Just a week after crashing her car into a truck between filming on her would-be comeback flick Liz & Dick , Lindsay Lohan has reportedly been hospitalized after being found unconscious in her hotel, though her condition is unknown. “ABC7 has learned Lindsay Lohan was taken to hospital after being found unconscious at Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey,” ABC7 reported via Twitter. A follow-up Tweet from the outlet added : “Attorney tells ABC7 that ‘She’s fine.'” Developing… UPDATE: The New York Post has more: “Lohan not hospitalized but paramedics called after entourage couldn’t rouse her from sleep,” the paper Tweeted . And yet more from E! Online , who cites sources who say exhaustion and dehydration were to blame for the incident this morning: “Lindsay has been working a grueling schedule for the last couple of days,” Lindsay’s rep Steve Honig told E! News. “Last night she worked from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. She was exhausted and went back to her room to sleep. Producers were apparently concerned and called the fire department and paramedics found her sleeping but determined that she was fine, just extremely exhausted and slightly dehydrated. “She is on her way home now to rest and will be back on set later today.” He added that no drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident. And TMZ , chiming in with the details: We’re told Lindsay wasn’t feeling well after complaining of exhaustion, she called someone from the Liz and Dick production team early this morning, and the team sent a private doctor to check on her. Before arriving, the doctor called the hotel and asked someone to check on Lindsay. Someone from the hotel went to her door, “checked on her” and determined she was “unresponsive.” The hotel then called 911. Lindsay’s rep says it was someone from the production team who called 911. Paramedics responded, and determined nothing was wrong with Lindsay. They left without transporting her to the hospital. Well, good. Sounds like a case of overblown media reportage, but the lesson here is this: If people around Lohan are so concerned that heavy sleep might be construed as unresponsiveness — and if Lohan’s working herself to the point of exhaustion, given her history — maybe the false alarm fuss should be taken as a warning, to Lohan, her team, and to those watching along at home. Nobody wants to see Lohan go out like Marilyn.
Bachelorette director Leslye Headland and Radius co-head Tom Quinn. Bachelorette was dubbed the “indie Bridesmaids ” at Sundance. OK, maybe there are some similarities. There are females and there’s a pending wedding and the proverbial “shit hits the fan,” but that’s about it. Based on a play of the same name by Leslye Headland who directed the screen version, the story is quite frankly not going to be a hit with everyone. But for the segment of the population that gets a thrill off of bad ass humor, Bachelorette offers up a load of laughs. John Waters appeared to enjoy himself at the screening of the film, which opened up the Provincetown International Film Festival this week, so that is a stamp of some sort of approval, right? “It was incredible to see it with that audience. There’s something about the [crowd] here that has the exact correct taste for this movie,” Leslye Headland said to ML with a big smile and laughs at the festival. “To have an audience that’s on the same page from the opening jokes right on through the final scenes was great. They accepted these characters. It wasn’t just affirmation with their laughter, but there was good will toward them too.” Starring a rabble rousing Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan, the trio hit New York to help their friend Becky (Rebel Wilson) prepare for her wedding. But these women are anything but prissy debutantes. Booze, drugs, blow jobs, foul mouths – it’s all there and it keeps coming for more. Becky is the only one who seems to have cleaned up her act, and the bad ass trio get into more trouble when they accidentally tear the wedding dress the night before the ceremony. “Kirsten, Isla and Lizzy never thought they should tone down their characters,” offered Headland. “They even improved stuff where where even I didn’t know if we could use some of the things they did. When you watch it, you can see that they’re having fun. I think they were excited to play women they had never met before.” Headland made the Black List for her script back in 2008, but had to go the independent route when studios shied away from the material Bachelorette had played off-Broadway and she was encouraged by a friend to make the screen version her way. “The idea was that could I make a romantic comedy that I would want to see. It’s not overly dire, but it’s dramatic and they’re acting like people. They’re making mistakes and they’re learning from them…” she said. “I wanted to make a film about women that treated them like people and not paper dolls that act all in the way we wish we acted.” The Weinstein Company’s new label Radius picked up the film after it debuted at Sundance. The film has since been re-edited and its pace is absolute killer. The earlier version was more melancholy and the moments of hilarity were buffered with some slow parts. But the version that is presumably the final one that will be released in theaters in early fall had the audience in stitches here in Provincetown. Still there are dissenters and Headland said she expects there to be people who won’t like it. “I’d be more worried if there was [indifferent] reaction to it,” she said. The women in this film are dealing with their inner-demons and resolution does not come in the course of one day as it might in other movies. Noted Headland: “People don’t change in one night, but one night can change people.”
With the world premiere of Woody Allen’s latest under its belt, the Los Angeles Film Festival is now ready to get truly underway with its lineup of premieres, parties, panels and more celebrity guests. Movieline is doing its part to get audiences in the mood, giving sneaks on many of the titles appearing in the festival’s Narrative and Documentary competitions with comments from the real stars at the ten day event – the filmmakers. Yesterday , ML published its first round of filmmaker interviews and trailers screening in the tests competition and several more are featured today. Call Me Kuchu , directed by Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: To be openly gay in Uganda is to risk imprisonment and death. The stirring and heartbreaking Call Me Kuchu exposes the horrors of a homophobic government — its hatred fueled by right wing American evangelicals — that terrorizes the LGBT community. Yet brave men and women like David Kato, the country’s first openly gay activist, have fought back at great risk. This intimate and impassioned documentary takes us inside this life and death struggle for human rights. Whether you are familiar with Katos’s story or hearing it for the first time, you will find this a shattering and inspiring testament. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall: Wright and Zouhali-Worrall’s take on the film: In Uganda, a proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato – Uganda’s first openly gay man – and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat the legislation while combatting vicious persecution in their daily lives. But no one is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes their movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world. And why audiences should check out Call Me Kuchu at the LA Film Festival: Call Me Kuchu is an intimate portrait of a courageous man determined to bring an end to the discriminatory status quo in his country. In depicting the last year in his life, the film introduces the viewer to the David Kato we knew, and David Kato as he saw himself, before he was so suddenly and tragically murdered. The film also sheds light on the stark parallels between the situation for LGBT communities in both Uganda and the United States, illustrating not only the role of American evangelicals in the now notorious Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill, but also what can transpire in a democracy when fundamental human rights are left up to a popular vote. Realizing how the story came together… During our initial shoot, David mostly played the role of fixer, advising us on whom to contact and diligently introducing us to a multitude of his friends and colleagues in the LGBT, or “kuchu” community. It wasn’t until we got home from that first shoot, and began to really comb through the footage and story-lines, that we realized that the man known as the “grandfather of the kuchus” was indeed one of the most outspoken and inspired activists in East Africa, and hugely charismatic to boot. It soon became clear that he was the protagonist of Call Me Kuchu . …and comments on the trailer: Over recent years, the vast majority of the international news coverage about the LGBT community in Uganda has been based on a narrative of victimization. During our first shoot, we learned that this was only half the story–so we decided to make a film that goes further: a nuanced narrative that shows David and Kampala’s kuchus boldly working to change their fate, and that of other kuchus across Africa. — Sun Kissed , directed by Adi Lavy and Maya Stark [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives as they search for answers as to why their children and others in their small Navajo reservation have been stricken with XP, an extremely rare pediatric disorder that turns sunlight into a deadly foe. Crafting a sensitive, intricate film that organically expands beyond the tragedy of one family to encompass the story of an entire community, directors Maya Stark and Adi Lavy unearth familial taboos, a disturbing history of forced migration and a cultural belief system of cosmic karma in this powerful documentary. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Adi Lavy and Maya Stark: And they give their take on Sun Kissed : Sun Kissed is a film about a life-changing journey of rediscovery. When a Navajo couple learns that their children have a disorder that makes exposure to sunlight fatal, they find out that their reservation is a hotbed for this rare genetic disease and they go on a journey to find out why. On that journey, they confront cultural taboos, tribal history and their own unconventional choices to learn the shocking truth: The consequences of the Navajos’ “Long Walk” — their forced relocation by the U.S. military in 1864 — are far from over. Ultimately their children’s rare genetic disorders sets them off on a journey that makes them redefine who they are as modern day Navajos. Why audiences should check out Sun Kissed at the LA Film Festival: There is nothing else like Sun Kissed at LAFF, because it is a story that has never been told before with rare access to the Navajo community that is otherwise very suspicious of outsiders. It combines verite scenes with a level of intimacy that only few docs have reached, and unravels like a classical mystery with one unsolved question – why are all these Navajo kids born with this mysterious genetic disorder. We believe that the film’s message is very important when the world is becoming less tolerant to minorities and to the “others.” Even though Sun Kissed is an all American story, this film serve as a cautionary tale of what happens when we try to colonize and assimilate another group of people. Few of us ever realize that 150 years later, people are still dealing with the effects of what we have done. In that sense, Dorey and Yolanda’s intimate tale embodies the larger story of their tribe. We hope that this important and compelling story will be as impactful for audiences as it has been for us. Some tales from making the film… After two years of filming the movie, when Dorey and Yolanda had finally met other XP families on the Reservation and discovered there might be a connection to the Long Walk, we found ourselves confronted by forces that didn’t want us to make this film. The taboo surrounding any discussion of the Long Walk was so great, that we were stonewalled by members of the community and almost gave up on the project. As outsiders to the Navajo community we wanted to be respectful of their culture. We realized that it wasn’t our place to move forward with the story and decided to pack up and go home, until Dorey and Yolanda asked us not to give up on their story. They realized how deeply they had internalized the Western narrative about the Long Walk, and wanted to finally understand what had happened there from their point of view. It was then that we realized how important this story is, and we found the strength and justification to push forward with Dorey and Yolanda as they went up against the silence and taboos. The very process of making the movie showed what they were up against in their quest for answers. As we continued shooting, several members of the Navajo community came forward and championed the cause, believing that these controversial issues should be talked about and dealt with. That’s what’s beginning to happen on the Reservation today. Some thoughts on the trailer: We tried to find the delicate balance between telling enough of the story of Sun Kissed and intriguing audiences but not revealing too much of Dorey and Yolanda’s journey. Because Sun Kissed is a journey of discovery, we did not want to create one big spoiler but we wanted to give enough information so that audiences will understand that there is more to this film than children with a rare genetic disorder. What the trailer tips off is that it’s a story that starts with a search for the origin of a single gene and quickly unravels to explore the larger narrative of a nation impacted – culturally, religiously and physically – by historical events. — Breakfast With Curtis , directed by Laura Colella [Narrative Competition] Synopsis: Over the course of a balmy east coast summer, an introverted, bespectacled teenager is brought into the strange and delightful world of his bohemian neighbors. What unfolds, against the backdrop of lush flowerbeds and overgrown vegetable patches, is a mirthful story of unlikely and rekindled friendships. But for all of its wine-soaked, pot-infused dreaminess, Breakfast is firmly rooted in reality. The rambling purple house where the action happens is writer/director/co-star Laura Colella’s, and her captivating cast is composed of her very own housemates and neighbors.Despite the homespun approach and unfettered narrative, Colella’s smartly written, tightly directed tale has a distinct vision and clear intention, one joyously devoted to the pleasure principle. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Laura Colella: Colella gives her take on the film: A troubled 14 year-old’s life is shifted in a new direction by his neighbor, a bookseller who has delusions of grandeur fueled by red wine. It’s about the experience of having a seminal summer that rocks your world, and also about letting go of old grudges. And why people should check Breakfast with Curtis out at the LA Film Festival: It’s very fun and unique. Many early viewers have said they want to keep spending time with the people in the movie, and come hang out where we filmed it (at my house)! Also, anyone who comes to our world premiere on 6/17 is invited to the after-party! Some quick anecdotes from the set: I made this film with my neighbors, who are all great actors (and characters). We would shoot for only a few hours a day, and the budget was so low that I didn’t provide any craft services, and people would just go home if they needed a drink or snack. — Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives , directed by Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: In the early 1970s, Ina May Gaskin and the courageous Midwives of the Farm commune inspired the modern midwifery movement. Today, their efforts continue at the Farm Clinic and across the country, working against an ever-growing hospital culture of intervention and C-section births. Revealing the Midwives’ stories with intelligence and wit, directors Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore weave extensive archival footage, enlightening interviews and contemporary stories into a beguiling document of past and present. Through Ina May and the Midwives, Lamm and Wigmore portray childbirth in empowering and thrilling ways we’ve never seen before. The result is not just an illuminating documentary, but a joyful rallying call to see humanity through a new lens. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore: The directors give their take on Birth Story : Birth Story is about an incredible group of women who taught themselves how to deliver babies on a hippie commune in the 1970s. It’s sweet, funny, educational, and it honors women’s leadership and women’s bodies in a time when both are under political attack in our country. Plus, the film features original music by Fleet Foxes front man, Robin Pecknold. …And why audiences should check it out at the LA Film Festival: This film is about community, and about how much we can accomplish when we work together, so we expect the experience of seeing it in the shared space of a theater will be very special. Also, this movie may show the only breech birth in the history of cinema. (Note to film historians: is that true?) Watching that scene in the company of two hundred people will be something to remember forever. Tales from the shoot: Besides our own birth experiences, before making this film we had never seen a baby being born. And so, after a week of waiting around in Nashville for one of our subjects to go into labor, we were impressed with how much dedication it takes for midwives, doulas, and doctors to be on call all the time. And, just at the point where we thought we couldn’t take the suspense any longer, dear Heather went into labor. Once we were at her house, and the Christmas tree was on, and her mother was making cookies, we just couldn’t believe how beautiful and simple it all was. Then, when she pushed her baby out, we were blown away–she was calm and beautiful in labor (just like Ina May says women should be). What also struck us was the camaraderie between Ina May, the newest Farm Midwife Stacie Smith-Hunt, and Heather’s mother, who was a labor and delivery nurse for many years. A lightbulb went off for us–ah, its hard being on call, but wow birth is not only sacred, but when everything goes well, its also a lot of FUN. Afterwards, even though it was 2 in the morning, we had so much energy that we went to a bar and drank two beers. Some thoughts on the clip: In this clip, Ina May and the other Farm Midwives talk about the writing of their famous 1976 book, Spiritual Midwifery–it’s a collection of birth stories and an educational manual that’s had a huge impact on women all over the world. For nearly forty years now, women have passed it along to their newly pregnant friends who in turn give it to their newly pregnant friends. (In fact, friends passed the book on to us when we were each pregnant, and that’s how we became interested in making this movie.) We think the book has had such a long life because it’s one of the only things out there that encourages a reader to think of birth as a beautiful, positive, empowering experience. Read more of Movieline’s coverage of the LA Film Festival here.
Paramount’s big-budget live-action, Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot has run into some budgetary obstacles, reports Nikki Finke, with production delayed in order to shave down the film’s budget to the reported target of $125 million. This means the heroes on a half shell won’t hit screens until five months beyond their initial Christmas 2013 date, moving to May 2014 — if a satisfactory budget is reached, that is. Are the Turtles in trouble? Over at THR , a report puts it in more definite, less hopeful terms, citing sources who say the studio has shut down prep on the film “indefinitely”: The issue is said to be the script. Paramount has delayed several big movies from this year to 2013, including G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Brad Pitt’s World War Z , leaving it with a spotty pipeline for the current year. Now it has halted work on its planned holiday movie for 2013, temporarily laying off preproduction staff and informing those prepping the film that the work stoppage is “indefinite,” according to sources. Another source close to the production says the movie has been pushed by ten weeks. [ Deadline , THR ]
Some were skeptical that Woody Allen would make an appearance at the opening night of the LA Film Festival , even with his latest Euro-whimsy To Rome With Love premiering in the kick-off slot Thursday night. But show up Woody did, with five of his starlets in tow — including Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig , and a dazzling Penelope Cruz — to debut his 43rd feature film with a few charmingly self-deprecating zingers. “I had a wonderful time making the picture in Rome,” Allen said, introducing his film to a packed theater at LA Live with a quip. “That doesn’t mean that you’ll enjoy it.” Allen continued, quietly demurring the palpable adoration of the opening night crowd, joined by Cruz, Pill, Gerwig, and Italian co-stars Alessandra Mastronardi and Simona Caparrini. “I had fun. I was there for three months eating pasta, working with beautiful actresses and scintillating leading men. It was great for me. But whether it came out or not, you have to be the judge. If you like it, I want you to tell your friends and pressure Sony, so they don’t put it in the Witness Protection Program.” [Sony Pictures Classics releases the film in select cities next week.] Allen’s Roman outing follows in the vein of his Oscar-nominated hit Midnight in Paris , exploring the spirit of the Eternal City through four light-hearted, if exhausting and scattered vignettes. In one, renowned architect Alec Baldwin visits his old Rome stomping grounds, running into Jesse Eisenberg’s 30 years-younger counterpart as he falls into an ill-advised affair. In another, a fiery hooker (Cruz) upends the life of a timid Italian newlywed. Roberto Benigni (“delightful, brilliant, sensational,” lauded Allen) shines in his own Fellini-esque tale of an average Roman businessman who becomes an overnight celebrity, enjoying — then bemoaning — the trappings of fame. And Allen stars himself, alongside Pill and a wonderfully acerbic Judy Davis, as a neurotic visiting American navigating culture clash with his Italian in-laws. To Rome may lack the pure magic and cohesion of Midnight in Paris , but it’s more fascinated with riffing on the fantasy that the Italian city inspires. (Critics were mixed following the film’s LA Film Fest premiere.) Among the themes turned over and over by Allen’s characters: Celebrity, desire, and the twin, or dueling, identities entrenched in the very fabric of the city — a place where the ruins of ancient civilization are an inescapable part of the modern landscape, a reminder of humanity’s impulse to reach for greatness, even at the risk of great failure. That hunger for life’s “what ifs?” is, the film argues, as essential as it is impossible to ignore. A starstruck woman ponders the extramarital affair that would make for a lifetime of stories; a mortician seizes the chance at operatic greatness, even under the silliest of circumstances. In the film’s most Allenesque pairing, Baldwin’s knowing John peppers Eisenberg’s Jack with the advice he knows he won’t heed, because he didn’t take it himself as a young man. Their double dose of relentless, self-aware commentary — about life, love, and the wrong choices (and ill-advised love affairs) you just can’t help choosing — speaks to a filmmaker who is all too haunted by his past, yet content to come to terms with the naivete of his younger self. Given how baldly he confronts the funny business of art and celebrity in the film, from all sides — the fleeting pointlessness (and compulsive appeal) of being famous for famous’ sake in today’s reality TV culture, the eternal struggle to balance art and commerce, even the oiliness and pretension pervasive to Hollywood types alike, personified by Italian actor Antonio Albanese and with particular deftness by Ellen Page — Allen’s pre-screening sign-off remained softly humble. “Thank you very much for showing up tonight,” he said. “If you like the picture, I’m thrilled. If you hate it and think it was a waste of time coming, don’t let me know [pause] because I get depressed easily.” To Rome with Love opens on June 22. Read more from the LA Film Fest here . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Breezy’s lawyer turned over ‘physical evidence’ that allegedly implicates Drake. By Gil Kaufman Chris Brown Photo: We may never know exactly what sparked the bottle-flying melee between Chris Brown and Drake at New York nightclub W.i.P. on Wednesday night, but police will definitely get at least one side of the story. According to TMZ , Brown has given a statement to NYPD investigators about the scuffle that left him with a gash on his chin and seriously injured one of his bodyguards, Big Pat. Unnamed law enforcement sources told the site that Brown’s celebrity lawyer, Mark Geragos, has handed over unspecified “physical evidence” that allegedly implicates Drake in the fight. One of the rappers hanging with Drake that night, Meek Mill , has denied reports that he set the fight off by tossing a bottle at Brown’s group. Drake has also said he had nothing to do with the melee, issuing a statement on Thursday that read, “Drake did not participate in any wrongdoing of any kind last night at W.i.P. He was on his way out of the club when the altercation began. [Drake] did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property.” TMZ added that Geragos presented evidence to the NYPD on Thursday that allegedly showed that Drake and Meek were the aggressors, just hours after Breezy spoke to cops. Police say neither Brown nor Drake are currently suspects in the case and the Brown is being treated as a “witness and a victim.” And while Drake has reportedly been “cooperating” with investigators and his representatives have had conversations with police, it was unclear at press time if the rapper had been involved in any direct talks with detectives. Citing unnamed sources, TMZ claimed that the instigator may have been someone in Brown’s camp who was “inciting Drake and his people all night.” A video purportedly showing the brawl also emerged on Thursday on YouTube . (Warning, strong language in video.) Though it’s not possible to make out who is involved in the fight, a DJ can be heard saying that the party will resume shortly and at one point a large gentleman in a white tank top covered with blood can be seen being escorted from the club. A short time later, a man is seen throwing a punch at another gentleman being held by security, after which the aggressor runs out the door of the club. Another video shows footage of Chris Brown and Mill leaving the club. Meek was spotted walking down the sidewalk, while Brown takes off his shirt before getting into a black SUV. Drake is also in the clip, but he is partially hidden in the crowd. Trey Songz was also filmed walking out of the club. The video, posted by We Mobbin DVD, implies that more footage will soon find its way online, for a price, including footage of the actual fight. A bystander who was injured in the incident, 24-year-old Australian tourist Hollie C., has filed a police report after getting hit in the head by a bottle. She sustained a gash that required 16 stitches and on Thursday she posted a video in which she lashed out at the perpetrators. “I went out last night with my friends to a place called W.i.P. and I’ve spent most of the night and morning in hospital … the reason why I have 16 stitches on my head, my face is because of some stupid famous people having a fight over a girl. Where’s the justice in them walking away, driving away in a limo while I have to catch a train home on one of my holidays?” Related Artists Chris Brown Drake
‘SNL’ alum will play title character on BBC series ‘Cuckoo.’ By Jocelyn Vena Andy Samberg Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage It’s been less than two weeks since Andy Samberg announced his departure from “Saturday Night Live,” and he’s already got plans to return to the small screen. The “That’s My Boy” star will appear in a six-part comedy series on the BBC titled “Cuckoo,” the network announced. British funnyman and “The Inbetweeners” actor Greg Davies will also star in the show, filming this summer. The series will follow parents who are stunned to meet their daughter’s new husband, “a self-appointed spiritual ninja,” played by Samberg. Samberg’s Cuckoo is “a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas” who is taken in by the Thomas family as he embarks on newlywed life with his bride. Davies plays the father, Ken Thomas. The cast is filled out by Helen Baxendale, playing mom Lorna, and Tamla Kari, who plays their daughter. The series will air later this year on the network. “BBC Three continues to break new comedy. ‘Cuckoo’ is both original and unique,” BBC Three executive Zai Bennett said in a statement, also showing love to the show’s writers, Robin French and Kieron Quirke. “We’re delighted to be announcing this exciting new sitcom with such an illustrious cast from two of my favorite new writers.” Executive producer Ash Atalla added, “The best of British meets the toast of Hollywood. We hope ‘Cuckoo’ cements the special relationship between our two great countries. I imagine Obama and Cameron will be watching closely.” When MTV News caught up with Samberg shortly after he announced he was leaving “SNL,” he opened up about the things he’ll miss most about working on the series. “I’ve been saying it a lot — I’m going to miss all of my friends and the people I work with,” he said. “I love them all so much, and I’m hoping to stay in touch with them.”
Solange And Son Julez Out At Stella McCartney Spring Carnival Never one to miss a fashion event, Sissy Poo Solange Knowles hit up the Annual Stella McCartney Spring Carnival in NYC with son Julez by her side. Fresh off of an “I Am Not My Hair” twitter rant , Solo was quite the au naturale fashionista and little Julez is clearly following in mommy’s fly footsteps. Check the gallery below for pics of Solo and Julez at the Carnival, as well as some pics of Solange out on the town with her friends following the event. Images via SplashNews/Instagram
Also in Monday afternoon’s round up of news. Tribeca Institute names its recipients for its $150K Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, Liza Burnett Fefferman and Heath Shapiro take up exec positions at RADiUS-TWC, Wally Pfister to spearhead Kodak chats at Los Angeles Film Festival, Universal COO begins his road to retirement and Sony eyes Tonka toys. Liza Burnett Fefferman and Heath Shapiro Join Radius Fefferman was named EVP of Publicity, while Shaprio will serve as VP of Marketing and Distribution. Their new roles are effective immediately at RADiUS-TWC. The distributor’s co-presidents announced the hires and they will report to them directly. Previously Shapiro served as the VP of national sales for Independent Distribution Partners, while Fefferman spent five years as Senior Vice President, Publicity at Samuel Goldwyn Films and ATO Pictures via their partnership in IDP Independent Distribution Partners. Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund Names 2012 Grantees Now in its fifth year, provides finishing funds, year-round support and guidance to domestic and international documentary filmmakers with feature-length films highlighting and humanizing issues of social importance from around the world. Projects that will collectively receive $100K are: E-Team (Directors Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman), God Loves Uganda (Director Roger Ross Williams), First to Fall (Director Rachel Anderson), Mercy Mercy (Director Katrine W Kjaer), Two Children of the Red Mosque (Director Hemal Trivedi). Projects receiving $50K in funding for the 2012 Spotlighting Women Documentary Award are: Alias Ruby Blade (Director Alex Meillier), Stargazing – working title (Director Berit Madsen), The Supreme Price (Director Joanna Lipper). Wally Pfister to Spearhead Kodak Focus at LA Film Festival Director-cinematographer Wally Pfister will headline the annual Kodak Focus program at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. The conversation will spotlight Pfister’s artistic and technical accomplishments by screening scenes from three of his films – Insomnia, Laurel Canyon and Inception. Kodak Focus takes place on June 23 at 1 p.m. at the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live. The seminar is free with a festival ticket. Around the ‘net… Marilyn Monroe Estate Threatens to Sue over Hologram A concert featuring a holographic of the late screen legend is the focus of possible legal action by her estate. Digicon Media has rights to a “virtual Marilyn” and plans to feature the star in “concerts,” but it received a cease and desist order from the estate, THR reports . Universal Vice Chairman & COO Begins Move to Retirement Rick Finklestein will transition out of his roles at the studio as he heads to retirement in two years. He’ll continue to work with head Ron Meyer on special projects before calling it quits, Deadline reports . Sony to Make Tonka Toys Animated Movie Sony Pictures is developing an animated film based on the 65 year-old toy truck brand. Sony Pictures Animation and Happy Madison Productions will produce with Hasbro, Deadline reports . Warner Bros. Turning to Guinness Book of World Records The studio is looking to turn some record-breaking into movies. The Office writer Danny Chun will write a script but details are under wraps, Complex reports .
July 20 is the summer’s most anticipated date for Bat-fans, but if you haven’t yet pre-ordered for The Dark Knight Rises you might want to hop on the IMAX train and snag your ticket before too long. Why? With over an hour of footage shot with IMAX technology, Chris Nolan’s trilogy-ender is set to blow minds in the larger format. And that could make the IMAX experience worthwhile. Personally, I’m not an IMAX diehard (same goes for 3-D — obviously — though that can be done well on occasion). When it comes to Nolan and Wally Pfister’s meticulously crafted movies, however, color me interested in watching a movie in the intended format. With TDKR , I find I’m willing to spend a little more and get to the theater early enough to snag one of the dozen or so prime seats in the theater that don’t make me want to gouge my eyes out. (Seriously, have you ever been stuck in the nightmarish peripheral edge seats of an IMAX theater?) Of course, TDKR is pretty much the exception for me, though watching Tom Cruise scale the Burj Khalifa and whatnot was a thrill; I won’t go IMAX if I can help it otherwise. Who needs the headache, both literal and figurative? I’m hoping that The Dark Knight Rises will live up to the hype — Tom Hardy’s Bane already promises to be a hulking, monstrous entity leaping off the screen even without being the size of a building. The folks at IMAX want to make sure you don’t forget that Nolan & Co. went to the trouble of filming an hour of Batman’s last outing in IMAX (full press release follows). So who else is sold on Bat-MAX? Or The Hobbit in 48 fps ? Hell, Douglas Trumbull wants us to watch movies on giant screens at 120 fps, projected more brightly than ever before . By comparison, IMAX seems like an utterly conventional next step in movie-watching. Los Angeles, CA – June 11, 2012 – Tickets are now on sale for the IMAX release of The Dark Knight Rises, the third film of the critically acclaimed trilogy that introduces Gotham City’s newest super villains, Bane and leading lady Selina Kyle. Director Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated epic conclusion hits IMAX theatres worldwide day-and-date with the traditional release on July 20. While making the 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan was the first filmmaker to use IMAX® cameras in a major motion picture release. Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras even more extensively on The Dark Knight Rises: The IMAX Experience® —including the film’s prologue — incorporating a record of more than an hour of footage filmed with IMAX cameras. These specific sequences, which will expand to fill the entire screen exclusively in IMAX, will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for moviegoers. “Director Christopher Nolan, Producers Emma Thomas and Chuck Roven, and Cinematographer Wally Pfister’s cinematic vision is unparalleled and continues to set the bar for excellence,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “They are long-term partners and we’re happy to team with them and our friends at Warner Bros. to offer IMAX fans an opportunity to experience this highly-anticipated conclusion to the Batman trilogy the way it was meant to be seen – in IMAX theatres.” Sequences shot in 35mm have been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox. More on TDKR in IMAX here .
