Tag Archives: Australia

Robert Pattinson Reflects On Twilight And Bella’s Vampire Transformation In Oz

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 machine is underway and the film’s on and off-screen couple are headed out on the road – though separately for now. Kristen Stewart headed to Tokyo to talk up the wildly successful conclusion to the vampire franchise, while Robert Pattinson flew Down Under for his whirlwind of engagements in Australia. While Twilight distributor is holding a strict “no-go” as far as questions about the real-life R-Patz/K-Stew drama that gripped segments of the celebrity-fueled chatter world in late summer/early fall, Pattinson did bring her up at a meeting with Oz journalists and more on his final play as Edward Cullen. Media hounds have prognosticated a real-life reconciliation though Pattinson stayed on script, only talking up the vampire finale. He gave Stewart a shout-out for her transformation into a vampire in the series. “Yeah, she was really excited about being a vampire. Everybody else who’d been pretty consistently in the movies, they’d obviously been playing a vampire like every day for ages. And so it’s funny seeing someone suddenly come into it and try and figure out their own version of the physicality and the mentality of it. But her character has a different thing, because she’s supposed to find it really easy. It’s supposed to be a natural progression for her to become a vampire, it’s supposed to be simple. So I guess it was kind of different. ” The previous four Twilight features have grossed over $3.2 billion worldwide and the features have catapulted Pattinson, Stewart, Taylor Lautner and a host of others into stardom (some into stratospheric stardom) though Pattinson gave a careful response when asked if he’d take part in a new series spin-off if the chance should arise. “I don’t say ‘definitely not’ to anything. Just in case.” Pattinson recalled how he almost quit acting before the first Twilight landed in his lap, but naturally the series changed all that. “Yeah, it is very odd. I think that a lot of actors go through the same thing, when you’ve literally gotta be just like ‘Ugh, this is pointless.’ That’s the only time you ever seem to get any jobs – you’ve gotta be at rock bottom! But yeah, it’s funny. I was like fully, fully intending not to do it anymore, and then this came up.” He said earlier this year during an interview with ShortList.com that he felt sort of “useless” playing the same part over and over. “You just run out of ideas,” he quipped. “You don’t know what to do any more. I’m not trying to get away from it. You’re screwing yourself, you’re saying you think your work is shit if you try to get away from it. And I never thought it was. I kind of got to the end of my inspiration. You get to the point where you’re like, ‘I don’t want to do a film for a teen audience any more.'” Post- Twilight promotion, Pattinson will be heading back to Australia for his next project. “My next thing I’m doing in Australia with this guy David Michod who did ‘Animal Kingdom,’ and Guy Pearce,” he told MTV Australia. “That’s going to be fun.” Directed by Bill Condon, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 opens in the U.S. November 16th. The Twilight gang will undoubtedly be heading to the States for more Breaking Dawn talk – and perhaps in the same room. [ Sources: Yahoo! , MTV Australia ]

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Robert Pattinson Reflects On Twilight And Bella’s Vampire Transformation In Oz

Kelly Clarkson Gets "Blown Away" in Perth

The two most successful American Idol winners met in Perth, Australia last night. Sort of. Continuing her trend of covering hit songs by fellow artists, Kelly Clarkson took on Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away,” per a fan’s request. Take a look and a listen now, sound off with your take – and then prepare to answer the most important question of all… Kelly Clarkson – “Blown Away” So, THGers, we love them both, but only one can come out on top: Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood? Which of these Grammy winners would you rather… listen to?  

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Kelly Clarkson Gets "Blown Away" in Perth

My name’s Jade, I’m 16 and from Australia. Never in my…

My name’s Jade, I’m 16 and from Australia. Never in my life did I think I would meet my everything, Justin Drew Bieber. Here’s how my Bieber experience went. Justin tweeted he was coming to Australia in July which excited me because he hadn’t been here in over a year. All radio stations and music channels had opened up competitions to see him for his “Live and Intimate” and Sunrise performance . I’d enter over a hundred times with no intentions to win anything. One day I got a call saying I had a chance to win Hot30’s competition. I was so excited but there was no luck. A few days afterwards my sister had received a text saying she had won 2 tickets to his Sunrise performance. We were so overwhelmed and grateful for this opportunity because we honestly didn’t expect it. The following week was the week all the rest of the competitions would close. Friday the 13th of July I was at work and had about 7 missed calls. I decided to call back and I don’t regret nothing because that phone call changed my life. “Hi Jade, I’ve got some good news for you, you’re going to Justin Bieber’s live and intimate concert and that’s not all..you’re meeting him.” Shock was the only thing running through my body. I never cried so much in my life. 3 years of trying and it finally happened. July 17th 2012. The day had dragged on a little and after continuous stalking and patiently waiting in front of his hotel, the time had finally came. He had performed first and I was front row and he was literally a metre away from me. It was such a blessing. I remember looking at his ‘BELIEVE’ tattoo and it looked so real. Alfredo also came and took a few shots of Justin and spoke to my sister and told her he loved her! As Justin sang ALAYLM and I quote “I stand back and point at you you you,” I was one of the girls he pointed at! After his amazing little concert it was time. We lined waiting to meet the man himself. While I was waiting, Kenny came out of a room and I chased after him. “Kenny can I please get a hug?” I asked and he turned around touched, my hand and said I’m so sorry, I’m in a rush” but that was enough for me. The line moved quicker than I thought and I could see Justin right there. Wow. He was flawless. I went up with the group and he greeted us all. “You smell so good Justin.” I couldn’t help but blurt it out and he just laughed and said thank you. I felt so good, accomplished, proud; all these feelings jumbled together. Our photo was taken then everyone said their goodbyes. I couldn’t move though he was right there. I just stared at him and Justin looked at me with his famous smile. I touched his face after fighting the urge to kiss him…his lips were so plump in real life! He just smiled understanding me and hugged me. His hug though was perfect, he like squeezes your hips. He also then kissed my cheek. Justin Bieber kissed my cheek! Before I walked off I quickly took in his features again, he’s so skinny in real life and handsome. I said “Thank you Justin for everything you’ve done, for always putting your fans first it means so much,” and he just showed me his biggest smile and replied, “No thank you for your support.” I walked off crying at how perfect he was. I wouldn’t trade that moment in for anything. He is proud to make us happy.  The next day I went to Sunrise after camping out in front of the place all night. I was front row yet again for this performance and it was just the most amazing thing ever. Afterwards I was waiting outside Justin’s hotel and decided to go get something to eat. As I did, I met Scrappy and Dan Kanter. They were both so sweet and made sure everyone was happy! Justin soon after came out of his hotel and yet again he was like 1 metre away from me. I didn’t get to see him much then but seeing a glimpse of him was enough and everything else that happened was perfect. I’m so happy for what has happened to me. I finally met the boy who changed everything for me in 2009. Justin Drew Bieber. Never say never! -@biebersplaygirl More here: My name’s Jade, I’m 16 and from Australia. Never in my…

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My name’s Jade, I’m 16 and from Australia. Never in my…

Kelly Clarkson Breathes in Sia for Latest Cover

Kelly Clarkson was at it once again in Sydney, Australia last night. The THG favorite took yet another fan request during a concert – following her incredible take on Adele – and brought the crowd to its feet with a rendition of Sia’s “Breathe Me.” Where does this cover rank on the Kelly Clarkson music scale over the past couple months? Watch, listen and judge for yourself: Kelly Clarkson – “Breathe Me”

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Kelly Clarkson Breathes in Sia for Latest Cover

Elles: Celebrity Nudity on DVD and Blu-ray 9.11.12 [PICS]

We’ve got a wide variety of wonderful women from around the world this week on DVD and Blu-ray, so unleash your Eiffel tower and prepare for an onslaught of les belles femmes nues …Kicking things off on Blu-ray, Mr. Skin Hall-of-Famer Juliette Binoche goes behind the scenes of a teen prostitution ring in Elles (2012). Then all roads lead to boners as the second season of Spartacus: Vengeance , featuring New Zealand’s Lucy Lawless and Australia’s Viva Bianca , hits DVD and Blu-ray, as does the Aussie slasher flick The Loved Ones (2009). And from over Hollywood way, Kate Winslet ‘s unsinkable icebergs pop off the screen in the 3D Blu-ray of Titanic (1997). Also nude on DVD, Synapse continues its Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection series with two nude titles, Female Teacher: Dirty Afternoon (1981) and Nympho Diver: G-String Festival (1981). More after the jump!

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Elles: Celebrity Nudity on DVD and Blu-ray 9.11.12 [PICS]

Jeffrey Wright Is Catching Fire’s Beetee; Robert Pattinson’s The Rover Sells Overseas

Also in Friday’s Biz Break: indie horror maven Ti West goes “mainstream,” Daniel Craig signs for more Bonds, and Spike Lee ‘s Oldboy is snapped up by FilmDistrict for U.S. release. Jeffrey Wright Cast In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Lionsgate continues to beef up its sequel cast with stellar veteran talent. The Tony- and Golden Globe-winning actor will play Beetee, a former victor from District 3 thrown into the Quarter Quell competition with Katniss Everdeen. [Press release] Robert Pattinson’s The Rover Makes International Sales The pic from David Michod ( Animal Kingdom ) sees RPattz teaming up with Guy Pearce for a gritty dystopian Outback thriller ; actor-filmmaker Joel Edgerton co-conceived the story, and filming begins this winter. Rights have been sold in “United Kingdom, Canada and Benelux to eOne, Scandinavia to Nordisk, Latin America to Sun Distribution, the Middle East to Italia Film and Eastern Europe excluding Russia to Revolutionary Releasing. Village Roadshow already picked up the film in Australia and New Zealand,” per THR . Ti West And Eli Roth Team Up For The Sacrament Indie horror auteur West ( House of the Devil , The Innkeepers , V/H/S ) begins filming this month on the under-wraps horror thriller, which will court buyers at the Toronto Film Festival. Roth will produce and West will direct from his own script in what Roth describes will be West’s “first mainstream movie,” via Variety . Daniel Craig Commits To Two More Bonds With his third turn as 007 in the can ( Skyfall hits theaters in November), Daniel Craig has signed up for at least two more Bond pics in the current EON Production series. According to MI6 , Sony/MGM execs are aiming for an aggressive two year gap between films. Spike Lee’s Oldboy Gets U.S. Distribution He hasn’t even begun filming yet (though he told Movieline he’ll definitely shoot on celluloid ), but Spike Lee continues to put his ducks in a row for his Oldboy remake. FilmDistrict will take U.S. rights as Lee heads into production this month, according to THR . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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Jeffrey Wright Is Catching Fire’s Beetee; Robert Pattinson’s The Rover Sells Overseas

39th Telluride Film Fest Lineup Announces Haneke, Baumbach, Hyde Park On Hudson, More

The Telluride Film Festival offers a bright spotlight, showcasing a small selection of films over Labor Day weekend just as summer movies give way to a more serious season of cinema. Later this year, moviegoers will be talking about Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Marion Cotillard as a woman who loses her legs to a killer whale and even a small town story starring Zac Efron as an aspiring NASCAR racer and Dennis Quaid as his father, an Iowa farmer. Those three films – Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson , Jacques Audiard ‘s Rust and Bone and Ramin Bahrani’s At Any Price – lead a roster of acclaimed and anticipated new movies that will screen at this weekend’s tony Telluride Film Festival.  Telluride’s annual lineup is famously revealed just as attendees arrive in the Colorado mountain town for the four-day event. Even so Gary Meyer, one of the heads of the festival, privately previewed the lineup for a few journalists earlier this week and then swore them to secrecy. Telluride attendees consider movies sacred. Spoilers are frowned upon. “So, what do you think?” Meyer asked as he detailed the lineup for the 39th annual festival. “It was pretty much down to the wire,” he added about this year’s roster. He also teased that he and festival directors Tom Luddy and Julie Huntsinger have a surprise screening up their sleeves. It will screen in a still to be named slot some time between tomorrow and Labor Day. So now it can be revealed that even as it screens in the Venice Fest this weekend the anticipated American indie At Any Price will be unveiled in Telluride before heading to the Toronto International Film Festival next week. Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani has created a family drama that also explores globalization and Big Agriculture. In addition to Quaid and Efron, the film stars Heather Graham and Kim Dickens. Bahrani is expected to fly in from Venice in time for this weekend’s showings of the film here in Colorado. Also making the trek from Italy to Telluride will be French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli. His latest is described by the Telluride festival as a Kafkaesque tale. In Gianoli’s latest, Superstar , top name French actor Kad Merad plays the everyman. One day he wakes and heads to work only to discover that he’s famous. He has no idea why people are asking for his autograph and snapping his photo with their mobile  phones while he rides to work on the Paris Metro. The comedy also stars Cecile de France who gained domestic attention for her turn in last year’s Dardenne Brothers drama, The Kid With A Bike . Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson was a safe bet for Telluride lineup prognosticators. It stars local Laura Linney, a festival fixture. In the film she stars alongside Bill Murray, appearing as FDR’s younger, distant cousin, Margaret Suckley. Linney’s character guides guests – in this case the King and Queen of England in 1939 – at Roosevelt’s residence in rural New York State and also falls for FDR.  The new film will next head to the Toronto Film Festival. Sally Potter’s Ginger and Rosa will make the same journey. It stars Elle Fanning and Alice Englert as best friends in the 60s growing up and experiencing the anxieties and excitement of the era. The cast is rounded out by Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, Annette Bening, Alessandro Nivola and Christina Hendricks. Also on tap are Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha starring Greta Gerwig and Michael Winterbottom’s Everyday with Shirley Henderson. Both will also go from Telluride to the Toronto fest next week. Telluride will pay tribute to a pair of European actors this weekend. Marion Cotillard will be honored and appear here alongside her latest, Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Also acclaimed at the French fest this year was Mads Mikkelsen. He turned heads for his starring role in Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt and has also been on the fest circuit in Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair . Both films will screen in Telluride this weekend as festival salutes the Danish leading man. About three dozen new feature films will screen at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend, complemented by classic and retrospective entries, as well as short films, film oddities and even some Looney Tunes cartoons in honor of the 100th anniversary of director Chuck Jones’ birth.   The 39th Telluride Film Festival Premieres Lineup : The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, 2012)  Amour (Michael Haneke, Austria, 2012)
 At Any Price (Ramin Bahrani, US, 2012)
 The Attack (Ziad Doueiri, Lebanon/France, 2012) Barbara (Christian Petzold, Germany, 2012)
 Breaking the Frame (Marielle Nitoslawska, Canada, 2012) Carriere 250 Meters (Juan Carlos Rulfo, Mexico, 2012) Celluloid Man: A Film on P.K. Nair (Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, India, 2012) Cinema Jenin (Marcus Vetter, Germany/Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territory, 2012) Doueiri , Lebanon/France, 2012) The Central Park Five (Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon, US, 2012)
 Everyday (Michael Winterbottom, UK, 2012)
 Frances Ha (Baumbach, US, 2012) 
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (Gyorgy Palfi, Hungary, 2012) The Gatekeepers (Dror Moreh, Israel, 2012) 
Ginger and Rosa (d. Sally Potter, England., 2012) 
The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, 2012)
 Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Mitchell, US, 2012)
 In Search of Emak Bakia (Oskar Alegria, Spain, 2012) Jonathan Miller (David Thompson, UK, 2012) Journal de France (Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret, France, 2012) The Iceman (Ariel Vroman, US, 2012) Love, Marilyn (Liz Garbus, US, 2012)
 Me and Me Dad (Katrine Boorman, UK, 2012) Midnight’s Children (Deepa Mehta, Canada/Sri-Lanka, 2012) Mikis Theodorakis, Composer (Klaus Salge and Asteris Kutulas, Germany, 2012) No (Pablo Larrain, Chile, 2012) On Borrowed Time (David Bradbury, Australia, 2012) Paradise: Love (Ulrich Seidl, Austria, 2012) 
 Piazza Fontana (Marco Tullio Giordana, Italy, 2012) Pilgrim Hill (Gerard Barrett, Ireland, 2012) A Royal Affair (Nikolaj Arcel, Denmark, 2012) Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard, France, 2012)
 The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, Australia, 2012)
 Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, Canada, 2012) 
Superstar (Xavier Giannoli, France, 2012)
 Wadjda (Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabia, 2012) What is this Film Called Love? (Mark Cousins, Ireland/Mexico, 2012)
 The Telluride Film Festival takes place August 31-September 3. Follow Eugene Hernandez on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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39th Telluride Film Fest Lineup Announces Haneke, Baumbach, Hyde Park On Hudson, More

REVIEW: Rollicking But Rough Lawless Creates Bloody, Intoxicating Prohibition-Era World

As rollicking and rough as a drive down a dirt road with no suspension,  Lawless is a tale of three-bootlegging brothers from Prohibition-era Franklin County, Virginia, who are, in the words of one character, some “hard-ass crackers.” Directed by Australia’s John Hillcoat ( The Road ) and written by musician Nick Cave (who’s adapted Matt Bondurant’s historical novel  The Wettest County in the World ),  Lawless is, like their last collaboration  The Proposition ,  a kind of remixed Western at heart. It’s a story in which the law and the outlaws are equally outsized and dangerous — and a world in which the fighting has nothing to do with keeping order and everything to do with displays of strength. “It is not the violence that sets men apart. It is the distance that he is prepared to go,” declares oldest brother Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy), the hardest boiled of them all. To say that  Lawless  (or  The Proposition ) romanticizes violence isn’t quite right — every tommy-gun bullet wound and knife wound is sickeningly visceral, and when a character gets his throat cut the man doing the deed has to saw through resisting flesh. But the film does relish and find lyricism in these tribal philosopher psychopaths who use force with the measured anticipation of an oenophile savoring a sip of wine. The sheer appreciation  Lawless has for its characters and its setting makes it a pleasure  to settle into, even though the film can be carelessly formless and feel like a rough draft that was never sculpted into something more meaningful. As Jack Bondurant, the youngest of the three brothers and the one most eager to prove himself, Shia LaBeouf, is both the primary focus of the film and its narrator — an unfortunate thing, since he’s also the character we least want to spend time with. Forrest is so tough he’s developed a mythology around him, that even he might believe, about being invincible — and given the ordeal he survives in this film, there might be something to that. Middle sibling Howard (Jason Clarke) is huge and half-feral, especially when he’s on one of his benders. But Jack’s been kept on the outside of the family business, allowed only to be the driver as the brothers travel the county, dispensing corn whiskey. That changes when an act of aggression by two out-of-towners gives him the opportunity to make a deal with gangster Floyd Banner (a gleeful Gary Oldman) after almost dying at his hands. At the core of Lawless is the escalating conflict between the Bondurant brothers and a corrupt Chicago lawman named Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) who’s coming down hard on the county to get protection money from its many moonshiners. But there are plenty of detours taken: Jack woos preacher’s daughter Bertha (Mia Wasikowska) and starts up his own stills with the disabled Cricket (Dane DeHaan). Forrest makes sparks with dancer-turned-waitress Maggie (Jessica Chastain). Lawless is really about the adventures of the Bondurants and their friends and foes during Prohibition, and the characters are so compelling it would really be enough to just spend time in their presence. Forrest in particular is a memorable contradiction: Aside from his flashes of savagery, Hardy maintains an almost grandfatherly air. Clad in cardigans and prone to muttering, he refuses to step down to anyone and yet, is utterly undone by Maggie’s arrival in his life. As Rakes, Pearce is almost too outsized for the film to contain him. With his blackened, immaculately pomaded hair, parted dramatically down the center, and his pale eyebrows, he looks like a cross between Crispin Glover and Voldemort. He wields his vague sexuality — “You’re a peach,” he croons to Jack before punching him in the face — like a threat, mincing in his flawless suit right before delivering a ruthless beating, then ceremoniously peeling off his blood-stained leather gloves. It’s a unique performance, albeit so mannered it almost rends the already accommodating fabric of the film. Factor in the prevalence of international actors in the cast and the unfocused nature of the narrative,and Lawless  seems to take place in an impressionistic space rather than a historical one. It’s Charlie and Forrest that we want to see have a showdown, though it’s Jack who more often ends up in the former’s crosshairs. It’s not LaBeouf’s fault that his character is the flimsiest. The story keeps giving him foolish things to do to bring around more action, including accidentally leading the police to the family’s stills. His role as catalyst eventually becomes irritating because we don’t want the story to move along. The world that  Lawless presents is so vivid and pleasing that we want to linger over the details. It’s a film that finds delicate beauty in the image of someone bleeding out in the snow, and turns a drunken, impulsive visit to church service into an overwhelming sensory experience. The appeal of Lawless is not the story it tells but rather the world that it creates. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.  

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REVIEW: Rollicking But Rough Lawless Creates Bloody, Intoxicating Prohibition-Era World

Joan Rivers Wants to Slap "Idiot" Rihanna

Despite the candor, honesty and genuine emotion she showed, some of Rihanna’s recent confessions to Oprah did not go over well with people. Joan Rivers pointedly criticized her interview Sunday on Oprah’s Next Chapter , in which she wept talking about how she still loves Chris Brown . Rivers weighed in on this surprising revelation as only she can … and Rihanna wasted little time firing back at the outspoken TV personality: Rihanna also told Joan to “slap on some diapers.” Nice. Mind you, in the interview, the singer alluded to the fact that Chris is in a relationship with Karrueche Tran , and said they are NOT back together. Rihanna’s comments were more about wanting to help Chris with his obvious problems and the pain of losing someone she called her best friend. Is there something more between them? Will there be? Chris’ mom Joyce Hawkins might think so, but we’re skeptical. Not that it’s any of her business regardless, but if they’re not even dating again, why is Joan so pissed? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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Joan Rivers Wants to Slap "Idiot" Rihanna

Adam Lambert Covers Bob Marley, Asks: Is This Love?

Adam Lambert did his own version of Bob Marley this week. But the real question is this: Did he do the reggae legend proud? Down Under in Australia to promote his album “Trespassing,” Lambert performed inside Sydney’s Top 40 Live Lounge and surprised those in attendance with his cover of “Is This Love,” a Marley favorite from 1978. Give it a look and a listen now and prepare for Lambert to soon hit the States with a tour :