting "How Deep Is the Ocean," which has been artfully entwined with "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me," torched to perfection by O'Malley. "White Christmas," which has played in various cities at holiday time since 2004, is a limited engagement, running on Broadway only through Jan. 4, 2009.
 
"THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON" [Aceshowbiz, 11/24/08]
Another look into drama mystery "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has been unleashed through a fresh international trailer. Courtesy of Bad Taste, the two minutes plus video helps to explain the movie from Benjamin Button's perspective. Giving out many never-before-seen footage, it shows the building-up romance between him and the only woman he loves. Adapted from the classic 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Benjamin Button" is a traveler tale about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards. The story begins in New Orleans at the end of World War I in 1918 and continues to the twenty-first century, chronicling his journey when seeking a place where he fits in. Following the titular character as he travels the world meeting people along the way, finding love and losing it, and learning about the joys of life, the sadness of death and what lasts beyond time, this David Fincher-directed drama stars Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button. It also features also Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond and Elle Fanning, and will come out in U.S. theaters on December 25, 2008.
 
"TWILIGHT" TAKES $70.6 MILLION BITE OUT OF BOX OFFICE [AP, 11/24/08]
The vampire romance "Twilight" drained the box office in its opening weekend, taking in $70.6 million. Catherine Hardwicke's film also enjoyed the biggest opening ever for a female director, blowing away the previous standard of $41.1 million set by Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" in 1998. Drawing from its huge fan base of teenage girls, who fell for Stephenie Meyer's novel of forbidden love between brooding vampire Edward Cullen and bookish high schooler Bella Swan, "Twilight" made a whopping $20,636 per theater, according to Sunday morning estimates. And the fangirls will get another taste soon enough: Summit Entertainment, which released "Twilight," announced during the weekend that it's going ahead with production of "New Moon," based on the second book in Meyer's internationally best-selling series. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart will return as its star-crossed lovers, but whether Hardwicke will be at the helm again is still being determined. The laid-back Hardwicke, who went bodyboarding at sunset Saturday, November 22 to take her mind off this high-pressure weekend, said Sunday morning that she was heading to a meeting later in the day to discuss her possible involvement in "New Moon." "I want to be sure that it's going to be done right. I don't want to rush into it," she said. "It's not like 'Friday the 13th' or 'Halloween,' you can't just do it super fast and knock another one out. I want to understand their plans and all that." Hardwicke, whose previous films include "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown," also said she was thrilled about the prospect that the success of "Twilight" will inspire other women and young girls to pursue a career in filmmaking. "I hope not just women but all minorities get enthused and encouraged by it. I look at the (Directors Guild of America) calendar, at the pictures of everyone that had different movies each month, and it's usually 22-29 different directors, and almost every month there's one female and maybe one minority," she said. "We've been having a lot of events, talking to a lot of fans, and so many kids of course are madly in love with Robert but tons of kids of every kind (and) girls are coming up to me and saying 'I want to direct now, I'm writing a screenplay now, you're my inspiration.' I think it's great that people are getting excited." The big opening for "Twilight" also helps put Summit Entertainment on the map, said Richie Fay, the company's president of domestic distribution. Summit has only been around since April 2007 and "Twilight," its sixth release, cost just $37 million to make. "It certainly says what we've been saying all along, that we can do more with less," he said. Last weekend's No. 1 movie, "Quantum of Solace," came in second with $27.4 million. The latest James Bond extravaganza has now grossed $109.5 million, and it crossed the $100 million mark faster than any other film in the franchise, said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. It's also made $309 million internationally. The other major debut of the weekend, Walt Disney's 3-D animated "Bolt," made $27 million to take third place. Featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, "Bolt" follows the cross-country journey of a dog who plays a superhero on television, but sadly realizes he has no magical powers once he gets separated from his "person." Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
 
FIRST LOOK OF LAURENCE FISHBURNE'S RAYMOND LANGSTON ON "CSI" [Aceshowbiz, 11/23/08]
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" will soon switch faces from the beloved head of department, Gil Grissom, to well-known pathologist, Dr. Raymond Langston. A first look into Laurence Fishburne as Langston has been given out through some pictures and a new CBS promo for the episode 9.09, titled "19 Down" where Langston will make his first appearance. The switching was explained as William Petersen's departure from the show after 9 seasons playing Grissom. Langston's introduction to the show will be marked when Grissom secretly joins Langston's class to gain access to an infamous serial killer, "Dick & Jane Killer". The episode will air December 11 at 9/8c. On the characterization of Langston, CBS previously explained, "His focus is on understanding criminal behavior, how and why people commit acts of violence - tendencies he disturbingly sees within himself. In the course of a murder investigation, he comes into contact with the CSI team and ultimately joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level-1 CSI." Petersen will depart in early January 2009, in the middle of the ninth season. In a poll conducted by AOL, it is shown that viewers do not favor the departure of Grissom. 37 percent of the respondents said they would not watch once Petersen leaves while the other 41 percent said it depends on how good will Fishburne be.
 
TWILIGHT'S MONSTER $35 MILLION DEBUT [E! Online, 11/23/08]
Bigger than the latest Indiana Jones. Bigger than the biggest James Bond. That's how big Twilight was yesterday. November 22. The $37 million vampire flick, expected to have a killer opening day, had a monster opening day, grossing an estimated $35 million, Exhibitor Relations reported. One-fifth of that gross, or $7 million, came from Friday midnight screenings. The box office tracking firm said a $75 million Friday-Sunday gross was now a possibility. Going into Friday, $60 million was considered the movie's best-case scenario. When the counting's done, Twilight's Friday take may rank as the 14th or 15th biggest opener of all time, having surpassed the debuts of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($25 million) and Quantum of Solace ($27 million), to name two recent blockbusters. Bolt, the animated talking-dog movie, was curbed by Twilight, grossing $7 million on Friday, Exhibitor Relations said.
 
TWILIGHT" DRAWS FIRST BLOOD AT PACKED MIDNIGHT MOVIES [Reuters, 11/22/08]
Vampire romance "Twilight" sucked in more than $7 million at U.S. box offices from its first midnight showings, a strong take for the highly anticipated film, industry sources said on Friday, November 21. The movie, from independent studio Summit Entertainment, opened on Thursday at midnight and will play in more than 3,000 theaters over the weekend. "Twilight" is based on a book series of the same name by author Stephenie Meyer that have become wildly popular with teenage girls, who lined up outside theaters to see the movie. The film stars Robert Pattinson as an immortal vampire named Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, the teen girl who falls in love with him. Their star-crossed love affair is jeopardized by another vampire's lust for blood. "Clearly it wasn't all hype," said Brandon Gray, president of tracking firm Box Office Mojo. "To have over $7 million from midnight/early Friday screenings suggests there's a sizable audience for 'Twilight' and that it's going to have a huge weekend," he said. But critics have been split on the film, with review aggregating Web site Rottentomatoes.com on Friday evening giving the film a rating of 43 percent based on 118 reviews. In a positive review, Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote, "I am not now nor have I ever been a 13-year-old girl, but 'Twilight' made me wish I could be, at least for a couple of hours, the better to appreciate a movie that has been targeted to that demographic with the delicious specificity of a laser weapon." On a more negative note, Christian Orr of the magazine The New Republic wrote that the film was "underwhelming" for anyone except teen girls.
 
ROAD DETOUR FOR DEPP MOVIE COSTS COUNTY [AP, 11/22/08]
County officials in Wisconsin are holding the bag following a movie shoot involving Johnny Depp as famed bank robber John Dillinger. During filming of "Public Enemies" — Wisconsin's first film under the governor's new movie incentives — state highway traffic was diverted away from the center of Columbus, 70 miles northwest of Milwaukee. The detour road couldn't stand the load — and collapsed. Dodge County was left with a $116,000 repair. It's filed a claim against the city of Columbus that could lead to a lawsuit. But Columbus Mayor Nancy Osterhaus says talks are ongoing between the city, county and film studio NBC Universal, with hopes that they might split the bill for the March mishap. "Public Enemies" is out July 2, 2009.
 
JASON BOURNE RENEWS "LICENSE TO KILL" JAMES BOND [E! Online, 11/22/08]
Is Matt Damon getting ready to be Bourne again...and again...and again? Universal has just inked a deal with Robert Ludlum's estate for exclusive rights to the Jason Bourne character and first look at his other novels. The agreement allows the studio to forge ahead with three more Bourne movies and continue a franchise that has so far spawned more than $1 billion in worldwide grosses and is widely considered to be kicking the crap out of a certain martini-mad rival spy guy. Damon, who has played the revenge-minded amnesiac in the first three movies, has already signed on to a fourth installment to be directed by Paul Greengrass, who helmed The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Supremacy. It's not known whether Damon will play the role beyond the next film, or whether producers will go the Bond route and keep recasting. While Ludlum penned only two sequels, Supremacy and Ultimatum, before his death in 2001, his heirs commissioned novelist Eric Van Lustbader to continue the series with The Bourne Legacy, The Bourne Betrayal and The Bourne Sanction. No word if the new films will utilize those latter-day tales, but the estate reportedly has final approval on all screenplays and casting choices. Ludlum Entertainment will also develop other Ludlum-based non-Bourne conspiracy thrillers, such as The Sigma Protocol, as potential movies. The fourth Bourne flick is targeted to hit theaters in summer 2010.
 
WARREN BEATTY SUES TRIBUNE OVER "DICK TRACY" RIGHTS [Reuters, 11/22/08]
Actor Warren Beatty has sued a unit of Tribune Co over the film and television rights to comic strip detective Dick Tracy, a character he played in a 1990 hit film of the same name. The suit, made public on Friday, November 21, was filed in Los Angeles federal court and seeks to prevent Tribune from taking the movie and TV rights away from Beatty, who has held them since 1985. Beatty used the rights to make "Dick Tracy," which earned more than $160 million at worldwide box offices in 1990. Under the original agreement between Beatty and Tribune, the rights would revert to Tribune if "a certain period of time" lapsed without Beatty having produced another Dick Tracy movie, TV series or TV special, according to court papers. The suit said Tribune sent Beatty a letter on November 17, 2006, that gave him two years to begin production on Dick Tracy programming. Beatty began a Dick Tracy TV special on November 8 this year, the lawsuit said, and gave Tribune written notice. "Tribune responded by asserting that it still had the right to terminate Beatty's Tracy Rights and effect a reversion, and purported to do so," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Beatty's work on the Dick Tracy TV special precludes Tribune from taking back the rights to the property. Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman declined to comment on the suit.
 
NEW TRAILER OF "ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS" [Aceshowbiz, 11/22/08]
A brand new trailer of "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" has been released. Courtesy of Apple, the video footage still puts its focus on the acorns-obsessed saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat. Unlike the earlier teaser where he has to walk through a snow storm to grab an acorn, this trailer presents a different kind of problem for Scrat. Sniffing his way to find another acorn, Scrat in the beginning of the trailer spots one acorn in a distance. Excited by his finding and determined as usual, he then quickly makes his way across a big gorge using a thin three root. But, when he finally gets across, the acorn has gone missing and its stealer is standing behind a tree. Using the tree to hide himself, he looks for his competition, who happens to be a lovely saber-toothed squirrel. Now, he has to take the acorn from her. "Dawn of Dinosaurs" is the third installment of the Academy Award-nominated computer-animated film "Ice Age". The film directed by Carlos Saldanha will once again hear the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary as the three unlikely friends, Manfred, Sid and Diego respectively. Set for July 1, 2009 release in the U.S., it has yet to unveil its plot.
 
THE FRAY'S "YOU FOUND ME" MUSIC VIDEO FOR "LOST" SEASON [Aceshowbiz, 11/22/08]
Debuted November 20 during the airing of "Grey's Anatomy" is the promo video of "Lost" that features the new single "You Found Me" from The Fray. Produced by ABC and Epic Records, the video combines exclusive scenes from the upcoming fifth season of the drama thriller series plus the band's live performance footage on "You Found Me". Rooting from their successful debut album "How to Save a Life" (2005), The Fray will drop their self-titled sophomore effort on February 3, 2009 with "You Found Me" as the lead single. "The record definitely has some isolation and loneliness rolled into the fabric of the sound and lyrics," frontman Isaac Slade explains. "We'd been gone from our family and friends for more time than we'd been home. You start to lose sight of priorities and lose sight of balance and you don't really have the luxury of a routine. When that happens, naturally it comes out in the music." Set 108 days after the fateful plane crash, "Lost" picks up the story after 6 people successfully escape from the island and returns to their normal lives but they are haunted by the fact that many are still left on the now-vanished island. The new season will start invading the small screen on January 21 at 9/8c. This would be the second time that The Fray assist ABC in providing a promo score for their TV series. In 2006 they attached their popular hit "How to Save a Life" to "Grey's Anatomy". On the partnership ABC Entertainment executive president of marketing Michael Benson says that they look at ABC "as the biggest radio station in the world." Slade also explains the benefits for the band in gaining the partnership, saying "My goal is for those people to get to know us as a complete picture. We've always been very much about the word-of-mouth. ... If we do ever lose fans on either side of the extreme, I would hope that our core would stay with us."
 
CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY IN THE L.A. PREMIERE OF "FOUR CHRISTMASES" [Aceshowbiz, 11/22/08]
Less than a week away from the theatrical debut of "Four Christmases", New Line Cinema held a premiere event for the romantic comedy in Los Angeles on Thursday night, November 20. Bringing in a holiday season atmosphere to the event, the studio erected a few set of decorated Christmas trees along the red carpet in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. The special evening gala saw the attendance of leading lady Reese Witherspoon, but Witherspoon's co-star, Vince Vaughn was not spotted on the red carpet. Joining Witherspoon though were co-stars Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Katy Mixon, Kristin Chenoweth, Mary Steenburgen and Sissy Spacek. Beside the cast ensemble, producer Jonathan Glickman was seen coming to the special occasion. Additionally, "Dancing with the Stars" performer Karina Smirnoff, actress Luciana Pedraza andactor Ted Danson were among the celebrity guests attending the premiere. A Christmas-themed movie, "Four Christmases" follows a young couple who has managed to spend their Christmas day with their families for years. But, in a twisting event, this Christmas day they could not avoid celebrating the holiday with their estranged parents and their new families going from one household to another. Directed by Seth Gordon, the comedy flick is set for November 26, 2008 U.S. release.
 
"MARY AND MAX" TO OPEN THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL [Reuters, 11/21/08]
The Sundance Film Festival, the top destination for U.S. independent filmmakers, on Wednesday, November 19 unveiled the opening-night movie for its 25th edition in January, the clay animation feature "Mary and Max." In keeping with the Sundance tradition of providing a platform for offbeat fare, "Mary and Max" tells the story of an 8-year-old Australian girl who becomes the pen pal of an obese, 44-year-old man living in New York. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot, the film spans 20 years as the two delve into subjects including psychiatry, autism, taxidermy, kleptomania and agoraphobia. It features the voices of Toni Collette, Barry ("Dame Edna Everage") Humphries and Eric Bana. Sundance director Geoffrey Gilmore called it a "portrait of a global friendship between two marvelously dysfunctional people." Sundance, sponsored by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, draws top stars, hordes of media and studio executives, and tens of thousands of moviegoers to Park City, Utah, east of Salt Lake City. Next year's event runs January 15-25, 2009. Many of the selections will hope to capitalize on their Sundance "buzz" to generate studio attention and box office sales. Films in the dramatic and documentary competitions, as well as other movies at the event, will be unveiled on December 3-4, 2008.
 
MEET "ASTRO BOY" NEWLY RELEASED TEASER [Aceshowbiz, 11/21/08]
The first look into "Astro Boy", a movie about a robot boy whose journey in search of his identity and destiny will fall into place in 2009. Set in futuristic Metro City, "Astro Boy" tells the story of a young robot with incredible powers. He is created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost, but when the scientist finds out the robot couldn't mend his grieving heart, he sends Astro Boy away. Alone and rejected, the young robot embarks in a journey in search of acceptance where he experiences betrayal and gets into a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he finally returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the scientist. An adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's classic manga, the Imagi Studios' animation is directed by David Bowers, who is famous of his work "Flushed Away", with the screenplay written by Timothy Harris, who wrote for "Trading Places" and "Kindergarten Cop". Featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Donald Sutherland and Freddie Highmore, it will be released nationwide on October 23, 2009.
 
MILA KUNIS BOOKED FOR DENZEL WASHINGTON THRILLER [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/21/08]
"That '70s Show" veteran Mila Kunis, fresh from her breakout feature role in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," has joined the cast of the Denzel Washington action thriller "The Book of Eli." In the title role, Washington plays a lone hero who must fight his way across the wasteland of a near-future America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity. Kunis plays a woman named Solara, at first enlisted to betray Eli, she ultimately joins him in his quest. Albert and Allen Hughes are directing the project for Warner Bros. and financier Alcon Entertainment. Principal photography begins in February in New Mexico. Kunis most recently starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in "Max Payne."
 
LIFETIME FASHIONS A PROJECT RUNWAY SUIT [E! Online, 11/21/08]
Lifetime isn't going to just sit and watch Project Runway pass it by. The female-favoring cable network has filed suit against Bravo parent NBC Universal, which in September successfully blocked Lifetime from going ahead with its planned winter premiere of the Peabody-winning competition series. Now, of all the fashion faux pas, it's looking as if the show's sixth season won't begin until summer 2009, despite the fact that the entire Los Angeles-set cycle, minus two episodes, has already been shot. In the suit filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court and obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, Lifetime asserts that, through its deal with Runway producer, the Weinstein Co., the network holds the copyrights to the show and that any attempt by Bravo Media to hang onto it would be a violation of those rights. The Weinstein Co. is also listed as a nominal defendant because, per the complaint, Runway was supposed to have been "free and clear of any third-party obligations" by the time Lifetime, which paid $20 million for the privilege, took the reins. Although the current injunction also prohibits Bravo from airing more Project Runway, Lifetime is requesting yet another order preventing NBCU from promoting, marketing and showing any new episodes.
 
JAPANESE ANIMATION GURU 'EMBARRASSED' BY MANGA-LOVING PM [CBC, 11/21/08]
He may have won acclaim worldwide for his animated movies, but celebrated Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki would like to see kids today spend more time outside rather than in front of a screen. Speaking at a rare news conference Thursday, November 20, the Oscar-winner also criticized Japan's prime minister for repeatedly touting his love of manga. The 68-year-old Taro Aso, who previously as foreign minister and now as prime minister, publicly professes his penchant for the Japanese cartooning genre and helped spearhead the establishment of an international manga prize. "It's an embarrassment," the filmmaker said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan when asked about Aso's manga mania. "That's something that should be done in private," he added. Miyazaki also scoffed at current politicians who assert that manga is among the country's most important exports. The filmmaker denounced today's society as "full of virtual reality: television, video games, e-mail, mobile phones and manga" that "saps children of their strength." The 67-year-old animator, who acknowledged that his opinion might be considered odd considering his vocation, harkened back to a more natural lifestyle and teaching children practical outdoor skills at a young age. "Instead of thinking about how to stimulate demand by creating bridges or roads, we should have the proper environment in place for future generations," he said, noting his involvement in a project to train 20 young animators in a studio away from Tokyo. Miyazaki, who creates hand-drawn artwork in a world obsessed with digital animation, won an Academy Award in 2003 for his film Spirited Away. His latest, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, made the rounds at a host of film festivals this year and is currently screening in Japanese theatres. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid, Ponyo tells the story of a little goldfish who longs to become human and live with a little boy on shore.
 
"TERMINATOR SALVATION" WILL "PUSH THE ENVELOPE" WITH ITS HI-TECH VISUAL EFFECTS [BBC, 11/20/08]
The new Terminator movie will "reinvigorate the franchise", Hollywood director McG - real name Joseph McGinty Nichol has promised at a preview of footage in central London. The film-maker also said the film, Terminator Salvation, would "push the envelope" with its hi-tech visual effects. Set in 2018 in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, the film depicts a "dirty, gritty, difficult" world in which human survivors are preyed upon by lethal robots. Batman actor Christian Bale plays John Connor, leader of the resistance against the cyborg army. "When he came on board I knew we had the chance to do something special," the director told reporters. Other cast members include Bryce Dallas Howard, Australian Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin, soon to be seen in the new Star Trek film. However, McG refused to confirm or deny reports that original star Arnold Schwarzenegger, now governor of California, would make a cameo appearance. "The T-800 is a big character in the film," he said cryptically, referring to the serial number given to the first Terminator model. But because he was forbidden from revealing more, he said we would have to "let your imaginations run riot". It has been rumoured that Schwarzenegger has allowed his likeness to be digitally mapped onto a Terminator's face. The five-minute extended trailer presented an action-packed montage of explosions, stunts, gunplay and car chases. It also revealed the range of robots featured in the film, among them two-wheeled machines dubbed Mototerminators, tentacled Hydrobots and giant, armoured Harvesters. The US director also revealed he had a plot in mind for a further two instalments in an envisioned second Terminator trilogy. Terminator Salvation will be released in the US on 22 May 2009 and in the UK on 5 June. The director joked he hoped his film would perform considerably better than Star Trek, which is to be released on both sides of the Atlantic on 8 May 2009.
 
THIRD "NUTTY PROFESSOR" COULD BE ON THE WAY [Aceshowbiz, 11/20/08]
Rumor has it, another sequel to "The Nutty Professor", the remake of Jerry Lewis-starring 1963 film, is brewing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal and Imagine Entertainment are in the early stages of developing what could be "Nutty Professor 3" movie as the studio and production company put out an open call to writers for their take on the potential third installment. 
 
DISNEY EXPANDS 3D MOVIES WITH "BEAUTY", IMAX DEAL [Reuters, 11/20/08]
The Walt Disney Co, whose 2005 release "Chicken Little" was its first digital 3D movie, expanded its upcoming movie slate on Wednesday, November 19 with a 3D version of "Beauty and the Beast" and a deal to make 3D films with IMAX Corp. Disney has begun re-rendering in 3D the 1991 Oscar-nominated "Beauty" for a big-screen debut in 2010, bringing Disney's 3D slate for that year to 11 titles, Disney Studios President Mark Zoradi said at an event in Singapore. The company also announced a five-picture deal with IMAX, starting with the 2009 release of Robert Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey. Hollywood studios began ramping up production of 3D films about a year ago to shore up theatrical attendance and prices because tickets for those releases sell at a premium. The coming bumper crop of those films may have trouble finding wide releases, however, because the global economic downturn has slowed plans by exhibitors to install digital 3D projection systems.
 
"HAIRSPRAY" SNAGS ORIGINAL TRACY FOR FINAL RUN [CBC, 11/20/08]
Like mother, like daughter: A week after Harvey Fierstein returned to his gender-bending, maternal role in Broadway's Hairspray for its final weeks, his stage daughter has announced she will join him. Marissa Jaret Winokur, who originated the role of dance-crazy teen Tracy Turnblad in the hit musical, is set to return to Hairspray beginning Dec. 9, 2008. Stage veteran Fierstein returned to the long-running musical last week to portray Edna Turnblad — Tracy's flamboyant mother — until the show's close in January. Based on the cult John Waters film, the musical adaptation of Hairspray opened on Broadway in August 2002. The 1960s-era show went on to win a whopping eight Tony Awards, including best musical, best original score and acting trophies for Winokur and Fierstein. The New York musical, in turn, inspired a new film version and also spawned a U.K. production as well as a North American tour. The curtain drops on Jan. 4, 2009. By that point, Hairspray will have had more than 2,600 performances at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre.
 
MICKEY MOUSE TURNS 80 [BBC, 11/20/08]
Mickey Mouse first appeared on cinema screens in Steamboat Willie, released in 1928. On Mickey's 80th birthday the writer, broadcaster and Mickey Mouse expert Brian Sibley explains some things about the world-famous rodent. If you go back to the origins of Mickey Mouse and look at the characters that appeared in those early films, there were all kinds of farmyard animals - pigs, cats, dogs, goats, horses, cows and mice, and they were all a realistic size. As  the characters became more rounded and more sophisticated over the years, their animal nature regressed and they became more like people. Mickey is a character who wears shoes, shorts and strange white gloves, he lives in a house, drives in a car and has a pet dog called Pluto. In itself, it is rather strange that a mouse has a dog as a pet. Even if it's a small dog, it still means Mickey is enormous for a mouse. Over the years Mickey Mouse has been a symbol of different things at different times. In the 1930s, the time of the great depression, Mickey represented something very American to do with endurance and the ability to rise above defeat. Alongside Charlie Chaplin, he was an icon of the little man. They symbolized hope, optimism and a kind of inbred spunkiness. In the first film, Steamboat Willie, he is rude to the authority figure, blows raspberries, thumbs his nose and is generally a little scamp. As life improved in the 1940s, Mickey became redundant. It was the first ever cartoon with synchronized sound and was a huge success. It established Disney and kick started Hollywood animation in a new direction.
 
"IMPRESSIONISM" SETS A MARCH 12 BROADWAY OPENING [AP, 11/20/08]
The opening date and Broadway theater have been set for the world premiere of "Impressionism," a play by Michael Jacobs starring Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen. The story of a photojournalist and a New York gallery owner will open March 12, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Preview performances begin Feb. 28. Jack O'Brien directs. Additional casting will be announced. The production marks Irons' first Broadway performance in nearly 25 years. He last appeared there in 1984 in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." Allen was last on Broadway in 1989 in a production of Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles."
 
VAN GOGH MASTERPIECES COME TO IMAX THEATRES [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/19/08]
Art lovers who lack the means to visit such cities as New York, Paris or Amsterdam surely will be thrilled by the prospect of seeing "Van Gogh: Brush With Genius." This Imax Theater documentary, from MacGillivray Freeman Films, provides the visceral thrill of seeing numerous masterworks by the painter in visually dazzling fashion, even if its narrative style leaves something to be desired. The film is scheduled for release in Imax theaters in early 2009. Like so many giant screen films, "Van Gogh" feels the need to enhance its visuals with a prosaic story line. In this case, it takes the form of concentrating on figures like Peter Knapp, who conceived the idea for the film, and a fictional museum researcher (played by French actress Helen Seuzaret) delving into Van Gogh's numerous letters. More problematically, Marie Sellier's screenplay includes numerous observations by "Van Gogh" himself, who comments on the proceedings in, considering the mental illness that eventually led to his suicide, disarmingly chipper fashion. The images of these masterworks, which are frequently accompanied by beautiful shots of the actual landscapes in such places as Arles and Saint-Remy that inspired them, are so stunning that it's a wonder that no one thought to showcase them in this cinematic manner before now.
 
WHITAKER AND SUNDANCE TRYING TO SAVE NEWARK [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/19/08]
Sundance Channel is taking an in-depth look at the challenges facing Newark, N.J., in a new documentary series backed in part by Forest Whitaker. "Brick City" will center on Newark Mayor Cory Booker, local citizens and key figures -- from real estate developers to ex-gang members -- as they try to remake the city, working to stamp out violence, poverty and corruption and make improvements in housing, employment and education. Whitaker, the Oscar-winning star of "The Last King of Scotland," will serve as an executive producer with the series' directors, Marc Levin ("Slam") and Mark Benjamin ("The Last Party"). The series will debut with six half-hour episodes in the third quarter of 2009. The series will take place over the span of about a year so viewers can see whether things change. Sundance executive vp/GM Laura Michalchyshyn said Whitaker is a "huge supporter of this project and of Newark," but that it was too early to determine if he might provide voice-over for the series.
 
STARS WALK THE RED CARPET FOR "AUSTRALIA" PREMIERE [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/19/08]
Red carpets were rolled out in Sydney and the dusty outback on Tuesday, November 18 for the world premiere of the epic movie "Australia" which aims to showcase the rugged continent, its history and indigenous people to the world. Director Baz Luhrmann's ambitious and grandly named film, the most expensive made in Australia, was released amid a blaze of publicity and a race to finish the movie on time. Australian co-stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman have both carved out lucrative Hollywood careers but wanted to work with Luhrmann, a perfectionist who was so busy editing the film until the last moment that the cast did not see it before the premiere. "I knew we would get there but it has been a long time," Jackman told Reuters as he walked the red carpet in Sydney, while screenings were held in three other Australian locations. The two-hour 40-minute long movie, which is reported to have cost News Corp's 20th Century Fox about US$130 million, is a World War Two drama set in stunning Australian landscape. An English aristocrat (Kidman) travels to Australia and joins forces with a "drover" or cowboy (Jackman) and an Aboriginal child to drive a herd of cattle across Australia, falling in love along the way. Australia is pinning high hopes on the romantic adventure, which Luhrmann said he had filmed in the style of "Gone With The Wind" hoping to make his mark on Australian film history, but it remained to be seen if it would draw audiences globally. "There will be some (bad reviews), and there will be some people who really embrace it," said Luhrmann, admitting spending such a large amount on an old-fashioned style movie was a risk. The movie also focuses on "the stolen generation," when tens of thousands of Aboriginal children were taken away from their families between the 1880s and 1960s to be raised by whites. Australia's new Labor government this year issued a long-sought formal apology to Aborigines for past injustices, heralding a new era in race relations in the nation. Australia has 460,000 indigenous Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, or 2 percent of a 21 million population, who are the nation's most disadvantaged group with high rates of unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, and domestic violence. Luhrmann said the release of the film in the same year as the national apology was coincidental, but in light of the apology, he felt he had to work the message into the story. "Australia" opens in the United States and Australia on November 26 and in Britain on December 26, 2008.
 
ROCK STARS TUNING UP FOR GUITAR DOCUMENTARY [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/19/08]
The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White will be jamming at a theater near you next summer. Sony Pictures Classics will present the respective guitar heroes from U2, Led Zeppelin and the White Stripes cranking their instruments up to 11 in "It Might Get Loud." The rockumentary from Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") looks at the electric guitar through the history of each musician, as told through their own words and sounds. The movie premiered at September's Toronto International Film Festival.
 
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF "BOLT" [Aceshowbiz, 11/19/08]
While "Twilight" held its world premiere in Westwood, California, "Bolt" threw down a Los Angeles premiere in celebration of its nearing theatrical premiere. Making use of El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood on Monday, November 17, the special screening event saw Bolt and his two friends, Mittens and Rhino, welcoming the guests. Joining the trio at the red carpet was two of the film's voice talents, Miley Cyrus and John Travolta. The "Hannah Montana" star and the "Wild Hogs" actor were spotted posing with Bolt and Rhino for the photographers. Apart from the two, other cast ensemble seen included Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Diedrich Bader, Brian Stepanek, Kari Wahlgren, Malcolm McDowell and Ronn Moss. The special event was also attended by director Chris Williams and Byron Howard, as well as other guest stars, naming some were Billy Ray Cyrus, Debby Ryan, Jenny Lewis, Mitchel Musso and Mr. T. Telling a tale of a lost dog finding his way home, "Bolt" follows the titular character whose daily life in front of the camera is filled with danger and intrigue. When one day he is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood sound stage to New York City, he is forced to face the fact that he doesn't need his imaginary superpower to be a real hero. It will run into U.S. theaters this coming Friday, November 21, 2008.
 
BOND FINDS "SOLACE" IN $70.4 M BOX OFFICE DEBUT [AP, 11/17/08]
James Bond's quantum of the weekend box office: $70.4 million. "Quantum of Solace," with Daniel Craig returning as Bond for the first direct sequel in the spy franchise, pulled in nearly $30 million more over opening weekend than its predecessor, 2006's "Casino Royale," according to studio estimates Sunday, November 16. The debut also topped the previous opening-weekend record for a Bond flick, $47 million for 2002's "Die Another Day." Adjusting for inflation, Sony's "Quantum of Solace" easily drew a bigger audience than that installment, the last Bond adventure featuring Pierce Brosnan. Based on 2002 admission prices, about 8.1 million tickets were sold for "Die Another Day" in the first weekend, compared to 9.8 million for "Quantum of Solace." Two years ago, Craig was an unknown quantity as Bond, a stage-trained actor with little action experience and a resume that tended toward small, artsier films. Many fans were unhappy with the casting choice, but the critical and commercial success of "Casino Royale" silenced the critics. "Quantum of Solace" began rolling out overseas two weekends before its U.S. debut, and its worldwide total now stands at $322 million. DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," which debuted at No. 1 the previous weekend, slipped to second place with $36.1 million, raising its 10-day total to $118 million. "Quantum of Solace" gave a huge boost to overall revenues as Hollywood heads toward Thanksgiving, one of the year's busiest weekends at theaters. The top 12 movies took in $142.9 million, up 54 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Beowulf" led the box office with $27.5 million. The next two weekends will bring more likely hits, including the vampire romance "Twilight," John Travolta and Miley Cyrus' animated comedy "Bolt" and Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn's holiday romp "Four Christmases." Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire" had an impressive debut in limited release, taking in $350,434 in 10 theaters for a strong average of $35,043 a cinema. A film festival favorite, "Slumdog Millionaire" was directed by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later"). and follows the alternately heartwarming and horrific life of a poor youth who becomes a contestant on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
 
"TWILIGHT" TIME: VAMP TALE SEEKS BLOCKBUSTER BITE [AP, 11/17/08]
Girl-meets-boy stories are not the usual stuff of Hollywood blockbusters, even when it's girl-meets-vampire. Neither are stories created by women, with a predominantly female audience, shot on a bargain budget with a cast of relative unknowns and released by an independent distributor trying to establish a niche among Hollywood's half-dozen studio behemoths. Yet Summit Entertainment has good reason to believe "Twilight" will have more box-office bite than your typical teen soap about an awkward high school babe and her cool new mystery beau. "Twilight" has a few stunts and clever visuals, but it's far from the special-effects extravaganzas that dominate the movie business. It was shot for $37 million, a pittance compared with big studio movies that can cost four or five times more. What "Twilight" does offer is epic star-crossed romance, melodrama, peril, an attractive young cast and an action-packed finale. But mostly, it has arguably the most passionate fan base of any literary adaptation since Harry Potter. "It's like a little bizarre, little perfect-storm phenomenon," said "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, who began working on the project less than two years ago and has since seen the books grow from earnest cult status to rabid international fan base. "I knew some people loved it, but I didn't know it would get this kind of crazy buzz." "Twilight" tells the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), an introspective teen who moves from sunny Phoenix to cloudy Forks, Wash., to live with her divorced dad. At her new school, she is swept up in a supernatural romance with aloof Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), part of a family of eternally young vampires fighting their nature by refusing to feed off humans. Danger looms: Bella and Edward must keep their passion in check so he won't succumb to the desire to drink her blood. Meantime, he and his family are forced into action to protect Bella against a savage band of roving vampires. The chief creative forces behind "Twilight" are women: director Hardwicke, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg ("Step Up," TV's "Dexter") and author Stephenie Meyer, whose four books in the "Twilight" series have sold 18 million copies. Schoolgirls were the first in the "Twilight" fold, drawn in by the all-consuming obsessiveness of Bella and Edward's forbidden love. "Twilight" reads like a confessional, a young girl's diary loaded with compulsive detail and teen angst.
 

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