Uggie Mania rolls on! On the occasion of his retirement from the biz, everyone’s favorite canine actor, Uggie the dog , (well, maybe not everyone’s ) was honored today with a history-making pawprint ceremony outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Guests celebrated with a fire hydrant-shaped cake as the Artist and Water for Elephants co-star sank his paws into the wet cement of Hollywood legend, making him not only the first dog performer to receive the honor, but the first cast member from the Oscar-winning The Artist (which also happens to be released on DVD and Blu-ray this week). [ CBS News ]
Before he skulked the streets of Seattle on The Killing and nabbed the role of Alex Murphy in the upcoming RoboCop reboot, Joel Kinnaman made a splash in his home country of Sweden with the crime drama Easy Money (nee Snabba Cash ). The Weinstein Co. snapped up the pic, which also put director Daniel Espinoza ( Safe House ) on Hollywood’s radar, and will debut it stateside this July… with the hefty endorsement of none other than Martin Scorsese. Finally (!) we have the first domestic trailer for Easy Money , in which Kinnaman’s pretty-boy business major, craving the wealthy lifestyle he never had growing up, becomes entangled with warring crime lords in Stockholm and finds himself in way over his head. In Easy Money , which screened to a packed house last weekend at the LA Film Fest , Kinnaman stars as JW, a small-town opportunist who attends business school by day and drives cabs at night. His dorm room walls are covered with fashion inserts from mens’ magazines, the blueprints by which he fakes his way into the upper-class social circle that he longs to be a part of. There’s a rich girl, Sophie, who catches his eye, and privileged bankers’ sons he befriends, but as much as JW is consumed by his need to be accepted by into this world of wealth and class, he’s acutely aware that he’s living a lie. Enter opportunity, in the form of local gangster Abdulkarim (Mahmut Suvakci), who has a task for JW: Pick up prison escapee Jorge (Matias Varela) for a small fortune, no questions asked. JW complies, seeing the chance to finally seize the life he dreams of. But as a rival gang’s operative (Dragomir Mrsic) begins questioning his own priorities — namely, the young daughter he hardly knows — the stakes escalate as all players follow their own agendas in the pursuit of a payday. Presented with English subtitles, Easy Money (based on the novel by Jens Lapidus) will be released on July 27, and as the domestic trailer hints at, Espinoza’s storytelling transcends the language barriers; his weaving of storylines and character motivations becomes impressively engrossing as Easy Money reaches its climax, bolstered by solid performances and a layered editing style. [Trailer debut via Apple ]
Also in Wednesday afternoon’s round up of news briefs, Rob Reiner may join Martin Scorsese’s latest project and Zooey Deschanel has a round about kind thing to say about the internet. And what does Piranhaconda director have to say to a critic who panned his latest? It isn’t pretty… Lee Daniels The Paperboy Hits in October Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels’ latest The Paperboy will open theatrically October 5th distributor Millennium Entertainment said. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, John Cusack and Nicole Kidman. The Cannes debut erotic thriller is set in 1969 revolving around a young man who returns to his small Florida hometown to help his reporter brother uncover the truth about a man on death row, who might have been wrongly convicted. In the process, he falls for the convict’s lover. Around the ‘net… Rob Reiner in Consideration for Wolf of Wall Street Reiner is in negotiations to join Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street . He’s play Max, the father of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort. he film is based on the memoir by Belfort with the script being written by Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter, Deadline reports . Zooey Deschanel on the Internet: It Will Get More Positive The actress told THR that “There’s way too much negativity online. But it will eventually change.” But Veep ‘s Julia Louis-Dreyfus countered, “It will get worse.” Ryan Phillippe to Make Directorial Debut with Shreveport The actor will make his debut behind the camera with the indie thriller which he’ll also star in, playing a fading star who is suddenly kidnapped and tortured while making a low budget film, Variety reports . Piranhaconda ‘s Director Has Words for a Critic Jim Wynorski’s latest Piranhaconda – yep, a cross between an anaconda and a piranha – had debuted on the SyFy Channel already, but one negative review on Dread Central set off a vicious retort from the filmmaker. It involved an ‘F’ and a You’ and then some more choice words, Indiewire reports .
Of the many, many unexplained puzzles left untangled in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus , one deliberately vague scene has had Prometheus -watchers scratching their heads and speculating for weeks — let’s call it the “Lost in Translation” question. So what did Michael Fassbender’s David say, in non-translated ancient alien-speak, to a certain you-know-who in Prometheus ? Actual answers within! Spoilers follow. Over at The Bioscopist blog, Stu Holmes was wondering the same question when he managed to track down the real-life linguistics expert who served as consultant on the film, Dr. Anil Biltoo of London’s SOAS Language Centre. Biltoo not only taught Fassbender how to speak in Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language as the android David — seen studying ancient communication as the crew sleeps in the film’s opening measures — he also appeared onscreen as the holographic linguistics teacher David learns from as he recites the real-life text Schleicher’s Fable, a story created in 1868 in the reconstructed PIE language. While Scott, Damon Lindelof , and Co. remain mum about Prometheus ‘s many open-ended provocations, Biltoo revealed what it is that David whispers to the Engineer at the end of the film, setting off the being’s violent rampage: The line that David speaks to the Engineer (which is from a longer sequence that didn’t make the final edit) is as follows: /ida hmanəm aɪ kja namṛtuh zdɛ:taha/…/ghʷɪvah-pjorn-ɪttham sas da:tṛ kredah/ A serviceable translation into English is: ‘This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life’. Aha! So… according to Dr. Biltoo, David did as directed by Weyland, with no funny business involved. I’d entertained the thought that David had deliberately provoked the Engineer into attacking Weyland, but Biltoo sets the record, and David, straight: A loyal robot to the end. Kinda. The revelation also supports the idea that the Engineers were set on punishing humanity for their flaws and hubris, though why the Engineer then tore off David’s head is still a mystery. More intriguing is what Dr. Biltoo shares about that scene: There was a full conversation in the PIE language between David and the Engineer. “We’re all going to have to wait for the director’s cut to see if the conversation between the Engineer and David — and there was indeed originally a conversation, not merely an utterance from David — yields any fruit,” he said. How does the David revelation affect your thoughts on Prometheus ? Sound off below. [ The Bioscopist via Rope of Silicon ]
Kids Bully Old Woman Into Crying On Bus All of these kids have been identified. We personally cannot believe the language these children are using toward an adult. The parents of these kids really need to reflect… and so does this community. Warning… the language is grotesque, so use discretion before turning the page.
Movieline’s Klingon contingent aside, there are probably legions of faithful Star Trek fans who’d get behind series actor Michael Dorn and his idea to write and star in an indie spin-off movie around Worf, his Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine character. “I am serious,” he told TrekMovie.com, after revealing his very early plans at Phoenix Comic-Con. “I think there is a place for it. Straight to DVD or straight to cable. Who wouldn’t want to have this kind of thing going on?” Well, J.J. Abrams , for starters, given that all things new in the Star Trek world revolve around his forthcoming studio sequel . You think Abrams and Paramount would mind if Dorn (who, he says, are planning on Kickstarting a non- Star Trek drama to feature various Star Trek actor friends of his) just made a small little movie about Worf captaining a ship, fighting space terrorists? Well, yes. They would. But that shouldn’t keep Dorn or the Trekkers out there from harboring hope; despite his admission that he’s yet to go to his manager and his prospective direct-to-TV movie home SyFy to pitch his idea, Dorn exudes confidence that such a Worf spin-off might come to pass. “I have already started writing the script and excuse my language, but it’s f—ing great.” [ TrekMovie.com via giantfreakingrobot ]
‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ star says she learned to speak French during shooting for ‘On the Road’ in our exclusive Sneak Peek Week chat. By John Mitchell, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Kristen Stewart Photo: MTV News Kristen Stewart helped MTV News kick off our Sneak Peek Week in style when she and “Snow White and the Huntsman” co-star Sam Claflin joined our own Josh Horowitz for a fun-filled chat Tuesday night, during which she revealed that not only is she learning French, she’s also recently given up a very bad habit. The “Twilight” starlet decided to learn the foreign language while filming the much-anticipated adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s beat generation classic “On the Road,” which just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. “On ‘On the Road,’ everyone spoke French. We were primarily in Montreal,” Stewart told MTV News. “I spent so much time … and I was just, like, feeling so pathetic. Not only is it a very dope language, it’s more like I really want to be able to talk to a few people so badly.” And while her coolness has never been in question, the busy actress apparently felt a little insecure about her cred while trekking around Paris unable to speak the language. “When I’m in Paris, I feel like I could be so much [cooler]. I’m like, ‘Wow, I could be so cool.’ So that’s the main inspiration,” she said. When chastised about one Parisian habit she adopted a while back, smoking cigarettes, Stewart was quick to reveal that she has apparently given it up — though she didn’t want to talk too much about her health-conscious move for fear of jinxing herself. “You can’t acknowledge it or else suddenly … you can’t think about it,” the slightly rattled actress confessed amid a loud round of applause for her achievement. Stewart will take the stage with her “Huntsman” co-stars Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth as presenters at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards on Sunday. “Huntsman,” which hits theaters Friday, kicked off our MTV Sneak Peek Week, which will also include exclusive peeks at some of the summer’s hottest films, from “That’s My Boy” (Wednesday) and “Magic Mike” (Thursday) to “Rock of Ages” (Friday), as well as nightly chats with their casts live from the 5 Towers on Universal CityWalk. Tune in to MTV at 11 p.m. ET each night as the casts introduce an exclusive clip from their movies, and join us at MTV.com for a live Q&A with the actors. You can also join the conversation yourself on Twitter using the hashtag #MTVSneak. Stewart is also, once again, a contender for the golden popcorn for Best Kiss for her smooch with Robert Pattinson in “Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” The Russell Brand-hosted show is set to feature performances by Fun., Wiz Khalifa, the Black Keys and house DJ Martin Solveig. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Photos ‘On The Road’
Last night, Paul McCartney premiered the video for “My Valentine,” from his newest album Kisses on the Bottom, and it proved to be a classy, somber production in steely black and white. Oh yes, and it features Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp signing the lyrics to the song in American Sign Language, matching cadence with Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Flavorwire Discovery Date : 13/04/2012 13:00 Number of articles : 2
Ravi could get up to 10 years in jail for spying on his roommate, Tyler Clementi. By Gil Kaufman Tyler Clementi Photo: Facebook A jury found former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi guilty of hate crimes and invasion of privacy on Friday (March 16), bringing to an end a case that helped spark a national debate on cyberbullying. Ravi was accused of setting up a webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi , as Clementi engaged in a consensual sexual encounter with another man in the pair’s Rutgers dorm room. Clementi leaped to his death from the George Washington Bridge in New York three days after learning that Ravi viewed the encounter and, according to testimony, invited others to watch and discuss what he saw online. According to The New York Times, in addition to the hate crimes, the jury found Ravi guilty of tampering with evidence and witnesses because of his efforts to change Twitter and text messages in which he had encouraged others to watch the webcam footage. Ravi, 20, faced 15 counts of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, tampering with evidence and a witness and hindering apprehension. The jury concluded that Ravi had not intended to intimidate Clementi on the first night that he secretly switched on the webcam to watch his roommate’s actions. But they concluded that Clementi had reason to believe that he was targeted because he was gay (based on the language in some of the texts), and on one count, the jury found that Ravi knew Clementi, 18, would feel intimidated by his actions. Because he was found guilty on at least one question of whether his actions rose to the level of bias discrimination, Ravi could face the maximum penalty of up to 10 years in jail and deportation to his native India. “These acts were purposeful, they were intentional and they were planned,” prosecutor Julia L. McClure told the jury on the first day of the trial, which lasted three weeks and concluded with two days of deliberation by the jury. Later in the trial, she told the jury that Ravi “was bothered by Tyler Clementi’s sexual orientation.” In a rare instance, almost none of the facts in the case were in dispute, as Ravi’s lawyers agreed that their client had set up the webcam and then gone to a friend’s room and viewed Clementi kissing the unidentified man. They also did not deny that Ravi sent Twitter and text messages to others describing what he’d seen and urging them to watch a second viewing. Ravi’s attorneys painted their client as an immature college student who acted thoughtlessly and made a mistake, but denied that he’d been spurred by homophobia. “He hasn’t lived long enough to have any experience with homosexuality or gays,” attorney Steven Altman said during closing arguments. “He doesn’t know anything about it. He just graduated high school.” Clementi’s suicide set off a national debate about bullying and intimidation of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth the resulted in public messages of support from everyone from openly gay talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to singer Ciara, “America’s Next Top Model” personality Jay Manuel, President Obama, “One Tree Hill” actress Sophia Bush and “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe . Share your thoughts on the verdict in the Tyler Clementi cyberbullying case on our Facebook page.
Will Ferrell movies can usually be summed up as “Will Ferrell as a…” and you get it. Will Ferrell as a reporter? That’s funny. Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver? Also funny. But Will Ferrell as a Spanish soap opera action hero? Casa de mi Padre is a Spanish language film starring Ferrell as a rancher’s son who goes to war with drug dealers to protect his brother’s girl (Genesis Rodriguez). Where, exactly, did he come up with this idea? At the film’s press junket today, Ferrell said he’d had this idea for five to seven years. The inspiration struck him, as such ideas do, during a 2:00 a.m. channel surfing session. “I’m probably like so many people, turning on the television going through the channels at two in the morning and landing on a telenovela going, ‘What is this? Why are they so over the top? This is amazing,’” Ferrell said. “That’s my exposure to them. I’d always had this idea of that’s such a heightened, funny world that it would be really funny to see myself in that world. I thought God, you’ve never seen an American comic in a foreign language film and have them commit to it in a way that’s believable. I thought that’s something if you could pull it off, that would be an original movie.” The TV dramas that pop up on Univision or Telemundo in the states take the drama pretty seriously. You can tell Ferrell thinks it’s funny by all the intentional mistakes (continuity errors, visible boom mics, stuffed animatronic animals and mannequin stand-ins) intentionally placed in Casa de mi Padre , which is written by Andrew Steele and directed by Matt Piedmont, both alumni of Saturday Night Live and Funny or Die . “It technically really isn’t an homage to telenovelas,” Ferrell said. “Telenovela is kind of the broad description for it but it’s an homage to that, it’s an homage to the Mexican spaghetti western. It’s an homage to bad moviemaking, continuity mistakes. It’s an homage to overacting. It’s an homage to stuffed wild animals. Once we started writing the script and talking about how we were going to shoot the movie, we saw this was a real opportunity to play around with a bunch of different elements.” The script by Steele was written in English, then the dialogue translated into Spanish. Ferrell only speaks en espanol ; only an American character delivers a few lines of English. Of course, now Ferrell only remembers the naughty words. “ Chingado is a good one,” he said. “I love that word. Chinga this, chinga that. That’s a good word, but that’s commonly used. Chinga is the F word.” Ferrell got over the language barrier on his first day of filming. “For some reason the schedule worked out to where I literally had like a two page monologue in Spanish on the first day. Once I got the first couple takes under my belt, and I could see people watching behind the monitors going, ‘His Spanish is okay. It’s not that bad.’ Then I thought oh, okay. I’m going to make my way through this. Had I kept up with the Spanish, I’d be really good right now. But I didn’t. I could make my way at a resort. At the Four Seasons in Mexico I’d probably be okay.” Fulfilling his dream of starring in a Spanish language melodrama, Ferrell was proud to use his box office clout to get an outrageous film made. “This ranks up there as one of the things I’ve gotten to do which you can only be so lucky to be in a position to take risks like this.” Casa de mi Padre opens March 16. Watch the trailer here . Follow Fred Topel on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
