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Marilyn Monroe: the sale of breast ayksrun

2010-06-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

America in a world renowned actress Marilyn Monroe auction chest X pyntalys three thousand dollars have been sold.

Memorial in Hollywood films plynt high bid of goods sold Marilyn Monroe's breast in the mammogram snh nineteen hundred fifty were sent down.

Ayksrun evaluate their bids to three thousand dollars was imposed.

Bid on a chair that was Marilyn Monroe's last photo shoot has been sold for thirty thousand dollars.

In addition, the film Titanic actress Kate unslyt used in earrings were sold in twenty-five thousand dollars.

Earlier Monday, King of Pop Michael Jackson dstanh nineteen hundred carfax which He wore in his Victory Tour ninety one hundred thousand dollars was sold.

Avatar: A Predictable Storyline With A Powerful Political Message

2010-03-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

After its win at the Golden Globes for best director and best film, and also its record breaking performance at the box office worldwide, Avatar seems to be well positioned for a very big win at the Oscars. Judging by his behavior at the Golden Globes awards ceremony, Avatar’s director, James Cameron, has mellowed with age or at least kept the megalomaniac side of his personality in check for the evening.
Yet the self proclaimed “King of the world” director of Titanic still behaves like he is a few notches above Hollywood’s fray. For weeks, James Cameron was refusing for “Avatar” to be sent to members of the Academy of Motion Picture and other guilds members as a DVD, insisting that his film should be seen on the big screen only. He eventually gave in to pressure, and a few days ago I was able to watch “Avatar” on my reasonably decent TV screen.
I am sure that the viewing experience would have been at least visually more exiting in 3 D and on a giant screen, but regardless of this, after around 10 minutes into James Cameron’s film I was able to guess the story line from A to Z. It is indeed a familiar and to some extend conventional story with some clever twists to it.
Avatar is in a nutshell a futuristic transposition of the conquest of the Americas, and the genocide of the American Indians for land and resources orchestrated in North America by British and French “explorers”, and in Central & South America by Spain’s Conquistadors.
British and French took the land from the tribes, and put they best efforts in converting “the savages” into Christians. The Spaniards had more tangible goals: Taking the gold and the silver from the native populations. In Avatar, the resource is a precious mineral of planet Pandora which the management of a ruthless corporation is willing to take by all means necessary, including deadly force. In order to achieve this, they found a way to infiltrate the tribe of the giant and lanky blue creatures , which most sacred land happens to be the richest depository for the mineral in question.
The devise used by James Cameron to transport humans to the world of the blue creatures is crude. It looks pretty much like a self tanning machine, but it none less successfully functions as a portal to the other world. Sigourney Weaver plays the scientist/anthropologist in charge of the experiment of learning the blue aliens’ language and culture. The semi-militarized corporation’s (think Halliburton & Blackwater combined in a futuristic nightmare) leadership thinks it is a waste of time, and decides to infiltrate the pool of scientists with a former Marine crippled and in a wheel chair.
The ex-Marine quickly discovers planet Pandora’s magical world where not only he can walk again, but where all of his senses are increased 100 folds. But then the predictability of the story comes again when he meets a blue alien version of Pocahontas. His mission was to infiltrate the tribe by sharing their appearance, but instead he quickly becomes seduced not only by his new love interest but also by the giant blue aliens primitive but powerful culture. In this formulaic version of the “forbidden love” between two species love of course shall triumph at the end.
As the story unfold, our hero is slowly but surely switching side from working on the behalf of the greedy and brutal invaders to being seduced and finally helping the “savage” aliens. Having at their disposal only primitive weapons, the blue creatures should be easily outgunned by the might of the nasty industrial-military complex which the fictional corporation represents well. However, the blue creatures have strong allies in the magical jungle they inhabit. Most of the dangerous animal like creatures of Pandora’s jungle seem to be coming not only from James Cameron’s imagination but also from planet earth circa pre-historic time. They are vicious pit bulls/hyena like snarling creatures on steroid, giant Rhinoceros with a double hammer head and voracious Dinosaur like giant birds which the blue aliens ride like American Indians did with wild mustangs.
Because Avatar is after all an Hollywood movie, it does provide a happy ending of some sort. In this eternal tale of the fight between the good “savages aliens” and the evil neo-military corporation, the blue giants ultimately prevail. And this is the political message which, beside the visual feast created by Cameron, has brought so many people to watch this movie worldwide, and also probably gave Avatar 9 Oscar nominations.
Cameron has picked an appropriate name for the mythical universe he paints with visual gusto as planet Pandora, because despite some of the formulaic aspects of the film, he does manage to open a global political Pandora’s box. James Cameron makes a bold attack on war, greed, violence, and offers a slightly predictable, but none less potent and stunning manifesto against our current model of development which is built on exploitation, social injustice and the rape of our own planet for the narrow minded profit of a few but against the long term interest of all.

“The Hurt Locker” Wins Oscar For Best Picture. “Avatar” Gets Snubbed

2010-03-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences selected “The Hurt Locker” as the Best Picture for 2010. The movie is about a U.S. Army bomb technician who lives for the adrenaline of being able to defuse bombs in what is supposedly the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The film was shot in Jordan.
The movie also won 7 other Oscars, including Best Director.
“Avatar” had a good chance and was expected by many to win the Oscar for Best Picture. But the movie — the highest grossing of all time — only won 3 Oscars, including Best Visual Effects.
“Avatar” was the opposite of what “The Hurt Locker” is about. It focuses on the struggles of indigenous inhabitants of the moon “Pandorum” who fight to preserve their land.
Many progressives liked “Avatar” because of it’s environmental message. Yet, a more violent film, “The Hurt Locker” managed to beat it.
“The Hurt Locker” was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who also directed the 1991 movie, “Point Break” starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Her win as Best Director also makes her the first female to receive such an award. She was also once married to James Cameron, who directed “Avatar.”
Another movie that progressives were rooting for was “Food Inc.” The documentary exposes who is behind the junk that Americans eat. “Food Inc.” was nominated for Best Feature Documentary, but it lost over “The Cove,” a documentary about dolphins.
Another upset, and a source of disappointment for most of our editorial staff at The News Junkie Post, was the fact that the Academy of Motion Picture members failed to give some well deserved attention to the film ” District 9″ which was nominated in the best picture and best adapted screenplay categories. Regardless, “District 9″ is likely, in due time, to become a classic despite its snubbing by the Academy.
There is a great irony about the win of “The Hurt Locker” over “Avatar”. As Americans are dealing with the permanent anxiety and stress created by the wars in Iraq (the topic of Kathryn Bigelow’s film) and Afghanistan, and as the Obama administration is trying to get the US troops out of Iraq; more members of the Academy decided to vote for a film dragging us back to Iraq as opposed to one, “Avatar”, which despite it flows has a soulful uplifting message taking us to a better place. One would wonder if a lot of Academy members suffer from second hand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Jeff Bridges Deserves An Oscar For “Crazy Heart”

2010-03-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

The main difference between movie stars and actors is that, too often, movie stars make the characters they play fit into their own persona. True actors do the opposite by going under the skin of the characters they inhabit on the silver screen. Great actors, such as Jeff Bridges, make this intense psychological challenge of becoming someone else seem effortless.
In “Crazy Heart”, Jeff Bridges accomplished this magical metamorphosis by embodying Bad Blake a down-on-his-luck hard drinking small time country singer. Jeff Bridges is so much at the top of his game in “Crazy Heart” that we can almost smell the tobacco on his clothes and hair, and get a strong whiff of booze from his breath.
The perfect little gem that is “Crazy Heart” finds Bad Blake at the end of his rope. Bad Blake is barely surviving drifting from one small time gig to the next in his beat up old Suburban. Blake is out of control, fading fast and seems to be about to lose his grip on life. But then he meets a young reporter who sees the talent and even the humor of Blake under the crumbling facade, and despite the obvious wreckage of his life.
“Life is funny and tragic, and the humor in the movie gets you a relief from the downside, but it also sort of sets you up for the next hard moment. It makes it a bit off kilter- you are laughing, and then heartbreak comes. It is like great country music,” said Bridges.
And like great country music, this terrific movie is about raw emotions, heartbreaks and trying to overcome adversity. Jeff Bridges drew his inspiration from several country singers to become Bad Blake on the screen.
“One of the direction that “Crazy Heart” writer/director, Scott Cooper, gave me was to to think of the Highwaymen- Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johny Cash and Kris Kristofferson- and to think that, in our alternate universe, Bad Blake would have been the fifth Highwayman. All of those guys and other people went into it. Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan. There are aspects of myself too. That is where I start with all the parts I do. I look for the places where my character and I overlap. That is always the beginning point,” said Bridges.
An Oscar win is long overdue for Jeff Bridges. During his long career, the 60 years old actor has had four Oscar nominations. One for lead actor in “Starman” (1984), and three for supporting roles in “The Last Picture Show”(1971), “Thunderbolt & Light-Foot”(1974) and “The Contender” (2000).
“Crazy Heart” is based on a novel by Thomas Cobb and was written and directed by first time director Scott Cooper. The small budget movie was shot in just 24 days, but it is likely to become a film classic. It is a throw back to gritty, unpretentious American cinema with rich multidimensional characters, which are not cardboard cutouts like in so many big Hollywood films. “Crazy Heart” oozes with the richness of its characters, it is about life, love, heartbreak and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit over life’s curve balls.

Oscar Winners 2010: Full Of Drama

2010-03-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles
Last night’s Academy Awards ceremony was chock-full of drama as the Oscar winners were announced. Sandra Bullock won Best Actress, beating out acting icon Meryl Streep, who has been nominated a record 16 times. “The Hurt Locker,” a very tiny film that has barely made $21 million worldwide, won Best Picture over the global juggernaut “Avatar,” now the highest-grossing film of all time. And, yes, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in 82 years of Academy history to walk off with the Best Director statuette.

“It’s a great validation for women directors,” said composer and former Academy governor Charles Bernstein as he made his way from the awards ceremony in Hollywood’s Kodak Theater to the nearby Governor’s Ball. As he spoke by phone, he walked past a not very jubilant, “though not sad,” James Cameron. “He has nothing to feel bad about,” noted Mr. Bernstein. “It’s a wonderful David-and-Goliath story and after all, he’s got the highest grossing film of all time so both sides win.”
Young female voices around town were unequivocal. “It’s officially groundbreaking,” says box office analyst Karie Bible at Exhibitor Relations. While it’s not clear how much the win will help Ms. Bigelow’s film, which is already out on DVD (“it may get a rerelease,” she suggests), it will definitely help open doors for other women, Ms. Bible adds.
“This gives me hope,” says 18-year-old Chloe Miller, an aspiring director who plans to begin film school next fall. “This win makes me think that Hollywood is not as closed a place as it has been and that maybe doors are opening for more diversity of all kinds.”
The time for change in Hollywood indeed has come, says Howard Suber, UCLA professor emeritus and author (“The Power of Film”), who maintains that Bigelow’s win was more about Hollywood’s desire to recognize a woman director than the inherent quality of the film. “Five or 10 years from now, I seriously doubt anyone will view ‘Hurt Locker’ as a classic or enduring film,” Mr. Suber says. Unlike a film such as “Avatar,” which pushed technical and stylistic boundaries, “The Hurt Locker” is a very conventional war film. While it is gritty and intense, employing what has now become standard techniques such as a cinéma verité style created by shooting with a hand-held camera, it does not break any new ground.
“Mainstream filmmakers have been using this for decades,” Suber says, adding that this is all about history. “If this film had been directed by [a male director such as] Ridley Scott, this film would never have won Best Picture,” he adds. It may have little impact on the film’s box office, but, he says, it will certainly immeasurably improve Kathryn Bigelow’s chances of getting a meeting at major studios for her next project.
Here are the top five winners with links to their acceptance speeches (for a complete list, go to the Oscar site):
The Oscar Winners
Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Picture
Winner: “The Hurt Locker“

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Director
Winner: Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Actor
Winner: Jeff Bridges for his role in “Crazy Heart”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Actress
Winner: Sandra Bullock for her role in “The Blind Side”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Christoph Waltz for his role in “Inglourious Basterds.”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Mo’Nique for her role in “Precious.”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Animated Feature
Winner: Disney’s “Up”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Original Song
Winner: “The Weary Kind,” from the movie “Crazy Heart.”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Original Screenplay
Winner: “The Hurt Locker”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Animated Short
Winner: “Logorama”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Documentary Short
Winner: “Music By Prudence”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Live Action Short
Winner: “The New Tenants”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Makeup
Winner: “Star Trek”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: “Precious”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Production Design
Winner: “Avatar”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Costume Design
Winner: Sandy Powell for “The Young Victoria”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Costume Design
Winner: Sandy Powell for “The Young Victoria”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Sound Editing
Winner: “The Hurt Locker”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Sound Mixing
Winner: “The Hurt Locker”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Sound Mixing
Winner: “The Hurt Locker”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Cinematography
Winner: “Avatar”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Original Score
Winner: Disney’s “Up”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Visual Effects
Winner: “Avatar”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Documentary Feature
Winner: “The Cove”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Film Editing
Winner: “The Hurt Locker”

Category: Oscar’s 2010 Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: “El Secreto En Sus Ojos” (“The Secret In Her Eyes”) from Argentina

Sandra Bullock Is Nominated For Best Actress In Oscar 2010

2010-03-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

One of the top-grossing Hollywood actresses of the 1990s, "America's sweetheart" Sandra Bullock rose to fame with roles as the quintessential yet modern-day version of the girl-next-door – smart, capable, witty; one who triumphs in the face of impossible scenarios. Her can-do energy was at the center of her career breakout as Annie, the spunky passenger on a runaway bus in “Speed” (1994), after which her endearing gutsiness and charm made her a romantic comedy favorite in films like “While You Were Sleeping” (1995) and “Forces of Nature” (1999). At her peak, she was so beloved that she gave even Julia Roberts a run for her money as box office queen. To prove her versatility, Bullock regularly detoured into serious dramas like “Infamous” (2006) and the occasional edge-of-your seat thriller like “Premonition” (2007). Unfortunately, with the exception of the Academy Award-winning “Crash” (2002), the actress attracted the most fan devotion for sparkling in comedies like “Miss Congeniality” (2002), where she lit up the screen with her quirky personality and earthy, approachable beauty. Bullock was born July 26, 1964 in Arlington, VA. As the daughter of a German opera singer mother and a voice coach father, Bullock was raised around show business, often joining her mother on concert tours of Europe from the time she was very young. She spent most of her pre-teen years in Nuremburg, Germany, where she sang with a children’s choir. By the time the family settled outside Washington, D.C., the teenage Bullock – with her outgoing, vibrant, personality – leaned more towards acting. She studied at East Carolina University’s drama department in Greenville before moving to New York City to study with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in 1986. A well-reviewed off-Broadway performance in 1988 helped Bullock secure an agent and begin her screen career in supporting parts for TV movies like "Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" (NBC, 1989) and "The Preppie Murder" (ABC, 1989). After snagging her first lead role in the small indie "Who Shot Patakango?" (1989), Bullock’s career began to excel and she moved to Los Angeles. Ironically, Bullock’s first major acting gig in Los Angeles was a starring role as ambitious young executive Tess McGill in the New York-set sitcom, "Working Girl" (NBC, 1990), based on the popular film starring Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford. She co-starred opposite Tate Donovan in the romantic comedy "Love Potion No. 9" (1992) and delivered a superb performance as a cynical feminist artist in the indie film "When the Party's Over" (1992) before getting her first major exposure with "Demolition Man” (1993). Bullock turned heads with her supporting role as a feisty LAPD lieutenant and partner of Sylvester Stallone in the dystopian actioner before turning around to give a lesser-seen but thoroughly charming supporting performance as a quirky Southern belle trying to make it in Nashville in Peter Bogdanovich's "The Thing Called Love" (1993). But Bullock’s first taste of movie stardom came with the blockbuster "Speed" (1994), in which she played Annie, the reluctant but plucky driver of a runaway bus opposite Keanu Reeves. Her innate wit, intelligence and general likeability helped elevate what could have been just a standard testosterone-fueled action picture, allowing her to drive off with the film's best notices. Her palpable on-screen chemistry with the handsome but stoic leading man also served her well, as both she and Reeves became a kind of a screen couple ideal in filmgoers’ minds – much like Julia Roberts and Richard Gere had four years before with “Pretty Woman” (1990). And like that coupling, it would take years for Reeves and Bullock to reunite on-screen, but fans would never forget their magnetism together. In a part originally intended for the overpriced Demi Moore, Bullock headlined the romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping" (1995), earning a Golden Globe nomination for portraying another “regular gal with big dreams” in the surprise hit co-starring Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher as the other points of a love triangle. Now a full-fledged movie star with a run of hits, she was equally adept as a hapless computer operator stumbling onto a major conspiracy in the thriller "The Net" (1995). Bullock rebounded from the pallid caper comedy "Two If By Sea" (1996) with a dramatic supporting turn as a law student who finds herself attracted to a married Southern lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) she is assisting in Joel Schumacher's "A Time to Kill" (1996), based on the John Grisham bestseller. While she and McConaughey became fast and lasting friends, both denied endless speculation of a romantic relationship. Canoodling tabloid photos surfacing at the time seemed to indicate the opposite, but there was no doubt the two were together on and off for years. Unfortunately, Richard Attenborough's "In Love and War" (1996), based on the real-life romance between author Ernest Hemingway (Chris O'Donnell) and the nurse he fictionalized in A Farewell to Arms proved a disappointment, with the actress miscast as the slightly older woman. Equally disappointing was the inevitable – and ultimately misguided – sequel, "Speed 2: Cruise Control" (1997), which teamed Bullock with Jason Patric on a luxury liner taken over by a madman. The absence of Reeves only served to sink the bloated project even further. Despite the high-profile disaster, Bullock was hardly blamed, as she continued to earn a reputation as a fun-loving type who did not suffer fools gladly. Her mixture of brazenness and caginess only served to warm the hearts of audiences who seemed to forgive her anything. She further entrenched herself in Hollywood – by way of her adopted home of Austin, TX – by writing, producing, directing and co-starring opposite co-producer McConaughey in "Making Sandwiches" (1997), a 40-minute short screened at the Sundance Film Festival. As executive producer of the romantic drama "Hope Floats" (1998), she proved she had an eye for the type of Everywoman roles that had earned her kudos in the past, but with an eye toward deepening her appeal with more risky roles for the future. On the power of her name alone, the forgettable drama generated respectable box office receipts. Later that year, Bullock lent her voice to the character of Miriam in DreamWorks animated biblical tale "The Prince of Egypt" and co-starred with Nicole Kidman as sisters who use witchcraft to solve their romantic problems in "Practical Magic," which she also co-executive produced. Bullock teamed with Ben Affleck in the successful romantic road comedy "Forces of Nature" (1999), but her producing efforts misfired with "Gun Shy" (2000). Neither she nor her co-star Liam Neeson could save the awkward and unfunny crime comedy. She returned to form later that year as a New York writer and party girl sentenced to "28 Days" (2000) of rehab, capably portraying both the hard-to-watch human weakness as well as humor of her addict characterization. Under her Fortis Productions banner, Bullock found time to launch the successful sitcom “George Lopez” in 2002, serving as the series executive producer after discovering Lopez in 2000. She was concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television and pushed to get a show on air starring Hispanics without being exclusively about their ethnicity. The show was a huge success for everyone involved and enjoyed a five year run. Back on the big screen, she impressed moviegoers with a turn as a tomboyish streetwise FBI agent posing as a polished beauty queen in the hit comedy "Miss Congeniality" (2002). Paired with Benjamin Bratt, Bullock further proved a delightful comedienne, flaunting her character's newfound grace with the appropriate gracelessness and earning another Golden Globe nomination in the process. Playing a different type of law enforcement agent, Bullock starred as a homicide detective in the psychological thriller "Murder by Numbers" (2002) and returned to lighter fare as a Southern playwright in the film adaptation of the bestseller "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (2002). She next went back to her romantic comedy roots, producing and starring with Hugh Grant in the underwhelming "Two Weeks Notice" (2002) as the aide-de-camp to a reckless mogul who does not appreciate the doting care she gives him. At this point in her career, Bullock was entering dangerous Doris Day territory, playing winsome, klutzy roles that were better suited for someone younger. However, her very brief turn in the racially charged, multi-plot drama "Crash" (2005) was a step in the right direction, with Bullock playing a middle-aged L.A. woman of privilege who, after a traumatic carjacking, angrily acts out on all of her worst prejudices and racial fears. The film went on to earn Best Picture of the Year at the Academy Awards. In 2005, the sweetheart who had romanced some of her handsome co-stars – including McConaughey, one-time fiancé Tate Donovan whom she dated for four years, and the younger Ryan Gosling whom she met on the set of “Murder by Numbers” – finally found her soulmate in an unlikely, tattooed match. In July 2005, she married motorcycle icon Jesse James after dating for two years, surprising fans by becoming a stepmother to James’ daughter from a previous marriage. While her personal life was better than ever, she revived one of her biggest comedy hits with the sequel "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" (2005), this time posing as a Las Vegas showgirl. While not as big a hit as its predecessor, it returned respectable box office. Taking a more serious turn, she portrayed author Harper Lee, friend of Truman Capote (Toby Jones), in the biopic "Infamous" (2006). Unfortunately, the film suffered from being released too close to a similar project on the infamous writer, “Capote” (2005). To the delight of filmgoing romantics everywhere, Bullock reunited with "Speed" co-star Reeves after 12 years in the romantic drama "The Lake House" (2006). Many thought the film about strangers who fall in love via letters they exchange through a mailbox that mysteriously bridges time an odd choice for their onscreen reunion, but the film was nevertheless a moderate success. In “Premonition” (2007), Bullock held up an otherwise mediocre thriller with her strong performance as a wife and mother living the perfect domestic life but nonetheless driven mad by foreknowledge of impending events, including the tragic death of her husband (Julian McMahon) in a car accident. Showing no signs of leaving her comedy career behind, Bullock brought the appropriate befuddled exasperation to her starring role as a book editor who marries her Canadian assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to facilitate his legal status but has to then maintain the appearance of a real married couple in “The Proposal” (2009). She returned to the producer’s chair with another comedy, “All About Steve” (2009), in which she also portrayed an obnoxious romantic suitor whose wooing efforts border on stalking. Unfortunately, the film was a financial and critical bomb, leading many to question if Bullock's career could survive a project that most deemed an utter embarrassment. To make things more difficult, she and James petitioned the court to gain permanent custody of James' daughter, Sunny, after the child’s mother, former porn star Janine Lindemulder, was arrested and jailed six months for tax evasion.

Jeff Bridges Nominated For Best Actor In Oscar

2010-03-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

To call Jeff Bridges "the most underappreciated great actor of his generation," as did Janet Maslin in her The New York Times review of "American Heart" (1992), became something of a cliché in contemporary film criticism. Hailed for his relaxed, naturalistic performance style, Bridges remained an A-list leading man for over four decades without the benefit of ever having been a box-office champ. Furthermore, Bridges accomplished this feat without ever having to resort to the broad self-parody of such contemporaries as Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro. Basically a character actor with leading man looks, Bridges built his reputation with a wide assortment of parts in various genres. Much like the late, great Spencer Tracy, however, Bridges’ greatest talent was his ability to take on complex, morally ambiguous characters with such ease that people accused him of playing himself. The son of famed actor Lloyd Bridges and the younger brother of actor Beau Bridges, Jeffrey Leon Bridges was born on Dec. 4, 1949, in Los Angeles, CA. Destined by blood to go into the family profession, Jeff Bridges made his first screen appearance at the tender age of four months, playing Jane Greer's infant son in "The Company She Keeps" (1950). Growing up, he and his brother Beau got some valuable early acting experience playing drowning victims and the like on their father Lloyd's popular undersea adventure series, "Sea Hunt" (Synd., 1957-1961). As Bridges recalled to The London Times in 1999: "[My dad would] always say, 'Do you want this part? You'll be gone from school for a couple of weeks.' And when you're eight years old, it's kind of fun." The brothers also popped up occasionally on their father’s subsequent TV venture, "The Lloyd Bridges Show" (CBS, 1962-63). Fun and games aside, however, the experience of seeing their father become typecast after “Sea Hunt” also taught the junior Bridges a valuable lesson about diversifying one’s roles. In 1971, Bridges joined the ensemble cast of director Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last Picture Show" – an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Larry McMurtry. A coming of age tale set a small Texas town in the 1950s, “Picture Show” earned the 23-year-old Bridges his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the boyishly charming Duane Jackson. Bridges further enhanced his image in a series of quality projects, beginning with John Huston's "Fat City" (1972) as a struggling boxer, and Robert Benton's directorial debut, "Bad Company" (1972), in which he played a likable, if untrustworthy con artist who drifts into lawlessness in the post-Civil War west. The following year, Bridges brought a three-dimensional believability to his portrayal of moonshining stock-car racing legend Junior Jackson in "The Last American Hero" (1973). Later that year, Bridges subsequently stood tall amidst such heavy hitters as Robert Ryan, Fredric March and Lee Marvin in John Frankenheimer's filmic adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s "The Iceman Cometh” (1973). Having grown in stature with each successive picture, Bridges was a revelation in Michael Cimino's directorial debut, "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974). Demonstrating his impressive acting range while exuding an effortless screen charisma, Bridges wound up stealing the picture right out from under its star, Clint Eastwood. When “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” earned Bridges another Best Supporting Actor nod, predictions abounded that the young actor would be the next big thing in Hollywood. Unfortunately, several ill-advised choices over the next few years ended up dampening Hollywood's enthusiasm for the actor – most notably his lead roles in the 1976 remake of "King Kong” and Michael Cimino's studio-killing epic drama-turned-failure, "Heaven's Gate" (1980). Thankfully, Bridges was able to break his downward career freefall in the mid-1980s with a number of timely commercial hits. The first was director Taylor Hackford’s "Against All Odds" (1984), a loose remake of the 1947 drama “Out of the Past" (1947). The film, which co-starred Racheleaponry sold around the world. But when the company’s prodigal son, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), decides not to sell weapons after being held captive in Afghanistan, where he developed an iron suit designed to thwart violence, Stane attempts a hostile takeover that leads to stealing the Iron Man blueprints and designing his own bigger version. Aside from being a part of a strong cast that also included Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Terrence Howard as Rhodey, Bridges was able to live out his dream of shaving his head and growing a beard, making him look like a cross between Daddy Warbucks and the Gorton’s Fisherman. Ward and James Woods, also featured a cameo by Bridges’ “first” leading lady, Jane Greer, as his mother. Later that year, Bridges earned his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his low-key portrayal of the titular Earth-bound alien in the science-fiction drama, “Starman” (1984). Over the course of filming, Bridges kicked off a lifelong friendship with “Starman” director John Carpenter, who gushed to Larry Worth of The New York Post: "[Jeff is] the greatest, as an actor and a person. He's the best actor of his generation, bar none." A year later, Bridges would enjoy his greatest box-office success to date as a charismatic, successful businessman accused of a high-profile murder in the legal thriller, "Jagged Edge" (1985), co-starring Glenn Close. Bridges proved utterly convincing as the almost neurotically optimistic, indomitable, all-American entrepreneur Preston Tucker in director Francis Ford Coppola’s, "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" (1988) – a project which enabled him to act again with his father, Lloyd. Keeping things in the family, Bridges next teamed up with brother Beau to give a complex performance as Jack Baker, a once celebrated piano prodigy reduced to entertaining as a lounge lizard in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989). A resounding critical success, the film earned co-star Michelle Pfeiffer her second Oscar nomination, but some found Bridges even more impressive. He continued to give typically strong, but underrated performances during the 1990’s. Often willing to drastically change his looks to suit a part, Bridges reprised the role of an older, fatter Duane Jackson in “Texasville" (1990), the long-awaited sequel to "The Last Picture Show." Set 30 years after the original movie, Bridges gained 20 pounds for his role as the Texas roughneck-turned-millionaire who is desperate to recapture his lost youth. Unfortunately, not even Bridges’ splendid chemistry with “Texasville” co-star, Annie Potts (as Duane’s wife) could save the film from failure. Despite his up and down track record at the box office, Bridges nevertheless continued to grind out exemplary performances. The understated angst of his disk jockey character, Jack Lucas, in the gentle fantasy, "The Fisher King" (1991), again impressed critics by providing an effective counterpoint to the exuberant Robin Williams. Though Bridges wound up being overlooked by the Academy, the picture earned actress Mercedes Ruehl a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as Bridges' girlfriend. For his next role as an ex-con seeking to reconcile with his wayward son, Bridges grew his hair out long and dramatically sculpted his physique for the respectfully reviewed indie, "American Heart" (1993). That same year, Bridges won |raves for his portrayal of Max Klein, a man transfigured after his survival from an air disaster, in "Fearless" (1993). Nominated for an Oscar, “Fearless” was considered by many to be Bridges’ finest, most courageous piece of work to date. Unfortunately, moviegoers continued to under-appreciate the actor’s work. In 1994, Bridges fared poorly as a bomb squad cop pitted against Irish terrorist Tommy Lee Jones in "Blown Away" (1994), a critical flop that still did modest business. His follow-up, "Wild Bill" (1995), an eccentric "art western” from writer-director Walter Hill, earned Bridges some enthusiastic kudos, but it barely even received a release. Although Bridges delivered the goods as the tough, but fair skipper of a floating prep school in Ridley Scott's lusciously photographed "White Squall" (1996), the involving, well-acted, coming-of-age sea saga sank at the box office. Later that year, Bridges showed off his impressive comic timing as Barbra Streisand’s buttoned-down platonic paramour in the old-fashioned romantic comedy, "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996). During production, rumors abounded of friction between Bridges and Streisand, but both stars downplayed the reports as merely idle gossip. For his next project, Bridges did what he did best – make a 180 degree turn to transform himself into the overweight, greasy-haired, burnt-out, beach bum-cum-bowler in the Coen Brothers now classic comedy, "The Big Lebowski" (1998). Weirdly engaging in his role as 'The Dude' – described by the narrator as "the laziest man in Los Angeles County" – Bridges was initially hesitant to take the role of the reefer-toking, white Russian-swilling Dude, because he did not want it to appear as if he condoned drug use. Thankfully for fans of the “The Big Lebowski,” Bridges wound up changing his mind. The film became an instant cult classic – even more, after being released to home video/DVD. Leaving the Dude's bloated physique behind, Bridges slipped back into a more comfortable guise for his next role of the rumpled professor in the thriller "Arlington Road" (1999). In it, Bridges plays a paranoid academician whose discourses on domestic terrorism lead him to believe that his new neighbors are up to no good. Despite those two superb back-to-back performances, Bridges was back to being underused again in “The Muse” (1999), in which he played an Oscar-winning screenwriter who introduces his best friend (Albert Brooks) to Sharon Stone's title character. Rounding out the year, Bridges and Stone re-teamed as a millionaire racehorse breeder and his alcoholic wife in "Simpatico," adapted from the Sam Shepard play. The new millennium saw Bridges expanding his artistic horizons. An accomplished photographer in his spare time, Bridges had his evocative behind-the-scenes photo memoirs from films like "White Squall" published in Premiere magazine, and later, explored his longtime musical interests by releasing his debut album, Be Here Now in 2000. Despite the inevitable slings and arrows from wary critics who called the album a vanity project, Bridges handled the record with the very same level of Everyman dignity with which he approached his acting roles. Indeed, the participation of such musical heavyweights as Michael McDonald and David Crosby lent the album its share of gravitas. Later that year, Bridges returned to the big screen to play the deceptively shrewd and manipulative U.S. President Jackson Evans in the political drama, "The Contender" (2000). The actor followed that up with a role in director Iain Softley’s “K-Pax” (2001), a science-fiction drama co-starring Kevin Spacey. In it, Bridges played Dr. Mark Powell, an earnest psychiatrist who comes to doubt his own diagnosis of a seemingly delusional patient (Spacey) who claims he is from another planet. Bridges was especially enjoyable in his next picture, the Gary Ross-directed “Seabiscuit” (2003), in which he played wealthy financier, Charles Howard. Summoning a winning synthesis of his previous character, Preston Tucker, and his own father, Lloyd Bridges, Bridges breathed life into the optimistic, but grief-tempered character of Howard, the man responsible for bankrolling the famed 20th Century racehorse. Although the brisk pace of the film did not allow Bridges to fully explore his character's extreme emotional depths, the actor effectively conveyed Howard's entrepreneurial spirit. Almost simultaneously, Bridges appeared in the quirky comedy-drama, "Masked & Anonymous" (2003), the story of a singer-songwriter who emerges from obscurity to stage a benefit concert. The movie starred Bob Dylan – who also handled the directing chores – as singer Jack Fate and Bridges as Tom Friend, a jaded and bitter veteran music journalist covering the concert. Bridges’ maintained his steady output well into the decade, starring in an average of about one film per year. After a co-starring turn in director Terry Gilliam’s underappreciated fantasy, “Tideland” (2005), Bridges starred in the gymnastics-themed sports comedy “Stick It” (2006). The following year, Bridges lent his voice to his first animated project “Surf’s Up” (2007), an ambitious CGI-animated feature comedy about championship penguin surfers. After several years without a major studio feature, Bridges finally emerged to co-star in “Iron Man” (2008), the first mega-success of that summer. He played Obadiah Stane, second in command at Stark Industries, which manufactures high-tech w

The Blind Side & District 9 Oscar Nominations

2010-03-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Actress - Sandra Bullock

Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, is taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Visual Effects

Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's District 9 as the world's nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare -- they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens' awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe, contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable -- he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

Avatar Oscar Nomination

2010-03-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Director - James Cameron
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of "Titanic," first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story. We enter the alien world through the eyes of Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where corporations are mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth's energy crisis. Because the atmosphere of Pandora is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human "drivers" have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air. These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora... the Na'vi. Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again. He is given a mission to infiltrate the Na'vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. But a beautiful Na'vi female, Neytiri, saves Jake's life, and this changes everything. Jake is taken in by her clan, and learns to become one of them, which involves many tests and adventures. As Jake's relationship with his reluctant teacher Neytiri deepens, he learns to respect the Na'vi way and finally takes his place among them. Soon he will face the ultimate test as he leads them in an epic battle that will decide nothing less than the fate of an entire world.

Michael Blosil, Son of Marie Osmond, Commits Suicide

2010-02-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

Tragedy has struck the Osmond family.
Michael Blosil, the son of Marie Osmond, committed suicide last night. The trouble teen, who left a suicide note, jumped from his Los Angeles apartment building around 9 p.m.
Entertainment Tonight confirmed the news and quoted Donny Osmond as saying: "Please pray for my sister and her family," while Marie recently released a statement that reads:
"My son Michael is an amazing young man, shown through his courage in facing his issues. As his mother, I couldn't be more proud of him. The press and public have always been kind and gracious in the past, and I know they will continue to respect our privacy during this time."
Michael was one of Marie's eight kids. He reportedly suffered "severe depression" throughout his life, insiders say, and entered a rehab facility in 2007 at age 16.
Marie and Donny have canceled their Las Vegas show tonight, of course, and there's no word on when they might return to the stage. Our thoughts our with their loved ones.

J-Woww on Jersey Shore Fashion: Do-Over!

2010-02-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Jersey Shore star J-Woww (Jenni Farley) was known for her risque fashion selections on the first season of MTV's breakout hit show. To her chagrin.
She wishes she could have a few fashion do-overs when it comes to her style. Asked to pick her biggest fashion regret, she couldn't even pick one.
"Oh! Everything on the show," J-Woww told MTV News. "I was really sick during the shooting of it. I ended up going to the doctors and the hospital."
"So, like, everything!"
Even the relatively conservative outfit seen here ...
While she still has Season 2 to think up some better looks, she knows the one thing she will always include in any one of her outfits: "Earrings!"
We suppose that even if you see J-Woww nude, she will be wearing those: "I have chubby ears, so I gotta wear my earrings, no matter what."
J-Woww should start packing up all hers, since the Jersey Shore cast is hitting the road for and getting ready to take South Beach in Season 2.
"[Expect] more hookups," J-Woww said. "More drama - a lot more. I don't know [what the drama will be about]. We haven't really changed, but we have."
Of the Jersey Shore cast, she adds: "We're a bigger family, which I love. So, when we're all together, we know each other, so there is no [holding back]."

Lady Gaga Disses Doubting Ex

2010-02-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

The April issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, upon which she graces the cover, features music superstar Lady Gaga recounting an old boyfriend who doubted her.
One she's not opposed to rubbing her success in the face of now.
"I had a boyfriend who told me I'd never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song, and that he hoped I'd fail," the singer recounts.
Gaga adds, "I said to him, 'Someday, when we're not together, you won't be able to order a cup of coffee at the f**king deli without hearing or seeing me.'"
Some might call that quote arrogant, but it's hard to blame her for relishing that just a bit, given how hard she worked to succeed, and then stay at the top. She also says she "ate sh*t for so long" trying to make it in music and "I've always been delusionally ambitious to the point where people don't understand me."
Hopefully Matthew Williams, her current beau, is not one of those people. He's worked with her for so long, we imagine they click professionally and personally.
Also notable is the conventional lingerie she wears on the Cosmo cover.
After all, we're talking about a girl with wacky, avant garde style, who wears hair phones, masks, bulges in her pants and ... whatever that is in the pic above.
Lady Gaga can certainly pull of a variety of bizarre and regular style choices. We expect her to show similarly versatility and longevity in the world of music, too.

Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney: Married!

2010-02-28T05:54:00.000-08:00

The Bachelor star Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney became the first couple in the 13-season history of the show to get actually married Saturday in California.
If you want to get technical, though, no Bachelor star has wed his final rose recipient, as Jason dumped his, Melissa Rycroft, for runner-up Molly after the fact.
Somehow we don't suspect Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi (who The Bachelor spoilers suggest he picks over Tenley Molzahn) to be the first. But moving on.
Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney made if official in front of an estimated 300 guests at the majestic Terranea Resort on the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
The nuptials, which will be televised on the two-hour March 8 ABC special The Bachelor: Jason and Molly’s Wedding, were also marked by a driving rainstorm.
Rain on your wedding day. How ironic ... or the result of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hitting Chile earlier that day and causing a near tsunami in California.
Still, not even that could dampen the day for these two
“We’re really excited for them,” said former Bachelorette star, who vied for Mesnick’s heart on The Bachelor, and attended the nuptials with fiance Ed Swiderski.
“They are very ‘normal’ in one sense, but oboth of us have been through things in terms of the tabloids and drama after our shows were over,” adds Jillian.
Trista and Ryan Sutter (the only pair from The Bachelorette to wed thus far), DeAnna Pappas, Jesse Csinsak and Kiptyn Locke were also among the guests.
They watched Molly Malaney, bedecked in a $45,000, strapless Monique Lhuillier gown and Neil Lane jewelry walk down a 200-ft. aisle to “Over the Rainbow.”
Sung by American Idol stoner alum Jason Castro, natch.
The ceremony lasted 15 minutes - and concluded with the release of white doves into the rainy skies, as Jason Mesnick tried to shield her from the rain.
Chris Harrison served as the officiant. Kidding ... probably.
Following the romantic, momentous ceremony, the couple's guests enjoyed cocktails before a reception ... thankfully in an indoor ballroom at the resort.

Whitney Houston's 'Nothing But Love' Tour Off To Rocky Start

2010-02-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Whitney Houston's return to the stage has been plagued with sub-par vocals since her performance on Good Morning America in August to promote her latest album, I Look To You..

Unfortunately, the singer once praised for her exceptional vocal talent was still struggling with singing live Monday when she opened her "Nothing But Love" world tour in Australia..

According to a review of the concert, Houston needed to take a break two songs into the show. She reportedly coughed through songs, and at one point had her brother take the lead..

When Houston attempted to sing her most notable hit, "I Will Always Love You," she stopped mid-song to get a drink of water. She ruined the song's popular high note, sounding like a bad American Idol audition contestant..

Concertgoers were said to have walked out of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Australia's Channel 7 interviewed several angry patrons, who described the show as "the worst concert I've ever gone too," "disgraceful," and "definitely not worth $165.".

Houston's publicist released a statement Thursday responding to the critics. "Whitney is in great health and having a terrific time on her tour and with her fans," the rep said, AP reports. "The spokesperson said that Houston's Brisbane show had more than 9,000 attendants, and the Acer Arena in Sydney welcomed more than 12,000..

"Her fans were dancing and singing along with her, and Whitney appreciates their support," the spokesperson added..

Back in November, I blogged that Houston should keep on performing to rebuild her chops. Considering her battles with drugs, it has clearly taken a toll on her voice..

I hope her condition improves. I admire her confidence. But it is going to take some time for her to recover.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie say 'buongiorno' to Venice, their new home

2010-02-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

In recent years the Jolie-Pitts have set up homes in New Orleans, France, Cambodia, New York, and Los Angeles.

Now Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, plus their brood of six, can add Venice to that list.

The Hollywood family have arrived in the Italian city where they'll be spending the next few months while Angelina films The Tourist with Johnny Depp.

Onlookers were delighted to see the megastar couple out and about, introducing their kids to the place they'll be calling home for the near future.

And what better way to kick start their Italian stay than a taste of the local delicacy, gelato.

Wrapped up against the cold, Maddox, Shiloh – cute as a button in a fluffy hat with monkey ears – Pax and Zahara – joined their doting parents at an ice cream parlour.

The happy family scene is just further proof that the split reports of recent weeks are totally wide of the mark.

Earlier the couple had been spotted with their 19-month-old twins Knox and Vivienne, who are rarely seen in public.

The family are staying in one of the city's most luxurious hotels, the Palazzo Mocenigo.

Located on the Grand Canal, between the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square, the 16th century palace has played host to some of the world's most famous politicians, poets, artists and philosophers.

Angelina's Hot New 'Do!

2010-02-18T04:41:00.000-08:00

Angelina Jolie sports a new 'do in Venice, Italy.

Splash News Angelina Jolie showed off a brand new hairdo in Italy on Wednesday.

The actress, 34, revealed a blonder look for her upcoming film "The Tourist," a thriller co-starring Johnny Depp, which is set to shoot in Venice, Italy. Jolie was snapped with chunky blonde highlights and sideswept bangs as she stepped into a water taxi with Brad and Pax.

It's not the first time the star has altered her appearance for a role. As a CIA agent in the action film "Salt", (out this July), Jolie sported a number of different looks, including a long dark wig with bangs, and a blonde wig.

The Jolie-Pitt's have been having lots of fun since landing in Italy! The couple was spotted getting Italian ice cream with their older children, Maddox, Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh, and on Tuesday, the world was treated to the rare sight of Brangelina's 19-month-old twins, Knox and Vivienne, as they took a water taxi ride in Venice.

The family is reportedly staying at the stunning canal-side Palazzo Mocenigo, which is situated between the Rialto and Accademia parts of the city, and faces San Toma, for the movie's three-month shoot.

Jolie -- who begins filming on March 15 -- has previously spoken about her brood's jet-setting lifestyle. She recently told the press: "It's hard, and maybe one day we'll have to stay in one place. I'm sure the kids are going to be 18 and say, 'God, I just want to stay in one place.' They'll never want to leave home."

Palin lashes out at `Family Guy'

2010-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

JUNEAU, Alaska – Sarah Palin is lashing out at the portrayal of a character with Down syndrome on the Fox animated comedy "Family Guy."

In a Facebook posting headlined "Fox Hollywood — What a Disappointment," the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and current Fox News contributor said Sunday night's episode felt like "another kick in the gut." Palin's youngest son, Trig, has Down syndrome.

The episode features the character Chris falling for a girl with Down syndrome. On a date, he asks what her parents do.

She replies: "My dad's an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska."

Palin resigned as Alaska governor last summer.

Palin's oldest daughter, Bristol, also was quoted on her mother's Facebook page, calling the show's writers "heartless jerks."

"When you're the son or daughter of a public figure, you have to develop thick skin. My siblings and I all have that, but insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent," she is quoted as saying.

"If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed," Bristol Palin added in the Monday posting. "All they proved is that they're heartless jerks."

Palin wrote that she'd asked her daughter what she thought of the show and Bristol's reply was "a much more restrained and gracious statement than I want to make about an issue that begs the question: When is enough enough?"

This isn't the first time Palin has spoken out over an attack, real or perceived, on her family. Last year, she condemned a joke David Letterman made about her daughter, for which he later apologized.

A "Family Guy" publicist didn't immediately return an e-mail seeking comment

ASHTON Kutcher and Demi Moore don’t “do” Valentine’s Day

2010-02-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

The 32-year-old actor — who plays a florist in the movie Valentine’s Day — admitted he and his wife would not be marking the romantic occasion as they are so busy with their charity work.

“We don’t really do Valentine’s Day,” Kutcher said at the Valentine’s Day European premiere in London’s Leicester Square Thursday. “Demi and I decided the best way we could share our love was to share it with other people. We set up a foundation called the DNA Foundation to help trafficking victims.

“There’s a group in New York that helps these girls off the streets, and get their life going again. So we’re meeting them on Valentine’s Day this year. We’re gonna do something special for them.”

Despite not celebrating the day with his 47-year-old wife, Ashton does think it is a “great opportunity” for others to show affection.

“I don’t think it’s easy for anyone to show emotions,” he said. “Valentine’s Day is this great opportunity because we go all year long feeling these feelings and having these thoughts in our head and sometimes we feel like we’re sharing them but we really aren’t.

“On Valentines Day we really get to manifest some of those unspoken things.”

Frederick’s of Hollywood Celebrate Valentine’s Day

2010-02-14T04:24:00.000-08:00

Argyle Salon & Spa and “Love for Haiti” charity presented Frederick’s of Hollywood 2010 Valentine’s fashion show at their salon in West Hollywood – right in time for the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s Day this 14th.

This was a smaller show than previous years, but still attracted a lot of people, that were willing to support a cause with a thirty dollars donation, which also included complimentary cocktails of Karma Tequila, Malibu Family Wines and light hors-d’oeuvres.

-”This show will make you wanna buy something sexy to put on for your mate” said

producer Joshua James Talent.

“Frederick’s of Hollywood will also have a three hour reception to follow tomorrow with 20% off everything in the store, and giveaways from the Dolce Group, POP Beauty, and House Of Blues Foundation Room”

Alexis Lopez from American Idol entertained the audience of the opening act with songs from Gwen Stefani and Mariah Carey’s greatest hits.

Singing Babydoll

Special guest model Patricia Kara of NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” was the evenings guest presenter together with Joshua James.

The lingerie was as everybody expected, sweet, red, black and sexy:

A lot of rhinestone heart underwire bras in satin and lace-up heart thongs,

embroidered hearts push-up bras and corsets with ribbon bows.

Sheer flyaway chiffon styles in quilted baby doll tops and chemises

all with matching G-string in nylon, spandex and polyester.

Argyle hair salon was also introducing their latest “Brazilian Blowout” which is a revolutionary treatment that will leave your hair shiny, silky, and soft with no frizz for over a month with one single treatment.

“It’s the keratin based formulation that improves the condition of the hair by creating a protective protein layer around the hair shaft to eliminate frizz and smooth the cuticle”.

The result is shiny conditioned hair in one 90 minutes treatment, that last up to 12 weeks.

Frederick’s of Hollywood got help from the sponsors Citysearch & Red Bull to finalize this event

Julia Celebrates Valentine's Day With a Marathon Makeout

2010-02-13T03:35:00.000-08:00

Julia Roberts and Danny Moder split up the parental school duties in LA yesterday, with dad and Grandpa Moder taking care of the morning dropoff and Julia tending to the pickup. Julia is also kicking off her promotional work for Valentine's Day, though she says at her home the romantic holiday falls 365 times year and her plans include making out with her husband for "24 full hours." Playful Julia went on to talk about acting in a Pretty Woman sequel saying, "No one wants to see an old hooker!"

Celebrities Share Valentine's Day Plans

2010-02-13T03:18:00.000-08:00

Celebrities are people, too, and that means they celebrate — or dread — Valentine's Day just as much as they rest of us. Here's a look at what stars from music, film and TV have planned for Feb. 14.

• Melissa Leo, an Oscar nominee for best actress, is keeping things simple. "I'll make a Valentine for my son, and I know I'll get one from my mom," she said. "That I know for sure."

• Best New Artist Grammy winner Adele has mixed feelings about the holiday: "I don't like Valentine's Day. Well you know what, I don't like Valentine's Day if I'm single, but if things sort themselves out by the 14th, then ..."

• Actress Teri Hatcher would rather establish her own holiday. "I'm thinking of throwing a Single Awareness party for all of my friends. No, I'm not doing that. I'm kidding," she said. "What are my plans right now? Making Valentines for my daughter's school, and probably putting together little things for her. I don't have any plans."

• Supporting actress Oscar nominee Viola Davis celebrates year-round: "Me and my husband, we just usually eat a fabulous meal at a great restaurant. I have to tell you, and I'm not trying to be melodramatic, with my husband, every day is Valentine's Day. So it's just another day."

• Dakota Fanning gets into the holiday spirit. "I love Valentine's Day," she said. "I think I love hearts, and I love pink and I love candy and flowers."

• Grammy-winning singer Duffy said she'll spend the evening singing to "beautiful men." "It's the day where love dreams come true. No, actually. It never worked for me," she said. "But I am playing Heaven, it's a gay club ... so I'm playing this concept with all these beautiful men. Unfortunately that are not really into me in a romantic sense. But here's hoping."

• "The Office" star Jenna Fisher has platonic plans: "A friend is mine's daughter is having her bat mitzvah on Valentine's Day, so that's where I'll be."

• Pregnant rapper M.I.A. said she might choose that day to give birth: "Maybe if we're not going to have the baby at the Grammys, it could be a week late and come on Valentine's Day. Yeah, you never know."

Jessica Alba Celebrates "Valentine's Day," Struggles to Find Time for Romance

2010-02-13T02:58:00.000-08:00

The Hollywood premiere for the movie Valentine’s Day was the very definition of star-studded, considering that the ensemble cast includes Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner, Jennifer Garner and Jamie Foxx, to name just a few. But sporting a short emerald Prouenza Schouler dress heavily embellished with feathery sequined trim and green eye shadow to match, Jessica Alba stood out in the A-List crowd.

Rocking a cute new layered-with-bangs bob, Alba looks quite different than she does in the movie as Kutcher’s girlfriend Morley. Not only is her hair long and straight as the commitment-shy character, it’s blond! “It was a lot of time at the salon,” Alba says of the look. “This is easier.”

That’s of prime importance to busy mom Alba, who tells Latina.com that finding time for romance with husband Cash Warren is tricky with a 19-month-old at home. Honor “goes to bed at 7, but I’m usually too tired, unfortunately. But we’re pretty spontaneous. We try to squeeze in a smooch here and there, a little card, a note to say I love you,” says Alba, who finds that the key to a successful relationship is simply “communicating.”

One Valentine’s Day theme involves best friends who fall in love, and Alba says she can relate. “I married my best friend for sure,” she affirms. We were friends first,” she says, adding with a smile, “It lasted ten days.”

Alba has four movies awaiting release, including The Killer Inside Me and the Meet the Fockers sequel, but there could also be a New Year’s Eve in her future. Valentine’s Day screenwriter Katherine Fugate is penning a New York City-set ensemble romantic comedy about a different set of characters, also to be directed by Garry Marshall, and Fugate says he’ll invite some off the cast to star

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Starts Games With Stars After Tragedy

2010-02-13T02:29:00.000-08:00

The Olympics’ opening ceremonies unfolded in a mostly jubilant atmosphere, with an upbeat crowd filling BC Place Stadium only hours after a luger from the country of Georgia, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed in a horrific training-run crash at Whistler.

After several somber pauses during the show to pay respects to him, the much-awaited surprise ending went awry. One huge piece of the set failed to rise from the stadium floor, and left one of the four final torchbearers, speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan, unable to use her torch.

The ceremonies were dedicated to Kumaritashvili, and a moment of silence was observed in his memory. The seven remaining members of the Georgian team, who decided to stay and compete, wore black armbands as they marched behind a black-trimmed flag. Most of the crowd rose to give respectful applause.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge and the top Vancouver organizer, John Furlong, urged the athletes to compete in Kumaritashvili’s honor.

“May you carry his Olympic dream on your shoulders and compete with his spirit in your heart,” Furlong said.

More than 60,000 people packed into the stadium for the evening extravaganza, the first Olympic opening or closing ceremony ever held indoors. The loudest ovation came midway through, when the red-clad Canadian team - aiming for a first-place finish - entered the stadium as the last contingent of the parade of nations.

The climax called for the cauldron to be lit jointly by four Canadian sports heroes - all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky, skier Nancy Greene, basketball All-Star Steve Nash and LeMay Doan. But the former speedskating medalist was left to stand by awkwardly when one of the four pillars holding the Olympic cauldron failed to rise.

A second, far larger cauldron was lit by Gretzky in a plaza along the downtown waterfront - giving Vancouver a visible symbol for the rest of the games that the indoor stadium could not provide.

Rain was forecast through the weekend in Vancouver, with high temperatures near 50 degrees, prompting some to dub these the Spring Olympics. Rain also has disrupted Alpine skiing events at Whistler.

About 2,500 athletes from a record 82 countries are participating in the games, vying for medals in 86 events - including the newly added ski-cross competition. First-time Winter Olympic participants include the Cayman Islands, Columbia, Ghana, Montenegro, Pakistan, Peru and Serbia.

The overall favorites include Germany and the United States - which finished first and second four years ago in Turin - and also Canada, a best-ever third in 2006 and now brashly proclaiming its intention to finish atop the medals table on its home turf.

“We’re still going to be nice, but we’re going to be nice in winning,” said Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

The Canadian team marched exultantly behind flagbearer Clara Hughes, defending gold medalist in the 5,000-meter speedskating race. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among the thousands in the stadium rising to applaud.

Just ahead in the parade were the Americans. Their flagbearer is Mark Grimmette, 39, of Muskegon, Mich., competing in his fifth Olympics as a doubles luge competitor. Kumaritashvili would have been one of his Olympic rivals.

The cultural segment of ceremony featured many of Canada’s best-known musical stars - including Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan and k.d. lang.

It also highlighted performers and traditions from Canada’s aboriginal communities. And the highest-ranking official delegation at the ceremony - amid dignitaries from around the world - included the four chiefs of the First Nations whose traditional native territory overlaps the Olympic region.

Special effects included a giant, sparkling polar bear rising from the stadium floor and hovering over some performers on a simulated ice flow. Later, Celtic fiddlers performed under a stadium-wide cascade of autumn leaves, and an acrobat on wires performed an aerial ballet to the strains of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

Several well-known Canadians received the honor of carrying the Olympic flag at a high-profile moment near the end of the ceremony. Among them were hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr, singer Anne Murray, race car driver Jacques Villeneuve and Betty Fox, mother of national hero Terry Fox.

Terry Fox lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada. He had to give up after covering more than 3,000 miles, and died in 1981 at age 22, but remains revered by his compatriots as a symbol of courage and perseverance.

The flame reached the stadium after a 106-day torch relay across Canada, passing through more than 1,000 communities in every province and territory.

The relay was the occasional target for protesters, and Friday was no exception.

Activists espousing a variety of causes prompted the relay to change course twice as it passed near Vancouver’s skid-row neighborhood, the Downtown Eastside.

Later, several thousand protesters marched to the stadium, where hundreds of police were waiting for them. A standoff lasted more than two hours - with some sticks and water bottles thrown toward the officers.

Angelina Julie is not adopting orphan from Haiti

2010-02-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

ANGELINA Jolie has shot down claims she traveled to Haiti to adopt an orphan.

Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt have three biological kids plus Maddox, eight, adopted from Cambodia; Zahara, five; from Ethiopia and Pax, six; from Vietnam.

But the actress insisted to CNN that she’s in Haiti to help earthquake victims — not to pick up another child.

“I’m always open to children around the world. We’re that kind of a family; Brad and I talk about that,” Jolie said.

“But that’s not what we’re focusing on at this time, by any means. We’re not here for that.

“We’re here to see how we can help protect the children in country and scale up the needs here.”

Jessica Simpson ‘A Mess Over Sick Grandmother’

2010-02-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

JESSICA Simpson has been left a total “mess” after her beloved grandmother underwent lifesaving surgery to remove a tumor.

The reality TV and singer — who was recently likened to “crack cocaine” and “sexual napalm” by ex-boyfriend John Mayer — is allegedly on the edge as she keeps vigil at her grandmother’s hospital bedside.

“Jessica’s been a mess over her grandmother’s condition,” a source told American tabloid the National Enquirer.

“She breaks down and cries a lot, and she keeps saying she feels like her world is crumbling.”

Dorothy Drew, 77, underwent surgery on Jan. 29 in Texas, and Jessica remained at the hospital with her mother throughout the procedure.

“Dorothy has seen Jessica through her career ups and downs, and it was especially her Nana who was there for her when Jessica’s marriage to Nick Lachey crumbled. Jess just adores her,” the source added.

“Jessica was really hopeful that the New Year would bring new beginnings and good luck, then doctors found her grandmother’s tumor.”

Madonna & Jesus Luz Split

2010-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Jesus Luz and Madonna are spotted attending Marc Jacobs Spring 2010 at the NY State Armory on September 14, 2009 in New York City Getty ImagesAccess Hollywood LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Madonna and model Jesus Luz have split, according to a new report out of the Chicago Sun-Times.

According to Bill Zwecker, a columnist for the paper, the parting of the couple, who got together not long after Madonna split with film director Guy Ritchie, was amicable.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: They Dated Who?!? Surprising Former Couples!

Zwecker claimed it was Jesus, 23, who instigated the break-up with Madonna, 51, because they didn't have enough common interests.

The two did share a few things - both are avid devotees of Kabballah and both have religious names

Jesus recently told Interview magazine how he came about his holy moniker.

"My father [gave me] my name because he always admired Jesus Christ as the most philosophical mind of all time," Jesus told the mag. "So, when he named me, in his heart and his head, he made a deal, like, 'I'm going to name you Jesus so everything good in life is going to come to you because they're going to make the homage to Jesus.' It's a very special name. My name is 'Luz,' too, which means 'light.' So I feel like if I have this name that's so special, I should attract good energy."

Access Hollywood has reached out to Madonna's rep, who declined to comment on the report about the singer's personal life.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to Sue Over Split Claims

2010-02-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are taking legal action against a British tabloid that reported the couple was going to break up, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

Celebrities encouraging donations for Haitian relief efforts

The News of the World, a British tabloid, claimed that Pitt and Jolie had met with a divorce lawyer and had already planned to divide their assets and make arrangements for the custody of their six children: Maddox, 8, Pax, 6, Zahara, 5, Shiloh, 3, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 18 months.

A complaint was filed at London's High Court on Monday to proceed with a case against the newspaper, Keith Schillings, the couple's lawyer, said in a statement.

"The News of the World has failed to meet our clients' reasonable demands for a retraction of and apology for these false and intrusive allegations which have now been widely republished by mainstream news outlets," Schillings said. "We have advised them to bring proceedings which they have now done."

Angelina Jolie to visit Haiti with UN refugee body

2010-02-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

GENEVA - The U.N. refugee agency says its goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie is heading to Haiti to meet with earthquake victims.

The Hollywood star spoke with hospitalized Haitian survivors in the neighboring Dominican Republic on Monday.

UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said Jolie would travel to Haiti later Tuesday.

He provided no details of her planned itinerary for security reasons.

Jolie has previously visited Iraq, Thailand, Pakistan and other countries with UNHCR.

Carrie Prejean & NFL Star Engaged

2010-02-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Carrie Prejean is engaged.

The embattled beauty queen, who was dethroned from the Miss California title last year, became engaged over the weekend to St. Louis Rams quarterback Kyle Boller, Carrie's mother, Francine Coppola, told Access Hollywood on Monday.

According to Francine, Carrie, 22, described the proposal as similar to a scene out of 2004's romance film "The Notebook," which starred Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

Kyle, 28, presented his bride to be with a 5 carat diamond ring.

The couple celebrated their engagement at a Super Bowl party with family and friends in Solana Beach, in Carrie's native San Diego, Calif. Kyle is also from the West Coast, having grown up in Southern California.

Carrie is "very excited," her mom told Access.

The two have not yet set a date for their nuptials.

MADONNA has her sights set on having another child

2010-02-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

But the 51-year-old singer — who is already mom to Lourdes, Rocco, David and Mercy — isn’t trying to get pregnant.

She’s on the hunt for a surrogate.

“Madonna wants another baby of her own, so she’s meeting with a fertility expert to discuss her options,” a source close to the singer told Britain’s Grazia magazine.

“She decided to pursue the idea of surrogacy after being introduced to Sarah Jessica Parker by their mutual friend, Jerry Seinfeld’s wife Jessica.”

Sarah had twin girls through a surrogate mother last year, and told the pop superstar all about the process as they chatted at a party in the Hamptons, New York, last summer.

“After what Madonna went through during the adoption of Mercy, she is ruling out going back to Malawi,” the insider added. “There’s no way she wants to put herself in that position again, where she thought she had the baby, then there was endless delays and red tape.

“Madonna has been seeing the best fertility doctors and experts in the world to see if they can make this happen for her. She knows it will be tough finding the perfect surrogate to carry her baby, as they will have to be discreet and utterly trustworthy throughout the pregnancy and birth.”

Rihanna to Focus on Acting After Tour

2010-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

RIHANNA wants to become an actress.

The singer — who recently appeared in a digital short on Saturday Night Live — says she plans to have a go at cracking Hollywood at the end of her current world tour.

“After the tour, we’re definitely going to focus on that a little bit more,” the Russian Roulette hitmaker told US TV show Extra.

“I’ve never done a tour to this capacity and the production level is really exciting,” she adds. “I can’t wait for the world to see it!”

Rihanna, 21, recently revealed that she’s hoping to find the man of her dreams before she hits 30.

“I’m not dating anyone — I’m single,” she said earlier this week. “I’m hoping to find love before I’m 30, which is almost a decade away. Even when I was in a relationship, I always have gone alone.”

Serena Williams Wants a Baby!

2010-02-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

SERENA Williams wants to start a family — but admits her bad memory will probably stop her from being a responsible mother.

The tennis superstar — who’s currently dating actor/rapper Common — says she’s starting to feel broody, but worries she’d probably end up leaving her baby somewhere.

“I would love to have a baby… But I have two little dogs I take care of and they’re so cute, but sometimes I forget them,” she said. “One time I was in the locker room… I was busy and I left and I was in the car driving home and I was like, ‘Oops!’ I definitely don’t need any kids because I forgot my dog.

“Every time I see a woman walking around pregnant, I’m like. ‘Oh my god, I could never do that.’ How are you walking? I look at them and my back starts hurting!

“That’s as far as I’ve gotten with that [having kids] but eventually, maybe one day I’ll get there. That would be awesome.”

Nicole Richie Has a Passion For Fashion

2010-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

NICOLE Richie always wanted to design clothes.

The 28-year-old mother-of-two — who has a jewelery and accessories line, House of Harlow 1960 — doesn’t mind working hard to make a name in the fashion industry and believes her organization skills are perfect for her dream career.

“Clothing was something I always wanted to do,” she said. “I’ve been pulling tear sheets from magazines since I was a little girl.

“I’m a Virgo and I’m really good at scheduling. So there are 24 hours in a day and I’m up at 6.30am every day anyway.”

Despite having two children — two-year-old daughter Harlow and five-month-old son Sparrow — Nicole insists she does not require a full-time nanny.

“Not full-time, but I do have someone that helps me right now and, well, I have my mom, who’s here,” she said.

Nicole also revealed she and her partner, Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden, made a conscious decision to have children close together in age.

“I’m 13 years older than my brother and I have a younger sister who is 12, so I think it’s really great they’re going to have each other,” she said

Angelina Jolie Hates Valentine’s Day!

2010-02-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

Jolie is not a fan of Valentine’s Day!

Insiders say the actress — who is reportedly set split from her partner of five years, Brad Pitt — refuses to celebrate February 14th because she hates all the “lovey-dovey” stuff.

“She hates it,” said one insider. “Ange has always found all the hearts and flowers such bad taste and anything but romantic. Brad on the other hand is a sucker for all that stuff but he’s under strict orders not to bother.

“Ange can be romantic but not to order.”

Meanwhile, sources claim Brad has “had it” with Angelina because she is never happy and always complaining.

“Brad’s had it with Angelina,” a source close to the couple recently told Britain’s Heat magazine.

“She messed this one up big time. He is never rewarded when he tries to do something nice for the two of them. Instead, he’s greeted with an interrogation. ‘Why did you do that? Why did you think I’d like that? I’m tired after filming. Where are the kids? You really thought this’d be fun for me?’

“Brad wants to make her happy, but she just doesn’t let him any more.”

Eva Longoria Parker Spends Valentine’s Day With Sweaty Sportsman!

2010-02-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Longoria Parker admits her Valentine’s Days usually “suck” — because her sportsman hubby, Tony Parker, always ends up working!

The Desperate Housewives star insists she isn’t fussy when it comes to celebrating the romantic day — she just wishes she didn’t have to spend it with her hubby’s sweaty teammates.

“As long as I’m with my husband I will find the day romantic,” says Eva. ” But it kinda sucks sometimes, ’cause Valentine’s Day always falls on All-Star weekend, and he’s always made the All-Stars.

“So I’m usually with a bunch of big sweaty guys, trying to squeeze in a romantic dinner.”

Eva recently revealed that she doesn’t even associate herself with being attractive and feels there are other women in Hollywood who are far more deserving of the title.

“If I had to describe myself in one word it definitely would not be sexy,” she said. “I don’t feel I am. I do not identify myself superficially but I think it is flattering that the world or people or men or women find me sexy because I think it is a lot of different definitions to a lot of people.

“There are a lot more other women in my profession that earn that title more than I do.”

Drew Barrymore: ‘Google Makes Life Hard For Celebrities’

2010-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

DREW Barrymore says it’s “tough” being a celebrity — because the internet means people in the public eye have nowhere to hide.

The actress feels it is harder to keep a private life now than it was a decade ago because people can access information about celebs instantly if they want to.

“It is a very tough world,” said Drew. “Technology makes everything so much more immediate. It is just incredible. The speed at which information about you can go across the world is scary. There’s no hiding from it.

“I think people have it harder now than it used to be, definitely. If you Google people, countless pages come up, all kinds of information. It is just crazy.”

Barrymore recently denied claims she’s engaged to her on/off beau Justin Long.

“I am not engaged. That is just a rumor — again. It is ridiculous,” she said.

“Anything goes nowadays and everything is written even if it is not true so it is really hard to weed out the truth. I keep telling the truth about what’s happening with me but that is boring to people.

“They have more fun making stuff up. But I’m not angry — there are worst things to be being said. It’s not a mean lie. I can’t pay attention to any of that stuff there is too much more stuff to worry about..”

Lady Gaga Working on Charity Projects For Haiti

2010-02-05T06:06:00.000-08:00

LADY Gaga is working on charity projects for Haiti.

The Bad Romance hitmaker admitted she couldn’t take part on charity single We Are The World and instead was doing her own thing and is pleased with her endeavours so far.

“I’ve been working on my own charity projects for Haiti,” said GaGa. “We’ve raised over half a million dollars for Haiti already and we like to work specifically with charities that are based in Haiti itself.

“I donated all of the proceeds from one show worth of ticket sales as well as all of the merchandise from that show and for 24 hours we had a ‘Gaga for Haiti’ day where everything that was bought on the website… every dollar went to Haiti.”

The 23-year-old singer, who is currently in the middle of her Monster’s Ball world tour, claimed to be too busy to appear at the recording of We Are The World, alongside stars including Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles, despite speculation she had recorded vocals for the charity track.

“I’ve actually been in rehearsal for my new tour, but I was never supposed to do We Are The World,” she said. “So that’s a rumour. I believe that they may have asked, yes, about it, but I was unable to do it.”

Maggie Gyllenhaal Celebrated Oscar Nod With Brother Jake

2010-02-05T06:04:00.000-08:00

Maggie gyllenhaalMAGGIE Gyllenhaal celebrated her Oscar nomination with pancakes made by her brother, Jake.

The actress — who landed a best supporting actress nod for her role in 2009 movie Crazy Heart – says she and Jake pigged out on calorific treats when they heard the good news earlier this week.

“My brother’s phone was ringing at his house and he woke up and said, ‘Did you get nominated?’ ‘I said: ‘Yes! I did!’” said Maggie, adding that she considered going back to sleep, but the Brokeback Mountain star made her coffee and pancakes to celebrate instead.

Maggie — who welcomed daughter Ramona, her first child with husband Peter Sarsgaard on October 3, 2006 — recently revealed she couldn’t wait to get back to work after giving birth.

“I had been focused almost completely on my daughter for three years, focused on being a mother and I had this kind of surge of a feeling that I needed to do something for me, that I was also a woman and an actress and not just a mother,” she said last month.

“I had so much kind of built up and kind of welling in me that needed to be expressed from having become a mom. I just had to get back to work. Do something for me.”

Kurt Cobain's daughter to make singing debut with My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way

2010-02-05T05:50:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of NME -- Frances Bean Cobain sings as part of a "gang" on Dresden Dolls side-project

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love's daughter Frances Bean is to make her singing debut on a track also featuring My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way, Andrew WK, and Weird Al Yankovic. .

Seventeen-year-old Cobain sings on "My Space," which will appear on the eponymous debut album by Evelyn Evelyn, who are made up of Dresden Dolls frontwoman Amanda Palmer and Seattle musician Jason Webley. .

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Other acts on the track include Tegan & Sara, ex-Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay, Margaret Cho, Eugene Mirman, and various members of Mindless Self-Indulgence, reports Twentyfourbit.com. .

The album Evelyn Evelyn is due to be released on March 30. .

In December, Courtney Love lost custody of Frances Bean Cobain.

"An Education" set to benefit from Oscar nominations (Reuters)

2010-02-03T06:03:00.001-08:00

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - With three Oscar nominations under its belt, the British drama "An Education" will expand its theater count tenfold on Friday.

Bolstered by nods for best picture, actress Carey Mulligan and adapted screenplay, the Sony Pictures Classics release will play in more than 750 venues. The film has earned $8.8 million since it began its slow rollout three months ago.

Elsewhere among the 10 best-picture nominees, gains will vary in proportion to how widely a film already has been distributed. For those in DVD release, such as "The Hurt Locker" and "Up," benefits mostly are reflected in disc sales.

"The Academy nominations always create additional interest and excitement," Regal Cinemas senior vp marketing Dick Westerling said. "We certainly focus our marketing efforts on maximizing exposure for the nominated films that are still playing in theaters. Moviegoers are always eager to see what films are nominated, compare them to their favorites and watch the ones they may have missed."

Movie theater owners are thrilled that twice as many films will compete in the much-watched category. But individual films seeking to capitalize on such acclaim will have twice the competition for moviegoers' attention.

Still, cost-effectiveness aside, Academy accolades can't hurt a picture's marketing.

Summit Entertainment will resume modestly broader distribution of "The Hurt Locker," a best-picture favorite after recently copping feature-film awards from the oft-prescient directors and producers guilds. The Iraq War drama, which is tied with "Avatar" for most Oscar nominations with nine, has been playing in just a few dozen theaters since November, when it wound down a six-month theatrical run.

With $12.7 million in domestic box office and a $16.1 million global tally, "Hurt Locker" will re-expand from 28 domestic playdates to 100-plus starting Friday. Maple Pictures is distributing in Canada.

"The Hurt Locker" never hit wide release, boasting 535 theaters at its theatrical apex. The picture about a war-zone bomb squad was released January 12 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

For "Avatar," with more than $2 billion already in the till, it's hard to see Academy acclaim translating into a massive resurgence, but it might bolster the picture's theatrical legs.

The situation stands in contrast to "Avatar" director James Cameron's experience with best-picture Oscar winner "Titanic," which set sail on December 19, 1997. "Avatar" launched from a similar point in the release calendar, but "Titanic" charted a more leisurely course with its $1.84 billion worldwide haul in a seven-month journey featuring a notable surge after its record-tying 11-Oscar haul.

Four of the other best-picture nominees, "A Serious Man," "Inglourious Basterds," "Up" and "District 9," are in home entertainment release. The balance of category nominees -- "Precious," "The Blind Side" and "Up in the Air" -- will add a modest number of theaters in coming weekends.

Meanwhile, a smaller box office bounce also is possible from nominees in other categories.

Fox Searchlight delayed setting the Jeff Bridges drama "Crazy Heart" into wide release until this past weekend, hoping for promo bang from a best actor nomination. With that nomination -- and two others -- secured, "Crazy Heart" will expand Friday to about 800 playdates from 239. The film has earned $6.9 million since its December 16 release

Oscar Nominees React to the Big News

2010-02-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

The nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced earlier today. With the announcements came a wide array of reactions from the newly crowned nominees. From the elation of a familiar name's nomination -- hello, Penelope Cruz -- to the sheer glee from a surprised first-time nominee -- hi there, Carey Mulligan -- it's been a banner day for many movie stars.

Sandra Bullock spoke to the "Today" show by phone and admitted that it was the first she had heard of her nomination. The "Blind Side" star said she slept through the announcement, which isn't entirely surprising, given that the nominees were read at 5 a.m. PT.

When asked how she would prepare for the Oscars, Bullock joked, "I do believe some liposuction is in order, a very strict diet regime, and I will acquire a very light English accent." She added, "I was going to say that I should start wearing glasses, but I already wear glasses, so I am already sort of there."

However, not everyone could sleep through the anxiousness surrounding today's big news. "Up" director Pete Docter spoke to New York Magazine and admitted he was wide awake and ready for a reaction.

"My wife and I woke up early, grabbed the computer, sat in bed, and listened to the nominations," Docter said. "It's surreal to have your name read out over the Internet at 5:30 in the morning."

Always an Oscar favorite, Penelope Cruz said she was "completely surprised and elated" by her nomination for her "Nine" performance, and thrilled to have been given the nod for work she so thoroughly enjoyed.

"['Nine' director] Rob Marshall is not only a genius, but an absolute joy to work with," Cruz said. "I woke up every morning excited to collaborate with this amazingly talented group of actors. Filming this movie was such a special experience and to be nominated for this role makes me so happy."

Carey Mulligan -- scoring her first nomination for the indie favorite "An Education" -- was openly blissed-out by the news.

"This is beyond anything I've ever dreamed of," 24-year-old Mulligan gushed. "I've definitely never felt such excitement and nausea this early in the morning!"

Also showing elation -- on live television, no less -- was "The Hurt Locker" actor Jeremy Renner, who watched the announcement from the "Today" show studios alongside costar Anthony Mackie. Renner immediately embraced his fellow "Hurt Locker" alumnus upon hearing the news, an embrace so long it seemed as though it might last through the entire day.

"Pretty fantastic," Renner said of his feeling about being nominated. "I jumped on this guy. He held me up like he did for the entire movie, anyway." Commenting on his stiff competition in the Best Actor category, Renner joked, "I've got to break some serious legs."

Kathryn Bigelow, only the fourth female director to ever be nominated for an Oscar, was clearly stunned by the news.

"I certainly, if one can give the impression that the impossible is possible, then I am perhaps overwhelmed with joy," Bigelow said. "But I do think that I hope someday we can lose the modifier and that becomes a moot point whether the person is male or female and they're just filmmakers making statements that they believe in."

(Bigelow also appeared on the "Today" Show, along with the two stars of the "The Hurt Locker," and artfully dodged every single question concerning her ex-husband and fellow Oscar favorite, "Avatar" director James Cameron.)

Awards dynamo Mo'Nique, also speaking to "Today," almost broke down in tears on the phone (a preview of her Oscar acceptance speech?).

"I am floating," the "Precious" actress said. "I am that little girl standing in the mirror with the towel wrapped around her, baby, brush in hands, singing my song."

"As soon as I heard, I jumped up and down," Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique's "Precious" co-star said. "For some reason I kept screaming, 'I'm gonna get a car, I'm gonna get a car.' I don't know why."

"This is my fifth nomination and I'm more proud of that than all the rest of it, I think," Morgan Freeman, who stars alongside Oscar-winner Matt Damon in "Invictus," said. "Getting nominated, to me, that's the plateau. After you're nominated, it's like a crap shoot, it's like throwing dice."

"I thought I was managing my expectations, but on hearing the news I discovered new and unfamiliar vocal tones," said best actor nominee, Colin Firth (who showed off his vocal tones in "Mamma Mia"). "Perhaps I should do another musical."

A lot of nominees took to their Twitter accounts, but some couldn't express themselves in 140 characters or less.

Anna Kendrick, best supporting actress nominee for "Up in the Air," addressed this conundrum with a tweet that read: "I'd love to say that 140 characters couldn't cover how I'm feeling right now, but I'm honestly speechless."

GRAMMY Celebration To Cap Music's Biggest Night

2010-02-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

DJ Mick Boogie, the Jon Batiste Band (featuring Eddie Barbash, Jonathan Batiste, Philip Kuehn, Matt Marantz, and Joe Saylor), soul singer and GRAMMY winner Sam Moore, R&B sensation and three-time GRAMMY winner Ne-Yo, and the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles will perform at the 2010 GRAMMY Celebration, an exclusive invitation-only event.

This year's star-studded soiree will take guests on a festive journey through a modern twist on a circus theme and will be catered by chef extraordinaire Wolfgang Puck and produced by Along Came Mary Productions. One of the year's most anticipated events attracting GRAMMY winners, nominees and celebrities, the 2010 GRAMMY Celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Jan. 31 immediately following the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

"The GRAMMY Awards are an international extravaganza that celebrates the past year in music, but the festivities don't end there," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "With exquisite cuisine and incredible performances, the after-party will be a memorable and extraordinary way to commemorate the success of Music's Biggest Night."

"As the only official GRAMMY Awards after-party, we pride ourselves in making the GRAMMY Celebration the year's most unforgettable event through our innovative design and amazing musical performances," said Branden Chapman, Vice President of Production and Process Management for The Recording Academy. "We are extremely fortunate and excited to collaborate with such incredibly talented partners. It takes much skill, innovation and ability to produce a party of this magnitude and we are privileged to work with the best in the industry."

Wolfgang Puck has crafted a custom menu that will be enjoyed by the 5,000 guests expected to attend the celebration. The menu will include an All-American Bistro (herb crusted rack of lamb with rosemary-mint jus, pan-roasted chicken with natural jus, garlic potato puree and shrimp louie with avocado panna cotta.); Asian flavors (garlic candy shrimp with jasmine rice, chinese chicken salad with crispy wontons and sesame honey dressing, sliced szechwan style rib eye and spicy string bean salad with cashews and tofu); tastes of New Orleans Jazz (cane syrup and bourbon glazed pork loin with creole mustard sauce, gumbo ya-ya with chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage, whipped yams with vanilla bourbon butter and spicy candied pecans and slow braised collared greens with tabasco fried onions), and an iced seafood station (chilled shrimp and crab claws, cocktail sauce and spicy mustard). Delicious sweets will include chocolate truffle cakes, caramel apple tarts, devil's food cupcakes with marshmallow frosting, caramel popcorn, baby lemon meringue tarts, and assorted colored cotton candy.

Once again The Recording Academy has partnered with Along Came Mary Productions, who will orchestrate the 2010 GRAMMY Celebration and oversee all of the event production and other logistics. The event will transport guests through a three-ring circus as it reinvents the vast Los Angeles Convention Center West Hall into a surreal experience. Acrobats, stilt-walkers and contortionists will be found throughout the space with featured acts performing in each of the main three rings. The lighting, performances and décor will evolve throughout the event with each hour highlighting a different concept of a guest's visit to a circus. A second event space within the party, Petree Hall, will double as a jazz lounge with a design that evokes images of a clown funhouse.

MasterCard Worldwide is proud to deliver a priceless musical experience with artists set to perform on the MasterCard stage, as well as in the MasterCard Jazz Lounge. Performances will include the Jon Batiste Band, presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles. Waste Management, for the second year, returns as a sponsor of the after-party and will once again host a lounge within the celebration. Additionally, in keeping with The Academy's greening initiative, Waste Management will collect all recyclable materials from the celebration. A variety of Hard Rock Cafe's memorabilia will be on display at the celebration for guests to enjoy such as a Michael Jackson fedora, Elton John Mardi Gras headdress, Madonna clown costume, and a birthday cake dress worn by Katy Perry. Hard Rock Cafe has also been a great supporter of The Recording Academy's Chapter GRAMMY Telecast Viewing Parties for four years, and will host viewing parties in nine Chapter cities.

Spirits, wines and beer will be provided by Patrón Tequila, Ultimat Vodka, Pyrat Rum, Forest Glen Wines, Domaine Laurier Champagne, and Anheuser-Busch Beer. Beverages at the event will once again be provided by Pepsi.

As part of The Academy's ongoing greening efforts, Wolfgang Puck Catering will be using locally grown produce, dairy and meat, sourcing environmentally sustainable packaging — compostable, biodegradable and recyclable products — and donating any unused/leftover food to Angel Harvest, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that organizes the collection and delivery of the food and items to local social service agencies providing emergency food for those in need.

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter

Oscar Nominations List 2010

2010-02-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

Best Picture

'Avatar'

'The Blind Side'

'District 9'

'An Education'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Precious'

'A Serious Man'

'Up'

'Up in the Air'

Best Director

James Cameron, 'Avatar'

Kathryn Bigelow, 'The Hurt Locker'

Quentin Tarantino, 'Inglourious Basterds'

Lee Daniels, 'Precious'

Jason Reitman, 'Up in the Air'

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, 'Crazy Heart'

George Clooney, 'Up in the Air'

Colin Firth, 'A Single Man'

Morgan Freeman, 'Invictus'

Jeremy Renner, 'The Hurt Locker'

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, 'The Blind Side'

Helen Mirren, 'The Last Station'

Carey Mulligan, 'An Education'

Gabourey Sidibe, 'Precious'

Meryl Streep, 'Julie & Julia'

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon, 'Invictus'

Woody Harrelson, 'The Messenger'

Christopher Plummer, 'The Last Station'

Stanley Tucci, 'The Lovely Bones'

Christoph Waltz, 'Inglourious Basterds'

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz, 'Nine'

Vera Farmiga, 'Up in the Air'

Maggie Gyllenhaal, 'Crazy Heart'

Anna Kendrick, 'Up in the Air'

Mo'nique, 'Precious'

Best Animated Feature Film

'Coraline'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Princess and the Frog'

'The Secret of Kells'

'Up'

Best Foreign Film

Israel - 'Ajami'

Argentina - 'El Secreto de sus Ojos'

Peru - 'The Milk of Sorrow'

France - 'Un Prophete'

Germany - 'The White Ribbon'

Best Original Screenplay

Mark Boal, 'The Hurt Locker'

Quentin Tarantino, 'Inglourious Basterds'

Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, 'The Messenger'

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 'A Serious Man'

Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy, 'Up'

Best Adapted Screenplay

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, 'District 9'

Nick Hornby, 'An Education'

Jesse Armstron, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, 'In the Loop'

Geoffrey Fletcher, 'Precious'

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, 'Up in the Air'

Best Documentary Feature

'Burma VJ'

'The Cove'

'Food, Inc.'

'The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers'

'Which Way Home'

Best Original Score

'Avatar'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Sherlock Holmes'

'Up'

Best Original Song

'Almost There' from 'The Princess and the Frog,' Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

'Down in New Orleans' from 'The Princess and the Frog,' Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

'Loin de Paname' from 'Paris 36,' Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas

'Take It All' from 'Nine,' Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

'The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)' from 'Crazy Heart,' Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Film Editing

'Avatar'

'District 9'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Precious'

Best Cinematography

'Avatar'

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'The White Ribbon'

Best Costume Design

'Bright Star'

'Coco Before Chanel'

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

'Nine'

'The Young Victoria'

James Cameron in for a titanic battle with ex-wife over Oscars prize

2010-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

He is the most successful man in Hollywood, responsible for the two most lucrative films in cinema history. And now only one thing stands between James Cameron and his chance to win the Oscar for Best Director at this year’s Academy Awards: his former wife.

Yes, this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, the nominations for which will be announced tomorrow morning, could get a bit awkward.

Cameron, 55, has long been seen as the obvious favourite to win Hollywood’s top honour for his epic 3-D science fiction movie Avatar, which recently beat Titanic — also directed by Cameron — to become the highest-earning film in cinema history (global box-office takings currently stand just shy of £1.25 billion).

But then along came his former partner, Kathryn Bigelow, who last year made a low-profile Iraq war thriller, The Hurt Locker. Unlike Avatar, The Hurt Locker cost relatively little to make — at £9 million its budget was about a twentieth of Avatar’s — and it did not break any box-office records. Indeed, it barely broke even from box- office receipts. But The Hurt Locker differed from Avatar in another way, too: it won praise for more than its special effects.

Related Links

How does James Cameron do it?

James Cameron back in at the deep end

Many critics have already declared the work to be a classic, on a par with such Vietnam-era masterpieces as Full Metal Jacket. What’s more, The Hurt Locker, which stars Jeremy Renner as a bomb disposal expert, has become the first financially successful Iraq film since the 2003 invasion, suggesting that the American public have finally managed to get some emotional detachment from the subject matter.

Despite all this, Bigelow, who is three years older than her former husband, initially was not seen as a serious Oscar contender at this year’s ceremony, especially after Avatar’s dominance at last month’s Golden Globe awards. But then came the Directors’ Guild Awards on Saturday night, at which she unexpectedly prevailed. Now all bets for the 82nd Academy Awards on March 7 are off — especially given that in all but six times over the past 61 years the winner at the Directors’ Guild Awards has gone on to take the Best Director honour on Oscars night.

“I am so deeply stunned and honoured and proud,” said Bigelow after collecting her award at Saturday’s ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, near Beverly Hills. “I think we all felt a really deep responsibility to tell this story with as much honesty as possible, given the courage of the men and women in the field.”

Cameron and Bigelow were together for two years before their divorce in 1991, with Ms Bigelow being his third wife (Cameron's previous two partners had been a waitress and producer respectively).The two are now reportedly friends, despite Cameron going on to marry the female lead of his Terminator films, Linda Hamilton, before again divorcing and then marrying another actress, Suzy Amis.

By most accounts, Cameron has a dominating personality, and his style of leadership has included nailing the mobile phones of crew members to the wall. But he claims to have mellowed over recent years, and there is little indication that a win for his ex-wife at the Academy Awards would cause a fallout: after all, the first thing that Bigelow did after getting The Hurt Locker script was to show it to her ex-husband. Cameron said: “I encouraged her to do The Hurt Locker, because she had gotten that script and let me read it just for comment.”

Perhaps he might have toned down his enthusiasm had he known that his former spouse’s film may cost him the ultimate Hollywood triumph.

For the time being Cameron can console himself with the fact that he already has three Oscars on his mantlepiece — for Best Director, Best Editing and Best Picture — all of them claimed during Titanic’s 1998 sweep. Even after Saturday night’s upset, his ex-wife is unlikely to beat that.

First Titanic, now Avatar: how does James Cameron do it?

2010-02-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

By now, surely, James Cameron must have cracked open the champagne. Or at least taken a long draft from a bowl of “kava-like intoxicant”. Which, according to the script of Avatar, is what the Na’vi, those tall blue aliens, drink on Pandora, the Edenic planet in Cameron’s wondrously imagined cinematic dream world. In the middle of last week, less than six weeks after his 3-D sci-fi epic was first released, Avatar had smashed through all known box-office records to become the biggest money-maker of all time. It has now taken about $1.9 billion worldwide, beating the record set 12 years ago by Titanic, Cameron’s previous feature film, which ended up with $1.84 billion. Even when inflation is taken into account, the speed at which Avatar has achieved this is amazing. Titanic passed the magic billion-dollar mark after about three months; it took The Dark Knight, now the fifth-biggest film of all time, eight months. Avatar took just 17 days.

What’s also stunning seasoned box-office observers is that Avatar shows few signs of slowing down. It has been at the top of the American charts for six straight weeks. While most films drop by about 50% at the box office from one week to the next, as new films arrive, Avatar, with little competition, has been dropping by no more than 10%-15%. It may only be when Tim Burton’s 3-D Alice in Wonderland arrives in March that Avatar will have to cede ground.

“We are witnessing box-office history,” says Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. “We’re watching all of these big records fall, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. It’s just unprecedented.” Even the fact that Avatar is the most pirated film of all time doesn’t seem to be affecting it much, probably because the pirated versions are in 2-D. At this stage, nobody dares to venture even a guess at what Avatar’s final box-office tally might be, although it will definitely be the first film in history to top $2 billion and could even reach $2.5 billion. Next week, it looks certain to pick up a significant number of Academy Award nominations, and only a fool would bet against its winning at least the best picture award and numerous technical Oscars, which will give it a further box-office boost. (Cameron’s only likely challenger for best director is his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, for The Hurt Locker, about a bomb squad in Iraq.) Because ticket prices are higher today than they were when Titanic was released, about one-third fewer people have seen Avatar so far, giving the film an enormous untapped audience pool still to draw on.

Beyond that, of course, there will be the DVD release, which Cameron is already working on. It might be held back much longer than the usual three months, perhaps until the autumn, to build anticipation and excitement. Most people will watch it on 2-D TV screens, obviously; although 3-D TVs are available, they won’t be widely sold until at least the end of this year. The Avatar DVD set will contain a lot of extra material. Cameron says he will include sex scenes between Jake Sully’s avatar, played by Sam Worthington, and Neytiri, his Na’vi love, played by Zoe Saldana, that were filmed but deleted from the movie. Na’vi sex apparently involves much touching of the tendrils they use to mesh with other life forms. “If you ‘sync’ to your banshee, and you’re ‘syncing’ to a tree, why not ‘sync’ into a person?” Saldana says. “I almost feel like you’ll have the most amazing orgasm.”

Avatar’s astonishing success has fuelled speculation that Cameron will be making at least two sequels, speculation he is doing nothing to squelch. “We always planned on continuing the world and continuing the characters,” he says. “In fact, that was part of the original pitch to 20th Century Fox.” Even he admits he is stunned by the film’s performance. “People think I’m arrogant, but I don’t have that kind of hubris,” he says. “Avatar we thought would make money, but at a certain threshold. We didn’t think it would align with people’s emotional, spiritual, political, whatever the hell it is that’s the alchemy that’s causing it to work so well in so many markets. You can’t predict those things. I’m just sitting back with amazement, going, ‘Wooooohhh!’”

What is this “alchemy” Cameron is talking about? Why has the film affected so many people so deeply, even on a profound psychological level? Why do many feel depressed, when leaving cinemas, about stepping back into their normal lives, the so-called “Avatar blues”? Why does it seem to have touched such a deep nerve?

The first obvious answer is that, as anyone who has seen it can testify, it is just a sumptuous feast for the eyes. “The most beautiful film I’ve seen in years,” says David Denby, a film critic for The New Yorker. “Amid all the hoopla over the new power of 3-D as a narrative form, and the excitement over the complicated mix of digital animation and live action that made the movie possible, nobody should ignore just how lovely Avatar looks, how luscious yet freewheeling, bounteous yet strange.” Carol Kaesuk Yoon, a science writer for The New York Times, goes further, saying that Avatar “has somehow managed to do what no other film has done. It has re-created what is the heart of biology — the naked, heart-stopping wonder of really seeing the living world”.

Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at the University of Syracuse, believes the film affects audiences on more profound levels. “The real achievement of Avatar is that it is just such an extraordinary physical experience,” he says. “One of the great appeals of the movies has always been immersing oneself in a different world. Avatar does that more than virtually any film ever has on a purely technical level. You really do get more of a sense that you have been someplace else.”

Cameron acknowledges that this was exactly his intention. “Audiences should feel like they’ve been somewhere, that they’ve had an experience outside of their day-to-day life, outside of this world, maybe outside of their body,” he says, adding that he wanted Avatar to be “a visual journey, a physical journey, in the sense that you feel like you’ve actually climbed that mountain, and an emotional journey. Ultimately, and most importantly, an emotional journey”.

Beyond the immersive, physical thrill of Avatar, the film explores — controversially — a number of themes that have clearly added to its appeal. Cameron’s depiction of the violent despoiling corporation in Avatar is obviously a metaphor for the destructive footprint of America, especially in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Its “bad guy” is a corporation that will stop at nothing, including the destruction of entire civilisations, to get the mineral it needs for the survival of its own planet, which it has all but destroyed. This has also been taken as a critique of the white man’s destruction of Indian life in the Americas, and of European imperialism in Africa and elsewhere. While this made American conservatives foam at the mouth in fury, it has undoubtedly added to the film’s appeal to audiences in many other countries.

Beyond that, Avatar promotes an attractive, pantheistic view of what man’s place in nature should be, a pro-environmental theology. Movieguide, the “family guide to Christian movie reviews” attacked the film for an “abhorrent New Age, pagan, anti-capitalist world-view that promotes goddess worship and the destruction of the human race”.

Yet for all the huffing and puffing about these various themes, Thompson says: “If they were in a film that didn’t take place in such an incredibly lush, technologically jaw-dropping universe, we would have paid them absolutely no heed whatsoever. Can you imagine a low-budget live-action film with the script of Avatar? That isn’t to say that that kind of stuff doesn’t work in a film like this, aimed at a mass audience. It’s rather like Star Wars. When you get right down to it, the first three Star Wars films were really a simple-minded retelling of that whole Joseph Campbell business, the hero’s journey. However, combined with the amazing special effects, the whole universe Lucas created, it worked.”

Others believe that a significant part of Avatar’s appeal — in fact, the appeal of most of Cameron’s movies, including, most obviously, Titanic — is that women find as much in them as men do. After initially drawing more men than women, lured in by the more techno-geeky side of the project, Avatar now seems to be attracting both genders in equal numbers.

“Cameron has stuffed Avatar with enough futuristic battle scenes and fantastical creatures to rally hordes of 14-year-old boys to the box office,” says Rebecca Keegan, author of The Futurist, a new biography of the director. “But, as always in a Cameron film, the most interesting roles in Avatar belong to the women.” Kim Masters, a commentator for National Public Radio, agrees. “He makes movies for women disguised as movies for men. Every one of them — Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, right on through Avatar — involves an exceptionally strong female lead and an old-fashioned love story, whether it’s man-woman love or mother-child love. From Sarah Connor to Ripley to Rose, Cameron’s women can kiss you or kick your ass.”

There is another component, I would suggest, a crucial compositional one, that has been overlooked. Which is that Avatar has such an astonishingly powerful psychological impact on audiences because, more closely than any film ever made, it mimics a human dream. Interestingly, this is something Cameron makes absolutely clear, right at the beginning of Avatar. In his first voiceover, the first words spoken in the film, Sully says: “When I was lying there in the VA hospital, with a big hole blown through the middle of my life, I started having these dreams of flying...” He then says, prefiguring the inevitable end of the dream, the end of the film: “Sooner or later, though, you always have to wake up.” We are, Cameron is clearly telling us, in a dream, Sully’s dream. But it is our dream, too, in which, as one can in dreams, we can fly, find love beyond all understanding, but also have to confront our deepest fears and face down our most terrifying demons. Quite explicitly, throughout the film, Cameron makes it clear that Sully — and through him, we the audience — can only be on Pandora, in his and our dream world, when he is asleep.

The film’s very last shot, in close-up, is of Sully’s eyes opening. He is awake, the dream has ended. But Sully is now a living part of his own dream — and, frustratingly for those who have loved being along for the ride, we can’t follow him there. We can, though, pay up for more tickets and re-enter the dream again and again. And wait for the sequel

Wendy Williams Helps Donate School Supplies To New Jersey Middle School

2010-01-31T04:45:00.000-08:00

Wendy Williams made a career of speaking out, but now the "Wendy Williams Show" host is giving back. She's dedicated the month of September to collecting school supplies for a Asbury Park middle school in New Jersey.

Along with encouraging audience members to donate new school supplies for Asbury Park Middle School, Williams is partnering up with DonorsChoose.org so that supporters can help schools around the country and in their area in donating school supplies or making donations.

Asbury Park is special to Williams. Her parents were both teachers in the area's school system. I'm so thankful for so many different things that have gone on in my life. I lived in Asbury Park, that's where I was born and my mom and dad taught for a really long time in the Asbury Park school system. So it would only be fitting, you have to give back to where you come from."

To help with Williams' adopt-a-school initiative, supporters can visit www.donorschoose.org/wendywilliams

Britney Spears, Taylor Swift Awarded "Perezzies"

2010-01-31T04:36:00.000-08:00

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is capping off a second year with his Perezzies Awards, which lets his blog readers vote for the winners in categories like Biggest Breakup, Biggest Fail, and Celeb of the Year. Among the winners this year, or losers depending on the category, were Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and Chris Brown.

Spears and Swift came in as winners this year. The "3" singer won Most Improved for the second year in a row after her big "Circus" comeback last year, and this year's ultra-successful world tour. Swift took Best Dressed and also Hottest Hookup, for current fling Taylor Lautner, who also scored the Hottest Hottie award.

Some celebrities might also want to avoid winning Perezzies, like Lindsay Lohan who earned Hottest Mess, Kristen Stewart who was voted Worst Dressed, and Kanye West, voted Biggest Fail for his infamous Taylor Swift speech interruption at the MTV Video Music Awards. Chris Brown was unfortunately voted the Biggest D-Bag and also the Biggest Breakup with Rihanna.

Lady Gaga also scored in the categories for Best Song for her current hit single "Bad Romance" and was also voted Celeb of the Year.

Disney Awards

2010-01-30T00:55:00.001-08:00

With the voice talents of George Clooney and Meryl Streep – to name but a few, FANTASTIC MR FOX which is released in cinemas nationwide from 23 October, is full of Oscar winning and nominated voice talent.

To celebrate, here we take a look at some of the finest performances in animated films from actors that have been recognised by the Academy. From big blue genies to talking cars this feature takes a look not only at our leading cast, but actors such as Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks that have breathed life into some of the most beloved characters in film.

Aladdin (1992)

Genie - Robin Williams

Disney’s Aladdin featured the voice talents of actor/comedian Robin Williams as the Genie. Williams was initially not interested in the role until he saw footage of the genie animated to the audio from his stand up shows. Many consider this to be William’s greatest moment in his career and one of the greatest animated characters of all time. Robin Williams has won an Oscar for best supporting actor in Good Will Hunting as well as a special achievement award for his role as Genie.

The Corpse Bride (2005)

Victor Van Dort – Johnny Depp

For The Corpse Bride, Tim Burton’s second stop motion animated feature, he turned to his long time partner in film and friend, Johnny Depp. Johnny plays Victor Van Dort who when practicing his wedding vows in the woods and placing the ring on what he thinks is a branch, accidently ends up wedding Emily, a corpse. Johnny Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards including his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

The Lion King (1994)

Scar – Jeremy Irons

The Lion King was Disneys 32nd animated feature and told the story of Simba the lion cub who after the death of his father is forced to runaway by his evil Uncle Scar only to return years later to avenge his fathers death and take his crown as king. The story is very familiar as it was based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Disney recruited a large cast of talented actors for the voice talents including; Mathew Broderick, Natahan Lane, Rowan Atkinson, James Earl Jones (also the voice of Darth Vader) and Jeremy Irons who voiced Scar. Jeremy Irons won an Academy Award for his role in the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune. The Lion King also features the voice talents of Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi, one of Scars evil sidekicks, the Hyenas, Whoopi one an Oscar for Best Supporting actress in the film Ghost.

Sinbad: The legend Of The Seven Seas (2003)

Sinbad – Brad Pitt

Dreamworks used a mix of 2D and 3D for the release for Sinbad and tells the story of the Arabian sailor his crew as they embark on a journey to find a mysterious Greek artefact. The film received very mixed views but had huge Hollywood stars to voice the characters. Brad Pitt who has been nominated for two Academy Awards: one for best actor in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and another for best supporting actor in Twelve Monkeys. The film also includes fellow Academy Award Nominee Michelle Pfeiffer and Academy Award Winner Catherine Zeta Jones.

Toy Story/Toy Story2 (1995)

Woody – Tom Hanks

The first full length computer animated film was Pixar’s Toy Story. The film was a huge success, took more than $356 million worldwide and was nominated for three Oscars. The sequel is considered by critics to be better than the first and one of few films that manages to surpass the original. For the voice of Woody Pixar chose Academy Award winner Tom Hanks. The actor has been nominated for numerous awards and has won in the best actor category twice for his roles in Philadelphia and his portrayal of Forest Gump.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Mrs. Fox – Meryl Streep

Originally Cate Blanchett was due to voice Mrs. Fox but, for unknown reasons didn’t take the role leaving Academy Award winner Meryl Streep to step in. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for best Actress as her role in Sophie’s Choice.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX is visionary director Wes Anderson's first animated film, utilising classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the bestselling children's book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach). The film features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker.

Garfield: The Movie (2004)

Garfield – Bill Murray

As well as voicing Mr. Badger in Fantastic Mr. Fox Bill Murray also leant his voicing talents for Garfield’s first full length feature, as the lasagne loving feline. The film was a mix of live action and CG animation. Bill Murray was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Lost in Translation alongside Scarlett Johansen.

Shrek (2001)

Donkey - Shrek

DreamWorks Shrek was the first of three films based on the life of the loveable Ogre. Set in a fairytale world Shrek pokes fun at most Disney animated films by challenging all stereotypes from handsome Princes to Pinocchio. Shrek also included a great cast of voice actors including Mike Myers as Shrek and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona. The films standout performance came from Eddie Murphy who voiced Donkey (unfortunately not nominated for an Oscar). Eddie Murphy was nominated however for Best Supporting Actor in Dream Girls.

Antz (1998)

Z – Woody Allen

Antz was Dreamworks first animated film and the second computer animated film in America. It featured a long list of stars including Sylvestor Stallone, Sharon Stone, Christopher Walken and Gene Hackman. The leading character Z was voiced by Academy Award winning director Woody Allen. His 1978 film Annie Hall won four Academy Awards including best picture, best screenplay as well as best director for Allen.

Cars (2006)

Lightning Mcqueen – Owen Wilson

Owen Wilson voices Coach Skip in Fantastic Mr. Fox but, also leant his voicing talents to Pixars seventh animated feature, Cars. The film sees all sorts of vehicles come to life including Lightning McQueen, a self centred rookie racing car. Owen Wilson was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay he wrote for The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson.

The Incredibles (2004)

Mrs Incredible – Holly Hunter

The incredible was Pixars take on the superhero genre and is their only feature to include people as the main characters. Loosely based on The Fantastic Four it tells the story of a dysfunctional family in a world where superheroes are banned and their identities must remain a secret. The film featured an ensemble cast including; Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson. Holly Hunter who voices Mrs Incredible won an Oscar for her role in the 1993 film The Piano.

2009 Oscar Nominations

2010-01-30T00:48:00.000-08:00

The Oscar Gods have spoken and the nominations for 2009 Academy Awards have officially been announced. There are quite a few faces that we expected to see on the list as well as a few surprises.

Check the all out now below the jump…(brace yourselves TDK fans, you are only going to be reasonably happy)

Guess we were right about Dark Knight
Post Nomination Editorial
Check out our Predictions

***Update: 2009 Oscar Winners here***

View the list as a docshots – Oscar Nominations 2009

BEST PICTURE

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers

“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer

BEST ACTOR

Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)

Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)

Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)

Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)

Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)

Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)

Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)

Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)

Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard

“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

BEST DIRECTOR

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard

“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord

“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt

“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh

“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh

“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

BEST ART DIRECTION

“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway

“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor

“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker

“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath

“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser

“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy

“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn

“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki

“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant

“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan

“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

BEST EDITING

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley

“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany

“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France

“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan

“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria

“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

BEST MAKEUP

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat

“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard

“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel

“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar

“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato

“Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit

“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand

“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland

“This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi

“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont

“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie

“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh

“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

BEST SOUND EDITING

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King

“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood

“Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman

BEST SOUND MIXING

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt

“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin

“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Aging action star Van Damme, 49, still wants a pro fight

2010-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

Jean Claude Van Damme could whip anybody. Throw in one caveat -- on the silver screen. Now the 49-year-old Belgian star of dozens of action films wants to show he can do it for real.

Repeating what he said in September, Van Damme is trying to land a professional kickboxing match against former Olympian Somluck Kamsing in Macau as the capper to a proposed reality show. During a press conference in Ukraine (VIDEO), Van Damme explained his motivation.

"[It's] dangerous but life is short," said Van Damme. "I want to prove to young people and even to mature people that a man can go into some very strong physical effort and training, and also be a movie star."

The fight was originally slated for a March K-1 event in Las Vegas. As Cagewriter told you at the time, the fight had zero chance of coming off in Nevada:

Kamsing, 35, was the 1996 Olympic Gold medalist in boxing at 126 pounds. He also fought in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, losing to Rocky Juarez and Benoit Gaudet, respectively ... we'll rain on the parade with a reality check, the Nevada State Athletic Commission would never approve a fight with the [49-year-old] Jean Claude facing a former Olympian.

We nailed it. Van Damme (pictured with UFC fighter Michael Bisping) got word that the fight could not go down in the U.S. as many states have strict guidelines for fighters over 35.

Randy Couture, 46, will fight 45-year-old Mark Coleman next week in Las Vegas in the main event of UFC 109. Along with 37-year-old Frank Trigg and 35-year-old Matt Serra, Couture and Coleman had to go in front of the NSAC to undergo neurological testing and gain approval to fight. Vam Damme has zero professional fights. The four UFC fighters have a combined 93 pro fights and were still scrutinized before they were given their licenses. The only "real" fight we know of for Van Damme was a rumored scrap against fellow action star Chuck Zito.

For Van Damme, fighting a former Olympian is a brave thing to attempt, but let's hope it's closer to a reality show fight than one where he may get injured badly.

Valentino's Eco Modernism

2010-01-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

Paris – Valentino offered a large dollop of eco modernist fashion in the house's Spring 2010 haute couture collection, presented before huge images of swaying digital trees projected on the walls of the medieval convent hospital in Paris where the show was staged Wednesday, Jan. 27.

"Hidden Eden" was the name the design duo of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli gave to the collection, an evocative display of naturalistic fashion and quivering clothes.

In a show and collection that neatly juxtaposed technology and nature, it was telling what were the two defining materials - soft chiffon and hard sharkskin, or to use its technical term, galuchat. These two were combined in one remarkable jacket, a curvy biker jacket with cashmere trim.

This Roman design duo could certainly not be faulted for failing to take risks. They even invented a new garment - a single sleeve jump suit with a hint of a tunic, which they christened the "jump dress." They also whipped up a super multi-pastel feather jacket.

Throughout the show, the look was ethereal with the models wafting between the twisting trees, the yellow, rose and flesh hues of the clothes mirrored by technical versions of the same colors on the screen.

"Elongated insects," was how Piccioli termed the lean look and silhouette he and Chiuri wanted models to have on the catwalk.

Beyonce heads to Grammy's with 10 nominations

2010-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – R&B superstar Beyonce will battle country star Taylor Swift at the 52nd Grammy Awards Sunday as the music world descends on Los Angeles for the industry's equivalent of the Oscars.

Beyonce heads a star-studded field of contenders with 10 nominations going into Sunday's extravaganza at the Staples Center, just ahead of the precocious 20-year-old Swift who has eight.

Beyonce has nominations in the coveted record of the year and album of the year categories, for her single "Halo" and her chart-topping double-album "I Am ... Sasha Fierce." The former "Destiny's Child" singer is also nominated in the song of the year category.

But Beyonce is likely to face fierce competition in the major categories from Swift, as well as wacky songstress Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, who all have nominations in the best album, record and song categories.

Trailing Beyonce and Swift in overall nominations are the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West with six nods each.

Swift, 20, who enjoyed success last year at the American Music Awards and Country Music Awards, has rocketed to fame over the past two years.

Nielsen SoundScan reported earlier this month that Swift was the top-selling digital artist in music history with over 24.3 digital tracks to date.

Grammy chief Neil Portnow has praised Swift as a "phenomenon in entertainment." "She crosses so many genres and generations. She?s really struck a chord with people because her music is so honest," Portnow said.

Sunday's show -- which gets under way at 5pm (0100 GMT) -- is the first Grammy Awards since Michael Jackson's death last year and is expected to feature an extended tribute to the late "King of Pop."

The tribute will include a 3-D film clip made before his death as well as performances from Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson and Usher. Jackson will also be honored with a lifetime achievement award during the show.

However, Grammy show producer Ken Ehrlich has distanced himself from reports that Michael Jackson's children -- Paris, Blanket and Prince Michael -- would perform on Sunday at the Staples Center, the same venue where they bade a poignant farewell to their father at last July's memorial service.

"Don't know where that came from and I really don?t have anything to say about it," Ehrlich told the Access Hollywood entertainment news show.

Meanwhile, in the record of the year race, Beyonce's "Halo" will go up against Black Eyed Peas's pop track "I Gotta Feeling", the Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Swift's "You Belong with Me."

The nominees for song of the year, awarded to the songwriters, are Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," Maxwell's "Pretty Wings," Beyonce's No.1 single "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" and Swift's "You Belong with Me.

The best rock album nominees, meanwhile, comprise AC/DC's "Black Ice," "Live From Madison Square Garden" by Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, "21st Century Breakdown" by Green Day, "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King" by the Dave Matthews Band and "No Line on the Horizon" by U2.

The best new artist category features the Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings.

Sundance: More retreads than recharging

2010-01-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

PARK CITY, Utah (Hollywood Reporter) – The trouble with SundanceTwentyTen is its marketing slogans.

Organizers splashed bumper-sticker slogans over every screen, program and signpost: "This Is the Renewed Rebellion." "This Is the Recharged Fight Against the Establishment of the Expected." "This Is Rebirth of the Battle for Brave New Ideas."

Did anyone check with the filmmakers? At nearly every turn, they went for the expected. Brave new ideas were nowhere to be seen. Indie filmmakers today are largely not in the rebellious mood. They either mimic Hollywood or the indie films that have scored big here in the past.

Families, divorces, weddings, teen angst, middle-age malaise, middle-class guilt and female friendships -- these remain the focus of filmmakers who lack the resources to take us to Pandora or wow us with visual magic.

Sundance crowds lined up for tired warhorses such as the coming-of-age movie. You could get it Texas style ("Skateland") or New Zealand-flavored ("Boy"). At least the latter came with a Maori cast of nonprofessional kids in a remote setting.

And so it went: wedding comedies ("The Romantics"), Manhattan comic melodrama ("HappyThankYouMorePlease," "Please Give"), immigrants in America ("The Imperialists Are Still Alive!") and teens gone wild ("Welcome to the Rileys," "The Runaways").

Qualitywise, these films ran the gamut from good to so-so, but nobody was smashing any molds.

The quality has been pretty high in Sundance, just mislabeled. Those grungy, credit card-financed, 16mm films from the festival's early days are long gone. Indie filmmakers today are mostly making lower-budget versions of Hollywood movies.

To find something really fresh, you usually have to leave American shores, and maybe travel as far as Greenland. "Nuummiouq," the first feature from the frozen nation, was a lively gem about a young man who learns he has terminal cancer."

But there were also too many new versions of films that have been playing in Sundance for many years. None was bad. Many were pretty enjoyable, in fact. Yet peel away a layer and you find conventional stories and traditional genres.

In one story about finding one's identity, "The Extra Man," starring Kevin Kline and Paul Dano, the familiar was made fresh -- or at least odd -- by smothering the story in outrageous caricatures and bizarre behavior.

So despite the sloganeering, it was pretty much business as usual at Sundance. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. The festival's longtime heads, Geoffrey Gilmore and John Cooper, spent a long time building its traditions and favorite filmmakers. Now that Cooper has replaced Gilmore as the festival's director, why should he tear things apart?

There has been some repackaging. Sections have acquired new labels, and a new one called Next is devoted to DIY films. Maybe a few bus routes changed too.

If there is a noticeable shift, it might be a lesser concentration on buzz and hype. Since dealmaking has shifted toward service deals -- in which distributors come aboard in return for an upfront fee and a piece of the box office -- and different distribution platforms, the festival feels a little less like a market and more like the celebration of independent cinema originally intended.

One improvement has come in the Premieres section. The celebrity quotient and red-carpet glamour has thankfully fallen away as the premiering films seem to actually belong to a festival celebrating indie filmmaking. In other words, no more "Brooklyn's Finest," the Sundance 2009 entry finally getting a theatrical release in March.

For many, Sundance remains a much-needed respite from Hollywood factory films. Like the snow that has fallen since everyone got to Park City last week, Sundance has had a cool, soothing effect, refreshing one's palate for film viewing and reawakening the senses to character-driven storytelling.

Travolta says faith helped him through son's death

2010-01-29T07:55:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK – John Travolta said faith has helped him survive the tragic death of his 16-year-old son, Jett.

The actor, a noted Scientologist, walked the red carpet in New York with wife Kelly Preston to promote his new film, "From Paris With Love." The movie was filmed in late 2008, and shooting wrapped just days before Jett Travolta died on Jan. 2, 2009.

"We work hard every day with our church on healing," Travolta said, though he did not mention Scientology by name. "And Kelly and I and Ella have all been working very hard and they've been helping us," he said, referring to himself, Preston and their daughter.

Jett Travolta died last year after a seizure at the family's vacation home in the Bahamas.

Asked what gave him the strength to return to his movie career, Travolta said, "Once you get yourself stable, then you're able to reach out again, you know, and I think this whole year every day we've been working on stabilizing ourselves and it's been successful so far."

Travolta flew a jetliner earlier this week carrying relief supplies, doctors and ministers from the Church of Scientology to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to help survivors of that country's devastating earthquake. He said he is working to bring more aid to Haiti and did not rule out additional flights.

Is Avatar Really King Of The Box Office

2010-01-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

James Cameron broke his own record Tuesday. With a $1.86 billion haul, "Avatar" beat "Titanic" to become the highest grossing movie of all time at the worldwide box office.

It's a remarkable achievement. But before every Hollywood studio exec decides that all future movies must be in 3-D and feature blue aliens, it's worth getting a little perspective on the film.

In Pictures: Is Avatar Really King Of The Box Office? >>

"Avatar" has the advantage of showing in 3-D (which usually commands an average $3 extra per ticket) and coming out at a time when even 2-D movie tickets are more expensive than ever. According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the average ticket price in 2008 was $7.18, up 56% from prices in 1997 when "Titanic" was in theaters.

A look at domestic grosses adjusted for inflation shows a more realistic view of "Avatar"'s performance.

In the U.S., "Avatar" has grossed $555 million making it the second highest grossing domestic (as opposed to worldwide) film of all time. Titanic is temporarily still in the lead here with $600.8 million.

But adjusting for ticket price for inflation, Avatar ranks as the 26th highest grossing film in the U.S., according to Box Office Mojo. Number one? "Gone With The Wind" with $1.5 billion adjusted gross in the U.S. "Star Wars" ranks second with $1.3 billion.

Cameron's "Titanic" ranks sixth (just behind "The Ten Commandments") with an adjusted $943 million take in the U.S.

Movies are released very differently today then they were in 1939 when "Gone With the Wind" premiered. The film showed originally in 156 theaters in the U.S. "Avatar" premiered on 3,452 screens. "Gone With the Wind" was re-released in 1947, 1954 and 1961. In 1967 it was shown in 70 mm. With as many as 600 films being released per year, these days few films get a second shot in theaters.

Of course movie now can sometimes double their box office with DVD and television sales. Here we're only looking at box office.

Even some modern films beat "Avatar" when looked at through a price-adjusted prism. "Forrest Gump" (1994) ranks 22nd with an adjusted $623 million box office. "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace," which was released in 1999, ranks 19th with an adjusted $623 million domestic gross.

But most of the films at the top are from at least 30 years ago. "The Sound of Music" ranks third with an adjusted $1.05 billion take. "E.T." is just behind with $1.04 billion.

With no film on the near horizon poised to challenge "Avatar"'s dominance, the film is sure to continue to mint money. But it's got a way's to go to catch up with a classic like "Gone With The Wind."

Johnny Depp, Alive and No. 2 on Harris Poll

2010-01-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

In "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," Davy Jones asks Johnny Depp's iconic character, Jack Sparrow, if he felt dead. Sparrow replies, as might Johnny Depp right now, "You have no idea."

Despite untimely rumors to the contrary, not only is Johnny Depp very much alive, he's also just been named the runner-up in the much-ballyhooed Harris Poll. The poll, which measures public opinion on movie stars living and long gone, named Depp the second-most-loved Hollywood celebrity. Clint Eastwood came in first.

It's been an interesting week for Depp. Over the weekend, an Internet rumor that the 46-year-old star had perished in a traffic accident in France gained traction on Twitter. Then today, the "Public Enemies" star learned that he finished second in the new Harris Poll to an actor who hasn't been in a movie in over a year. (Clint was last seen in his 2008 film "Gran Torino"; he directed - but does not appear in - this year's critical favorite, "Invictus.")

John Wayne, who died in 1979 and hasn't been featured in a film since 1976, is the only actor to be ranked in the countdown every year since its inception in 1994. Wayne finished first in 1995, when he barely edged out this year's winner, Clint Eastwood.

Denzel Washington, who has finished in the top spot on the poll for the last three consecutive years, fell to No. 3 this year.

John Wayne aside, the Harris Poll has a history of honoring actors that haven't appeared in any recent films. Mel Gibson -- who before this upcoming weekend's release of "The Edge of Darkness" has not starred in a film since 2002's "Signs" -- topped the poll in 2003 and continuously ranked in the top 10 until 2006. Conversely, Meryl Streep, who has been nominated for 15 Academy Awards, made her first-ever appearance on the poll, finishing eighth. "The Blind Side" star Sandra Bullock was the highest ranking woman, finishing fourth.

The top 10 in this year's "America's Favorite Movie Star" Harris Poll (with last year's rank in parenthesis) is as follows:

1. Clint Eastwood (2)

2. Johnny Depp (8)

3. Denzel Washington (1)

4. Sandra Bullock (not ranked)

5. Tom Hanks (7)

6. George Clooney (not ranked)

7. John Wayne (3)

8. Meryl Streep (not ranked)

9. Morgan Freeman (9)

10. Julia Roberts (6)

Next "Harry Potter" movies coming in 3D (Reuters)

2010-01-27T05:52:00.001-08:00

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros. will release the next two "Harry Potter" films in 3D, a move underscoring the post-"Avatar" rush for extra-dimensional box office returns.

Studios executives around town have been scrutinizing film slates for opportunities to expand forays into 3D releasing. Warners has been testing footage from its upcoming "Clash of the Titans" -- converted into 3D by an outside vendor -- and the tests have gone so well that the studio has decided to release not only "Titans" but also the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 3D.

Warners refused to confirm the decisions Tuesday, but an announcement on "Titans" -- a co-production with studio-based producer Legendary Pictures -- is expected by week's end. Official word on the "Potter" pics also is awaited.

Conversion expenses have been coming down, so each film will cost just $5 million to change into 3D. Warners also will absorb an additional $5 million expense per picture to pay for 3D glasses for exhibitors handling the movies.

In a related move, Warners will push back the release of "Titans" one week to April 2. "Deathly Hallows: Part I" is set to unspool November 19, and "Part II" is slotted for July 15, 2011.

The only previous "Potter" pic to dabble in 3D was last year's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which included brief footage viewable in 3D in Imax venues. It was unclear whether "Potter" author J.K. Rowling had to OK the move into the third dimension.

As for the impact on box office prospects for the final two "Potter" sequels, consider the more imminent situation with "Titans."

A remake of a 1981 film starring Laurence Olivier, "Titans" previously might have been expected to fetch no more than $200 million domestically, and even that was an aggressive projection. Released in 3D, Warners figures to reap well north of $200 million, with 2007's $211 million domestic grosser "300" considered a beatable benchmark.

"Titans" in 3D also is considered a safe bet to best the $245 million in foreign coin that Warners fetched with "300."

The "Titans" move is not without risk. The installed base of 3D movie screens has been growing rapidly, but it's not sufficient to release the film entirely in 3D.

That should be less of a concern by the time the next "Potter" hits multiplexes. But execs also are quietly confident of getting enough 3D playdates for "Titans."

"I would not think it would be an issue to establish ourselves in the 3D marketplace with 'Titans,'" a studio insider said. "By sliding it back a week, we should at least have enough screens in the major markets."

Warners should secure upward of 1,000 playdates for "Titans," which will unspool a week after Paramount bows DreamWorks Animation's spring tentpole "How to Train Your Dragon."

The "Titans" move might spur further reshuffling in the spring release calendar, as its new date makes for a fifth wide opener set for Easter weekend, which historically is a solid boxoffice session but hardly one to support that many big pics.

Other wide openers set for April 2 include Fox's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," a likely PG-rated film adapted from a book series popular with middle-schoolers; Disney's PG-rated Miley Cyrus starrer "The Last Song," adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel; Universal's futuristic action thriller "Repo Men," starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker; and Lionsgate's latest Tyler Perry pic, "Why Did I Get Married Too?"

Meantime, the move of "Potter" into the extra dimension could prompt other high-profile moves. Could a 3D James Bond loom?

Warners' decision with its "Potter" franchise is likely at least to prompt 3D discussions between MGM and 007 producers. But unlike Warners' incremental move with the "Potter" franchise -- going with full-on 3D only after an initial foray into partial Imax 3D -- Lion execs would be starting at square one in talks on Bond.

Still, there is the siren call of those extra-dimensional dollars -- and other 3D currencies. In addition to lusting after "Avatar"-like boxoffice, industry execs have taken note of how well 3D pics play overseas.

Warners 3D horror pic "The Final Destination" overperformed internationally this summer, and Sony's 2D "Zombieland" did less than one-fourth as well overseas as domestically a few months later.

Perhaps by no coincidence, Sony might send "Spider-Man" into the third dimension with the webslinger's next pic.

Johnny Depp Sets Sail on Fourth 'Pirates' Movie

2010-01-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

Captain Jack Sparrow will soon take to the seas again, and this time he is after the most sought-after treasure imaginable: the Fountain of Youth.

It was announced this week that the fourth installment of Disney's highly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise will begin filming in Hawaii this summer. Johnny Depp once again plays the flamboyant Captain Jack, and Geoffrey Rush reprises his role as his adversary, Barbossa. However, costars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are not expected to return.

The film's story is loosely based on the 1987 pirate novel, "On Stranger Tides" by award-winning fantasy author Tim Powers. The book tells the story of a young man -- coincidentally named "Jack" -- who is captured by the pirate Blackbeard and forced to join in the search for the Fountain of Youth.

Ted Elliott, the co-writer of the first three "Pirates" movies, said that the story of the novel just happened to align with where they wanted to take the fourth film. He told Empire magazine, "We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book."

Johnny Depp signed on to appear in the fourth movie in 2008, before there was a script. It was announced at the same time he would also be playing Tonto in a film version of "The Lone Ranger," but that project has been delayed until after "Pirates" is finished.

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have both said they had no desire to return for a fourth movie. Knightley said in an interview, "It was a completely fantastic experience, and it was an amazingly large portion of my life, but I don't think I need to go there again. I think that it's done." Also, the director of the original trilogy, Gore Verbinski, will not be coming back. He is being replaced by Rob Marshall, the director of "Chicago" and "Nine."

Dear Critics, Lindsay Lohan's Career Is Not Over Yet

2010-01-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

In December, Lindsay Lohan traveled across India to film a BBC documentary to raise awareness and find a solution to stop child trafficking. Although we think her trip was done out of the the kindness in her heart, the public seemed to think it was simply a PR stunt to tweak her "party girl" image. Either way, it was obvious that even her humanitarian efforts failed to positively change her career ... even a little bit.

We aren't denying that she's had some low points (from her D.U.I. arrest to rehab), but she doesn't deserve to be turned into a Hollywood scapegoat. No one is perfect. PopEater is a firm believer in second chances and predicts Lohan will pull it together, and people will start taking her seriously. See why we are Team Lohan ... after the jump.

Imagine being 23 and having your every move critiqued. Honestly, if paparazzi followed most 20-somethings, they would probably make Lohan look like a saint. (There's a reason why college franchises like 'Animal House' and 'Van Wilder' are so popular -- most people can relate to it.) Yet the world is so fixated on her missteps that they refuse to forgive and move on. What are we waiting for?

Lohan optimistically tweeted on January 2 that she wouldn't let people bring her down this year. "My new years resolution is to stop letting the lucky few that have my heart try to constantly tear me down." She continued, "2010 is about moving forward, not backwards. Leaving the bad (people, habits, and negative energy behind) time to make changes-right!?!?"

But the backlash continued even after the BBC released a trailer of her documentary. Gossip blogs tore the clip apart: Lindsay Lohan Pretends To Care; Lindsay Lohan Does Good, Looks Awkward; Samaritan LiLo's Comic Relief Skit. The public was skeptical of her sincerity, even though she was trying to shine a light on a serious issue that desperately needs more attention. What do you want from her? She never said she was going to change the world in one day

Zac Efron - Efron Eyes Hangover Role

2010-01-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

ZAC EFRON is eyeing a move into comedy - the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL star would love a role in THE HANGOVER sequel.
The actor moved away from his Disney roots with 2009 drama Me and Orson Welles, and this year (10) sees the release of his fantasy film The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.
But the 22 year old wants his next role to be more light-hearted.
He tells Access Hollywood, "(A role in The Hangover sequel) would be amazing. I think that they're amazing and I love the cast that they've got going on."
Writer/director Todd Phillips is busy working on a follow-up to the comedy smash, set to start filming later this year - and actor Ed Helms admits Efron would be a welcome addition to the cast: "I love that guy. He's actually really funny."

ShahRukh News

2010-01-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

After Azim Premji, former President Kalam, Oscar winner A.R. Rahman and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the next VIP visitor to the Historic Aligarh Muslim University is going to be none other than Bollywood's global superstar, Shah Rukh Khan. As per the exclusive details made available to us by the university's PRO, Rahat Abrar, Shah Rukh Khan, accompanied by writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar and his wife actress Shabana Azmi, will be visiting the university, popularly known as AMU, on Saturday, the 23rd of January 2010. During his visit King Khan will stay in the campus for about one and a half hours and address and interact directly with the students at the university's auditorium, Kennedy Hall.