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‘Skyfall’ Eyes Oscar Ambitions As ‘Secret Screening’ Is Set At AFI Fest Wednesday

Skyfall is ready to get its L.A. close-up at AFI Fest Wednesday night. The latest James Bond film will have a “Secret Screening” tonight at the festival where free tickets are now available. The film, which has been a box office triumph in the U.K. where it opened in late October, has garnered critical acclaim and the title is even getting some early Oscar buzz – a feat that has alluded 007 over its 50 years. Directed by Sam Mendes the latest James Bond the latest installment has earned a record-breaking £53.44m ($85.36 million) in just 10 days. This is the first time a film has surpassed the £50m in 10 days in the U.K. And three-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan thinks the pic, which opens Friday in the U.S., deserves attention from Oscar. “I think we made a proper movie, which was our goal,” Logan said via BBC. Asked if he thought Skyfall could get an Oscar win, Logan replied, “Yes.” Logan, who is rumored to be writing the next two Bond films that will again star Daniel Craig as the dashing British operative, received noms for Gladiator , The Aviator and most recently Hugo . Judi Dench, who is reprising her role as 007’s boss M has been named a potential nominee though she has kept a distance from the awards rumor mill. “Don’t talk about that yet, that’s a long way off,” she said. Craig, meanwhile passively acknowledged Oscar at the film’s world premiere, saying reluctantly that “of course” he’d be happy to see Skyfall get Academy Award recognition. “I mean certainly Roger Deakins who did the camera work on this; it would be fantastic if he were to be recognized because he’s done such a wonderful job,” he said. Of the 23 Bond pics over five decades, only two have picked up Oscars and both were in technical categories. Goldfinger won best sound effects in 1964, while Thunderball took best visual effects in 1965. “I think we’ve established, and as have Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace , we’ve established a tone that is the base line reality of Bond now,” said Logan. “So it can’t become camp, it can’t become grandiose in a bad way at this point, it simply has to be honest to the tone that we’ve worked so hard to create in Skyfall .” Wednesday night’s screening at AFI Fest may be an Awards consideration beginning for the pic, which will likely see huge box office returns if the film’s U.K. momentum is any indication. Tickets are available to tonight’s screening on the second floor of the Hollywood & Highland complex at the AFI Fest Box Office. Tonight’s screening takes place at 9:15 PT at Grauman’s Chinese Theater next to the venue where the annual Oscar ceremony takes place. [ Source: BBC ]

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‘Skyfall’ Eyes Oscar Ambitions As ‘Secret Screening’ Is Set At AFI Fest Wednesday

Jared Leto’s ‘Artifact’ & ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ Nominated For IFP Gotham Audience Award

Oscar hopeful Beasts of the Southern Wild and Artifact , actor Jared Leto ‘s documentary — he’s credited as Bartholomew Cubbins — about his band 30 Seconds to Mars, are among the five films that have made it to the final round of IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Audience Award contest. Beasts, which was directed by Benh Zeitlin , turns out to be the only non-documentary nominated: The other three contenders include Kirby Dick’s  Invisible War , about rape in the military;  Burn , Brenna Sanchez and Tom Putnam’s documentary about Detroit firefighters, and Jonathan Kalafer’s  Once in a Lullaby: The PS 22 Chorus Story ,  which tells the story of how the fifth-grade chorus at a Staten Island public school came to perform at the 2011 Oscars. The first round voting took place from October 18 – 31, during which 31 audience award-winning films from the top 50 US and Canadian film festivals were narrowed through online voting to the five films with the highest number of votes. Round two of voting will take place until Nov. 18, and the winner will be announced at the Gotham Awards in New York on Nov. 26.  Filmgoers can vote online for their favorite film . Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

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Jared Leto’s ‘Artifact’ & ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ Nominated For IFP Gotham Audience Award

Jared Leto’s ‘Artifact’ & ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ Nominated For IFP Gotham Audience Award

Oscar hopeful Beasts of the Southern Wild and Artifact , actor Jared Leto ‘s documentary — he’s credited as Bartholomew Cubbins — about his band 30 Seconds to Mars, are among the five films that have made it to the final round of IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Audience Award contest. Beasts, which was directed by Benh Zeitlin , turns out to be the only non-documentary nominated: The other three contenders include Kirby Dick’s  Invisible War , about rape in the military;  Burn , Brenna Sanchez and Tom Putnam’s documentary about Detroit firefighters, and Jonathan Kalafer’s  Once in a Lullaby: The PS 22 Chorus Story ,  which tells the story of how the fifth-grade chorus at a Staten Island public school came to perform at the 2011 Oscars. The first round voting took place from October 18 – 31, during which 31 audience award-winning films from the top 50 US and Canadian film festivals were narrowed through online voting to the five films with the highest number of votes. Round two of voting will take place until Nov. 18, and the winner will be announced at the Gotham Awards in New York on Nov. 26.  Filmgoers can vote online for their favorite film . Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

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Jared Leto’s ‘Artifact’ & ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ Nominated For IFP Gotham Audience Award

Muppets And Puppets Descend On D.C. To Save PBS; Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave Lead British Independent Film Awards Noms: Biz Break

Also in Monday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Michael Douglas ‘ And So It Goes proves popular with buyers; Argo heads to Doha Tribeca Film Festival; and Cafe de Flore shines at the Specialty Box Office. Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Terrence Stamp Lead Noms at British Independent Film Awards Stamp, 74, and Redgrave, 75, are cited for Song for Marion , in which they play members of an amateur choir. Dench, 77, is nominated for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , as is her co-star Dame Maggie Smith, also 77. Broken , starring Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy, has nine nominations for the awards, which take place December 9th, BBC reports . D.C.’s Million Puppet March to Save PBS 1,000 people took part in a ‘Million Puppet March’ in the U.S. capital in a bid to keep PBS funding. Republican nominee Mitt Romney pledged to de-fund public television in a ‘Big Bird’ reference that became a key catch phrase of this election season, Deadline reports . Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton’s And So It Goes Sells Around the Globe Douglas plays a self-centered eccentric realtor whose life is turned upside down when his estranged son drops off a granddaughter he never knew. But his determined and lovable neighbor (Keaton) enters the picture and unexpectedly helps him to love again. The film is selling well around the world at the American Film Market currently underway, THR reports . Argo Heads to Doha Tribeca Film Festival Robert DeNiro will also be feted with a special event at the festival organized in part with the Tribeca Film Festival. Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist will open the event in the Gulf state of Qatar, taking place November 17 – 24, THR reports . Specialty Box Office: Cafe de Flore , A Late Quartet Lead Pack of Newcomers Specialty movies openers bowed mostly middling at at best, and a couple of pictures may have suffered residual Hurricane Sandy trauma. Adopt Films’ Cafe de Flore  took the per-theater-average crown with $10K in one location. Entertainment One’s A Late Quartet bowed in 9 theaters with a fairly solid average of 8,433, although the distributor suggested the figure was lower than it might have been if The Sunshine in Manhattan’s Lower East Side had been able to re-open sooner, Deadline reports .

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Muppets And Puppets Descend On D.C. To Save PBS; Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave Lead British Independent Film Awards Noms: Biz Break

Muppets And Puppets Descend On D.C. To Save PBS; Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave Lead British Independent Film Awards Noms: Biz Break

Also in Monday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Michael Douglas ‘ And So It Goes proves popular with buyers; Argo heads to Doha Tribeca Film Festival; and Cafe de Flore shines at the Specialty Box Office. Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Terrence Stamp Lead Noms at British Independent Film Awards Stamp, 74, and Redgrave, 75, are cited for Song for Marion , in which they play members of an amateur choir. Dench, 77, is nominated for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , as is her co-star Dame Maggie Smith, also 77. Broken , starring Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy, has nine nominations for the awards, which take place December 9th, BBC reports . D.C.’s Million Puppet March to Save PBS 1,000 people took part in a ‘Million Puppet March’ in the U.S. capital in a bid to keep PBS funding. Republican nominee Mitt Romney pledged to de-fund public television in a ‘Big Bird’ reference that became a key catch phrase of this election season, Deadline reports . Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton’s And So It Goes Sells Around the Globe Douglas plays a self-centered eccentric realtor whose life is turned upside down when his estranged son drops off a granddaughter he never knew. But his determined and lovable neighbor (Keaton) enters the picture and unexpectedly helps him to love again. The film is selling well around the world at the American Film Market currently underway, THR reports . Argo Heads to Doha Tribeca Film Festival Robert DeNiro will also be feted with a special event at the festival organized in part with the Tribeca Film Festival. Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist will open the event in the Gulf state of Qatar, taking place November 17 – 24, THR reports . Specialty Box Office: Cafe de Flore , A Late Quartet Lead Pack of Newcomers Specialty movies openers bowed mostly middling at at best, and a couple of pictures may have suffered residual Hurricane Sandy trauma. Adopt Films’ Cafe de Flore  took the per-theater-average crown with $10K in one location. Entertainment One’s A Late Quartet bowed in 9 theaters with a fairly solid average of 8,433, although the distributor suggested the figure was lower than it might have been if The Sunshine in Manhattan’s Lower East Side had been able to re-open sooner, Deadline reports .

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Muppets And Puppets Descend On D.C. To Save PBS; Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave Lead British Independent Film Awards Noms: Biz Break

Some R.I.P. Pure Comedy: Katrina Sings A Funeral Ode Ala Mary J. Blige To Her Dead Boyfriend/Pimp [Video]

Jesus take the casket ! We really intend no disrespect to the dead by posting this, but somethings are just undeniably ridiculous and have to be shared with the world. We wish ol’ girl some comfort during her time of grief and mourning. Have you ever been to a funeral where you almost died trying to hold laughter in at something inappropriate but funny?

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Some R.I.P. Pure Comedy: Katrina Sings A Funeral Ode Ala Mary J. Blige To Her Dead Boyfriend/Pimp [Video]

Lady Gaga Says Everyone Talks About Her Chubby Lumpkins Status But “Adele Is Bigger Than Me, How Come Nobody Says Anything About It?”

Lady Gaga is tired of folks talking about her putting weight on. Still we might have to give her a Ho Sit Down if she doesn’t watch her mouth talking about our girl Adele. Via US Weekly : Lady Gaga feels she’s been unfairly criticized for not maintaining a perfect physique. The “Born This Way” singer admitted to packing on the pounds in a mid-September radio interview, and since then, she started a “Body Revolution” on her Little Monsters website, where she asked people to embrace their figures and focus on inner beauty. When the 26-year-old spoke with Stylist UK about the movement, she drew attention to another famously curvy musician: British soul singer Adele, 24. “I was acutely aware of some photos on the internet — my mom called me and was like, ‘Did you gain weight?’ — everybody was telling me about it, and I didn’t really care,” Gaga recalls. “I thought, well I don’t really care if they think I’m fat, because, quite honestly, I did gain about 30 pounds.” She continued, “Adele is bigger than me — how come nobody says anything about it? She’s so wonderful and I think her confidence is something I have to match. She has set the bar very high for a lot of woman. I need to be a confident woman and just say politically active things when I can that are helpful to young people.” (Adele and her boyfriend, Simon Konecki, welcomed a baby boy in mid-October.) The Grammy winner wishes more women would be supportive and encouraging instead of critical and demeaning. “We should all make an effort to be nice to one another all the time,” Gaga says. The native New Yorker (who’s dating Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney) also shared her beauty mantra with Stylist UK. “Sit in front of the mirror with all of the paints and colors and wigs that you have at your disposal, and just have a real talk with yourself. ‘What do I not like about me?’ And then, peer into the mirror — and just f-cking draw right over it because that’s what makeup is here for. We’re not all perfect — it’s meant to be fun so we can bond as women, and say, ‘You know, what? We don’t all feel perfect, but did you try that lipstick? It’s divine.’” It sounds out like she started out trying to diss her then tried to turn it into some kind of compliment. What do you think? Out of pocket or totally fair territory? BTW Gaga, we’re pretty sure Adele would disagree and say she gets plenty ‘nough comments about her size. Also, considering Adele just had a baby maybe Gaga should have just left her out of it. SMH. WENN

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Lady Gaga Says Everyone Talks About Her Chubby Lumpkins Status But “Adele Is Bigger Than Me, How Come Nobody Says Anything About It?”

Disney Buying LucasFilm For $4.05 Billion, Promises New ‘Star Wars’ in 2015 (UPDATED)

Get ready for more Star Wars , and possibly further incarnations of your favorite George Lucas properties: The Walt Disney Company is buying LucasFilm for $4.05 billion, with plans to release Star Wars: Episode 7 in 2015. Great idea, or ” Nooooooo! ” worthy? Weigh in, Movieliners! [UPDATE: Disney head Bob Iger says Disney’s planning Star Wars 8 and 9 to follow.] Disney CEO Bob Iger discussed the deal in a press release: “Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas. This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars , one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.” Lucas addressed the sale and what it means for the Star Wars franchise, which will continue under Disney in 2015: “For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.” I can’t imagine classic Star Wars fans are excited about the prospect of the franchise chugging along without its guiding creator, but then who among us would take a bullet for the last trilogy? We all knew it was too big not to continue along in countless spin-offs and sequels and various other merchandising opportunities, so handing the reins to fresh voices while Lucas goes off and makes his smaller personal projects could work out just fine. [UPDATE: According to Iger, Disney’s LucasFilm deal includes Star Wars 8 and Star Wars 9 to follow the 2015 debut of Star Wars 7 , along with plans to incorporate the Star Wars brand into Disney’s theme parks.] The sale, however, also opens the door for Disney to potentially revive Lucas’s other Lucasfilm properties. I’m not talking Indiana Jones here. Is the world ready for Howard the Duck 2.0 ? (I’m not even sure if that’s a possibility, just trying to prepare you for the inevitable Lucasfilm catalog cash-grabs.) The Disney-Lucasfilm merge also calls to mind the first great collaboration between a (current) Disney entity and Lucas’s world: Namely, the Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show . ” It seems we’ve landed on some sort of… comedy-variety show planet .” More of this, I can get behind. [via press release]

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Disney Buying LucasFilm For $4.05 Billion, Promises New ‘Star Wars’ in 2015 (UPDATED)

Robert Pattinson’s Madame Tussauds Wax Statue Unveiled

Robert Pattinson ‘s likeness has caused a tizzy among adherents, with many crying foul. Madame Tussauds unveiled the Twilight star’s wax figure this week in England and his synthetic apparition hasn’t exactly gone down with some fans who say the full-body R-Patz doesn’t resemble the real-life actor. The suited up waxed Robert Pattinson took four months and $240,000 to make. Pricey for sure, but that’s barely 1% of the $25 million the living, breathing, British passport-holding Pattinson reportedly made for his Twilight finale, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 . Nevertheless, the eternal Pattinson did bring fans out of the – uh – wood-work when it had its official unveiling in the U.K. resort town of Blackpool where it will be staying until the end of November. Madame Tussauds had to hire extra security to protect the statue as hundreds of fans queued up to see it. Many were disappointed though by the likeness. A recent vote by a fan site had a 65% thumbs down on the Wax-Patz. Still, it should be a top draw. It will be making a worldwide tour after its Blackpool debut. And what do you think? [ Source: Examiner.com ]

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Robert Pattinson’s Madame Tussauds Wax Statue Unveiled

TV Nudity Report: Boardwalk Empire, Treme, Hunted [PICS]

No tricks, just teats this weekend on the boob tube: First, Gretchen Mol reprised last week’s rackage in bed and in the bath with her new lover, a Boardwalk Empire storyline that started at “creepy incestuous overtones” and only got more twisted from there. Less disturbing but just as naked were Juliet Reeves , who bared boobs and bush as a stripper on this week’s Treme , and British actress Helen Kennedy , who made her topless debut as a secret agent’s girlfriend on Hunted . We’d like to be the spy who shagged her . More after the jump!

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TV Nudity Report: Boardwalk Empire, Treme, Hunted [PICS]