NEWS ARCHIVE [page 3]
 
COMPLETE CAST ANNOUNCED FOR BROADWAY'S "WHITE CHRISTMAS" [Playbill, 10/29/08]
"Due to ticket demand" for the limited Nov. 14, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009, engagement, two performances have been added to the run - Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 at 2 PM. Opening night performance of White Christmas is Nov. 23, at the Marquis Theatre. Joining previously announced stars Stephen Bogardus (as Bob Wallace), Kerry O'Malley (Betty Haynes), Jeffry Denman (Phil Davis), Meredith Patterson (Judy Haynes), Charles Dean (General Henry Waverly) and Susan Mansur (Martha Watson), the cast of 33 will feature Peter Reardon (Ralph Sheldrake), Cliff Bemis (Ezekiel), Sheffield Chastian (Mike Nulty), Melody Hollis (Susan Waverly), Phillip Attmore, Jacob ben Widmar, Sara Brians, Stephen Carrasco, Margot de la Barre, Mary Giattino, Anne Horak, Drew Humphrey, Wendy James, Amy Justman, Matthew Kirk, Sae La Chin, Richie Mastascusa, Jarran Muse, Alessa Neeck, Shannon O'Bryan, Con O'Shea-Creal, Athena Ripka, Kiira Schmidt, Chad Seib, Kelly Sheehan, Katherine Tokarz and Kevin Worley. This Walter Bobbie-directed musical based on the 1954 movie of the same name has been a popular annual title in major markets around North America. This marks the production's Broadway debut. Randy Skinner (42nd Street) created the choreography. Bobbie is the Tony Award-winning director behind the smash revival of Chicago. "The musical tells the story of two showbiz buddies who put on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn, and find their perfect mates in the bargain," according to producers. The show's score includes favorites by composer-lyricist Irving Berlin: "Count Your Blessings," "I Love a Piano," "Happy Holidays," "Sisters," "How Deep is the Ocean" and more. Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" has a book by David Ives and Paul Blake, set design by Tony Award nominee Anna Louizos, costumes by Tony Award nominee Carrie Robbins, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington, sound design by Tony Award nominee Acme Sound Partners, orchestrations by Tony Award nominee Larry Blank, vocal and dance arrangements by Bruce Pomahac and music supervision by Rob Berman. The stage production is based on the Paramount Pictures film, written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. Irving Berlin's White Christmas is produced by Kevin McCollum, John Gore, Tom McGrath, Paul Blake, The Producing Office, Dan Markley, Sonny Everett and Broadway Across America in association with Paramount Pictures.
 
WEINSTEINS STRIKE BACK AT BRAVO OVER "RUNWAY" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/29/08]
Bravo isn't the only one claiming it's been damaged by the Weinstein Co's provocative decision to move "Project Runway" to Lifetime. In papers filed Friday in federal court in New York, Weinstein claims Bravo intentionally refused to promote Season 5 of the reality series because of the move, and is seeking unspecified damages. Weinstein, the studio run by Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein, said some of the things Bravo did to sabotage the ratings and value of the show included changing the show's airtime; running a small number of ads; creating "mundane and unappealing" ads; providing little information for the press about the season premiere; and revealing spoilers about future episodes. The company also alleges that when Bravo began to suspect that the show might move to a rival network, it created "copycat shows" based on the "Runway" format. Bravo's parent company, NBC Universal, said in a statement: "Not only do we categorically disagree with the Weinstein's Co.'s assertions, but the fact is that Season 5 was the most-watched and highest-rated 'Project Runway' cycle ever." NBC Universal sued Weinstein in New York Supreme Court in April after the producers announced "Runway" would move to Lifetime, a female-oriented network owned jointly by Walt Disney Co. and Hearst Corp. The network claimed Weinstein threatened to take future cycles of the show to another network if NBC Universal didn't agree to pay millions more to acquire a package that included TV rights to second-tier Weinstein films. NBC Universal also claims Weinstein engaged in "sham negotiations" with the network after it had already inked a deal with Lifetime. In late September, Judge Richard Lowe III put the future of "Runway's" sixth season up in the air when he ordered Lifetime and Weinstein to stop any promotion, marketing or airing of the reality competition show until the case was over. Then, two weeks ago, Lifetime, which had not been a party to the lawsuit, intervened and successfully pushed for the case to move to federal court. Lifetime claims its copyright interests in the series are superior to and pre-empt the rights of NBC Universal and Bravo, according to court papers filed October 17, 2008 by Lifetime. In its counterclaim, Weinstein points to programs such as "Top Chef," "Top Design," "Shear Genius," "Make Me a Supermodel" and "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" as proof of Bravo copying the "Runway" format. Among its promotional failures, Weinstein claims Bravo failed to update the series' Web site, which in past seasons had provided biographies of the designers and models weeks before the show premiered. Weinstein also claims NBC wanted to "confuse the marketplace" over Season 5 by not including images of the new season in its ads and running "repeats like crazy" in "Runway" marathons.
 
ADRIEN BRODY IN THE RUN IN "COURIER" FILM [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/29/08]
Adrien Brody will be chased by cops and crime bosses as the title character in "The Courier." The action tale centers on a daredevil courier trying to deliver a briefcase to an underworld figure who can't be found. Filming is scheduled to begin next January in Louisiana and Las Vegas. Russell Mulcahy ("Resident Evil: Extinction") will direct the Arclight Films project from a screenplay by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, the duo that also contributed to "Wanted" and "3:10 to Yuma." Brody, who most recently starred in "The Darjeeling Limited," appears alongside fellow Oscar winner Rachel Weisz in "The Brothers Bloom," which opens in December, 2008.
 
"WALTER THE FARTING DOG" MARKS JONAS BROTHERS' FILM DEBUT [Aceshowbiz, 10/29/08]
Jonas Brothers apparently are making their transition from singing sensations to moviestars. Having their own 3-D concert movie, "The Jonas Brothers: Burning Up", the pop rock band are set to make their feature film debut as they have been signed by the 20th Century Fox to star in "Walter the Farting Dog". The three brothers, Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas, will be portraying musicians whose parents are asked to care for a dog with severe flatulence problems right before the owner, who is also their aunt, passes away. For the project, they will be joined by their younger brother Frankie. Based on William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray's bestselling book series, "Farting Dog" is being adapted by Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen. It is said to most likely have the Farrelly brothers, Peter and Bobby, as the directors. The story will resolve around Walter the dog and Frankie's character as they get involved in a plot that involves liberating a koi fish and thwarting jewel thieves.
 
STARZ PICKS SAM RAIMI AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR "SPARTACUS" TV SERIES
[Aceshowbiz, 10/29/08]
"Spartacus" will come into television in 2009 with Sam Raimi as its executive producer. Starz has announced that Raimi will be responsible to lead the series along with Rob Tapert and Joshua Donen for the production in early 2009. Raimi will also collaborate with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" veteran, Steven S. DeKnight, who serves as a showrunner on the series. The new series has been ordered for 13 episodes which will be premiered in 2009. "Spartacus" TV series will focus on the historical events and life of Spartacus, a slave who became the leader of the slave uprising against the Roman Republic in 73 BC. Raimi says about the project, "It is going to be very exciting to take one of the most beloved and inspiring characters of all time, re-invent and bring them to life for a whole new generation of TV viewers." Tapert also shows his optimism, saying "By utilizing the latest digital filmmaking techniques to create the look of this series, we'll be able to tell the story in a way never before seen with production values far beyond what even the most ambitious TV series can offer." Starz's executive vice president for programming, Stephan Shelanski, promises to bring the series into a new set of intense action and vivid story that is rich in character, action, sex, and combat. As he says in a statement, "When 'Spartacus' debuts in the summer of 2009, it will give our subscribers a show unlike anything currently on TV: a fresh, high-energy action series with nothing held back."
 
"FOOTLOOSE" PLANNED FOR SPRING PRODUCTION [Aceshowbiz, 10/29/08]
Following the success of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" on collecting big bucks at the box office, "Footloose", another dancing movie from director Kenny Ortega, has been pushed forward by Paramount Pictures. According to Variety, the modern version of 1984 Herbert Ross' movie, is now prepared to see its production kicked off in Spring 2009. In order to make sure everything is ready for Spring production, Paramount have brought in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" director Peter Sollett to the writing crew. Sollett will rewrite the script penned by Jon Hartmere. Additionally, the studio have also signed on Craig Zadan and Neil Meron as the producers alongside Dylan Sellers. Earlier, it has been announced that "HSM 3" star Zac Efron will take on Ren McCormack, the role made famous by Kevin Bacon in the original movie. On his participation, this newest Hollywood hunk previously commented, "I'll always be open to more musicals. I think they're fun and I think it's our responsibility as performers to try and keep them alive. I love Footloose - it's a great movie." The original "Footloose" film was directed by Herbert Ross and starred by Bacon and Sarah Jessica Parker. It tells the story of Ren McCormack, a teenager who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music are banned. Striving to have a memorable senior prom with music and dancing, he and his friends try to find a way around the law.
 
PLAYWRIGHT DANIEL MacIVOR WINS SIMINOVITCH PRIZE [CBC, 10/28/08]
Daniel MacIvor, the Toronto-based playwright who wrote How It Works and A Beautiful View, has won the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. The Siminovitch Prize, Canada's richest theatre award, gives $75,000 to the winning playwright and asks him to suggest a protege, usually a young emerging playwright, to have the remaining $25,000. MacIvor has chosen a Vancouver-based writing team — Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn — as his proteges. Cape Breton-born MacIvor is having a stellar year. He won a $25,000 commission to write a new work from the Banff Centre for the Arts just two weeks ago and has four plays in various stages of production. His newest play Confession opens in Guysborough, N.S., later this week, How It Works is running in Winnipeg and A Beautiful View is on in Washington. Meanwhile, he is workshopping a followup play to Confession, titled Redemption, at Montreal's National Theatre School. The $75,000 that remains in MacIvor's hands will help him escape the mad pace that has him returning to Montreal on Tuesday to work on Redemption, off to Nova Scotia later in the week to see the Mulgrave Road Theatre Production of Confession, then to Vancouver for a conference, he told CBC News. "I'm working on a trilogy of plays right now and I have some support from some theatres, but I definitely need to take time on my own, writing time on my own." The trilogy begins with "Confession" and continues with "Communion" and "Redemption". Like much of MacIvor's work, these plays examine the dynamics of relationships between ordinary people. MacIvor's other plays include "See Bob Run", " Wild Abandon", 'The Soldier Dreams" and "His Greatness". He also created the solo performances of "House", " Here Lies Henry", " Monster" and "Cul-de-sac", with longtime collaborator Daniel Brooks. In 2006, he won the Governor General's Award for Drama for his collection of five plays called "I Still Love You". His next project, the commission for Banff, is even more ambitious — the play, set in Tokyo, involves the tragic romance between a conservative Japanese translator and her Canadian boyfriend.
 
CANADIAN MUSIC ROYALTIES GO ONLINE [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/28/08]
Canada on Monday, October 27 extended music royalties to the Internet in a move that will encompass commercial TV and radio station websites, electronic gaming sites and online radio stations. But the Copyright Board of Canada stopped short of imposing a new tariff on amateur podcasts or social networking sites like YouTube or MySpace that employ music, or music-based webcasts heard in restaurants, hotels or bars. "Such a tariff, if certified, could potentially target hundreds of thousands of users who either make very limited use of music or attract little or no attention," Justice William Vancise and Stephen Callary of the federal government agency said in a majority decision. The tariff decision was prompted by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), a performance-rights group, which has long called for music royalties for Internet-base distribution and delivery of music product for which artists hold a copyright. "For the users already paying royalties to SOCAN for their conventional activities, the decision essentially extends the existing tariffs to their Internet activities," Copyright Board secretary general Claude Majeau said.
 
SEAN PENN'S NEW GAY DRAMA AVOIDING PUBLICITY [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/28/08]
The opening of "Milk," director Gus Van Sant's account of California's first openly gay politician, is four weeks away. Yet you wouldn't know it. Unlike the hoopla over Focus Features' previous gay-themed awards magnet, "Brokeback Mountain," which was drawing calls of agenda-pushing from right-wingers months before it opened in 2005, there's been hardly a peep in editorial pages or on talk radio. Admittedly, the election is a major distraction. But Focus also is doing something deliberate: It's eschewing publicity for the Sean Penn vehicle, keeping it out of the high-profile fall film festivals and heavily restricting media screenings. "The best way to help this film win over a mainstream audience is to avoid partisanship, and the best way to avoid partisanship is to let people find out about the film from the film itself," said one person involved with the film. Giving up word-of-mouth to avoid hot air is not a typical trade-off -- notice how Lionsgate effectively flogged politically charged movies like Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic "W." and the Bill Maher documentary "Religulous" -- but it's one Focus is willing to make. Not that it will last. The political football will be kicked off when the movie premieres Tuesday, October 28 night in San Francisco and then put in play after the November 4 election. And when that happens, the studio will face a marketing dilemma: how to accommodate the gay-rights angle the core audience expects while appealing to mainstream filmgoers who might not be immediately moved to see a movie about the subject. One example of those filmgoers: At a recent Vegas test-screening for a middle-class, straight audience, several senior citizens tried to leave after a gay love scene in the early moments but couldn't because they were trapped in the middle of a row (near Focus production chief John Lyons, in fact). The seniors eventually said they were happy that they stayed, but, like independent voters in an election contest, these are the viewers Focus must woo. Like its initial phase of playing keep-away from cable news, the post-election phase will also involve staying above politics. Focus plans on selling "Milk" in part as a story of hope and change (Harvey Milk, a member of San Francisco's Board of Superviors until his assassination in 1978, won equal-rights battles against great odds), just as it sold "Brokeback" as a love story. The ploy was logical with "Brokeback." It's less so here. Like "Brokeback," "Milk" features a gay romance. But unlike "Brokeback," "Milk" is made by gay filmmakers, features the polarizing Penn and puts itself squarely in a political context. Milk's fight against California's anti-gay-rights Proposition 6 -- a drama the movie deals with in great detail -- spookily parallels the current California fight over Proposition 8, a measure that would ban gay marriage. Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said that "since this movie is about a beloved politician who was killed, it won't be easy for our adversaries to fight us on it." Focus and its Oscar handlers should get the weaponry ready anyway.
 
DOCUMENTARY ON RAW MILK CRUSADE WINS AWARD AT "PLANET IN FOCUS" [CBC, 10/28/08]
Filmmaker Norman Loft's documentary about an Ontario farmer who has led a 20-year crusade for the right to sell unpasteurized milk has won the award for best Canadian feature-length movie at the Planet in Focus Film Festival. The festival, which is devoted to films about the environment, wrapped up Sunday, October 26 with presentation of awards in seven categories. Michael Schmidt: Organic Hero or Bioterrorist chronicles Schmidt's fight against the powerful milk lobby in Ontario, which wants selling raw milk to remain illegal. The organic farmer recently was found guilty of refusing to heed a court order to stop selling unpasteurized milk and faces two more court cases on similar charges. Film festival judges hailed Michael Schmidt: Organic Hero or Bioterrorist as a "compelling documentary" that "takes us into the heart of that controversy from both sides." The documentary will be shown on Tuesday, October 28 on CBC Newsworld at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Last Nomads, a film by Toronto director Andrew Gregg, won honorable mention in the Canadian long form category. The film follows Canadian author and linguist Ian Mackenzie as he studies the lives of the Penan, a Sarawak-based tribe who are among the last nomads on earth. International winners included Eternal Mash, by Catherine Van Campen of the Netherlands, and Paradise: Three Journeys in This World by Finland's Elina Hirvonen. Eternal Mash is about Master Dutch horticulturist Ruurd Walrecht, who devoted his life to preserving the seeds of rare vegetables on the brink of extinction until he mysteriously disappeared. Paradise: Three Journeys In This World is the story of young people from Mali who yearn to emigrate to Spain. Other winners include: Mark Haslam Award: Mama Coca: The Sacred Leaf, a documentary by Felix Atencio-Gonzales about a native elder who journeys to Peru to investigate the source of the cocaine that is destroying lives in his Quebec community. Canadian Short Form Award: Garbage Angels, by Pierre M. Trudeau of Canada, a whimsical film about objects in a dump that morph into animals. International Short Form Award: Silent Snow, by Jan van den Berg of the Netherlands, about a small Inuit community on the Greenland coast that is under siege due to the poisoning of the food chain.
 
1970s-ERA PROPHET MUHAMMAD FILM SET FOR REMAKE [CBC, 10/28/08]
A movie about the life of the Prophet Muhammad is set to begin production, Reuters reports. The new film, titled The Messenger of Peace, will be a remake of Moustapha Akkad's 1977 Hollywood film The Message, which starred Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas. "We have only the utmost respect for Akkad's work, but technology in cinema has advanced since the 1970s, and this latest project will employ modern film techniques in its renewal of the first film's core messages," producer Oscar Zoghbi, who worked on the original, said in a statement. Akkad, perhaps best known for executive producing the Halloween horror franchise, was among those killed in the 2005 suicide bomb attacks on three hotels in Amman, Jordan. The Muslim filmmaker, who was born in Syria and completed post-secondary studies in California, won praise for his sensitive treatment of Islam in The Message and for his film Lion in the Desert, about Libyan resistance leader Omar Mukhtar. In The Message, which Akkad directed and produced, the Prophet and his companions are only heard speaking off-camera and never depicted visually, reflecting his religion's convention. In recent years, artistic portrayals of the Prophet — ranging from controversial Danish editorial cartoons to a novel about Muhammad and his wife Aisha — have sparked some violent reactions around the globe. "In the 21st century there is a real need for a film that emotionally engages audiences on the journey that led to the birth of Islam," screenwriter Ramsey Thomas said of the film remake.
 
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA" SEQUEL COULD SEE BORA BORA AS NEXT STOP
[Aceshowbiz, 10/28/08]
Despite studio executive's hope on bringing back Alex the lion and his friends to their New York home for the third film, "Madagascar 3" could see the lost zoo animals having an adventure on other exotic places before heading to the Big Apple. The possibility has been opened up by co-directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath on "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" Los Angeles premiere. Discussing their plan on future "Madagascar" movie, McGrath gave out hints that Alex and co. can make other stops first before coming back to New York. "We'd like to see the characters get back to New York - that's where they started," he said. "But there are great opportunities for stops around the world." Showing his support to the idea, Darnell came out with interesting suggestions on the stops saying, "Maybe Tahiti or Bora Bora." Back in August, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has revealed that the studio have made plan on developing another sequel to "Madagascar". At the time, he confessed, "Escape 2 Africa is the second chapter in one story. There is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York." Regardless on where the third movie will take place, the second "Madagascar" movie, "Escape 2 Africa", will be coming out in theaters on November 7, 2008. It will see the new adventure of Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria as they crash-land in the vast plain of Africa. It features the voice-cast that include Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and the late Bernie Mac.
 
"FANBOYS" OUT FROM 2008 SLATE [Aceshowbiz, 10/28/08]
Expected to be stealing its way into theaters on November 26, "Fanboys" won't be greeting its fans until 2009. Recent reports have claimed that The Weinstein Company have moved back the adventure comedy's release date to February 6, 2009. In this new schedule, it will have to face a stiff competition from Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning-starring thriller "Push", Steve Martin-starring comedy "The Pink Panther 2" and Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore-starring romantic comedy "He's Just Not That Into You". Though many speculated that the delay may be caused by the possible poor financial health of the production company, Harvey Weinstein has reached out to LA Times to clear up things. On the pushing back of "Fanboys", he reasoned that it has to be done so they "can do a major promotion with Comcast, who's arranging for a big advertising tie-in" for them on the film. Coming from producer/actor Kevin Spacey, "Fanboys" resolves around a group of friends who try to break in Skywalker Ranch to steal a copy of "Star Wars: Episode I". The movie starring Dan Fogler, Kristen Bell, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and many others follows their every attempt to get the film which put them in many outrageous situations, including a brawl with some hard-core Trekkies.
 
"SAW V" IS SIMPLY TORTURE [Reuters, 10/27/08]
The old motto "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" is quoted in this latest installment of the ridiculously successful franchise and, well, shame on everybody involved in "Saw V." Quickly reaching the level of minimal returns that was inevitably reached by such series as "Halloween," "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street," the Lionsgate release opened Friday, October 24 without screening in advance for critics, as usual. It opened to a strong $30.5 million, in line with the starts of the previous three films, but the creators need to do some serious rejigging in order to keep this bloody golden goose alive. Considering that he died a couple of sequels ago, it's perhaps not surprising that the evil genius Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is less of a presence this time around. But not only does the character have a lack of significant screen time, his brief appearances don't even provide the frissons of shuddering pleasure that they once did. The creatives behind the franchise clearly have taken pride in their stylistic consistency throughout the series, but here they even fail to deliver enough of the cleverly gruesome Rube Goldberg torture devices that are its raison d'etre. Only one early sequence, in which a character gives himself a makeshift tracheotomy in order to avoid death by drowning, induced the desired reaction from the clearly bored opening-day audience. Attempting to make up for Jigsaw's absence, the film revolves around two of the detectives involved in his case: Detective Hoffman and FBI Agent Strahm (Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson, apparently vying for who can give the most wooden performance). As the latter continues his investigation, he soon figures out that Hoffman is carrying on Jigsaw's legacy to further his own ends, with a series of flashbacks depicting his perverse training. Unfortunately, both of these characters are tediously one-dimensional, as are the latest group of victims who go through the now-predictable paces of attempting to extricate themselves from elaborately lethal booby traps. (That one of them is played by Julie Benz, so fine in "Dexter" but wasted here, adds insult to injury). At one point, Jigsaw chides his apprentice, complaining that a blade he used in a deadly pendulum is inferior. It's all too easy to identify with his consternation while watching this by-the-numbers retread.
 
"MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA" BRINGS THE JUNGLE TO L.A. PREMIERE [Aceshowbiz, 10/27/08]
On Sunday, October 26, DreamWorks Pictures have thrown a unique Los Angeles premiere in the anticipation of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" theatrical release. Holding the event at Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, the studio installed green carpet in front of the theater and brought out some of its characters, Alex the lion and the penguins, to greet the in-coming celebrities. Most of the voice-cast ensemble, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cedric the Entertainer, will.i.am and Andy Richter, were spotted at this eventful evening. They were joined by the film's original music composer Hans Zimmer as well as co-director Tom McGrath. Other A-listers coming also to the premiere were Christine Taylor, D12, Stacy Ferguson a.k.a Fergie, Toni Braxton, Will Smith, Adam Sandler, Sherri Shepherd and Romeo. Beside those, other celebrity guests also spotted at the event included Chelsea Tavares, Kristen Combs, Raven Goodwin, Zoe Buckman, Tiffani Holland and filmmaker Jeffrey Katzenberg. A sequel to the original "Madagascar", "Escape 2 Africa" is an animated comedy adventure sequel of a group of spoiled zoo animals, Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo, stranded in the middle of nowhere. Flying away from the Madagascar island to get back home, the friends will face a new adventure as they crash land in the rural plain of Africa. It will hit the U.S. big screen on November 7, 2008.
 
BOLLYWOOD FILM "FASHION" OFFERS PEEK INTO INDIA FASHION TRADE [Reuters Life!, 10/27/08]
A new Bollywood film takes a long hard look at India's fashion industry, putting the spotlight on its underbelly of drug abuse, depression and politics at a time when haute couture is making inroads into middle-class homes. "Fashion," which opens in cinemas on Wednesday, October 29 comes close on the heels of three high-profile fashion expos in New Delhi and Mumbai, in a fortnight that has seen the country's media obsessed over post-show parties hosted by India's top designers. Director Madhur Bhandarkar, an award-winning Bollywood filmmaker who created some of the most memorable woman protagonists of Indian cinema, said he hoped to give Indians an intimate, fly-on-the-wall look into the corridors of fashion. "Two years ago, a common man on the streets in India wouldn't have cared about models and brands and ramp shows," Bhandarkar told Reuters in an interview. "Suddenly, fashion has entered our lives like never before." India's fashion industry has raised its global profile, following a rise in disposable incomes, victories by Indian beauty queens at international pageants and a multitude of fashion events. "The common man still can't afford many of those clothes on the ramp, but modeling as a career is a bright option for many girls," said Bhandarkar. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, a former Miss World, is cast in the role of a small-town girl who harbors dreams of becoming a supermodel, but has to battle obstacles to succeed in the big, bad world of Mumbai. "This industry has back-stabbing, politics, superficiality, envy and all that," said Bhandarkar. The filmmaker, who went backstage at fashion shows and modeling shoots as part of his research, said "Fashion" also deals with drug abuse and homosexuality in the industry. Industry insiders agree that the film is for the most part accurate in its depiction of India's fashion fraternity. "A lot of what is shown in the film does happen," said fashion designer Narendra Kumar, who has designed the film's look. "I am not saying every model does drugs or that every designer is homosexual, but this is the story from the director's viewpoint." Made at a budget of 180 million rupees ($3.6 million), the film has earned an adult rating from India's censor board, making "Fashion" off limits for any one under 18. "This film should open up our eyes to what goes behind the making of a model," Kumar said.
 
NEW CARTOON "CORALINE" FUSES STOP-MOTION, 3-D [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/27/08]
Director Henry Selick describes his upcoming "Coraline" as a marriage of "old-fashioned" stop-motion animation with the latest 3-D techniques. During a footage presentation Friday, October 24, roughly 20 minutes of Focus Features' "Coraline" -- the first stop-motion animated film to be produced in stereoscopic 3-D -- was shown. It was mostly finished, though it did include some temp music. "Coraline" is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best seller, which follows a young girl who walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. The film opens wide on February 6, 2009. The clips shown Friday include the sequence where Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) discovers and enters the alternate world. In that environment, Coraline encounters the "Other Mother" (Teri Hatcher), who tries to keep her from going home, as well as a variety of characters who perform circus-style acts. In another scene, the girls run from the home, but as Coraline distances herself, the colors and setting seems to wash away. The clips demonstrated how Selick -- shooting his first stop-motion feature since 1993's "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" -- uses the 3-D format as part of the storytelling. For instance, the sequence in Coraline's real world is fairly shallow, while the director brings greater depth to the alternate environment. "I love how 3-D captures the essence of stop motion," he said. "Coraline" is being produced in Portland, Ore., at Laika Entertainment, the Phil Knight-owned facility that encompasses the former Vinton Studios. Selick's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" has been re-mastered in stereoscopic 3-D and was re-released in the format in fall 2006, last year an again this year.
 
U.K. TRAILER OF "HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE" [Aceshowbiz, 10/27/08]
Months after the release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" trailer, Warner Bros. Pictures have brought forward a brand new U.K. trailer of the much awaited sixth installment of the "Harry Potter" series. Providing a gloomier look into the movie, this international trailer is relatively short but gives out a taste of how dark the movie will be. If the earlier released trailer is focused on the first meeting between young Tom Riddle a.k.a. Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore, the new trailer highlights on Dumbledore describing Voldemort's magic and him telling Harry that the young wizard is the chosen one. In the trailer, Dumbledore also indicates that dark forces are trying to get inside Hogwarts. Starring once again Daniel Radcliffe as the titular character, "Half-Blood Prince" will follow Potter in his sixth year at Hogwarts during which the wizarding world is at the edge of war as his nemesis, Voldemort, grows even stronger by day. Helped by his two trusted friends, Ron and Hermione played by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson respectively, he has to uncover the mystery behind the nickname Half-blood Prince he finds in a Potion book. Directed by "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" helmer David Yates, it features also the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters and many others. Initially set to be released on November 21, it has been pushed back to see a U.K. and U.S. release on July 17, 2009.
 
FILM ON GUN VIOLENCE FEATURES T.I., ANDREW YOUNG [AP, 10/27/08]
Former United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, a global peacemaker, is now taking aim at gun violence in the U.S. through a new TV documentary that focuses on the rapper T.I. — a young man making amends for federal firearms offenses. Young premiered the hour-long film, "Walking With Guns," on Sunday, October 26 in Atlanta. It includes extensive footage of the Grammy-winning artist visiting a rehabilitation hospital in New York to meet patients paralyzed by gang violence. The film also shows T.I. and Young telling young people how to avoid violence, and follows a former gang member who is now a social activist. The film, part a series called "Andrew Young Presents," is expected to begin airing Nov. 2, 2008 on TV stations around the country. "Violence would still be around without guns," T.I. said to over 400 attendees during a question-and-answer session after the screening. "But there would be an increased value of life." The 76-year-old Young — a veteran civil rights activist who went on to become a Georgia congressman, President Carter's ambassador to the U.N. and Atlanta's mayor — began filming this year shortly after he began to mentor T.I., 28. The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, pleaded guilty to several charges last March and was sentenced to prison time, community service and supervised home detention. His community service includes warning young people about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs. "Some of my colleagues are disappointed with me taking this young man in," Young said of T.I. "But sometimes us old folks have to shut up and listen to the young folks to understand where they are coming from."
 
ANIME "NINJA SCROLL" GETS LIVE-ACTION TREATMENT [Aceshowbiz, 10/27/08]
"Ninja Scroll", the 1993 Japanese action thriller anime, is heading to the big screen in a live-action form. The news came out after Warner Bros. have secured the rights to create a live-action film of the anime and brought "Watchmen" co-scribbler, Alex Tse, on board to pen the script. The project will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, which is involved in developing another popular anime "Akira". Appian will produce the movie along with Madhouse Pictures and Jungo Maruta. Though DiCaprio's shingle is one of the film's production houses, the actor reportedly will not act in the film. Written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the original "Scroll" centers its story on Jubei Kibagami, a ninja-for-hire in the era of feudal Japan. Following his quest to stop old nemesis from overthrowing the government, he "stumbles upon a plague, an evil clan of demons, a national crisis, and a beautiful ninja girl."
 
CLOONEY TIPPED AS "THE BIRDS" LEADING MAN [Aceshowbiz, 10/26/08]
Rumour has it, George Clooney is going to take on the lead role in remake project, "The Birds". Bringing the rumor to the surface was Metro.co.uk which reported that Rod Taylor, the star of the original film, has been the one who pointed out the possibility of Clooney starring as lawyer Mitch Brenner. According to the publication, Taylor has expressed his excitement to Britain's Daily Express stating, "I often cringe when I hear mention of remakes but I'll hold judgment, especially since I've been told Clooney's the favourite." Meanwhile, providing an opposing report on this casting news, ShockTillYouDrop has come out with a statement from co-producer Brad Fuller, "No one has mentioned anything to me. I am as surprised as you are." Regardless whether Clooney will star as Brenner or not, this movie that is re-imagining Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller will be directed by Martin Campbell with Stiles White and Juliet Snowden on board as the screenwriters. Additionally, actress Naomi Watts has been set to star as Melanie Daniels, the female lead first played by Tippi Hedren. Telling the story of a flock of birds taking over a quiet Northern California town, the movie is expected to be released in 2009.
 
FULL LENGTH TRAILER OF "NOTORIOUS" FOUND [Aceshowbiz, 10/26/08]
Fox Searchlight Pictures have presented the full length trailer of their upcoming drama biopic, "Notorious". Giving out more to the life-and-death story of Notorious B.I.G. than what the teaser has displayed earlier, the trailer chronicles B.I.G.'s childhood, his problems with police, his rise to stardom and the event leading to his murder. Opened with a clip showing screaming crowd, the footage starts with an introduction to the legendary rapper, claiming him as "the greatest rapper of all time" and "a visionary of the hip hop world". It then flashes back to the time when he was a child, growing up in Brooklyn, New York and dealing drugs at an early age. Exposing his talent, the footage continues by displaying how he deals with his fame and his romance with two different women. Starring Jamal Woolard as the titular character, the biopic is supported by multiple award winner Angela Bassett as B.I.G.'s mother Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as P. Diddy, Antonique Smith as Faith Evans, Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur, Anwan Glover as Snoop Dogg, Naturi Naughton as Lil' Kim and others. It is slated to be released in U.S. theaters on January 16, 2009.
 
"HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3" LEADS WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE [Reuters, 10/26/08]
"High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the first big-screen adaptation of Walt Disney Co's popular TV movie franchise, rocked movie theaters around the world during its first weekend of release, the company said on Sunday, October 26. The movie sold $42 million worth of tickets across North America for the three days beginning on Friday, and grossed $40 million internationally. It was No. 1 by both counts, becoming the first worldwide chart-topper since the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" in July, Disney said. The "High School Musical" franchise has generated two smash TV movies, two chart-topping albums, and made teen idols out of its stars, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. The plot of the new film brings the cast back to their fictional New Mexico high school, where Troy (Efron) must decide between pursuing a basketball scholarship or his song-and-dance dreams. The usual teen-angst issues ensue. Elsewhere at the North American box office, "Saw V" came in at No. 2 with $30.5 million, in line with the previous three installments in the horror franchise. The series was released by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Last weekend's champ, the Mark Wahlberg thriller "Max Payne," slipped to No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $29.7 million. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.
 
"ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS" SEQUEL [Aceshowbiz, 10/25/08]
Getting a title, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel", the sequel to "Alvin and the Chipmunks", has also been given a new release date schedule. The latest report from Variety claimed that the 20th Century Fox have pushed the sequel forward, putting it on a 2009 slate. Revealing further on the new schedule, the news site reported that the animation movie about the harmony singing chipmunks will be opened in the theaters starting on Christmas Day, December 25, 2009, instead of its initial date on March 19, 2010. With the new date, the sequel will have to be up against another animation movie from Walt Disney Pictures, "The Princess and the Frog". On other news related to Fox's release date changes, it is noted that "The A-Team" has been delayed from June 12, 2009 to June 11, 2010 due to the void in its cast and director's seat up to date. Beside "A-Team", "Tooth Fairy" has also been relocated from June 2009 to November 13, 2009. The "Chipmunks" sequel, "The Squeakuel" has been said to be focusing on the female counterparts of the Chipmunks, the Chipettes which consists of Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor Miller. It is expected to hear once again the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney as the trio chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
"CADILLAC RECORDS" TEASES BEYONCE KNOWLES' ETTA JAMES THROUGH TV SPOT
[Aceshowbiz, 10/25/08]
The first TV spot to drama musical "Cadillac Records" has recently made its way for fans enjoyment. Giving a taste to the music and drama happening around the movie that is based on a true event, it teases the performances of Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters and Beyonce Knowles as Etta James. Chronicling rise and fall of influential R 'n' B record label, Chess Records, this Sony drama musical is set in 1950's Chicago. The story resolves around the lives of the label's recording artists, including Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry, all of whom are considered to be America's musical legends. Directed and scripted by Darnell Martin, "Cadillac" also stars Columbus Short, Mos Def, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union and Tammy Blanchard. It will be hitting the U.S. big screen on December 5, 2008.
 
"DOUBT" TAKES "THE SOLOIST" OPENING NIGHT SPOT AT AFI FEST 2008 [Aceshowbiz, 10/25/08]
"Doubt" has been given the honor to be the opening movie of AFI FEST 2008. Announced on Thursday, October 23, the movie adaptation from John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play is taking the place left by "The Soloist" earlier due to a significant change done to "Soloist" release date. About the choosing of "Doubt", AFI FEST artistic director Rose Kuo said, "We are grateful to Miramax Films and producers Scott Rudin and Mark Roybal for providing AFI the honor of premiering this highly anticipated, unfinished version of "Doubt". There is no doubt that bringing together Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams in concert with the extraordinary talents of writer/director John Patrick Shanley promises an evening that will celebrate the finest in American film." On the filmmakers' part, Miramax president Daniel Battsek noted that though the movie is yet to be finished, they are honored with the chance. "The movie is still being finished, but we were so excited to show "Doubt" and help our friends at AFI FEST and the American Film Institute at the same time," he said, adding, "We couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity." Addressing religion, morality and authority, "Doubt" is helmed and adapted by playwright John Patrick Shanley. Set against the backdrop of a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, the film highlights on a difficult decision faced by Bronx Catholic school principal when dealing with suspicion that Father Flynn is sexually-abusing a black student. The movie will have its U.S. limited release on December 12. Meanwhile, the AFI FEST itself will be held from October 30 to November 9, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. The event will include tributes to actress Tilda Swinton on November 5, and to director Danny Boyle on November 7. The tributes event will take place at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. On Wednesday, October 22, Paramount, DreamWorks and Participant Media have announced in a joint statement that "Soloist" had to be withdrawn from the festival.
 
FALLING LOONIE MAY BE GOOD NEWS FOR FILM INDUSTRY [CBC, 10/25/08]
The falling loonie could soon mean better times for the film industry, according to the president of Filmport, Toronto's ambitious bid to get a bigger bite of the movie business. This time last year, the Canadian dollar soared to more than the U.S. dollar, but this week it's below 79 cents U.S. That is a 20 per cent discount for U.S. productions hoping to make films in Canada, says Ken Ferguson, president of Toronto Film Studios, which manages Filmport, the new complex near the Toronto waterfront with seven sound stages. "We opened Filmport back in August and probably opened it under the worst of conditions with the dollar being high and U.S. tax credits being given out by U.S. states eclipsing what we have in Canada," Ferguson told CBC News. "And then on top of that a labour situation where the Screen Actors Guild really hasn't settled yet with the producers, so there were very few films coming out and those that were coming out were going to U.S. states." The Screen Actors Guild has been without a contract since June and a threat of a strike has hung over U.S. productions. SAG this week invited a federal mediator to help in its bargaining with Hollywood studios. Filmport has yet to line up a film deal, but Ferguson says Hollywood suddenly has a lot of interest in producing north of the border. "It's been fairly dramatic because the phone started to ring right away as the dollar started to drop — especially as it headed toward 80 cents," he said. 
 
DISNEY ANIMATION BOLLYWOOD-STYLE HITS INDIA'S SCREENS [CBC, 10/25/08]
Los Angeles-based Walt Disney Co. is ready to release Roadside Romeo — about a Mumbai dog who finds love — its first film in a co-production with an Indian studio. The animated film was made in partnership with Yash Raj Films and is set to open Friday, October 24 in India. The voices of Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor play the roles of the dogs in the Hindi-language production by India's Jugal Hansraj, making his directing debut. The romance is conducted Bollywood-style, with singing and dancing. Indian media have reported that the film adds much-needed quality to animation out of Bollywood, but said the story doesn't seem very child-friendly. The film is just the beginning of Disney's entry into India. It has bought a children's Hindi-language channel and is looking at expanding production to other regions beyond Mumbai. The U.S. entertainment giant could eventually make up to eight movies annually with Yash Raj studios, one of Bollywood's most established moviemakers. India's strong economic growth and insatiable taste for film makes it a promising market for Hollywood, with studios such as NBC, Viacom, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox all moving into the market, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. "For Hollywood studios, expanding globally no longer means only pushing their product in these markets," said PWC entertainment analyst Smita Jha. Bollywood has the world's most prolific movie industry, but family businesses control the industry and box-office revenues are 10 per cent of Hollywood revenues. However, greater corporatization in recent years and rising ticket prices make India attractive to U.S. producers, Jha said. Still, there is no guarantee of success for Hollywood in Bollywood. Sony Pictures Entertainment recently released its maiden Hindi film, Saawariya (Beloved), a Bollywood version of Fyodor Dostoevsky's White Nights, but it was considered neither a critical nor commercial success. "In a creative business there is always a risk," Jha said. The studios are reducing that risk by signing with multiple Indian partners and experimenting with different kinds of films. Warner Bros' second effort in India, a comedy called Chandni Chowk to China starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, is scheduled for release in early 2009. Warner is working with director Ramesh Sippy. "The Hollywood big guns can't break into the market on their own, while for the local firms there are clear financial and strategic benefits," said Vivek Couto, executive director at research firm Media Partners Asia in Hong Kong.
 
WASHINGTON TO FETE CANADA'S CONTRIBUTION TO ANIMATION [CBC, 10/24/08]
The U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences pays tribute to Canada's National Film Board Thursday night, October 23, in a retrospective that focuses on the NFB's contribution to animation history. The NFB has produced 12 Oscar winners and dozens more Oscar nominees in its 65 years of film production. The tribute on Thursday, at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., will include a screening of 2006 Oscar winner The Danish Poet, a 14-minute film that follows a poet seeking inspiration as he travels to Norway to meet a famous writer. Montreal's Torill Kove worked in an old-fashioned animation style, drawing the original figures and backgrounds in pencil, then scanning the images and adding colour using digital technology. Other films in the retrospective include1952's Neighbours, 1969's Walking, 2004's Ryan and 1993's Bob's Birthday. Charles Solomon, an animation critic and historian, will host a panel discussion on the NFB contribution to the art of animation. His guests include Kove, NFB animation producer Marcy Page and NFB chair Tom Perlmutter. The academy is presenting the salute to the NFB in partnership with the Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and the Foundation for the National Archives.
 
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES TO STAR IN "CLEO" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/24/08]
Catherine Zeta-Jones is going back to the boards. The Welsh actress, who won an Oscar for her supporting turn as the scheming Velma Kelly in "Chicago," is set to star in "Cleo," a period musical to be directed by Steven Soderbergh. Hugh Jackman is in negotiations to take a lead role in a retelling of the story of Cleopatra, Antony and Caesar set in the 1920s (also the era of "Chicago's" shenanigans). Joseph Mankiewicz co-wrote and directed the most famous "Cleopatra," the 1963 historical epic that starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton. It was hugely expensive and considered a flop but was ultimately nominated for best picture and won four Oscars. Soderbergh is developing a Liberace biopic, with Zeta-Jones' husband Michael Douglas attached to star. "Che," the director's two-part Che Guevara biopic, will be released by IFC Films, and "The Informant," starring Matt Damon, will hit theaters in March. "Cleo" would be Soderbergh's first foray into musical features. Zeta-Jones has the romantic comedy "The Rebound" coming out in January. She was in theaters last year with "No Reservations." Jackman will be in theaters next month with "Australia."
 
LORNA'S SILENCE TO BE TRANSLATED INTO 23 LANGUAGES [CBC, 10/24/08]
Lorna's Silence, a film by Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne has won the Lux prize from the European Parliament. The award, in its second year, provides financing so the film can be subtitled in all 23 EU languages. "This prize is very important, because we know that European cinema has had lots of problems compared to another giant (Hollywood) which has lots of money," said Luc Dardenne, after receiving the prize in the Strasbourg assembly chamber. The Lux prize, awarded to a film that shows European values and culture, was conceived as a way to boost international distribution of European films. Lorna's Silence (Le Silence de Lorna), filmed mainly in French, follows the fortunes of a Albanian emigrant to Belgium who is drawn into a web of fake marriages and murder in an effort to secure an EU passport. The film, starring Arta Dobroshi, won a best screenplay award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. "With this year's winner, a major social issue affecting Europe can be brought to cinemas in all European countries," said Hans-Gert Poettering, president of the European Parliament. Other films shortlisted for the Lux award were Delta, by Hungary's Kornél Mundruczó , and Obcan Havel, a documentary about Czech president Vaclav Havel by Miroslav Janek and Pavel Koutecky.
 
HALIFAX FILMMAKER FINDS NEW TAKE ON AFGHAN WAR [CBC, 10/24/08]
An award-winning documentary by Halifax filmmaker Ariel Nasr shines new light on the Afghan-Canadian experience. Good Morning Kandahar, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival last month, documents the involvement of Afghan-Canadians in two projects run by the Canadian Forces. "I wanted to show people that Afghans live next door to them; that Afghans live in Canada; that Afghans are ordinary people like them," he told the CBC Radio program Q. The film tells the story of Rana FM, a radio station run by the Canadian military and broadcasting into Afghanistan from Kingston, Ont. The Canadian military hired Afghan-Canadians to be what Nasr describes as "the friendly voice" of the station. While he described the station as "psychological operation technique," he says he sees the positive effects it has on people. "If you can give someone in Kandahar two minutes of happiness, if you can put a smile on someone's face by playing a song they like ... I totally sympathize with that." Nasr also visited a mock-Afghani village created for military training on the Canadian Forces base in Wainwright, Alta. There, Afghan-Canadians hired to act as villagers role-play with soldiers to prepare them for deployment. For the documentary, Nasr travelled to Afghanistan for the second time in his life. During his previous visit in 2005, he said, he found many hopeful about the new government and their lives. When he visited again in 2007, he found a starkly different picture. "Not a single person I spoke to who didn’t have some stake in the government … was optimistic about the government," Nasr said. "It seemed like the window of opportunity had been lost — or so it felt. "I think there's a kind of expiry date on how long it would be acceptable to them to have an international force in their country and not see things getting better," he added. Nasr, of Halifax, has worked for CBC television and the National Film Board. Good Morning Kandahar, his first full-length documentary, won the National Film Board of Canada Reel Diversity Competition. The film airs Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on The Lens on CBC Newsworld.
 
50 CENT PRESENTS HIS OWN "THE APPRENTICE" [Aceshowbiz, 10/23/08]
Rapper 50 Cent is getting his hands on new reality show "The Money & The Power" which will be aired on MTV next month. The show is designed pretty much like Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" where those who can't keep up with 50's demand will be 'fired'. According to reports, the rapper is out to find "the next person who can change nothing into something and be the new game changer". Similar to "Apprentice", the reality show will have contestants competing against each other in a series of challenges and 50 will reward the winner with a sum of money for their idea. If Trump says "You're fired", 50 will have his own catchphrase in eliminating somebody, which is "Get the f**k outta here." The show is scheduled to hit the screen on November 6, 2008.
 
DEGRASSI, CHEF SCHOOL AMONG WINNERS AT 2nd GEMINI GALAS [CBC, 10/23/08]
Degrassi: The Next Generation, Ghost Trackers and Chef School were among the winners Tuesday, October 22 at the Gemini Awards honouring the best in lifestyle, children's and youth television programming. CTV's teen soap opera "Degrassi" took the award for best children's or youth fiction program or series while the YTV paranormal show "Ghost Trackers" won in the non-fiction category. The Food Network reality program "Chef School" won for best lifestyle/practical information series, and Teletoon's Chop Socky Chooks — a Canada-U.K. co-production about a crime-fighting team of kung-fu chickens — was named best animated program or series. YTV's animated show Will & Dewitt won in the category of best preschool program or series. Tuesday's awards ceremony was the second in a three-night series of galas recognizing the best in Canadian television. Awards for news, documentary and sports coverage were handed out Monday while drama, variety and comedy programming is to be honoured on Wednesday. Prizes in 21 categories were presented on Tuesday. Other winners included: MTV Live, best talk series; X-Weighted, best general/human interest series; Race to Mars Interactive, best cross-platform project; Bryan Baeumler of Disaster DIY, best host in a lifestyle/practical information series and Bob McDonald of Heads Up, best host in a preschool, children's or youth program or series. The main Gemini show will be held Nov. 28 and broadcast on the E! Entertainment Network and Showcase.
 
"THE SOLOIST" OUT OF AFI FEST 2008's OPENING NIGHT [Aceshowbiz, 10/23/08]
Being bumped to a new slot in 2009 apparently brings a massive effect to "The Soloist" as the DreamWorks movie has been pulled out from its participation as the opening night film of AFI FEST 2008. The fact was revealed on Wednesday, October 22, in an announcement made by the American Film Institute through the film's producers. In a joint statement from Paramount, DreamWorks and Participant Media, the producers explained about the reason for the withdrawal. "Due to the change in 'The Soloist' release date, we unfortunately had to withdraw from the AFI FEST Film Festival," the statement read. "It was an honor to be invited as the Opening Night film and we are very grateful to the festival for their support and understanding." Originally, the musical drama that teams up Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. has been slated to make its world premiere at the film festival when it kicks off the event on October 30 at Hollywood's Cinerama Dome. Following the announcement of "Soloist" withdrawal, AFI is expected to come out with a new opening night film on Thursday, October 23. Back on October 16, it was reported that "Soloist" has been pushed back from its initial schedule on November 21, 2008 to March 13, 2009. Paramount's topper Rob Moore reasoned the move as their attempt to gain commercial success for the movie, saying, "We decided it's a commercial movie that will play well in the spring, and we'll give it an aggressive wide release then." The AFI FEST will be held from October 30 to November 9 in Los Angeles, California. The event will include tributes to actress Tilda Swinton on November 5, and to director Danny Boyle on November 7. The tributes event will take place at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. The movies listed to join this festival include Steven Soderbergh's "Che", Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" and Edward Zwick's "Defiance". The latest is set to close the fest on November 9, 2008.
 
LINKIN PARK'S SONG FEATURED PROMINENTLY ON "CSI" EPISODE [Aceshowbiz, 10/23/08]
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" will pick up Linkin Park's single "Leave Out All the Rest" as the episode title and theme song for its November 6, 2008 edition. This consequently make the rock band, the first music act after The Who that has been featured prominently in the show's franchise. The song, which is taken from the band's latest studio album "Minutes to Midnight", will be played at the beginning and the end of the episode plus becoming the underlying score throughout the episode. It will be the basic melody for Grissom's unresolved love to Sara who is back for the new season after quitting the crime lab in previous season. "We found the melody and lyrics of the song to work so well with our story, that we underscored Grissom's emotional journey with it," said Jason Alexander, music supervisor for 'CSI'. "We've been long admirers of Linkin Park and it was wonderful for us to collaborate on something special like this." The show's executive producer Carol Mendelsohn added, "We have always been huge fans of Linkin Park. They have an anthemic sound that's full of strength and simultaneous vulnerability. They were perfect for the show and the conflict within it." "CSI" is aired on CBS every Thursday at 9/8c.
 
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE: HALIFAX DOCUMENTARY  "6015 WILLOW" [CBC, 10/23/08]
A new documentary tells the story of a Halifax house that continues to play a role in the city's vibrant artistic scene. 6015 Willow, a documentary about the house, debuts on DVD at the Halifax Pop Explosion Festival this week. The film, a love letter to the Halifax music scene and the house itself, debuted at the 28th annual Atlantic Film Festival in September. It depicts performances by 20 local bands, including North of America and the Stolen Minks, playing in every room of the house. "The projects we did at first were focused on building this bogus mythology about the house," said Paul Hammond, co-producer of the film and a six-year resident of 6015 Willow St. "We were [trying to see if we could] push a regular house into the consciousness of the public and make them think of it as more than a house. And we did," he told CBC radio program Q. Hammond and Jeffrey Parker, co-producer and former resident, decided to fill the house with music and filmed it over three days as a final hurrah before moving out. Eleven of the featured bands had members who once lived there. The house has hosted various creative projects over the years. One of them was an attic motel, which measured about two metres long and one metre high. "They put down velvet carpet and put a little bed up there and a night table and they ran it for I guess close to two years," said Parker, who began his two-year stint at the house after the motel had closed up shop. The house managed to attract real guests who paid $7 a night for accommodation and breakfast. When the motel idea got old, the residents turned the attic into an art gallery. "We wanted to do something with the space that was a little less of a self-centred project — less focused on us doing something stupid and more focused on actually making more of a public space," said Hammond. The gallery featured the work of artists from New York to Norway to Japan. While creative people continue to live in the house, "It's different than it was," according to Hammond. "One of the roommates that was living with us when we moved out is still there. So there's been a continuity of people. That's always the way that it's been," said Parker. The two-day release party includes a screening on Thursday and a concert on Friday featuring bands from the DVD. Halifax Pop Explosion is a five-day music, culture and media festival and conference taking place Oct. 21-25, 2008.
 
MUSICALS HAIRSPRAY, SPAMALOT TO CLOSE ON BROADWAY [CBC, 10/23/08]
The curtain will fall on two of Broadway's recent stalwarts in the new year, as the musicals Hairspray and Monty Python's Spamalot close up shop in January. The multiple award-winning "Hairspray", which was based on the cult John Waters movie and also spawned a subsequent film remake, shutters on Jan. 4, producers announced on Wednesday. The show, which premiered in August 2002, will have had more than 2,600 performances when it ends its run at the Neil Simon Theatre. Nonetheless, audiences attending during the final eight weeks will be treated to the return of the musical's original star Harvey Fierstein. As of Nov. 11 through closing night, he will reprise his Tony Award-winning role as Edna Turnblad, mother of the exuberant 1960s-era teen dancer Tracy Turnblad. The "Hairspray" announcement follows on the heels of news last week that "Spamalot", the Mike Nicols adapatation of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, will close Jan. 18, 2009. The musical opened in March 2005 and, over the past three years, drew an audience in excess of two million people. It will close after more than 1,500 performances at the prominent Time Square theatre the Shubert. Both shows also spawned North American tours and U.K. productions, and each had a temporary run in Las Vegas. Despite the boffo box office Broadway usually sees from U.S. Thanksgiving in late November through the new year, business typically drops in January and February. Theatre insiders expect to see further closing announcements in the coming weeks. "I suspect we have to be adjusting for the long haul," said Victoria Bailey, executive director of the Theatre Development Fund, which runs the Times Square TKTS discount ticket booth. "It's not just about the next month. I think the first place where one might begin to understand and experience it will be the holiday season."
 
KENNETH BI's "THE DRUMMER" TO OPEN TORONTO'S REEL ASIAN FESTIVAL [CBC, 10/22/08]
Toronto's Reel Asian International Film Festival, which focuses on East Asian moviemakers, opens this year with The Drummer, a film by Hong Kong director Kenneth Bi. The film about the son of a Hong Kong gangster who becomes fascinated with the power of Zen drummers stars Jaycee Chan, son of action star Jackie Chan. Bi, himself from a famous family of Hong Kong movie actors, was educated in Canada and made a splash with his 2002 feature, The Runaway Pistol. The festival, running Nov. 12-16, 2008, features a lineup of films from 14 countries, including 17 Canadian premieres. The closing night movie is Adrift in Tokyo by Japan's Satoshi Miki, about a wild-haired loser caught in peculiar walk across Tokyo with a debt collector. The Canadian Spotlight will focus on Vancouver director Paul Wong, who will premiere new videos and present remastered versions of some of his groundbreaking works. Wong, known for his studies of sex, drugs and death, has also produced a series about Asian Canadian artists. Other featured films at the festival include: Flower in the Pocket by Liew Seng Tat., about a Malaysian father who struggles to care for his mischievous boys. Santa Mesa by Ron Morales about a young American boy who is sent to live with his estranged grandmother in the Philippines. Wonderful Town by Aditya Assarat, a tragic love story in a small Thai town still feeling the effects of the devastating tsunami. Hansel and Gretel by Yim Pil-Sung, A Korean horror adaptation of the Grimm Brothers' timeless fable.
 
"THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS" 
A fantastical morality tale, "Doctor Parnassus" follows the story of Dr. Parnassus and his extraordinary traveling troupe called "Imaginarium". Making deals with the devil long time ago which gives him immortality, he is cursed with a dark secret that jeopardizes his daughter's freedom. Desperate to protect his daughter from her impending fate, he must now find a man that will help him undo the mistakes of his past once and for all. Expected to be released sometime in 2009, this movie comes from "The Brothers Grimm" director, Terry Gilliam. In early 2008, this drama fantasy has been put in a jeopardy when its leading actor, Heath Ledger, was found dead in his apartment while the production was still halfway through. But with the joining of Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law in place of Ledger's vacant role, it has since been pushed forward.
 
VINCE VAUGHN WORKING ON COMEDY FOR SMALL SCREEN [Aceshowbiz, 10/22/08]
Vince Vaughn will executive produce and develop a show for TV network FOX and and 20th Century Fox TV studio, together with his sister Victoria Vaughn. No title has been suggested yet for their series, but it is known that it will be a single-camera comedy about two young men adjusting to life post college years. The Vaughns are reportedly in final negotiations with FOX for the half-hour pilot which release date is still a question mark. Vince will be assisted by sibling scribes Jim and Steve Armogida who had credits in "Grounded for Life", "My Family" and the short-lived "Courting Alex". As the producer, Vince will have the authority to pick the cast and contribute in the artistic direction of the show.
 
ANGUS IS NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR FOR GLIMMERGLASS OPERA [AP, 10/21/08]
David Angus will become music director at Glimmerglass Opera in upstate New York on November, 2008. He replaces Stewart Robertson, who left Glimmerglass in 2006 after almost 20 years. Angus made his U.S. conducting debut with Glimmerglass Opera's 2006 production of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville." Born in England, Angus' professional career began with Opera North in Leeds. He was chorus master and staff conductor for Glyndebourne Festival and has worked extensively around Europe. He regularly conducts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Mozart Players. Angus will conduct Glimmerglass Opera's 2009 production of Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Consul."
 
SAM JACKSON: BERNIE WOULD'VE JOKED ABOUT THIS [E! Online, 10/21/08]
Samuel L. Jackson's the original badass MF, so of course he didn't get all weepy about Soul Men costars Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, who both died on the same weekend in August. At a press event for the film yesterday, Jackson honored them as only he could: talking and telling tales. "He would have found a way to make a joke about it," Jackson said about Mac. "He would have been poignant, and then he would have been funny." Mac had been ill during filming, having up and down days, but Jackson promises fans that they'll be seeing "the Bernie Mac that they knew and loved, the Bernie Mac that came into their homes every week, who made them pee on themselves when he was doing his act. It's a fitting last performance." Jackson also had kind words for Hayes... He and Mac play reunited (fictional) soul singers, performing many of the hits from legendary label Stax Records—Hayes' label. "To do an Isaac Hayes song in the middle of the film while he's sitting there watching us [was] a little daunting," Jackson said. "But then you look at him and you see he's [nodding his head]. So you think 'All right, we're killing it.'" Soul Men opens Nov. 7, 2008.
 
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IN TALKS TO SELL UNIT [Reuters, 10/21/08]
General Electric Co's Universal Studios is in advanced talks to sell one of its two specialty film labels to Relativity Media, the New York Times said. Universal is looking to sell Rogue Pictures, an indie unit that makes about four films a year in the horror and teen comedy genres, the paper said citing people with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are private. Universal's talks with Relativity, a private production and financing company, have been advancing over the course of several months, the paper said. It did not give a figure for the potential value of the deal. The sale would include about 25 library titles and more than 30 projects in development, the paper said. Universal would continue to distribute and market Rogue's movies, according to the paper. Last month, Universal Pictures extended a co-financing deal with Relativity that will provide $3 billion to Universal over the next seven years for dozens of big-budget films, the paper said. Universal and Relativity could not be immediately reached for comment.
 
"FREAKS" ON LEASH OF "PINEAPPLE EXPRESS" DIRECTOR [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/21/08]
David Gordon Green, director of the recent pot comedy "Pineapple Express," will take the helm of the horror thriller "Freaks of the Heartland," a monster story based on the Dark Horse graphic novel. Illustrated by Greg Ruth, Steve Niles' six-part 2004 series about the horrible secret of a rural Middle American town involves Trevor Owen's attempts to protect his "monster" of a 6-year-old younger brother and Gristlewood Valley's other "freaks" from their parents' worst instincts. The Overture Films project will be adapted by freshman scribes Peter Sattler and Geoff Davey. Green's other credits include "Snow Angels" and "Undertow."
 
VAMPIRE TALE STALKS FEARNET [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/21/08]
Filmmaker Mary Lambert has written and directed a music-driven vampire-themed series that will air on multiplatform horror-thriller network FearNet. "The Dark Path Chronicles" revolves around a young vampire just awakened from hibernation and a teenage girl who hears voices who together explore a parallel reality. It debuts November 6, 2008 on FearNet.com and FearNet's VOD network. Lambert has shot videos for the likes of Madonna ("Material Girl") and Janet Jackson ("Nasty Boys"), but the music on the new show will be slightly heavier. The soundtrack will feature up-and-coming Goth-metal-influenced bands including Zombi, Junius, Jesu, Watch Me Burn and Prophet 7:13. The ad-supported FearNet is a joint venture of Comcast, Sony Pictures TV and Lionsgate.
 
CARTOON NETWORK ADAPTING YOURGRAU'S HORROR TALES [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/20/08]
Barry Yourgrau's non-fiction children's horror book series "NASTYbook" is being translated into a live-action/CGI film for the small screen. Cartoon Network has teamed with Worldwide Biggies, producer Albie Hecht's multimedia production company, to adapt the material. The deal also calls for Worldwide Biggies to develop a range of Web content based on the books. "NASTYbook" is described as a world populated by a horrifying, albeit colorful, cast of characters, including an Internet-trolling witch and an alien exchange student. It's said to be in the vein of "The Twilight Zone" but geared toward a young audience. A scary and mysterious figure serves as host and comes in and out of the characters' lives in each story. Hecht said he has been an admirer of the book series for some time. "Barry's weird and suspenseful stories are like a modern-day 'Grimm's Fairy Tales,'" he said. "This is a terrific way to reinvent the horror genre for the younger demographic. There's such great opportunities with the types of special effects and the CGI we can use; with the production values now, we can take it to the next level and do things that the first generation of 'Goosebumps' couldn't do." "NASTYbook" joins Cartoon's growing slate of movies in development, including "Tiger's Apprentice"; comic-book titles "Firebreather," "The Vanishers" and "Mice Templar"; and a "Ben 10" sequel. Worldwide Biggies' credits include Nickelodeon's "The Naked Brothers Band" and Spike TV's "Video Game Awards," which Hecht created during his tenure as the network's president.
 
MIRAMAX OPTS FOR "DIVORCE" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/20/08]
Divorce is a traumatic experience for millions of families, and Miramax hopes to heal their pain through the gift of twisted laughter. The studio is developing a satirical comedy tentatively titled "A.C.O.D. (Adult Children of Divorce)." The screenplay by Ben Karlin, "Daily Show" head writer and co-creator of "The Colbert Report," and Stu Zicherman centers on a grown man still caught in the crossfire of his parents' 15-year-old divorce. In "A.C.O.D.," which Miramax acquired on spec, the lead character discovers he was unknowingly part of a study on divorced children. He's enlisted in a follow-up years later that wreaks new havoc on his family. Zicherman, co-writer/creator of ABC's "Six Degrees," is slated to direct the film. "We're very glad to get the validation from Miramax, especially since we've been working on the script longer than any of our parents were married," Karlin and Zicherman said.
 
FILM STARS HIT THE GREEN CARPET [BBC, 10/20/08]
Stars swapped the red carpet for a green one made of recycled plastic bottles as the Tokyo International Film Festival got under way in Japan. The environment-themed festival will see films screened using electricity generated by wind energy. Hollywood actress Julianne Moore and her Japanese co-star Yoshino Kimura appeared at the festival for the epidemic thriller Blindness. Fifteen films are in competition for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix. They include two Japanese films, Echo of Silence directed by actor Atsuro Watabe and School Days with a Pig by Tetsu Maeda. Other offerings at the nine-day festival include Chinese films Claustrophobia, directed by Ivy Ho and Super Typhoon by Feng Xiaoning. Academy Award-winning American actor Jon Voight will head the board of judges for the films, all of which are being screened for the first time in Asia. The festival also includes an ecology category with films on the environment and documentaries about climate change and animals. The Sakura Grand Prix will be announced on 26 October, 2008.
 
"MAX PAYNE", "CHIHUAHUA", "BEES" OUT-POLL "W" [AP, 10/20/08]
Movie-goers elected a "W," but it was Mark Wahlberg, not George W. Bush. Wahlberg's action flick "Max Payne" debuted with $18 million to outdo Oliver Stone's film biography of George W. Bush, according to studio estimates Sunday, October 19. Stone's "W." actually ran fourth, opening with $10.6 million to finish behind the family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (No. 2 with $11.2 million) and the chick flick "The Secret Life of Bees" (No. 3 with $11.1 million). Lionsgate's "W.," starring Josh Brolin as Bush, came in well behind the $18.7 million debut of Stone's last movie, 2006's Sept. 11 saga "World Trade Center." That movie opened in nearly 3,000 theaters, about 900 more than "W.," however. Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," which had been the No. 1 movie the previous two weekends, raised its total to $69.1 million. Adapted from the video game, "Max Payne" stars Wahlberg as a New York City cop hunting the killers of his wife and child. "The Secret Life of Bees" stars Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo in a drama about a troubled teen learning life lessons through the beekeeping operations of three Southern sisters. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
 
L.A. FILM CRITICS HONOR FORMER EXEC JOHN CALLEY [Reuters, 10/20/08]
For the first time in its history, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association has honored a former studio chief with its annual Career Achievement Award. The organization selected John Calley for that honor in voting Sunday afternoon, October 19. Calley, who led three film studios in his 40-year-plus career, has had a second career as a producer of such films as "The Loved One" and "Catch-22." Calley joined Warner Bros. in 1968, where he held a number of executive positions including president and executive VP of worldwide production. He is largely credited with turning that studio around, making it a place for vibrant filmmaking in the 1970s. He later revived United Artists and then, in 1996, joined Sony Pictures Entertainment as chairman and CEO, where he enjoyed similar success. When not affiliated with a studio, he has produced a number of films, partnering with Mike Nichols on such films as "Postcards from the Edge" and "Remains of the Day."
 
DOCUMENTARY TAKES SPECTACULAR PLUNGE INTO "WILD OCEAN" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/18/08]
Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell, the composers-choreographers-directors who created the hit British stage show "Stomp" and shared an Oscar nomination for their short "Broom," have turned another shared passion into a hugely -- as in Imax huge -- entertaining documentary. Deep-sea diving enthusiasts, the two men now stomp across the screen with "Wild Ocean 3D," a jaw-dropping dive into the annual feeding frenzy of sharks, dolphins and other predators that takes place along the so-called Wild Coast of South Africa. It's pretty wild. The 3D film, which opens Friday (October 17) in Los Angeles via Giant Screen Films, is rolling out in Imax venues throughout the world. It should become a perennial at all large-format cinemas. Billions of sardines migrate up the KwaZulu-Natal east coast each June and July (winter in South Africa) in search of zooplankton in cold water. Converging on this rugged coastline -- which has no harbors but spectacular waterfalls and plenty of food -- are dolphins, sharks, fur seals, African penguins and gannets diving from the sky, hitting the ocean surface at 130 miles per hour. Humpback whales migrate to this spot at exactly the same time as the Sardine Run. So it's a pigout for a marine biologist -- and a wildlife documentarian! To protect themselves, the sardines instinctively form "baitballs," a swirling mass of fish that moves in coordinated unison. These massive movements beneath the sea confuse predators and serve to partially hide the shoals of sardines. For the filmmakers, the action on the turbulent surface, in the crowded sky above and deep under water marks a visually stunning acting out of the circle of life as the entire food chain is in motion at a single moment. Their musical score brilliantly moves to the exciting rhythms of the ballet of death under the sea, coming at you in waves as much as the fish in 3-D swim at the viewer. The film's three-year production schedule, built around these brief windows of opportunity off the Wild Coast, tells a distressing tale. The 2005 shoot proved to be a bumper year. The following two years, action along the beach was nil because of global warming, though still plentiful out at sea. What's more alarming, such events once took place with regularity in the seas of Europe and the oceans of the Americas. No more. These areas have long since been fished out of sardines. So, yes, "Wild Ocean" comes with an ecological message.
 
NE-YO TO STAR IN "VENICE BEACH" FILM [BBC, 10/18/08]
R&B star Ne-Yo is set to star in, executive produce and write the soundtrack to the film Venice Beach, according to a report. The film's storyline features a budding romance which encounters resistance from friends and loved ones, says The Hollywood Reporter. Ne-Yo's screen credits include 2007 film Stomp the Yard. Paul Hunter, who directed music videos for Eminem and Britney Spears, is in talks to direct the film. Venice Beach writer Duane Adler's previous films include Save the Last Dance and its 2006 sequel, in which Ne-Yo appeared. Ne-Yo's album In My Own Words reached the top of the Billboard 200 in 2006. The musician has written songs for Rihanna, Celine Dion and Britney Spears. The singer, whose real name is Shaffer Smith, is currently touring to support Year of the Gentleman, which reached number two in the UK and US album charts.
 
PARAMOUNT DELAYS RELEASE OF 'SOLOIST", "DEFIANCE" [Reuters/Billboard, 10/18/08]
Paramount Pictures is fiddling with its holiday release plans at the eleventh hour, delaying the wide release of true-life drama "The Soloist," starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, and the Daniel Craig-toplined Nazi escape film "Defiance" until the first quarter. Paramount is moving "Soloist," the story of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez's relationship with a homeless musician, to a March 13, 2009 wide release date. The film, a DreamWorks/Universal production, had been considered a possible awards-season candidate and -- with its trailer already playing in theaters -- had been set to unspool November 21 over the prime pre-Thanksgiving frame. It was not clear if "Soloist" might receive an Academy Award-qualifying run before December 31. As for "Defiance," a production of specialty unit Paramount Vantage, the studio will postpone its December 12 limited bow to an Oscar-qualifying debut December 31, which will maintain its viability for Academy Award consideration. Paramount will delay an expansion into wider release until January 16, 2009.
 
TENDER IRISH MOVIE MUSICAL "ONCE" SET FOR STAGE ADAPTATION [CBC, 10/18/08]
Once, the critically acclaimed, low-budget musical film that picked up an Oscar for best song earlier this year, is set for a stage adaptation. Award-winning theatre producers John N. Hart Jr., Jeffrey Sine and Frederick Zollo have purchased worldwide theatrical rights to adapt writer-director and musician John Carney's film for Broadway. "Those of us who fell in love with it and its score at the movie theatre came out singing, and will do so again when it finds its way to the stage," Hart said in a statement. Zollo added praise for Once, saying that even though it was shot on a "shoe-string budget," the tender film smashed box office expectations and "managed to capture the hearts of fans around the world … because it invited its audience into the process of artists making music and did not stoop to melodrama." Carney, who for a time envisioned Once as a sort of video accompaniment to a concept album, enlisted his former Frames bandmate Glen Hansard to help him develop his idea for a film about a busker street musician and create the music for it. When the original actor he had in mind dropped out, he asked Hansard to step in. Hansard and Marketa Irglova — neither of whom have any formal training as actors — composed the music for and starred in the Dublin-set film, which organically follows a budding relationship and life-altering musical collaboration between two unnamed characters: an Irish street performer/vacuum repairman and an immigrant songwriter/flower-seller. Made for less than $150,000 US and shot in just over two weeks, Once went on to become an international hit and spawned a bestselling soundtrack, as well as a performance tour for Hansard and Irglova. The composer-performers also went on to win several honours during the film award season, capped by Falling Slowly, the film's main song, scoring the Academy Award for best original song at February's Oscar ceremony. Each of the producers boosts impressive theatre world credits (Chicago and The Who's Tommy for Hart, Angels in America and Caroline, Or Change for Zollo and Spring Awakening for Sine). The producers are eyeing a Broadway debut for the musical sometime during the 2010-11 season and expect the show to be a more intimate production along the lines of Spring Awakening. A creative team will be announced at a later date, but Zollo said he hoped Hansard, Irglova and Carney would all be involved in developing the stage production.
 
"SAW V" FLICK'S PROMO PRANK CALLS CAUSE CONCERN [CBC, 10/18/08]
Police forces in different parts of Canada are alerting people to prank phone calls connected to the upcoming release of horror movie Saw V. Authorities in Ontario and Halifax said they are receiving complaints from citizens who have been the target of frightening prank calls used to promote the movie, the fifth installment in the extreme torture-and-gore film series. An interactive website allows users to enter a person's name to generate a scary message that can be sent to any home phone number. "Hello, I want to play a game," one message said. "In a few seconds you will have an opportunity to plead for the life of your friend. Think hard, every word counts. His life is in your hands. Let the game begin." The message, however, has caused concern for people who don't know the basis of the movie, said Ontario Provincial Police Const. Tracey Bednarczyk. "We just want to make the community aware that this is out there, [that] people are doing it as a prank thing and not to be concerned." RCMP in Halifax issued a similar warning after three Nova Scotians called to complain about the calls. Saw V, which was filmed in Toronto, is scheduled for release on Oct. 24.
 
TV, STAGE AND FILM ACTRESS EDIE ADAMS DIES AT 81 [CBC, 10/18/08]
Actress and singer Edie Adams, a blond beauty who played the television foil to her husband, comedian Ernie Kovacs, has died. She was 81. Adams died Wednesday, October 17 in a Los Angeles hospital from pneumonia and cancer, publicist Henri Bollinger said. Adams and Kovacs began their rise to stardom in an innovative comedy show on a Philadelphia TV station, and later took The Ernie Kovacs Show to New York, where it was hugely influential on other comedians. Both Kovacs and Adams garnered Emmy nominations in 1957 for best performances in a comedy series. Adams had an extensive Broadway career and won a Tony Award in the role of Daisy Mae in a 1957 production of Li'l Abner, based on Al Capp's satirical comic strip. She also played the spurned secretary in Billy Wilder's film The Apartment, the 1960 Oscar winner for best picture. Other movie credits included Call Me Bwana; It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; The Honey Pot; and Under the Yum Yum Tree. Born Elizabeth Edith Enke on April 16, 1927, in Kingston, Pa., she studied to become an opera singer and was a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. She first attracted notice on the TV show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, whereupon Kovacs's director invited her to audition as a singer for his Philadelphia comedy show. Adams went in to the audition knowing only three pop songs, she recalled in 1982. The fresh-faced Adams became the ideal foil for Kovacs's comedy routines. In between pratfalls, they fell for one another. They were married in Mexico in 1954. Adams began her Broadway career after Kovacs's critically acclaimed show moved to New York. She played sister to Rosalind Russell in the 1953 production Wonderful Town and the fairy godmother in Cinderella. She and Kovacs moved to Hollywood in the late 1950s. Kovacs died in an auto accident in 1962. Adams discovered he'd left her with huge gambling debts, a bill for back taxes and a custody fight for his two daughters from a previous marriage, Betty and Kippie. She and Kovacs also had a daughter, Mia, born in 1959. In this period she accepted any work she could get to pay off the debt and did movies, TV musical revues and a Las Vegas act with Groucho Marx. She made a few recordings, including The Charming Miss Edie Adams. She also appeared on TV shows such as The Lucy Show, Hollywood Squares and Love, American Style. In 1963, she had a short-lived TV show that earned her two Emmy nominations. After securing custody of Kovacs's daughters and paying off the debt, she continued her TV and film career into the 1980s with roles on Murder, She Wrote; As the World Turns; and Fantasy Island. For nearly two decades, she was also the sexy spokeswoman for Muriel cigars, singing and breathily cooing in TV commercials: "Why don't you pick one up and smoke it sometime?" She played Tommy Chong's mother, Mrs. Tempest Stoner, in the 1983 Cheech and Chong movie Up in Smoke. Adams strove to keep Kovacs's comedic legacy alive by buying rights to his TV shows and creating TV specials and videos of his work. She was married twice more, both times briefly, to photographer Martin Mills and trumpeter Pete Candoli. Adams is survived by her son, Joshua Mills. Daughter Mia Kovacs was killed at age 22 in a 1982 car accident.
 
NEW YORK PREMIERE OF "PRIDE AND GLORY" [Aceshowbiz, 10/17/08]
On Wednesday, October 15, the New York premiere of "Pride and Glory" has been held at AMC Lowes Lincoln Square 13. Attended by most of its cast ensemble, the red carpet event saw lead actors Edward Norton, Jon Voight, Colin Farrell and Noah Emmerich coming in to join the celebration. Other than those lead, cast members Lake Bell, Jennifer Ehle, Manny Perez, Frank Grillo, John Ortiz and Shea Whigham were also spotted on the evening. Joining the film's stars at the premiere were director Gavin O'Connor and President of Warner Bros. Alan Horn, while celebrity guests included former "American Idol" contestant Ace Young and model Lydia Hearst. Directed and scripted by Gavin O'Connor, "Pride and Glory" is a New Line Cinema film that has been described to be an authentic, gritty and emotional portrait of the New York City Police Department. It resolves around a multi-generational police family. Upon investigating an incendiary case, he discovers that some members of his family are involved in the case. Film hits theatre October 24, 2008.
 
NYC PREMIERE OF "SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK" [Aceshowbiz, 10/17/08]
Bringing the movie back to the city where the movie takes its title, the Cinema Society and Mulberry has presented the New York City premiere of "Synecdoche, New York". Held on Wednesday, October 15, the special event took place at the Loews 19th Street Theatre, New York City. Though missing the signature red carpet, the premiere still saw the attendance of many Hollywood stars, including those starring in the movie. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Hope Davis, Catherine Keener and Tom Noonan were the members of cast ensemble who made time to join director/producer/writer Charlie Kaufman on the special evening. Beside the cast and crew, other celebrity guests included actresses, Heather Matarazzo, Erika Christensen, Rachel Dratch and Alexie Gilmore, mucisians Adam Duritz and Michael Stipe, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" director Julian Schnabel, and actor Stephen Rea. "New York" is a drama film from Sony Pictures Classics that follows Caden Cotard, a theater director in Schenectady, New York, whose life seems to be dreary. The flick will hit limited theaters on October 24, 2008.
 
"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" STAYS CLASSIC WITHOUT LOSING ITS FRESHNESS [Aceshowbiz, 10/17/08]
Having "Alice in Wonderland", a new animated feature project, under his sleeves, awards-winning director Tim Burton openly shares his ideas on the Walt Disney movie with Los Angeles Times while chatting about Spike TV's Third Annual Scream Awards "Scream 2008". In re-imagining the flick, he states, "It's a funny project. The story is obviously a classic with iconic images and ideas and thoughts. But with all the movie versions, well, I've just never seen one that really had any impact to me." "It's always just a series of weird events. Every character is strange and she's just kind of wandering through all of the encounters as just a sort of observer," he explained, further adding what he is aiming for with the film. "The goal is to try to make it an engaging movie where you get some of the psychology and kind of bring a freshness but also keep the classic nature of 'Alice.' And, you know, getting to do it in 3-D fits the material quite well. So I'm excited about making it a new version but also have the elements that people expect when they think of the material." When asked about Johnny Depp's involvement as the Mad Hatter, Burton comes quick to comment how easy to persuade the actor to play an "oddball". "He loves doing (oddballs)," Burton stated. "That's never a problem. He doesn't like to be the same way twice. That's good, it always keeps it fresh and all. And he likes the material we have here and he gets it. It's nice to have people involved that are fans of the material and all." The complete interview with Burton can be read at Hero Complex's Los Angeles Times. "Alice" is set to be a 3-D part live-action, part computer animated movie. Scripted by Linda Woolverton, the story will follow the adventure of Alice in a magical world filled of peculiar and anthropomorphic characters. Production is scheduled to start in November for March 5, 2010 release, while Mia Wasikowska is attached as the titular character, and Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas and Michael Sheen are supporting.
 
J.J. ABRAMS VS. WILLIAM SHATNER ROUND WHATEVER [E! Online, 10/17/08]
J.J. Abrams and William Shatner still aren't on the same hailing frequency.  This time in the maddening, media-enabled relationship between the Star Trek reinventor and the Star Trek icon, it's Abrams talking to Entertainment Weekly about Shatner talking to him, Abrams, via the William Shatner channel. "I don't know how my life has become a thing where William Shatner talks to me through YouTube," Abrams tells the magazine, which scored a cover photo of the filmmaker's new Trek stars, Zachary Quinto as the young Mr. Spock and Chris Pine as the young James T. Kirk. Abrams was responding to a Shatner video posted last month in which Shatner said he was not in Abrams' upcoming franchise reboot because "nobody asked me." Shatner himself was responding to an Abrams quote on AMCtv.com in which Abrams said he'd written a scene for Shatner, but that it didn't work. The two men have been addressing classic Captain Kirk's absence in the new Trek for much of the latest Stardate calendar. The problem is, for them, they've been doing it through media go-betweens, and not with each other. Back in January, Shatner and Abrams traded quotes in USA Today: Shatner said he didn't know why he wasn't in the movie; Abrams said he wasn't in the movie because Shatner's Kirk died in Star Trek: Generations; Shatner said Abrams could think of something; Abrams said he couldn't think of something that wouldn't seem lame.
 
KATIE HOLMES AND "ALL MY SONS" DEBUTS ON BROADWAY [AP, 10/17/08]
Katie Holmes on Broadway? OMG. Holmes' official debut on the New York stage was expected to be feted Thursday night, October 16 at the "All My Sons" premiere with a madhouse red carpet, plenty of press — and maybe even a few protesters on hand. Celeb gawkers hoping to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Tom Cruise were sure to add to the crush of attention on the revival of Arthur Miller's drama, in which she has a supporting role. Though the play has been in previews for weeks, its official bow was perhaps the most eagerly awaited event on Broadway this fall, if not in years. Hollywood stars like Julia Roberts and Sean Combs have in recent years tried their talents on the New York stage and in doing so, brought huge buzz to their productions. Holmes' Broadway entree at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre has already proven at least as big a draw. In its first full week of eight preview performances, it was the highest-grossing play on Broadway, with a haul of $684,002 from playing at nearly 98 percent capacity at the 1,052-seat theater. The revival of Miller's play — which was first performed on Broadway in 1947 — stars John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson. Reviews of the production were to be published late Thursday. Cruise, renown as a Scientologist, attended the first preview performance of "All My Sons" and called it "extraordinary." Anti-Scientology protesters have at times demonstrated outside the theater. At the first preview, roughly 30 protesters stood behind a barricade, chanting "Scientology kills!" "All My Sons" concerns businessman Joe Keller (Lithgow) whose factory supplied defective cylinder parts to the military, resulting in the deaths of 21 pilots during World War II. Wiest plays Keller's wife; Wilson his idealistic son; and Holmes the son's fiancee and daughter of Keller's disgraced partner.
 
JOHN PAUL WAS WOUNDED IN 1982 STABBING, AIDE REVEALS [Reuters, 10/16/08]
The late Pope John Paul was wounded by a knife-wielding priest in 1982, a year after he was shot in St Peter's Square, but the injury was kept secret, his former top aide says in a documentary film. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz also discloses that when John Paul was unable to pronounce words several days before his death in 2005, he told his aides that if he could not speak any more the time had come for him to die. Dziwisz, who is now cardinal of Krakow, Poland, was John Paul's private secretary and closest aide for nearly 40 years, including all of his 27 years as pontiff. The documentary, called "Testimony" and narrated by British actor Michael York, is a film version of a memoir published by Dziwisz last year but with some additions. It will make its official premiere at the Vatican on Thursday night in the presence of Pope Benedict. On May 12, 1982, the pope was visiting the shrine city of Fatima in Portugal to give thanks for surviving a first assassination attempt a year earlier on May 13, 1981, when he was shot in St Peter's Square by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca. A crazed ultra-conservative Spanish priest, Juan Fernandez Krohn, lunged at the pope with a dagger and was knocked to the ground by police and arrested. The fact that the knife actually reached the pope and cut him was not known until now. "I can now reveal that the Holy Father was wounded. When we got back to the room (in the Fatima sanctuary complex) there was blood," Dziwisz says in the documentary. The pope carried on with the trip without disclosing his wound. Krohn was arrested and served several years in a Portuguese prison before being expelled from the country. The documentary combines on-camera narration by York, interviews with Dziwisz, historical footage and re-enacted segments of the pope's life played out by actors. It includes video of his last public appearance from his window overlooking St Peter's Square, when, debilitated by Parkinson's disease and other maladies and overcome with emotion, he did not manage to pronounce any words. Dziwisz says that when the pope, who had undergone a tracheotomy to help him breathe, was wheeled back into his apartments, he regained some strength and managed to whisper: "If I can't speak any more, it's time for me to go." He died several days later on April 2, 2005, aged 84. The 66-year-old York, who acted in Cabaret, Romeo and Juliet and a dozens of other films and television productions, said he felt "awe" at being part of a production involving John Paul. The documentary was shot in Rome, the Vatican and the cities in Poland where the John Paul was born and worked as a priest, bishop and cardinal before his election to the papacy in 1978.
 
BRITAIN'S LLOYD WEBBER SAID TO BE BIDDING ON U.S. MUSIC TREASURES [CBC, 10/16/08]
Andrew Lloyd Webber has emerged as the front-runner in a bidding war for control of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization of the U.S., owner of such beloved works as The Sound of Music, Oklahoma and South Pacific. The British theatre mogul and writer of musicals such as Cats and Evita has bid close to $200 million for the catalogue held by the organization, which includes many of his own musicals, according to the London Standard. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization owns not only the music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, but also the rights to works by 100 other songwriters, including Irving Berlin. Lloyd Webber, a savvy producer who has earned a fortune from musical theatre, set up the Really Useful Group in 1977 to control his own works in Britain. But Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization owns North American rights to such Lloyd Webber works as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. The organization's owners, Mary Rodgers Guettel and Alice Hammerstein Mathias, granddaughters of the original founders, are elderly and the family put out word last month it might be interested in selling rights to its back catalogue. Songs such as White Christmas, Some Enchanted Evening, There's No Business Like Show Business and other works considered part of "the Great American Songbook," are still lucrative and companies such as Sony, EMI and Universal are expected to bid. However, the recent market turmoil may have ended the chance to get the price the family had hoped and there is a chance it may consider selling just part of the back catalogue, British media reported.
 
CNN TO START WEEKEND COMEDY SHOW WITH D.L. HUGHLEY [AP, 10/16/08]
The latest entrant into the TV comedy business is ... CNN? The news network says Wednesday, October 15 it's starting a Saturday night show with comedian D.L. Hughley. The show, tentatively titled "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" will air live 10 p.m. Saturdays and replay 24 hours later. Moving swiftly to take advantage of the intense news period, CNN will debut the show on Oct. 25, 2008. Hughley describes it as a news-oriented talk show — more like David Letterman and Jay Leno's program than Jon Stewart's.
 
BATMAN THEME COMPOSER HEFTI DIES [BBC, 10/16/08]
Neal Hefti, composer of the theme from the Batman TV series, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 85. The iconic music, which Hefti described as the "hardest piece I ever wrote", was a Top 40 hit and won a Grammy Award in 1966 for best instrumental theme. He also composed music for Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple and Harlow, which featured his track Girl Talk. The trumpeter worked with many of the greats of the Big Band era, including Count Basie and Woody Herman. He also worked with Frank Sinatra on two albums, Sinatra and Swingin' Brass plus Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First. Born in 1922 in Hastings, Nebraska, Hefti played trumpet with local bands as a teenager before moving to New York to pursue a career in music. He met his wife, singer Frances Wayne, when they were both with the Woody Herman orchestra in the 1940s. According to his son Paul, Hefti - who died at his home on Saturday, October 11 - "threw away more music paper on [the Batman theme] than any other song". "It got down to the blues with a funny guitar hook, the lowest common denominator and a fun groove," he told the Associated Press.
 
FROM FINANCIAL DOOM, KAR WAI FILM IS REBORN [Reuters, 10/15/08]
It was not his stock fund or 401k plan that was in jeopardy, but to Chinese director Wong Kar Wai, it was just as -- if not far more -- important. It was his movie, "Ashes of Time" that could have been lost forever. In the midst of the Asian financial collapse of the late 1990s, Wong began a project to restore his martial arts movie, "Ashes of Time," and the result is "Ashes of Time Redux," which began playing for the first time in U.S. theatres last weekend and will travel around the world in weeks to come. Wong views "Redux" as more than a film that has been restored to remove scratches in the print or improve sound. "I looked at it and said, 'Well, we might as well take this time to make it right,' and so it became more than a restoration," he told Reuters. "I also realized that it foretold a lot of things about Chinese film." Among them, Wong mentioned the change from old-style martial arts films that focused solely on action and excluded tales filled with love, loss and betrayal -- the stuff of human drama. He also noted the many actors in "Ashes of Time," among them Maggie Cheung, who would go on to find wider fame. Yet, had it not been for the 1998 bankruptcy of a firm that was storing copies of the film, Wong and his production team may never have started the project. When they went to collect copies of "Ashes of Time" from the bankrupt firm, his team found numerous different versions. Wong reckoned that if future audience would ever be able to experience his original vision, he would need to remake the film by piecing together various portions of old prints and fixing the images and sound. The movie, which was first released in 1994, was inspired by Louis Cha's martial arts novel, "The Eagle-Shooting Heroes," and it takes place in five parts that match five seasons of the Chinese almanac. Its numerous plots revolve around a man, Ouyang Feng (the late Leslie Cheung) who left his home when the woman he loves spurns him for his older brother, sending Feng into a self-imposed exile. To earn a living, he acts as an agent who finds hit men for people looking to have someone killed. "The film was not a standard martial arts film," Wong said. "It addressed issues, and for that it was very controversial." In fact, "Ashes of Time" earned only mixed reviews when originally released. Yet, over time it became a precursor for movies that transformed Chinese martial arts films. Wong likens "Ashes of Time" to the westerns of John Ford or Sergio Leone, and said that while he was, at times, tempted to tinker with the tales and themes of his old movie, he never gave-in to the temptation. To reinforce his point, he recalls a conversation he had with a musician hired to re-record music for "Redux." That musician, Wong said, told him: "This film means a lot to us, so don't screw it up."
 
TRAVOLTA FILM VICTIM OF VIOLENCE IN FRENCH PROJECT [AP, 10/15/08]
Officials say that a John Travolta movie has suspended filming in one of the Paris area's toughest housing projects after 10 cars to be used in the movie were burned. Filming of some scenes of the action movie "From Paris With Love" was supposed to start this week but local officials and the production company say it was put on hold because the cars were burned by unknown suspects early Monday, October 13. Cars are regularly burned in French housing projects, most famously during rioting that raged for three weeks in 2005 in poor neighborhoods across the country. The mayor's office of Montfermeil, where the housing project is located, says 90 residents were to serve as extras. The Europacorp production company says only that filming of the housing project scenes is suspended pending a review.
 
UNION WARNS WRITERS OFF NEW OZZY OSBOURNE SHOW [CBC, 10/14/08]
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has directed its members not to work on a new variety show featuring Ozzy Osbourne and his family, in a dispute over reality programming. The New York Times reports that the WGA sent letters to members this week saying that FremantleMedia North America, the producer of the Osbourne show, had wanted the guild to accept a contract that would treat the program as "half-scripted." That would translate to vastly reduced fees for writers of skits, interviews and scene outlines, according to the union. The new show is described as having elements of variety and reality programming. "We are disappointed that our effort to meet the guild halfway has been summarily rejected and as such, we don't believe the guild's membership has been served," FremantleMedia executive David Shall told the Times. The Fox network announced in July that it had ordered six episodes of an hour-long show to be hosted by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, who were also stars of an MTV reality show from 2002 to 2005. The Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous is supposed to launch either this December or January. Some descriptions of the new series compared it to 1970s variety programs such as The Sonny and Cher Comedy Show. Trade publications say it might also include stunts and competitions. The guild letter warned members that they could be fined up to 100 per cent of their compensation for work on the Osbournes' show if they choose to sign up. This dispute continues a WGA battle with FremantleMedia, which also produces the enormously successful Fox series American Idol as well as other reality programs. During the summer, WGA members protested at many sites of the regional auditions for the coming season of American Idol. The guild says that writers and others who work on the show "often face poor and illegal working conditions." Eight former FremantleMedia employees have also filed claims this year totalling more than $250,000 US with the California Labour Commissioner on complaints of unpaid overtime and other violations of the labour code.
 
"CHIHUAHUA" MAULS DiCAPRIO, CROWE AT BOX OFFICE [Reuters, 10/13/08]
The new terrorism thriller "Body of Lies" failed to take the top spot at the weekend box office in North America, an apparent victim of moviegoers' preference for escapist fare amid global financial turmoil. The Warner Bros. film, starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio as CIA agents battling a terrorist organization in the Middle East, had to settle for the No. 3 slot with $13.1 million, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday, October 12. The Walt Disney Co family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" logged a second weekend at No. 1 with $17.5 million, taking its 10-day haul to $52.5 million. The low-budget zombie horror "Quarantine" opened at No. 2 with $14.2 million. The $12 million film was released by Screen Gems, a unit of Sony Corp. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, had hoped "Body of Lies" would open at No. 1 with a three-day sum possibly reaching the high-teen millions. "I'm a bit disappointed," said Dan Fellman, the studio's domestic distribution president. "It was too good for the gross it recorded." DiCaprio stars as an Arabic-speaking field agent who teams up with Jordanian spies to uncover a dangerous terrorist operation. Crowe plays his boss back in the United States. The movie was directed by British filmmaker Sir Ridley Scott, who previously steered Crowe to an Oscar with "Gladiator." Fellman said the film's grim subject matter may have deterred moviegoers looking for more uplifting material as world leaders race to head off the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. This explains the strong hold for "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," one of the few comedies in theaters It did not help that other Iraq war-related movies, such as "Rendition," "Redacted," "Stop-Loss" and "In the Valley of Elah," have also bombed at the box office. Fellman said the film cost $70 million to make, but rival studios said it might have cost twice as much, given the hefty paydays for DiCaprio, Crowe, and Scott, not to mention the cost of shooting multiple explosions on its Morocco set. "Body of Lies" was not the only disappointment. Universal Pictures' football drama "The Express" dropped the ball at No. 6 with $4.7 million. And 20th Century Fox's children's film "City of Ember" opened at No. 10 with $3.2 million. Each cost about $38 million to make, according to their respective studios. Universal is a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal; Fox is a unit of News Corp.
 
"FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING" GRABS TOP PRIZE AT VANCOUVER FESTIVAL [CBC, 10/12/08]
The Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped up its 16-day run by honouring Kari Skogland's Fifty Dead Men Walking with the Western Canada film award. The movie, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, circles around the story of a young Irish hustler, enlisted as a British informant, who infiltrates the Irish Republican Army. Based on the book by British spy Martin McGartland, the film generated lots of buzz this year partly due to McGartland's criticism of Skogland, who used former Irish Republican Army volunteers to screen the film for authenticity. Nine other awards were handed out on Friday night, October 10, including the audience prize for French director Philippe Claudel's Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I've Loved You So Long ). The audience-nominated most popular Canadian film trophy went to Carl Bessai's Mothers & Daughters. The National Film Board's award for most popular Canadian documentary went to Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action by artist Velcrow Ripper. The 97-minute film examines the historical roots of spiritual activism and its international implications on the modern world. The non-fiction feature award went to Mexican documentary Born Without, directed by the late Eva Norvind, about severely handicapped Mexican actor and musician Jose Flores. Other awards included: Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short: Drew McCreadie for The Valet; International Film Guide Inspiration: Cameron Labine for Control Alt Delete; Women in Film & Television Artistic Merit: Actress Tantoo Cardinal for her role in Mothers & Daughters and Audience Award for Environmental Film: Blue Gold: World Water Wars, a documentary directed by Sam Bozzo.
 
LEAPIN' LIZARDS! V GETS REBOOTED [E! Online, 10/12/08]
Hide the hamsters...the Visitors are baaack! Hoping to do for V what the Sci Fi Channel did for Battlestar Galactica, ABC has given the go-ahead on a reboot of the hit 1980s franchise about alien lizards from another planet who take over Earth. Scott Peters, the brain behind The 4400, will write and executive produce the update with Warner Bros. TV, per Variety. Warners shepherded the 1983 NBC TV movie, its sequel and a standalone series that ran during the 1984-85 season. The new version will completely revamp the original, including changing the allusions from the Holocaust to 9/11.
 
WHITAKER 'TO STAR' AS JAZZ LEGEND [BBC, 10/12/08]
Forest Whitaker is to star in, and direct, Louis Armstrong biopic What a Wonderful World, according to reports. The film was being made by Paris-based company Legende, which produced last year's Edith Piaf film La Vie en Rose, trade publication Variety said. Oscar Cohen, who began working as road manager for trumpeter and singer Armstrong in the late 1940s, will be executive producer, it added. Whitaker has previously played jazz great Charlie Parker in the film Bird. The 1988 movie was directed by Clint Eastwood. Ron Bass, whose previous credits include Entrapment and My Best Friend's Wedding, will write the script. It will begin with Armstrong's impoverished youth in New Orleans, according to Variety. "Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture," Whitaker told the paper. "He lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the US but all over the world." Whitaker has previously directed films including romantic comedies First Daughter, starring Katie Holmes and Michael Keaton, and Waiting to Exhale, featuring Whitney Houston. In 2007, he won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.
 
ROBERT LEPAGE WORKING WITH CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AGAIN [CBC, 10/12/08]
Quebec actor and director Robert Lepage is said to be working on a new touring show for Cirque du Soleil, set to launch in 2010. The collaboration would mark the second time Lepage has teamed up with the Montreal-based circus troupe, according to a report in the La Presse newspaper. Neither Lepage nor Cirque du Soleil would verify the report. "We have not yet announced our projects for 2010," said Cirque spokeswoman Chantal Côté. "When the project will be confirmed, we will announce." Lepage created the $220-million production Ka for the circus company, which opened in 2004. It's still playing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The 50-year-old director is considered a theatrical wunderkind, having staged everything from dramas to opera and musical theatre. In the mid-1990s, Lepage founded a multidisciplinary production company called Ex Machina and worked on the operas Erwartung and Bluebeard's Castle for the Canadian Opera Company. His films include Le Confessional, Le Polygraphe and Possible Worlds, while his theatre productions include The Seven Streams of the River Ota, The Dragons' Trilogy and The Far Side of the Moon. His most recent project is the Berlioz opera The Damnation of Faust, which premieres at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on Nov. 7. This summer, he staged a projection to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his hometown, Québec City, The Image Mill was described as the biggest outdoor architectural projection ever made. During a 40-minute presentation, a series of tableaux celebrates four centuries of the city's development and its residents.
 
FOR THE RECORD", MTV DOCUMENTARY OF BRITNEY SPEARS' LIFE [Aceshowbiz, 10/11/08]
MTV makes a documentary film of Britney Spears' life which will be aired on November 30 at 10 P.M two days before her new album "Circus" is released on December 2, 2008. Her return to the pop-music spotlight is going to be the basic of the 90-minute documentary. The tentatively titled "For The Record" documentary presents Britney's personal stories along with her 'comeback journey'. It shows how she goes to the recording studio, the set of her latest single video shoot for "Womanizer", rehearsals, even her hometown in Louisiana, and many more activities related to her comeback. Spears told MTV News about her documentary, "This is an opportunity to set the record straight and talk about what I've been through and where I'm headed." Britney's documentary will include her talking about the struggle to come back, her thoughts, and feelings about all the things she has been through. "I sit there and I look back," she said, before giving a rhetorical question: "I'm a smart person, what the hell was I thinking?"
 
"TOP MODEL" SPINOFF HEADS TO CATWALK [Reuters, 10/11/08]
The CW is spinning off its hit reality series "America's Next Top Model." The network has ordered a pilot for "Operation Fabulous," starring "Top Model" regulars Jay Manuel and J. Alexander and executive produced by "Top Model" chiefs Tyra Banks and Ken Mok. On "Fabulous," "Jay and J," as Manuel and Alexander are called on "Top Model," will travel the country giving women makeovers. In various towns, the duo will select five participants and give them "Top Model"-style overhauls -- how to dress, wear their hair and makeup and bring out their confidence with the support of family, friends and their community. The project seeks to capitalize on a fan-favorite "Model" segment, when contestants are given head-to-toe high-fashion makeovers supervised by Alexander. Manuel and Alexander have been with "Model" since the series' debut on UPN in 2003. Manuel is the creative director of show's photo shoots; Alexander is a runway expert who has been a judge for the past few seasons. "Fabulous" would mark the third fashion-themed reality series on CW from Banks and Mok, who also executive produce the network's series "Stylista," slated to debut October 22, 2008, which features contestants vying for an editorial position at Elle magazine.
 
BOND ASSASSIN'S "GOLDEN GUN" STOLEN [BBC, 10/11/08]
The £80,000 golden gun used in the 1974 James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun has been stolen from studios in Hertfordshire. The gun was noticed to be missing from Elstree Studios on Friday, October 10. It was made for the film starring Sir Roger Moore and Christopher Lee. Lee played Scaramanga, hired to kill Bond for $1 million with the gun made from a pen, a cigarette case and a lighter. The studios hope the golden gun will be offered to a memorabilia dealer. It is then hoped the thief will be able to be traced via the dealer. The gun was in the care of Elstree Props, a firm which is based at the studios. Staff have no idea when the gun was taken, but it was discovered missing on Friday. A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire Police said: "We were called to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood at 1325 BST after a report of a theft of a prop, which was the golden gun. "Inquiries are ongoing." In the film, when Bond receives a golden bullet inscribed with 007, he is distracted from his mission. He decides to track down Francisco Scaramanga, an assassin known as "The Man with the Golden Gun" whose assassinations cost $1 million each. Scaramanga uses the golden gun to kill a number of his foes, before a final confrontation with Bond.
 
PRODUCER MARK BURNETT REMAKING "THIS IS YOUR LIFE" [Aceshowbiz, 10/11/08]
British TV producer, Mark Burnett, is going to produce a remake of the classic TV show, "This Is Your Life". He will collaborate with the old series former producer, Ralph Edwards Prods, to revive the show. "'This Is Your Life' is one of the most enduring programs to air on television, and we are thrilled to be bringing it back with the top producer of unscripted entertainment," the president of Ralph Edwards Prods, Barbara Dunn-Leonard, who owns the rights of the format, stated. "There is no better partner to carry on the legacy of 'This Is Your Life' and introduce the program to a new generation of fans." Burnett, president of Mark Burnett Productions, said in a statement, "As a franchise with broad appeal for viewers of all generations, 'This Is Your Life' is a perfect fit for our company." Burnett is known for introducing reality TV as a genre to the U.S. His involvement in "This Is Your Life" is about three years after Fox TV Studios tried to revive the format. ABC developed a remake in 2005 with Fox TV Studios, but the project, to be hosted by Regis Philbin, never made it to air. "This Is Your Life" is a sort of unexpected reunions which surprise celebrity guests with people from their past. It launched firstly in 1948 as a radio program. It aired as a TV series on NBC from 1952-1961, then had a brief revival in 1972. In 1955, the show continued a very long run in the U.K. and is still running in Australia.
 
ZAC EFRON CONSIDERED PERFECT FOR "FOOTLOOSE" REMAKE [Aceshowbiz, 10/11/08]
After "High School Musical 3: Senior Year", Hollywood newest hunk Zac Efron is likely to step into another musical role. Words are circulating in the media that "Senior Year" director Kenny Ortega wants the 20-year-old to take the lead role of the modern version of "Footloose", insisting that Efron would be "perfect" for the role. Revealing his desire to re-team with his Troy Bolton's depicter, Ortega told BBC, "I think he'd be the perfect, perfect, perfect candidate to step in. I mean he's got this global excitement, this wonderful know-how." Further hinting that Efron may take the role once belonging to Kevin Bacon, the filmmaker then added, "He's the perfect age, so versatile, and talented and dynamic. You know it's hard for me to even imagine anybody that I think would be more perfectly suited." About the possible part in "Footloose" remake, the Nikki Blonsky's co-star in "Hairspray" commented, "I'll always be open to more musicals. I think they're fun and I think it's our responsibility as performers to try and keep them alive. I love Footloose - it's a great movie." On the remake project of the 1984 flick itself, it is expected to begin sometime in 2009, according to Ortega.  The original "Footloose" film was directed by Herbert Ross and starred by Bacon and Sarah Jessica Parker. It tells the story of Ren McCormack, a teenager who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music are banned. Striving to have a memorable senior prom with music and dancing, he and his friends try to find a way around the law.
 
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE SPARKLES IN "SAMANTHA WHO" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter,  10/11/08]
It takes Christina Applegate approximately 45 seconds in the second-season premiere of ABC's "Samantha Who?" to dispel any lingering discomfort the audience might have with the star's summertime diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent double mastectomy. We see her Samantha character dancing in her apartment and doing a quick strip down to her bra and panties, all to a rock music beat. It's a smart move from the show's producers and a courageous one for the star, who also appears in several scenes wearing a skin-tight leotard while learning dance steps from her mother Regina (the Emmy-winning Jean Smart). The gag is that Samantha once was a superb dancer but lost her ability to the coma-induced amnesia that is the show's running conceit. This too is something of a hoot, given Applegate's real-life talent as a Broadway-tested hoofer. The episode's A-story surrounds Sam's mom and dad entering a dance competition and having to take on Regina's arch nemesis Paula Drake (a nifty cameo from Cybill Shepherd). But the subtext is how mom's training of her daughter to regain her dance ability continues the process of bringing them closer together, and it plays out charmingly. "Samantha" was more or less the only freshman comedy hit of the strike-truncated 2007-08 season, and it's easy to see why. The sitcom has a breezy style that plays perfectly to Applegate's strengths. However this season, there will be an unstated element hovering over the show, that being the star's triumphant recovery from a frightful health trauma. But you'd be hard pressed to notice any difference in week one. The eyes still sparkle. The spirit remains effervescent. The lady clearly is unsinkable -- and fearless. (Samantha Who?, airs on ABC, 9:30-10 p.m.)
 
CROWE, DiCAPRIO SPY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE VICTORY [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/10/08]
"Body of Lies," a terrorism thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, will likely take the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office in North America, ending a run of bad luck for action movies dealing with the Iraq war. Director Ridley Scott's Warner Bros. release should fetch up to $20 million during the three days beginning Friday, October 10. Also new in theaters is "The Express," which will score in the mid-teen-millions. The Dennis Quaid football drama will vie for second place with last weekend's champ, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." One big unknown: How the downbeat news on the economy will affect moviegoers' film choices. Neither "Body" nor "Express" is escapist fare on the order of Disney's "Chihuahua," which opened to $29 million last weekend. Produced for less than $70 million, "Body of Lies" stars DiCaprio as a CIA agent in the Middle East, and Crowe as his slippery boss back in the States. Despite the star power, the film must try to distance itself from such unsuccessful releases as "Rendition," "Redacted," and "In the Valley of Elah." Prerelease tracking indicates that must-see interest is almost as strong among females as among males, with the title likely to skew just a bit toward older audiences. Warners is supporting "Body" with an aggressive media campaign amid promising early reviews, prompting the studio's distribution president Dan Fellman to confide he's "looking forward to a victory at the box office this weekend." Directed by Gary Fleder ("Runaway Jury"), Universal's "Express" is tracking best with older males and should draw well in most black demographics. Production costs are estimated at less than $40 million, but executives still will be hoping that last weekend's lightly attended sneak previews of "Express" were simply a product of an unusually competitive session marked by six wide bows. Elsewhere among wide openers, Sony bows its thriller "Quarantine," which could creep into the low-teen millions. Starring Jennifer Carpenter (Showtime's "Dexter"), "Quarantine" was produced for about $12 million. Walden Media's Fox-distributed sci-fi adventure "City of Ember" might be limited to an even lesser range, unfortunate for a film toting negative costs of about $38 million. The film, which stars Bill Murray and Tim Robbins, has failed to register with its targeted family audience.
 
DOMINIC MONAGHAN AND FREDDY RODRIGUEZ FACING DEADLY "FORTUNA" [Aceshowbiz, 10/10/08]
The questions about where Dominic Monaghan and Freddy Rodriguez will go after Monaghan stars in "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Rodriguez stars in "Grindhouse" now have been answered. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they both have signed on to join the cast of horror thriller "Fortuna". Together with "Fortuna" writer/director/actor Barthelemy Grossmann, they have been set up as desperate men who play a dangerous game named 'Fortuna' which contestants presumably can't survive. This movie is set in 2100 where 'Fortuna' engulfs the world. When economy has collapsed and climate has been in crisis, the world now consists only of a few people living in very wealthy condition and some group of people living in severe poverty. In order to give splash of hope and prevent the revolt, a few prosperous people create 'Fortuna', a mysterious game from which one in a thousands wins a big payday and joins the prosperous group of people. Their hidden goal is that the game can reduce the poverty by 30% over 50 years; however, it comes with deadly cost. Laurent Zilber will be the producer and Scott Duncan will be the co-producer of this privately financed film. This movie will be shot only for six weeks and will start shooting on November 10, 2008 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The setting is built isolated and in ghetto-like style, similar to 1973's post-apocalyptic thriller "Soylent Green".
 
FANTASTICAL TAKE ON CAPITALISM KICKS OFF MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL [CBC, 10/9/08]
Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinema opens Wednesday, October 8 with A Sentimental Capitalism, an ambitious feature by Quebec director Olivier Asselin. The film — with multiple story lines that range from a couple in Paris to operators in New York to a man who sells porcelain toilets — is making its world premiere. "A Sentimental Capitalism" shares opening night with the short surreal film Next Floor, about gluttony, which won an award at Cannes for director Denis Villeneuve. Madeleine Molymeaux, a programmer with the festival, says the festival was excited by Asselin's irreverent take on the notion that anything can be sold. It was also exciting to find a young filmmaker who makes reference to old film styles, including experimental film and expressionism of the 1920s and '30s, she said. "It's not the normal narrative approach you see in cinema, but a linking of fantastical stories and many film genres," she said. While Asselin has a background in TV and has made previous features such as Les Derniers Jours de Paris, he is, like most festival directors, early in his career. The International Selection program at Festival du Nouveau Cinema features first and second features by young directors and is often a harbinger of young talent. "Our core audience is young people," Molymeaux told CBC News. "They see what we're trying to do with young filmmakers." There are 250 films scheduled for the festival, which runs Oct. 8 to 10, 2008, chosen from among 4,000 submitted. The international program, where filmmakers compete for the Louve d'Or, includes British filmmaker Steve McQueen's Hunger and Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir, both of them have been acclaimed at other film festivals. Two Canadian films were also able to earn a berth in the program — À l'Ouest de Pluton by Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verrault and Down to the Dirt by Justin Simms. Down to the Dirt, an odd love story set in St. John's, N.L., about a hooligan poet and his girlfriend, is based on the book of the same name by Joel Thomas Hynes. She said one of the most popular parts of the festival is the Focus section, which highlights new Canadian and Quebec films. This year, that section features: Chers Électeurs; All Together Now; La Memoire des Anges; RIP: Remix Manifesto and Sous la Cagoule. The energy of the festival comes in part from the Quebec film industry, Molymeaux said. "There is such a vibrant industry here. We are not trying to make copycat movies of anywhere else."
 
OLIVER PLATT WILL STAR IN "GUYS AND DOLLS" REVIVAL [AP, 10/9/08]
Broadway has found its Nathan Detroit for the upcoming revival of "Guys and Dolls" — Oliver Platt. Platt will portray the unapologetic gambler in the classic Frank Loesser musical that will open March 1 at the Nederlander Theatre, producer Howard Panter announced Wednesday, October 8. The production will begin preview performances Feb. 3 at the renovated Nederlander, for more than a decade the home of "Rent." No word yet on who will play the show's three other lead characters — Sky Masterson, Sarah Brown and Miss Adelaide. The show's last Broadway revival of the musical, in 1992, featured a cast that included Nathan Lane and Faith Prince. Platt made his Broadway debut in 2006 in Conor McPherson's "Shining City," for which he received a best-actor Tony nomination. He has appeared in such TV series as "Huff" and "The West Wing," and will be seen in the film version of "Frost/Nixon." "Guys and Dolls" will be directed by Des McAnuff and feature choreography by Sergio Trujillo. McAnuff, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, worked with Trujillo on the current Broadway success, "Jersey Boys." "Guys and Dolls," which has a score by Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, originally opened on Broadway in 1950.
 
ACADEMY TO ALLOW FILM ADS ON OSCARS [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/9/08]
For the first time since the Oscars moved to TV in the early 1950s, studios will be able to advertise movies during the telecast of the Academy Awards next year. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences had long banned movie advertising out of concern that it might look as if studios were influencing the outcome of the awards, but the board of governors voted Tuesday night, October 7, after listening to the recommendations of a committee charged with studying the issue, to open up the show to movie ads -- albeit with plenty of restrictions. "With the criteria that the committee recommended in place, it offers us a further way to celebrate the movies, which is what the show is all about," Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger said. "And it is a way of adding some fun, creative and exciting content to the evening." That notion of celebrating the movies also dovetails with the stated goal of this year's producing team, Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, who hope to turn the February 22 broadcast into a larger look at the year in movies that goes beyond just the nominated films. Although the Oscars have suffered ratings declines in recent years, the program still attracts plenty of advertisers. The opportunity to promote upcoming movies -- particularly summer tentpoles -- is sure to appeal to the studios, which already use the Super Bowl broadcast to unveil new ads. And just as there are viewers who watch the Super Bowl simply for those ads, previews of highly anticipated summer movies also could lure more eyeballs to the Oscarcast. Studios, however, will have to jump through a number of hoops. In order to maintain an arm's length between the competing films and the ads themselves, the spots can't promote any of the nominated movies -- as well as any prequels or sequels to the nominees -- whether they be narrative features, animated films or documentaries. Movies in current release also will be verboten, with only movies that are set to open during the last week of April or later allowed. Each distributor will be permitted one spot each. Only one spot, whether 30- or 60-second, will be allowed during each commercial break. And each spot can promote only one film and not do double-duty by hyping several titles. Finally, the spots can't invoke the word "Oscar" or "Academy Award," so don't look for any ad trumpeting "from the Academy Award-winning director."
 
EMI TO LAUNCH NEW MUSIC SERVICE [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/9/08]
EMI is preparing to launch a music service by the end of the year, representing the latest direct-to-consumer business being planned by a major label. "This is not an effort to compete with iTunes or Amazon," said a source familiar with the situation. The service may live on EMI.com, which is dedicated to a mix of corporate and artist news. The music service will feature a mixture of paid and free content and also might include non-EMI artists as well. EMI is positioning the effort, which was first reported Wednesday, October 8 in the Financial Times, as an experimental "consumer lab." One option being considered is a music discovery function where fans of one act could be shown music that matches up with their tastes, similar to how such sites as lastfm.com and Pandora.com operate.
 
"CITY OF EMBER" CELEBRATES ITS PREMIER IN NYC [Aceshowbiz, 10/8/08]
In anticipation of "City of Ember" theatrical release this coming Friday on October 10, Fox-Walden Media have presented moviegoers with the premiere of their latest adventure fantasy film. Held at AMC Loews 19th Street Theatre, New York City, on Tuesday, October 7, the special screening event was a star-studded extravaganza. Rolling out the red carpet outside the theater, the evening event saw many of "Ember" cast ensemble, such as Harry Treadaway, Saorise Ronan, Bill Murray, Tim Robbins and Martin Landau. While Robbins who stars as Loris Harrow attended the premiere accompanied by his partner Susan Sarandon, Murray who portrays Ember's Mayor Cole, walked down the red carpet with yellow miner's helmet on his head and on his hand. The stars were also joined by the flick's director Gil Kenan. "Ember" tells the story of two teenagers forced to race against time in unlocking the clues of their ancient city to save the people they love when City of Ember, the sole world they know begins to literally fail on them and the only way to survive is to get out of the underground self-contained city. The flick is adapted by Caroline Thompson from Jeanne Duprau's book. 
 
COMEDIAN MATT LUCAS PICKED UP BY "ASTRO BOY" [Aceshowbiz, 10/8/08]
Astro Boy" now has an additional voice. On Tuesday, October 7, Erin Corbett, the President of Imagi Studios U.S., stated that the upcoming CGI animated feature film will include Matt Lucas in the voice cast ensemble. Other voice cast that crowd this movie include Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy and Eugene Levy. In addition, Freddie Highmore will take the voice for the title role. Lucas is a writer/actor who has been widely known for his performance on stage as well as in feature films and television. His famous accomplishment is winning multiple BAFTA Awards for his role as Vicky Pollard in popular BBC comedy series "Little Britain", which is also made in the U.S. with its series title "Little Britain USA". "Astro Boy" is directed by David Bowers, who is famous of his work "Flushed Away", with the screenplay written by Timothy Harris, who also wrote for "Trading Places", "Kindergarten Cop". Meanwhile, Maryann Garger is the producer of this movie. Imagi Studio's "Astro Boy" tells about a powerful young robot that begins to search for his identity and destiny. It will be released nationwide on October 23, 2009.
 
"QUANTUM OF SOLACE" GETTING ITS SEMI-NUDE GIRLS BACK [Aceshowbiz, 10/8/08]
"Quantum of Solace" will see the return of the scantily-clad silhouetted dancers featured in almost every opening credits of James Bond movies. In one of its article, The Sun reported that after the sequence went missing in "Casino Royale", the signature opening of the superspy flick will be displayed once again in the 22nd James Bond movie featuring the silhouette of two sexy dancers, Franky Wedge and Jessica Grist. To the tabloid, 26-year-old Wedge gave out the confirmation gushing, "I had an audition and I thought there was no way I was going to get it. There were ten foot tall skinny models and I was like, 'Oh right'." She then added, "I was actually in Milan when they told me I'd got the part, so I had to fly straight home to do a rehearsal." On the sequence itself, the dancer explained, "We had to get a bit naked! We were wearing some things just to cover certain bits of us, but it had to look like we had nothing on!" Additionally, she also revealed that some of the sequences will be computer generated. According to Commander Bond, the title sequence is created by design company named MK12. Following once again Daniel Craig as the superspy agent 007 in one of the most complex missions he has ever done, "Quantum" picks up literally hours after the end of "Royale". In it, Bond throws himself to a mission to uncover the truth behind the betrayal of the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd, leading him to a mysterious organization led by Dominic Greene who strives to dominate one of the world's most important natural resources. Directed by Marc Forster and penned by a team of writers, Robert Wade, Neal Purvis and Paul Haggis, the Columbia Pictures' flick also features the likes of Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Olga Kurylenko, Giancarlo Giannini, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, etc. It is due to be released in the theaters nationwide on November 14, 2008.
 
"STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI" BETTER THAN ORIGINAL ONE [Aceshowbiz, 10/8/08]
Sharing his thought about the forthcoming "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" to MTV News, Steven E. de Souza gives out a surprising comment about the new "Street Fighter" project. The director/writer of the 1994 "Street Fighter" believes that "Chun-Li" will be a better movie than the original one due to the fact that it focuses on one particular character. About the Andrzej Bartkowiak-directed movie, he praised, "I heard that it's the story of just Chun-Li. That has to make for a better picture." He also revealed that he cannot wait to see how the characters in the new flick will be portrayed by Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Klein, BlackEyed Peas' Taboo and other co-stars. Comparing the new adaptation to his version, he recalled the flaw of the original flick saying, "When we were making the original one, they insisted that all of the characters be in the movie. And if you do the math, that gives you about 7 minutes per character if you split it up equally...And then [Jean-Claude] Van Damme was cast. But he still wasn't in the whole movie, because it was so overpopulated!" Adapted from the famous series of fighting video games by Capcom, "Legend of Chun-Li" focuses its story on the undercover Interpol agent Chun-Li. Using a script from Justin Marks, it will follow the character known for her 'ox-horns' hairstyle as she seeks for justice. Starring Kristin Kreuk as the titular character, it is coming out February 27, 2009.
 
STOKER DESCENDANT RESURRECTS "DRACULA" FOR SEQUEL [CBC, 10/8/08]
Drawing from handwritten notes by Bram Stoker, the horror author's great-grandnephew is set to pen a Dracula sequel entitled Dracula: The Un-Dead. The new project is the first story authorized by the Stoker family and estate since the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi. The forthcoming Dracula: The Un-Dead — apparently the title Stoker had intended for his original before an editor changed it — is slated for release in October 2009 in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Film rights to the new story have also been sold, with production tentatively scheduled to begin in June 2009. Dacre Stoker, a former Canadian Olympic pentathlon coach who is now based in the U.S., will co-write the new novel with "Dracula" historian and screenwriter Ian Holt. Not having read his ancestor's 1897 novel until college, Dacre Stoker told the U.K's Guardian newspaper that he decided to prepare a research paper on the original story and his great-grand-uncle's motivation in writing it. "Because the novel was so good and had stood up so well over the years, I found it exceedingly sad that all of the trash Hollywood had put out monumentally sullied Bram's and my family's literary legacy," he told the paper. After meeting Holt, the duo decided to work together "to give both Bram and 'Dracula" back their dignity." The sequel will be set in 1912 and will chronicle trials faced by Quincey, the son of Stoker's original young hero Jonathan Harker.
 
TOM THUMB HITCHES RIDE TO THE BIG SCREEN [Reuters, 10/8/08]
A little man is coming to the big screen. Warner Bros. is developing "Thumb," a feature version of Tom Thumb, the diminutive folklore character who has had many entertainment incarnations over the years. Kevin Lima ("Enchanted") will direct. "Thumb" will primarily be a live-action movie, though Thumb may be depicted as a computer-generated character. The comedy-adventure will explore the character's origin story, looking at the heroism that a knight must summon after he is reduced to a pint size. Tom Thumb is a British legend that dates as far back as the 1500s; the minuscule hero is known for getting himself into mischief in his parents' home and eventually winding up in the castle of King Arthur. Among the feature adaptations were a live-action musical from MGM in 1958 and a darker animated BBC film in 1993. In addition to "Enchanted," Lima co-directed Disney's "Tarzan," which grossed $435 million worldwide when it was released in 1999.
 
MARVEL ASSEMBLES CARTOON "AVENGERS" [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/8/08]
The cry of "Avengers assemble" will soon be coming from the television. Marvel Animation, the cartoon division of Marvel Entertainment, is beginning production on "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," which will be available for broadcast in 2011. "Avengers," based on the long-running comic, features some of the company's most popular characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Giant Man, and the comely Wasp, who fight forces of evil that no single hero stands a chance against. The series' broadcast debut will come in time for the theatrical release of Marvel's live-action movies "The First Avenger: Captain America" and "The Avengers." Marvel has released two direct-to-DVD animated features based on the Avengers characters: 2006's "Ultimate Avengers" and "Ultimate Avengers II." Marvel Animation is in the midst of a big push in the toon sector. Its all-new series "Wolverine and the X-Men" and "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" debut on Nicktoons in 2009. Also coming is "Marvel Super Hero Squad and the Black Panther."
 
JOHNNY DEPP SNAGS MILLION POUNDS DEAL FOR "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4"
[Aceshowbiz, 10/7/08]
Johnny Depp is indeed reprising one of his memorable roles, Captain Jack Sparrow, in "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" with one lucrative deal. According to Gordon Smart of The Sun's Bizzare, the 44-year-old will be earning as much as 32 million pounds to star as the treacherous and eccentric Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. This big payout has been given out by the mouse house because Disney allegedly need their Sparrow for the fourth movie. "It's a lot of swag but they just can't make another without Sparrow," an insider revealed. Reportedly, Depp's earning for the sequel tops Tom Hanks' 29 million pounds check for "The Da Vinci Code" sequel, "Angels & Demons". Though many details on "Pirates 4" have been kept well under wraps, words are this fourth film would be focusing on Sparrow as he embarks on a journey to find the Fountain of Youth with Captain Barbossa, leaving Elizabeth and Will out of the adventure. It is also said that the unlikely duo will be forced to team up in order to "defeat some supernatural terror". Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it is set for May 20, 2011 release.
 
MATTHEW BRODERICK RETURNS TO BROADWAY NEXT SPRING [AP, 10/7/08]
Matthew Broderick will return to Broadway next spring in a revival of "The Philanthropist," a comedy by English playwright Christopher Hampton. The Roundabout Theatre Company production, directed by David Grindley, will open April 26, 2009, at the American Airlines Theatre, Todd Haimes, the Roundabout's artistic director, announced Monday. It will begin preview performances April 10. Broderick, in his first Broadway appearance since the 2005 revival of "The Odd Couple," portrays Philip, an insular college professor. Other casting will be announced. "The Philanthropist" had a 64-performance run on Broadway in 1971 in a production that featured Alec McCowen, Jane Asher and Victor Spinetti.
 
DREAMWORKS, PARAMOUNT FINALIZE SEPARATION [Reuters, 10/7/08]
The principals behind DreamWorks SKG and Paramount Pictures sealed their parting of ways on Sunday, October 5, allowing the DreamWorks studio to tie up with Reliance ADA Group of India to start a new film company. As part of the agreement, the DreamWorks principals' new company will take the lead on a number of development projects, which Paramount will have the option to co-finance and co-distribute, the studios said in a joint statement. The separation agreement involved 200 DreamWorks-developed projects with DreamWorks taking the lead on 15 to 20, according to trade reports. Paramount will take the lead on about 15 to 20 projects, permitting the Reliance-backed venture to co-finance and co-distribute. Paramount will keep in its fold the remainder of the 200 projects, but the two appeared on Sunday to have parted ways amicably, leaving open the possibility of further collaboration. DreamWorks, co-founded by director Steven Spielberg, is also expected as early as this week to announce a new studio distribution partner, widely expected to be General Electric Co's Universal, which will provide either domestic or international distribution on the shared Paramount projects, said a source familiar with the discussions. Most DreamWorks staff are expected to be offered positions at the new company, DreamWorks and Paramount said. DreamWorks co-founder David Geffen will not join the new company. In addition, Spielberg will continue to produce the Transformers franchise for Paramount and will also collaborate on three other Paramount films including, "When Worlds Collide." The Hollywood-Bollywood linkup of DreamWorks and the Mumbai-based entertainment, financial and telecommunications giant two weeks ago caps two years of speculation and feuding between the DreamWorks partners and executives from Paramount and its corporate parent, Viacom Inc. "We have had a great run with the DreamWorks team both creatively and financially," said Brad Gray, chairman and chief executive of Paramount Pictures. "In particular, it has been a true honor working closely with a storyteller of Steven's talent and stature." Spielberg added: "Brad is a friend and I am pleased to be able to continue to work with him and his team with whom we have shared many successes." Despite their uneasy partnership, DreamWorks continued to churn out successful movies for Paramount, including last year's hits "Transformers," "Disturbia" and "Blades of Glory." DreamWorks Animation, a separate publicly held studio run by another DreamWorks co-founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, has its own distribution deal with Paramount through 2012.
 
MARVEL STUDIOS TAKING MANHATTAN (BEACH, THAT IS) [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/7/08]
Marvel Studios is keeping its movies in California. The company has signed a long-term lease with Raleigh Studios to film four big-budget movies at Raleigh's Manhattan Beach complex: "Iron Man 2," "Thor," "The First Avenger: Captain America" and "The Avengers." As part of the agreement, Marvel will move its Beverly Hills-based executive and production offices to Raleigh's facility in the tony suburb south of Los Angeles International Airport. Currently shooting on the site are TV shows "CSI : Miami," "The Medium," "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "90210." The Marvel deal is a boon for Los Angeles' and California's beleaguered film industry, which has been battling runaway production for the better part of this decade as other states, and other countries, have lured projects with massive tax incentives. The Marvel projects are tentpole movies, and the agreement easily keeps more than $500 million worth of production in the state. "Iron Man," for example, had a production budget of at least $140 million. Soundstages already are being prepared for the first production, "Iron Man 2," which Jon Favreau will direct. Favreau, who shot the first "Iron Man" in California, was one of the advocates of the agreement. The director, an ardent proponent of in-state shooting, has a clause in his contract that specifies the movies he directs shoot here. "Iron Man 2" had been expected to shoot in California, but the fact that the rest of the slate will be shot in-state is an eye-opener. "I'm very surprised. I wasn't sure they were going to be able to make it work financially, considering how attractive some of the other options were," said Amy Lemisch, director of the California Film Commission. "This is great news for California. Each one of these movies is going to employ thousands of workers." One of the options was locations in Canada; Marvel's "The Incredible Hulk" filmed in Toronto, as did some of the "X-Men" movies. Based on its own studies, the commission estimates that each movie -- if it has a budget in the $150 million range -- will mean about $20 million in tax revenue for California. Marvel already has set release dates for the movies: "Iron Man 2" will be released May 7, 2010; "Thor" on July 16, 2010; "Captain America" on May 6, 2011; and "Avengers" on July 15, 2011.
 
"CHANGELING" BRINGS OUT THE BIG GUNS AT THE NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL [FWD, 10/6/08]
Clint Eastwood is no fool. He knew that the moment he cast Angelina Jolie as the woman to play the single mother of a kidnapped child in his new fact-based period drama "Changeling" that she would bring more than just her acting talents to the project. She and partner Brad Pitt are, after all, the most famous celebrity pair on the planet, so where Angelina and Brad go, publicity follows. That was the case Saturday night, October 4 as Hollywood's three biggest guns, Eastwood, Jolie and Pitt, took to the red carpet in New York for the premiere of "Changeling" as the gala centerpiece of the New York Film Festival. Jolie's popularity is a fact that Eastwood easily admitted to influencing him in her casting, at an earlier press conference promoting the film. And the other reason Eastwood, who directs the film, but does not appear, chose Academy Award winner Jolie for his protagonist is her obvious acting talent, for "Changeling" opens in late October, just in time to join the race for awards season recognition. "I always thought of her as a very interesting actress, a very good actress," Eastwood explained. "And then in recent years she's had so much publicity, being on the cover of every possible publication in the world. She's really talented and she's the most prepared actress, or is certainly as prepared as any actress I've worked with. Of course, she does have the most striking face that one could imagine." Now the mother of six children, Jolie certainly seems to have succeeded in combining motherhood and career successfully. As she told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, it is exactly that reality that motivated her to take on the role in "Changeling," the fact-based tale set in Los Angeles during the 1920's that focuses on a single mother's worst nightmare, the disappearance of her son. "To lose a child, I can't imagine anything worse, especially not knowing the fate of that child," she said, explaining how she immersed herself in a character's life that is so seemingly different than her own. "The period was very interesting to me, that she was a woman in the Twenties. As a very modern and outspoken woman myself, I knew that was going to be a challenge. So much of it is being a mother, and imagining if this was happening to me, what my pain and frustration would be." Happily, there wasn't an iota of pain or frustration in Angelina Jolie's world on Saturday night, just Brad Pitt and Clint Eastwood flanking her on the red carpet.
 
"CHIHUAHUA" BEST SHOW AT BOX OFFICE [Reuters, 10/6/08]
Canine comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" was top dog at the North American box offices, digging up $29 million in ticket sales in its first weekend in theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday, October 5. Thriller "Eagle Eye" with rising star Shia LaBeouf fell to No. 2 in its second week with $17.7 million, and teen comedy-romance "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist", starring the awkward heartthrob Michael Cera, debuted at No. 3 with $12 million. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" scored big for Walt Disney Pictures, a unit of The Walt Disney Co., with an irresistible dog tale and a smart marketing campaign that appealed to parents and kids who haven't had a good family film in months, industry watchers said. "Everyone in Hollywood thought the little chihuahua would take a big bite out of the box office," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. The film released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, has $54.6 million to show in proceeds in its first two weeks. "Nick & Norah," played by Cera of "Juno" and "Superbad" fame and Kat Dennings, looks to be another modestly budgeted winner for Sony Corp, recouping in its first weekend nearly all its $13 million cost. Rounding out the top five are two Warner Bros. films: "Nights in Rodanthe," the romantic drama starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, and the western "Appaloosa", directed by actor Ed Harris, who also stars in the film with Viggo Mortensen. The documentary "Religulous," humorist Bill Maher's attack on organized religions, came in at No. 10 with $3.5 million in its first weekend. But the film released by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, showed a per-theater average of $7,000, a high number for a documentary. "Timing is right for this movie with the election coming up," said Dergarabedian, referring to the U.S. elections on November 4. Another sign of early success came from the limited release of family drama "Rachel Getting Married," which opened in just nine theaters and grossed $300,000. The film released by Sony Pictures Classics stars Anne Hathaway as a woman furloughed from rehab for her sister's wedding.
 
1 MILLION TAKE IN TORONTO'S "NUIT BLANCHE" [CBC, 10/5/08]
Organizers estimate a million people took in Toronto's third annual all-night arts extravaganza, Nuit Blanche, as the city's streets, buildings and public spaces were turned into art galleries for one night only. Hundreds of thousands, some of whom came from out of town, took in live performances, installations, videos and other forms of art through Saturday night, October 4 into the early morning hours of Sunday. The attendance has doubled since the event's inception in 2006, according to organizers, attracting both art lovers and people who wouldn't ordinarily attend such events. "It's just gained so much popularity … we thought, let's come. Let's check it out," said Brian Wilkinson as he stared at Into the Blue, a massive, translucent balloon piece floating above the crowds at the Eaton Centre. Nuit Blanche, an idea imported from France, included both Canadian and international artists from Japan, Sweden, Spain, Germany and India. Foreign artists included Project Blinkenlights, a Berlin arts group that turns the lights of a building into images. The group lit up Toronto City Hall in a display that was visible from the square outside. As well, Jillian McDonald of New York presented her work, Zombies in Condoland, which used actors and art patrons playing the part of zombies in a downtown building. Canadian pieces included: A 25-metre garden under a drop ceiling in a back alley next to Massey Hall created by Sébastien Giguère, Nicholas Laverdière and Jasmin Bilodeau of Quebec City;  A sound installation by Luis Jacob of Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens; Oil rigs set up over a downtown parking lot by Calgarian Rita McKeough. The event, held in the middle of a federal election campaign, also had people talking about Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent cuts to the arts, totalling more than $45 million. "Look at the crowds … these are not artists in tuxedos. These are all average people out here," said Les Talbot, who was taking in an installation at the pond at Ryerson University. The pond was shrouded in artificial fog and blue light, topped by rubber duckies. Talbot was referring to Harper's rebuke to critics of his arts cuts, in which the Tory leader said that "ordinary working people" weren't interested in a "niche issue" such as the arts, especially when they see arts galas on TV, subsidized by taxpayers. "We need more street art. When you go to Europe, you go around the cities [and] they have all these strange pieces of art all over the city. We should do more of that."
 
VISA PROBLEMS HIT VANCOUVER FILM FESTIVAL [CBC, 10/5/08]
The Vancouver International Film Festival is suffering from a spate of no-shows by filmmakers due to visa complications, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. Iranian director Manijeh Hekmat is still waiting for a visa to attend the festival next week. Hekmat's film, 3 Women, is about three generations of Iranian women. She has been invited to the movie's North American premiere. Three other filmmakers have already been denied visas by the Canadian government, according to Saturday's article. Gao Wendong of China was also turned away. His film, Sweet Food City, got a special mention on Thursday night from the jury of the Dragons and Tigers Award for emerging Asian filmmakers. Emily Tang's divorce tale, Perfect Life, was given that honour. Tang received the $10,000 award for "the subtlety of [her film's] wonderfully free storytelling." Programmer Tony Rayns told Thursday night's audience that Gao had been "turned away by the Canadian government" in what's "become an annual tradition." Chinese director Yu Guangyi (Survival Song ) was also denied a visa because he wanted his family to accompany him to Vancouver, festival officials said. Filipino Charliebebs Gohetia, who directed The "Thank You" Girls, did not make it into Canada either. "It's the Immigration Department that makes those determinations and they are not obliged to provide reasons for each case to us. So we're left with questions on how we could better facilitate it next year," festival director Alan Franey told the Globe. Customs and Immigration Canada said it would be inappropriate to comment on specific cases.
 
CHIHUAHUA" HAS PAWS ON THE BOX-OFFICE PRIZE [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/4/08]
It's looking like a dog of a weekend at the box office. Disney's dog, to be exact, as the Burbank studio unspools its PG comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" amid expectations that the live-action with talking dogs feature could fetch up to $30 million during its opening weekend. The film's canines are voiced by Drew Barrymore, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andy Garcia and George Lopez. Family patrons form the target audience, but Disney executives hope the young-at-heart crowd also will come along for the four-legged romp. "In all the screenings we've done, we have gotten nothing but wonderful marks from all the audiences who were on hand," Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said. "So there's no question that this is a commercial, family film, but I believe we can expand on that audience." With "Chihuahua" sure to bow at No. 1, last weekend's top dog -- DreamWorks/Paramount's "Eagle Eye" -- could grab second place, if the Shia LaBeouf/Michelle Monaghan thriller rings up half its $29.2 million opening gross during its sophomore session. But Sony's young-skewing PG-13 comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" also will compete for the silver-medal position. The musically driven romantic comedy starring Michael Cera ("Superbad") and Kat Dennings ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") appears safe to open in the teen millions, and a particularly robust weekend could help it soar a bit higher than "Eagle." This weekend's four other wide openers look likely to max out in the upper single-digit millions. Miramax's "Blindness" -- starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Gael Garcia Bernal and directed by Fernando Meirelles -- is getting a wide bow, but the atmospheric thriller likely will need positive word-of-mouth from its first frame to fuel a leggy run toward commercial success. MGM and After Dark's R-rated comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," starring Simon Pegg ("Hot Fuzz"), should skew a bit older than "Playlist" and gross much lower. Vivendi's political spoof "An American Carol" skewers liberal sensitivities and is likely to play best with even older audiences. "Carol" represents the first film release for Vivendi, whose next scheduled film is the Mariah Carey-starring "Tennessee" in December. Spyglass Entertainment's Universal-distributed drama "Flash of Genius" stars Greg Kinnear but has barely registered in prerelease tracking surveys. Based on the true story of Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, "Genius" might find its true road to decent returns in the DVD market. Universal this weekend also will offer 750 sneak previews of its October 10 pigskin film "The Express," starring Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown.
 
DISNEY INDIA PUTS 4 FEATURES IN MOTION [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 10/4/08]
In another sign of Hollywood's growing interest in the Indian film industry, the Walt Disney Company India is planning a quartet of live-action features under its local banner, Walt Disney Pictures India. "We have finalized two projects to start with," a WDCI spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, October 3. Budget details were not provided. The first project is "The 19th Step," which revolves around the ancient Indian martial arts form Kalarippayattu. The film, planned as a multilingual Indian release, stars leading South Indian actor Kamal Hassan. Japanese star Asano Tadanabo and Indian actress Asin also are in the cast. Bharat Bala, one of India's best-known music video directors, will be at the helm. The second film, "Zokkomon," is a children's tale starring child actor Darsheel Safari, who won acclaim in 2007 for the hit "Taare Zameen Par" (Stars On Earth), which tackled the theme of dyslexia. Satyajit Bhatkal is directing "Zokkomon." The two other Walt Disney Pictures India features are in the development process. Disney made its first foray into local production last year with an exclusive three-picture deal to co-produce animation titles with veteran Mumbai-based banner Yash Raj Films. The first release, "Roadside Romeo" -- voiced by top Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and actress Kareena Kapoor -- opens October 24, 2008.
 
STORCH/CARIOU REPRISE VANCOUVER ROLES OF "FROST/NIXON" FOR TORONTO RUN
[Playbill, 10/4/08]
Three-time Dora Award winner Ted Dykstra (Canadian Stage's Fire) directs Tony Award winner Cariou (Sweeney Todd) and Dora Award winner Storch (The Lonesome West). Frost/Nixon had its Canadian premiere Sept. 18 in Vancouver. Opening night at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto is Oct. 16, 2008. The 2007 Tony Award-nominated play by Morgan, award-winning screenwriter of author of "The Last King of Scotland" and "The Queen," chronicles the planning and execution of the famous post-Watergate, post-resignation interviews between celebrity interviewer Frost and disgraced U.S. president Richard M. Nixon. "Frost/Nixon has never been more relevant than it is today in the waning days of the Bush administration. There are strikingly parallel themes between the play and the current political landscape," stated Canadian Stage artistic producer Martin Bragg. "I can't wait for audiences to experience this visceral thrill ride through one of the most hard-fought political interviews in history." The Frost/Nixon cast also features Ari Cohen as Jim Reston, Tom McBeath as Jack Brennan, Damien Atkins as John Birt, Andrea Runge as Caroline Cushing, Michael Healey as Bob Zelnick, Alec Willows as Swifty Lazar, Shaker Paleja as Manolo Sanchez, Edwina Cheer as Evonne Goolagong, David Bloom as Mike Wallace/Floor Director and Lissa Neptuno as Makeup Lady/Waitress. The creative team includes Patrick Clark (set and costume designer), Alan Brodie (lighting designer), Jamie Nesbitt (video designer), with sound design and original music by Creighton Doane. Rick Rinder is the stage manager, and Marinda De Beer is the assistant stage manager. The play was a hit in London and on Broadway in a premiere directed by Michael Grandage. Frank Langella won the Best Actor Tony Award for playing Nixon on Broadway, opposite Michael Sheen. Both had played their roles in London and repeated their work for the Ron Howard film version, to be released in late 2008. Frost/Nixon is currently on a U.S. national tour (directed by Grandage) starring Stacy Keach as Nixon. The play had its American regional premiere at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in August in a co-production with Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY, where it plays Oct. 21-Nov. 16. Cariou is a Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran, originally from Winnipeg. He is best known for creating the roles of the Fredrik Egerman in A Little Night Music (Tony Award nomination) and title role in Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street opposite Angela Lansbury (Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award). Other Broadway roles include Applause with Lauren Bacall (Tony Award nomination), Nightwatch, Cold Storage, The Dinner Party and Proof with Anne Heche. Storch is a Dora Award-winning actor who has worked with companies across the country, including the Alberta Theatre Projects, Theatre Calgary, Manitoba Theatre Centre, National Arts Centre, Citadel Theatre, Blyth Festival, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre Company and Neptune Theatre, among others. He is also a busy director. As an actor, he appeared in various Canadian Stage productions including Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - A Love Story, Angels in America, Patience, Hysteria, The Lonesome West (for which he won a Dora Award), Amadeus, Take Me Out, Habeas Corpus and What Lies Before Us. For Canadian Stage tickets and information, call (416) 368-3110 or canstage.com.
 
SNEAK PEEK AT THE UPCOMING "WATCHMEN" FILM [AP, 10/3/08]
Director Zack Snyder previewed and discussed three scenes from his upcoming graphic novel adaptation Wednesday, October 1. The film is based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' award-winning graphic novel of the same name about a group of subversive superheroes in hiding. Snyder, who directed "300," said the movie was originally slated to be set in modern times and explained how he slowly persuaded studio Warner Bros. to stay true to the graphic novel's alternate 1985 setting, where Richard Nixon remains president and outlaws superheroes. "I was like, 'What if we just set it back a little further, like 1990?'" said Snyder. "And then we just said that 1985 is cooler because then it would be more of a period movie. That was how, for me anyway, I got as much of the graphic novel back in."  "Watchmen" is scheduled to tick into movie theaters March 6, 2009, but the film's release could be in jeopardy because of a lawsuit filed earlier this year by Twentieth Century Fox, which claims to have the rights to distribute a film based on the graphic novel. "We're just working on the movie," Snyder said of the lawsuit. "I'm not a lawyer, so it's hard for me to comment on that. I probably shouldn't, I guess. We've just been forging ahead. If they wanted to come and stop us, I guess they would, but they haven't yet." Snyder was also adamant that since no more "Watchmen" source material exists from the graphic novel, a sequel or prequel to his "Watchman" — currently clocking in at a beefy 2-hour-and-43-minute running time — could never be created. At least not one he'd direct. "There can't be a sequel," said Snyder when asked about rumored sequel clauses in actors' contracts.  [Previews are available online.]
 
BIG SCREEN MAKEOVER FOR YOGI BEAR [BBC, 10/3/08]
Classic cartoon character Yogi Bear, and his sidekick Boo-Boo, are set for a big screen makeover. The film, which will marry animation with live action footage - in the style of 2007 film hit Alvin & The Chipmunks - will be directed by Ash Brannon. Brannon previously worked on Toy Story 2 and A Bugs Life. Yogi Bear first appeared on TV in the late 1950s, on The Huckleberry Hound Show, and starred in his own series, The Yogi Bear Show, from 1961. The bear was one of several Hanna-Barbera characters to have a collar, allowing the head to be animated separately, reducing production costs. The film, being made by Warner Bros, will follow Yogi Bear's antics eluding his arch-enemy Ranger Smith in Jellystone Park.
 
POLICE DRAMA "THE RANT" PREMIERES IN FLORIDA [Playbill, 10/3/08]
Artistic director Ricky J. Martinez directs "The Rant", a drama about an investigator assigned to the murder case of a 16-year-old African- American boy shot and killed by an NYPD police officer. The investigator "must wade through prejudice, deceit, and a volley of anonymous threats to find out where culpability and truth really lies," according to New Theatre notes. Opening is Oct. 4, 2008. The cast includes Ricky Waugh, Patrice DeGraff-Arenas, Reiss Gaspard and Pilar Uribe. The creative team includes production stage manager Betsy Paull-Rick, stage manager Clint Hooper, lighting designer Travis Neff, sound designer Osvaldo Quintana, costume designer K. Blair Brown and scenic designer Jesus Casimiro. The Rant is part of the National New Play Network's "rolling world premiere" program whereby theatres around the country independently mount the same play and bill it as the world premiere, hoping to insure a wider life for it. Performances play Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 1 PM. Additional Sunday 5:30 PM performances will play Oct. 12 and 19, 2008. New Theatre is located in Coral Gables, one block from Village of Merrick Park, at 4120 Laguna Street, Coral Gables, FL. For tickets call (305) 443-5909 or visit www.new-theatre.org. Run by Ricky J. Martinez (artistic director) and Eileen Suarez (managing director), New Theatre was founded in 1986 and is dedicated to the development and production of new works. The theatre has brought the national premieres of more than 30 plays by early- and mid-career American playwrights to South Florida, including New Theatre-commissioned Anna in the Tropics, winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
 
MR. CLEAN ACTOR HOUSE PETERS JR. DEAD AT 92 [AP, 10/2/08]
House Peters Jr., a TV actor who became the original Mr. Clean in Proctor & Gamble's commercials for household cleaners, died Wednesday, October 1. He was 92. Peters died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Los Angeles, said his son, Jon Peters. The elder Peters' most memorable role came as Mr. Clean — a muscular man with a bald head, a hoop earring and a no-nonsense attitude toward dirt and grime. From the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, Peters Jr. helped advertise the famous household cleaner with the trademark jingle, "Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean." Peters Jr. played many supporting roles through his career, including working with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry on their television shows. He also appeared in "Perry Mason," "Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone" and "Lassie." "He always played the heavy," Jon Peters said, referring to his father's customary roles as a villain or brawny character. "Even though he wasn't happy about being cast in those roles, he worked really hard at it." His father's acting career spanned 1935-1967, according to his Web site. He also wrote an autobiography, "Another Side of Hollywood," in which he describes growing up the son of an actress and silent film actor in Beverly Hills. His father, Robert House Peters Sr., has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Peters Jr. was never a leading man, but played many character parts in cowboy movies and won a Golden Boot Award in 2000 for his lifetime contributions to the western genre, his son said. Peters Jr. was born Jan. 12, 1916, in New Rochelle, N.Y., as Robert House Peters Jr. His son said Peters Jr. studied drama in high school and became inspired to pursue an acting career. He also is survived by his wife, Lucy Pickett, a daughter, another son and four grandchildren.
 
DIRECTOR PICKED TO PILOT LUCAS FILM'S "RED TAILS" [Reuters, 10/2/08]
George Lucas' "Red Tails" project is on the runway, ready for takeoff. Anthony Hemingway, who has directed episodes of "The Wire," "CSI: NY" and "ER," will helm the long-gestating World War II film. John Ridley has written the script. Lucas will serve as executive producer on the Lucasfilm feature, which will shoot in Prague, Italy, Croatia and England. Red Tails was the name of the first group of black airmen to serve as pilot escorts for American bombers in the war. Although their ability to fly had been questioned on racist grounds, the Red Tails' record in the sky was so impressive that they were in demand to lead bombing runs over Italy and Germany in the last year of the conflict. Their story began under President Franklin Roosevelt, who as an experiment sent the soldiers to Tuskegee, Alabama, to train once the war started. There, they experienced rampant racism and harassment. After their exemplary performance in the war, they helped to desegregate the Army's flying crew. Lucas has been developing the project since 1989 but put it aside to complete his second trilogy of "Star Wars" films and revive the "Indiana Jones" franchise.
 
LION KING INHERITS LAS VEGAS PERCH FROM DEPARTING MAMMA MIA! [CBC, 10/2/08]
Disney's family-friendly stage show The Lion King is heading to Sin City next year, taking over for long-running musical Mamma Mia! at the city's Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. The move marks Disney's first theatrical foray into Las Vegas, which has had a mixed record for imports from Broadway. Though Mamma Mia! has been a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip since 2003 — it is the city's longest-running, full-length Broadway musical and helped pave the way for more musicals in the city — other acclaimed shows have not fared as well in recent years, with the curtain falling earlier than expected on Tony Award winners like Avenue Q, Hairspray and The Producers. Mamma Mia!, the musical stitched together with hit songs by ABBA, had initially been slated to close in August, but its run was extended into 2009 because of this summer's release of the film adaptation. The show will now close Jan. 4, 2009, after more than 2,200 performances. The Lion King will begin its preview performances at the Mandalay Bay in April.
 
"TOBACCO ROAD" TO OPEN AT LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE [Playbill, 10/2/08]
A Major Broadway Hit, 'Tobacco Road', to Open at La Jolla Playhouse. The play fascinated audiences for a Broadway run that lasted 1933-41. It remains the second longest-running play in Broadway history, after Life With Father. Performances of the revival, directed by David Schweizer, continue to Oct. 26 at the Mandell Weiss Forum at La Jolla Playhouse in California. Opening is Oct. 5. According to La Jolla notes, "Tobacco Road's savage humor, religiosity and bold sexuality shocked Depression-era audiences and critics alike when it was first dramatized for the stage in 1933 by Jack Kirkland. It was based on Erskine Caldwell's novel, 'Tobacco Road,' published in 1932." The La Jolla production "promises to astound a new generation with its emotionally gripping and glaringly truthful look at humanity. In a ramshackle farm in Georgia during the Great Depression, the Lester family has become squatters on their own land. With no money, fuel or seed, their future on the farm seems hopeless. Unmoved by his wife's pleas for a new life in the city, his daughter's misery with her lecherous new husband, or his son's questionable love affair with a traveling female preacher, stubborn patriarch Jeeter isn't going anywhere. Their unbearable hunger and desperation causes a shattering endgame, in which a final act of compassion outshines the meanness of their lives." The cast features Lucy Ann Albert (Grandma); Catherine Curtin (Sister Bessie); Kate Dalton (Ellie May); Mary Deaton (Pearl); John Fleck (Jeeter Lester), known as one of the now legendary "NEA Four," performance artists that challenged censorship in the United States Supreme Court; Joel J. Gelman (George Payne); Jan Leslie Harding (Ada Lester); Jesse MacKinnon (Henry Peabody); Chris Reed (Lov Bensey); Sam Rosen (Dude Lester); and Josh Wade (Captain Tim, u/s Dude). Schweizer won an Obie Award for directing Rinde Eckert's And God Created Great Whales. The creative team includes sound designer and composer Shahrokh Yadegari, scene and costume designer David Zinn, lighting designer Christopher Akerlind, voice and dialect coach Annie Hinton, fight master George Yé, dramaturg Gabriel Greene, stage manager Anjee Nero and assistant stage manager Annette Yé. Director Schweizer said in a statement, "Tobacco Road is no-holds-barred theatre that fascinated 1930s audiences in part because it commented on their precarious Depression era lifestyle in a provocative and surprising way. Once again, now, it has intense contemporary relevance, in fact, it couldn't be more timely given our current economic crises. Yet, there is also something about the play's portrait of survival and human resourcefulness - scrappy, cunning human resourcefulness in the face of unbearable odds - that I find inspiring." This production contains adult content, nudity and graphic language. Although it's rarely staged, the play was seen as recently as 2007 in a production at Triad Stage, the resident Equity theatre in Greensboro, NC. For more information about California's La Jolla Playhouse, visit lajollaplayhouse.org.
 
IN "FLASH OF GENIUS" GREED IS NOT SO GOOD [Reuters, 10/1/08]
"Flash of Genius" may not be the sexiest film to debut this fall, but its true tale of the inventor of intermittent windshield wipers poses a timely question of values and ethics in the current economic crisis. If a major, profit-oriented corporation offered you millions of dollars for your invention, but declined to give you credit for the idea, would you take the money and run? "Flash of Genius," which premiered at the Toronto film festival earlier this month and hits theaters on Friday, tells of university professor Robert Kearns, who fought the Detroit automakers that he claimed tried to steal his invention. Kearns, portrayed by Greg Kinnear in the film, paid dearly for his legal battle. His wife left him, and he was separated from his six kids. He lost his job and was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. Kearns died in 2005. He never gave up over some 12 years, which in many movies would make Kearns a hero, but his stubborn mind-set in the face of losing everything important in his life also makes him unlikable at times. Kinnear and writer/director Marc Abraham found his dual nature interesting to study in the film. "To me, I've never been someone who thinks black and white in life, I've never found that to be true," Abraham said. "And it's very, very, very rare that moments come with such clarity that you're right and everybody else is wrong." Kinnear agreed. "We live in a world of compromise (but) every popular game show is about take the frickin' money,'" he said. In 1963, Kearns dreamed up the idea for the intermittent wipers in his basement -- inspired by the simple ability of a blinking eye -- that would swipe away water in a light rain instead of the heavy downpours for which wipers were made. For years, automakers worked with him to perfect the machine, but then abandoned him to pursue the idea on their own, sparking the decades-long saga covered in the film. Kearns is offered money -- at one time, $30 million by the Ford Motor Co. -- to sign away the rights to his invention, but he would not get credit. He decides, instead, that values of truth and honesty are worth fighting for. Indeed, money is often considered to have greater sex appeal in the movies. What film fan will forget Gordon Gekko's famous "greed is good" speech from 1987's "Wall Street"? But in fall 2008, with the financial markets reeling in bank failures and the U.S. government considering a taxpayer bailout plan, it just may be that truth and justice will win the day at theater box offices for "Flash of Genius."
 
HBO IN CLINCH WITH NORMAN LEAR [Reuters, 10/1/08]
In his first major collaboration with HBO, Norman Lear, who produced such landmark sitcoms as "All in the Family," "Maude," "The Jeffersons" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," has teamed with the premium cable network for a drama series set in the world of 1970s pro wrestling. Written by Aaron Blitzstein and produced by Lear's Act III Prods., the character-driven drama, tentatively titled "Everybody Hurts," revolves around a family running a pro-wrestling business in New York and peeks into the lives of the wrestlers and their fans. Lear and Act III's Lara Bergthold, who are executive producing the project, had wanted to do a show about pro wrestling for a while. "Pro wrestling is a pretty fair reflection of good and evil in our culture," Lear said. Added Bergthold, "Wrestling is where people turn to when they feel the government is lying to them and there are no real heroes in their lives." The two met with Blitzstein to discuss a different show idea when the conversation turned to Blitzstein's stint with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Blitzstein is a late bloomer as a writer. He started off working in the music representation business with such bands as Foo Fighters and Sonic Youth, and spent a couple of years as vice president of marketing for WCW before moving to Los Angeles in 2004 to pursue a career as a writer. "Every day was the greatest day ever and the worst day you could possibly imagine," Blitzstein recalled about his time at WCW. "I've never seen more colorful people than pro wrestlers." The three started developing a pro-wrestling show, setting it in the early days of the sports entertainment phenomenon, before it became a billion-dollar industry. "It was more of mom-and-pop type of feel back then," said Blitzstein, who is drawing on his memories as a wrestling fan growing up in Baltimore and New York. "And it was a little bit more ridiculous and fun." Lear, Bergthold and Blitzstein found a lot of similarities between the political and economic climate in the '70s and today. "It was post-Watergate, and the U.S. was dealing with an energy crisis and the Iran hostage crisis," Blitzstein said. "Now we're dealing with the Bush administration, our soldiers in Iraq and the skyrocketing gas prices. The show is as much about family and politics as it is about wrestling." There will be comedic touches, especially in the portrayal of the wrestlers, that will capitalize on Blitzstein's comedy-writing background on such shows as "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Crank Yankers." He moved to drama with FX's "The Riches," leading to his project for HBO.
 
JACK BLACK "PANDA" WRITES PLAN ACTION SPOOF [Reuters, 10/1/08]
Actor/musician Jack Black is reuniting with "Kung Fu Panda" writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger for an untitled action comedy at Universal. In a sort of comedic "The Bourne Identity," the live-action film centers on Black as an American who finds himself washed up on the shores of Cuba with no idea of who he is and how he got there. He comes to the conclusion that he must be a superspy, which is far from the truth. Universal picked up the project as a pitch in a seven-figure deal. Aibel and Berger worked with Black for months in the recording sessions for DreamWorks Animation's "Panda," which became one of the biggest hits of the summer, grossing more than $215 million domestically and kicking up another $405 million internationally. The scribes, who were writer-producers on "King of the Hill," are working on DreamWorks' next animated movie, "Monsters vs. Aliens," which features the voices of Seth Rogen and Reese Witherspoon and is due in the spring. Black appears next year in Columbia's adventure comedy "Year One," directed by Harold Ramis.
 
BLIND ACTIVISTS PLAN PROTEST OF MOVIE "BLINDNESS" [AP, 10/1/08]
Blind people quarantined in a mental asylum, attacking each other, soiling themselves, trading sex for food. For Marc Maurer, who's blind, such a scenario — as shown in the movie "Blindness" — is not a clever allegory for a breakdown in society. Instead, it's an offensive and chilling depiction that Maurer fears could undermine efforts to integrate blind people into the mainstream. "The movie portrays blind people as monsters, and I believe it to be a lie," said Maurer, president of the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind. "Blindness doesn't turn decent people into monsters." The organization plans to protest the movie, released by Miramax Films, at 75 theaters around the country when it's released Friday. Blind people and their allies will hand out fliers and carry signs. Among the slogans: "I'm not an actor. But I play a blind person in real life." The movie reinforces inaccurate stereotypes, including that the blind cannot care for themselves and are perpetually disoriented, according to the NFB. "We face a 70 percent unemployment rate and other social problems because people don't think we can do anything, and this movie is not going to help — at all," said Christopher Danielsen, a spokesman for the organization. "Blindness" director Fernando Meirelles, an Academy Award nominee for "City of God," was shooting on location Thursday and unavailable for comment, according to Miramax. The studio released a statement that read, in part, "We are saddened to learn that the National Federation of the Blind plans to protest the film 'Blindness.'" The NFB began planning the protests after seven staffers, including Danielsen, attended a screening of the movie in Baltimore last week. The group included three sighted employees. "Everybody was offended," Danielsen said. The film was the opening-night entry at the Cannes Film Festival, where many critics were unimpressed. After Cannes, Meirelles retooled the film, removing a voice-over that some critics felt spelled out its themes too explicitly. Meirelles told The Associated Press at Cannes that the film draws parallels to such disasters as Hurricane Katrina, the global food shortage and the cyclone in Myanmar. "There are different kinds of blindness. There's 2 billion people that are starving in the world," Meirelles said. "This is happening. It doesn't need a catastrophe. It's happening, and because there isn't an event like Katrina, we don't see."
 
COMIC ACTOR SIMON PEGG GOES FROM ZOMBIES TO STAR TREK VIA MANHATTAN [CBC, 10/1/08]
British comic actor Simon Pegg hits the big screens this week as geeky journalist Sidney Young in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Toby Young, it has an off-beat humour that appealed to the actor and writer who starred in comic zombie movie Shaun of the Dead and cop satire Hot Fuzz. "The script was very funny and very sharp, and it was being directed by Robert Weide who directed much of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is one of my all-time favourite shows," Pegg told CBC cultural affairs show Q on Tuesday. "That alone for me was the draw." Pegg plays a celebrity-bashing, prank-pulling, socially inept English journalist who gets hired by a Vanity-Fair-like Manhattan magazine to write the very puff pieces he despises. Pegg says he doesn't hanker after leading-man roles and found this one just plain fun. "I think they needed somebody to redeem the character slightly," he said. "When you're playing a part who's as objectionable as Toby can be at times in 90 minutes, you have to make sure they're slightly sympathetic." Pegg's British TV career took off with the sitcom Spaced, which he wrote as well as starred in. But now he's in demand as a character actor in American film. Sidney is the kind of British character who can't quite straddle the cultural gap to make it in America. Pegg said he understands that kind of alienation. " People in the U.K. feel a real kinship with North America just because we speak the same language and feel we're distant cousins," Pegg said. "In actual fact, you don't realize how foreign you are until you get here. When I'm over here promoting my own films like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, you learn pretty quickly that you're actually selling a foreign film." Still, Sidney winds up in a clinch with Kirsten Dunst on the Brooklyn Bridge, an indication he may not be as inept in all areas of life. For Pegg, his next role is one he takes much more seriously: Scotty in the next Star Trek movie. "I'm a huge fan of [late Canadian actor] James Doohan, and it's a characterization that cemented him eternal life in the pantheon of science fiction," Pegg said. "I thought, 'Wow, this is a responsibility.' I absolutely made sure I wasn't doing anything that could be construed as an impression of James Doohan or pastiche of him." Pegg said. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People debuted at Cannes and is due for commercial release later this week.
 
RECENT HOLLYWOOD SCRIPT DEALS [Reuters, 10/1/08]
"Nights in Rodanthe" screenwriter Ann Peacock will adapt John Grisham's 1997 novel "The Partner" for the big screen. The project, from Oscar-winning producer Bob Chartoff ("Rocky") and newcomer Velocity Management, centers on a disillusioned lawyer who steals $90 million from his law firm, stages his own death and successfully disappears for several years. What at first seems to be a brilliant white-collar crime is further complicated by a murder charge. Peacock also penned "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" and co-wrote "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." In NYC GigaPix Studios and Vanguard Entertainment Group have picked up "The Old College Try," a time-travel comedy script by Brett Gursky and Scott Herbst. In his debut behind the camera, Gursky will direct the feature, which centers on a thirtysomething commitment-phobic man who finds himself transported back to his college days at Syracuse University, where he can alter his romantic fate in what is described as a modern "Peggy Sue Got Married." 
 
SPIKE TAKES LOCAL LOOK AT BRIT HIT "PEEP SHOW" [Reuters, 10/1/08]
Spike TV is peering into "Peep Show," ordering a pilot for the single-camera comedy adaptation of a British series. "Peep Show" is a modern-day "Odd Couple" centering on a slacker (Rob Chester Smith) and his uptight roommate (Brad Morris). The stories are told with a first-person perspective and voice-over. Dylan Kidd is directing the pilot from a script by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, writers on the U.K. series. The British series is entering its sixth season on Channel 4.

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