Source: WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 26: Rapper Meek Mill attends his ‘Wins And Losses’ album signing at DTLR – Rhode Island Ave on July 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images) Meek Mill ‘s post-prison career continues to flourish as he’s now been cast to co-star in an adaptation to Lotfy Nathan’s 2013 documentary 12 O’Clock Boys. According to Deadline , Meek Mill be joining the likes of Teyonah Parris, Jahi Winston, and Will Catlett in the Angel Manuel Soto directed feature. The coming of age film is set around Jahi Winston’s character, Mouse, who dreams about becoming a member of one of Baltimore’s roughest biker gangs, the Midnight Clique. As he goes about his business in the streets of Charm City, Mouse begins to learn that every action has a lifelong consequence that could change your life forever. Meek for his part will play the role of the Clique’s leader and Mouse’s hero. 12 O’Clock Boys is currently in production and is being produced by Overbrook’s Jada Pinkett Smith, Marc Bienstock, Caleeb Pinkett, and Clarence Hammond. No word on when Meek Mill’s cinematic debut will hit theaters but best believe it’s going to sell out at cinemas up and down Philadelphia. — Photo: Getty
David O. Russell ‘s Silver Linings Playbook took top honors at the Toronto International Film Festival , winning the Blackberry People’s Choice Award Sunday. Unlike most of its top tier festival brethren, TIFF does not have a formal jury competition. Also taking an audience prize was Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths , which won the prize in the Midnight Madness category. The audience winner for Best Documentary went to Artifact by Bartholomew Cubbins. The Toronto International Film Festival prize winners: People’s Choice Award: Silver Linings Playbook , directed by David O. Russell Runners-up: Argo , directed by Ben Affleck and Zaytoun , directed by Eran Riklis Documentary People’s Choice Award: Artifact , directed by Bartholomew Cubbins Runners-up: Storm Surfers 3D , directed by Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan, and Revolution , directed by Rob Stewart Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award: Seven Psychopaths , directed by Martin McDonagh Runners-up: The Bay , directed by Barry Levinson and John Dies at the End , directed by Don Coscarelli Best Canadian Feature Film: Laurence Anyways , directed by Xavier Dolan Best Canadian First Feature Film (A Tie): Antiviral , directed by Brandon Cronenberg Blackbird , directed by Jason Buxton Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations Section: In The House , directed by Francois Ozon Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery Section: Call Girl , directed by Mikael Marcimain NETPAC Award For Best Asian Film: The Land of Hope , directed by Sion Sono Award For Best Canadian Short Film: Keep a Modest Head , directed by Deco Dawson
At least one gunman opened fire at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises early Friday morning in Aurora, Colorado, injuring as many as twenty people. An early report from local radio station 850 KOA cites witness reports that a shooter, possibly wearing a mask, opened fire and set off tear gas during a shoot-out scene in the film. Various reports cite at least ten people dead, although details are still emerging with at least one suspect in custody . Developing… UPDATE: NBC News ( @NBCNews ) and AP ( @AP ) report 14 people are dead, with 50 others wounded in the attack. UPDATE: Video purported to show the scene at the Aurora Century 16 following the shooting has hit YouTube (below). Be warned – it’s unverified (although at least one fan in full Batman costume can be seen) and contains footage of an apparently bloodied cinemagoer exiting the theater. UPDATE: Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates shared details of the shooting via press conference : The violence erupted about 12:30 a.m. MDT as the gunman stood at the front of one of the Century 16 theaters at the Aurora Mall. “Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire,” Oates said at a news conference. One suspect is in custody and there’s no evidence of any additional shooters, Oates said. [ KOA , Reuters , MSNBC ]
The June issue of Vanity Fair takes an in-depth look at the life and death of Whitney Houston. Written by Contributing Editor Mark Seal, the article delves into the late singer’s love life, which is best known for her 15-year marriage to Bobby Brown, but which also included a dalliance with Kim Kardashian sex tape partner, Ray J. Karrine Steffans – a self-proclaimed “Video Vixen,” who has dated Brown, Ray J and Bill Maher, among other celebrities – is featured in the piece, telling Seal that Ray used to taunt Brown on a frequent basis. One evening, according to Steffans, she received a call from J. “He said, ‘Is Bob still staying with you?’ I said, ‘Yeah, he’s right here.’ And Ray said, ‘Tell him I f-cked both of his chicks, you and now his wife.’”
Sorry, Thor. You are no match for Katniss Everdeen. The Avengers – which is receiving glowing reviews from critics around the country – opened at midnight last night and brought in $18.7 million from those showings. Impressive? Yes, it’s the eighth best midnight tally of all-time. Record-breaking? No, it fell about a million short of The Hunger Games and the haul was a considerable amount lower than the midnight box office champion: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 somehow garnered $43.5 million! The Avengers Movie Trailer Have you seen The Avengers yet? Grade it if so:
‘Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration,’ reads a message on Helm’s website. By Gil Kaufman Levon Helm Photo: Getty Images Levon Helm, former drummer for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group the Band, announced on Tuesday that he is in the final stages of a long-running battle with cancer. Helm, 71, whose signature Southern drawl helped make iconic songs such as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” rock classics, was first diagnosed with cancer in 1998. “Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey,” read a note from his daughter Amy and wife Sandy . “Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration … he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage… ” After his initial diagnosis with throat cancer, Helm struggled to regain his voice and pay spiraling medical bills. Though he initially lost his ability to sing, Helm continued to play drums, mandolin and harmonica alongside daughter Amy in a series of shows at his Woodstock, New York, studios called the Midnight Ramble. Since 2004, the shows have grown in legend, attracting everyone from Elvis Costello and Norah Jones to My Morning Jacket, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. The weekly concerts attracted sold-out audiences that not only helped pay the bills, but also kick-started Helm’s recording career and produced the back-to-back Grammy-winning albums Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt . Born on May 26, 1940, Helm grew up in a musical home and was plucked by rocker Ronnie Hawkins to join his band in 1957. It was during his stint with Hawkins that he was united with four other musicians who would make up the core of the Band: Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson. They eventually split with Hawkins and in 1965 hooked up with Bob Dylan to help the folk icon transition into an electric sound. The Band went on to release a string of rock classics and broke up in 1976 after an all-star Thanksgiving concert at the Winterland ballroom in San Francisco that was filmed by Martin Scorsese and released as “The Last Waltz.” Related Artists The Band
You knew The Hunger Games would open big , but this big? Meet your new bona fide box office powerhouse franchise: Taking in $19.75 million at midnight showings around the country, Lionsgate’s PG-13 action-romance earned the #1 all-time non-sequel midnight debut, outperforming even The Dark Knight ‘s 2008 $18 million midnight. We’ve got another true blue four-quadrant blockbuster on our hands, people! If you’re sitting bleary-eyed at your desk right now with a happy smile on your face from last night’s late night debut, share your reactions after the jump. Here’s my happy Hunger Games midnight madness story: I arrived for the 12:15 am showing at the Arclight in Hollywood to a scene of PURE. CHAOS. By which I mean the garage was packed, the lobby resembled a refugee camp, and the bar was swarming with bodies jockeying for a drink like it was the Cornucopia. A man, bellied up to the bar, screamed into his phone to some unfortunate person on the other end, ” I’ve been up for 36 hours and I’m not fit to come back to the hospital and I’m going to the cinema, dammit! ” Which is how I knew The Hunger Games would hit all five quadrants, the fifth being drunken 40-year-old male doctors on their one night off. I mean, behold: The film played exceedingly well in my theater, and the entire place was buzzing once the credits rolled. But the real bloodbath? Getting out of the parking garage. Did you see The Hunger Games at midnight? Are you planning on seeing it this weekend? Leave your thoughts and box office prognostications below. [ Deadline ]
This just in from Nikki Finke: Paramount’s cheap wannabe found footage hit The Devil Inside — which drew reports of audible grumbles and boos as the credits rolled at sneak screenings in Los Angeles and New York last night — has already made back double its acquisition costs . ” The Devil Inside acquired for $1M opened with $2M midnights from 1,400 theaters. It goes wide into 2,300 theaters today,” Finke writes at Deadline, adding that “the genre film plays very young and very ethnic so it will probably be frontloaded.” Nice. Very young and very ethnic. If the pic turns into a Paranormal Activity -esque hit, you know who to blame. [ Deadline , @STYDnews , Moviefone ]
This just in from Nikki Finke: Paramount’s cheap wannabe found footage hit The Devil Inside — which drew reports of audible grumbles and boos as the credits rolled at sneak screenings in Los Angeles and New York last night — has already made back double its acquisition costs . ” The Devil Inside acquired for $1M opened with $2M midnights from 1,400 theaters. It goes wide into 2,300 theaters today,” Finke writes at Deadline, adding that “the genre film plays very young and very ethnic so it will probably be frontloaded.” Nice. Very young and very ethnic. If the pic turns into a Paranormal Activity -esque hit, you know who to blame. [ Deadline , @STYDnews , Moviefone ]
