The Hollywood Reel

TRANSFORMERS 3 - RELEASE DATE?

2009-06-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

The upcoming summer blockbuster TRANSOFRMERS 2 - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has not even hit the theatres yet and there is already talk about a third installment of the metal on metal flick.
TRANSFORMERS 3, according to producer Michael Bay, may come in a different form. Perhaps a spin-off is what Michael seemed to be suggesting when asked about TRANSFORMERS 3:

"I told everyone that I’m definitely going to do another movie before I do this movie because it’s just thinking of robots for three and a half years, it’s enough right now. People have been asking me that since I have doing these interviews, and literally, since I just finished it, I don’t even want to think about it. It makes me nauseous to even think of the third one. It’s just too close. I definitely want to do another movie before I come back to this. But if I were to consider something, for Transformers 3, it’s got to be not higher. It’s got to be sideways in a different kind of way."

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Some fan websites and insiders seem to be looking at a 2011 Release date for TRANSFORMERS 3 or whatever incarnation may result after the box office numbers for TRANSFORMERS 2 - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN come in this summer.

If TRANSFORMER 2 Ticket pre-sales are any indication, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN will bring in record bucks at the movie theaters which should lead directly into more movement towards a TRANSFORMERS 3.

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Some TRANSFORMER 2 - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN REVIEWS, however, indicate the movie producers went too far with the action scenes. Some going as far as to state the none stop action of TRANSFORMERS 2 is abit nauseating. That being said, as long as Megan Fox has several sweaty appearances in the movie, TRANSFORMERS 2 will be a success in my books.

MEGAN FOX RELATED LINKS
MEGAN FOX BLOG
TOPLESS PICTURES OF MEGAN FOX

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF TRANSFORMERS REVENGE OF THE FALLEN HERE

TRANSFORMERS 2 - Revenge of The Fallen

2009-06-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

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TRANSFORMERS 2 - Revenge of the Fallen is sure to be a blockbuster hit this summer. With Transformer show times starting this week, including an IMAX Version, Movie Buffs and Megan Fox fans alike are lining up in droves to see the hit movie by Michael Bay.

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Like the original TRANSFORMERS MOVIE, viewers will be treated to action packed metal on metal destruction and of course the ample breasts of Megan Fox.
This time around, pretty much like the last, the Decepticons are in a pissy mood since they had their metal asses kicked around the block by Optimus Prime and his "Goody Two Shoe" Bot buddies.

Fans wishing to catch the first few TRANSFORMER SHOWTIMES will be in for a little bit of difficulty as many Theatres are already sold out. In fact, one report has over 500 TRANSFORMER SHOWTIMES already sold out. The thought is staggering, but I guess even during these tough economic time, probably more than ever before, Movie fans are looking for a means for escape. Perhaps the thought of Optimus Prime turning the Decepticons into tin cans is just the kind of feel good, good guys win over the bad type thing everyone needs right now.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF TRANSFORMERS REVENGE OF THE FALLEN HERE

"Stretch" with David Carradine???

2009-06-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

Since the untimely death of actor David Carradine in Bangkok Thailand last week, writers for the new movie "Stretch" are already working feverishly at trying to find a way to gracefully write David Carradine out of the movie.

"Stretch" Producer Charles Gillibert said David Carradine still had a few critical scenes left to shoot in the Movie "Stretch" before he was found hanging in a Bangkok Hotel room on Thursday morning. Although the cast and crew of the new movie "Stretch" are extremely distraught over the sudden death of actor David Carradine, Gillibert said he and the other producers still have a job to do.

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Gillibert is also reported as saying David Carradine was in "Wonderful spirits before his death." He also said Carradine was in great shape and was always joking around with everyone on the set.

The end result of the rewrites is unknown. Although there was only one day left of shooting, several of the remaining scenes involving David Carradine were key to the movies' outcome. The writers and producers have a tough time ahead of them as they both mourn the loss of a colleague and work at a tasteful re-write of the script.

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This is not the first time a key actor in a movie has died prior to the completion. Just a few years ago, the much publicized death of actor Heath Ledger caused a stir and some production and release delays for The Dark Knight for which the late Heath Ledger won "Best Supporting Actor" for his very disturbing and real performance on the Joker.

Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus with DEBORAH GIBSON

2009-05-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Spark up a fattie and grab your box of Kleenex, 80's pop icon and Playboy model DEBORAH GIBSON is back and fighting sharks in the new movie MEGA SHARK VS GIANT OCTOPUS. Yes, cheasy sounding I know... but it has Debbie Gibson in it.
A great acress she is not, nor is the plot all that captivating, but they are trying (I think)
It starts out "10 Million Years ago, they were frozen in Combat"

A few lines from Deborah

"There's something big out there"
"Gorilla in Manila... We'll get them to kill each other"

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Throughout the movie you will be treated with very Jawsesuqe scenes of a Shark jumping through the air and biting, among other things a Bridge, and a plane. Not to leave the Giant Octopus out of the game, it also brings down a plane and of course a ship and the obligatory submarine.

All in all, it seems this move will go great with a big fat joint.

If you are interested, here is the TRAILER FOR MEGA SHARK VS GIANT OCTOPUS

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To see naked Debbie Gibson Playboy pictures

LOST BOYS 3

2009-03-21T11:51:00.001-07:00

Move over, Edward Cullen, a.k.a. Robert Pattinson.

Vampire hunter Corey Feldman is back! “The Lost Boys” are returning, and they're gonna be real thirsty for fresh blood.

An original cast member of the 1987 "Twilight" precursor, Feldman will produce and star, with his hapless character Edgar Frog getting –- surprise -– a much more central role.

Evan Charmov will write the script for Warner Premiere’s “The Lost Boys 3” a direct-to-disc sequel to 2008’s direct-to-DVD “Lost Boys: The Tribe.”

No word on whether the other original Corey -- Corey Haim -- will have a part in the film. Which is kinda sad. Maybe he’ll get his act together.

But "highly unlikely” is the phrase that Bloody-Disgusting.com used when it broke the news.

OMG, they totally gotta pull Kiefer Sutherland out of “24” for a cameo!

And how about still car-window-steamy Jason Patric, as an older vampire who has learned to control his feeding habits and hunts only animals now?

Oh wait, that's too :Twilighty" familiar.

Maybe he can drink a concoction called "True Blood"? Nope, that's been done by HBO.

Well, we hope they come up with some to raise these devilish dudes from the dead. download the original TORRENT FOR LOST BOYS and see just how hot they were.

COMPLETE LIST OF ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINEES

2009-01-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads all ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES LIST (The OSCARS LIST) with 13 time-defying nominations. Slumdog Millionaire is next with 10, while The Dark Knight and Milk notched eight apiece. Meryl Streep, up for the OSCAR AWARD for Best Actress for Doubt, continues her reign as the most-nominated performer in ACADEMY AWARD history, with her 15th nod.

The OSCAR AWARDS will be handed out Feb. 22 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Here's the complete list of nominees:

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Motion Picture of the Year

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* The Reader
* Slumdog Millionaire

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Directing

* David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
* Gus Van Sant, Milk
* Stephen Daldry, The Reader
* Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

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ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

* Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
* Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
* Sean Penn, Milk
* Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

* Josh Brolin, Milk
* Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
* Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
* Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
* Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

* Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
* Angelina Jolie, Changeling
* Melissa Leo, Frozen River
* Kate Winslet. The Reader
* Meryl Streep, Doubt

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

* Amy Adams, Doubt
* Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
* Viola Davis, Doubt
* Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

* Bolt
* Kung Fu Panda
* Wall-E

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ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Original Screenplay

* Dustin Lance Black, Milk
* Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
* Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
* Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
* Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, WALL-E

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Adapted Screenplay

* Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
* Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
* David Hare, The Reader
* Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

* The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
* The Class (France)
* Departures (Japan)
* Revanche (Austria)
* Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Original Score

* Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* James Newton Howard, Defiance
* Danny Elfman, Milk
* A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
* Thomas Newman, WALL-E

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Original Song

* "Down to Earth," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; WALL-E
* "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; Slumdog Millionaire
* "O Saya," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam; Slumdog Millionaire

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Art Direction

* Changeling
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* The Duchess
* Revolutionary Road

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Cinematography

* Changeling
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* The Reader
* Slumdog Millionaire

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ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Costume Design

* Australia
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Duchess
* Milk
* Revolutionary Road

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Documentary Feature

* The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
* Encounters at the End of the World
* The Garden
* Man on Wire
* Trouble the Water

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Documentary Short Subject

* The Conscience of Nhem En
* The Final Inch
* Smile Pinki
* The Witness—From the Balcony of Room 306

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Film Editing

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* Slumdog Millionaire

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Makeup

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* Slumdog Millionaire

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Animated Short Film

* La Maison en Petits Cubes
* Lavatory—Lovestory
* Oktapodi
* Presto
* This Way Up

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Best Live Action Short Film

* Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
* Manon on the Asphalt
* New Boy
* The Pig
* Spielzeugland (Toyland)

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Sound Editing

* The Dark Knight
* Iron Man
* Slumdog Millionaire
* WALL-E
* Wanted

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Sound Mixing

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* Slumdog Millionaire
* WALL-E
* Wanted

ACADEMY OSCAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR Achievement in Visual Effects

* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* Iron Man

COLIN FARRELL, HEATH LEDGER & TINA FEY walk away with GOLDEN GLOBES

2009-01-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

Colin Farrell won the best actor in a comedy or musical at the Golden Globes here Sunday for his performance in "In Bruges."

Colin Farrell, who plays a hitman struggling to come to terms with a botched job, pipped co-star Brendan Gleeson, Dustin Hoffman ("Last Chance Harvey"), James Franco ("Pineapple Express") and Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona.")

Colin Farrell, 32, is best known for his roles in "Minority Report", "Miami Vice" and "Alexander." Although this evenings search trends see to be more interested in the COLIN FARRELL SEX TAPE

Late Australian actor Heath Ledger won a posthumous Golden Globe award here Sunday for his performance as psychopathic villain The Joker in Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight."

Batman director Christopher Nolan collected the best supporting actor award on behalf of Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose in January last year at the age of 28.

"For any of us to enjoy his performance he will be eternally missed, but he'll never be forgotten," Nolan told guests at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

The victory cements Heath Ledger's status as the odds-on favorite to win a best supporting actor Oscar at next month's Oscars.

Heath Ledger has already picked up a series of minor awards for his performance in the phenomenally successful Batman sequel.

Perth-born Heath Ledger gained international stardom and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for his heart-breaking performance as a taciturn gay cowboy in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain.

He had already served notice of his talent with parts in several films including "Monster's Ball", "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot."

As Batman's cackling arch-enemy, Heath Ledger earned rave reviews from critics and co-stars.

"I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as The Joker," wrote Rolling Stone's film critic Pete Travers.

The cast and crew of "The Dark Knight" were similarly wowed.

British actor Gary Oldman, who plays Gotham City police officer Lieutenant Jim Gordon, is among those who believes Ledger's performance is Oscar-worthy.

"Over the years when I've seen great performances -- (Jack) Nicholson in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', Al Pacino in 'Dog Day Afternoon' -- you go 'wow, there's something really special at work here'. And I think Heath's done that here. It's like he's gone through the sound barrier."

Nolan said Heath Ledger, renowned for taking on difficult, edgy roles, was chosen for the film precisely for that reason.

"For the role of The Joker I was looking for fearlessness," Nolan said. "I needed a phenomenal actor, but he (Ledger) also had to be someone unafraid of taking on such an iconic role.

"Heath created something entirely original. It's stunning, it's captivating," Nolan said.

Tina Fey officially rules the world and has the Golden Globe awards to prove it.

The "30 Rock" star and creator was named best actress in a TV comedy and her NBC series was picked as best comedy Sunday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, capping a run of honors for the series and general acclaim for her Sarah Palin impersonation.

"I want you to know that I really know how very lucky I am to have the year that I've had this year," Fey said.

But there's a dark side, Tina Fey said.

"If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet. And you can find a lot of people there who don't like you," Tina Fey added, drawing laughs and applause from the celebrity-studded ballroom audience.

"I'd like to address some of them now," she continued. "Babs in La Crosse, you can suck it. Diane-fan, you can suck it. Cougar-letter, you can really suck it, 'cause all year you've been after me. All year."

Tina Fey, whose winsome take on Republican vice presidential candidate Palin was last year's highlight of "Saturday Night Live," introduced a political note to the Globes ceremony with the help of "30 Rock" star Tracy Morgan.

"Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on," Morgan said in accepting the best-series award. "Welcome to post-racial America. I'm the face of post-racial America — deal with it, Cate Blanchett."

Morgan thanked the press association, especially on his own behalf "because a black man can't get no love at the Emmys."

Last year, "30 Rock" won three Emmys, including for best comedy series, writing and for Tina Fey's performance.

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Best Motion Picture - Drama

Slumdog Millionaire

Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and
Warner Bros.

Best Performance by an Actress in a
Motion Picture - Drama

Kate Winslet – Revolutionary
Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Motion Picture - Drama

Mickey Rourke – The
Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Vicky Cristina
Barcelona

Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

Best Performance by an Actress in a
Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Colin Farrell – In
Bruges

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Kate Winslet – The
Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A
Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Heath Ledger – The
Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film

Wall-E

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Best Foreign Language Film

Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

The Country of Israel

Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS
International; Sony Pictures Classics

Best Director - Motion Picture

Danny Boyle – Slumdog
Millionaire

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

Written by Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

Composed by A. R. Rahman

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"The Wrestler" – The
Wrestler

Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

Best Television Series - Drama

Mad Men (AMC)

Lionsgate

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Television Series - Drama

Anna Paquin – True
Blood (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor In A
Television Series - Drama

Gabriel Byrne – In
Treatment (HBO)

Best Television Series - Musical Or
Comedy

30 Rock (NBC)

Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little
Stranger Inc.

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Tina Fey – 30
Rock (NBC)

Best Performance by an Actor In A
Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin – 30
Rock (NBC)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made
for Television

John Adams (HBO)

Playtone in association with HBO Films

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Laura Linney – John
Adams (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Paul Giamatti – John
Adams (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a
Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television

Laura Dern – Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television

Tom Wilkinson – John
Adams (HBO)

Preview - TRANSFORMERS - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

2009-01-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Transformers stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox again play civilian kids Sam and Mikaela, who know the secrets of the heroic Autobots (led by good-guy leader Optimus Prime).
This time, the story finds Sam and Mikaela under attack by the evil Decepticons because of something Sam has learned about the origins of the Transformers and their ancient history on Earth.

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — The United States military has declared war on giant, shape-shifting alien robots.
Amid blinding platinum dunes baking in the 105-degree sun, scores of elite servicemen and women cluster in and around real tanks, rocket launchers and personnel carriers as they unleash a machine-gun barrage at an invisible (and entirely fictional) enemy: Transformers.

These troops, many of them recently returned from the actual life-and-death realities of Iraq and Afghanistan, aren't professional actors. But for the moment, they are the stars and this is the climactic battle of next summer's sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

"I'm convinced. If we were to actually fight Transformers, this is how we would do it," jokes Lt. Col. Francisco "Paco" Hamm, the Air Force liaison to the film, who oversees the use of the branch's humans and hardware.

The U.S. Department of Defense gave its official stamp of approval to the Michael Bay-directed film, not only allowing production amid the pristine dunes of the Army's New Mexico missile range, but also letting filmmakers follow jets and fighter planes through the sky from nearby Holloman Air Force Base. More scenes were shot on the Navy's aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, and Marines fill the ranks of the strike team battling the invading Transformers.

“As big as the first movie was, this is 10 times as big, 10 times as many set pieces, explosions, and acrobatic stunts,” she told [MTV] about “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. “Shia and I make out a little bit; I don’t know if anyone wants to see that.”

Something tells us that Shia LeBeouf wants to see it.

Regardless, Megan insisted that the blossoming romance between Sam and Mikaela is only one of the many plotlines Bay will be juggling for the June 2009 flick. But according to the actress, some last-minute scrambling has been taking place to make sure their romance can hold its own among all those Autobot vs. Decepticon showdowns.

“You know, we’ve been having script meetings, and we’ve been reworking the script, because they wrote it fast because of the writer’s strike,” she explained. “And, we’ve just been going through and trying to do some character stuff for Shia and myself in the middle of this crazy world that they’re in.”

“I can tell you that we’re on locations in some really exotic places,” she added. “It’s just going to be a badass movie. It’s just going to be a popcorn-visual-spectacle, summer film.”

As for Michael Bay’s main directorial input to his lead actress, Megan had this to say: “His main note to me is just to look hot; so I try my best.”

Sounds like she’s in for an easy paycheck!

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I don’t know about everyone else, but I didn’t mind the Sam/Mikaela storyline in the first film. And it would only be natural to continue developing it for the second one.

Can’t wait to see 10 times the explosions, though!

DUSTIN HOFFMAN - Interview

2008-12-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

'My wife says the one thing that differentiates me from a lot of other people, or at least is an essential part of my character, is that I don’t have a censoring gene,” DUSTIN HOFFMAN says with an impish grin. “My friends just wait for me to reveal what’s on my mind. They know for sure that I’m going to say something inappropriate.”

DUSTIN HOFFMAN, now 71, has been saying surprising lines onscreen for more than 40 years, since his Oscar-nominated debut in The Graduate. He starred as the confused college grad Benjamin Braddock, who famously asked an older married woman (played by Anne Bancroft), “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me...Aren’t you?”

DUSTIN HOFFMAN, the self-described “short, funny-looking guy with acne” went on to win the Academy Award twice and score seven nominations. His films include Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, and Lenny. This year he lent his voice to animated movies, including the hit Kung Fu Panda and The Tale of Despereaux. In his latest film, the romance Last Chance Harvey, Hoffman plays a lonely guy who finds late-in-life love with Emma Thompson. And proving he still likes to be a bit inappropriate, he looks at me and says, “Don’t worry, there’s no big bedroom scene. We didn’t have enough money for the special effects to make me look great naked.”

DUSTIN HOFFMAN grew up in L.A. His mother was a jazz pianist, and his dad was a set decorator. Ironically, DUSTIN HOFFMAN stumbled into his acting career by accident. “It was only because I couldn’t do anything else,” he says. “I was flunking out of college. And I didn’t want to go into the service because my brother had gone in, and he said, ‘Whatever you do, Dusty, don’t go into the service.’ I happened to take an acting course when I was 21. It was the first experience I had in my life where there was no clock. Time didn’t matter. I had never felt that before.” After two years at the Pasadena Playhouse, DUSTIN HOFFMAN moved to New York City.

DUSTIN HOFFMAN VIDEO JOKE

“Then, for 10 years, I was an unemployed actor,” he remembers. “I roomed with Gene Hackman, who was friends with Robert Duvall. They were also unemployed. We’d have little parties because we didn’t have any money. You know, the Chianti bottle with the candle on it. Everybody comes over and brings stuff. And if someone were to say, at any of those get-togethers, ‘See those three guys there? They’re going to wind up being movie stars,’ the place would have laughed. And we would have laughed the loudest, because we were beat up by all the rejection.”

The lead role in Mike Nichols’ 1967 film The Graduate made DUSTIN HOFFMAN an overnight star. That soon was followed by Midnight Cowboy and a second Oscar nomination. Though anxious to keep proving himself, he was never willing to compromise. DUSTIN HOFFMAN gained a reputation for delivering knockout performances—and also for being a pain-in-the-neck perfectionist.

“It got in the press that I was difficult,” DUSTIN HOFFMAN says. “That was my signature—they want everyone to have a signature. Warren Beatty’s reputation was that he screwed around a lot. And yet he will tell you, ‘Hoffman screwed around more than I did.’ ” Whatever the count, that early wildness has given way to a calmer, more relaxed, and definitely funnier Hoffman.

“It’s true,” he says. “I am a happier person now. I’ve changed a lot. I had a big break-through after I took a couple of years when I didn’t want to do movies. I went back to work with total passion. You change as you go. Time alters you. It’s been a flip from the time when I was a shy, unhappy teenager. Now I can appreciate my own joy and my sense of irony.”

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Instead of becoming daunted by the shadow of his own legendary image, he’s learned to be more playful as he’s gained wisdom. At a recent gala honoring DUSTIN HOFFMAN and Clint Eastwood, the audience got restless as speeches went on and on. When DUSTIN HOFFMAN finally came to the podium, he said, “A thought went through my mind as I was sitting at my table: What if I died while I was waiting to receive my Lifetime Achievement Award?” The room roared with laughter.

Leaning back in his chair recently in the office of his L.A. production company, DUSTIN HOFFMAN smiles about that night, then turns serious as he reflects on the meaning of his life and career.

“I guess making things fun is the only revenge you have against mortality,” he says. “Of course I think about mortality. So many of my colleagues and friends have died that I’m forced to think about it.” He pauses—figuring out how he wants to describe his attitude toward death. “What we would all like is to kind of choose when we’re ready to go, and we’d not have any fear. The best part about death is that it’s not selective. It’s comforting to know that everyone dies. Death is the pure democracy.”

DUSTIN HOFFMAN has always tried to have his family with him when he works. He has six kids—two with his first wife, actress/dancer Anne Byrne, and four with his current wife of 28 years, Lisa.

“When I got married for the second time, my wife and I made a deal,” he says. “We agreed that we wouldn’t let work separate us. We’ve stuck to that. I sometimes say that we’re wealthy gypsies. I was holding my kids when they were babies on the sets of my movies. A couple of my children even saw me dressed as a woman in Tootsie. Lisa knows me. We can read each other. We’ve always had this loving connection.”
DUSTIN HOFFMAN remains proud of his grown-up children. “They get mad at me for telling everyone about their accomplishments or for finding cute girls for my sons,” he says. “But even though they love to hate me for it or cruelly imitate me, I can’t stop bragging. They are my true credits.”

How do his children express their affection? “We’re a tactile family,” he says, “and I never get over the fact that even though my kids are no longer ‘kids,’ they like to kiss me for no reason or when we greet each other. When they’re leaving, they say, ‘Bye, Pop,’ and they grab me and kiss me on the cheek. I’ve never taken that for granted, even though they don’t even know that they’re doing it.”

I ask DUSTIN HOFFMAN if this love from his family and his need to keep changing at 71 is what has brought him to his current point—mellow but not satisfied. “Mellow?” he says, surprised. “Let me think.” He pauses, then polishes the description of himself: “OK. I’ll say, ‘Satisfied but not satisfied.’ ”

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EDDIE MURPHY Rumoured to be in the NEXT BATMAN MOVIE

2008-12-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

A British Tabloid (The epidamy of media accuracy) has reported that EDDIE MURPHY WILL PLAY THE RIDDLER IN THE NEXT BATMAN MOVIE. The same article also reports that SHIA LEBOUF WILL STAR AS ROBIN.

I don't know what the Brits were smoking but EDDIE MURPHY AS THE RIDDLER is not a bad idea. Although picturing EDDIE MURPHY as a Villain of Gotham City is a little hard.

Here is the original Story

FUNNYMAN EDDIE MURPHY will play THE RIDDLERin the next Batman movie, The Sun can reveal.
The Beverly Hills Cop star, 47, has been signed up by British director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN to reprise the role played by JIM CARREY in 1995’s Batman Forever. Gotham villain ... Eddie Murphy

The surprise move follows speculation linking Pirates of the Caribbean star JOHNNY DEPP to the part. The film, set for a 2010 release, is being developed under the working title Gotham.

Execs have also signed up rising Transformers star SHIA LABEOUF, 22, to play Robin.

CHRISTIAN BALE will return as Bruce Wayne, while MICHAEL CAINE will again play Bruce’s assistant Alfred. Meanwhile, Brit RACHEL WEISZ is said to be up for the Catwoman role. Insiders also revealed to The Sun the flick will end on a cliffhanger over whether Batman survives a blast at Wayne Towers.

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Nolan had been tight-lipped about the future of the Batman films after being rocked by the January death of HEATH LEDGER — tipped to receive a posthumous Oscar for his role as The Joker in Batman Returns. A film insider said: “Chris wasn’t sure if he wanted to do another movie but as soon as he decided to, he got the wheels in motion. “Eddie’s a fantastic addition. Everyone’s excited to see what he does as the Riddler.”

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Movies still Raking in the Bucks in these Tough Economic Times

2008-11-23T10:28:00.001-08:00

"Twilight," the vampire romance that has spurred feverish anticipation among female moviegoers, took a bigger-than-expected $70.55 million bite out of the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.

The teen smash crushed the competition, including "Bolt," a Walt Disney Co canine cartoon that made its debut at No. 3 with a disappointing $27 million.

"Twilight's" showing was the best opening weekend for a movie since "The Dark Knight" launched with a record $158 million in July.

Last weekend's champion, the James Bond outing "Quantum of Solace," slipped to No. 2 with $27.4 million.

"Twilight," the first in a planned franchise based on the best-selling books by Stephenie Meyer, was released by nascent independent studio Summit Entertainment LLC. Studios such as MTV Films and Fox Atomic had passed on the project.

Not unlike each new "Harry Potter" movie, the film has had fans on tenterhooks for months, in this case young girls and their mothers. Many fans camped out overnight ahead of the film's world premiere in Los Angeles Monday. Hundreds of "Twilight" performances set for midnight Thursday sold out quickly.

Going into the weekend, industry pundits had forecast a three-day opening somewhere above $50 million but that target was blown out by the film's $36 million take Friday -- a sum that almost matched its official budget.

Women accounted for three-quarters of the audience and 55 percent of viewers were under the age of 25, Summit said. It was confident the movie could spread its appeal to other demographics.

"Where the young girls are, the young boys soon will follow," said Richie Fay, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Summit.

British actor Robert Pattinson stars as the brooding vampire Edward and Kristen Stewart plays the object of his affection, Bella. "Twilight" was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who is perhaps best known for her work on the bad-girl teen drama "Thirteen."

"Bolt" features the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. Pundits had forecast an opening upward of $40 million.

The last Disney cartoon -- as opposed to any from its Pixar division -- was "Meet the Robinsons," which opened to $25 million in March 2007. Just two weeks ago, rival studio DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc sequel "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" opened to $63.1 million. It fell two places to No. 4 this weekend with $16.0 million and a total of $137 million.

"Quantum of Solace" has earned $109.5 million after 10 days and remained the No. 1 film internationally with sales of $40.6 million. Its worldwide total stands at $418 million. The film was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp, which produced the film with closely held Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua - Disney Gamble on Cheezy or Good Kid fun

2008-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Andy Rooney, "60 Minute's" famed curmudgeon, once said that if dogs could talk it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one.

Rooney hasn't seen "Beverly Hills Chihuahua."

Disney's glitzy doggie lark may lack the classic, enduring charm of "Lady and the Tramp." But it does prove that mutts have luck - especially the outrageously spoiled, booty-wearing princess that stars in this canine caper.

Chloe, Disney's über-pooch version of Paris Hilton, is a girl who's got it going on as "BHC" begins. Living a lifestyle that most humans would envy, the tiny, white-haired Chihuahua (voiced by Drew Barrymore) is lavished with diamonds, designer duds, puppy pedicures and doggie Pilates classes by her doting owner Vivian (Jamie Lee Curtis). The miniscule mutt is also adored from afar by Papi (George Lopez), a lowly stray who pals around Vivian's estate with her sexy Mexican landscaper.

Trouble in pooch paradise begins, however, once Chloe's well-heeled mamacita is called away on business. Entrusted to Vivian's flighty niece (Piper Perabo) and clueless sidekick (Ali Hillis), this diva's charmed life ends abruptly when the girls lose the pup on a Mexican road trip.

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"Chloe ends up in a place that she deems totally inappropriate for a dog from Beverly Hills," says Hillis, who spoke with CTV.ca from Los Angeles.

Kidnapped by the masterminds behind an underground dog-fighting ring, Chloe is saved by a street-wise German Shepherd (Andy Garcia). With an emerging spunk that rivals even that of the "Yo quiero Taco Bell" Chihuahua, Chloe journeys home with her new friend, Papi and the motley mutts who join in on this Latin-flavoured recovery mission.

Hillis realizes her Disney dream

Early reviews have chastised Walt Disney Pictures and director Raja Gosnell for portraying Mexico as a dangerous place where conmen and crimnials line the streets. Kiddie viewers, however, won't notice the political incorrectness.

"I was revved to do a Disney movie," says Hillis, 29. A big dog fan, Hillis was sold by the project's message to audiences to rescue animals in distress.

"I love that this movie challenges people to consider if a dog is really right for their lives. It also makes audiences think about rescuing an animal instead of buying a new one," says Hillis. "One of my two dogs was rescued so that idea made this film very attractive to me."

Appearing in such film as "The Heartbreak Kid" (2007), "Must Love Dogs" (2005) and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Hillis made her Hollywood debut in 1999 on the hit TV series, "Felicity."

"It was Jason Alexander that convinced me to go to L.A.," says Hillis, who first set out to conquer the Broadway stage. After landing a job on the 1990's hit "Law & Order" and seeing her scenes end up the cutting room floor, Hillis decided to take the "Seinfeld" star's advice and give Hollywood a try.

"Jason convinced me that the cut wasn't my fault. It happens to everyone and it was a good lesson to learn," says Hillis, who soon found herself auditioning for "Felicity" creator J.J. Abrams for the role of Chloe.

"I told J.J. that 'Felicity' was the only show I went to my neighbours to watch. I didn't have a TV when I first moved to L.A. I think that nailed the deal," says Hillis. That break lead to other television appearances on "Baywatch" in 2001, "Boomtown" in 2002 and "JAG" in 2004.

Soon to appear in Disney's sci-fi flick "Space Buddies," which hits theatres in February of 2009, Hillis sees "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" for what it is. "This is a family film. It's meant to be a fun time for kids. I think we accomplished that," says Hillis.

Megan Fox to star in New Movie "The Blue"

2008-09-28T12:04:00.001-07:00

Megan Fox is set to play a dazzling mermaid in an upcoming flick-‘The Blue’.

The stunner will be playing the lead role of ‘Aspen’, a marine biologist in comic-book thriller Fathom .

“Several writers have been brought aboard to revamp the script as a vehicle for Megan, who officially signed on for the project this week,” The Daily Star quoted a source, as saying.

“There will be a lot of bikini shots for Megan,” the insider added.

After winning her gold medal Aspen is disqualified due to an abnormal response to a drug test.

When she qualifies as a marine biologist, she is invited to study at a top-secret underwater science facility known as the Deep Marine Discovery .

She then discovers she is a member of an aquatic race called The Blue – and can control water.

HILARY SWANK Gains Weight for New Movie "French Women Don't Get Fat"

2008-09-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hillary Swank, who is usually a skinny-mini, is packing on the pounds for her next role. It's almost impossible to imagine!

Hillary will be sporting a plumper version of herself for the upcoming movie French Women Don't Get Fat, based on Mieille Guiliano's book of the same name. And she's not just putting on a few pounds.

The Academy always loves when the pretty ladies transform themselves, like Charlize Theron in Monster!

The two-time Oscar nabber is next set to pack on the pounds (and a lot of 'em) to play the lead in French Women Don't Get Fat, an adaptation of Mireille Guiliano's best-selling book, which Swank will also produce.

"She'll gain 20 to 30 pounds," we're told by a source close to the production. "It's no sweat. She's played a man before. She can handle anything."

Yeah, but others close to her are expressing concerns over Hilary-hon's heart. Details 'n' dirt after the jump...

As we just reported, some of Swank's colleagues are more than concerned about her alarmingly thin frame, which is so tiny, some say Chad Lowe's former wife is looking downright frail. But anything for a meaty part, eh?

While French Women is nonfiction, an early premise says Swank will play the manager of a champagne company dealing with French beauties who consume bread, wine and pastries yet never gain an ounce. And naturally, self discovery happens along the way.

Swank joins a slew of Hollywood peers gaining weight for work, such as Eva Longoria Parker and her newly zaftig character Gabrielle on Desperate Housewives, as well as daddy-type Matt Damon, who packed on pounds for The Informant. Still, Hill-babe ain't too happy about the physical requirements, a fat little birdie told us, whatever—ain't a third Oscar worth it?

A rep for Swank would only confirm that the project is indeed upcoming, not Swank's next. We hear otherwise.

BARBIE AND THE DIAMOND CASTLE

2008-09-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

Barbie and the Diamond Castle is a 2008 direct-to-video computer-animated entry in the in the Barbie film series. The film is scheduled to be released on September 9th 2008. The film features the voice of Kelly Sheridan, who has voiced the Barbie protagonist in all the CGI Barbie films. It will also be the third musical.

Songs for the film were written by songwriters Amy Powers (Elliot Yamin), Guy Roche (Christina Aguilera), Russ DeSalvo (Celine Dion), Gabriel Mann (Sara Bareilles) Megan Cavallari (Higgleytown Heroes) and Jeannie Lurie (Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana) along with Executive Producer Rob Hudnut.

As with the previous Barbie films, a line of toys, dolls, and other products were made based on and released slightly ahead of the film. The Toy Fair 2008 released images of some of the dolls to be released later this year. Fox Interactive will self-publish the video game adaption for the movie.

Plot
Liana and Alexa (Barbie and Teresa) are best friends who share everything, including their love of singing. Liana and Alexa sell flowers for a living. One day, Liana finds 2 heart shaped diamonds in the river. Suddenly, there is a storm, and the two girls hurry inside their house. Liana makes the two diamonds into two necklaces, one for each girl. The next day, they find that their garden is destroyed by the storm. They sell the remaining flowers to get 3 coins, but that will not last until the next growing season. While walking through the forest home from the village, the girls meet an old beggar. Liana feels sorry for the old woman so she gives her her lunch, bread and jam, even thought she and Alexa don't have much either. In return, the old woman gives her a magical mirror. As they clean the mirror and sing, a musical apprentice muse named Melody appears in the mirror's surface. Melody tells the girls about the secret of the Diamond Castle, which is the home of all music, and where three musical muses once resided until one evil muse, Lydia, tried to take the castle for herself. She failed, but turned the other muses to stone.

In an act of safekeeping the other two muses entrusted the key of the Diamond Castle to Melody. And to keep the key safe from Lydia, Melody hid herself in the mirror, but now she can't get out. She needs Liana's and Alexa's help to free her from the mirror and to save the Diamond Castle. Suddenly, Slider, Lydia's dragon hears Melody's voice, prompting Lydia to go after Melody for the keys. Liana and Alexa must hurry to get to the Diamond Castle first to get the other muses instruments to free the two other muses and to banish Lydia. Along their way, Liana and Alexa make new friends and enemies.

Death Tunnel

2008-09-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

In Kentucky, five sexy students are trapped to spend the night in an abandoned sanatorium, where many people were killed in the 30's when the location was devastated by an infectious white plague, as a prank of their school mates. Along the night, while trying to escape from the asylum, they are haunted by ghosts and the survivors disclose that they are descendant of the victims and are reviving their deaths. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Movie is based on the True Stories and Hauntings of Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky. This horrific Five story structure is listed as one of the Top Ten Scariest Places on Earth, due to the 63,000+ deaths within this monument of Terror. They were then carried through the massive Five hundred foot underground Tunnel to their final resting place. The story involves Five girls on a college initiation, dared to spend the night separately on the Five floors of this sanatorium, with the Five ghosts that exist within it's abandoned corridors. Will they make it through the night? For the only way out is through...the Death Tunnel.

Review from
jccalhoun
United States

This is "inspired" by a real life TB hospital in Kentucky. Because I grew up in southern Indiana, I'll always check out any film set in Indiana, Ohio or Kentucky. Sadly, this film is more style than it is substance.

I will admit that the people who made this are geniuses. They not only made a fictional movie at this closed hospital but they also made a documentary about the place called Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Two films for the price of one! That's good film making.

Death Tunnel is your basic story about a bunch of teenagers who go to the hospital and spooky stuff happens and they die. The problem is that it is full of flashbacks and flashforwards and is basically just padding. None of the characters get any real personality and none of the deaths are particularly interesting or even gory. It is almost as if they made the film and it was only 45 minutes long and they just filled i with random trippy scenes to fill it out.

There's also no real central bad guy. One of the grandfathers of one of the persons shows up but he isn't really central. There's no thing or person that the protagonists can attempt to fight or beat. Instead they are just trying to get out of the place which makes it pretty unfocused.

one thumb up

The setting is cool
because it is a real place
but the film is lame

Re-make of Death Race 2000 - starring Natalie Martinez roars into theatres

2008-08-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Among the seven new movies opening this week is a remake of the 1975 cult classic "Death Race 2000" -- though now without the "2000" in the title.

The original movie, you might remember, starred a young Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine, and spawned a video game that, for all of its visual lameness, still managed to become one of the first video games to cause an uproar over violent content.

I got a chance to catch an advance screening of the new "Death Race" earlier this week at the AMC Elmwood Palace, and it's likely to continue that hand-wringing legacy, with its over-the-top violence and shamless bloodlust.

I can't say too much until the movie opens -- check back here for a full review on Friday. Until then, here's my One-Word Review, along with the bare-bones basics on the film:

DEATH RACE

The setup:Jason Statham is a prisoner forced to compete in the world's most popular sport: A race in which the winners are the ones who manage to stay alive, in a remake of 1975's "Death Race 2000."

The stars:Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Joan Allen.

The director:Paul W.S. Anderson.

The running time: 1 hour 29 minutes.

See it at: Prytania, Canal Place, Elmwood Palace, Clearview Palace, West Bank Palace, Hammond Palace, Hollywood 9 (Kenner), Hollywood 14 (Covington), Holiday 12, Grand (Slidell).

THE ONE-WORD REVIEW: Axle-kicking.

For More on Natalie Martinez

Jennifer's Body Cut Megan Fox's Topless Scene

2008-08-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

The good news?

Transformers hottie Megan Fox shot a topless scene for the upcoming film Jennifer's Body. Those pictures can be seen in High res at http://meganfoxtopless.blogspot.com

The bad news?

The scene got cut.

Yes, according to Worstpreviews.com Fox’s foxy nude scene does not appear in the final cut of the film, which was recently screened for test audiences.

Of course, the report came from an early screening, and things could changes…but fans of Fox and breasts should likely start looking somewhere else for their entertainment and inspiration. I know I will…

Directed by Karyn Kusama, the gal behind Aeon Flux and Girlfight, Jennifer's Body is about a cheerleader who is possessed by a demon by a rock band and starts feeding off the boys in a Minnesota farming town. The flick is tentatively set to storm theaters next year...sans boobs apparently.

Soul Men - Upcoming Movie Featuring Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes

2008-08-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

When one of his final flicks, Soul Men, is released, Bernie Mac will not only be remembered for his comedic acting chops, but also his great singing voice.
Yes, his singing voice.

"He definitely can carry a tune," the movie's director Malcolm D. Lee told me this morning. "He does a great falsetto in the movie, and a baritone and alto as well. He has a range. He plays a range of emotions in the film as well as octaves."

In the November flick, Mac and Samuel L. Jackson star as soul singers who agree to reunite and perform at a tribute for their recently deceased band leader after being estranged for a couple of decades.

"They do their own singing and their own dancing in the film," says Lee. "You get the opportunity to see both of these guys go for it in a real way that's fun and energetic."

Mac and Jackson will be included on the movie's soundtrack. "We prerecorded five songs with Sam and Bernie," Lee says. "One of them is original, and the rest of them are covers." (Lee declined to reveal which covers, because he'd like to keep it a surprise.)

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Lee last spoke to Mac on the final day of shooting in April. "When I went to shake his hand and tell him how much I loved him and what a great job he did, he hugged me back and looked me in the eye and said, 'Make a great film, man,' " Lee remembered. "I promised him that I would."

Lee also has special memories of Isaac Hayes. The music legend plays himself in Soul Men. "He was written into the script as himself," Lee said. "When I came on, they asked, 'Do you want him in the movie?' and I was like, 'Of course.' Not to include him in the movie would have been sacrilege. I had to have Isaac in the film."

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Megan Fox "How to Loose Friends and Alienate People" Trailer

2008-08-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

Tropic Thunder uses spoof trailers to great effect in its opening sequences, to introduce the film’s actor characters. Now it looks like How To Lose Friends and Alienate People is trying to pull off the same thing.

In it How to Lose Friends, Transformers babe Megan Fox plays a character named Sophie Maes. It seems Sophie is an actor, and she’s starring in a movie about the sexed up sex life of Mother Teresa. Yes I said Mother Teresa. Her nun movie has a full on fake official site and a trailer to go with it. Those of you harboring a secret nun fetish won’t want to miss this. The rest of you… well let’s just say How To Lose Friends and Alienate People isn’t nearly as good at fake trailers as Tropic Thunder. Give me the secret love affair between two priests starring Tobey Maguire and Robert Downey Jr. over the passionate love life of Mother Teresa starring Megan Fox any day.

Here’s the fake trailer for Teresa: The Making of s Saint.

FOR MORE ON MEGAN FOX

Jennifer's Body Marketing Begins

2008-07-31T07:08:00.001-07:00

Lets face it ever since the naked Megan Fox pictures from the set of Jennifer’s Body were leaked, it became more her movie rather than Oscar winner Diablo Cody (See Naked Here). You can see the poster for the film below.

“A newly possessed cheerleader turns into a killer who specializes in offing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?”

Harry Potter 6 - Harry Potter and the Half blood Prince Trailer released

2008-07-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

	When it comes to the sixth installment of one of the most successful series in movie history, the release of its trailer is almost as exciting as that of the film itself. Due out Nov. 21, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" teases movie screens this Friday, before showings of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."
Voldemort is played by Ralph Fiennes, and his 11-year-old incarnation is played by 10-year-old Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, the actor's nephew. Not only does he bear a resemblance to the grown-up Voldemort, but he also has the requisite intensity, Yates says. "His mother (Martha Fiennes) is a film director, and Hero was very focused and disciplined," Yates says. "The fact that he's related to Ralph wasn't the primary reason for choosing him. It was an advantage that he looked very similar to Ralph. Of course that was useful. But primarily I went for Hero because of this wonderful haunted quality that seemed to bring Tom Riddle alive on-screen for us." Yates stressed how hard it can be for very young actors to find the necessary dark place to play such a creepy character. "But even though he's the nicest child you'd ever want to meet, sweet-natured and pleasant, he got the corners and dark moods and odd spirit of the character."
	Audiences also will meet a teenage Voldemort, still known as Tom Riddle. He's played by Frank Dillane. The character made an appearance in the second Potter film, Chamber of Secrets, played by a different actor. "Even at a very young age, Tom Riddle shows tendencies toward cruelty and maliciousness," Yates says. "And it's a very unsettling thing to see."

Miss Potter - Starring Rene Zellweger

2008-07-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

	“It felt right filming in the Lake District. It always makes it easier to feel a character’s experience when you are surrounded by things you know were beloved to them” Renée Zellweger
Since today is Beatrix Potter's Birthday what better way to celebrate the life o this amazing woman than a tale about Beatrix Potter. The beautiful Rene Zellweger stars in this enchanting tale of the Enchantress herself. Directed by CHRIS NOONAN (Babe) and starring Oscar-winning RENEE ZELLWEGER (Cold Mountain, Bridget Jones’ Diary) and EWAN McGREGOR (Star Wars, Moulin Rouge!), MISS POTTER is an inspirational love story that follows Beatrix Potter's rise to being the most successful classic children’s author of all time.
	Despite delighting generations of children with her books, Beatrix Potter kept her own story locked carefully away. Her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was a publishing phenomenon and led to a magical love affair with her publisher Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor).
MISS POTTER is undoubtedly the most enchanting tale of all.

Megan fox in Jennifers Body "It's all about the sex"

2008-07-24T06:34:00.001-07:00

Megan Fox recently talked about her role in Jennifers Body and made it pretty clear she is still using her sex to sell her movies. She tells them that in the movie;

"I eat and seduce everyone. There's a lot of kissing everyone – boys and girls. All kinds of craziness."

So it seems that Jennifers Body is going to build its fan base not on the basis of being a good horror flick but rather on the basis of its girl on girl lesbian vampire action. I am totally going to work on feigning shock. Everytime I hear Jennifer talk about a project it always leads its way somehow to sexuality. She is building a brand for herself but unfortunately once she turns 30 it wont help her career.

Hopefully the film offers more then just visual eye candy. As attractive as Megan Fox is and as much as sex can help sell a movie at the end of the day if the movie is no good it wont get traction or go anywhere. Megan did a pretty good job in Transformers lets hope it translates to Jennifers Body.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People Trailer

2008-07-19T08:33:00.001-07:00

Simon Pegg has proven he's an amazing talent in the work he's done with his buddy Edgar Wright, from the hilarious (and soon to be on DVD) British sitcom Spaced to zombie movie Shaun of the Dead. But when he's stepped out with other directors, it hasn't been pretty-- if you managed to avoid Run, Fat Boy, Run, I applaud your smarts.

So it's hard to know what to think about this new trailer for How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, posted by Moviefone. It's the story of a guy who goes to work for a fancy lifestyle magazine in New York, and apparently makes an idiot of himself. It's either not so bad a job, because he works for the Dude, or a terrible job, because he works for Obadiah Stane-- depending on which Jeff Bridges role you prefer. Oh, and Kirsten Dunst is in there too, looking pretty cute actually and of course who could forget the beautiful Megan Fox.

Pegg has played a doofus in most of his roles thus far, but he's usually been a clever doofus. If this whole movie consists of nothing but pratfalls and cringe-inducing humor, it might not do any favors for his American career. Check it out below and see if this makes you like Simon Pegg any more.

Megan Fox Told to Gain Weight for Transformers 2

2008-07-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Megan Fox is still one of the slimmest starlets in Tinseltown, but the ubersexy screen siren was sporting a few more much-needed curves beneath her “Star Wars” T-shirt and jeans at the FOX Television Critics Association party in Santa Monica, Calif., on Monday night.

Fox was forced to gain 10 pounds in three weeks for her role in the second “Transformers” movie following a dramatic and dangerous weight loss for her last film, “Jennifer’s Body."

“I should have toned up for 'Transformers' but I’m really lazy. I had to put on weight,” she told Pop Tarts. “I’d lost a lot of weight and got really scrawny, but I was told I had to put on size for 'Transformers' because Michael [Bay, the director] doesn’t like skinny girls.”

But what dangerous dieting regime did Megan use to pop the pounds in the first place?

“I just stopped eating,” she said. “I don’t eat very healthy anyway — I have a serious sugar tooth, so now I eat red-velvet cake before I go to bed every night, and if you eat meals later, you’ll put on weight faster, so I had dinner at 10 p.m.”

The filming for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” kicked off just last month, and while the 22-year-old was under strict orders not to say too much, it seems like there will be a few disappointed male admirers.

“There are no big love scenes,” Fox said. “At this point Shi and I have been dating for two years so we’re at the bickering stage, like an old married couple.”

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Angelina Jolie uses the death of her Mother as Muse for Assassin Movie

2008-07-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

Angelina Jolie said she decided to take a role as an assassin in the action movie ‘Wanted’ to help her get over the death of her mother. The actress, who is currently in a French hospital awaiting the birth of twins, admits that she took the role to help keep her mind off of her mom, Marchline Bertrand who died of ovarian cancer in February 2007.

“My mother had just passed away and I wanted to do something physical to get it out of my head for a while,” Jolie says. “I felt I was going into a very dark place and I wasn’t capable of getting up in the morning, so I signed up for something that would force me to be active.”

Meanwhile, Jolie is due to give birth to her fifth and sixth children with partner Brad Pitt. The 33-year-old checked into a French hospital last week for “surveillance” before the arrival of the twins. She and Pitt already have a biological daughter and three adopted children.

Megan Fox Talks about Transformers 2

2008-06-30T09:10:00.001-07:00

SOURCE: http://meganthefox.blogspot.com/

When Michael Bay got behind the camera for his most recent film, he chronicled a lot more than just automobiles transforming into robots from outer space. Millions of fans also watched then 21-year-old Megan Fox transform from an obscure actress best remembered for a Lindsay Lohan movie into one of the most desired hotties on the planet.

Now, the “Transformers” star is back on the set with Michael Bay — and true to the director’s favorite word, she says he’s making an awesome sequel.

“As big as the first movie was, this is 10 times as big, 10 times as many set pieces, explosions, and acrobatic stunts,” she told us about “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. “Shia and I make out a little bit; I don’t know if anyone wants to see that.”

Something tells us that Shia LeBeouf wants to see it.

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Regardless, Megan insisted that the blossoming romance between Sam and Mikaela is only one of the many plotlines Bay will be juggling for the June 2009 flick. But according to the actress, some last-minute scrambling has been taking place to make sure their romance can hold its own among all those Autobot vs. Decepticon showdowns.

“You know, we’ve been having script meetings, and we’ve been reworking the script, because they wrote it fast because of the writer’s strike,” she explained. “And, we’ve just been going through and trying to do some character stuff for Shia and myself in the middle of this crazy world that they’re in.”

“I can tell you that we’re on locations in some really exotic places,” she added. “It’s just going to be a badass movie. It’s just going to be a popcorn-visual-spectacle, summer film.”

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As for Michael Bay’s main directorial input to his lead actress, Megan had this to say: “His main note to me is just to look hot; so I try my best

Film Crew and Movie Magicians head to Loch ness to recreate the Loch ness Monster (AKA Water Horse) for Film release to Blu-Ray and DVD

2008-06-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

IS this the best picture of Nessie ever taken? The monster appears to break through the surface of Loch Ness with Urquhart Castle providing the dramatic backdrop.

However, it is a filmakers' fantasy, recreating a scene from the family film "The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep" which provides monster fans with the perfect picture. The event was a promotion snapped in Drumnadrochit this week to mark the DVD and Blu-ray release of the film on Monday.

Troll remake has Ali Lohan interested

2008-06-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, John Carl Buechler has a big budget remake (and by big, think $25 million) of Troll in the works. The update of his 1986 horror-fantasy romp is an independently financed production currently in the casting stage.

An E! correspondent dished some exclusive buzz on who recently went in to audition. Marc Malkin reports via his blog Lindsay Lohan's lil' sis Ali (one of the stars of the E! reality show Living Lohan) read for the role of Eunice St. Clair last week. Buechler tells Malkin he was impressed by the Lohan sibling's performance and that he's going to "fight for her".

The director goes on to say his remake is "a retelling of the original story with some twists."

Kathy Hilton to star next to Tom Cruise in New Movie

2008-06-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton's mum Kathy Hilton will be playing the role of Tom Cruise's wife in a scene in Ben Stiller's new movie Tropic Thunder. Kathy, who is an American socialite and an actress, revealed to friends that she has a cameo in the upcoming summer comedy.

"She filmed the scene last winter and didn't even tell her kids because she wanted to surprise them," Contactmusic quoted a source, as telling In Touch magazine. "She raved about Tom. She said he was so warm and friendly and made her very comfortable," the source added.

The news of Cruise's surprise cameo in the film hit the headlines late last year (07), when he was spotted sporting a bald hairpiece and prosthetic belly on the set of the film. Apart from Stiller, the film also stars Jack Black and Robert

The Smurfs Ice a new Movie Deal

2008-06-11T11:40:00.001-07:00

Pearl Jam has struck a deal with Verizon Wireless' V Cast service to sell select tracks from the authorized live bootlegs that will be available in conjunction with the band's upcoming summer tour, which begins Wednesday (June 11) in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Under this extension of Pearl Jam's long-running live bootleg program, three tracks from each show (excluding Bonnaroo) will be available immediately afterward via V Cast and PearlJamConcerts.com -- one as a free mobile download and two others for purchase.

All V Cast tracks will be "dual downloads," meaning that once purchased, they are sent to both the mobile phone and the user's computer. They will feature Verizon's existing digital rights management (DRM) system and will also be sold as ringtones and ringbacks.

The Verizon deal also includes mobile tickets. Any fan downloading any type of Pearl Jam content from V Cast -- going back to the beginning of the year -- is eligible to win seats to an upcoming show. Tickets will be sent directly to the phones of winning fans, in the form of a barcode that can be scanned at the venue's entrance.

In addition, DRM-free digital tour bootlegs will be sold in FLAC format. A less expensive MP3 option will also be available, with all digital versions hitting PearlJam.com exclusively two weeks after each show.

In the past Pearl Jam has used a proprietary download tool to help fans manage acquisition of their bootlegs, but it isn't doing so this time, Pearl Jam fan club manager Tim Bierman told Billboard.com. "Customers will download through their individual browsers. Those needing help with larger files/slower connections will be advised to use a free download manager available on the Web," Bierman said.

The bootleg series, which began on CD in 2000 but went digital-only for Pearl Jam's 2006 tour, will once again have a physical component this summer. CDs will be manufactured on demand and will be mailed within three weeks of the show.

Robocop 2010 confirmed

2008-06-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

RoboCop2010 remake is confirmed! Actually, this isn't as bad as that earlier news, but it's still a bit painful. The rumors of a RoboCop remake first began in March, when MGM said that RoboCop was a franchise that they wanted to bring back. Considering RoboCop's screenwriter Ed Neumeier is completely clueless, it's likely MGM is getting this moving without the involvement of anyone from the original three films. And with that introduction, take a look at this banner from the floor of the Licensing International Expo 2008.

Since that announcement in March, no other details have been released by MGM. However, it's obvious that they're putting this on track for 2010. This remake actually reminds me quite a bit of the Terminator reboot that McG is currently shooting down in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was an awesome series back in the day and I think this remake could be a fun modernized rehash. There's nothing wrong with remakes if they can make them entertaining and exciting and it's obvious MGM wants to license this and turn it into an even bigger franchise. We'll be sure to update you once we hear more.

Lindsay Lohan to star in new Movie "Labor Pains"

2008-06-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Lohan jumps onto the pregnancy bandwagon on the set of her upcoming film Labor Pains in Los Angeles on Monday.

The 21-year-old actress’ character pretends to be pregnant in order to avoid being fired from her job. When that gets her a bunch of special treatment by everyone involved in her life, her character tries to keep up the lie for nine months!

The movie due out next year and is directed by Laura Shapiro.

Massive Hollywood fire sure to effect filming schedule

2008-06-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

There is a large fire at Universal Studios. The fire started around 5:15 AM PT on the New York sound stage and has continued to spread.

TMZ talked with the LA City Fire Department, and have found out that there are over 40 other companies trying to help keep the fire under control.

Reports from ABC7 are saying that at this moment there are no injuries. At the time of TMZ’s report the fire had damaged one building and also damaged the Earthquake ride.

According to CNN report it's not known what has caused the fire. It is reported that it may be a while until the L.A. firefighters take the Universal Studios fire under control.

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UPDATE: 7:04 AM PT: Captain Brown from LAFD has just said the fire is contained to four or fire buildings on the back lot and that there are no injuries as of yet. There have been explosions during the fire due to propane tanks. They are trying to keep the fire from spreading to the outlying brush, and water supplies are low.

UPDATE 6:52 AM PT: The fire has gotten worse! A TMZ reported says the fire just got a lot bigger, despite firefighters efforts.

UPDATE 6:26 AM PT: A TMZ reporter on the scene says the fire is being contained, as firefighters and helicopters continue to attack the blaze.

Story Developing ...

UPDATE: TMZ spoke with LA City Fire Department, who told us that although the fire is under LA County jurisdiction, they have sent roughly 40 companies to try and contain the blaze. The fire started around 5:15 AM PT on the New York sound stage, and is continuing to spread. There are no reports of injuries at the moment.

The fire has destroyed at least one building and has caused damage to the "Cyclone" ride

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More than 100 Los Angeles-area firefighters are battling a large fire on a back lot at Universal Studios, fire authorities said. There were reports of an explosion in the studio's adjacent amusement park, said Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Frank Reynoso.

The three-alarm blaze damaged four or five structures, a fire official told reporters.

The fire began about 4:45 a.m. PT (7:45 a.m. ET) Sunday and reportedly damaged two "prop" buildings, including a chapel, and a popular ride called the "Cyclone," Reynoso said.

The theme park will open Sunday, though the studio tour will be affected by the blaze, according to Universal Studios spokesman Eliot Sekuler.

Television footage showed the blaze burning through the roofs of structures at the park and large plumes of smoke.

"It will be awhile before we have it under control," Reynoso said.

Firefighters were dropping water on the blaze from helicopters.

Hannah Montana Movie Begins Production

2008-05-25T08:47:00.001-07:00

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus will bring her popular character to the big screen once again, following the announcement that Walt Disney Pictures has begun production on 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'.

This is the second feature-length Hannah Montana film to hit the box office, however, it's the first fully-scripted effort - the first big screen version was a film of her concert.

The movie will follow Hannah Montana, a girl who leads a secret double life as a pop star, as her fame looks like taking over her entire life, and her father asking her to visit her hometown to get some perspective on life.

'Hannah Montana: The Movie' is due for release in the northern Spring in 2009, with filming to take place in Los Angeles, Nashville and Tennesse.

Harry Potter actor killed in Sidcup knife attack while coming to the aid of his younger Brother

2008-05-24T19:20:00.001-07:00

Friends said the murder victim, who they named as 18-year-old Robert Knox, worked as a film extra and was due to appear in the new Harry Potter film coming out in November.

He died after intervening on behalf of his younger brother Jamie Knox, 16, when two men, including one said to be armed with two knives, came into the bar.

A fight erupted inside the Metro bar, next to Sidcup train station, on the south-east London-north Kent border, before spilling outside onto the pavement and into the road.
Robert - who went to the same Sidcup Rugby Club as 'gentle giant' teenager Jimmy Mizen, who was murdered in nearby Lee two weeks ago - was pronounced dead shortly after the incident at around 12.07am.

The stabbing happened just yards from the shoe shop owned by Jimmy's parents in Sidcup High Street.

Scotland Yard confirmed a young man died from knife wounds, a 21-year-old man suffered stab wounds to his chest and a 16-year-old youth also had knife wounds to his chest.

A police spokesman said: "A man aged 21 has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He is being held in custody."

Robert, who lived with his family in nearby Swanley, Kent, used to be a student at Hurstmere School, Sidcup.

Friends and family were leaving floral tributes in Station Road, Sidcup, today.

MEGAN FOX Naked Scene in JENNIFER'S BODY

2008-05-13T08:26:00.001-07:00

It seems MEGAN FOX has a steamy naked scene in her new Movie JENNIFER S BODY. The Scene is in a lake where MEGAN FOX is Skinny Dipping. For the actual in water portion, MEGAN FOX is seen wearing a skin coloured covering, however there are a few pictures floating around which show MEGAN FOX COMPLETELY NAKED. Visit http://meganthefox.blogspot.com for more detailed pictures of the real thing.

LINDSAY LOHAN Dropped from CHARLIE MANSON Film

2008-05-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan has been dropped from the indie film The Manson Girls because no "name" actor or actress wanted to co-star with her, according to Deadline Hollywood.

In March, Lindsay had signed on to play Nancy Pitman, a surfer chick who became involved with convicted murderer Charlie Manson. Production was set to begin in July, but Lohan was reportedly just dropped after her attachment to the project deterred A-list actors from signing on.

Lindsay, 21, recently made headlines for allegedly stealing someone's mink coat at an NYC nightclub. Last summer, she was arrested for drunk driving and cocaine possession. A tabloid mainstay, Lohan's career has stalled in recent years, due mainly to her bad behavior.

Lohan's next role will be on the small screen, when she makes a cameo appearance on the hit ABC show Ugly Betty on May 22.

Keshia Knight Pulliam cast as a Hooker named Candy in New Film - Madea Goes to Jail

2008-05-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Little Rudy from "The Cosby Show" all grown up and playing a hooker? Yes indeed, thanks to Tyler Perry.

Keshia Knight Pulliam will star as an imprisoned prostitute in "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail." Derek Luke also stars in the Lionsgate comedy, which is set to begin filming in Atlanta next month for a tentative early 2009 release.

Writer-director Perry returns to the front of the camera as the irrepressible matriarch Madea, whose penchant for trouble-making lands her behind bars. She comes to the rescue of Candy (Pulliam), a fellow inmate preyed upon by a large woman. Luke will play an attorney who has a past with Candy.

Pulliam, 29, recently appeared in Perry's TBS series "House of Payne" and is launching an Atlanta-based production company for film and television projects that she has in development. She played Bill Cosby's lovable daughter Rudy Huxtable in NBC's ratings smash "The Cosby Show."

Luke, who made his screen debut as the title character in "Antwone Fisher," played opposite Robert Redford in "Lions for Lambs."

Movies to come to Cellphone

2008-04-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Privately held digital entertainment provider CinemaNow said on Tuesday that U.S. consumers would be able to use their cell phones to view movie trailers and order full-length movies to watch on their home television or computer through its mobile website.

The service, offered on Web-capable phones at mobile.cinemanow.com, would let U.S. consumers immediately buy or rent a movie when they hear about a new offering while they are out with friends.

"It definitely makes discovery a little more social when you can talk about the movie and do the purchase while you're there," said David Cook, CinemaNow's chief operating officer.

The service automatically downloads movies to a Web-connected consumer electronics device such as a home computer. Having a movie ready to watch by the time a user gets home could also help save time as full movies can take an hour or more to download over the Internet.

CinemaNow, which already competes with services such as Apple Inc's iTunes in Web video rentals, charges about $14.99 for online movie purchases and about $1.99 for rentals.

The technology for the new CinemaNow service is from uVuMobile Inc, which specializes in mobile video.

U.S. service providers are looking to generate an increasing amount of revenue from data services such as video streaming since as many as 150 phone models being sold in the U.S. today can already support streaming video, according to Cook.

He said the company planned to approach U.S. wireless service providers after Tuesday's launch of the site with a view to forging agreements to put the service onto the carriers' main menu of data offerings.

Cook said the service could be followed with video downloads directly to mobile phones as early as 2009.

"I think it's something you'd see next year," he said.

Sex In The City - The Movie to Premiere In London

2008-04-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Sex and the City: The Movie will have its world premiere in London - because of the weakness of the US dollar.

The film - based on the hit US TV show about the lives of four New York women - will be shown for the first time in Leicester Square on May 12, more than two weeks before it gets its premiere in the Big Apple.

All four stars - Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis - will be at the London event, and sources say producers feel London is financially more equipped to cope with it.

Columnist Elizabeth Snead said: "If you had to bet where Sex and the City: The Movie would premiere, you'd probably put money on New York, right?

"That's where the New York Observer columnist Candace Bushnall wrote those spicy columns that the series was based on.

"There are so many fashion merchandising tie-ins with the film that I guess London is seen as vital to the success of the campaign. The American economy and dollar are so weak right now that the studio seems to realise that London was the place to be."

However, the film's makers, New Line, insist the New York event is just as important as the London one.

Harald & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

2008-04-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Review by A Remington

George W. Bush: You guys are awesome.
Harold & Kumar: No, you're awesome!
George W. Bush: No, you guys are awesome!
--dialogue from the movie

What is courage? Courage is making a movie called Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay in which George W. Bush is a sympathetic character, especially considering that most of the audience would probably disagree apoplectically with the sentiment. However, that's about as far as it goes, politically; it's about the Global War on Terror to the same degree as Hot Shots! is about the first Iraq war. And, because it's a funny stoner comedy that's the sequel to a popular movie, it's also likely to be the most successful War on Terror movie ever made.

That's not saying much, of course: there has been a glut of movies about Iraq, both fictional and documentary, and nearly all of them have failed both critically and commercially. With the minor exception of Syriana, virtually every movie about the War on Terror, the war in Iraq, or our post-9/11 society has bombed at the box office: Redacted, Rendition, Lions for Lambs, In the Valley of Elah, Grace is Gone, Stop-Loss, The Road to Guantanamo, The Great New Wonderful, Reign Over Me, and even the mindless action flick The Kingdom.

But Escape from Guantanamo isn't really a War on Terror movie, per se, so much as it's a continuation of the first movie's dopily sincere message about how we incorrectly judge people based on their outer appearance. Especially Neil Patrick Harris.

In fact, the title notithstanding, it's one of the most remarkably faithful sequels you'll ever see, in tone, setup, and execution. In other words, if you liked the first movie, you'll like the second. If you didn't, you won't. Escape from Guantanamo begins about an hour chronologically after the last movie ended, and, after a quick encarceration in Gitmo and a quick breakout, our heroes spend the rest of the movie on the lam (chased by insane G-man Rob Corddry, channeling his inner Jon Voight), finding themselves in brief sketchlike comedic situations. This time, the ultimate destination is Texas, where Kumar's ex is marrying a buddy of Harold's who works for the Department of Homeland Security, who has the power and connections to clear their name.

In the meantime, they do a lot of drugs, see a lot of nudity, run from a lot of scary people, and learn over and over not to judge a book by its cover. It's lucky the two stars are so well-cast, because the movie really rests entirely on their charisma. (Well, that, and the knowledge that a good number of audiencemembers are going to come to the theater bombed out of their mind.) The jokes aren't really political, the situations aren't really satirical, and the social commentary isn't really sophisticated. But it has a happy ending, the guys get the girls, our democracy is preserved, and Neil Patrick Harris fans get all the NPH they could ask for, including a Starship Troopers appreciation that I applauded.

On the other hand, it's not a movie that takes a lot of risks, blazes a lot of new ground, or totally lives up to the promise of its title -- there's a lot of Harold and Kumar, but only about a minute and a half of Guantanamo. Like Albert Brooks's Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, it's funny on its own terms, but it fails to take advantage of the chance to comment meaningfully on the great cultural issue of our time. Every little bit helps, and it's far better that the movie be funny but politically demure than unfunny and politically strident. Still, it feels a bit like a missed opportunity.

The movie's directed by the guys who wrote the last one, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Visually, they do a fine job by keeping the camera on Cho and Penn, though some of the episodes could perhaps be spiced up to interrupt the predictable rhythm of the two of them traveling and bickering and then periodically running into a comedic setpiece. The soundtrack is quite good, and very well-suited to the mood. The house was full on opening night, and the entire theater was laughing, which was both a good sign and a big help -- if at all possible, stoner comedies should be watched with other people.

Other than Neil Patrick Harris and a brief scene with Ed Helms, there are no other celebrity cameos, which is actually a good thing, as celebrity cameos are a frequent pitfall of lazy comedy sequels from Wayne's World to Austin Powers. This movie comes by its laughs slightly more honestly. Hopefully they'll be able to stick to their principles by the time the inevitable Harold & Kumar 3 comes around.

And when it does, my buddies and I will definitely be there to see it.

Two New Hobbit Movies in the works

2008-04-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Guillermo del Toro is directing "The Hobbit" and its sequel, New Line Cinema announced Thursday.

The 43-year-old filmmaker will move to New Zealand for four years to make the films back-to-back with executive producer Peter Jackson.

Del Toro wrote and directed "Pan's Labyrinth," which earned six Oscar nominations in 2006 and won three awards. He is also the director of the upcoming sequel "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," whose monsters bear the unmistakeable surreal vision of the Mexican-born filmmaker.

"Contributing to the 'Lord of the Rings' legacy is an absolute dream come true," del Toro said in a statement.

Jackson co-wrote, co-produced and directed the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which won 17 Oscar and 30 nominations.

Jordana Beatty Cast for Lead Role of Eloise in Paris

2008-04-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

SOURCE: HTTP://JORDANABEATTY.BLOGSPOT.COM

A little-known Australian actress has snagged the starring role in the upcoming Eloise film, beating out more than 4,000 girls who auditioned for the role of the famous children's book heroine.

Producers of Eloise in Paris announced the casting of nine-year-old Jordana Beatty on Wednesday, saying she had been chosen after a search that spanned four continents. Beatty has been a performer since the age of four.

"Jordana is a unique combination of funny, feisty, sweet and soulful," said Charles Shyer, the film's director and co-writer of the script.

"All the qualities that were so much the essence of Kay Thompson's iconic character."

Hollywood star Uma Thurman has also signed on to portray the spunky character's guardian, Nanny, in what is being billed as the first major motion picture about Eloise.

Filming, set to take place in New York and Paris, will begin in August. Planning work for a follow-up (Eloise in Hollywood) is reportedly already underway as well.

U.S. actress, singer, musical arranger and author Thompson introduced her character, who lives in New York's ritzy Plaza Hotel, in the 1957 book Eloise. Subsequent instalments about the precocious six-year-old included Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime and Eloise in Moscow. After Thompson's death, other Eloise books written in the author's style were produced.

The books have also inspired television movies, including two 2003 films that starred Julie Andrews as Nanny, and an animated series.

Wesley Snipes could face 3 years in Jail

2008-04-24T09:27:00.001-07:00

Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes could be jailed for up to three years when he is sentenced for tax evasion later.

He could also be fined up to $5m (£2.5m). Prosecutors have pushed for the maximum penalty because of a "brazen defiance" of US tax laws.

In February, Snipes was found guilty of deliberately failing to file tax returns, but was cleared of more serious fraud and conspiracy charges.

The Blade star has asked for probation instead of imprisonment.

"Wesley Snipes is not a dangerous man who needs to be imprisoned to protect the public," Snipes' lawyer wrote in his sentencing memo.

"He is contrite, promises that he will never again break the law, and respectfully asks the court to consider not just the jury verdict but also all the good that he has done in his life."

'Brazen defiance'

Fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington have sent letters as character witnesses, as have family, friends and employees.

Snipes was convicted of failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001, during which time prosecutors say he avoided paying millions of dollars.

US Attorney Robert O'Neill has pressed for the maximum penalty because, he said, the case provided a "singular opportunity" to "deter tax crime nationwide".

"For nearly a decade, Snipes has engaged in a campaign of criminal tax conduct, combining brazen defiance with insidious concealment," a US Department of Justice statement said.

The actor's first role was in Goldie Hawn's 1986 American football comedy Wildcats, and he has also appeared in hit films such as White Men Can't Jump, Passenger 57 and the Blade trilogy.

Megan Fox wins Most sexiest Woman Award

2008-04-24T09:22:00.001-07:00

SOURCE : http://meganthefox.blogspot.com

Actress Megan Fox was named the world’s sexiest woman on Wednesday by an annual online poll, while the world’s most Googled woman, Britney Spears, barely scraped in at No. 100 after a shocker of a year.

Fox, 21, who starred in last year’s hit movie "Transformers," grabbed the title from actress Jessica Alba, 26, topping online men’s magazine FHM Online’s (www.FHMonline.com) reader poll of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World for 2008. "Megan Fox is the deserving winner of this year’s FHM title. She’s young, she’s hot, she’s a rising star and her sex appeal has definitely transformed this year’s list. She’s got a great future ahead of her," said FHM Online U.S. Editor JR Futrell. FHM said nearly nine million votes were cast for the 14th edition of the annual poll. Transformers actress Megan Fox is the sexiest woman in the world - at least according to FHM magazine.

FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll is currently in its 14th year with 9 million votes cast this year by FHM readers around the world to choose the sexiest women in music, film, fashion, television and sports. The 2008 list also included reality TV stars such as Heidi Montag at No. 44, Audrina Patridge at No. 80 and Lauren Conrad at No. 95.

On the Net: FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World: http://www.fhmonline.com/100sexiest

"Megan Fox is the deserving winner of this year’s FHM title. She’s young, she’s hot, she’s a rising star and her sex appeal has definitely transformed this year’s list. She’s got a great future ahead of her," said FHM Online US Editor JR Futrell.

Fox debuted on the list at No. 68 in 2006 and was ranked No. 65 last year. But playing the lead female role in Transformers, a blockbuster $US700 million hit at worldwide box offices, markedly raised her profile.

Nearly 10 million across the world voted in the poll, now in its 14th year.

Top 10: 1 Megan Fox, 2 Jessica Alba, 3 Keeley Hazell, 4 Elisha Cuthbert, 5 Hayden Panettiere, 6 Scarlett Johansson, 7 Cheryl Cole, 8 Hilary Duff, 9 Angelina Jolie, 10 Keira Knightley.

Check http://meganthefox.blogspot.com for some pictures of this Beauty

Ang Lee working on a Woodstock Movie within Gay Genre

2008-04-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

"Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee is returning to the gay genre with a movie revolving around the Woodstock music festival.

"Taking Woodstock" centers on the colorful life of a Greenwich Village-based interior designer and part-time Catskills hotel manager who headed the Bethel, N.Y., Chamber of Commerce. He issued the permit for the legendary 1969 concert on his neighbor Max Yasgur's farm.

It is based on Elliot Tiber's 2007 memoir "Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life," which he wrote with Tom Monte.

The project is set up at Focus Features, and will be adapted by the studio's CEO, James Schamus. Lee and Schamus' most recent collaboration was Focus' Chinese-language drama "Lust, Caution," which earned $66 million worldwide.

The writing-directing pair had their breakthrough indie hit with the gay-themed comedy "The Wedding Banquet" in 1993, and Lee directed Focus' biggest hit, the gay Western "Brokeback Mountain," in 2005.

There have been several Woodstock documentaries, but few narrative films touching on the festival, one of the few being Tony Goldwyn's "A Walk on the Moon."

Tom Cruise's Adopted Son jumps into Movie industry as a Young Will Smith

2008-04-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Tom Cruise’s adopted son Connor has reportedly landed a role in the upcoming Will Smith drama Seven Pounds.

The 13-year-old will make his movie debut playing a young version of Smith, according to People.

However, insiders say that Connor’s famous parents (his adoptive mom is Tom’s ex-wife, Nicole Kidman) didn’t get him the part - he had to audition like everyone else.

"Tom is so proud of Connor," says a source tells the mag. "He's proud of him for really doing this on his own."

Suri Cruise's big bro will earn his acting stripes alongside Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson in the film.

Ali Lohan to star in new Film "Most Ghostly"

2008-04-22T09:20:00.001-07:00

Lindsay Lohan's younger sister is preparing to follow in her big sis's footsteps. Ali Lohan, Lindsay's 14-year-old sister, is preparing to make her feature film debut.

According to People.com, Ali has begun filming the project "Mostly Ghostly." The film, which is slated for release later this year, is based on the pre-teen book series "Mostly Ghostly" written by R.L. Stine. The book centers on an 11-year-old boy who befriends two ghosts.

In the film, Ali will play a popular high school senior. Lindsay played a similar role in her 2004 film "Mean Girls."

Ali appears in the April issue of Teen Vogue, and told the magazine, "I grew up watching Lindsay. It made me want to do what she does. Just the whole vibe. Being there, being on camera, or onstage."

Sienna Miller Wears Tight Leather outfit for new GI Joe Movie

2008-04-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Sultry Sienna Miller is sure to set pulses racing dressed in a skin-tight leather catsuit.

But rest assured, the outfit isn't just for boyfriend Rhys Ifans' viewing pleasure.

The stunning actress hams it up in the bondage-style outfit, complete with sunglasses and dark hair as part of her new action movie G.I Joe.

And while it's not known what Ifans thinks of her new look, there's little doubt it has already caused quite a hit with her legions of male fans.

The normally sweet-looking 26-year-old has forgone her nicer side to play gun-toting femme fatal The Baroness, in the blockbuster film, which is due to be released next year.

The 26-year-old plays an intelligence officer for evil arms dealing organisation COBRA.

Her character, based on the classic army comic strip, is an evil but sexy woman with a production insider telling the Sun: "Sienna has had a lot of fun with the movie."

The actress is a force to be reckoned with, and below, a more demurely dressed and blonde Sienna with boyfriend Ryhs Ifans

Depp Filming movie about John Dillinger

2008-04-21T07:02:00.001-07:00

Universal Studios plans to film scenes this week for ‘‘Public Enemies’’ at the exact spot in northern Wisconsin that bank robber John Dillinger tried to hide from the FBI.

Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters is also the site of a famous 1930s shooting in the federal government’s chase for Dillinger and his gang of thieves.

It’s all part of the movie that stars Johnny Depp as Dillinger, whose crime spree ended when he was shot to death in Chicago by FBI agents in 1935.

It is being directed and produced by University of Wisconsin graduate Michael Mann, and co-stars Christian Bale and recent Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard.

Current owner Dan Johns said Universal Studios closed the establishment to the public in recent weeks to restore the lodge to its 1930s condition. Crews had to move the bar, stain the outer log walls back to their original dark tone, remove trees and build new gravel roads.

Former owner Fred Theisen, 54, bought Little Bohemia from his former high school classmate Emil Wanatka Jr., who inherited it from his father, Emil.

Theisen said he was contacted about using Little Bohemia, which was built in 1931, for a movie about 12 years ago. The director toured the lodge then but never shot any scenes there.

In what amounts to a rarity in Hollywood, Mann chose to shoot scenes for his movie at the original site.

Movie publicist Dave Fulton said Mann is a stickler for historical accuracy.

‘‘The farther you go back (in history), the more unique it is to use the real places,’’ Fulton said.

Universal Studios has compensated Johns for use of his property. Little Bohemia is a supper club and former inn and its on 11 acres next to Little Star Lake.

Producers also filmed in Columbus, Wis. and Crown Point, Ind. and just wrapped up in Oshkosh.

The movie is a screen adaptation of Bryan Burrough’s 2004 book ‘‘Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34.’’

It’s the first to be filmed in Wisconsin since tax incentives for filmmakers took effect in January.

The set will be closed to the public.

Hollywood Style Themepark heads for Dubai

2008-04-19T18:03:00.001-07:00

Wonder Woman, King Kong and Shrek are heading for the Persian Gulf as part of what could become the world's largest theme-park playground in the United Arab Emirates.

Movie studios, however, are grappling with ways to make their signature characters and amusement parks fly in the conservative Muslim region.

Politically sensitive characters such as Captain America could be left at home. But prayer rooms will join the list of accommodations.

Investors, studios and park operators are aiming to cash in on what some observers call the Middle East's decades-long fascination with American culture.

In recent months, eight major licensing deals have been struck.

The first, a $2.2 billion Universal Studios park based on franchises such as King Kong and Jurassic Park, is set to open in an area dubbed Dubailand on Dubai's desert outskirts in 2010.

Sandra Bullock & Jesse James involved in Head on Crash with Drunk Driver while filming "The Proposal"

2008-04-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

While in Massachusetts filming the romantic comedy "The Proposal," Sandra Bullock and her husband were unhurt after a head-on crash with a drunken driver, police said Saturday.

The actress and her husband, Jesse James of TV's "Monster Garage," were being driven in a sport-utility vehicle Friday night when a station wagon crossed the center line and hit them, said Gloucester police Lt. Jerry Cook.

Both vehicles were totaled, but no one was hurt. The vehicles were traveling 15 to 20 mph, Cook said.

The other car was driven by Lucille Gatchell, who registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, Cook said.

She was held by Gloucester police overnight and released Saturday on personal recognizance. She is to be arraigned Tuesday in Gloucester District Court.

Gatchell did not immediately return a call seeking comment Saturday. Calls to representatives for Bullock were not immediately returned.

Bullock, 43, was "gracious" and concerned about whether Gatchell was OK, Cook said.

Salman Rushdie to star in New Movie

2008-04-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Award-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie is all set to make his acting debut -- playing a fertility doctor. The author has signed on to star in the new romantic comedy titled Then She Found Me, after successfully auditioning for the part. The movie will be directed by Helen Hunt and marks her directorial debut.

Hunt revealed that she is thrilled to have Rushdie on board. 'I saw a number of actors, then Salman asked to audition. He was the best, and I was thrilled to have him, it was important to me that although the movie is in part about God, that it not simply be a Judeo-Christian god. I thought if the doctor was Indian it might imply different kinds of prayer,' she added.

Rushdie has played himself on screen numerous times, most notably in the Rene Zellweger starrer Bridget Jones's Diary.

Independent film (Man from Earth) sparks a turmoil of religious contraversy

2008-04-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine, if you can, a movie set it a room. No special effects, just dialogue. The premise, a retirement party for professor John Oldman (The last name in itself is abit funny when you read further into the movie)

Man from Earth is a very thought provoking movie which centres around a conversation in a room. The Main character, John Oldman, is really old... 14,000 years in fact. So a movie about an old guy big deal right.... Well, he also claims to be Jesus.

Labled as a sci-fi film, Man from Earth verges more towards the intellect level of 12 Angry Men in its' ability to carefully illustrate an opinion.

Written by Emerson Bixby

Cast

John Billingsley ... Harry
Ellen Crawford ... Edith
William Katt ... Art
Annika Peterson ... Sandy
Richard Riehle ... Dr. Will Gruber
David Lee Smith ... John Oldman
Alexis Thorpe ... Linda Murphy
Tony Todd ... Dan
Steven Littles ... Moving Man #1
Chase Sprague ... Moving Man #2
Robbie Bryan ... Officer

Disney to go 3-D for all new Animated movies

2008-04-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it will jump on the 3-D bandwagon, vowing to release every animated movie in the format beginning with "Up" next year.

Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter made the announcement in New York at a presentation of Disney's upcoming lineup of animated movies from its Pixar and Disney studios.

The lineup includes "Rapunzel," a retelling of a fairy tale set for release for Christmas 2010, and "King of the Elves," set for release around Christmas 2012.

Disney also showed a 30-minute clip of "Wall-E," set for release June 27. It tells a love story between the title character, a robot left alone on earth for 700 years, and another robot named Eve sent to look for life.

"Wall-E" is the first Pixar release since last summer's "Ratatouille," which grossed more than $620 million at the worldwide box office.

"Ratatouille" was the last independent Pixar picture in development prior to Disney's acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios in May 2006 for $7.5 billion in stock.

In a deal announced last month, four studios -- Disney, News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox, Viacom Inc.'s Paramount, and Universal Pictures, which is owned by General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal -- agreed to help finance and equip 10,000 screens in the U.S. and Canada to accommodate 3-D movies.

The conversion will cost as much as $700 million and take three years.

Box office figures have shown that the enveloping feel of 3-D can attract two to three times more moviegoers who are willing to pay as much as $3 more per ticket, analysts said.

Theaters owners and studios hope the offerings will help bring people back to multiplexes for an experience that cannot be matched by increasingly sophisticated home theater systems.

New measures to reduce movie Piracy

2008-04-11T11:07:00.001-07:00

Hollywood studios are planning a New Zealand website for legally downloading movies as a way to reduce internet piracy.

The Movie Producers Association representative in this country - Tony Eaton of the New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT) - recommended the move in a report to MPA bosses for the Asia-Pacific region, which faces the biggest threat from piracy.

State owned ISP Orcon is developing a download site but it is not clear if these are linked to MPA plans. With rapidly increasing broadband speeds and a revolution in online media, users are accessing pirated copies of films. The effect on studios' revenues is still small.

But Eaton says illegal downloads are increasing and part of the problem in this country is that there is no legal download site for Hollywood movies.

He declined to specify timing for such a site or the pricing structure but confirmed the official site was being considered by the regional bosses.

Australia has five such legal download websites sites - including one associated with Telstra's BigPond - and there are 14 in South Korea.

With New Zealand's slow broadband speeds there is limited demand for movie downloads to computers. But that is expected to change as broadband speeds improve with the growth of IPTV services, such as those being developed by Orcon.

Likewise, television programmes have been downloaded from American websites with youth-oriented shows like TV3's Heroes particularly attractive to downloaders.

Eaton - whose main role is to oversee anti-piracy measures - said that NZFACT had a limited involvement in overseeing copyrights, many of which are made by the same six studios that dominate the movie sector. But he said roles overseeing piracy of TV shows would increase.

COPYRIGHT COPS

Under the new Copyright Act passed this week, the Government has given Hollywood studios extra powers to crack down on internet piracy.

NZFACT convinced politicians to make internet service providers their online police. And the internet people aren't happy about their new role.

Under the act, NZFACT and the record industry body Rianz can complain to ISPs about content available through their services which they say breaches their copyright.

Organisations like the ISP body Ispanz and internet New Zealand said ISPs had not opposed putting complainants and alleged offenders in touch, as occurs in Canada.

But they are furious New Zealand has adopted new obligations similar to those in the United States requiring ISPs to take down sites and make them unavailable.

The requirement puts ISPs - some of which are small companies - in a vulnerable position for claims of lost revenue, said Jamie Baddeley, president of the ISPs body Ispanz.

"We have to make a judgment about who owns copyright - how do we know?"

NZFACT's Eaton says the new ISP requirements are important to halt a tide of pirated film and TV content online.

He said NZFACT and the record industry body Rianz would meet with ISPs soon to hammer out how the new rules are to be applied.

BUM NOTE

Rianz will also be taking a tougher line on copyright theft under the new law.

Film and TV studios are leading the global push to hold back piracy.

Legal download sites have slowed the rot for the corporate music world. But after decades of soaking up generous margins, illegal downloads have decimated record sales for the big corporates. In the US, the Recording Industry Association of America has undertaken aggressive raids on what it considers to be offenders.

In New Zealand, Rianz chief executive Campbell Smith said the new law provides content creators with certainty in crucial areas after several years of change.

Smith said he was happy with the new obligations. "ISPs will be compelled to take reasonable responsibility for the activity that takes place on their networks, suspension and termination of infringers' internet accounts and the use of filtering technology.

"On behalf of our member labels and musicians, we look forward to continuing discussions with ISPs about their responsibility for protecting copyrighted content on their networks."

But supporters for internet freedom are unhappy they are getting caught up in the copyright business.

HOLLYWOOD HURRAH

Governments are under a lot of pressure to protect copyright, and in this case telecoms companies - many of them local firms - are being held accountable for policing the internet. But Hollywood and the New Zealand record industry are already receiving generous handouts from taxpayers.

Maybe ISPs just don't provide the sort of photo opportunities as Peter Jackson and the annual music awards do.

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE

Australians have cracked down on Hollywood studios using the generous new incentives aimed at developing the Australian business to make American blockbusters.

The Film Finance Corporation decided Justice League Mortal will not qualify for the new incentive, and the production is likely to leave the country.

Producers threatened to take both the adaptation of the DC Comics superhero franchise and the sequel to Happy Feet overseas, probably to Canada or New Zealand, if the company did not qualify for the 40 per cent tax offset on money spent in Australia. TV production attracts a 20 per cent offset.

The Australian newspaper reported that the project was deemed not Australian enough and Arts Minister Peter Garrett's comments last month that to secure the offset films would need to have a "cultural resonance" and "a significant Australian content component to them".

Justice League Mortal leaving Australia would jeopardise more than 100 contract jobs. The film would still be likely to qualify for a 15 per cent tax rebate offset - aimed at attracting Hollywood productions - which is also available as a cash scheme in New Zealand.

There is no word yet whether Justice League has any serious plans to film in New Zealand.

'ME TOO'

Aussie producers will be pleased that the incentives aimed at boosting the local business and not Hollywood movies have been clarified.

But in this country, the Government-backed industry lobby group the Screen Council has stepped up its calls on the Government to develop a similar scheme here. In a letter last month to Arts and Culture Minister Helen Clark, Economic Development Minister Pete Hodgson and Broadcasting Minister Trevor Mallard, Screen Council executive director Tim Thorpe said the more generous Australian product offsets were a good model.

"This letter asks you to urgently consider the introduction of an equivalent producer offset for New Zealand. We are concerned that the Australian screen industry may gain an edge over New Zealand because of the advantages of the new incentive to investors and production companies, who may forsake New Zealand as a result.

"We are also aware of New Zealand production companies who are considering relocating their productions to Australia to take advantage of the offset.

"Already a number of investors, including Australian and overseas banks, are considering financial packages for producers.

"It is anticipated that producers will be able to structure more favourable terms for their productions, based on a stronger equity position, including claims on rights. This will lead to a stronger, more sustainable industry based on better capitalisation."

Presumably we will know if the industry gets another top-up at election time.

Mike Myers to host MTV Movie Awards

2008-04-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Mike Myers is gearing up for his second turn at hosting the MTV Movie Awards. The Oscars, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards have nothing on the MTV Movie Awards when it comes to handing out the awards audiences really care about. The MTV Movie Awards honor the best kisses, fights, and villains with golden popcorn trophies in a very loose and MTV-ish atmosphere.

Myers, who will soon be seen on the big screen in The Love Guru co-starring Jessica Alba, previously hosted the show in 1997.

In a press release announcing Myers' hosting duties, the actor was quoted as saying, "I've spent the last year and a half of my life having the most fun ever working on The Love Guru, and now I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with Judy McGrath, Van Toffler and Mark Burnett. Hosting the MTV Movie Awards is like a party, but without having to do beer runs in your mom's mini van; we do beer runs in Will Smith's four-story motorhome."

"Mike Myers blew us away last time he hosted the MTV Movie Awards with his lord of the dance and over the top musical productions," added Van Toffler, President, MTV Networks Music, Logo and Films Group. "He keeps creating iconic film characters that have been etched in the minds of MTV's audiences forever. The Love Guru is sure to spur yet another cultural movement, so we're elated to have Mike back as our host."

The 2008 MTV Movie Awards nominees will be announced in May. The show airs live on Sunday, June 1st from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA.

Blockbuster to launch set-top streaming box

2008-04-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Blockbuster has been one of the slowest companies to innovate in the next-gen movie market, but the home video rental giant is supposedly taking a step forward later this month by unveiling its own set-top box for streaming films directly to TV sets.

This would put Blockbuster in direct competition with products such as Vudu and the Apple TV, which received a revamp earlier this year in light of disappointing sales, as well as a similar movie-streaming product by Netflix and LG.

Blockbuster’s device will likely be tied to the Movielink film download service that the company acquired last year for $6.6 million, which included rights to distribute some 6,000 movies. If anything, it’s interesting to see how this video rental behemoth is being pushed forward by the market into movie streaming, in order to pick up its ailing business at the risk of cannibalizing sales at their retail chain.

Johnny Depp Saves some extra's on the set of new film Public enemies

2008-04-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Johnny Depp proved that he is a real-life hero by saving a group of extras from being struck down by an out-of-control car on the sets of his new movie.

The 44-year-old actor was shooting a scene as bank robber John Dillinger in his latest crime flick 'Public Enemies', when a stuntdriver in a 1933 Ford car sped onto a patch of ice and skidded towards six extras.

Oblivious to the approaching danger, the extras were standing with their backs turned, and were finally rescued by the 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' star.

The moment Depp spotted the potentially fatal incident, he leapt into air towards the extras and shoved them all away from the speeding car.

Chris O'Donnell Joins cast of Max Payne

2008-04-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Vertical Limit and Batman & Robin star Chris O'Donnell has joined the cast of the game-to-film adaptation of Max Payne. Though O'Donnell will play an executive named Jason Colvins, his exact role in the film, including how or if it relates to the story of the original game, is currently unknown.

Today's revelation marks the fourth major cast member to be unveiled, with Mark Wahlberg playing Max Payne, Beau Bridge serving as his mentor B.B. Hensley, and Mila Kunis as a female assassin--a character known as Mona in the two games.

Directed by John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, The Omen), penned by freshmen writer Beau Thorne, the film is currently shooting in Toronto. No release date has been set.

Despite the expected surge in the franchise's popularity, property owner Take-Two has remained mum on the possibility of another Max Payne game.

Toni Collette to join Maya Rudolph in new comedy

2008-04-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

Toni Collette will join John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph in an upcoming relationship comedy from "American Beauty" director Sam Mendes.

Krasinski ("Leatherheads") and Rudolph ("Saturday Night Live") star as a couple who canvas the country to find the best place to raise their unborn child.

Collette ("Little Miss Sunshine") will play a college professor and close family friend convinced that the kid will end up dysfunctional no matter where it's raised. Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") also will appear.

Dave Eggers wrote the script for the untitled Focus Features project with his wife, novelist Vendela Vida. Filming begins this month in Connecticut.

Trailer for 100 Million BC Here

2008-04-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

It seems everyone is awaiting the new action packed cross between Alien, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park. A scientist from the failed Philadelphia Experiment leads a team of Navy SEALs back in time to the Cretaceous Period to rescue the first team he sent back during the 1940s. Things go wildly awry though, when on his return he accidentally brings a giant, man-eating dinosaur back through the portal and into modern-day, downtown Los Angeles.

So if you just can't wait to go to the Theatres to see it, here is the Trailer for 100 Million BC.

New Bond Flick - Quantum of Solace - Sneak peak

2008-04-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

The new Bond movie Quantum of Solace is officially half way through filming, and is due to hit theatres in November.

Bond is well and truly on location, after the initial shoot at Pinewood Studios in London, 007 has been clocking up some air miles with shoots in Panama, Mexico, and now Chile.

And barrelling past the half-way point feels good for 007 Daniel Craig.

“We’re making a movie very different from Casino Royale, that was what we set out to do,” says Craig.

“But without losing all the important Bond things. It is a James Bond movie after all,” he adds.

Quantum of Solace is the first bone fide Bond sequel, where we pick up from where we left him, gun in hand, claiming his license to kill and making Bond his own.

The crew now calls the barren Atacama Desert in Chile home.

And for director Marc Forster this location was the perfect place for 007.

“The locations here in Chile are really really special. The landscapes and what they give to the character of Bond is really good. In a sense, the desert is a reflection of Bond itself, it brings along a certain loneliness which reflect who Bond is at this point,” Forster.

The location has not been without its controversy.

A local mayor was arrested last week after storming onto the set objecting to Chile footage depicting neighbouring Bolivia in the movie.

The film-makers and Bond fans will be hoping Quantum delivers.

Casino Royale is a big act to follow, raking in more than 750 million worldwide, and eclipsing Die Another Day to become the biggest grossing Bond film in history.

Colin Farrel Bosnia Bound to get vibe for new Movie

2008-04-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

Irish actor Colin Farrell arrived this weekend in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo to start preparations for a movie by Oscar- winning Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, Bosnian media reported Sunday. Farrell is to play the male lead in the movie titled Triage, based on the book by US journalist Scott Anderson, which follows the memories of war photographer Mark Walsh, who went through numerous war zones in the world, including Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"Danis (Tanovic) wrote a great screenplay, very original, and therefore I accepted this role," Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje quoted the famous actor as saying.

During the weekend Farrell visited several places across Bosnia- Herzegovina to get a better feeling for what was happening in the country during the 1992-1995 war.

The tour included the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica where Bosnian Serb troops massacred up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men on July 11, 1995, committing the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.

Besides Farrell, British actor Christopher Lee and Spanish actress Paz Vega are to co-star in the movie to be filmed at locations in Ireland, Spain and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Tanovic's Triage comes less than two years since another group of world famous movie stars gathered in Sarajevo to film sequences in Richard Shepard's The Hunting Party, a film about a reporter's attempt to catch a notorious Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect.

Richard Gere played the main role in the movie.

Besides working on Triage, Danis Tanovic, who won an Oscar in 2001 for his war drama No Man's Land, has also become active in politics.

Following some hints he gave last year, Tanovic on Saturday formed a political party, named Our Party.

The political goal of the party was to help the country out from a deep political and economic crisis and give citizens an option different from constant ethnic divisions that halt progress in Bosnia, the new party said at a convention in Sarajevo.

Tanovic was elected one of the party's vice presidents.

Charlton Heston Dead at 84

2008-04-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.

Powers declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played," Heston's family said in a statement. "No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country."

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease, saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

With his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice, Heston proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past. "I have a face that belongs in another century," he often remarked.

Publicist Michael Levine, who represented Heston for about 20 years, said the actor's passing represented the end of an iconic era for cinema.

"If Hollywood had a Mt. Rushmore, Heston's face would be on it," Levine said. "He was a heroic figure that I don't think exists to the same degree in Hollywood today."

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. With age, he grew more conservative and campaigned for conservative candidates.

In June 1998, Heston was elected president of the National Rifle Association, for which he had posed for ads holding a rifle. He delivered a jab at then-President Clinton, saying, "America doesn't trust you with our 21-year-old daughters, and we sure, Lord, don't trust you with our guns."

Heston stepped down as NRA president in April 2003, telling members his five years in office were "quite a ride. ... I loved every minute of it."

Later that year, Heston was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. "The largeness of character that comes across the screen has also been seen throughout his life," President Bush said at the time.

He engaged in a lengthy feud with liberal Ed Asner during the latter's tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild. His latter-day activism almost overshadowed his achievements as an actor, which were considerable.

Heston lent his strong presence to some of the most acclaimed and successful films of the midcentury. "Ben-Hur" won 11 Academy Awards, tying it for the record with the more recent "Titanic" (1997) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003). Heston's other hits include: "The Ten Commandments," "El Cid," "55 Days at Peking," "Planet of the Apes" and "Earthquake."

He liked to the cite the number of historical figures he had portrayed:

Andrew Jackson ("The President's Lady," "The Buccaneer"), Moses ("The Ten Commandments"), title role of "El Cid," John the Baptist ("The Greatest Story Ever Told"), Michelangelo ("The Agony and the Ecstasy"), General Gordon ("Khartoum"), Marc Antony ("Julius Caesar," "Antony and Cleopatra"), Cardinal Richelieu ("The Three Musketeers"), Henry VIII ("The Prince and the Pauper").

Heston made his movie debut in the 1940s in two independent films by a college classmate, David Bradley, who later became a noted film archivist. He had the title role in "Peer Gynt" in 1942 and was Marc Antony in Bradley's 1949 version of "Julius Caesar," for which Heston was paid $50 a week.

Film producer Hal B. Wallis ("Casablanca") spotted Heston in a 1950 television production of "Wuthering Heights" and offered him a contract. When his wife reminded him that they had decided to pursue theater and television, he replied, "Well, maybe just for one film to see what it's like."

Heston earned star billing from his first Hollywood movie, "Dark City," a 1950 film noir. Cecil B. DeMille next cast him as the circus manager in the all-star "The Greatest Show On Earth," named by the Motion Picture Academy as the best picture of 1952. More movies followed:

"The Savage," "Ruby Gentry," "The President's Lady," "Pony Express" (as Buffalo Bill Cody), "Arrowhead," "Bad for Each Other," "The Naked Jungle," "Secret of the Incas," "The Far Horizons" (as Clark of the Lewis and Clark trek), "The Private War of Major Benson," "Lucy Gallant."

Most were forgettable low-budget films, and Heston seemed destined to remain an undistinguished action star. His old boss DeMille rescued him.

The director had long planned a new version of "The Ten Commandments," which he had made as a silent in 1923 with a radically different approach that combined biblical and modern stories. He was struck by Heston's facial resemblance to Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses, especially the similar broken nose, and put the actor through a long series of tests before giving him the role.

The Hestons' newborn, Fraser Clarke Heston, played the role of the infant Moses in the film.

More films followed: the eccentric thriller "Touch of Evil," directed by Orson Welles; William Wyler's "The Big Country," costarring with Gregory Peck; a sea saga, "The Wreck of the Mary Deare" with Gary Cooper.

Then his greatest role: "Ben-Hur."

Heston wasn't the first to be considered for the remake of 1925 biblical epic. Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster and Rock Hudson had declined the film. Heston plunged into the role, rehearsing two months for the furious chariot race.

He railed at suggestions the race had been shot with a double: "I couldn't drive it well, but that wasn't necessary. All I had to do was stay on board so they could shoot me there. I didn't have to worry; MGM guaranteed I would win the race."

The huge success of "Ben-Hur" and Heston's Oscar made him one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. He combined big-screen epics like "El Cid" and "55 Days at Peking" with lesser ones such as "Diamond Head," "Will Penny" and "Airport 1975." In his later years he played cameos in such films as "Wayne's World 2" and "Tombstone."

He often returned to the theater, appearing in such plays as "A Long Day's Journey into Night" and "A Man for All Seasons." He starred as a tycoon in the prime-time soap opera, "The Colbys," a two-season spinoff of "Dynasty."

At his birth in a Chicago suburb on Oct. 4, 1923, his name was Charles Carter. His parents moved to St. Helen, Mich., where his father, Russell Carter, operated a lumber mill. Growing up in the Michigan woods with almost no playmates, young Charles read books of adventure and devised his own games while wandering the countryside with his rifle.

Charles's parents divorced, and she married Chester Heston, a factory plant superintendent in Wilmette, Ill., an upscale north Chicago suburb. Shy and feeling displaced in the big city, the boy had trouble adjusting to the new high school. He took refuge in the drama department.

"What acting offered me was the chance to be many other people," he said in a 1986 interview. "In those days I wasn't satisfied with being me."

Calling himself Charlton Heston from his mother's maiden name and his stepfather's last name, he won an acting scholarship to Northwestern University in 1941. He excelled in campus plays and appeared on Chicago radio. In 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served as a radio-gunner in the Aleutians.

In 1944 he married another Northwestern drama student, Lydia Clarke, and after his army discharge in 1947, they moved to New York to seek acting jobs. Finding none, they hired on as codirectors and principal actors at a summer theater in Asheville, N.C.

Back in New York, both Hestons began finding work. With his strong 6-feet-2 build and craggily handsome face, Heston won roles in TV soap operas, plays ("Antony and Cleopatra" with Katherine Cornell) and live TV dramas such as "Julius Caesar," "Macbeth," "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Of Human Bondage."

Heston wrote several books: "The Actor's Life: Journals 1956-1976," published in 1978; "Beijing Diary: 1990," concerning his direction of the play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial" in Chinese; "In the Arena: An Autobiography," 1995; and "Charlton Heston's Hollywood: 50 Years of American Filmmaking," 1998.

Besides Fraser, who directed his father in an adventure film, "Mother Lode," the Hestons had a daughter, Holly Ann, born Aug. 2, 1961. The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1994 at a party with Hollywood and political friends. They had been married 64 years when he died.

In late years, Heston drew as much publicity for his crusades as for his performances. In addition to his NRA work, he campaigned for Republican presidential and congressional candidates and against affirmative action.

He resigned from Actors Equity, claiming the union's refusal to allow a white actor to play a Eurasian role in "Miss Saigon" was "obscenely racist." He attacked CNN's telecasts from Baghdad as "sowing doubts" about the allied effort in the 1990-91 Gulf War.

At a Time Warner stockholders meeting, he castigated the company for releasing an Ice-T album that purportedly encouraged cop killing.

Heston wrote in "In the Arena" that he was proud of what he did "though now I'll surely never be offered another film by Warners, nor get a good review in Time. On the other hand, I doubt I'll get a traffic ticket very soon."

New Big Budget Dune Movie in the works

2008-04-05T09:09:00.001-07:00

Although there were doubts about whether Paramount would obtain the rights to Frank Herbert's science fiction classic Dune, it does look as if a big budget movie with Peter Berg directing is going ahead after all. This will be the second big screen adaptation of arguably the greatest SF novel of all time, a formidable tale set on the desert planet Arrakis, where water is precious, giant worms roam freely, and Great Houses fight for access to a life extending substance called spice.

Most promising of all is that the producers are apparently looking for writers to create a faithful adaptation of Dune. In David Lynch's 1984 adaptation there were numerous differences with the novel; some would probably go as far as to say that the plot was mangled. While I thought there was a great deal to like about Lynch's version, it would be great to see a big budget, big screen version that was faithful to the text.

According to Variety, the movie's producers believe the theme of finite ecological resources is timely given the increasing threat of global warming. Perhaps this will be the start of a series of movies based on Herbert's books? If so, let's hope they can give them the royal movie treatment they deserve.

Paramount’s Dune will be produced by Kevin Misher, Richard Rubenstein and Sarah Aubrey. Kevin Misher spent the past year securing the book rights from the Herbert estate, while Richard Rubenstein produced the two Sci Fi Channel miniseries, Dune and Children of Dune. Sarah Aubrey works for Film 44, Peter Berg's production company.

Peter Berg's directing credits include The Kingdom and Friday Night Lights. He recently completed the upcoming science fiction comedy Handcock with Will Smith.

War Inc. - John Cusak's strike at the Bush Administration

2008-04-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

John Cusack is outraged at the right-wing government running America, at an unpopular war in Iraq and at the multinational corporations using taxpayer dollars to support it.

His solution? To co-write, co-produce and star in War Inc., a film that imagines an absurdist near-future that sardonically lampoons the present.

"What's happening in America is so savage and so dark that ... absurdism is the best way to go at it," Cusack said yesterday, following a sneak preview of the movie at Ryerson University. It opens April 25.

Cusack stars as Hauser, a hit man/fixer sent on assignment to a fictional Middle Eastern country where war amputees dance in chorus lines, tanks carry corporate advertising and a popular chicken franchise acts as a front for the evil military/industrial complex.

"What's lacking in America is the sense of outrage at the viciousness of this ideology that would reduce government ... to basically just an ATM for defence and weapons companies," Cusack said.

Cusack lambasted a right-wing ideology that preaches the "free market" while allowing corporations to hire private armies for protection and security, at taxpayers' expense. "It's corporate welfare. So the whole idea that these guys are saying `the free markets,' the hypocrisy is so blatant," Cusack said.

Co-writer Mark Leyner said many U.S. citizens threatened to move to Canada following President George W. Bush's re-election in 2004.

"No offence, but I don't think that's a solution. So I think as an alternative to moving to Canada, we make things like this," Leyner said.

Leyner said that since the war's beginning, the American people have been living in a state of "a suffocating conformity, (told) to just go along ... with this war."

John Cusack, who joked the film was made in Bulgaria with "no money," noted it was not supported by the traditional Hollywood machine.

"It's hard to get something like this made. You're sort of like a salmon swimming upstream. When we made it, there was great resistance in terms of the regular funding routes and people at the very top of the corporate food chain in movies. People just didn't want to talk about it, or `We don't see the world that way' or `It's not that funny.' So I go, `Well, we weren't really making Wedding Crashers,'" Cusack said.

But John Cusack senses a change in the usual complacency among his fellow citizens.

"People are waking up in America and they're grumbling, and I think they realize that parts of the country have been taken and sort of disgraced, and I think they're ready to sort of fight back."

Lindsay Lohan to play a sex addicted waitress in new Move "Florence"

2008-04-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Lohan is set to play a sex-addicted waitress in a new movie called Florence, according to reports. Lindsay's signing up for the movie comes just days after she agreed to play a member of Charles Manson's real-life murderous cult in The Manson Girls.

According to a report in Star magazine, Lindsay will be paid just 75,000 dollars for the opportunity to play the edgy character. A source of the magazine said that Lohan would be taking up the part only to prove that she can act. She just wants to remind people she can act and she's worth hiring.

Mos Def to Star in Chuck Berry Movie

2008-03-31T08:35:00.001-07:00

Rapper Mos Def is to play the role of Chuck Berry in 'Cadillac Records', a film chronicling the rise of legendary '50s and '60s blues label Chess Records.

The film, which also stars Beyonce as R'n'B legend Etta James, will see Adrian Brody take the lead role of Chess co-founder Leonard Chess.

Written and directed by Darnell Martin, the film will follow the lives of some of the Chicago label's famous artists, including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Cedric The Entertainer.

Slated for release next year, the project began filming in New Jersey earlier this month.

Mos Def has already hit cinema screens this year in Michel Gondry's 'Be Kind Rewind'. He previously starred in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy' and has acted on London and New York stages.

Hindu's Concerned over Mike Myers Parody in "The Love Guru"

2008-03-31T08:32:00.001-07:00

As the people of Kazakhstan know all too well, mockery of culture and religion seems to be kosher in Hollywood, under the following conditions:

The humour must be so over-the-top, so beyond reality, that it could never be misconstrued as mean-spirited. That, and the targeted groups cannot be large enough, loud enough or organized enough so that their hurt feelings make an impact at the box office.

Just ask Borat. Though Kazakhs complained that their country and customs were misrepresented in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the film was a $128 million success in the U.S. – among 2006's top-grossing films.

In the context of Sacha Baron Cohen's uncomfortable in-character interactions with unwitting Americans, Mike Myers' parody of another cultural minority in the U.S. – as the oversexed, overly ambitious, American-born spiritual leader in the summer comedy The Love Guru – would hardly seem cause for complaint.

Myers' character is an amalgamation of Eastern-style spiritual movements, never making reference to any particular religion. And yet the Guru Pitka – billed as "the second best guru in India" – draws a distinct picture.

He wears long hair, a long beard and a flowing caftan. "Prepare to get your enlightenment freak on," Pitka tells visitors to his MySpace page, where he blends real information – such as the Sanskrit origins of the word "guru" – with silliness, including impossible yoga poses that would require elastic limbs. He plays sappy pop songs on the sitar. His mantra is "Mariska Hargitay."

Pitka identifies himself as "a spiritual teacher affiliated with no one faith" and has the same crass-and-goofy charm as Myers' Austin Powers and Wayne's World characters. And the movie's plot – he heads West when he's offered $2 million to heal a hockey star's romance so the team can win the Stanley Cup – is harmless enough.

Still, weeks before the film is even ready for screening, some in the Hindu community feel The Love Guru has the potential to ridicule vital elements of their religion.

Rajan Zed, a self-described Hindu leader from Nevada, demanded that Paramount Pictures screen the film for members of the Hindu community before it's release in June. Based on the movie's trailer and MySpace page, Zed says The Love Guru "appears to be lampooning Hinduism and Hindus" and uses sacred terms frivolously.

"People are not very well-versed in Hinduism, so this might be their only exposure," he said. "They will have an image in their minds of stereotypes. They will think most of us are like that."

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Paramount, which has screened sensitive films for select audiences in the past, said early screenings would be held for the Hindu community.

"Love Guru, which is not yet complete, is a satire created in the same spirit as Austin Powers," Paramount said in a statement. "It is our full intention to screen the film for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders once it is ready."

Myers, who declined to be interviewed for this story, says in an episode of the Sundance Channel's Iconoclasts that spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra, his longtime friend (who also appears in the movie), was the inspiration for the Love Guru character.

"He is the basis of why I went down this path of a character like that, and it's because I am interested in higher states of consciousness and I am interested in comedy," Myers says. "The guru, he breaks down your barriers, gets you silly and gets you light so you're in a place to receive love."

But religious communities rarely take well to faith-themed comedies, said Diane Winston, a professor of media and religion at the University of Southern California.

"To be funny, you have to get in people's faces and disturb their complacent perspectives," she said. "Religious groups have tended to be very concerned about their portrayal in the media, especially the entertainment media. Often ... in comedies, it's a very broad representation which they perceive as offensive. It's the nature of stereotype."

Her take on The Love Guru trailer and website? Rather than a spoof of Eastern religion, it seems more of a satire of American culture's tendency toward materialism, promiscuity and quick spiritual fixes told through a pseudo religious figure.

"The character didn't have to be a guru. He could just as well have been a rabbi, minister, priest or imam," she said. "These are problems within the culture at large.

"Hindus were a fresh target," she continued. "Jews and Christians have been parodied before so perhaps Myers thought this was a different take on a familiar comedy routine."

Paramount officials point out that The Love Guru is ``non-denominational comedy that celebrates spirituality and that the character has his own fictional belief system."

For all its sight gags and goofy jokes, the film is about three things, Myers says: "It's about fate versus choice ... it's about self love and the third part of it is that internal validation trumps external validation."

Interview with Leatherhead John Krasinski

2008-03-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

John Krasinski, best known as the sardonic sales rep Jim Halpert on NBC's "The Office," says sports "always have been a major part of my life."

In "Leatherheads," a George Clooney-directed, 1920s-era screwball comedy opening Friday, the 28-year-old former high school basketball player and distance runner from Newton, Mass., plays a World War I hero and college football star who is recruited to play on a struggling professional team. The film also stars Clooney as the team's aging star and Renee Zellweger as a journalist pursued by both men.
Question: Did your athletic background come into play in making this movie or in helping you land the role?

I don't know if it helped me land the role. I would assume that George probably figured that if I played any sort of sport that I'd at least be athletic enough to look like I knew how to play. That's the actor's thing: We all look like we can do whatever we're doing, and we probably don't have the first clue. As far as helping me with the role, I've played pickup football my whole life with family and friends and, believe it or not, that's actually more like how the game was played back then than putting on pads and actually playing organized football.

Did you play organized football?

I played one year -- in seventh grade -- and it was pretty clear that I was better at playing for fun. I could never really get past the facemask. I could never catch the ball with the facemask on. So, with this movie, problem solved.

Clooney, nearly 20 years older and a few inches shorter than you, says he won a $2,000 bet by outscoring you in a one-on-one basketball game. True?

Yes, it is. I'm going to be the bigger man and admit it. All I'll say is, I thought I had him and then, all of a sudden, he throws that "People's Sexiest Man" smile on you and you're stunned for just long enough for him to run by you.

You'd like a rematch?

Oh my God, I've tried to yell it from the rooftops, so if you want to print that, we'll do this in Vegas. We can charge money, all proceeds to charity.

Renee Zellweger has attended Lakers games and starred in "Jerry Maguire" and "Cinderella Man" and now "Leatherheads." Is she a sports fan?

Yeah, I think absolutely. She's definitely an athletic girl; she runs every day. And as far as being a sports fan, when you're from Texas I'm pretty sure that football is literally in your blood; they give you a shot when you're young. So, when we talked about doing the football scenes, she actually knew what she was talking about.

As a moviegoer and sports fan, what do you like about sports movies?

What I love about sports movies is when they're able to capture the nostalgia that everybody experiences and wants to continue experiencing with sports, whether you're playing or just watching. You never really remember the days where you had a mediocre game or when your team won by 30; you always remember the one that was down to the final tick of the clock. And I think there's something awesome about capturing that feeling. Movies like "Hoosiers" did that for me. That's probably my No. 1 sports movie. And "Leatherheads" is definitely a similar type of vibe. It's shot like an older-time movie. It's from the golden era of film, so as much as it is a sports movie, football is the backdrop for all these characters to come together.

The Super Bowl must have been a downer for you, obviously, but has there ever been a better time to be a New England sports fan?

Absolutely not. I think all Boston fans probably feel like this is the dawn of a new era. We're ecstatic to be in this position we're in now, as far as fans go, but I think we're all shocked. I don't think any Boston fan can believably say, "Yeah, we knew this was coming." To be not only competitive but dominant in almost all the sports, it's a day that I don't think we ever even dreamed of.

Is Jim Halpert an ex-jock?

Yeah, definitely. I think he probably played basketball at the University of Scranton, or in high school. Very similarly to me, he didn't get a chance to excel at it all the way. It wasn't really in the cards.

You live in L.A. now, so who do you root for if the Lakers and Celtics meet in the NBA Finals?

Without a doubt, the Celtics. Not only am I Celtics fan, but I've got to say, I went to a game over Thanksgiving with my family and there's an energy in the Garden now that I haven't seen since I was really little. I remember going when Larry Bird was playing and they were incredible, but I remember going when I was in high school in the '90s and it was the most quiet I've ever seen a basketball game.

Do you go to Lakers games?

I actually don't. I think I made a promise to a bunch of Boston fans that I would try not to be caught dead in Lakers Stadium.

New X-Files Movie to stay true to original

2008-03-29T22:21:00.001-07:00

The creative core of the upcoming X-Files sequel is dropping some hints about what fans can expect. The popular TV series, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as paranormal investigating FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, aired on Fox from 1993 to 2002. The film hit the big screen for the first time in 1998 with The X-Files: Fight the Future. The sequel is due July 25th.

Speaking Wednesday (March 26th) at the William S. Paley Television Festival in Hollywood, series creator Chris Carter, who also directs the new movie, says the show's alien conspiracy subplot won't be part of the plot this time, although there is a reference to Scully's seemingly supernatural son, born in season eight and later given up for adoption.

Writer Frank Spotnitz says the new installment is "true to everything that's come before. It's true to Mulder and Scully, who they are and where they would be this point in their lives and all of the experiences that they've had."

Carter, who sued Fox in 2005 over profits from the franchise and eventually settled the case, says he's not at liberty to reveal the title of the new film. He explains, "I know what I want it to be, but Fox has some ideas of their own."

Lindsay Lohan to star in Manson Girls

2008-03-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

Lindsay Lohan, fresh off her big-screen role opposite John Lennon's killer in Chapter 27, has signed up to star in another film about a murderer - this time, it's Charles Manson.

The 21-year-old will play one of Manson's cult followers, Nancy Pitman, in the movie Manson Girls, reports say. The site quotes the film's producer, Brad Wyman, as saying, "Yes, I am doing it with Lindsay."

Lohan will portray Nancy Pitman, aka 'Brenda,' who at 16 fled her Malibu life of wealth and joined the Manson Family, after reportedly being introduced to Charles Manson by a friend.

Pitman reportedly was with Manson the night he sent "family members" to the ex-home of former business associate Terry Mechler, which ended with the killing of actress Sharon Tate and four others.

The actress has been busy back at work since her departure from rehab last fall. She's also recording a new album and will co-star in an upcoming Jack Black movie, Ye Olde Times.

The Mummy Returns AGAIN - "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"

2008-03-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

After a long hiatus, one of cinema's greatest archaeologists is making his way back to the big screen. But if Rick O'Connell's leading lady looks a little different, it's not the age: It actually is a different person.

And that suits Maria Bello just fine, the actress told MTV News, saying she was eager to step into the role of Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell, made famous in the first two "Mummy" films by Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz.
"Let me tell you, I like the other two movies. I love this movie," Bello said of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" from the blue carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards. "It's so dynamic and like nothing you've ever seen. [Director] Rob Cohen has so changed the franchise." The biggest change of all, of course, being Bello herself.

The blond actress understands that comparisons to Weisz — who reportedly refused to sign onto the sequel due to script issues — are inevitable. But despite the fact that she plays the same character, Bello insists that the roles are not that similar.

"I think Rachel is so brilliant, and she was beautiful in that part, but they wrote my character so differently, I felt like it was a totally different woman," Bello said. "She has the same name, but she's quite a different character."

Part of that manifests itself in more action-oriented challenges, Bello said. While the official plot synopsis centers on father-son duo Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Alex (Luke Ford) waking the shape-shifting mummy Emperor Han (Jet Li), it's Bello, not the rough-and-tumble gentlemen, who gets the film's first kick-ass fight sequence, the actress revealed.

"In the beginning of the movie I do a sword fight with an invisible mummy," Bello said. "I had to be on wires and do sword work. It took days to do, and it was so much fun. I would do flips on the wire and I'd land down and be like a little kid."

Bello admits to having so much fun, in fact, that she's looking forward to three more "Mummy" movies, confessing that she's already signed on for a whole trilogy of sequels.

"I don't know when, but it's going," she said. "[There will] absolutely be 'The Mummy 4.' "

And when there is, Bello says she's already got an idea for where it can film.

"Something that takes place in the Amazon," Bello suggested.

"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" opens August 1.

The Hollywood Reel

TRANSFORMERS 3 - RELEASE DATE?

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"Stretch" with David Carradine???

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Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus with DEBORAH GIBSON

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LOST BOYS 3

COMPLETE LIST OF ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINEES

COLIN FARRELL, HEATH LEDGER & TINA FEY walk away with GOLDEN GLOBES

Best Motion Picture - Drama

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Best Animated Feature Film

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Director - Motion Picture

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

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Best Television Series - Drama

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Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

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Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

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Preview - TRANSFORMERS - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

DUSTIN HOFFMAN - Interview

EDDIE MURPHY Rumoured to be in the NEXT BATMAN MOVIE

Movies still Raking in the Bucks in these Tough Economic Times

Beverly Hills Chihuahua - Disney Gamble on Cheezy or Good Kid fun

Megan Fox to star in New Movie "The Blue"

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BARBIE AND THE DIAMOND CASTLE

Death Tunnel

Re-make of Death Race 2000 - starring Natalie Martinez roars into theatres

Jennifer's Body Cut Megan Fox's Topless Scene

Soul Men - Upcoming Movie Featuring Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes

Megan Fox "How to Loose Friends and Alienate People" Trailer

Jennifer's Body Marketing Begins

Harry Potter 6 - Harry Potter and the Half blood Prince Trailer released

Miss Potter - Starring Rene Zellweger

Megan fox in Jennifers Body "It's all about the sex"

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People Trailer

Megan Fox Told to Gain Weight for Transformers 2

Angelina Jolie uses the death of her Mother as Muse for Assassin Movie

Megan Fox Talks about Transformers 2

Film Crew and Movie Magicians head to Loch ness to recreate the Loch ness Monster (AKA Water Horse) for Film release to Blu-Ray and DVD

Troll remake has Ali Lohan interested

Kathy Hilton to star next to Tom Cruise in New Movie

The Smurfs Ice a new Movie Deal

Robocop 2010 confirmed

Lindsay Lohan to star in new Movie "Labor Pains"

Massive Hollywood fire sure to effect filming schedule

Hannah Montana Movie Begins Production

Harry Potter actor killed in Sidcup knife attack while coming to the aid of his younger Brother

MEGAN FOX Naked Scene in JENNIFER'S BODY

LINDSAY LOHAN Dropped from CHARLIE MANSON Film

Keshia Knight Pulliam cast as a Hooker named Candy in New Film - Madea Goes to Jail

Movies to come to Cellphone

Sex In The City - The Movie to Premiere In London

Harald & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Two New Hobbit Movies in the works

Jordana Beatty Cast for Lead Role of Eloise in Paris

Wesley Snipes could face 3 years in Jail

Megan Fox wins Most sexiest Woman Award

Ang Lee working on a Woodstock Movie within Gay Genre

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Best Performance by an Actress in a
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Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Best Performance by an Actor In A
Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Television Series - Drama

Best Performance by an Actor In A
Television Series - Drama

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Comedy

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Best Performance by an Actor In A
Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made
for Television

Best Performance by an Actress In A
Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Best Performance by an Actress in a
Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television

Best Performance by an Actor in a
Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television