(Reuters) - British royals Kate Middleton and Prince Harry led Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list on Tuesday, following a year in which all eyes have been on Britain's young members of the monarchy.
The newlywed Duchess of Cambridge, 30, whose husband is Harry's brother Prince William, will grace the September cover of the magazine's newsstand editions after a year of setting style trends and wowing fashionistas with her mix of designer and high street wardrobe choices in her first year of official duties.
The magazine said Prince Charles spent an estimated $55,000 on designer clothes for his new daughter-in-law but that Middleton declined the services of a royal dresser. Instead, she selected her own wardrobe from designers such as Alice Temperley and Alexander McQueen, as well as stores like Topshop and T.K. Maxx.
With Prince William off the list, fashion watchers wondered if his father should offer to hire him a stylist.
Prince Harry, 27, led the best-dressed men followed by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who is married to model Gisele Bundchen. Both the prince and the sports star made their first appearances on the style list.
The Vanity Fair best-dressed rundown is voted for by more than 2,000 fashion industry professionals, journalists and taste-makers as well as the best-dressed Hall of Fame members.
Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain, who will grace the September cover for subscribers' editions, became a red carpet staple during this year's awards season and made her debut on the best-dressed list for bold fashion choices, including her Alexander McQueen dress at this year's Oscars ceremony.
She was joined by fellow actresses Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing, Lea Seydoux, model Elettra Wiedemann and musician Alicia Keys.
Rapper Jay-Z joined Prince Harry and Brady for his first appearance in the style rundown, beating wife Beyonce, who failed to make the top 10. 'Today' show co-host Matt Lauer and '60 Minutes' correspondent Morley Safer also made it.
The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were not the only royal to be included. The women's list acknowledged best-dressed veterans Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, as well as first-timer Gucci model Charlotte Casiraghi, who is fourth in line to the Monaco throne.
British actor Colin Firth and wife Livia made the best-dressed couples list, and New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, 81, was named a 'fashion original.'
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and David Gregorio)
This news article is brought to you by SAVING MONEY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Olivia Munn finds success in busy film, TV career
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After nearly a decade of slowly and steadily rising in Hollywood, Olivia Munn is finding success on big and small screens with the HBO television drama 'The Newsroom' and director Steven Soderbergh's movie 'Magic Mike.'
If working with two high-profile Oscar winners in Soderbergh and 'Newsroom' creator Aaron Sorkin was not enough, Munn is now taking her first leading role in the independent film comedy 'The Babymakers,' which hits U.S. theaters on Friday.
A former host of TV network G4 and correspondent on Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show,' Munn portrays the wife of a man who cannot make her pregnant, so he gathers his friends to break into a sperm bank to steal the deposit he left years ago.
'What I loved about the movie is the dynamic of this couple,' Munn, 32, told Reuters. 'They're in the early years of their marriage; they feel like they have time. Everything (on the reproductive side) seemed to be working before, but now there's this problem.'
'Babymakers' is directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, who also appears in the film. Munn first met the director when he was a guest on her G4 program 'Attack of the Show!' and she won a beer-chugging contest. A friendship was born.
On G4, which focuses on video game news and entertainment, Munn won fans for being funny, sexy and game savvy. It also caught the attention of Jon Stewart, who signed her to be a correspondent on his Emmy Award-winning comedy 'The Daily Show,' which Munn says marked a turning point in her life.
'It put me on a different level,' said Munn. 'I was the first female on the show in seven years and the first correspondent in five years. When you change up something that people watch every day, they are going to take notice.'
One of those who noticed was 'Daily Show' fan Sorkin.
'The Newsroom' is not Munn's first stab at the news or being part of an ensemble cast on television. The Oklahoma-born, Tokyo-raised Munn majored in journalism in college and worked for a time as a sports reporter. She guest starred on numerous TV shows before being cast in 2011 NBC series, 'Perfect Couples.'
The program, about three couples in various stages of their lives, was canceled before the season ended, although Munn doesn't quite see it that way.
'I prefer to think that it wasn't canceled, but that it turned in to a mini-series because that doesn't sound as sad,' said Munn.
She has been on a roll since then. Male stripper movie 'Magic Mike,' in which she portrays a lover of the lead character, has been one of Hollywood's surprise hits, taking in $107 million in U.S. theaters so far.
'The Newsroom,' in which Munn portrays financial analyst Sloan Sabbith, rode a wave of advance media hype ahead of its premiere and, despite mixed reviews, has been renewed for a second season on cable TV network HBO.
Sorkin is known for writing fast dialogue that makes points in films like 'The Social Network,' or TV shows such as 'The West Wing,' but Munn said she has had no trouble keeping up with the pace.
'I speak very fast normally,' she said. 'My Asian mother is always telling me to slow down. The biggest challenge is doing justice to Sorkin's dialogue. It has a melody to it, and Sloan has a different cadence than I do ... The challenge is learning the character so well that it becomes second nature.'
Munn called this a 'very exciting' time in a career that has finally come together after years of hard work. And although she may not know what roles the future holds, she is certain of one thing: 'I don't want this to be temporary.'
(Editing By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
If working with two high-profile Oscar winners in Soderbergh and 'Newsroom' creator Aaron Sorkin was not enough, Munn is now taking her first leading role in the independent film comedy 'The Babymakers,' which hits U.S. theaters on Friday.
A former host of TV network G4 and correspondent on Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show,' Munn portrays the wife of a man who cannot make her pregnant, so he gathers his friends to break into a sperm bank to steal the deposit he left years ago.
'What I loved about the movie is the dynamic of this couple,' Munn, 32, told Reuters. 'They're in the early years of their marriage; they feel like they have time. Everything (on the reproductive side) seemed to be working before, but now there's this problem.'
'Babymakers' is directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, who also appears in the film. Munn first met the director when he was a guest on her G4 program 'Attack of the Show!' and she won a beer-chugging contest. A friendship was born.
On G4, which focuses on video game news and entertainment, Munn won fans for being funny, sexy and game savvy. It also caught the attention of Jon Stewart, who signed her to be a correspondent on his Emmy Award-winning comedy 'The Daily Show,' which Munn says marked a turning point in her life.
'It put me on a different level,' said Munn. 'I was the first female on the show in seven years and the first correspondent in five years. When you change up something that people watch every day, they are going to take notice.'
One of those who noticed was 'Daily Show' fan Sorkin.
'The Newsroom' is not Munn's first stab at the news or being part of an ensemble cast on television. The Oklahoma-born, Tokyo-raised Munn majored in journalism in college and worked for a time as a sports reporter. She guest starred on numerous TV shows before being cast in 2011 NBC series, 'Perfect Couples.'
The program, about three couples in various stages of their lives, was canceled before the season ended, although Munn doesn't quite see it that way.
'I prefer to think that it wasn't canceled, but that it turned in to a mini-series because that doesn't sound as sad,' said Munn.
She has been on a roll since then. Male stripper movie 'Magic Mike,' in which she portrays a lover of the lead character, has been one of Hollywood's surprise hits, taking in $107 million in U.S. theaters so far.
'The Newsroom,' in which Munn portrays financial analyst Sloan Sabbith, rode a wave of advance media hype ahead of its premiere and, despite mixed reviews, has been renewed for a second season on cable TV network HBO.
Sorkin is known for writing fast dialogue that makes points in films like 'The Social Network,' or TV shows such as 'The West Wing,' but Munn said she has had no trouble keeping up with the pace.
'I speak very fast normally,' she said. 'My Asian mother is always telling me to slow down. The biggest challenge is doing justice to Sorkin's dialogue. It has a melody to it, and Sloan has a different cadence than I do ... The challenge is learning the character so well that it becomes second nature.'
Munn called this a 'very exciting' time in a career that has finally come together after years of hard work. And although she may not know what roles the future holds, she is certain of one thing: 'I don't want this to be temporary.'
(Editing By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Kirk and Anne Douglas give $20 million to Hollywood non-profit
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Film legend Kirk Douglas and his wife, Anne, will donate $20 million to the Motion Picture and Television Fund's capital campaign, the Hollywood non-profit said Monday.
The gift will come from the Douglas Foundation, and part of the donation will be used to expand Harry's Haven, the MPTF's Alzheimer's unit, and to sustain dementia care at the organization's Woodland Hills campus.
That unit, along with the non-profit's hospital and long-term care facilities were once pegged to be closed until a grassroots campaign involving patients and their families created a public relations firestorm that persuaded the MPTF's leadership to drop its original plan and keep those facilities open.
In January, the MPTF bowed to pressure and announced it would begin accepting new residents for the first time since it announced plans to close the facility in 2009.
'When Anne and I were deciding how much to give to MPTF this year, we looked again at the wide range of services the Fund provides,' Kirk Douglas said in a statement. 'Then we doubled our pledge!'
'You know, I believe that giving to others is selfish, because the giver gets so much pleasure from it,' he added. 'I hope Anne and I inspire many more selfish acts of this kind, especially from the younger generation of entertainment professionals.'
The Douglas Foundation gift is the latest high-profile contribution to the MPTF's $350 million, three-year fundraising drive.
Two weeks ago, News Corp. announced it will donate $20 million to the charity and last month media mogul Barry Diller donated $30 million to the campaign. Diller, a billionaire and the former chairman of Fox and Paramount Pictures, currently heads the internet company, IAC/InterActiveCorp.
Among the major figures in the entertainment industry who have contributed to MPTF's capital campaign are construction and entertainment magnate Steve Bing, 'Hangover' director Todd Phillips, producer Joe Roth, George Clooney, media and music entrepreneur David Geffen and Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg.
In addition to providing long-term care, the MPTF offers a range of charitable programs, such as financial assistance for rent, mortgage, food and extraordinary healthcare crises to counseling and health care support for uninsured members of the entertainment community.
This news article is brought to you by PARENTING KIDS - where latest news are our top priority.
The gift will come from the Douglas Foundation, and part of the donation will be used to expand Harry's Haven, the MPTF's Alzheimer's unit, and to sustain dementia care at the organization's Woodland Hills campus.
That unit, along with the non-profit's hospital and long-term care facilities were once pegged to be closed until a grassroots campaign involving patients and their families created a public relations firestorm that persuaded the MPTF's leadership to drop its original plan and keep those facilities open.
In January, the MPTF bowed to pressure and announced it would begin accepting new residents for the first time since it announced plans to close the facility in 2009.
'When Anne and I were deciding how much to give to MPTF this year, we looked again at the wide range of services the Fund provides,' Kirk Douglas said in a statement. 'Then we doubled our pledge!'
'You know, I believe that giving to others is selfish, because the giver gets so much pleasure from it,' he added. 'I hope Anne and I inspire many more selfish acts of this kind, especially from the younger generation of entertainment professionals.'
The Douglas Foundation gift is the latest high-profile contribution to the MPTF's $350 million, three-year fundraising drive.
Two weeks ago, News Corp. announced it will donate $20 million to the charity and last month media mogul Barry Diller donated $30 million to the campaign. Diller, a billionaire and the former chairman of Fox and Paramount Pictures, currently heads the internet company, IAC/InterActiveCorp.
Among the major figures in the entertainment industry who have contributed to MPTF's capital campaign are construction and entertainment magnate Steve Bing, 'Hangover' director Todd Phillips, producer Joe Roth, George Clooney, media and music entrepreneur David Geffen and Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg.
In addition to providing long-term care, the MPTF offers a range of charitable programs, such as financial assistance for rent, mortgage, food and extraordinary healthcare crises to counseling and health care support for uninsured members of the entertainment community.
This news article is brought to you by PARENTING KIDS - where latest news are our top priority.
Romney misses out on Ron Jeremy endorsement
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Mitt Romney had better ditch that trip to Poland and head back to the United States posthaste to shore up his teetering adult film star base. The presumptive Republican nominee just lost Ron Jeremy's endorsement, and with it the support of millions of Americans who turn to the porn legend for political guidance.
Jeremy, whose more than 2,000 adult film credits clearly make him an expert on presidential politics and the American electorate, told the Boston Herald this week that he will be casting his vote for Barack Obama.
Forget George Clooney and Sarah Jessica Parker, POTUS may have found a new favorite celebrity surrogate.
Despite his decision to back the current White House occupant, Jeremy (porn name: 'The Hedgehog') did have some nice things to say about Romney, calling him a 'good man.'
'I think the fact that he's such an amazing father proves a lot,' Jeremy said. 'I give him a lot of credit. He's raised some good sons. When a man is a really, really good father, that's very important.'
Jeremy was in town to promote Ron de Jeremy, a line of rum that its makers credit with being a harmoniously balanced orchestra of oak, fruit and spices.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Jeremy, whose more than 2,000 adult film credits clearly make him an expert on presidential politics and the American electorate, told the Boston Herald this week that he will be casting his vote for Barack Obama.
Forget George Clooney and Sarah Jessica Parker, POTUS may have found a new favorite celebrity surrogate.
Despite his decision to back the current White House occupant, Jeremy (porn name: 'The Hedgehog') did have some nice things to say about Romney, calling him a 'good man.'
'I think the fact that he's such an amazing father proves a lot,' Jeremy said. 'I give him a lot of credit. He's raised some good sons. When a man is a really, really good father, that's very important.'
Jeremy was in town to promote Ron de Jeremy, a line of rum that its makers credit with being a harmoniously balanced orchestra of oak, fruit and spices.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Spirited queen happy to play Bond girl
LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth needed little persuading in making her film debut, appearing with the country's most famous fictional spy James Bond during the London Olympic opening ceremony.
In a brief, tongue-in-cheek film broadcast to a packed Olympic stadium late on Friday - as well as a massive worldwide television audience - Bond actor Daniel Craig entered Buckingham Palace wearing his trademark tuxedo.
After a pause, Her Majesty turns from her writing desk and says simply: 'Good evening, Mr. Bond.'
She uttered just four words, but they were seen as a highly personal touch from a monarch once seen as aloof.
'The queen was delighted to be asked, and be involved in something so exceptional,' a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told Reuters on Saturday. 'Very pleased to take part, and it was our Olympics and the queen was delighted to be part of it.'
Princess Diana's death in 1997 was a low-point for the royal family, yet the huge crowds that greeted her during Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June were proof of how far the queen had recovered in the eyes of the public.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who escorted the 86-year-old monarch around the Olympic Park during an official tour on Saturday, said that she was 'thrilled' about the film and keen to know if people found her cameo role funny.
'My impression is that she loved it,' the staunch royalist told reporters. 'Maybe, you know, there won't be many film performances that she will give and whether she will get an Oscar, I don't know,' he joked.
The pre-recorded clip also showed 007 escorting the queen to the stadium in a moment of levity rarely shared by the public, who can only read about her well-reported sense of humor.
CORGI CAMEOS
The 86-year-old monarch was happy for two of her beloved corgis, Monty, 13, and Holly, nine, to play a role. The depiction of her derring-do arrival was a quirky moment in an eclectic ceremony on Friday.
The opening shot showed the Queen sitting at a writing table in Buckingham Palace, welcoming Bond, played by Daniel Craig.
The pair made their way to a waiting helicopter in the grounds of the central London palace, apparently leaving her doting corgis on the doorstep.
The helicopter zipped across the city and a man dressed as Bond skydived down towards the Olympic Park in east London, followed by a figure in a pale peach dress matching that worn by the queen in the film.
She then appeared for real in the main stadium before 60,000 spectators - and without a hair out of place - before taking her seat.
The film was the brainchild of the ceremony's director Danny Boyle, but it was London organizing committee (LOCOG) chairman Seb Coe who first approached the palace in 2011.
When asked how much it took to persuade the queen to take part, a LOCOG spokeswoman said: 'Not much.'
'I think she really liked the whole concept Danny had put together.'
Oscar-winning director Boyle shot the scenes in the palace's quadrangle, the Grand Entrance, the East Gallery, the Audience Room and the West Terrace, in March and April this year.
'You don't have to tell her something twice,' Boyle was quoted as saying by British media.
'She picks it up straight away, about cameras and angles.'
The queen was then given a viewing before its official showing.
'She was very happy to take part, she was happy to do what she did,' the Buckingham Palace spokeswoman added.
MEDIA HIT
Her off-beat appearance was a hit with the British media.
'It's been received really well, we always knew it would,' the palace spokeswoman added.
When asked if it might be the monarch's last appearance in a film, she said: 'Never say never, but I imagine so, it was a very special one-off.'
Other members of the Royal Family have had cameo appearances in long-running TV and radio soap operas.
Her stuntman Gary Connery said the part had been exciting, but he'd not been allowed to keep the dress.
'It's all part of it, and you just go with the flow,' he told BBC television.
'Last night was the first time I'd actually had the make-up on.
'The process of making me the queen ... had been three to four months.'
It capped off a successful year for the queen who in June marked 60 years on the throne with a weekend extravaganza that saw millions of flag waving Britons take to the streets to show their affection and appreciation for a monarch more normally renowned for her stately dignity.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alison Williams)
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
In a brief, tongue-in-cheek film broadcast to a packed Olympic stadium late on Friday - as well as a massive worldwide television audience - Bond actor Daniel Craig entered Buckingham Palace wearing his trademark tuxedo.
After a pause, Her Majesty turns from her writing desk and says simply: 'Good evening, Mr. Bond.'
She uttered just four words, but they were seen as a highly personal touch from a monarch once seen as aloof.
'The queen was delighted to be asked, and be involved in something so exceptional,' a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told Reuters on Saturday. 'Very pleased to take part, and it was our Olympics and the queen was delighted to be part of it.'
Princess Diana's death in 1997 was a low-point for the royal family, yet the huge crowds that greeted her during Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June were proof of how far the queen had recovered in the eyes of the public.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who escorted the 86-year-old monarch around the Olympic Park during an official tour on Saturday, said that she was 'thrilled' about the film and keen to know if people found her cameo role funny.
'My impression is that she loved it,' the staunch royalist told reporters. 'Maybe, you know, there won't be many film performances that she will give and whether she will get an Oscar, I don't know,' he joked.
The pre-recorded clip also showed 007 escorting the queen to the stadium in a moment of levity rarely shared by the public, who can only read about her well-reported sense of humor.
CORGI CAMEOS
The 86-year-old monarch was happy for two of her beloved corgis, Monty, 13, and Holly, nine, to play a role. The depiction of her derring-do arrival was a quirky moment in an eclectic ceremony on Friday.
The opening shot showed the Queen sitting at a writing table in Buckingham Palace, welcoming Bond, played by Daniel Craig.
The pair made their way to a waiting helicopter in the grounds of the central London palace, apparently leaving her doting corgis on the doorstep.
The helicopter zipped across the city and a man dressed as Bond skydived down towards the Olympic Park in east London, followed by a figure in a pale peach dress matching that worn by the queen in the film.
She then appeared for real in the main stadium before 60,000 spectators - and without a hair out of place - before taking her seat.
The film was the brainchild of the ceremony's director Danny Boyle, but it was London organizing committee (LOCOG) chairman Seb Coe who first approached the palace in 2011.
When asked how much it took to persuade the queen to take part, a LOCOG spokeswoman said: 'Not much.'
'I think she really liked the whole concept Danny had put together.'
Oscar-winning director Boyle shot the scenes in the palace's quadrangle, the Grand Entrance, the East Gallery, the Audience Room and the West Terrace, in March and April this year.
'You don't have to tell her something twice,' Boyle was quoted as saying by British media.
'She picks it up straight away, about cameras and angles.'
The queen was then given a viewing before its official showing.
'She was very happy to take part, she was happy to do what she did,' the Buckingham Palace spokeswoman added.
MEDIA HIT
Her off-beat appearance was a hit with the British media.
'It's been received really well, we always knew it would,' the palace spokeswoman added.
When asked if it might be the monarch's last appearance in a film, she said: 'Never say never, but I imagine so, it was a very special one-off.'
Other members of the Royal Family have had cameo appearances in long-running TV and radio soap operas.
Her stuntman Gary Connery said the part had been exciting, but he'd not been allowed to keep the dress.
'It's all part of it, and you just go with the flow,' he told BBC television.
'Last night was the first time I'd actually had the make-up on.
'The process of making me the queen ... had been three to four months.'
It capped off a successful year for the queen who in June marked 60 years on the throne with a weekend extravaganza that saw millions of flag waving Britons take to the streets to show their affection and appreciation for a monarch more normally renowned for her stately dignity.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alison Williams)
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Olympic Games opening sparks betting flurry on filmmaker Boyle
LONDON (Reuters) - Bookmakers expect record gambling on the 2012 Olympics after the opening ceremony prompted a flood of bets on event mastermind Danny Boyle receiving a knighthood - and confusion over wagers laid on who would light the Olympic flame.
Since London won the Olympics in 2005 gamblers have forked out on the closely guarded secret of who would light the flame, with British five-times gold medalist, rower Steve Redgrave, the clear favorite.
But in the end, seven young athletes selected by seven British Olympians lit the flame in unison, causing divides in the bookmaking ranks over how to handle the bet.
Ladbrokes and Stan James decided to pay out on all seven of the British Olympians involved which included Redgrave, Daley Thompson and Kelly Holmes.
William Hill voided all bets and refunded about 50,000 pounds ($80,000) wagered on the event since 2005.
'It is a bit disappointing as we've been taking bets on this for years and in the end there is no winner. There is no way anyone could have predicted any one or all of the seven people chosen,' William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said.
Stan James said it had voided all losing bets, meaning punters got their money refunded.
'It's a once in a lifetime occasion and we thought it appropriate to make this gesture after such an incredible start to the London Olympics,' spokesman Rory Jiwani said.
Bookmakers said the success of the opening ceremony devised by Boyle, who won an Oscar for his movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', had ignited a feelgood factor and already boosted gambling interest in the Olympics - and not just in the sports.
QUEEN ON FILM
Boyle, 55, is being tipped to be awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours List by Queen Elizabeth, whom he somehow managed to persuade to take part in her first movie role.
During the opening ceremony, a film showed James Bond actor Daniel Craig arriving at Buckingham Palace and escorting the Queen to a helicopter. Minutes later a helicopter appeared over the stadium and released two parachutists. The Queen then walked into the stadium to huge cheers from the 60,000 crowd.
'Everyone was amazed and wowed at what Boyle did last night,' Ladbroke's spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said. 'Before this Danny Boyle was 2-1 to get a knighthood but due to the sheer volume of bets we have cut this to 5-4.'
She said the largest bet so far was 5,000 pounds.
Coral spokesman David Stevens said they were running odds on Saturday of 6-4 that Boyle is knighted next year, having been 4-1 immediately after the opening ceremony.
Jirwani said the ceremony had boosted patriotic pride with odds of 4-5 that the British team will win more than 22 gold medals compared to 19 in Beijing which could push them above Russia to be third in medal table behind the United States and China.
Bookmakers are forecasting between 50-100 million pounds ($80-160 million) will be wagered on the London Games, which would be four to five times more than gambled at Beijing but still way short of other major sporting events.
They expected plenty of money on football and tennis with some interest in cycling after Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France victory.
The men's 100 meters race, a highlight of the Olympics, was not seen as a great draw for gamblers.
Mark Maydon, commercial director of the Sporting Index Group, said the odds were against Jamaica's Usain Bolt setting a new world record at this event after stunning the world with his 9.69 second win at Beijing. Bolt cut this to 9.58 a year later.
He predicted the 100 meters would be run in 9.71 seconds with only half of the 8-strong field running under 10 seconds.
Sharpe said gamblers were not enthusiastic about the race.
'It really is a two-horse race between Bolt and (fellow Jamaican) Yohan Blake and gamblers like to have a bit more competition than that,' he said.
(Editing by Alison Williams)
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Since London won the Olympics in 2005 gamblers have forked out on the closely guarded secret of who would light the flame, with British five-times gold medalist, rower Steve Redgrave, the clear favorite.
But in the end, seven young athletes selected by seven British Olympians lit the flame in unison, causing divides in the bookmaking ranks over how to handle the bet.
Ladbrokes and Stan James decided to pay out on all seven of the British Olympians involved which included Redgrave, Daley Thompson and Kelly Holmes.
William Hill voided all bets and refunded about 50,000 pounds ($80,000) wagered on the event since 2005.
'It is a bit disappointing as we've been taking bets on this for years and in the end there is no winner. There is no way anyone could have predicted any one or all of the seven people chosen,' William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said.
Stan James said it had voided all losing bets, meaning punters got their money refunded.
'It's a once in a lifetime occasion and we thought it appropriate to make this gesture after such an incredible start to the London Olympics,' spokesman Rory Jiwani said.
Bookmakers said the success of the opening ceremony devised by Boyle, who won an Oscar for his movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', had ignited a feelgood factor and already boosted gambling interest in the Olympics - and not just in the sports.
QUEEN ON FILM
Boyle, 55, is being tipped to be awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours List by Queen Elizabeth, whom he somehow managed to persuade to take part in her first movie role.
During the opening ceremony, a film showed James Bond actor Daniel Craig arriving at Buckingham Palace and escorting the Queen to a helicopter. Minutes later a helicopter appeared over the stadium and released two parachutists. The Queen then walked into the stadium to huge cheers from the 60,000 crowd.
'Everyone was amazed and wowed at what Boyle did last night,' Ladbroke's spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said. 'Before this Danny Boyle was 2-1 to get a knighthood but due to the sheer volume of bets we have cut this to 5-4.'
She said the largest bet so far was 5,000 pounds.
Coral spokesman David Stevens said they were running odds on Saturday of 6-4 that Boyle is knighted next year, having been 4-1 immediately after the opening ceremony.
Jirwani said the ceremony had boosted patriotic pride with odds of 4-5 that the British team will win more than 22 gold medals compared to 19 in Beijing which could push them above Russia to be third in medal table behind the United States and China.
Bookmakers are forecasting between 50-100 million pounds ($80-160 million) will be wagered on the London Games, which would be four to five times more than gambled at Beijing but still way short of other major sporting events.
They expected plenty of money on football and tennis with some interest in cycling after Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France victory.
The men's 100 meters race, a highlight of the Olympics, was not seen as a great draw for gamblers.
Mark Maydon, commercial director of the Sporting Index Group, said the odds were against Jamaica's Usain Bolt setting a new world record at this event after stunning the world with his 9.69 second win at Beijing. Bolt cut this to 9.58 a year later.
He predicted the 100 meters would be run in 9.71 seconds with only half of the 8-strong field running under 10 seconds.
Sharpe said gamblers were not enthusiastic about the race.
'It really is a two-horse race between Bolt and (fellow Jamaican) Yohan Blake and gamblers like to have a bit more competition than that,' he said.
(Editing by Alison Williams)
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Madonna voices love for tolerant France in Paris show
PARIS (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna treated fans to an intimate show at Paris' famed Olympia theatre on Thursday, voicing her love for a France that is open to minorities and artists and reinterpreting 'Je t'aime moi non plus,' a song laced with sexual innuendo.
Tickets for the surprise show - a last-minute addition to Madonna's 'MDNA' tour - were offered first to members of her fan club and sold out within minutes. Some people began gathering outside the Olympia as early as Wednesday for the show, and anticipation was running high.
In the end, reaction was mixed and some in the audience voiced disappointment at the show's length, a mere 45 minutes. A few called for refunds as they left the 2,700-seat theatre, Paris' oldest surviving music hall which has welcomed iconic stars from Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel to the Rolling Stones.
The concert was expected to have a political overtone to it, and Madonna started off on a rebellious note.
'I have a special affinity with France, and I have for many years,' the pop star shouted at the start. 'It could go all the way to Napoleon because I think of myself as a revolutionary.'
Yet there was no repeat of the performance she gave at the 80,000-seat Stade de France on July 14, which angered France's far right party leader Marine Le Pen by showing a picture of her with a swastika superimposed on her face.
France's National Front has since announced it will sue her.
On Thursday, Madonna offered only veiled criticism of the party's anti-immigrant stance, paying homage to a France which she said once 'opened its arms to minorities.'
'I know that I have made a certain Marine Le Pen very angry with me,' she said, adding that her intention was not to make enemies. 'We are entering some very scary times in the world. People are afraid, and what happens when people are afraid? They say 'get out! You're the reason. You're the problem. You're to blame,'' she told the audience.
LONG WAIT, SHORT SHOW
Tickets for the show, which included both classics and songs from her latest album 'MDNA,' started at 80 euros ($98) and were offered first to members of Madonna's fan club. They sold out in less than 5 minutes, organizers said, and the Olympia's website crashed several times due to heavy traffic.
Fans started gathering at noon on Wednesday to attend the show, with many pitching tents on the sidewalk to make sure they got as close as possible to the Material Girl.
Die-hard fan, 25-year-old Ally Gloser from Cologne, Germany, said she had bought tickets for 11 of Madonna's shows over the summer, at a cost of 2,500 euros.
'Normally, I'm a student. Now I'm a poor student,' she said.
True to form, the 53-year-old offered up an array of sexy outfits and age-defying moves, at one point adding a French touch for Parisian fans with a black leather pencil skirt, red lipstick, and a French beret. She paid tribute to several French artists, including actor Alain Delon and singer Piaf.
'I walk in her footsteps, actually I crawl in her footsteps', she said of the 'La Vie en rose' singer while kneeling on stage.
Under red lights and on an entirely empty stage, Madonna sang the famous French song, 'Je t'aime moi non plus' ('I love you, neither do I') written by Serge Gainsbourg in the late 1960s. She tied a dance partner down on a chair and pretended to shoot him in the mouth.
Audience reaction to the show was mixed.
'The show itself was pretty good, but she didn't even sing for an hour', complained 33-year-old Guillaume Delaval. 'She spoke for 15 minutes about tolerance, it's not the U.N. here.'
Pierce Brosnan, the Irish actor who played in four James Bond movies, attended the show with his wife.
'We're fans. My wife wanted to come, so we bought tickets,' he told Reuters, explaining he was in Paris to shoot a movie with Emma Thompson called 'Love Punch.'
Madonna will perform in Nice, France on August 21. After shows in the Middle East and Europe, the singer will give concerts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
(Reporting by Chine Labbe; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Stacey Joyce)
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Tickets for the surprise show - a last-minute addition to Madonna's 'MDNA' tour - were offered first to members of her fan club and sold out within minutes. Some people began gathering outside the Olympia as early as Wednesday for the show, and anticipation was running high.
In the end, reaction was mixed and some in the audience voiced disappointment at the show's length, a mere 45 minutes. A few called for refunds as they left the 2,700-seat theatre, Paris' oldest surviving music hall which has welcomed iconic stars from Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel to the Rolling Stones.
The concert was expected to have a political overtone to it, and Madonna started off on a rebellious note.
'I have a special affinity with France, and I have for many years,' the pop star shouted at the start. 'It could go all the way to Napoleon because I think of myself as a revolutionary.'
Yet there was no repeat of the performance she gave at the 80,000-seat Stade de France on July 14, which angered France's far right party leader Marine Le Pen by showing a picture of her with a swastika superimposed on her face.
France's National Front has since announced it will sue her.
On Thursday, Madonna offered only veiled criticism of the party's anti-immigrant stance, paying homage to a France which she said once 'opened its arms to minorities.'
'I know that I have made a certain Marine Le Pen very angry with me,' she said, adding that her intention was not to make enemies. 'We are entering some very scary times in the world. People are afraid, and what happens when people are afraid? They say 'get out! You're the reason. You're the problem. You're to blame,'' she told the audience.
LONG WAIT, SHORT SHOW
Tickets for the show, which included both classics and songs from her latest album 'MDNA,' started at 80 euros ($98) and were offered first to members of Madonna's fan club. They sold out in less than 5 minutes, organizers said, and the Olympia's website crashed several times due to heavy traffic.
Fans started gathering at noon on Wednesday to attend the show, with many pitching tents on the sidewalk to make sure they got as close as possible to the Material Girl.
Die-hard fan, 25-year-old Ally Gloser from Cologne, Germany, said she had bought tickets for 11 of Madonna's shows over the summer, at a cost of 2,500 euros.
'Normally, I'm a student. Now I'm a poor student,' she said.
True to form, the 53-year-old offered up an array of sexy outfits and age-defying moves, at one point adding a French touch for Parisian fans with a black leather pencil skirt, red lipstick, and a French beret. She paid tribute to several French artists, including actor Alain Delon and singer Piaf.
'I walk in her footsteps, actually I crawl in her footsteps', she said of the 'La Vie en rose' singer while kneeling on stage.
Under red lights and on an entirely empty stage, Madonna sang the famous French song, 'Je t'aime moi non plus' ('I love you, neither do I') written by Serge Gainsbourg in the late 1960s. She tied a dance partner down on a chair and pretended to shoot him in the mouth.
Audience reaction to the show was mixed.
'The show itself was pretty good, but she didn't even sing for an hour', complained 33-year-old Guillaume Delaval. 'She spoke for 15 minutes about tolerance, it's not the U.N. here.'
Pierce Brosnan, the Irish actor who played in four James Bond movies, attended the show with his wife.
'We're fans. My wife wanted to come, so we bought tickets,' he told Reuters, explaining he was in Paris to shoot a movie with Emma Thompson called 'Love Punch.'
Madonna will perform in Nice, France on August 21. After shows in the Middle East and Europe, the singer will give concerts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
(Reporting by Chine Labbe; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Stacey Joyce)
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Wednesday, July 25, 2012
No autopsy planned on "The Jeffersons" actor Sherman Hemsley
(Reuters) - No autopsy will be done on 'The Jeffersons' lead actor Sherman Hemsley because his medical history indicates he died of natural causes at age 74, an official said on Wednesday.
Hemsley was found dead on Tuesday at a house in El Paso, Texas, where he lived, and at the time police said the cause of death was 'pending autopsy results.'
But the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner has decided against doing an autopsy, said Annabel Salazar, chief investigator for the office.
Hemsley's cause of death is 'most definitely natural causes,' she said, but she added that she could not give specifics on any possible ailment the actor might have suffered.
Hemsley's best-known role was as George Jefferson, the owner of a dry cleaning business who lived in a New York luxury high-rise apartment with his family. 'The Jeffersons' ran on television from 1975 to 1985.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Hemsley was found dead on Tuesday at a house in El Paso, Texas, where he lived, and at the time police said the cause of death was 'pending autopsy results.'
But the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner has decided against doing an autopsy, said Annabel Salazar, chief investigator for the office.
Hemsley's cause of death is 'most definitely natural causes,' she said, but she added that she could not give specifics on any possible ailment the actor might have suffered.
Hemsley's best-known role was as George Jefferson, the owner of a dry cleaning business who lived in a New York luxury high-rise apartment with his family. 'The Jeffersons' ran on television from 1975 to 1985.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
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Seinfeld back on Thursdays this fall with NY live shows
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fourteen years after his classic sitcom ended, Jerry Seinfeld is returning to Thursday nights in New York City.
He won't appear on primetime television, however. From October 4 to November 8, Seinfeld will perform a full stand-up comedy show in a different theater in the city's five boroughs nearly every Thursday, the night his hit show 'Seinfeld' aired on NBC from 1990 to 1998.
Seinfeld hasn't performed a full show in the Big Apple since 1998, when he sold out the Broadhurst Theater on Broadway shortly after his sitcom ended.
'I was born in Brooklyn, went to school in Queens and started out as a comedian in Manhattan. I feel like New York City taught me how to be funny. I'm so excited to perform a special series of shows for my beloved home town,' Seinfeld said in a press release on Wednesday.
Tickets for the five shows, which will open with comedian Colin Quinn, go on sale on Monday, July 30. (Reporting by Joseph O'Leary; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Dale Hudson)
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He won't appear on primetime television, however. From October 4 to November 8, Seinfeld will perform a full stand-up comedy show in a different theater in the city's five boroughs nearly every Thursday, the night his hit show 'Seinfeld' aired on NBC from 1990 to 1998.
Seinfeld hasn't performed a full show in the Big Apple since 1998, when he sold out the Broadhurst Theater on Broadway shortly after his sitcom ended.
'I was born in Brooklyn, went to school in Queens and started out as a comedian in Manhattan. I feel like New York City taught me how to be funny. I'm so excited to perform a special series of shows for my beloved home town,' Seinfeld said in a press release on Wednesday.
Tickets for the five shows, which will open with comedian Colin Quinn, go on sale on Monday, July 30. (Reporting by Joseph O'Leary; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Dale Hudson)
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Monday, July 23, 2012
Sally Ride, first U.S. woman in space, dies at 61
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman to travel into space and an advocate for science education, died on Monday after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to her organization, Sally Ride Science. She was 61.
Ride broke new ground for American women in 1983 when at the age of 32 she and four male crewmates blasted off aboard space shuttle Challenger.
'The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it,' Ride recalled in a 2008 interview on the 25th anniversary of her flight.
'I didn't really think about it that much at the time -- but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected,' she said.
U.S. President Barack Obama called Ride 'a national hero and a powerful role model.' In a statement, he said Ride 'inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.'
Ride was not the first woman in space. That distinction fell to the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova, who blasted off aboard a Vostok 6 rocket on June 16, 1963.
But over the years only two other Russian women followed Tereshkova into orbit.
By the time Ride returned for a second flight in 1984, not only had another female astronaut, Judith Resnik, flown on the shuttle, but Ride had a female crewmate, Kathryn Sullivan.
Since then, more than 45 women from the United States and other countries have flown in space, including two as shuttle commander.
'Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program,' NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said in a statement.
Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English and master's and doctorate degrees in physics. She joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1978.
She was assigned to a third shuttle flight, but training for the mission was cut off after the fatal 1986 Challenger accident that claimed the lives of six colleagues and a schoolteacher.
Ride served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the accident, and then assisted the agency's chief with long-range and strategic planning.
She left NASA in 1987 and joined a Stanford University security research institute. In 1989, she joined the physics department at the University of California-San Diego and directed the California Space Institute.
Ride's interest in education extended to younger students, whom she targeted with her science education startup Sally Ride Science in San Diego.
The company creates science programs and publications for elementary and middle school students and educators.
Ride also authored science books for children and served on dozens of NASA, space and technology advisory panels, including the board that investigated the second fatal space shuttle accident in 2003.
Her former husband, Steve Hawley, an astronaut who left NASA in 2008, said in a statement that Ride was a private person who never became fully comfortable with her celebrity status.
'Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard,' said Hawley, who now teaches astronomy at the University of Kansas.
'I think she would be pleased with that legacy,' he said.
Ride is survived by her mother; her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy; a sister; a niece and a nephew.
(Additional reporting by Dan Burns; Editing by Kevin Gray and Lisa Shumaker)
This news article is brought to you by GLOBAL WEATHER NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Ride broke new ground for American women in 1983 when at the age of 32 she and four male crewmates blasted off aboard space shuttle Challenger.
'The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it,' Ride recalled in a 2008 interview on the 25th anniversary of her flight.
'I didn't really think about it that much at the time -- but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected,' she said.
U.S. President Barack Obama called Ride 'a national hero and a powerful role model.' In a statement, he said Ride 'inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.'
Ride was not the first woman in space. That distinction fell to the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova, who blasted off aboard a Vostok 6 rocket on June 16, 1963.
But over the years only two other Russian women followed Tereshkova into orbit.
By the time Ride returned for a second flight in 1984, not only had another female astronaut, Judith Resnik, flown on the shuttle, but Ride had a female crewmate, Kathryn Sullivan.
Since then, more than 45 women from the United States and other countries have flown in space, including two as shuttle commander.
'Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program,' NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said in a statement.
Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English and master's and doctorate degrees in physics. She joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1978.
She was assigned to a third shuttle flight, but training for the mission was cut off after the fatal 1986 Challenger accident that claimed the lives of six colleagues and a schoolteacher.
Ride served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the accident, and then assisted the agency's chief with long-range and strategic planning.
She left NASA in 1987 and joined a Stanford University security research institute. In 1989, she joined the physics department at the University of California-San Diego and directed the California Space Institute.
Ride's interest in education extended to younger students, whom she targeted with her science education startup Sally Ride Science in San Diego.
The company creates science programs and publications for elementary and middle school students and educators.
Ride also authored science books for children and served on dozens of NASA, space and technology advisory panels, including the board that investigated the second fatal space shuttle accident in 2003.
Her former husband, Steve Hawley, an astronaut who left NASA in 2008, said in a statement that Ride was a private person who never became fully comfortable with her celebrity status.
'Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard,' said Hawley, who now teaches astronomy at the University of Kansas.
'I think she would be pleased with that legacy,' he said.
Ride is survived by her mother; her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy; a sister; a niece and a nephew.
(Additional reporting by Dan Burns; Editing by Kevin Gray and Lisa Shumaker)
This news article is brought to you by GLOBAL WEATHER NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Katie Holmes gets back to work on Broadway
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Katie Holmes is returning to star on Broadway for the first time in four years starring in a new play, 'Dead Accounts,' set to open this fall, Broadway producers said on Thursday.
Holmes, who earlier this month reached a high profile divorce settlement with actor Tom Cruise, will star in Theresa Rebeck's new comedy, representatives for the show said in a statement.
Holmes, 33, will portray the role of Lorna in the five-character play that tackles 'issues of corporate greed, small town values and whether or not your family will always welcome you back ... with no questions asked,' the statement said.
The play will be directed by Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien.
Holmes made her Broadway debut in the 2008 production of Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons.'
(Reporting By Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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Holmes, who earlier this month reached a high profile divorce settlement with actor Tom Cruise, will star in Theresa Rebeck's new comedy, representatives for the show said in a statement.
Holmes, 33, will portray the role of Lorna in the five-character play that tackles 'issues of corporate greed, small town values and whether or not your family will always welcome you back ... with no questions asked,' the statement said.
The play will be directed by Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien.
Holmes made her Broadway debut in the 2008 production of Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons.'
(Reporting By Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
This news article is brought to you by GAMING NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Actor Gordon-Levitt changes masks for "Dark Knight Rises"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from his television days playing a disguised extraterrestrial stranded on Earth, harnessing a chameleon-like ability to inhabit a variety of roles in independent films and big-budget blockbusters.
The actor, who gained fame on TV show '3rd Rock From the Sun,' portrays Gotham police officer John Blake in Friday's 'The Dark Knight Rises,' the eagerly anticipated final installment of director Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' trilogy.
While details about the film plot have been kept closely guarded, the actor told Reuters in a recent interview that fans can expect 'a really excellent movie and a real ending' for the trio of Nolan's movies about the crime-fighting superhero.
'Sometimes they call something a trilogy, and it's not really a trilogy, it's another sequel to make money. But this really is a great ending, there's a beginning, a middle and an end,' Gordon-Levitt said about Nolan's Batman movies.
Gordon-Levitt plays idealistic rookie cop Blake who becomes Commissioner Gordon's protégé. As trouble is unleashed on Gotham by the villain Bane, Blake becomes a key figure in joining Batman to save the city.
Following 'Dark Knight,' fans see Gordon-Levitt in several films over the next few months, including adrenaline-laced thriller 'Premium Rush' in August and opposite Bruce Willis in sci-fi time travel thriller 'Looper' in September, which reunited him with 'Brick' director Rian Johnson.
'(Rian) wrote the part for me, and I've never had somebody write a part for me. That was an honor,' Gordon-Levitt said.
In 'Looper,' both Gordon-Levitt and Willis play the same mob hitman called Joe, hired to kill targets through time travel. Gordon-Levitt took to the challenge of becoming Willis both physically and mentally, watching the 'Die Hard' star's old movies, listening to his voice and spending time with him.
'My favorite part of acting is becoming something other than myself, and most of my favorite actors are the chameleons, the ones who disappear into their roles. You don't see the actor on screen, you see the character,' Gordon-Levitt said, citing Gary Oldman, Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis as influences.
Director Johnson told Reuters that Gordon-Levitt put in a lot of 'legwork and heavy lifting' to research and embody his characters thoroughly so that audiences don't feel like he is simply putting up an imitation.
FROM '3RD ROCK' TO BLOCKBUSTERS
Gordon-Levitt, 31, a native of Los Angeles, has spent most of his life in front of a camera, appearing on television regularly since the early 1990s and landing a lead role on NBC's alien comedy '3rd Rock' alongside John Lithgow.
The actor's transition to movies began with a breakout role in 1999 teen comedy '10 Things I Hate About You.' Since then, he has worked non-stop across a variety of film genres, from 2004's gritty, low-budget drama 'Brick' to playing a hopeless romantic in 2009 romantic comedy '(500) Days Of Summer.' He broke into blockbusters with Stephen Sommers' 'G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra' in 2009, and in Nolan's 'Inception' in 2010.
'The reason he's been successful at it is that he applies the same criteria to big movies as he does to small movies, he's not just looking to break in and hop on board the latest big franchise, he chooses stories and filmmakers he's interested in,' said Johnson, who is close friends with the actor.
Gordon-Levitt's range is wide. He portrayed a cancer sufferer in last year's comedy '50/50' and will be a bike messenger in the upcoming 'Premium Rush,' as well as Abraham Lincoln's son opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln.'
'I have an eclectic taste in the movies that I watch as well as the movies I'm inspired to want to work on. Variety is what keeps things interesting,' the actor said. 'I do work a whole lot and that's what I love to do, I'm very lucky to have a job that I love and that's pretty much what I do with my time.'
Gordon-Levitt makes his directorial debut in 'Don Jon's Addiction,' exploring porn addiction, due in theaters next year starring Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore.
He also is heavily involved with his production company hitRECord, an online community of creative individuals who work on projects, including 'The Tiny Book Of Tiny Stories,' with volume 2 due out in November.
'There's plenty of people who don't have access to participate in the traditional entertainment industry and are great artists all the same, so hitRECord is a way for me to work with those people,' said the actor.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte; Desking by Andrew Hay)
This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY MUSIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The actor, who gained fame on TV show '3rd Rock From the Sun,' portrays Gotham police officer John Blake in Friday's 'The Dark Knight Rises,' the eagerly anticipated final installment of director Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' trilogy.
While details about the film plot have been kept closely guarded, the actor told Reuters in a recent interview that fans can expect 'a really excellent movie and a real ending' for the trio of Nolan's movies about the crime-fighting superhero.
'Sometimes they call something a trilogy, and it's not really a trilogy, it's another sequel to make money. But this really is a great ending, there's a beginning, a middle and an end,' Gordon-Levitt said about Nolan's Batman movies.
Gordon-Levitt plays idealistic rookie cop Blake who becomes Commissioner Gordon's protégé. As trouble is unleashed on Gotham by the villain Bane, Blake becomes a key figure in joining Batman to save the city.
Following 'Dark Knight,' fans see Gordon-Levitt in several films over the next few months, including adrenaline-laced thriller 'Premium Rush' in August and opposite Bruce Willis in sci-fi time travel thriller 'Looper' in September, which reunited him with 'Brick' director Rian Johnson.
'(Rian) wrote the part for me, and I've never had somebody write a part for me. That was an honor,' Gordon-Levitt said.
In 'Looper,' both Gordon-Levitt and Willis play the same mob hitman called Joe, hired to kill targets through time travel. Gordon-Levitt took to the challenge of becoming Willis both physically and mentally, watching the 'Die Hard' star's old movies, listening to his voice and spending time with him.
'My favorite part of acting is becoming something other than myself, and most of my favorite actors are the chameleons, the ones who disappear into their roles. You don't see the actor on screen, you see the character,' Gordon-Levitt said, citing Gary Oldman, Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis as influences.
Director Johnson told Reuters that Gordon-Levitt put in a lot of 'legwork and heavy lifting' to research and embody his characters thoroughly so that audiences don't feel like he is simply putting up an imitation.
FROM '3RD ROCK' TO BLOCKBUSTERS
Gordon-Levitt, 31, a native of Los Angeles, has spent most of his life in front of a camera, appearing on television regularly since the early 1990s and landing a lead role on NBC's alien comedy '3rd Rock' alongside John Lithgow.
The actor's transition to movies began with a breakout role in 1999 teen comedy '10 Things I Hate About You.' Since then, he has worked non-stop across a variety of film genres, from 2004's gritty, low-budget drama 'Brick' to playing a hopeless romantic in 2009 romantic comedy '(500) Days Of Summer.' He broke into blockbusters with Stephen Sommers' 'G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra' in 2009, and in Nolan's 'Inception' in 2010.
'The reason he's been successful at it is that he applies the same criteria to big movies as he does to small movies, he's not just looking to break in and hop on board the latest big franchise, he chooses stories and filmmakers he's interested in,' said Johnson, who is close friends with the actor.
Gordon-Levitt's range is wide. He portrayed a cancer sufferer in last year's comedy '50/50' and will be a bike messenger in the upcoming 'Premium Rush,' as well as Abraham Lincoln's son opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln.'
'I have an eclectic taste in the movies that I watch as well as the movies I'm inspired to want to work on. Variety is what keeps things interesting,' the actor said. 'I do work a whole lot and that's what I love to do, I'm very lucky to have a job that I love and that's pretty much what I do with my time.'
Gordon-Levitt makes his directorial debut in 'Don Jon's Addiction,' exploring porn addiction, due in theaters next year starring Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore.
He also is heavily involved with his production company hitRECord, an online community of creative individuals who work on projects, including 'The Tiny Book Of Tiny Stories,' with volume 2 due out in November.
'There's plenty of people who don't have access to participate in the traditional entertainment industry and are great artists all the same, so hitRECord is a way for me to work with those people,' said the actor.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte; Desking by Andrew Hay)
This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY MUSIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Actor Christian Bale reflects on years as 'Dark Knight'
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Dark Knight rises in movie theaters this Friday on the wings of huge anticipation for the final film of director Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' trilogy, but there is one man who remains calm in the face of the media hype, Batman actor Christian Bale.
Bale slips into the bat costume of Gotham City's crime-fighting superhero for the last time in 'The Dark Knight Rises,' which like its predecessors has received strong early reviews.
Chosen by British director Nolan for his franchise reboot, which soared with 2005's 'Batman Begins,' Bale's stone-faced portrayal of conflicted billionaire Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, was key to the movie's success.
The follow-up, 2008's 'The Dark Knight,' solidified Bale's status as a leading actor, and 'Dark Knight Rises' will be his swan song in the role.
'I'm real proud of having achieved what we had set out to do,' he told reporters at a news conference promoting the film. 'It was a very important moment for me. It was an important character.
'It's the only time I've ever played a character three times in a row and the movies themselves have changed my life and changed my career.'
Both movies earned praise from fans and critics alike. The first raked-in $372 million at box offices worldwide, and the second an eye-popping $1 billion. Bale went on to numerous other parts and eventually nabbed an Oscar for his role as a drug-addicted ex-boxer in 'The Fighter.'
When shooting of the 'Dark Knight Rises' was done, Bale told reporters, he wanted time alone to think about the past seven years.
'I just went down and sat in a room and realized this is it,' said Bale of the time the cameras stopped rolling. 'I sat in that moment with the realization that we're done.'
'Dark Knight Rises' picks up eight years after 'Dark Knight.' The caped crusader has disappeared from public view and is a fugitive thought to be responsible for the death of Gotham City D.A. Harvey Dent. The man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, has become a recluse and is rarely seen in public.
But both are forced out of hiding when cat burglar Selina Kyle, played by Anne Hathaway, arrives in Gotham and a masked terrorist named Bane, played by Tom Hardy, shows up to take over the city. Batman comes out of hiding to stop them.
TWISTS AND TURNS
With many twists in a complex story, revealing more requires a spoiler alert. Suffice it to say that critics - not the easiest to please with superhero movies - are mostly happy.
The movie scored an 83 percent positive rating from seven early reviews on film website moviereviewintelligence.com. Time magazine's Richard Corliss called it 'a film of grand ambitions and epic achievement.'
Reprising their roles are Michael Caine as Alfred the butler, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Newcomers include Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Hardy, all three of whom worked with Nolan on his 2010 Oscar winner, 'Inception.'
Also new to the group is Hathaway, who essentially takes on the role of Catwoman, though that comic character's name is never directly referenced in the film.
'I loved that the focus was on who she was as Selina ... and she didn't change when she put on the suit - it was just kind of her uniform,' Hathaway said of her character.
The actress said she had to get into fighting shape for the action scenes and that being in such good physical condition gave her a strong mental attitude that made it a 'complete transformation' for her in the role.
While the Batman series has had its share of villains, including 'Dark Knight's' The Joker, which earned actor Heath Ledger a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar, this final installment sees Batman meet his match in Bane.
Bale calls him 'the first adversary of Batman that you know can probably whip his butt, which we've never seen before.'
When Nolan called Hardy to offer him the role, he said he had to explain both the good and bad aspects of playing the tough guy behind a mask.
'The good news is I have a terrific part for you,' Nolan recalled telling him. 'The bad news is, your face is going to be completely covered for the whole film and you're going to have to (convey) this character through just your eyes and voice.'
Now that it's all over, Nolan said he had no idea what his next movie would be. Like Bale, he needs some time to reflect.
'I'm going to go on a holiday and just relax and (enjoy) not knowing what I'm going to do next,' he said.
(This story corrects name of film in fourth paragraph)
(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; editing by Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by WOMEN'S BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Bale slips into the bat costume of Gotham City's crime-fighting superhero for the last time in 'The Dark Knight Rises,' which like its predecessors has received strong early reviews.
Chosen by British director Nolan for his franchise reboot, which soared with 2005's 'Batman Begins,' Bale's stone-faced portrayal of conflicted billionaire Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, was key to the movie's success.
The follow-up, 2008's 'The Dark Knight,' solidified Bale's status as a leading actor, and 'Dark Knight Rises' will be his swan song in the role.
'I'm real proud of having achieved what we had set out to do,' he told reporters at a news conference promoting the film. 'It was a very important moment for me. It was an important character.
'It's the only time I've ever played a character three times in a row and the movies themselves have changed my life and changed my career.'
Both movies earned praise from fans and critics alike. The first raked-in $372 million at box offices worldwide, and the second an eye-popping $1 billion. Bale went on to numerous other parts and eventually nabbed an Oscar for his role as a drug-addicted ex-boxer in 'The Fighter.'
When shooting of the 'Dark Knight Rises' was done, Bale told reporters, he wanted time alone to think about the past seven years.
'I just went down and sat in a room and realized this is it,' said Bale of the time the cameras stopped rolling. 'I sat in that moment with the realization that we're done.'
'Dark Knight Rises' picks up eight years after 'Dark Knight.' The caped crusader has disappeared from public view and is a fugitive thought to be responsible for the death of Gotham City D.A. Harvey Dent. The man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, has become a recluse and is rarely seen in public.
But both are forced out of hiding when cat burglar Selina Kyle, played by Anne Hathaway, arrives in Gotham and a masked terrorist named Bane, played by Tom Hardy, shows up to take over the city. Batman comes out of hiding to stop them.
TWISTS AND TURNS
With many twists in a complex story, revealing more requires a spoiler alert. Suffice it to say that critics - not the easiest to please with superhero movies - are mostly happy.
The movie scored an 83 percent positive rating from seven early reviews on film website moviereviewintelligence.com. Time magazine's Richard Corliss called it 'a film of grand ambitions and epic achievement.'
Reprising their roles are Michael Caine as Alfred the butler, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Newcomers include Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Hardy, all three of whom worked with Nolan on his 2010 Oscar winner, 'Inception.'
Also new to the group is Hathaway, who essentially takes on the role of Catwoman, though that comic character's name is never directly referenced in the film.
'I loved that the focus was on who she was as Selina ... and she didn't change when she put on the suit - it was just kind of her uniform,' Hathaway said of her character.
The actress said she had to get into fighting shape for the action scenes and that being in such good physical condition gave her a strong mental attitude that made it a 'complete transformation' for her in the role.
While the Batman series has had its share of villains, including 'Dark Knight's' The Joker, which earned actor Heath Ledger a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar, this final installment sees Batman meet his match in Bane.
Bale calls him 'the first adversary of Batman that you know can probably whip his butt, which we've never seen before.'
When Nolan called Hardy to offer him the role, he said he had to explain both the good and bad aspects of playing the tough guy behind a mask.
'The good news is I have a terrific part for you,' Nolan recalled telling him. 'The bad news is, your face is going to be completely covered for the whole film and you're going to have to (convey) this character through just your eyes and voice.'
Now that it's all over, Nolan said he had no idea what his next movie would be. Like Bale, he needs some time to reflect.
'I'm going to go on a holiday and just relax and (enjoy) not knowing what I'm going to do next,' he said.
(This story corrects name of film in fourth paragraph)
(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; editing by Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by WOMEN'S BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Tom Cruise visits daughter after Holmes split
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tom Cruise visited his daughter Suri in New York City on Tuesday for the first time since his high-profile divorce from her mother, actress Katie Holmes, People magazine reported.
The 50-year-old Hollywood star was photographed holding his 6-year-old daughter on a New York street as she wraps one arm around the 'Mission: Impossible' star's neck and in the other, clutches a stuffed animal toy. The picture was posted on People's website.
Cruise was filming his latest movie in Iceland back in June when Holmes, 33, filed for a divorce, surprising the Hollywood superstar. Since then, he has returned to the United States and the pair have settled issues including custody of Suri. Celebrity watchers have eagerly awaited the day when Cruise would reunite with his daughter.
Separately on Monday night, Holmes and Suri were involved in a minor car accident with a sanitation truck in New York but were not hurt, a police source said.
Holmes was in a Mercedes with their daughter when a New York City Sanitation truck hit the car, the source said.
A New York Police Department spokesman said an accident involving a Mercedes and a truck occurred around 9:30 p.m. EDT on Monday (0130 GMT on Tuesday) but said he could not name the passengers. A separate source speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed Holmes and her daughter were in the car.
There were no injuries and no criminal charges were expected, police said.
Representatives for Holmes could not immediately be reached.
(Reporting by Joseph O'Leary and Christine Kearney; Editing by Paul Simao, Bob Tourtellotte and M.D. Golan)
This article is brought to you by PERSONALS.
The 50-year-old Hollywood star was photographed holding his 6-year-old daughter on a New York street as she wraps one arm around the 'Mission: Impossible' star's neck and in the other, clutches a stuffed animal toy. The picture was posted on People's website.
Cruise was filming his latest movie in Iceland back in June when Holmes, 33, filed for a divorce, surprising the Hollywood superstar. Since then, he has returned to the United States and the pair have settled issues including custody of Suri. Celebrity watchers have eagerly awaited the day when Cruise would reunite with his daughter.
Separately on Monday night, Holmes and Suri were involved in a minor car accident with a sanitation truck in New York but were not hurt, a police source said.
Holmes was in a Mercedes with their daughter when a New York City Sanitation truck hit the car, the source said.
A New York Police Department spokesman said an accident involving a Mercedes and a truck occurred around 9:30 p.m. EDT on Monday (0130 GMT on Tuesday) but said he could not name the passengers. A separate source speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed Holmes and her daughter were in the car.
There were no injuries and no criminal charges were expected, police said.
Representatives for Holmes could not immediately be reached.
(Reporting by Joseph O'Leary and Christine Kearney; Editing by Paul Simao, Bob Tourtellotte and M.D. Golan)
This article is brought to you by PERSONALS.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Kitty Wells, country music star, dies at 92
NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Kitty Wells, the 'Queen of Country Music,' died this morning at her home in Nashville surrounded by family members, of complications from a stroke. She was 92.
Among those mourning her today was Loretta Lynn, whose own rise to popularity came after Wells opened the doors for strong female voices in country music. 'Kitty Wells will always be the greatest female country singer of all times,' said Lynn in a statement released on her web site.
'She was my hero. If I had never heard of Kitty Wells, I don't think I would have been a singer myself. I wanted to sound just like her, but as far as I am concerned, no one will ever be as great as Kitty Wells.
'She truly is the Queen of Country Music.'
Wells, born as Ellen Muriel Deason Wright, actually began performing on local radio in Nashville, but her ascent to stage stardom began in 1937 with husband Johnnie, half of the duo Johnnie & Jack. He died in 2011.
She was the first female singer to reach the top of the country charts with her 1952 song 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,' an answer to Hank Thompson's 'The Wild Side of Life,' which made the argument God indeed makes such angels.
Wells was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976.
'Kitty Wells was a 33-year-old wife and mother when her immortal recording of 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels' suddenly made her a star,' according to the Hall of Fame's biography.
'Other female country singers of her day were trying their hands at hard-living, honky-tonk songs, but it was the intense and piercing style of Kitty Wells, with her gospel-touched vocals and tearful restraint that resonated with country audiences of the time and broke the industry barriers for women.'
Wells was born in Nashville to a musical family. She first began performing on the radio with her two sisters and a cousin, the quartet going by the name of the Deason Sisters.
She married Wright in 1937 and she joined by her husband and his sister, Louise, to perform as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls.
It was two years later that Wright began performing with Jack Anglin as the duo Johnnie & Jack.
While she performed with them as a girl singer in the 1940s, her husband began calling her 'Kitty Wells,' a name taken from a 19th century folk song.
'SWEET, GENTLE LADY'
Harold Bradley, 86, the venerable Nashville session guitarist whose brother, Owen Bradley, produced so many of her recordings, said there was no better person to work with than Wells.
'I worked a lot of her sessions, of course, that Owen produced,' said Bradley, the most-recorded guitarist in history. 'She was the most sweet, gentle lady. She always knew her songs when she came in and she was very easy to work with.'
In addition to 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,' which sold 800,000 copies in its initial release in the summer of 1952, according to the Hall of Fame biography, Wells sang 'Release Me,' 'Making Believe,' 'I Can't Stop Loving You' among other classic songs.
She garnered 35 Billboard Top Ten records and 81 charted singles.
Michael McCall, writer and editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said Wells' importance to the emergence of women singing hit records 'cannot be overstated.'
He said Wells proved to the industry that a woman singer could sell and headline big shows.
'She opened the doors for everybody that came after her,' McCall said. 'It was just a huge shift in how things were perceived. It was so important that it happened.'
He said Honky Tonk Angels was controversial at the time, and some radio stations wouldn't play it. She wasn't allowed to sing the song on the NBC segment of the Grand Ole Opry when it first came out.
'The fans rallied around her to prove the record industry wrong,' said McCall.
'She was one of the major recording artists of the 1950s and into the 1960s,' said McCall. 'She has had so many country classics and so many songs that came from a woman's point of view that were often about wayward and faithless men.'
Her straightforward manner and subject matter was a major influence on the song-writing and singing of Lynn and Dolly Parton, setting the stage for today's female country stars.
'We live in an age when people over-sing so much and put so much emphasis on the emotion. She showed sometimes it's more emotional by having restraint rather than trying to oversell it,' said McCall.
Among her many honors, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991, the same year as Bob Dylan and John Lennon were so honored.
She was just the third country singer to be get that most prestigious award, after Hank Williams and Roy Acuff.
She finally gave up touring in 2007 and continued to live a quiet life, so much differently than the subjects of her songs.
Her funeral will be Friday.
(Reporting by Timothy Ghianni; Editing by James B. Kelleher, Greg McCune and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Among those mourning her today was Loretta Lynn, whose own rise to popularity came after Wells opened the doors for strong female voices in country music. 'Kitty Wells will always be the greatest female country singer of all times,' said Lynn in a statement released on her web site.
'She was my hero. If I had never heard of Kitty Wells, I don't think I would have been a singer myself. I wanted to sound just like her, but as far as I am concerned, no one will ever be as great as Kitty Wells.
'She truly is the Queen of Country Music.'
Wells, born as Ellen Muriel Deason Wright, actually began performing on local radio in Nashville, but her ascent to stage stardom began in 1937 with husband Johnnie, half of the duo Johnnie & Jack. He died in 2011.
She was the first female singer to reach the top of the country charts with her 1952 song 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,' an answer to Hank Thompson's 'The Wild Side of Life,' which made the argument God indeed makes such angels.
Wells was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976.
'Kitty Wells was a 33-year-old wife and mother when her immortal recording of 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels' suddenly made her a star,' according to the Hall of Fame's biography.
'Other female country singers of her day were trying their hands at hard-living, honky-tonk songs, but it was the intense and piercing style of Kitty Wells, with her gospel-touched vocals and tearful restraint that resonated with country audiences of the time and broke the industry barriers for women.'
Wells was born in Nashville to a musical family. She first began performing on the radio with her two sisters and a cousin, the quartet going by the name of the Deason Sisters.
She married Wright in 1937 and she joined by her husband and his sister, Louise, to perform as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls.
It was two years later that Wright began performing with Jack Anglin as the duo Johnnie & Jack.
While she performed with them as a girl singer in the 1940s, her husband began calling her 'Kitty Wells,' a name taken from a 19th century folk song.
'SWEET, GENTLE LADY'
Harold Bradley, 86, the venerable Nashville session guitarist whose brother, Owen Bradley, produced so many of her recordings, said there was no better person to work with than Wells.
'I worked a lot of her sessions, of course, that Owen produced,' said Bradley, the most-recorded guitarist in history. 'She was the most sweet, gentle lady. She always knew her songs when she came in and she was very easy to work with.'
In addition to 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,' which sold 800,000 copies in its initial release in the summer of 1952, according to the Hall of Fame biography, Wells sang 'Release Me,' 'Making Believe,' 'I Can't Stop Loving You' among other classic songs.
She garnered 35 Billboard Top Ten records and 81 charted singles.
Michael McCall, writer and editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said Wells' importance to the emergence of women singing hit records 'cannot be overstated.'
He said Wells proved to the industry that a woman singer could sell and headline big shows.
'She opened the doors for everybody that came after her,' McCall said. 'It was just a huge shift in how things were perceived. It was so important that it happened.'
He said Honky Tonk Angels was controversial at the time, and some radio stations wouldn't play it. She wasn't allowed to sing the song on the NBC segment of the Grand Ole Opry when it first came out.
'The fans rallied around her to prove the record industry wrong,' said McCall.
'She was one of the major recording artists of the 1950s and into the 1960s,' said McCall. 'She has had so many country classics and so many songs that came from a woman's point of view that were often about wayward and faithless men.'
Her straightforward manner and subject matter was a major influence on the song-writing and singing of Lynn and Dolly Parton, setting the stage for today's female country stars.
'We live in an age when people over-sing so much and put so much emphasis on the emotion. She showed sometimes it's more emotional by having restraint rather than trying to oversell it,' said McCall.
Among her many honors, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991, the same year as Bob Dylan and John Lennon were so honored.
She was just the third country singer to be get that most prestigious award, after Hank Williams and Roy Acuff.
She finally gave up touring in 2007 and continued to live a quiet life, so much differently than the subjects of her songs.
Her funeral will be Friday.
(Reporting by Timothy Ghianni; Editing by James B. Kelleher, Greg McCune and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Actress Uma Thurman gives birth to girl: manager
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Uma Thurman, star of movies such as 'Kill Bill' and 'Pulp Fiction,' has given birth to her third child, a girl, the actress' manager confirmed on Monday.
'Mom and baby are doing well!' Jason Weinberg, Thurman's manager, said in a statement. Weinberg did not reveal any other details, but celebrity news publication Us Weekly said the baby was born on Sunday.
The baby is Thurman's first child with partner financier Arpad Busson. Thurman has a 14-year-old daughter, Maya, and a 10-year-old son, Levon, with her ex-husband, actor Ethan Hawke.
Thurman, 42, and Busson, 49, have been dating on and off since 2007, including a brief engagement. The couple reunited earlier this year and Thurman announced she was expecting their child in February.
The actress most recently appeared on the hit musical television show, 'Smash.'
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Paul Simao)
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
'Mom and baby are doing well!' Jason Weinberg, Thurman's manager, said in a statement. Weinberg did not reveal any other details, but celebrity news publication Us Weekly said the baby was born on Sunday.
The baby is Thurman's first child with partner financier Arpad Busson. Thurman has a 14-year-old daughter, Maya, and a 10-year-old son, Levon, with her ex-husband, actor Ethan Hawke.
Thurman, 42, and Busson, 49, have been dating on and off since 2007, including a brief engagement. The couple reunited earlier this year and Thurman announced she was expecting their child in February.
The actress most recently appeared on the hit musical television show, 'Smash.'
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Paul Simao)
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Stallone, Schwarzenegger in fighting form for "Expendables 2"
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and their fellow aging action heroes are back in fighting form for new movie 'The Expendables 2,' thrilling crowds at the giant Comic-Con pop culture event with footage from the upcoming film.
The new movie, a sequel to 2010's surprise hit about a group of rebel mercenaries out to kill a brutal military leader, appeared similar to the first one in film clips shown Thursday with an emphasis on old-school shootouts over sci-fi fantasy.
'Rambo' and 'Rocky' actor Stallone, 66, introduced Schwarzenegger, 64, the former governor of California and star of the 'Terminator' movies, to the Comic-Con crowd as 'one of my fellow brothers in the hard art business ... a true one-of-a-kind movie star, the likes of whom we'll never see again.'
'The Expendables' hit theaters in August 2010 with a tale of aging mercenaries on a new assignment and was positioned as a return to classic 1980s action and adventure versus the Spider-Man and Batman film franchises that rule box offices today.
The film was loaded with older actions stars such as Bruce Willis, and the formula worked well as the movie blasted its way to nearly $275 million at worldwide box offices.
For the sequel, in theaters on August 17, Stallone and Schwarzenegger reunite with Willis, Chuck Norris, Jet-Li, Jason Statham and others.
'The first one was more searching for what was going to work. Is it more dramatic, comedic? But on the second one, you find out what works from the first one, and you try to amplify it,' Stallone told the Comic-Con crowd.
'You have the same playbook ... if you have it all together, the second one can surpass the first one, and I think we achieved that.'
For the second film, Hollywood's old action heroes set out on another dangerous assignment where Stallone said the Expendables were pushed to the extreme. Film clips showed them in explosive situations, slick fight scenes and trading tough-guy comments with each other.
Stallone said recent Hollywood heroes were 'a different kind of action star, more futuristic, scientific, technical. (They) don't have to spend their life pumping iron.'
He added that the newer heroes were still valid for their age group, as 'each generation has to create their own heroes and each generation redefines the heroes they like to adore.'
Much of the audience was filled with fans who have grown up idolizing the old-school heroes including Stallone and Schwarzenegger, and the actors thanked them for their loyalty and dedication.
'The action genre is like a religion, you get your beliefs from these movies, you get your right and wrong from these movies, you get your inspiration,' said another of the film's stars, Terry Crews.
Following the panel, Schwarzenegger was given an award from Comic-Con for his contributions and achievements to the film arts and pop culture.
(This story deleted incorrect references to Jean-Claude Van Damme in paragraphs five and six)
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte, Andrew Hay and Sandra Maler)
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
The new movie, a sequel to 2010's surprise hit about a group of rebel mercenaries out to kill a brutal military leader, appeared similar to the first one in film clips shown Thursday with an emphasis on old-school shootouts over sci-fi fantasy.
'Rambo' and 'Rocky' actor Stallone, 66, introduced Schwarzenegger, 64, the former governor of California and star of the 'Terminator' movies, to the Comic-Con crowd as 'one of my fellow brothers in the hard art business ... a true one-of-a-kind movie star, the likes of whom we'll never see again.'
'The Expendables' hit theaters in August 2010 with a tale of aging mercenaries on a new assignment and was positioned as a return to classic 1980s action and adventure versus the Spider-Man and Batman film franchises that rule box offices today.
The film was loaded with older actions stars such as Bruce Willis, and the formula worked well as the movie blasted its way to nearly $275 million at worldwide box offices.
For the sequel, in theaters on August 17, Stallone and Schwarzenegger reunite with Willis, Chuck Norris, Jet-Li, Jason Statham and others.
'The first one was more searching for what was going to work. Is it more dramatic, comedic? But on the second one, you find out what works from the first one, and you try to amplify it,' Stallone told the Comic-Con crowd.
'You have the same playbook ... if you have it all together, the second one can surpass the first one, and I think we achieved that.'
For the second film, Hollywood's old action heroes set out on another dangerous assignment where Stallone said the Expendables were pushed to the extreme. Film clips showed them in explosive situations, slick fight scenes and trading tough-guy comments with each other.
Stallone said recent Hollywood heroes were 'a different kind of action star, more futuristic, scientific, technical. (They) don't have to spend their life pumping iron.'
He added that the newer heroes were still valid for their age group, as 'each generation has to create their own heroes and each generation redefines the heroes they like to adore.'
Much of the audience was filled with fans who have grown up idolizing the old-school heroes including Stallone and Schwarzenegger, and the actors thanked them for their loyalty and dedication.
'The action genre is like a religion, you get your beliefs from these movies, you get your right and wrong from these movies, you get your inspiration,' said another of the film's stars, Terry Crews.
Following the panel, Schwarzenegger was given an award from Comic-Con for his contributions and achievements to the film arts and pop culture.
(This story deleted incorrect references to Jean-Claude Van Damme in paragraphs five and six)
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte, Andrew Hay and Sandra Maler)
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Tarantino unlocks "Django's" chains at Comic-Con
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Director Quentin Tarantino unlocked the secrets of his upcoming action flick 'Django Unchained' at Comic-Con on Saturday with explosive clips of the slave revenge movie, which takes place in the pre-Civil War U.S. South.
The director entered the pop culture convention's main hall in his trademark quirky sunglasses and a fedora, and was given a raucous welcome by some 7,000 audience members, some of who waited overnight to hear him speak.
'Django Unchained,' due in theaters this coming December, is the latest from the maker of 'Kill Bill' and 'Pulp Fiction,' who was joined in a panel by actors Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Don Johnson and Walter Groggins.
Until Saturday, little was known about the film and no footage had been seen in public. Tarantino said he still had one last week of shooting. He revealed that Jonah Hill is playing a racist and confirmed Sacha Baron Cohen will not be appearing.
The story follows Django (Foxx), a black slave freed by a rebel dentist-turned-bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Waltz). The pair embark on a bloody bounty hunting expedition to rescue Django's captured slave wife, Broomhilda (Washington).
Fans were treated to an eight-minute promotional film reel showing scenes of Foxx and Waltz taking down villains, including Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio. The gritty footage featured the director's trademark violence fused with sharp humor and Western music.
'One of the fun things was to take the Western genre that we know so well and place it in the Antebellum South and put a black character in the middle of it. Do the Western clichés, but do them in the South,' said Tarantino.
In a twist from his villainous part in Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds,' Waltz plays a complex good guy opposite Hollywood hero DiCaprio, who plays evil plantation owner Calvin Candie. Waltz told reporters prior to the panel that Tarantino had written the role with DiCaprio in mind.
In the convention hall, Foxx talked about his experiences with racism when he grew up in Texas and explained how he used his past to tap Django's emotions.
Washington is the latest actress to join Tarantino's roster of talent in strong female roles, including Uma Thurman and Diane Kruger. But she puts a royal black twist on her Broomhilda character. 'She is the princess who is rescued from the tower and particularly for a black woman, that's not really an experience that we've had historically,' said Washington, who learned to speak German for the role.
From the look at the film clips, Tarantino adds a touch of love, too, as the human tale of a man attempting to recapture his woman is a central thread in the story.
'So much of the institution of slavery was about breaking up families and not making it possible to have healthy marriages, so the idea that in this world of slavery, that love could conquer this evil institution and that a man could rescue his wife outside the chains of slavery, I thought that was so beautiful and important,' Washington said.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
The director entered the pop culture convention's main hall in his trademark quirky sunglasses and a fedora, and was given a raucous welcome by some 7,000 audience members, some of who waited overnight to hear him speak.
'Django Unchained,' due in theaters this coming December, is the latest from the maker of 'Kill Bill' and 'Pulp Fiction,' who was joined in a panel by actors Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Don Johnson and Walter Groggins.
Until Saturday, little was known about the film and no footage had been seen in public. Tarantino said he still had one last week of shooting. He revealed that Jonah Hill is playing a racist and confirmed Sacha Baron Cohen will not be appearing.
The story follows Django (Foxx), a black slave freed by a rebel dentist-turned-bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Waltz). The pair embark on a bloody bounty hunting expedition to rescue Django's captured slave wife, Broomhilda (Washington).
Fans were treated to an eight-minute promotional film reel showing scenes of Foxx and Waltz taking down villains, including Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio. The gritty footage featured the director's trademark violence fused with sharp humor and Western music.
'One of the fun things was to take the Western genre that we know so well and place it in the Antebellum South and put a black character in the middle of it. Do the Western clichés, but do them in the South,' said Tarantino.
In a twist from his villainous part in Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds,' Waltz plays a complex good guy opposite Hollywood hero DiCaprio, who plays evil plantation owner Calvin Candie. Waltz told reporters prior to the panel that Tarantino had written the role with DiCaprio in mind.
In the convention hall, Foxx talked about his experiences with racism when he grew up in Texas and explained how he used his past to tap Django's emotions.
Washington is the latest actress to join Tarantino's roster of talent in strong female roles, including Uma Thurman and Diane Kruger. But she puts a royal black twist on her Broomhilda character. 'She is the princess who is rescued from the tower and particularly for a black woman, that's not really an experience that we've had historically,' said Washington, who learned to speak German for the role.
From the look at the film clips, Tarantino adds a touch of love, too, as the human tale of a man attempting to recapture his woman is a central thread in the story.
'So much of the institution of slavery was about breaking up families and not making it possible to have healthy marriages, so the idea that in this world of slavery, that love could conquer this evil institution and that a man could rescue his wife outside the chains of slavery, I thought that was so beautiful and important,' Washington said.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Film producer Richard D. Zanuck dies at age 77
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran Hollywood executive Richard D. Zanuck, the prolific producer behind the blockbuster shark thriller 'Jaws,' the best-picture Oscar-winner 'Driving Miss Daisy' and a string of Tim Burton fantasies, died on Friday of a heart attack at age 77.
Zanuck, son of famed 20th Century Fox chieftain Darryl F. Zanuck, who was named by his father at age 28 as Fox's head of production, making him Hollywood's then youngest-ever studio boss, died at his home in Beverly Hills, a spokesman said.
No further details were immediately available about the circumstances of his death.
Zanuck, who spent the bulk of his career as an independent producer, earned numerous awards during more than 50 years in filmmaking.
Among his accolades were the Academy Award he shared with his wife and collaborator, Lili Fini Zanuck, for their work on 'Driving Miss Daisy,' and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work with longtime associate David Brown.
Steven Spielberg, with whom Zanuck collaborated on 'Jaws,' called the producer 'a cornerstone of our industry, both in name and in deed.'
'In 1974, Dick Zanuck and I sat in a boat off Martha's Vineyard and watched the mechanical shark sink to the bottom of the sea,' Spielberg recalled in a statement. 'Dick turned to me and smiled. 'Gee, I sure hope that's not a sign.''
That moment of wry humor proved to be far from prophetic, as 'Jaws,' the tale of a great white shark that terrorizes a small New England beach town, became one of the biggest hits of its era and helped launch Spielberg's career as a director.
Born in Los Angeles, Zanuck, whose mother was actress Virginia Fox, joined his father as a story and production assistant on two 20th Century Fox films, 'Island in the Sun' and 'The Sun Also Rises.'
He debuted as a full-fledged producer at age 24 on 1959 feature film 'Compulsion,' which starred Orson Welles. Four years later, he was placed in charge of production at his father's studio.
During his eight-year tenure there, the studio cranked out a series of critical and commercial successes, 'The Sound of Music,' 'Patton' and 'The French Connection,' all of which won best film Oscars. Other Fox hits from that period include the original 'Planet of the Apes' series, the Paul Newman and Robert Redford western 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and the Korean War satire 'M*A*S*H.'
HOLLYWOOD HITS AND MISSES
But a handful of big-screen musical flops 'greenlighted' for production by Zanuck, among them 'Doctor Dolittle,' 'Hello Dolly' and 'Star,' cost the studio dearly and ultimately led to his ouster in 1970 by his father.
From there, Zanuck and Brown moved briefly to Warner Bros., where they oversaw the making of the religious thriller 'The Exorcist' and Mel Brooks' parody western, 'Blazing Saddles' before starting their own production company.
It was the Zanuck/Brown label that made Spielberg's 1974 film directorial debut, 'The Sugarland Express,' and his 1975 blockbuster 'Jaws,' which earned Oscars for film editing, score and sound.
Other Zanuck/Brown successes included 'The Sting,' a Depression-era tale of grifters that reunited Newman and Redford and won seven Academy Awards, including best picture; courtroom drama 'The Verdict,' which earned five Oscar nominations, and 'Cocoon,' which won Oscars for best supporting Oscar (Don Ameche) and visual effects.
Zanuck earned his greatest personal filmmaking accolade for the first movie produced under his own Zanuck Company label, the 1989 film 'Driving Miss Daisy,' about the relationship of a stubborn old Jewish woman (Jessica Tandy) and her black chauffeur (Morgan Freeman) in the American South.
The film earned four Oscars, including best actress for Tandy and best picture for Zanuck and his wife.
The latter stretch of Zanuck's career was marked by a close collaboration with director Tim Burton, starting with a 2001 remake of 'Planet of the Apes,' released by 20th Century Fox.
Others included the 2005 hit 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' the critically acclaimed 2007 musical 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' and the 2010 success 'Alice in Wonderland,' all starring Johnny Depp.
The last film of Zanuck's career ended up being his sixth collaboration with Burton, the critical and commercial bomb 'Dark Shadows,' also starring Depp and based on the 1960s television series about lovelorn vampire.
In addition to his wife, Zanuck is survived by his sons Harrison and Dean, and nine grandchildren.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Zanuck, son of famed 20th Century Fox chieftain Darryl F. Zanuck, who was named by his father at age 28 as Fox's head of production, making him Hollywood's then youngest-ever studio boss, died at his home in Beverly Hills, a spokesman said.
No further details were immediately available about the circumstances of his death.
Zanuck, who spent the bulk of his career as an independent producer, earned numerous awards during more than 50 years in filmmaking.
Among his accolades were the Academy Award he shared with his wife and collaborator, Lili Fini Zanuck, for their work on 'Driving Miss Daisy,' and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work with longtime associate David Brown.
Steven Spielberg, with whom Zanuck collaborated on 'Jaws,' called the producer 'a cornerstone of our industry, both in name and in deed.'
'In 1974, Dick Zanuck and I sat in a boat off Martha's Vineyard and watched the mechanical shark sink to the bottom of the sea,' Spielberg recalled in a statement. 'Dick turned to me and smiled. 'Gee, I sure hope that's not a sign.''
That moment of wry humor proved to be far from prophetic, as 'Jaws,' the tale of a great white shark that terrorizes a small New England beach town, became one of the biggest hits of its era and helped launch Spielberg's career as a director.
Born in Los Angeles, Zanuck, whose mother was actress Virginia Fox, joined his father as a story and production assistant on two 20th Century Fox films, 'Island in the Sun' and 'The Sun Also Rises.'
He debuted as a full-fledged producer at age 24 on 1959 feature film 'Compulsion,' which starred Orson Welles. Four years later, he was placed in charge of production at his father's studio.
During his eight-year tenure there, the studio cranked out a series of critical and commercial successes, 'The Sound of Music,' 'Patton' and 'The French Connection,' all of which won best film Oscars. Other Fox hits from that period include the original 'Planet of the Apes' series, the Paul Newman and Robert Redford western 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and the Korean War satire 'M*A*S*H.'
HOLLYWOOD HITS AND MISSES
But a handful of big-screen musical flops 'greenlighted' for production by Zanuck, among them 'Doctor Dolittle,' 'Hello Dolly' and 'Star,' cost the studio dearly and ultimately led to his ouster in 1970 by his father.
From there, Zanuck and Brown moved briefly to Warner Bros., where they oversaw the making of the religious thriller 'The Exorcist' and Mel Brooks' parody western, 'Blazing Saddles' before starting their own production company.
It was the Zanuck/Brown label that made Spielberg's 1974 film directorial debut, 'The Sugarland Express,' and his 1975 blockbuster 'Jaws,' which earned Oscars for film editing, score and sound.
Other Zanuck/Brown successes included 'The Sting,' a Depression-era tale of grifters that reunited Newman and Redford and won seven Academy Awards, including best picture; courtroom drama 'The Verdict,' which earned five Oscar nominations, and 'Cocoon,' which won Oscars for best supporting Oscar (Don Ameche) and visual effects.
Zanuck earned his greatest personal filmmaking accolade for the first movie produced under his own Zanuck Company label, the 1989 film 'Driving Miss Daisy,' about the relationship of a stubborn old Jewish woman (Jessica Tandy) and her black chauffeur (Morgan Freeman) in the American South.
The film earned four Oscars, including best actress for Tandy and best picture for Zanuck and his wife.
The latter stretch of Zanuck's career was marked by a close collaboration with director Tim Burton, starting with a 2001 remake of 'Planet of the Apes,' released by 20th Century Fox.
Others included the 2005 hit 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' the critically acclaimed 2007 musical 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' and the 2010 success 'Alice in Wonderland,' all starring Johnny Depp.
The last film of Zanuck's career ended up being his sixth collaboration with Burton, the critical and commercial bomb 'Dark Shadows,' also starring Depp and based on the 1960s television series about lovelorn vampire.
In addition to his wife, Zanuck is survived by his sons Harrison and Dean, and nine grandchildren.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Friday, July 13, 2012
DC officer investigated over alleged remark about first lady: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities were investigating a Washington police officer on Thursday over a possibly threatening remark he allegedly made about first lady Michelle Obama, reports said.
The unidentified officer assigned to a motorcade detail was speaking with colleagues on Wednesday about potential threats against the Obamas and allegedly made a comment about shooting Mrs. Obama, The Washington Post reported, citing police sources.
The comment was apparently overheard by another officer, who told a superior. Metropolitan police notified the Secret Service, which oversees security for the president and his family.
Without confirming details, police said in a statement that the department had received 'an allegation that inappropriate comments were made.'
It was unclear if the remark constituted an actual threat against the first family.
NBC's Washington affiliate quoted Police Chief Cathy Lanier as saying there was conflicting information about what actually was said and that the department's internal affairs unit was investigating.
A Secret Service spokesman said the agency was aware of the incident and was taking 'appropriate follow-up steps.' The agency would not provide more details.
The White House had no immediate comment.
(Reporting By John Crawley; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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The unidentified officer assigned to a motorcade detail was speaking with colleagues on Wednesday about potential threats against the Obamas and allegedly made a comment about shooting Mrs. Obama, The Washington Post reported, citing police sources.
The comment was apparently overheard by another officer, who told a superior. Metropolitan police notified the Secret Service, which oversees security for the president and his family.
Without confirming details, police said in a statement that the department had received 'an allegation that inappropriate comments were made.'
It was unclear if the remark constituted an actual threat against the first family.
NBC's Washington affiliate quoted Police Chief Cathy Lanier as saying there was conflicting information about what actually was said and that the department's internal affairs unit was investigating.
A Secret Service spokesman said the agency was aware of the incident and was taking 'appropriate follow-up steps.' The agency would not provide more details.
The White House had no immediate comment.
(Reporting By John Crawley; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Thursday, July 12, 2012
Sigourney Weaver turns political animal for new TV show
If that sounds like current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, actress Sigourney Weaver, who portrays Elaine, disagrees.
The similarities between the real-life politician and the TV one are clear in the frothy series premiering July 15 on the USA Network, yet Weaver swears she did not have Clinton in mind. She points to other women she has met, mostly those in non-profit work, upon which she based the character.
'I admire Mrs. Clinton immensely, (but) I don't know anything about her except the little bit we are allowed to know. I never think of her when I am playing this part,' Weaver told Reuters in a recent interview.
The 62-year-old actress said 'Political Animals,' a soapy dramatization of sex, greed and politics in the White House, is based on many families who have lived there - not just the Clintons. She noted that while Elaine's ex-husband, Bud Hammond, 'had been a successful president, not unlike Bill Clinton,' her character 'was first lady, then became a governor, then ran for president, failed, then became secretary of state.'
'Some of the details are similar to the Clintons, but in fact, if you talk to the creator, he has been a real political junkie for most of his life, and he is fascinated by all these families who have been in the White House,' she said.
Creator Greg Berlanti gives the show's pilot a light tone, setting it apart from more serious, recent political TV dramas such as 'Game Change' about Sarah Palin.
SOAPY WHITE HOUSE
In the pilot episode, Elaine divorces her husband, tries to help her gay son with finances while he battles drug addiction and chastises a Russian foreign minister for patting her bottom during a press conference.
Elaine offers a steely image in public, but lets her guard down in private, showing disappointment she wasn't popular enough to secure the presidential nomination.
'The country loves you Bud. They will always love you, but it's me they have mixed feelings about, ' she tells her husband at the start of the first episode. Two years later, however, she has earned a measure of popularity as a hardworking Secretary of State - much like Hillary Clinton.
Weaver, who has a history of playing strong women, most notably as Ripley in the four 'Alien' space films, said that to prepare for the role she read former Secretary of State Albright's 2009 memoir, 'Read My Pins,' about global politics.
She also leaned heavily on her views of women she met in the non-profit sector more than any real-life political figures.
The miniseries reaches audiences following other political shows centered on female characters during the current U.S. presidential election year, including HBO comedy series 'Veep,' featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as a U.S. vice president and HBO movie 'Game Change,' which starred Julianne Moore as conservative firebrand Sarah Palin.
'It's more enticing to watch fake politics on television than real politics because real politics is difficult to watch. Everything is even more dysfunctional than my own family,' Weaver said with a smile.
Elaine is the type of fearless female that real-life Washington needs more of, said Weaver, who believes women are more likely to cross the political aisle and 'get down to work.'
'Women naturally roll up their sleeves,' she said. 'They support each other on both sides of the aisle. It's a much more collaborative, team-building kind of inclusiveness about their work, and I feel like we need that kind of energy in the Washington politics-as-usual.'
A Democrat with a businessman father she described as 'a Nelson Rockefeller Republican,' the actress is worried about the current trend of partisanship and what she sees as the common person being left behind in today's economic policies.
'What politicians have to be talking about is the needs of real people. To me, as long as the Republicans are the champions of big business, that can't happen. Because the common man is being left out of all of this. And this trickle-down idea is fallacy,' she said.
(Reporting By Christine Kearney Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Eric Walsh)
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Tom Cruise attorney threatens National Enquirer with lawsuit
The Hollywood Reporter on its website posted a letter from Cruise's Los Angeles attorney, Bert Fields, in which he blasts American Media Inc, parent of the Enquirer, for what he calls 'false and vicious lies' he says will cause 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in damages to Cruise.
'As you were notified in advance, your current issue of National Enquirer makes numerous false and defamatory assertions about our client Tom Cruise,' the three-page letter begins.
The letter draws attention to disparaging descriptions of Cruise in the Enquirer's issue that hit newsstands on Wednesday, with Fields writing, 'These are all lies - vicious, hurtful, damaging lies.'
Fields did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment late on Wednesday and a representative for American Media could not be reached.
Cruise and Holmes have been the subject of hundreds of headlines worldwide since she filed for divorce from the 'Mission: Impossible' movie star two weeks ago, seeking sole custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Suri.
Earlier this week, the couple agreed to a divorce and custody arrangement, but details were undisclosed. Both have remained publicly silent about the issue, except for one joint statement in which they said they were working together to settle their differences in the best interest of Suri.
Speculation about a reason for the split has centered on Cruise's membership in the Church of Scientology, but that has never been confirmed by either the couple or their representatives.
(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Broadway's Nina Arianda tapped for Janis Joplin film
The independently-produced film, titled 'Joplin,' looks at the last six months in the life of the raspy-voiced singer who died in 1970 of a drug overdose following chart success with classic rock hits such as 'Down on Me' and 'Piece of My Heart.'
Producer Peter Newman told show business news website Deadline that 'Joplin' would have a production budget under $20 million and it would be in production early next year.
Arianda won raves in 'Venus in Fur,' a sex comedy in which she portrays a struggling actress named Vanda who staggers into an audition late then proceeds to put on the performance of her life. The role won her Broadway's Tony for best actress, and she recently appeared in Woody Allen movie, 'Midnight in Paris.'
Durkin is best known for making 2011 independent film 'Martha Marcy May Marlene,' which led to the director's award at last year's Sundance Film Festival.
Joplin, who died at age 27, had a short career but lived a full life and was iconic for the Woodstock generation.
She gained rock stardom as the lead singer of the psychedelic-acid rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, then cemented her fame with backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band.
Newman said Arianda will sing all the songs in the film.
(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Bernard Orr)
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Monday, July 9, 2012
New Malcolm Gladwell book will explore the power of underdogs
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell is writing a book called 'David and Goliath' that is being billed as an exploration of what happens when underdogs confront the powerful.
Little, Brown will publish the book in 2013. Gladwell, 48, is a New York Times best-selling author whose books include 'The Tipping Point'.
Little, Brown is a division of Hachette Livre, a subsidiary of the Lagardere Group.
(Reporting By Christine Kearney, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy)
This article is sponsored by medical case study.
Little, Brown will publish the book in 2013. Gladwell, 48, is a New York Times best-selling author whose books include 'The Tipping Point'.
Little, Brown is a division of Hachette Livre, a subsidiary of the Lagardere Group.
(Reporting By Christine Kearney, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy)
This article is sponsored by medical case study.
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes reach divorce settlement
'The case has been settled and the agreement has been signed. We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life,' Holmes attorney Jonathan Wolfe of New Jersey-based firm Skoloff & Wolfe said in a statement to Reuters.
A representative for Cruise, who rose to stardom in 1983's 'Risky Business' and became a top draw with 1986's 'Top Gun', also confirmed the settlement.
Holmes, 33, filed for divorce from the 'Mission: Impossible' star Cruise, 50, on June 28, ahead of the long Independence Day holiday week in the United States.
Cruise was filming in Iceland, and a source near the A-list movie actor said the divorce filing in New York took him by surprise.
Celebrity media outlets have speculated that Holmes had whisked 6-year-old daughter Suri away from the couple's Beverly Hills home to New York City because she did not want the girl raised in the Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a key member.
But representatives and lawyers for the pair have declined to comment on Holmes' intent, and the only public words from either star about the divorce case came in a statement Monday in which they said they were trying to settle issues privately.
'We are committed to working together as parents to accomplishing what is in our daughter Suri's best interests,' the pair said in a joint statement. 'We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other's commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other's roles as parents.'
In the end, the statement from Holmes' attorney seemed to indicate that attorneys and the couple had worked all last week to reach an agreement. Wolfe thanked Cruise's attorneys for 'their professionalism and diligence that helped bring about this speedy resolution.'
(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte in Los Angeles; Editing by David Gregorio)
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Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine dead at 95
The real-life U.S. Navy veteran who became a household name during the 1960s by starring as the maverick commander of a World War Two patrol boat in the popular television comedy 'McHale's Navy,' died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, longtime spokesman Harry Flynn said.
Borgnine, who continued to work until very recently, had been the oldest living recipient of an Academy Award for best actor, Flynn said.
A statement from the actor's family said he 'had been in excellent health until a recent illness.' Flynn said Borgnine recovered from unspecified surgery he underwent a month ago but his condition deteriorated rapidly after he visited the hospital on Tuesday for a medical checkup.
His last screen credit was the lead role of an aging nursing home patient in a film set for release later this year, 'The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez.' The performance earned Borgnine a best actor award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where it debuted in April, Flynn said.
With his burly profile, gruff voice and gap-toothed leer, Borgnine was on the verge of being typecast as the bad guy early in his career, following a string of convincing performances as the heavy in such films as 'Johnny Guitar' in 1954 and 'Bad Day at Black Rock in 1955.'
Borgnine's most memorable turn as a menacing tough guy was his breakout role in the 1953 Oscar-winning film 'From Here to Eternity' as the sadistic Sergeant 'Fatso' Judson, who terrorizes and eventually kills Frank Sinatra's character, Private Angelo Maggio.
UGLY DUCKLING ROLE
But Borgnine broke free from the bad-guy rut and won his own Oscar with a rare leading-man role in 1955's 'Marty,' playing a warm-hearted New York butcher who lamented, 'One fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it.'
In addition to his Academy Award, Borgnine's work in 'Marty' led to more sympathetic roles in such films as 'Jubal' (1956) and 'The Best Things in Life Are Free' (1956).
Critic Bosley Crowther described Borgnine's Oscar-winning performance in 'Marty,' a film version of a television play by Paddy Chayevsky, as 'a beautiful blend of the crude and strangely gentle and sensitive.'
Some critics hinted that Borgnine was a 'Marty' in real life, but the actor, who was married five times, took exception by saying, 'I'm no playboy, but I'm no dumb slob either.'
'Marty' also won Oscars for best picture, best director and adapted screenplay.
'Ernie is the nicest man I've ever worked with,' said Sidney Lanfield, who directed him on the TV sitcom 'McHale's Navy.' 'When he says, 'Hello! How are you?' or 'Glad to see you!' you can bet the line has not been rehearsed.'
The television show, in which he starred as the skipper of a misfit PT boat crew skirting Navy regulations while chasing Japanese submarines, ran on ABC from the fall of 1962 until August 1966 and reinvigorated Borgnine's career. Funnyman Tim Conway co-starred as McHale's ensign.
He starred again as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale in a 1964 big-screen adaptation of the TV show, and returned to supporting character work in such movies such as 'The Flight of the Phoenix' (1965), 'The Dirty Dozen' (1968), Sam Peckinpah's 'The Wild Bunch' (1969) and 'The Poseidon Adventure' (1972).
He appeared in dozens of films in all.
NAVY SERVICE
He was born Ermes Effron Borgino in Hamden, Connecticut, and did not take up acting until after a 10-year hitch in the U.S. Navy, including a stint during World War II as a gunner's mate on a destroyer in the Pacific.
'I just couldn't see myself going into a factory where I saw these pasty-faced fellows walking in and walking out after stamping their cards,' Borgnine once said.
Using money he earned from the G.I. Bill, Borgnine studied at the Randall School of Dramatic Arts in Hartford and performed on stage for several years at a Virginia theater.
His first Hollywood job was a low-budget picture, 'China Corsair,' in 1951, starring in ethnic makeup as the Chinese proprietor of a gambling club.
He made his Broadway debut in the 1949 Mary Chase comedy 'Harvey,' and after a trio of early-'50s films appeared on Broadway again in 1952 in another Chase production, 'Mrs. McThing,' this time opposite Helen Hayes.
Hayes ended up being a godmother to the eldest of Borgnine's three children, daughter Nancee, by his first wife.
Borgnine returned to series television as co-star of the mid-1980s action film 'Airwolf.' And in 1988 he portrayed a mafia chief in the big-screen film 'Spike of Bensonhurst.'
Working well into his 90s, Borgnine earned an Emmy nomination for his 2009 guest appearance on the final two episodes of the television hospital drama 'ER,' playing the husband of a dying elderly woman. The following year, he notched a cameo role as a CIA records keeper in the spy thriller 'Red.'
He performed voice work for animated productions late in his life, including 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and 'All Dogs Go to Heaven.'
Borgnine's 1964 marriage to singer-actress Ethel Merman barely lasted a month. He said it broke up because fans paid more attention to him than her during their honeymoon.
The longest of Borgnine's five marriages was his last - to Tova Traesnaes, whom he married in 1973. Despite his rough looks, Borgnine appeared in ads touting the face-rejuvenating powers of beauty products from a company she started.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman.; Editing by Bill Trott and Christopher Wilson)
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