Wednesday, December 28, 2011
2012 Movie Preview: Family Movies, From 'Ice Age' to Pixar's 'Brave'
With 2011 within the dying cycle, selection time to anticipate 2012. All this week, Moviefone will preview the apparently endless method to obtain large-time films striking theaters through the following 12 several days -- from from 'The Demon Inside' to 'Django Unchained' and all things in between. Next: the 12 family films to check out for next season. 2012 Movie Preview: Family Movies <a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/arrietty/10054013/primary">'The Secret Arena of Arriety' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/dr-seuss-the-lorax/38931/primary">'The Lorax' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/the-pirates--band-of-misfits/10020841/primary">'The Pirates! Gang of Misfits' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/chimpanzee/33744/primary">'Disneynature: Chimpanzee' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/madagascar-3/38098/primary">'Madagascar 3: Europe's Popular' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/brave/33554/primary">'Brave' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/ice-age-continental-drift-3dOr10037369/primary">'Ice Age: Continental Drift' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/the-odd-existence-of-timothy-eco-friendly/54627/primary">'The Odd Information on Timothy Eco-friendly' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/paranorman/53943/primary">'ParaNorman' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/hotel-transylvania/29036/primary">'Hotel Transylvania' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/reboot-take advantage of/51434/primary">'Wreck-It-Take advantage of' </a><a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/rise-of-the-parents/10054677/primary">'Rise in the Parents' </a>Honorable Mention: <a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/beauty-and-the-animal-3dOr54572/primary">'Beauty as well as the Animal 3d' </a>Dishonorable Mention: <a href="http://internet.moviefone.com/movie/a-1000-words/1398376/primary">'A 1000 Words' </a> See All Moviefone Galleries » EARLIER: 2012 Movie Preview: Blockbusters 2012 Movie Preview: Comedies [Photo: Fox] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook
Is Joey from 'War Horse' a Cursed Demon Animal?
Words which have been accustomed to describe Steven Spielberg's The First World War-era epic, 'War Horse': sentimental, serious, cheesy, sugary. Try when i might, I simply can't think that any story could be this goody-goody. Spielberg continues to be only at that a very long time there just needs to be considered a hidden meaning inside 'War Equine.' Possibly here it is: Joey, the titular war equine is cursed demon animal. Clearly, spoiler alerts have been in effect from here forward. Now, at first glance, 'War Horse' comes up because the straightforward story of Joey, a equine who encounters an array of adventures under a number of proprietors throughout the very first World War. Though, underneath the swelling John Williams score and surface-level inspiration lies something sinister: For 2-and-a-half hrs we watch Joey (just the most wretched of monsters would response to this kind of affable title) blaze a path of destruction against any who dare attempt to claim possession of the clearly possessed steed. Let us examine evidence by recounting just the number of individuals are wiped out throughout Joey's reign of terror. First of all, poor Captain Nichols (Tom Hiddleston). Captain Nichols purchases Joey in the Narracott family for everyone as his personal fight equine throughout the war. Nichols, who honestly couldn't become more of the gentleman, even promises youthful Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) -- oh, we'll return to him later -- that Joey is going to be came back securely towards the family when the war has ended. Off-screen, Joey laughs only at that promise, since they know it should never be stored. Throughout the initial fight that Nichols makes its way into, Joey steers the captain straight into machine-gun fire. The scene finishes on the close-from a large-eyed and shocked Nichols. Not due to the surprise from the German attack, but due to the realization he bought a cursed demon animal that deliberately rode him in to the type of fire. One lower for the possessed equine, Joey. After Joey gets rid of Nichols, he's "taken" through the German military. A minimum of, that is what Joey want these to have confidence in reality, the Spanish people have fallen into his trap. Two youthful German soldiers named Gunther and Michael often Joey, eventually using Joey and the other equine named Topthorn to abandon the military and flee in the war. This is the way Joey is easily the most sinister: he makes the owner's trust. While Gunther and Michael are hiding overnight inside a windmill, Joey (inside a scene that isn't proven on the watch's screen, but we should assumed happened) alerts the German government bodies, leading to Gunter and Michael's execution. Three souls now lost. Obviously, Joey does not get taken at this time through the Spanish people. He and the non-possessed equine friend, Topthorn, find solace having a youthful girl named Emilie and her grandfather, who owns the windmill. After Joey's had an adequate amount of this nice family's food and care, Joey rides Emilie on the hill and, obviously, straight into a area of German soldiers. Later, we learn that Emilie is dead. Four lower. Once in the hands from the Spanish people, Joey and Topthorn are utilized to pull artillery. I'll say this for that German military: by this time around they are fully conscious of the effects of having too near to Joey -- simply because they know he's a cursed demon animal. With no human sacrifices available, Joey turns his focus on Topthorn, his nearest friend. The records can have that Topthorn died from "exhaustion," but everyone knows that after someone dies or inspections in to the hospital for "exhaustion," you will find ulterior factors at play. The reality is, Topthorn's last moments on the planet were spent with Joey. Five kills for the possessed demon animal. But, oh, Joey has something truly special for his first owner, youthful Albert. The thing is, Joey has not ignored Albert and truly really wants to be reunited ... so he is able to kill him. But, wait: Joey clearly rethinks this: Maybe dying is simply too great for a persons being who once helped me plow a whole area on my own. Joey escapes from German hands, trying frantically to locate Albert. Albert, who's now serving within the British military, has fended for themself pretty much up until now. That's, until Joey tenants his existence. Some may refer to it as a coincidence, but when Albert leaves the German military behind, it's simply no surprise -- a minimum of for this reporter -- that Albert is gassed through the enemy and manages to lose his sight. Joey, with the last curse, blinds the guy who elevated him: his sixth victim. General consensus originates the very best scene in 'War Horse' like a conversation from a British soldier, Colin, along with a German soldier, Peter, within the "no man's land" between two warring trenches. Both are there to free Joey, who seems to become held in barbed wire -- but, the truth is, it is a trap set with a cursed demon animal for one of these simple naive soldiers. After "clearing" Joey, the 2 soldiers switch a gold coin to determine who'll own Joey. Colin leaves using the equine. The crowd remains to think that Colin won the gold coin switch. But, now, we all know that is not the situation. Colin lost that gold coin switch. And despite the fact that 'War Horse' is ambiguous by what would be to become of Colin's fate -- we simply know. Colin lost that gold coin switch in each and every way possible. Mike Ryan may be the senior author for Moviefone. He's written for Wired Magazine, VanityFair.com, GQ.com, NY Magazine and Movieline. He likes The Exorcist a great deal. You are able to contact Mike Ryan on Twitter [Photo: DreamWorks] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook
Friday, December 9, 2011
'New Year's Eve' can celebrate early
'New Year's Eve' made between $7 million and $8 million Friday, easily using the B.O. crown. Warner Bros.' "New Year's Eve" is searching to accept number 1 place only at that weekend's domestic box office, according to early Friday mid-day figures.Box office viewers peg the ensemble comedy's Friday take approximately $7 million and $8 million, which may squeeze Garry Marshall-helmed pic to bow within the high teens to low twenties for that weekend - a little more modest than anticipation within the low to mid twenties.Meanwhile experts predict moderate earnings with this weekend's other opener, twentieth century Fox's "The Sitter," calculating the Jonah Hill-toplined laffer to gross just south of $ten million for that weekend and around $3.5 million during the day.Disney's "The Muppets" is anticipated to keep well, with estimations around $7 million to $8 million for that weekend. Summit's "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning - Part 1" is monitoring to earn around $9 million for that frame.
Eddie Murphy to Play Marion Barry in HBO Biopic From Spike Lee
A star-studded romantic comedy and several awards hopefuls hit theaters this weekend.our editor recommends'New Year's Eve' Stars Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Zac Efron Celebrate at Film's Premiere'New Year's Eve': What the Critics Are SayingCharlize Theron on Playing a 'Bitch' in 'Young Adult' (Video)Jessica Biel Attempts to Schedule a C-Section in 'New Years Eve' Clip'We Need to Talk About Kevin' Trailer: Tilda Swinton Struggles With Motherhood (Video)'We Need to Talk About Kevin' Named Best Film at BFI London Film FestivalSir Paul Smith Designs Exclusive Prints for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''Shame,' 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and 'Tyrannosaur' Lead the Field for This Years British Independent Film AwardsMadonna's 'W.E.' Trailer Tells the Tale of Two Love Stories (Video) Valentine's Day director Garry Marshall is back with another holiday-themedromantic comedy featuring an A-list ensemble.New Year's Eve, whose cast includesSarah Jessica Park, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michelle, Zac Efron, Halle Berry and Robert De Niro,tells the story of several couples and singles in NY over the course of the last day of the year. (Biel and Kutcher also starred in Valentine's Day.) PHOTOS: 'New Year's Eve' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals Young Adult, starring Oscar winner Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson, is a comedy-drama directed by Jason Reitman and written by Junoscreenwriter Diablo Cody. The movie tells the story of a fiction writer (Theron) who, after her divorce, returns to her small Minnesota hometown in an attempt to reignite a romance with her ex-boyfriend (Wilson), who is now married with kids. W.E., Madonna's second film as director,is a Britain-set 1930s romantic-drama about the affair between King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson and a contemporary romance between a married woman and a Russian security guard. The Weinstein Co. movie, starring Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough and James D'Arcy,premiered at the Venice and Toronto film festivals earlier this year. PHOTOS: THR Actress Roundtable With Charlize Theron, Michelle Williams Oscar winner Tilda Swinton's We Need to Talk About Kevin earned acclaim at the Cannes and Telluride film festivals this year. The movie, directed by Lynne Ramsey, is an adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel, which has the same title. The disturbing drama-thriller is about a cold, cruel teenage boy (played by Jasper Newell as a child and by Ezra Miller as a teenager) who went on a high school killing spree and spent his childhood tormenting his mother, Eva (played by Swinton). Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and John Hurt play spy games in the drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Tomas Alfredson. The movie is a big-scale European adaptation of John le Carré's 1974 Cold War novel of the same name. The film, which premiered at the Venice film fest, is set during the Cold War and tells how espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's troops. Read what The Hollywood Reporter's film critics have to say about all the films opening this weekend, and find out how they are expected to perform at the box office. New Year's Eve Valentine's Day director Garry Marshall brings a big-name cast together for intertwined stories playing out on the last night of the year. Click here to read Michael Rechtshaffen's review. VIDEO: Lea Michele Reveals Secret Behind Her 'New Year's Eve' Chemistry with Ashton Kutcher Young Adult Director Jason Reitman reunites with Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody in well acted, but narrowly conceived story about a deluded author of teen novels who plots to win back her high school boyfriend. Click here to read Todd McCarthy's review. We Need to Talk About Kevin Lynne Ramsay's coolly cerebral drama about a mother and her murderous son is as perplexing as it is intriguing. Click here to read Kirk Honeycutt's review. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and John Hurt play spy games in Let the Right One In director Tomas Alfredson's Cold War drama. Click here to read Deborah Young's review. W.E. The Weinstein Co. returns to Britain's 1930s royal melodrama, hoping lightning strikes as it did with their Oscar-winning King's Speech. Click here to read Todd McCarthy's review. I Melt With You Virtuoso visuals, pulsating music and muscular acting drive director Mark Pellington's Premieres section drama about middle-aged male disappointment. Click here to read Todd McCarthy's review. VIDEO: Charlize Theron on Playing a 'Bitch' in 'Young Adult' London River Set in the tragic aftermath of the terrorist bombings on July 7, 2005, London River is the compelling drama of two parents in search of their missing children. Click here to read Deborah Young's review. Knuckle HBO recently bought remake rights to the movie chronicling the bare-knuckle fistfights in Ireland's Travelers community, with plans to turn it into a TV drama. Click here to read Stephen Farber's review. Also opening this weekend are The Sitter, Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl and Magic to Win. Related Topics New Year's Eve W.E. We Need to Talk About Kevin Young Adult Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy I Melt With You London River Knuckle Charlize Theron Halle Berry Hilary Swank Jon Bon Jovi Josh Duhamel Katherine Heigl Lea Michele Madonna Michelle Pfeiffer Patrick Wilson Robert De Niro Sarah Jessica Parker Seth Meyers Sofia Vergara Tilda Swinton Zac Efron Abigail Breslin
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sheens Ex-wife: Goal Is Always To Have Charges Dropped
First Launched: December 7, 2011 2:00 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium ASPEN, Colo. -- Caption Brooke Mueller, estranged wife of actor Charlie Sheen, reaches family court in downtown La on April 19, 2011Charlie Sheens ex-wife, Brooke Mueller, states spend fight Colorado assault and cocaine possession accusations using the goal of having the problem dropped once the particulars emerged. Using a representative, Mueller states she's home in La trading tranquility along with her children. Longtime attorney Yale Galanter is at Aspen considering the problem which is safeguarding Mueller. Authorities arrested Mueller Saturday inside a nightclub carrying out a lady reported being assaulted by Mueller. Government physiques released Mueller after she released $11,000 bond. She's due in the court 12 ,. 19. Sheen and Mueller divorced taken, stating Christmas Day 2009 since the day's their breakup. Charlie Sheen was arrested in Aspen tomorrow on suspicion of attacking Mueller. He completed his probation in November 2010. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Madonna Noise Lawsuit: The Nightmare Is Finally Over
In 2009, a woman by the name of Karen George filed a lawsuit against her next-door neighbor, who was "blaring music, stomping and shaking walls," making living conditions "unbearable." The neighbor? None other than the Material Girl herself: Madonna (just speculation, but maybe Karen gave Madonna some Hydrangeas?). However, the AP is reporting that the case has finally been settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. After George initially complained about the noise, Madonna took steps to "dampen" it. Apparently, that didn't work. The singer said that she stopped using her apartment for a studio this past March (thanks?). When Madonna's not using her apartment in a rehearsal space, she's promoting her film 'W.E.,' which she directed. It hits theaters this month. [via THR and AP] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Kenya's artists toon tabs on tech tools
'Tinga Tinga Tales'NAIROBI -- As Kenyan tech companies push for vision from the "plastic savannah" in this East African nation, local artists say their marketplace is set to ride our prime-tech wave toward as an animation giant.Buoyed through the wealth of "Tinga Tinga Tales," a toon for your BBC's children's web CBeebies co-produced with the U.K.'s Tiger Aspect Prods. as well as the Nairobi-based Homeboyz Animation, Kenyan artists are hopeful their country will emerge since the next large industry for outsourcing.Allan Mwaniki, director and lead animator at Homeboyz, states the size of "Tinga Tinga Tales," which involved nearly 50 artists in Nairobi, was proof the Kenyan industry could effectively handle a substantial-scale production. "We now have proven the earth we could take action,In . according to him.Kenya's animation industry began to blossom with numerous U.N.-backed training programs from 2004-2006, which introduced Kenyan artists together with artists from around the world.Called Africa Animated!, the initiative was created to enhance ale African artists to deal with the Western imports, which dominate children's programming on African Tv producers.Working out courses gave Kenyan artists an important platform to demonstrate their concentrate on an international stage, eventually inducing the "Tinga Tinga" collaboration.The series will be a watershed moment for local artists."Before 'Tinga Tinga,' every artist familiar with work in their own personal small corner," states former "Tinga" animator Pete Mute. "The entertainers that came(from "Tinga") as well as the experience they completed of the project -- most of them look at setup their particular clothes," according to him.Designers still face limited options inside the Kenyan market. Kwame Nyong'o, creator in the well-regarded as as animated short "The Legend in the Ngong Slopes," states the Darwinian character in the local industry forces artists being passionate entrepreneurs that goes for them work."You have to produce the options by yourself,In . according to him.The look of the broadband fiber-optic cable in East Africa a year ago has several artists anticipating more "Tinga"-style collaborations.Growing curiosity about local content from Kenyan tv producers, additionally to elevated government support, has furthermore introduced to optimism over not able to the domestic market. Homeboyz is concentrating on aircraft aircraft pilots for just two series it hopes to air in 2012.Since the market evolves, some artists are actually searching ahead to where the marketplace is going.Mute launched an animation company referred to as African Sci-Fi Factory couple of years ago, while using about "beginning a conversation with film producers and TV producers and calculating how animation suits their companies." The, according to him, is just beginning to understand the chance that animation offers.Mute has began concentrate on a short that mixes animation and live stars.No matter his efforts, according to him you will discover still financial and technological hurdles preventing his vision from being fully recognized."You would like it could grow faster, nevertheless it takes persistence," according to him. "It's still beginning.Inch Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com
Friday, November 25, 2011
Artist Director Michel Hazanavicius on Auteur Pride, Hollywood and Surviving the Awards Marathon
It was probably just a matter of time before French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius broke through in the United States: His OSS 117 diptych of spy spoofs had already acquired something of an international audience, and his curiosity about Hollywood has grown alongside his reputation. But no one — least of all Hazanavicius himself — likely foresaw him breaking through with The Artist. Which says more about our culture’s lack of vision than Hazanavicius’s own. After all, he was the one who conceived and executed an honest-to-goodness black-and-white silent film about George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a silent-era Hollywood superstar relegated to obscurity as talkies — led notably by George’s erstwhile co-star Peppy Miller (Brnice Bejo) — surge to the fore. The rest is history — or it will be history, anyway, if The Artist’s devotees continue mobilizing on its behalf in the awards race. Hazanavicius just made it look easy, though. He recently talked to Movieline about the untold challenges before, during and after making his masterpiece, up to and including what’s next for the artist behind The Artist. How are you holding up in the Artist marathon? It’s not so easy day after day from a personal point of view, because I have kids, and they’re in Paris, and I don’t see them enough. And a lot of the time you say the same kinds of things, and there’s just one subject of discussion — your own movie. It’s not so easy. But in another way, I don’t feel I have the right to complain, because it’s a good story for the movie. And the movie goes well. So I feel like a soldier serving the movie. A soldier for The Artist! Yes, in a way. So what’s the one question you’ve never been asked about The Artist that maybe you wish you’d been asked? Well, it’s not a question, but I feel like… To me, it’s really a director’s movie. And I could spend hours talking about how the line of the story is conceived — which image is important to understand, [or] how to understand at the end why we did that. All the complexity! It’s a very complex device, this movie. I know that the people who see it once, first they get the format. It’s a really strong experience of the format; they love everything because of the format. But I really don’t think they see the movie. I think they really enjoyed the experience of the silent movie. And that’s great. But I feel like I could spend more time talking about the complexity — the directing. It’s complex. How fundamentally different is making a silent film from making a sound film? They’re ultimately both visual storytelling, right? Yeah, but usually you try create some images when you’re doing a normal movie, yet you’re not attached to that. Sometimes you don’t need images. You know that a character can explain something. At one point in the movie, the action stops and people explain what’s going on. For example, there’s the professor in Back to the Future who says, “OK, this is where we are in the script.” You can’t have that [in a silent film]; you’re attached to images. It’s very different to have just that tool. It’s very freeing in a way, because I think the audience is really ready to accept some illustration of conflict, of feeling, of something — a visual illustration that they would not accept in a normal movie. For example, at one point, the character has a problem with himself. He thinks he acted bad. In the silent movie, he can argue with himself. You don’t usually do that in a normal movie. This is different. Your freedom is different. The limits are also different. You have to take another path to tell the story. George is also very proud, both as an actor and a filmmaker — which interferes with his ability to work and create. Is that an obstacle you’ve ever battled as a director, on set or otherwise? I think pride is a motivation… I don’t have the good word in English. An engine? A bad engine. Pride makes people move, and usually they make bad moves. In this case, pride moves him to create, but it also moves him to love. But in my case? I guess I’m like everybody. It makes me do some things. I try to fight against it, but, yeah. To what degree to you relate to George’s struggle against pride, if at all? Not too much, because [the reason] why George doesn’t want to do talking movies is about fear. I think he’s afraid of doing something else. He’s afraid of what might happen to his small enterprise. He’s selling himself — everything works well, and suddenly… [Hazanvicius’s mobile phone alights with a call from Bejo.] Annnnd right on cue! [Answering] Brnice? [Deploys a French phrase and hangs up.] I love it. So I think he’s afraid of changing. I can consider myself maybe proud, but I’m not afraid. Fear is really not something I consider when I’m working. My motivations are more about pleasure and desire. That’s what I’m looking for. I don’t really care about fear. Going back to the complexity of making this film, was there ever a specific scene moment where you thought, “Yes! We’ve got it!” Or on the contrary — a crisis of faith on the set, perhaps? Not on the set. During the writing process, yes. It’s the same every time. I don’t know anybody strong enough to not doubt. I mean, the only thing is what you do with the doubt. I think doubt can be very constructive, but it can also be destructive. So script after script, I try to use the doubt in a constructive way. For this it was a little different because all the markets say, “It’s not a doable movie. You cannot make this movie.” So you really feel alone for a long time with that kind of movie. Fortunately I met this wonderful producer, Thomas Langmann, who really has some panache. He’s been very supportive, and he gave me his confidence and pushed me in a good way. So I feel so overwhelmed. But when I was writing, this was really new — to write a silent movie. But I was watching things like City Lights by Charlie Chaplin, and that helped me a lot. When I was watching the movie, I thought, “I have to continue. There is a movie to make here.” How much of the struggle of making this movie is actually getting it to audiences? Is the principle struggle behind you, or is there more to come? The movie opened in France, and the figures are excellent. We don’t count in money, we count in seats. So to give you an example, for my last movies we did 2.3 million for the first one and 2.5 million for the second one. And that is a really big success. For this one I think we’re going to do between 1.8 million and 2 million — which is huge for any kind of movie. Imagine for a black-and-white silent movie! It’s just incredible. So I want it behind me, but in a way, everything that comes now is a plus. A plus, a plus, a plus. I have to say, I’m a really lucky guy, because there’s a lot of plus. I mean, I never pretended it would be the hugest success of the year. I can’t fight with Tintin. I can’t fight with some big, popular current comedy or some more easy movies. But the people who come into theaters, that’s the most important thing. When we are talking about the audience, we are talking about two kinds of audiences: The real audience is the person who is in the theater watching the movie. That’s the audience. And the other audience are the people in the street who potentially could come. But if they don’t, then they are not the audience. They are people. So what’s important for me is the audience — people who are in the theater. And so far, people who see the movie really enjoy it. For me, that’s important. I cannot force people to come. I know you have to make an effort to come see a black-and-white, silent, French movie with two unknown actors. I know you have to make an effort. But I can’t force people, and I can’t blame them if they decide not to come. What’s important to me is that people who come to see the movie, they enjoy it. What’s your favorite movie of this year? Or what have you seen that you really love? There are some. I really loved A Separation — the Iranian movie? I saw it in Paris. I think it’s a Hitchcockian drama, but so special and so accurate. Everything is so fantastic. The actors are fantastic. I was really impressed. I also loved Drive, I loved The Descendants. There are a lot of good movies. This year I didn’t have an opportunity to see a lot of them, because… You’ve been running around. Yeah. At least you’re running around at festivals, where conceivably, if you’re there long enough, you have a pretty good chance of seeing something good. I remember when I was at Cannes, I stayed three days, and it was three days of press. And when I was in Telluride, I saw Footnote, which is really good, and Descendants. But for other ones… Like, I had a chance to see Shame, but I’d have to leave the theater 20 minutes before the ending of the movie. So I said, “No way; I can see it later.” Toronto’s the same way; the schedule doesn’t always fit. Is that frustrating? Yeah, sure. Festivals are good for that: You see movies, and you meet people, and you meet the other directors. Usually you never meet. When you work, you meet D.P.’s and members of the crew, but they work with me. The director’s don’t. And I really love directors. I love to talk to them, to discuss. Having technically worked in Hollywood now, is returning your next step? Working in America, working on studio productions? Or do you want to just keep it small? I don’t have these kinds of geographic goals. I really love to work here, and I really loved to make this movie here, because this movie had to be done here. But I didn’t make it to come here and make another movie. It really depends what movie. I have some propositions here; some of them are interesting, some of them are not. It really depends on what movie. I don’t have a career plan. It’s a lot of investment for me to make a movie — a lot of time. You immerse yourself in something, and I have to feel more than comfortable. I have to feel like there’s a good movie at the end of the process. So it’s not the question of being in Hollywood or in France. It’s really a question of which movie are we talking about? The Artist opens today in NY and Los Angeles, with more locations to come in the weeks ahead. Read Stephanie Zacharek’s review here. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
TEDDYS WISHES: IMG Elects Michael Dolan Chairman/CEO & To Stay Standalone Company
As expected, IMG and Forstmann Little today carried out the wishes oftheir late boss Tedd Forstmann by choosing his handpicked successors to lead the companies after his death. And, no, Michael Ovitz wasn’t mentioned: NY, NY — IMG Worldwide, a leading global sports, fashion and media company, announced today that the shareholders of IMG have unanimously elected Michael Dolan Chairman of IMG and the IMG Board of Directors has unanimously elected him Chief Executive Officer, following the passing of IMG’s former Chairman and Chief Executive Ted Forstmann. Mr. Dolan joined IMG in early 2010 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In April 2011, Mr. Forstmann appointed Mike Dolan to President and Chief Operating Officer to lead day-to-day management of the company, and serve as Mr. Forstmann’s hand-picked successor to run the company following his death. “Mike’s broad global experience and record of success makes him a clear choice to lead IMG forward,” said Julian Robertson, founder of the investment firm Tiger Management who was appointed this morning Chairman of Forstmann Little &Co. “Mike has the vision, experience, passion and leadership skills to ensure IMG’s continued growth and success.” Mr. Robertson has also been elected to the Board of Directors of IMG. Following his election to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Dolan said, “Over the past two years we have developed a strategic plan for the company that is powerful and has already begun to produce significant sustainable results. We are committed to growing the business to maximize the value for our shareholders.” In addition, the Board of Directors of IMG said that it concurs that the maximum value of the company can best be achieved as a standalone company. Since joining IMG, Mr. Dolan has been instrumental in the development and execution of the company’s global strategy. Mr. Dolan currently leads the company’s expansion into high growth markets including China, India and Brazil, as well as expansion into new business areas. In 2010, he led an overhaul of the company’s financial structure and organization as well as several key strategic acquisitions enabling the creation of new revenue platforms for the company. “IMG has lost an outstanding leader and friend in Ted Forstmann,” said Mike Dolan. “I am proud and honored to take on this role and to continue building IMG for future growth and success. IMG is an extraordinary company with scale, scope and assets that are unrivaled within the industry. With IMG’s strong leadership team, strong businesses, and new and exciting revenue opportunities, I am confident that we can continue to grow this company long into the future.” Prior to joining IMG, Mr. Dolan served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Viacom, where he led the spin-off of Viacom from CBS and the launch of the new independent public company. Mr. Dolan was previously Chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam, the diversified marketing services company with over 10,000 employees. He began his career at Young & Rubicam in 1995 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and he led the 1996 recapitalization of the company and subsequent IPO in 1998.
Monday, November 21, 2011
News Round The Dark Dark evening Increases
Tom Sturdy on Bane, and Nolan talks!You've frequently seen the completely new Empire covers withBatman and Bane, but this is a sneak take a look at a couple of from the news round the Dark Dark evening Increases inside the magazine. Particularly, Nolan themselves provides a few information round the film's plot and setting, and Tom Sturdy talks about Bane.Let's pay attention to director Christopher Nolan first, and discover what he'll divulge in regards to the film. "It's about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story. We left him in a really precarious place. Possibly remarkably for most people, our story builds up a good deal later, eight years following a Dark Dark evening. So he's an adult Bruce Wayne he is not in the great condition."WithBane, we're searching to supply Batman challenging he's not had before. With this particular choice of villain with this choice of story we're testing Batman both physically additionally to psychologically."Speaking about physical challenges, what exactly can Tom Sturdy reveal about Bane?"He's brutal. Brutal. He's a sizable dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact he's an impact-based and oriented fighting style. It is not about fighting. It comes down lower to carnage. The form is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. From small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, rubber rubber stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and getting upset heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spine posts. He's a terrorist in attitude additionally to brutal action."Costume designer Lindy Hemming also enables drop a few clues to his backstory as she talks about Bane's look. Round the mask, she states,"He was hurt at the beginning of his story. He's battling with discomfort as well as gas to live. He can't survive the discomfort without any mask. The pipes within the mask return along his jawline and feed in to the one factor at his back, where you will discover two cannisters."For much, much more each one of these folks - additionally to Christian Bale - obtain the completely new problem of Empire if the hits newsstands on Thursday. The Dark Dark evening Increases is going in cinemas about this summer time 20, 2012. Dark evening Increases CoversIts prologue, Nolan has confirmed, are available in choose IMAX cinemas onDecember 21. Similar to the Dark Dark evening, it'll be - according to Nolan - "basically the initial six, seven minutes in the film" and may work as "presenting Bane, together with an idea in the relaxation in the film."Mouth. Watering.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Robert Pattinson's Baby Picture, plus much more 'Twilight' Stars Before They Were Famous (PHOTOS)
Moviefone will make you content, Twi-hards. (No, we don't have bootleg copies of 'Breaking Beginning, Part I,' so stop asking.) Showing 'Twilight' stars' baby photos! The truly amazing folks at Snakkle.com have develop a squee-worthy gallery of Rachelle Lefervre, Billy Burke, Rachelle Lefervre, Ashley Greene and great deal really your 'Twilight' faves before they were famous. Aside from the Jackson Rathbone coconut-bikini photo, a number of these photos aren't that embarrassing, and may likely elicit a few "awws" within the 'Twilight' faithful. Ahead, find two favorite images (three words: Pattinson, age 4) and mind onto Snakkle to look for the whole collection. You can examine out all the 'Twilight' stars as full-grown grownups when 'Breaking Beginning, Part I' opens during the night time on Thursday -- that's, in the event you bought tickets recently. [via Snakkle] [Top Photo: Mirrorpix, Summit] [Bottom Photo: Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Summit] RELATED: 'Twilight' stars reveal what they're excited for fans to find out in 'Breaking Dawn' 'Breaking Beginning' Cast Quotes 'Breaking Beginning' Cast QuotesBill Condon, DirectorAshley Greene, Alice CullenNikki Reed, Rosalie HaleElizabeth Reaser, Esme CullenPeter Facinelli, Carlisle CullenSarah Clarke, Renee DwyerBilly Burke, Charlie SwanCasey LaBow, Kate DenaliJulia Manley, Leah ClearwaterBooboo Stewart, Seth ClearwaterMelissa Rosenberg, ScreenwriterCarolina Herrera, Bella's wedding dress designerMackenzie Foy, Renesmee CullenTaylor Lautner, Jacob BlackRobert Pattinson, Edward CullenKristen Stewart, Edwards Friend Jacob See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Penn Condition Game: ESPN Takes High Road in Coverage (Opinion)
What might have been a wonderful assault on Penn St. and also the child-abuse sex scandal including former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was rather handled with taste by ESPN throughout Saturday's broadcast from the school's game against Nebraska.our editor recommendsAshton Kutcher Known as 'Idiot,' 'Ignorant' After Tweeting Joe Paterno's Firing Was 'in Poor Taste'Joe Paterno's Weekly Penn St. Press Conference Canceled Among Jerry Sandusky Sex ScandalJoe Paterno Firing Draws Mixed Reaction Around Internet The sports broadcaster addressed the problem in the interviews with new mind coach Tom Bradley and quarterback coach Jay Paterno, boy of ousted mind coach Joe Paterno, but didn't overload in the approach. The 84-year-old Paterno, that has were built with a effective 46-year training career, was fired Wednesday together with leader Graham Spanier. The move arrived the wake of Sandusky being billed with 40 counts of sexual abuse of kids. Paterno continues to be belittled for neglecting to contact government bodies when he was told about possible misconduct by Sandusky nine years back. STORY: Ashton Kutcher Known as 'Idiot,' 'Ignorant' After Tweeting Joe Paterno's Firing Was 'in Poor Taste' USA Today's Michael McCarthy creates that ESPN "shipped effective, nuanced coverage from the school's first game because the explosive child abuse sex scandal that cost coach Joe Paterno his job." McCarthy notes, "ESPN sensibly stored a camera trained on Penn Condition quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, in the second he left his parents' the place to find him charging from the team bus to repeated shots of him prowling the sideline" and "ESPN's on-air talent sensibly stored the main focus where it will happen to be Saturday: the gamers and coaches in the Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers the sufferers as well as their families and also the tough future for that folks in Happy Valley who face many years of legal cases, scandal coverage and repairing." Penn St. lost the overall game 17-14. Halftime shows on other systems for example CBS and ABC which were televising college gridiron games Saturday pointed out the scandal when confirming game scores but were mostly restrained like ESPN. Bradley told ESPN after the overall game, "It had been unparalleled, most likely within the good reputation for college sports what continued here. And that we really grieve for that sufferers, sense sad for that groups of the kids. I believe they saw a student body today, the support they'd for that sufferers and also the children, that people're all here today. Many of the stuff that continued today, it had been about them." Paterno stated, before turning away in tears, "We've ought to days within our lives. I consider the other day, where i was sitting and also the world's kinda switched upside lower. Our youngsters were resilient, I believe they'd some real challenges plus they performed hard. Regrettably, they emerged a bit short." Nebraska coach Bo Pelini stated from the situation within the postgame press conference, "It had been larger than the overall game which was just performed. "Believe me when I say to you, I don't be aware of more knowledge about the problem. I'm not knowing anybody, but the truth is youthful kids were hurt. That's a criminal offense by itself. It's a great deal larger than football. It's a great deal larger than the NCAA, the Large Ten or other things." ESPN
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Will Ferrell's Jay-Z/Kanye Collaboration Is 'Surreal'
FROM MTV MOVIES: It's one of the finest and several inexplicable hits of 2011, a sound lesson extremely popular that it's hook was title-checked throughout player introductions on Sunday Evening Football, so massive that Jay-Z and Kanye required to undertaking it multiple occasions per set by themselves Watch the Throne Tour. We're speaking, clearly, about "N---just like Paris," the max-impact Throne single that's a sensation, thanks in no small part to producer Hit-Boy's bouncing beat, West's pop-cult wordplay ("What's that jacket, Margiela?") and, clearly, some oddball samples acquired from Will Ferrell's 2007 figure-skating comedy "Rotor rotor blades of Glory." As you're probably aware, "Paris" starts with Ferrell's grizzled Chazz Michael Michaels defiantly stating, "We're gonna skate to at least one song then one song only," then really builds up steam mid-song, when (in the move that could alternately be known to as "completely inspired" or "completely insane"), Hit-Boy drops the beat and enables the song roll around the second Ferrell sample: "Nobody knows exactly what it means, but it's provocative ... it'll obtain the folks going!" See the full story at MTV Movies!
Monday, November 7, 2011
TV Ratings: Andy Rooney Tribute Does Well for '60 Minutes,' 'Once Upon a Time' Consistent
CBS Little more than a day after news of his Nov. 4 death, veteran commentator Andy Rooney received a tribute from his former series, 60 Minutes, giving the CBS newsmagazine a bump to 13.7 million viewers, with a 2.2 in adults 18-49. Rooney's final broadcast, which aired only one month ago, gave the series 17.11 million viewers, its largest audience since 2007. NBC's Steelers/Ravens Sunday Night Football match-up pushed the network to top the evening, giving the network a handed win in both adults 18-49 (6.3) and average audience (16.3 million) for the night. ABC's Once Upon a Time dipped slightly in its third outing, but continued to hold much of its premiere audience. The series clocked a 3.7 in adults 18-49, with 11.4 million viewers. A Once Upon a Time repeat, followed by Desperate Housewives (8.7 million, 2.8) and Pan Am (5.2 million, 1.8) gave the network an last place audience of 7.4 million for the night, with a 2.4 in the demo. Football overage boosted Fox's Sunday numbers, giving it an average audience of 10.9 million, with the ensuing animation line-up contributing to a strong showing of 4.6 in adults 18-49. NBC - 6.3 - Football Night In America: 12.3 million, 4.4 - Sunday Night Football (Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore from 8:30 - 11 p.m.): 20.2 million, 8.0 FOX - 436 - The OT: 21.2 million, 8.0 - The Simpsons: 8 million, 3.7 - Allen Gregory: 4.2 million, 2.1 - Family Guy: 5.7 million, 3.0 - American Dad: 4.8 million, 2.5 ABC - 2.4 - Once Upon a Time (R): 4.1 million, 1.1 - Once Upon a Time: 11.4 million, 3.7 - Desperate Housewives: 8.7 million, 2.8 - Pan Am: 5.2 million, 1.8 CBS - 2.2 - 60 Minutes: 13.7 million, 2.2 - Amazing Race 19: 9.98 million, 2.6 - The Good Wife: 8.99 million, 2.1 - CSI: Miami: 8.6 million, 1.9 TV Ratings
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Iron Guy 3 To Shoot In NC
First Launched: October 27, 2011 5:28 PM EDT Credit: Caption Robert Downey Junior. in Iron Guy 2 WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The next installment inside the Iron Guy superhero film franchise will shoot in the New You are able to soundstage beginning in a few days. Marvel Art galleries will film Iron Guy 3 starring Robert Downey Junior. in Wilmington, with pre-production beginning soon and be employed in the problem lasting about 10 several days, Gov. Beverly Perdue and Wilmingtons EUE/Screen Gems Art galleries mentioned Thursday. The expansion is predicted to create 550 jobs for trades-people, specialists together with other crew people and many 1,000 spots for stars together with other talent. This is actually the greatest production to shoot in New You are able to, condition film office mind Aaron Syrett mentioned. The last films inside the series, with various Marvel Comics character, featured Downey just like a billionaire weapons-maker who fights crooks wearing a greater-tech suit of armor he created. Iron Guy 2 co-starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson. Professionals at Marvel Art galleries also considered locations in La, Michigan and New Mexico before identifying Wilmington had the very best combination of space, talent, and citizen incentives, EUE/Screen Gems mentioned. New You are able to this year elevated its rules for movie and tv productions up to twenty five percent. Meaning movie producers could discount over a quarter of the in-condition trading around $20 million utilizing their condition taxes. The tax break is refundable, meaning a producer who qualified for just about any $20 million write-off but didnt owe much in New You are able to taxes could collect the primary difference getting a multi-million-dollar check from people. The incentive has aided make 2011 a sizable year for your states film industry. Twenty-nine productions had setup offices in New You are able to by early September, trading greater than $200 million and no less than temporarily employing 3,000 crew people, Perdues office mentioned. Time productions are the feature film The Hunger Games as well as the television series Homeland, 'Eastbound minimizing then one Tree Hill. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
NBC Sports leaving New York
After more than 60 years, NBC Sports group is leaving NY City for Connecticut. The net will retain some space in its longtime home at Rockefeller Center, but the majority of its operations will move to the new Stamford offices, where the governor's office announced that the org would bring some 450 jobs and would in turn receive tax credits. The net is also reportedly receiving a loan of $20 million. Comcast Sports Management group, which runs 22 regional nets, is moving to Connecticut, as well, when construction at the new campus (a former Clairol factory) is completed sometime in 2013. Cable net Versus, NBC Olympics and NBC Sports Digital will be among the divisions housed at the facility. Staying behind will be NBC's Sunday night NFL pre-game show "Football Night in America" and salespeople working with the Madison Avenue-based industry. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com
Monday, October 24, 2011
'The Avengers' Wasn't Shot by having an apple apple iphone
Very good news or not so great, according to your feelings about film technology: cinematographer Seamus McGarvey states he did not really shoot portions of 'The Avengers' on his apple apple iphone. "I used to be speaking about how precisely rising filmmakers obtain access to a whole choice of technology which expand our options as filmmakers," McGarvey told THR in regards to the interview he did with Irish Film and tv Network. "I stated the apple apple iphone as well as the Canon 5d Mk2 were items presently applied to many Hollywood productions. We used canon's on some shots on Marvel's 'The Avengers' movie. Sadly, it had been edited to determine what i shot a couple of from the film while using apple apple iphone. This is not true." McGarvey was reported with the publication as saying he not only shot moments for your Joss Whedon-directed film on his smartphone, however the moments were inside the trailer. "On 'The Avengers,' Accustomed to perform a couple of shots round the apple apple iphone and they are inside the movie. Really, they are inside the trailer! I recognize that sometimes there is no choice plus you've got to find the least costly option, however when you are limited for choice, you'll be able to still make poignant options that will effect the design of the film," IFTN apparently misquoted him as saying. Disney also confirmed that none of 'The Avengers' was shot by having an apple apple iphone. Alas. Fingers joined that Whedon's double secret probation project was? [via THR/Warmth Vision] [Photo: Vital] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED
Happy 64th Birthday, Kevin Kline! What's His Best Onscreen Moment?
This is a special Monday, dears, because the illustrious Kevin Kline turns 64 today. The man who lit up The Big Chill before going on to garner an Academy Award for A Fish Called Wanda is that rare leading man who seems perfectly at home in bizarre character roles. I’m trembling just thinking of my favorite Kevin Kline scene. Can you guess it? Will I be plundering The Ice Storm? In & Out? Dave? Or the gritty saloon drama Wild, Wild West? I’m always a little bothered by the general perception of Sophie’s Choice — that the movie fixates on Meryl Streep’s role and all other characters barely matter or only serve to build her arc. While I don’t want to detract from Streep’s truly incredible work, I do want to point out that Sophie’s Choice gives us three amazing characters, and Kevin Kline’s Nathan Landau is one of them. In his debut role, Kline plays Sophie’s hotheaded, deliriously unstable lover who vacillates from romantic to manic without warning. He is scary, and though we’ll gawp in astonishment at the source of Sophie’s vague hopelessness later in the film, Kline’s furor is a highlight of the movie’s first half. Here, he taunts Sophie by bringing up the devastating circumstances she survived. And hey, don’t let anyone tell you that Peter MacNicol isn’t phenomenal here too. His character Stingo is one of the great, heartbreakingly human protagonists in modern cinema.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
'Twilight' Star Is an International Spy in New Series 'Aim High'
Most high school boys are worried about homework and crushes. Nick Green, however, is worried about homework, crushes and his job as a secret government agent. In 'Aim High,' Jackson Rathbone (best known for his role as Jasper Hale in the 'Twilight' series) plays Green, a student who spends his free time experiencing the James Bond fantasy every boy has had at one point or another. Green is part of a team of 64 highly trained teenage assassins. So when he's not obsessing over Amanda Miles (Aimee Teegarden), the most popular girl in school, he's out fighting the bad guys and keeping the country safe. 'Aim High' will be broadcast on Moviefone's sister website Cambio. The show is being billed as the first ever "social series," offering a new twist on viewer participation. Those who sign in via Facebook can expect to see photos of themselves and their friends appear within the episodes. Adding some action cred to 'Aim High' is the show's producer McG ('Terminator Salvation' and 'Charlie's Angels' director), who is excited to get things going on this one-of-a-kind web show, pointing out that "it's competitive with anything you see on network television or a cable series." Head on over to Cambio to check out the first episode. [Photo: Warner Bros.] 'Aim High' Red Carpet See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Second Tintin Trailer Arrives
Bikes, motorboats, fire and sandwichesIt's barely a week since the first first showed, but here's another new trailer for that Adventures Of Tintin.That one appears to become for American audiences, who've to hang about until December for his or her slice of Spielberg/Herge action, in the end have it in a few days. '! Take that, Yankees!Trailer the second reason is not entirely different towards the first, it should be stated. But most importantly it's 1 minute longer, permitting for many much-broadened seafaring Snowy being distracted from some important work with a sandwich and Haddock determining it's wise to begin a fireplace... Inside A BOAT.The Adventures Of Tintin, you'll need no telling, stars Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in bleeding edge performance capture. It's directed by Steven Spielberg, created by Jackson, and compiled by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, according to Herge's The Crab Using The Golden Claws, The Key From The Unicorn, and Red-colored Rackham's Treasure.It's in the United kingdom on October 26, and you will read Empire's world-first Tintin review here.
Friday, October 14, 2011
How a Calligraphy Pen Rewrote Steve Jobs' Life
I know where Steve Jobs' inspiration came from, because I walked into the same place three months after he'd left in 1974: the calligraphy building at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. "My first impression was that all the other students really liked him," says Jobs' first calligraphy professor (and mine), Robert Palladino. "That surprised me, because there were all these geniuses floating around, and Steve was a dropout. But they detected greatness even then."our editor recommends Apple CEO Steve Jobs to Take Another Medical Leave of Absence'iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World' Airs Sunday on Discovery PHOTOS: Steve Jobs' Death: How the Magazines Covered Jobs was a genius dropout with drive, so after his one 1972 semester as a paying student, he hung out at Reed for 18 months more, studying calligraphy as single-mindedly as a monk. Later, Jobs joined a Reed friend (and future Apple employee) to study like a monk in the Himalayas, barefoot, with shaved head and robes. But his first monastery was Reed's calligraphy room, run by Palladino, who'd been a Trappist monk for 18 years. PHOTOS: Apple Products in TV and Movies Silicon Valley's future most famous screamer studied with a monk who spent years taking a vow of silence. "Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country," Jobs said when he gave Stanford's 2005 graduation speech. "Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed...I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture." Calligraphing like a monk gave Jobs an esthetic sense most math-nerd tech giants (like Bill Gates) lack. STORY: Private Steve Jobs Memorial Set for Oct. 16 "About two years later Steve came back to Reed to tell me he was working on computers out of his parents' garage," says Palladino, now a retired priest doing masses in English and Latin in Oregon. "He wanted to consult with me about my Greek letters." As Jobs told Stanford's graduates, "When we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them." STORY: Apple Shares Hit New High It wasn't just a calligraphic skill Jobs picked up at Reed. It was a mindset. At orientation, freshmen were told, "You're here to measure your mind against the person sitting next to you, and the greatest minds who ever lived." Reed's dropout, suicide, and grad-school admissions rates were sky-high. Social skills and gradepoint averages were low. At Stanford, any grade below a C was erased from students' records. At Reed, there was no gentleman's C, and you were expected to be too pure to even ask what your grades were. Your goal was perfection. It was all about questing individualism, original thinking, ruthless meritocracy. The school mascot was an image of burning ambition: a griffin blazing like the sun. "Steve had a flamethrower mind," says Tim Girvin, a calligrapher who started out on the Reed scene and went on to design logos for 400 films, from Apocalypse Now to The Adventures of Tintin, and also for Jobs, who invited him to work on a mouse-activated computer -- a "M.A.C." "Steve said, 'You have to come down to Apple, I have something I've got to show you.' I was amazed to be flown down to work on experiments in type design for this technology still wrapped in secrecy. I came in from the outside to work for him as a renegade, to think differently about how to approach that design. "The mouse, the cursor device, was contained in some kind of cardboard with wire coming out the end. 'Could you draw a logo for the Mac computer by hand with this cursor, on the computer itself?' he asked. I couldn't. The screen was tiny, the pixels large. So instead, by hand, I made drawings for the logo and of the computer, all done with a calligraphic brush tool." Jobs loved the result. Good thing he liked it. "If you were on his good side, it was always, what is the next tier of perfection? What's the next thing you could do that would be better? And if you were on the bad side, then you were gone. Steve had a real temper. There was yelling -- not tied with me. There was furniture kind of tossed around a room. He had a real focus, a path he was on, and you were either on the path and going there or you were not. People write about being terrorized by Steve Jobs, and I think it was because of that crazy passion and fire he had. He was wildly passionate about doing new amazing things." "Ethically, Steve was as nice a guy as you could meet," says Palladino, who never saw Jobs in his chair-throwing days. "A real nice fellow." Palladino's attempts to get back in touch with Jobs after fame struck were rebuffed by Apple, whose office responded with a silence stonier than any Trappist's. Since Jobs' death, Palladino has gotten calls from as far away as China, asking for insights into where Jobs' talent came from. Asked which actors should play Jobs and himself in the potential Sony movie adaptation of Walter Isaacson's Jobs bio (published Oct. 24), Palladino says, "I don't see many movies. I never saw a TV until I got out of the cloister." Jobs hired Girvin to do more designs many times over the years. "When he started NeXT [the computer company Jobs launched in 1985], he said, 'Can you brew up some kind of visual expression for how we tell the story of NeXT?' He said that brand was so corporate and disciplined, he needed to add some magical expressive power to that." To Steve Jobs, calligraphy was the magic that enlivens science. "Almost all of my correspondence with him was handwritten. That was part of our connection, the return to the hand." Girvin says the last time they were in contact, seven or eight years ago, Jobs was a changed man. "He became much more calm. In the beginning, he was so young, so passionate, so crazy, and so direct, it was a different kind of energy. I think he just became more serene in his character." "The day of Steve's death, I took my iPad and started drawing sketches about the Mac, starting exactly where I was with Steve 30 years ago," says Girvin. This time, he didn't need a calligraphy pen -- and the iPad is actually cheaper than the Pelikan pen that Palladino uses. "Now the iPad gives you the ability to take pictures and notes and drawings and ideas, and converge them in one space, seamlessly." At last, Girvin can do what Jobs asked him to do way back when (see drawing above). "It goes right back to the initial computer dream," says Girvin. "You can't connect the dots looking forward," Jobs told the Stanford grads. "You can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." Related Topics Steve Jobs
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Legendary Costume Designer Ray Aghayan, Longtime Partner of Bob Mackie, Dies at 83
Ray Aghayan, a 2-time Oscar nominee who won the very first Emmy Award for costume design, outfitted the glamorous Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross and did the costumes for that frequent lowering and raising events from the 1984 Summer time Olympic games, died Tuesday in La. He was 83.Related Subjects•Obituaries Aghayan, the longtime partner of Bob Mackie, who began as his assistant, died of "unknown causes," the Archive of yankee Television stated Wednesday. Aghayan was instrumental in effective the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to formally recognize the contribution of costume designers. With Mackie, he won the very first ever Emmy for costume design in 1967 for NBC's Alice With the Searching Glass. He continued to earn two more Emmys (among nine total nominations) and received work achievement award in the Costume Designers Guild in 2008. A local of Tehran, Iran, Aghayan was nominated for Academy awards for Norman Jewison's Vibrantly, Vibrantly (1969) with Mackie and Norma Koch for Lady Sings the Blues (1972) starring Ross as Billie Holliday and, again with Mackie, for Funny Lady (1975) starring Streisand. For Funny Lady, Aghayan and Mackie produced 40 complete nineteen thirties-style clothes -- not just dresses and suits, but the hats, mitts, jewelry and footwear -- for Streisand's Fanny Brice. The boy of the society couturier in Tehran, Aghayan at 14 designed the mourning clothes for that wife from the Shah of Iran, Full Fawzia. 3 years later, he convinced his mother to permit him to move by himself to La. After many years creating, pointing and creating costumes for their own productions, Aghayan got employment around the mid-nineteen fifties anthology series Matinee Theater (the live show needed a talent for quick costume changes). That brought to some stint as costume designer around the short-resided 1963-64 variety series The Judy Garland Show. Aghayan's film resume includes The skill of Love (1965), Our Guy Flint (1966), Dr. Doolittle (1967), Hannie Caulder (1971) with Raquel Welch and three Doris Day films: Don't Disturb (1965), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) and Caprice (1967). Aghayan designed costumes for such stars asJulie Andrews,Fred Astaire,Gem Bailey,Lucille Ball,Diahann Carroll,Carol Channing,CydCharisse,Bing Crosby,SammyDavis,Dick Van Dyke,Barbara Eden,Lola Falana,Mitzi Gaynor,Betty Hutton,The Jackson Five,Danny Kaye,Peggy Lee,Shirley MacLaine,Dinah Shoreline andLeslie Uggams. He was nominated for any Tony Award in 1970 for Applause, and that he also designed on Broadway for Vintage 60 (which opened up in 1960), The Egg (1962), Around town (1971) and Channing's Lorelei (1974). Inside a 1997 interview using the Archive of yankee Television, Aghayan was requested why is a great costume design. One which "provides the actor the smoothness, helps the actor come to be that individual,Inch he stated. "And also to have the ability to assist the audience to check out might know what the heck it's they are searching at."Additionally to his focus on the La Olympic games, Aghayan created Consenting Adult, a landmark 1985 telefilm in regards to a gay boy being released to his family which was modified in the novel by Laura Z. Hobson. Younger crowd exceeded twelve Academy Award telecasts from 1968 to 2001. For that MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas in 1974, Aghayan and Mackie designed the outlet forHallelujah Hollywood, a $3 million tribute to classic MGM musicals that placed a fantastic 940 costumes. Related Subjects Obituaries
Craig Brewer on Remaking Footloose, How It's Like Purple Rain, and Tarzan
Craig Brewer knows that some of you are skeptical about his remake of Footloose, the 1984 Kevin Bacon teen classic about lusty high-schoolers who kick off their Sunday shoes, strain against their small town conservative parents, and “angry dance” their way to prom. But the director, who helped bring rap music to the Academy’s attention in his Oscar-winning Hustle & Flow (and next chained Christina Ricci to a radiator in Black Snake Moan, another tale set in the Southern region where Brewer was raised), comes at it with a fan’s devotion and with an awareness of how religion, morality and politics still overlap in the lives of teenagers today. And, as he watched Kevin Bacon do when he was a kid watching Footloose on the big screen, Brewer admits to indulging in his fair share of “angry dancing.” “I angry dance,” Brewer told Movieline recently in Los Angeles. “I blare The White Stripes — usually it’s off of Icky Thump, or there may be a couple of AC/DC tracks, maybe some off of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti — and I move around my office and kind of get that bad juju out of me.” Brewer is such a fan of the original, and pays homage so faithfully to it in his new rendition (which stars newcomers Kenny Wormald in the Kevin Bacon role as Ren McCormack and Julianne Hough, inheriting Lori Singer’s role as Ariel, the rebellious preacher’s daughter) that some may wonder why Paramount remade it at all. Read on to hear Brewer’s reasons for updating Footloose, why he’s loved it since age 13, what it has in common with another 1984 rebellious teen pic, Purple Rain, how his upcoming Tarzan project is as much an unexpectedly personal film for him, and the real-life origins of the best line in Hustle & Flow. I’ll start with the big question that I’m sure you’ve been answering left and right, but still: Why remake Footloose? Gee, no one’s asked me that! That’s so refreshing. [Laughs] I bet! You’ve only done about 12 hours of press today. Yeah, but I’ve also been across the country, and everybody else was asking that question — but it’s a valid question, I understand. I’m not judgmental about it. I’m sure there are plenty of people that think this is a money grab on behalf of the studio. I’m sure people are thinking that I’m just selling out or doing a director for hire gig. I can guarantee you that’s actually not the case on either front. There was a moment where Paramount was developing Footloose and it was going to be kind of a more dance celebration — the same team who had done High School Musical was going to do it. Then they decided they didn’t want to do it, and there really was this time when Paramount was going to kill the remake of Footloose. And they called me; I was already down the road with this other movie I thought I was going to do called Mother Trucker, but Adam Goodman, the president of Paramount, kept on me. He was like, “I refuse to accept your pass. You haven’t given me a valid reason why you’re not making this movie.” So you had to be convinced to do this movie? I passed on it twice. What finally made you change your mind? Adam was right. There hadn’t been a movie for teenagers like Footloose in the past couple of decades. I couldn’t think of any. I still challenge people to find one; I’m not saying there isn’t. But it’s not as easy as saying Stomp the Yard or Step Up. What was special in Footloose was not the dancing. Yes, the dancing was fun. But there was something else at work, and I think it had to do with teenagers and parents and educators and administrators and faith and the law, all being these polar opposites of opinion and all being very loud about their opinions — but no one was really listening to each other. And finally, through these camaraderies of Willard and Ren together, and Ariel and Ren getting to know each other, and the conflict between Ren and her father, suddenly everybody saw that they were kind of after the same thing. They all loved their children. They wanted the best for them, they didn’t want any harm to come to them, and it was OK to go to the dance. It was basically a movie that taught me as a teenager that it was OK to stand up for yourself, that it was OK to stand up for yourself in a respectful way. You didn’t have to throw a brick. You didn’t have to shout with a sign outside of City Hall. You could actually put on a tie and write a speech and maybe get further. And I hadn’t seen a movie like that up until I was 13. I was, you know, more of a kid who was into sci-fi movies. But Ren McCormack was this different kind of hero for me, and I can’t think of a recent movie that had those kinds of elements to it, that also had daring elements. People forget how hard Footloose was. I’ve got this fight with Chuck and Ariel, that’s right out of the original. Right. And it goes down in almost exactly the same way. I don’t think I could put that in a teenage movie today if it wasn’t already established in Footloose. Sure. So many of the iconic, memorable scenes from the original Footloose are the kinds of scenes you don’t see in youth-oriented films these days. And that fight between Chuck and Ariel, in particular, is still very hard to watch. It is hard to watch. I think even people who are fans of the original can’t believe we went back there. But there are teenagers out there that are dealing with that in their life, there are teenagers out there that have had friends that are dealing with it. So it’s not something that’s foreign to them, it’s just to some extent not the first thing studios are thinking about in terms of entertaining 13-year-olds. Yet in my day, ’80s movies that usually get maligned — they had some punch to them. Purple Rain, that movie came out the same year Footloose did. I love Purple Rain. It’s one of my favorite movies. I could teach a class on the first eight minutes of Purple Rain. But that movie had, you know, his father trying to kill himself. He hauls off and smacks Apollonia after she gives him the white guitar. It was complicated, it was complex. It was at times hard to watch. A woman gets dumped in the garbage, literally. Right! Right. I mean, it’s strange how hard those movies were in places, yet when we look back on them we call them cheesy. Do you think adults now want to cushion things for younger viewers because they don’t think they can take the kinds of scenes? The idea being what we could handle back then, kids today can’t. It’s so funny, because I remember I saw Footloose in a theater when I was 13. And I remember, when she says, ‘Daddy, I’m not even a virgin,’ it got this groan. Like people couldn’t believe she said that. Well, the same thing happens when I play it in my remake. And as much as people think that teenagers are hardened, and nothing can shock them, it still shocks them.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Christoph Waltz Dislocates Pelvic Bone During 'Django Unchained' Training
A training accident for Django Unchained is keeping Christoph Waltz from Friday night's NY premiere of Carnage, the new Roman Polanski movie playing at the NY Film Festival.our editor recommendsKevin Costner to Train Slaves in 'Django Unchained'Kurt Russell to Replace Kevin Costner in Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained'Roman Polanskis 'Carnage' to Open NY Film Festival Django doesn't begin production until November but is in the pre-production stage, with members of the cast training for the movie, which is set in the 1800s. PHOTOS: Sony Pictures Classics 20 Year Timeline With 'Carnage,' 'Pollock' Waltz is playing a German bounty hunter who helps the lead character, being played by Jamie Foxx, scour the American South in search of his wife, who is being kept as a slave on a plantation run by a man named Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Waltz's camp confirmed the injury, releasing the following statement: "Christoph Waltz was injured while training with his horse in preparation for his role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. "Waltz is currently being treated for a dislocated pelvic bone and is looking forward to getting back in the saddle." Related Topics Christoph Waltz Jamie Foxx Leonardo DiCaprio Quentin Tarantino Django Unchained Watch Transformers 3 Megavideo
Doom and dread dominate Sitges lineup
'Melancholia''Contagion''Hell''Kill List''CTIN!'It's official: The end of the world takes place in Sitges, Spain. And it doesn't happen just once, but repeats itself in Steven Soderbergh's germophobe fantasy "Contagion," Lars von Trier's annihilation meller "Melancholia" and Tim Fehlbaum's debut "Hell," produced by Roland Emmerich."The Apocalypse is in fashion, but mixed up with regular zombies, aliens stuff," says Alberto Marini, writer and exec producer of Jaume Balaguero's "Sleep Tight," surveying the line-up for 44th Sitges Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, running Oct. 6-16.That's not the only trend at Europe's biggest fanboy fest. Classic doom is matched by contempo dread: fears of "radical conservatism, being kidnapped in your own home, or abducted by a fundamentalist sect," says fest director Angel Sala.The flipside, is that, "perhaps due to a weariness with the crisis, or contempo semi-apocalyptic scenarios, people relish humor, sometimes black humor. Audiences will laugh a lot this year at Sitges," he says, citing Andre Ovredal's "Trollhunter," Juan Martinez Moreno's "Lobos de arga" (Game of Werewolves), Alejandro Brugues' "Juan of the Dead" and Joe Cornish's "Attack the Block.""Dead," a Cuban zombie comedy -- there haven't been many of those -- racked up bullish sales off its Toronto world preem."Spectators want genre that mixes classic elements with ground-breaking stories and plot twists," says Vicente Canales, founder of Film Factory Entertainment.Marini agrees: "Innovative stories or artistic risk are the only response possible to big studios' productions. It's our unique selling point."Some trends hold over from recent years. Emilio Martinez, director of Spanish genre website aullidos.com, sees a rising wave of subjective terror pics in the wake of "Paranormal Activity" -- "Very low-cost products that swept the world," he says.Titles fitting the subjective terror billing include Carles Torrens' "Emergo," Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz's "Grave Encounters," Gonzalo Lopez Gallego's "Apollo 18" and Ovredal's "Trollhunter," distribbed by Universal in main European territories.Deputy Sitges fest director Mike Hostench notices a "drive to break rules in a far-reaching, intellectual way."Possible examples this time round at Sitges are Kim Ki-duk's Cannes' Un Certain Regard prize co-winner "Arirang," Panos Cosmatos' "Beyond the Black Rainbow" and Ricard Gras' "Vlogger."Meanwhile, A.I. is making a comeback. Fest commemorates the 10th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" as Spielberg preps "Robopocalypse" and, on Spanish home turf, Gabe Ibanez readies "Automata."Sitges opens with Kike Maillo's robot meller "Eva," well-received at Venice, takes in S. Shankar's Indian blockbuster "Endhiran" and Pat Tremblay's low-end amnesia nightmare "Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass."sitges fantastic film festivalHIGHLIGHTSHORROR HOUSEHong-jim Na's crime actioner "The Murderer," admired at Cannes; "Livid," from Gallic horror specialists Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo; Ben Wheatley's twisting thriller "Kill List"; Alejandro Brugues' Cuban zombie comedy "Juan of the Dead"; debuts from Evan Glodell ("Bellflower"), Spaniard Antonio Trashorras ("Blind Alley") and Colombia's Jaime Osorio ("El Paramo").SINGING PRAISESBryan Singer picks up a Sitges Gran Premio.KUDOS KEEP COMINGTime Machine honors go to actor Michael Biehn ("Terminator"), who presents grindhouse pic "The Victim," which he helmed; horror muse and actress Barbara Steele ("8 1/2," "Piranha"); Hong Kong fight stunt maven Tony Ching Siu-tung ("Hero").PREVIEWSCatalan chill maestro Jaume Balaguero ("Rec," Sleep Tight"), will present sneak-peek excerpts from his upcoming "Rec 3"; cast and crew from "XP3D," a new production from Spain's Rodar y Rodar ("Julia's Eyes") will offer a 3D masterclass; Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("Intruders") and Eduardo Chapero-Jackson ("Verbo") will deliver prior-screening classes.GIVING INTELIntelligent Robotics Laboratory director Hiroshi Ishiguro talks about the A.I. future.SHORT AND SWEETBuzzed-up shorts: Kelly Weaver's "Leyenda," Kimani Ray Smith's "Suffer"; Robert Morgan's hallucinogenic stop-motion "Bobby Yeah," Cyrille Drevon's murky mystery "CTIN!"; and Andrew Wesley Green's zombie romancer "The Unliving."RELATED LINKS: Regional Report: Catalonia Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie Online
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Cheers & Jeers: Glee's Not-So-Sweet Sugar
Vanessa Lengies Jeers to Glee to create an off-key addition for the cast.Want more Cheers & Jeers? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!In last week's season opener, Vanessa Lengies grew to become an associate from the show as Sugar Motta, a tone-hard of hearing student in ways than the usual single. Her attribution on her behalf inadequate social graces to "self-recognized Asperger's" had autism-awareness advocates up in arms. Well, Sugar is at episode 2 - briefly, fortunately - to sing poorly, insult Idina Menzel's Shelby Corcoran ("you've this irritating nasal quality"), then shrug it well: "Sorry, Asperger's."Sorry, Glee: For just about any demonstrate that visits sickeningly saccharine measures to preach tolerance (e.g. this week's "unicorn" subplot with Kurt and Brittany), you've hit an incorrect note. One hope Sugar's guaranteed third episode will probably be her swan song. With Sue Sylvester's poll amounts - and ego - swelling, the halls of McKinley High aren't big enough to match another fathead.Are you currently presently souring on Sugar - and Glee?Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Who the Smurf Needs 3 Smurfing Discs of The Smurfs For the Holidays?
Not 24 hours since The Smurfs officially cracked the $500 million mark worldwide, along comes the announcement we’ve been waiting for: “The Smurfs On 3-Disc Holiday Gift Set, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and Digital on December 2nd,” blares the press release just over the transom at Movieline HQ. Three. Discs. Who the smurf needs three smurfing discs of The Smurfs for the holidays? Well, like so many things, it depends on whom you ask. Technically, we should be able to settle this pretty quickly with the handy Should I See The Smurfs Flow-Chart Review. But to Sony’s credit, they really are piling on the special features for Smurf obsessives and completists young and old, thus transcending our painstaking objectivity and acquiring an irresistible quality more akin to shock and awe. Straight from the source, here’s what to expect this fall: Disc 1 (Blu-ray) · Smurf-O-Vision: Second Screen Experience - Interact with the Smurfs as they take over your TV, iPad, iPhone or iTouch while you watch the movie! · The Smurfs Fantastic Adventure Game - Help Clumsy race through the village and Central Park to stop Gargamel and his evil plans! · Deleted Scenes & Extended Scenes · Blue-pers · Happy Music Montage · 2 Commentaries · 3 Featurettes: “The Smurfs: Comic Book to the Big Screen”; “Smurf Speak: Meet the Cast”; “Going Gargamel” · Progression Reels Disc 2: DVD - Feature Film & Special Features on Stand-alone DVD Disc 3: DVD - The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol - All-new mini-movie starring the Smurfs! The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol DVD is an all-new mini-movie, exclusive to the 3-Disc Holiday Gift Set and starring the Smurfs. Based on the timeless holiday classic, The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol is available for a limited time only. The Smurfs will be among the first titles to offer UltraViolet so owners of the Blu-ray will be able to add The Smurfs to their free cloud-based UltraViolet Digital Accounts, enabling them to stream or download the film most anywhere they can access the Internet! Blu-ray special features include a one-of-a-kind Smurf-O-Vision: Second Screen Experience. Experience the Smurfs taking over your television and iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch! While you watch the movie, Smurfs will appear on-screen to sing, dance and do all kinds of Smurf-tastic things! The adventure also extends to your second screen device where you will be able to interact and engage with the Smurfs, Gargamel and Azrael - popping bubbles, dropping smurfberries, zapping Gargamel, and much more! So! Basically every stoner in your life is accounted for gift-wise. Such a relief. Pre-order it at Amazon. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Watch Online
Saturday, September 24, 2011
iHeartRadio Festival: Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Coldplay Kick Off First Night
Friday night at the MGM Grand Arena was a glitch-free celebration of radio hits from performers who often find their names high up on the Billboard charts. Jay-Z closed the evening with a 45-minute set which featured a cameo from Alicia Keys for "Empire State of Mind," while every other act turned in 20 or so minutes of music at "the largest live concert event in radio history," a bit of incalculable hyperbole from the promoter Clear Channel. Breaks between acts were always about five minutes and filled with either videos of performers talking about radio's effect on their careers or else advertisements from State Farm (really?), Budweiser (that made sense) and others. Nearly every seat in the 12,000-capacity was arena was filled within an hour of the 7:30 p.m. start time; the crowd had thinned by about a third as Jay-Z was wrapping up. STORY: Jay-Z to Perform at Ryan Seacrest-Hosted iHeartRadio Music Festival The short sets meant performers had no time to ease their way in -- it was pedal to the metal from the get-go for each one, as only Coldplay and former American Idol champs Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood even offered a ballad. Each act, regardless of how multifaceted they may be in a concert of their own, was forced to show only one side of their personality, which meant fast and furious in every case. It worked best for Keys, who opted to embrace a soul matron persona, a mature R&B singer emphasizing themes of perseverance and dedication over party anthems of love ballads. Here's the breakdown of Iheartradio's first night, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, with Joe Jonas, DJ Elvus Duran and Underwood introducing acts. In order of appearance: Black Eyed Peas Set: "Boom Boom Pow," "Just Can't Get Enough," "Don't Stop the Party," "The Time (Dirty Bit)," "I Gotta Feeling." Shout outs: A thank-you to people supporting them since 1998. Visuals: Audience was asked to hold up cell phones to illuminate the room; eight dancers. Performance style: Robotic strutting STORY: Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler to Headline iHeartRadio Music Festival Kelly Clarkson Set: "Since U Been Gone," "Walk Away," "Because of You," "Mr. Know It All," "My Life Would Suck Without You" Shout outs: Coldplay and Jay-Z Visuals: A lot of bouncing Performance style: Full-throated anguish Bruno Mars Set: "Nothin' on You," "Grenade," "Just the Way You Are," Valerie" Shout outs: Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Amy Winehouse Visuals: Black and white suits + pompadour = soul singer Jackie Wilson fronting the '70s ska revivalists the Specials Performance style: Soul, circa 1961. Carrie Underwood Set: "Cowboy Casanova," "Undo It," "Say You Won't," "Last Name," "Before He Cheats" Shout outs: The entire bill Visuals: Neon for the opener; interacting with eight-member band. Performance style: Angry cowgirl with a love for Aerosmith riffs. STORY: iHeart Radio Music Fest Sells Out in Less Than Ten Minutes Karmin Set: "Super Bass" cover Visuals: Guy and gal seated behind an electric piano. Performance style: Ironic Vegas lounge act. Jane's Addiction Set: "Mountain Song," "Been Caught Stealing," "Irresistible Force," "Stop," "Jane Says" Shout outs: Las Vegas, 1988 Visuals: Two dancers with stripper moves; green lasers shooting into the deepest reaches of space Performance style: Prototypical metal-meets-punk. Coldplay Set: "Viva La Vida," "Clocks," "Rehab" into "Fix You," "Paradise," "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" Shout outs: The club they played on their first visit to Las Vegas. A 3 a.m. set and only two patrons. Visuals: Swirls beamed on the screen behind the band Performance style: Twirls from Chris Martin in front of the band STORY: Ryan Seacrest Named Network/Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year Alicia Keys Set: "Ghetto Story," "You Don't Know My Name," "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart," "Unthinkable (I'm Ready)," "Empire State of Mind," "No One" Visuals: The band. Performance style: Mature matron of R&B Jay-Z Set: "Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)," "U Don't Know," "99 Problems," "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)," "On To The Next One," "Empire State of Mind" with Alicia Keys, "Run This Town," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Jigga What," "Big Pimpin'," "Public Service Announcement," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)," "Encore" Shout outs: Alicia Keys Visuals: Occasional pyrotechnics; a six piece band in a single line across the back of the stage Performance style: Rooted in the '80s - but without the crossed arms acting as punctuation. Lots of stage prowling, hand waving and requests for screams and hands in the air. Related Topics Alicia Keys Carrie Underwood Jay-Z Kelly Clarkson Ryan Seacrest Coldplay Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2010
Friday, September 23, 2011
First Official Dark Shadows Pic Arrives
Satisfy the familyThey're creepy and they are kooky, mysterious and spooky... No, hold on... This is the Addams Family. This strange bunch may be the collected people and connected wardrobe hangers-on of Barnabas Collins' (The Actor-brad Pitt) family in Dark Shadows. Have a gander in the first official shot of these collected below. Likely launched to combat the current episode after pap shots of Depp as Collins found their way online - and sparked complaints he appeared as if Michael Jackson entered together with his own undertake Wllly Wonka - this is actually the studio-approved first glimpse. Based on Depp, it had been partially his idea to obtain everybody together for that group snap: "I recall visiting a group photograph from the cast from the original series," he informs EW. "For me personally it taken the strange Dark Shadows vibe in one image. I'd a short strategic window to possess our cast present simultaneously, yesterday principle photography started. We made the decision to stage an identical picture rather than practicing, to ascertain if we taken the Dark Shadows feeling. "Dark Shadows finds Depp as Collins, a guy converted into a vampire within the 1700s, that has been hidden for 2 centuries inside a tomb and energizes within the seventies to locate a world much transformed. He sets about finding his descendants and settling some scores. So let us go left to right, shall we? There's Helena Bonham Carter as Dr Julia Hoffman, Chloe Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard, Avoi Eco-friendly as Angelique Bouchard, Gulliver McGrath as David Collins, Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters, Depp as Collins, Ray Shirley as housekeeper Mrs Manley, Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, Johnny Lee Burns as Roger Collins and Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. For any full breakdown of the items everybody is going to be getting out of bed to, mind on to Entertainment Weekly. With Tim Burton pointing, Dark Shadows will slip into movie theaters on May 11.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
How R.E.M. Changed Movies
R.E.M.'s announcement on Wednesday that the band plans to "call it a day" prompted tearful recollections from fans about the Georgia group's indelible impact on the world of music over the past 31 years. (Cue "Everybody Hurts.") Less noted has been their impact on the world of movies. Besides appearing on dozens of soundtracks, the members of R.E.M. were instrumental in producing some of the most interesting and innovative movies of the last couple decades. That R.E.M. were big movie fans is no secret. Their lyrics were filled with references to classic films (including 'Casino,' 'Scarface' and 'Blade Runner') and actors. ("I'm Martin Sheen/I'm Steve McQueen/I'm Jimmy Dean," Michael Stipe sang on "Electrolite.") The 1986 album title 'Lifes Rich Pageant' came from a line uttered by Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau in 'A Shot in the Dark.' The song 'Departure' was an elegy for Stipe's friend River Phoenix. 'Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I' imagined a meeting between the actor, Neil Young and Pocahontas. 'Monty Got a Raw Deal' paid homage to Montgomery Clift. And the video for 'Everybody Hurts' features a traffic jam inspired by the one at the beginning of Fellini's '8 1/2.' Most famously, the band revived interest in the late comedian Andy Kaufman with its 1992 song 'Man on the Moon.' The track helped inspire the acclaimed 1999 Kaufman biopic of the same name, for which R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Peter Buck composed the score. (The movie's female lead was Stipe pal Courtney Love.) The band's contributions to the soundtrack included the title track, "The Great Beyond," and "This Friendly World," in which Stipe duets with Jim Carrey in character as Kaufman. 'Man on the Moon' - Trailer Stipe parlayed his musical fame into a couple of minor acting roles in TV and movies, including a supporting part as a railroad worker in Christopher Munch's gorgeous, overlooked black-and-white indie drama 'Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day' (1997). From there, he moved into producing movies, founding the production companies C-Hundred (for short films, videos, public service announcements, and micro-budgeted features) and Single Cell (for more mainstream movies). The former company, founded with filmmaker and occasional R.E.M. video director Jim McKay, released such Sundance favorites as 'Our Song' (a high school drama directed by McKay and starring Kerry Washington) and Tom Gilroy's character study 'Spring Forward' (a two-hander starring Liev Schreiber and Ned Beatty). Single Cell was behind such films as 'Velvet Goldmine' (Todd Haynes' imaginative fantasy about '70s rock), 'American Movie' (a documentary about an amateur horror film director), Mary Harron's celebrated 'American Psycho,' Jill Sprecher's '13 Conversations About One Thing,' and most memorably, 'Being John Malkovich.' Spike Jonze, who made his feature directing debut on 'Malkovich,' is one of several music video directors who got a career boost into features thanks in part to R.E.M. Another is Peter Care, whose work on several R.E.M. videos (including "Drive," "Man on the Moon" and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?") and on the band's 1996 concert feature 'RoadMovie' led to his feature directing debut, 2002's 'The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,' starring Jodie Foster. And of course, there's Tarsem Singh, whose colorful and symbol-laden video for 'Losing My Religion' (which earned the Best Video prize at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards) led to his career directing such visually overstuffed films as 'The Cell' (2000) and this fall's Greek mythological epic 'Immortals.' Throughout R.E.M.'s history, the band's music was a favorite on movie soundtracks, going back as far as 1983's sci-fi film 'Strange Invaders,' released the same year as R.E.M.'s first album. Their songs popped up in several Michael Moore documentaries. 'Shiny Happy People' (for moments of joy, sometimes facetious) and 'Everybody Hurts' (denoting epic heartbreak or consolation) appeared so often in movies and TV shows that they became clichés. So did "It's the End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine,' often used to lend an ironic jauntiness to scenes hinting at apocalyptic doom (most memorably, during the opening moments of 'Independence Day'). Why did R.E.M.'s music go so well with movies? First, their cryptic lyrics, so widely open to interpretation, can be used to accompany a broad spectrum of scenarios. Second, the music itself (especially with the turn toward a grander, more sweeping sonic palette on 'Lifes Rich Pageant' and the records that followed) lent itself to the swelling emotions of cinema. Finally, their songs literally were the soundtrack to life for many moviegoers who grew up in the '80s and '90s. Listening to R.E.M. can evoke both nostalgia for one's teenage years and the swelling in one's heart of dreams and desires still unfulfilled. Which is why I will leave you with this scene from 'Never Been Kissed,' in which former teen misfit Drew Barrymore gets a second chance to attend the prom with a cute guy, with her elation scored to R.E.M.'s 'At My Most Beautiful.' 'Never Been Kissed' - 'At My Most Beautiful' Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman. Photo Credit: AP Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows For Free
twentieth century Fox Sets Isaac Asimovs The Caves Of Steel, With Henry Hobson Pointing
EXCLUSIVE: twentieth century Fox, which drawn on into Isaac Asimov’s advanced robot sci-fi for I, Robot, has become focusing on an active-action adaptation of Asimov’sThe Caves of Steel. The studio has set Henry Hobson to direct and John Scott 3 to evolve the murder mystery which was first released like a book in 1954. The director and author are presently in pre-production on Maggie, a spec script that tracks the six-week metamorphosis of the 16-year-old girl right into a zombie after she becomes infected and is constantly on the accept her family. Trained in the Royal College of Art working in london like a graphic designer, Hobson is an expert in creating inventive title sequences for films that incorporated A Virtual Detective for Prologue Films. The scribe appears suitable to evolve Asimov’s visionary prose. If not writing scripts, Scott develops command systems for NASAs flagship X-ray satellite. He works together with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, that takes photos of X-ray photons in deep space. The Caves of Steel is going to be created by Simon Kinberg, the X-Males scribe whose Genre Films banner relies in the studio and who's at this time creating the Neill Blomkamp-directed Elysium, which stars Matt Damon, Jodie Promote and Sharlto Copley. Much like I, Robot (which Fox converted into popular film with Will Cruz), The Caves of Steel is really a murder mystery that happens 1,000 years later on, with an overpopulated Earth where there's a fear about robots. The title describes giant city complexes which are necessary because Earth is really overpopulated. While robots can be used for labor in outlying “spacer mobile phone industry's” in which the wealthy survive spacious parcels, the robots are outlawed on the planet. A Spacer Ambassador lobbying to release Earth’s anti-robot limitations is located dead, his chest imploded by a power blaster, along with a detective is matched up having a human-searching robot to resolve the crime. Hobson is repped by CAA and Entertainment.
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