If you wind the clock back to mid-2009 and took a look at /Film you’d find the film Moneyball as one of our most-covered topics. The film took an unusual path to the screen when Steven Soderbergh’s version of the movie was canned [1] at the last minute by Sony chief Amy Pascal. The movie was shopped to other studios [2], which passed on it, and Soderbergh soon left the project [3]. Several writers… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : /Film Discovery Date : 15/06/2011 19:41 Number of articles : 2
By Makula dunbar Laid back, witty and direct, Derek Luke is as composed off-camera as he is on. Still early in his career, Luke has managed to snag top roles and appear in some of the most memorable films and shows of the previous decade. Antwone Fisher, Glory Road and Notorious are only a few of his many acting conquests. Now, in a pursuit to continue living outside of the movie box, Luke is furthering his television career via season three of TNT’s medical drama ‘HawthoRNe,’ premiering June 14. Already an actor who has broken genre barriers of TV, film and beyond, Luke shares his recent experiences, short-term goals and hopes for the future. You were previously involved in another medical show, ‘Trauma’. Was ‘HawthoRNe’ something you always wanted to do or did it just happen? In film, I hadn’t yet had a lot of offers to play a doctor, so it’s actually really cool getting this chance. As I continued doing film, some characters like playing a doctor became consistent in TV. I believe a medical show is such a good structure for television. What are you anticipating most regarding season three of ‘HawthoRNe’? I’m anticipating the quote from TNT (laughs). No, I’m anticipating the new characters, faces and a great storyline. The storyline as far as my character touches on being on a professional, a father and a husband at the same time. I’m looking forward to addressing topics like that and just having fans and audiences respond to situations that are perhaps true to them. You play a surgeon on the show. What was the most difficult thing about preparing for your role? One of the most difficult things about ‘HawthoRNe’ in general was when I signed up the show was already in the process of filming. As soon as I said yes, I had less than a week to actually prepare. It was exciting and organic because I had to prepare as I went. It was just fun working on the human body. We had scenes where we did different medical procedures and I learned so much about the human body and the sophistication of it. It’s really like a computer than man has been unable to duplicate. Read more at KYSDC.com
Once again, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have donated a large chunk of change to a very good cause. In this case, it’s $500,000 to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to assist the residents of Joplin, Missouri, whose town was destroyed by a tornado last month. “With the devastating loss of thirty percent of the city, the Joplin community faces great challenges ahead. Having spent much of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient,” said Pitt. Added Jolie: “Our hearts go out to the families in Joplin who have lost so much.” This isn’t the first time this famous pairing has stepped up in the name of disaster relief. They gave $1 million to support rebuilding efforts in Haiti last year. [Photo: WENN.com]
Welcome to THG’s Week in Review! Below, our staff takes a look back at the stories, stars and scandals that made these last seven days so memorable. If you don’t already, you can FOLLOW THG on Twitter and Facebook for 24/7/365 news. Day in and day out, let us be your #1 celebrity gossip source! Now, a rundown of the week that was at The Hollywood Gossip: Breaking Dawn Movie Trailer Oh. Em. Gee. The official Breaking Dawn trailer (above) was released. Some Twihards out there got really, really, really excited about this. The movie did fairly well at the Twilight MTV Movie Awards as well. Engaged Kim Kardashian was accused of cheating with Bret Lockett . The Casey Anthony trial just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Gwyneth Paltrow wrote a controversial blog about homosexuality. Tracy Morgan went on a homophobic rant for some reason. Russell Crowe ranted against … circumcision . Khloe Kardashian exposed herself … then called attention to it, natch. Sports rumor du jour: Rashard Lewis slept with LeBron’s girlfriend . Nicolas Cage’s son Weston cage got into a major fight. Kate Gosselin is all for plastic surgery , girlfriends. Sarah Palin could use a history lesson. Flo Rida got popped for DUI in Florida. Ja Rule began his prison sentence. Bentley Williams will go down in Bachelorette bad boy history. And, according to The Bachelorette spoilers , he’s not done yet. Teen Mom Season 3 will reunite the original stars next month. Chris Brown says he is now aware of Chris Brown the brand . Brown and Justin Bieber’s new music video leaked online . Selena Gomez possibly praised the Bieb/dissed Nick J. Eminem definitely dissed Bieber and Lady Gaga . How’s this for timing: Anthony Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin is pregnant . No word if that happened before or after his cybering with Lisa Weiss . Or Megan Broussard . Or Ginger Lee . Seriously, what a moron/sleaze! Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald just got engaged! Twilight meets Idol . Hayden Panettiere is dating Scotty McKnight … not Mark Sanchez. Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston are really hitting it off. Cameron Diaz and A-Rod broke up … or DID THEY? (No.)
J.J. Abrams’ film is an antidote to the ’emotional-vitamin deficiency’ brought on by ‘low-cal’ superhero sequels, one critic writes. By Eric Ditzian Description: Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee and Riley Griffiths in “Super 8” Photo: Paramount From the Spielbergian nostalgia factor to the first-rate performances of a group of largely unknown young actors to the ultra-satisfying reveal of the monster, we’ve got plenty of reasons you should check out “Super 8” this weekend. But we’re not alone in our full-throated support of director J.J. Abrams’ ode to ’70s-era adolescence and alien invasion flicks. Based on a wholly original idea (a true rarity in an era of iconic superheroes, wizards and alien bots) and with no A-list talent in front of the camera, “Super 8” has nonetheless been nabbing overwhelmingly positive reviews and is expected to earn around $35 million over the weekend. While some critics have suggested the film’s ultimate mystery remains disappointing when finally revealed, far more have been raving about the flick’s throwback vibe, efficient storytelling, and satisfying emotional and cinematic similarity to movies like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Read on for a deep dive into “Super 8″ reviews. The Story ” “Super 8” centers on Joe (Joel Courtney), a middle-schooler who has lost his mom and is spending his summer helping his chum Charles (Riley Griffiths) make a zombie movie. Shooting surreptitiously one night at a train station, the kids witness a horrific accident that opens a mystery involving a science teacher, an Air Force investigation, Joe’s policeman dad (Kyle Chandler) and … something out there in the night. There are harum-scarum jokes aplenty, lots of Spielbergian camera work, a cute girl to woo (Elle Fanning), and some broken psyches in need of repair. Is it as powerful as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” or “E. T.”? Not quite, no. But it’s spirited and funny and deeply entertaining, a summer movie for kids who think like adults and adults who feel like kids.” — Shawn Levy, The Oregonian The Performances “The pacing is superb, quick and agile without being frenzied, and the special effects are jaw-dropping. Abrams gets excellent performances from his young cast, not only from his leads — Elle Fanning, as the pretty girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and Joel Courtney, as a sensitive boy who has lost his mother — but from the supporting players. For example, Riley Griffiths tears ferociously into the role of the boy director, as a kind of eighth-grade Orson Welles. There are also two wounded fathers, well played: Kyle Chandler plays the town’s deputy for all he’s worth, and Ron Eldard, looking like a slimmed-down Gerard Depardieu, plays Fanning’s confused father.” — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle The Comparisons “There’s a thin line, though, between honoring what came before you and replicating it, and ‘Super 8’ occasionally wobbles over that line into predictability. Nor is Abrams quite sure what to make of his monster. Is it friend or foe? Can a movie split the difference and still hold on to our sympathies? Toward the end, you feel the filmmaking cutting corners, rushing past story points and shortchanging characters to get to the finale, which itself lacks the pop immensity of a movie like ‘Close Encounters’ even as it imitates it. ‘Super 8’ is a curious thing indeed: A good movie that makes you want to go home and re-watch a great one.” — Ty Burr, Boston Globe The Mystery “Just what and who the monster is, forms the central question of ‘Super 8.’ But despite Abrams’ best efforts to ratchet up the tension, the mystery never takes compelling hold, a weakness that becomes especially clear in the movie’s anti-climax of an ending. At that point, the already thin story gets wrapped up so neatly that viewers will scarcely have time to process its plot holes. (What were those little white boxes for, anyway?)” — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post The Final Word “How have we survived for so long on such a meager, high-cal, low-nutrition diet of processed summertime superhero sequels? ‘Super 8’ is an antidote to that emotional-vitamin deficiency. It’s also a great specimen of original storytelling grounded in a sophisticated respect for storytellers who have come before. Writer/director J.J. Abrams has described his movie as a love letter to the kind of Super 8 monsters-and-chases stuff he made as a boy, which were influenced by the ‘Raiders’/ ‘Close Encounters’ sagas of Steven Spielberg, who himself made 8mm monsters-and-chases stuff as a boy. (Spielberg is a ‘Super 8 producer.’) The loop works beautifully.” — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly Check out everything we’ve got on “Super 8.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Super 8’ Related Photos Tom Cruise, Elle Fanning, More At ‘Super 8’ Premiere
After initially lukewarm reception to first trailer, Reynolds was relieved to see fans’ reaction to footage at WonderCon. By Eric Ditzian Ryan Reynolds Photo: MTV News Ryan Reynolds might not have been freaked out about the initially lukewarm reception that greeted the first “Green Lantern” trailer , but he was certainly frustrated. After that footage dropped in November, there was precious little new multimedia to offer the public and prove that Warner Bros. really did have a winning comic book adaptation on its hands. “I just want it out there faster than Warner Bros. can unfortunately produce it,” Reynolds told us in late March at CinemaCon. “If anyone’s rushing it, it’s me.” It was a few days later at WonderCon, though, that Reynolds felt the tide begin to turn — not only for fans, but for himself. “The first time I saw it was just breathtaking. I think the first time it hit me that we really did it right was in WonderCon,” he told us recently. “I’d been shooting in Africa at the time, so I flew back just to be there, and I was exhausted, and they put up this 10 or 11 minutes of footage, and you could feel it going like a wave through the audience.” Reynolds walked away from the convention with a startling realization: “It’s better than I had hoped.” The 34-year-old actor may not have known exactly what to expect. Though he has been familiar with the comic book his whole life, he told us back in 2009 that he only “fell in love with the character” when he met with director Martin Campbell and heard the pitch for the film. Since then, he’s slogged through a lengthy shoot and a marathon post-production schedule during which so much of the film’s CGI-heavy world was created. To begin, all he wanted to do was learn exactly what it takes to make a summer blockbuster. Reynolds ended up walking away with the certainty that “Green Lantern” is a kick-ass movie. “For me, going into it, my expectations were really just to learn — not just about the character but about filmmaking like that. I was just so blown away to see what they accomplished juxtaposed with what they shot,” he said. “We were shooting in a blue-screen stage with nothing to interact with at all. And these incredible artists that they hired — Grant Major from ‘Lord of the Rings’ and Ngila Dickson as well, from the same franchise — they just created an entire living, breathing universe around us. That was amazing to see.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Green Lantern.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Green Lantern’ Related Photos ‘Green Lantern’ Trailer: Five Key Scenes Exclusive Movie Props From The 2011 MTV Movie Awards
The scene where Phoebe Cates pops her bikini top by the pool was #1 in Mr. Skin’s Top 100 Nude Scenes of All Time , and the accolades just keep on coming for Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): this weekend Spike TV will honor the teen comedy classic by inducting it into the Guy Movie Hall of Fame at its Guy’s Choice Awards , airing TONIGHT at 9/8 Central. The reunited cast of Fast Times will be present to accept the award, including Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Forest Whitaker , and director Amy Heckerling …wait a second. What about Jennifer Lason Leigh ? Or Phoebe Cates ? For a Guy’s Choice Award, this sure seems like a sausage fest to Skin Central. See MAM-orable nude pics from Fast Times at Ridgemont High after the jump!
The scene where Phoebe Cates pops her bikini top by the pool was #1 in Mr. Skin’s Top 100 Nude Scenes of All Time , and the accolades just keep on coming for Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): this weekend Spike TV will honor the teen comedy classic by inducting it into the Guy Movie Hall of Fame at its Guy’s Choice Awards , airing TONIGHT at 9/8 Central. The reunited cast of Fast Times will be present to accept the award, including Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Forest Whitaker , and director Amy Heckerling …wait a second. What about Jennifer Lason Leigh ? Or Phoebe Cates ? For a Guy’s Choice Award, this sure seems like a sausage fest to Skin Central. See MAM-orable nude pics from Fast Times at Ridgemont High after the jump!
Video link This summer… Stacy tidies up her yard as she tries to sell her house. This summer… Stacy wrangles with her insurance company to get fair values for items stolen when her house was robbed. This summer… Stacy tries to stop a lightning-fast one-year-old from putting slobbery dog toys in her mouth. Yeah, my summer isn’t shaping up Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Neatorama Discovery Date : 09/06/2011 19:10 Number of articles : 2
Tomorrow will see the nationwide release of one of this summer’s most anticipated movies – J.J. Abrams’ alleged homage to Steven Spielberg of old, Super 8 . The film centers on a group of white kids in a small Ohio town in the 1970s whose adventures into film-making with their Super 8mm camera are interrupted by a train crash carrying an alien life form. Naturally, chaos reigns in the aftermath. But there’s another “alien attacks” movie also centered on a group of kids coming soon to a theater near you (hopefully) that you may not yet be aware of, but really should be. And this one is of special importance because its story features that rare onscreen occurrence in which the alien, or aliens in this case, invade a predominantly urban (read: black) neighborhood. The film’s tag line, which you can read on the poster above, says it all: “ INNER CITY VS OUTER SPACE. ” Or, as I like to refer to it: the “ Aliens attack da hood ” project. For once, right? They almost never do! And the often vilified, bureaucratically-victimized young black boys and girls who live in “da hood” actually save the day for a change! It all sounds quite revolutionary, doesn’t it? Sarcasm aside, the film I’m talking about is a British-produced horror movie titled Attack The Block , brought to you by the producers of the hilarious zombie spoof Shaun Of The Dead , and the not-so hilarious graphic novel adaption of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World . The movie, in brief, pits a group of mostly black kids against an invasion of alien monsters, turning a an inner city London tower block into a fortress under siege, and a ragtag group of armed teenagers into heroes. Since its North American debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival this past March in Austin, Texas the critical and commercial buzz around the movie has been near-deafening. It was released in the UK last month and although it has a North American distributor, an official release date for those of us on this side of the Atlantic has yet to be announced. Given all that I’ve heard and read about the movie (from film critics and general audiences) it sounds like perfect summer fare – an exceptional combination of spectacle and story. You’ll get the thrills and chills, but also plenty of heart. Here’s a small sample: From Variety : “… enormously appealing debut feature, “Attack the Block”… Pitched as “inner city vs. outer space,” pic sees a quintet of teen street hoodlums defend their tower-block home in the projects from an invasion of shaggy-haired aliens with Day-Glo teeth. Set over one wild night in South London, this zero-to-hero tale will play gangbusters in its native Blighty before a rich ancillary career.” From Cinemablend : “Attack The Block Could Be The Best Action Movie Of The Year… finds a balance in scope to keep the action moving while showcasing the brilliant, hilarious and realistic teen actors. There’s a surprising amount of smaller-scale, alien attack action in Attack the Block and Cornish’s crack team of make-up and visual effects artists pull out all the stops. The film is quickly paced and never lets up… The result: an alien invasion where you actually give a damn about the folks being invaded.” And from IndieWire : “The violence is frenetic and visceral, but Cornish shoots these sequences with clarity and intensity, suggesting he’s an action director ready to bloom. And if you live by the adage that 90% of directing is casting, then Cornish’s job was fairly easy, as a group of total unknowns completely carry this picture. Credit must be given to the young John Boyega, a possible future star, who plays Moses, the de-facto leader of the pack. Boyega has a face that reveals both anger and strength in regular doses, the type of attitude that just cannot be taught in acting classes. As such, our designated hero, Boyega, with an expressive upper brow that reflects the character’s intelligence beyond these circumstances, is believable as both a defiant tough guy and as a teen who theorizes that the aliens are a government program meant to eliminate lower-class citizens. He’s compellingly watchable.” As the last snippet notes, the cast of Attack The Block comprises of mostly unknown actors who bring a realism to the film, ensuring that, despite its fantastical tale, remains fairly grounded. And the last line about the aliens being government inventions meant to wipe out the working class, indicates some political and allegorical subtext, speaking to a universal and warranted paranoia amongst black people that’s rooted in a mistrust of government, and people in positions of power in general. History is littered with incidents that instruct those fears. Taking all of the above into consideration, Attack The Block is a film we should all be watching for down the road. There has even been excited talk of an American studio purchasing the film’s remake rights and producing a Hollywood version of it! Let’s hope Sony Pictures does release the original first, and soon, rather than shelve it in favor of an Americanized version of the movie. So, after you’re done devouring popcorn and smoothies at the theater this weekend, watching a group of white kids take on a nasty extraterrestrial in Super 8 , get ready to “Attack The Block” sometime later this year… we hope. The film’s trailer follows below for those who’ve yet to see it: Tambay Obenson is editor of Shadow And Act on the indieWIRE Network , which can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact . FACT OF THE DAY: Ashanti Was Once A Bad Girl Remember Snoop’s Perm & Curls? THEN & NOW: 1990s Music Icons CLASS OF 2001: Was G-Dep The Last Bad “Boy” Standing?
