• The people have spoken (via the awards show named after them), crowning The Dark Knight their favorite movie at the People's Choice Awards. Brad Pitt was named "favorite leading man" for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, while Angelina Jolie won "favorite female action star" for Wanted -- the only award that movie's going to win this year.
• Now that he's Hollywood's comeback kid, Mickey Rourke is going to be playing a supervillian in Iron Man 2. Rumor has it Rourke will play a Russian bad guy who goes by the villainous moniker "Whiplash." (Some reports have Rourke playing Crimson Dynamo instead.) Sam Rockwell is also reported to be signing on as an industrialist who causes trouble for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man.
• Special message to all the tween Twilight fans: OMG! Taylor Lautner is totes returning for New Moon! Ahem, thanks to fan campaigning, actor Taylor Lautner will reprise his role as Jacob Black. There was some concern over the young Lautner continuing with the character, who ages to 25 between books and grows a foot taller. The special effects gurus will definitely have their work cut out for them.
• Lest Oscar voters think him a philandering cad, Brad Pitt made it clear in the pages of "W" magazine that he did not cheat on Jennifer Aniston with Angelina Jolie on the set of Mrs. and Mrs. Smith. Honestly, I think they keep dredging all this up just so Mr. and Mrs. Smith will stay healthy on the rental charts.
• The Writer's Guild of America announced their best screenplay nominations, with Woody Allen scoring his 19th nod for Vicky Christina Barcelona. Veterans like Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Joel and Ethan Coen (Burn After Reading) were honored alongside the newcomer scribes behind The Wrestler and The Dark Knight. Score one more for The Dark Knight's Oscar prospects.
• With studios tightening their belts, many indie films, like the Renee Zellweger/Kevin Bacon drama My One and Only, are trying to score a sale before screening at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Industry experts predict a scaled down festival, with fewer big sales and less champagne by the hot tub.
• The first images of Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge in Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol have leaked. Shot with 3D performance capture technology, ala Zemeckis' Polar Express, the movie already looks better and creepier that Carrey's Grinch.
• Here's an interesting breakdown of how the rushed production caused by last year's writer's strike could affect summer movies like Wolverine and Terminator: Salvation. Michael Bay writing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on set can't possibly be a good thing.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS 01/08/09
BIZ
Paramount extends Brad Grey contract
from Hollywood Reporter by By Gregg Kilday and Jay A. Fernandez
Brad Grey's tenure as Paramount Pictures Motion Pictures
Group chairman and CEO received a vote of confidence Wednesday as Viacom
extended his contract, which was set to expire next year, into 2014.
ReelzChannel pulling up stakes
from Hollywood Reporter by By Paul J. Gough
Movie-focused digital cable ReelzChannel is pulling its the
bulk of its operations out of
Mess Over DTV May Mean Postponement
from Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily by Nikki Finke
News reports say Consumers Union late today asked the heads
of the
William Morris Signs 2 CAA Actor Clients
from Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily by Nikki Finke
Kurt Russell went to WMA's Jim Wiatt and Antonio Banderas went to Ed Limato. Interestingly, Limato repped Banderas at the start of the actor's career.
FESTIVALS
DiCaprio, Eastwood are Palm Springs film winners
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By MICHAEL CIDONI
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) -- The world economy is in dire
straits, but you sure wouldn't know it from the red carpet at the 20th-annual
Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala....
18th annual Jewish Film Festival showcases 32 features
from Film Journal
The Jewish Museum and The Film Society of Lincoln Center
will present the 18th annual New York Jewish Film Festival at The Film
Society's Walter Reade Theater, The Jewish Museum, and two other
from Hollywood Reporter by By Gregg Kilday
The 24th edition of the Santa Barbara Film Festival will kick off Jan. 22 at the Arlington Theatre with Rod Lurie's political thriller "Nothing but the Truth," starring Kate Beckinsale.
SUNDANCE
from Hollywood Reporter by By Steven Zeitchik
What if Sundance isn't about the sales anymore?
SPC hits Sundance running for 'Rudo'
from Hollywood Reporter by By Steven Zeitchik and Jay A. Fernandez
The Sundance Film Festival won't begin for another eight
days, but already it has seen its first prominent acquisitions target enter the
negotiation phase.
McGregor to be honored at Sundance
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche in 'Spread': Exclusive sneak
peek!
from Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider by
In the sex comedy Spread (showing later this month at the Sundance
Film Festival), Ashton Kutcher stars as a lothario who sleeps his way to the
top of the L.A. food chain while living at the Hollywood Hills home of...
YouTube's Project:Direct Winner Announced : The Reel Ninja
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival"
As the grand prize winner Edwards receives $2500 and will
spend five days at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where his winning
film will screen at an event at the festival."
Sundance to screen a leaner, quieter festival
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival" by Salt
Lake Tribune -
Ever since its first success 20 years ago with the bombshell
"sex, lies and videotape," the Sundance Film Festival has grown in
size, attendance and Hollywood influence -- sometimes at odds with Sundance
Institute founder Robert Redford's desire to maintain a festival focused on the
filmmakers.
FIRST LOOK: Lee Daniels Ready For Big 'Push' At Sundance -
Black ...
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival"
As filmmaker Lee Daniels gears up to take his latest movie,
'Push,' to the Sundance Film Festival next week, BlackVoices.com has
obtained an exclusive image from the gritty drama -- sure to make everyone take
notice in
MCODB Mariah Carey: Lee Daniels Ready For Big 'Push' At
Sundance
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival" by Oscar
Filmmaker Lee Daniels gears up to take his latest movie,
'Push,' to the Sundance Film Festival next week. The eagerly anticipated
film, based on the best-selling book of the same name, boasts an all-star cast
including Mo'Nique
New Location, A-List Film Premiere Parties Take the Stage in
...
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival" by PR
Newswire (press release) -
"We've always had a great presence at the Sundance
Film Festival, but this year's venue is really outstanding," said
David Daniels , product manager, ...
Four Indie Documentaries Not To Miss At The 2009 Sundance Film
...
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival"
The small town of
Watch 10 Short Films from Sundance '09 for FREE! « SOCIAL VOX
from Google Alerts - "sundance film festival"
Sundance Film Festival - Taking Chance ... Sundance Film Festival - Taking Chance · Sundance Short Films · Hotel Chevalier Prologue FREE through iTunes · Criterion launches Online Cinematheque for online movie rentals
AWARDS
'Mad Men' rages into award season
from L.A. Times - TV News
Spearheaded by Jon Hamm's acting and Matt Weiner's smart
storytelling, the critics' darling gathers Golden Globe and SAG Award
nominations.
Combat Fatigue on the Kudo Circuit
from Peter Bart
This is Globes Week, and combat fatigue already is setting
in.
'The Dark Knight' wins big at People's Choice Awards
from Entertainment Awards: News & Videos about Entertainment Awards - CNN.com
"The Dark Knight" took home top honors at the
People's Choice Awards Wednesday night, walking away with five awards.
Applegate wins PCA for fave female TV star
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Christina Applegate was named
favorite female television star at the People's Choice Awards in
Witherspoon wins People's Choice Award
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Reese Witherspoon was named
favorite female movie star at the People's Choice Awards show in
Sandler wins fave funny male star award
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Adam Sandler picked up the
prize for favorite funny male star at the People's Choice Awards in
Writers Guild nominations announced
from Entertainment Weekly's Oscar Watch by Dave Karger
The Writers Guild of America just announced their nominees
for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay of the year. Most of
the top Oscar contenders made the list: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon, The...
Beyonce, Tyler Perry dominate NAACP Image nominations
from Reuters: Entertainment News
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singers Beyonce, Alicia Keys and
Jennifer Hudson, along with the cast of TV comedy "Tyler Perry's House of
Payne", were among top nominees for the NAACP Image Awards, the oldest
BAFTA unveils foreign film shortlist
from Variety.com - Award Central News
Award Central News: Nominations include two animated films
-- "The Baader Meinhof Complex," "
'Button,' 'Frost' lead BAFTA longlist
from Variety.com - Award Central News
Award Central News: Nine films boast 10 or more nods -- "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Frost/Nixon" lead in the longlists for the British Academy Film Awards with 14 nominations each.
MOVIES
Daily Box Office: Tuesday, January 6, 2009
from Box Office Mojo - Current Box Office Results
Marley and Me tops Tuesday's box office with $1.5 million
Bollywood bids Bush goodbye with a parting shot
from Reuters: Entertainment News
Mickey Rourke's Box Office Resurrection Continues: In Talks To
Join 'Iron Man' Sequel
from Box Office Boffo
Variety's Michael Fleming is reporting
that Mickey Rourke is in final talks to play the villain in Marvel
Entertainment and
Calling All Fanboys, Tron 2.0 Tracks Down Star
The sequel to Tron is ramping up on the casting front. Per
the Hollywood Reporter, relative unknown Garrett Hedlund has been tapped to
topline Disney's follow-up to the 1982 cult...
First Look: Jim Carrey as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com
(slashfilm.com)
MarketSaw has a photo of a promotional poster for Robert
Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol, which features a first look at Jim
Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. I took the image into photoshop and realigned
the angle for better presentation.
Judge to Decide Watchmen's Fate on January 20th
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slahfilm.com)
20th Century Fox and Warner Bros have decided to forgo a
jury trial and let
5000Seconds solicits for user-generated feature film
from Film Journal
The Toronto-based website "5000Seconds" announced
a call for short submissions from people across the globe for an unusual
online, user-generated feature film.
Fathom to reveal 'The Secret' in cinemas
from Film Journal
Fathom and Anthem Pictures announce "Beyond The
Secret"--a follow-up discussion to the DVD and book The Secret that
sold over seven million copies nationwide.
Bielski descendants inspired by family's 'Defiance'
The story of a Jewish resistance group inspires a movie, and
a proud granddaughter.
Meet Liev Schreiber, the new intelligent action hero
from Film News from Times Online
Liev Schreiber is describing the ghastliest scene you will
never see in the new Second World War movie
Daniel Craig takes break from Bond
from Reuters: Entertainment News
Minutemen of 'Watchmen' featured in video
from Hollywood Reporter
With the ever-increasing interest in Warner Bros.
"Watchmen," the studio released another look at the Legendary
Pictures-produced film.
Get Your First Look At 'Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert
Experience'!
from MTV Movies Blog by Jocelyn Vena
"Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience" is
that much closer to coming to a theater near you, and MTV News has a little
peak at what you can expect from it.
DiCaprio set to 'Beat the Reaper'
from Variety.com
Front Page: New Regency nabs rights to Josh Bazell novel --
New Regency is acquiring screen rights to "Beat the Reaper," eyed as
a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio.
TELEVISION
Ratings: 'Scrubs' debuts on ABC to solid ratings
from Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider by Mandi Bierly
Clearly, Tuesday is still all about CBS: The Mentalist grabbed
a season high 19.6 million viewers and, should overnight numbers hold, also
nabbed the title of Night's Top Program away from its lead-in, NCIS (19.1
million).
from EW.com: Today's Latest Headlines by Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello confirms Tori Spelling is in ''final
negotiations'' to return for multiple episodes
Chris Matthews won't make Senate run
from Hollywood Reporter by By Paul J. Gough
After months of will-he or won't-he speculation, MSNBC
"Hardball" host Chris Matthews has opted not to run for Senate in his
native
Major networks keep anchors home for Gaza story
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By DAVID BAUDER
3 Ball takes chance on lottery game show
from Hollywood Reporter by By Nellie Andreeva
The California State Lottery has teamed with "The
Biggest Loser" co-producer 3 Ball Prods. for "Make Me a
Millionaire," a new lottery game show to be hosted by Mark Walberg of
Fox's "Moment of Truth."
TNT picks up 'Line' and 'Time Heals'
from Hollywood Reporter by By Nellie Andreeva
TNT has picked up two pilots to series, Jerry Bruckheimer's
cop drama pilot "The Line" and the Jada Pinkett Smith starrer
"Time Heals."
Television Review | 'The Real World': The Show That Put the
'Real' in Reality TV
from NYT > Television
"The Real World: Brooklyn" the latest version of
the reality television progenitor that has aired on MTV for 17 years, places
its young cast in a loft in Red Hook.
Television Review | 'Damages': Suspenseful Corporate Litigation
Returns (if It Ever Left)
from NYT > Television
"Damages," a hit in its first season for FX, is
back but the intrigue is not as intriguing the second time around.
CNN to show documentary 'I.O.U.S.A.'
from Variety.com
MUSIC
'Fearless' remains atop U.S. album chart
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) --
New McCartney song set for 'Crash' finale
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The season finale of the
U.S. television drama "Crash" will feature Paul McCartney's new
single "Nothing too Much, Just out of Sight," Starz Entertainment said.
FIRST LISTEN: Jesse McCartney and Ludacris Collaborate on Remix
from People.com Latest News by Jessica Herndon
"I've been a fan of
Bruce Springsteen to play inaugural event
from The Hollywood Reporter - Music by By Cortney Harding, Billboard
The Washington Post is reporting that Bruce Springsteen will
perform at
Jay-Z to perform on eve of inauguration
from The Hollywood Reporter - Music by Associated Press
Jay-Z isn't performing at President-elect Barack Obama's
inauguration, but he is planning to make a big splash on the eve of the event.
Phish reunion tour taking shape
from The Hollywood Reporter - Music by By Jonathan Cohen, Billboard
Although an official announcement is pending, Phish's first
tour in five years is beginning to take shape.
Low vs Diamond plots co-headlining tour with Strokes bassist
from Top Stories from LiveDaily.com
(LiveDaily.com) Alt-rockers Low vs Diamond [ tickets ] have lined up a co-headlining tour later this month with Nickel Eye, a side project of Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture.... continued
ETC...
Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ...
Brad Pitt says he was faithful to Jennifer Aniston (AP)
from Yahoo! News: Entertainment News
AP - Brad Pitt is extracting himself from the tabloid love triangle: The actor says his relationship with current flame Angelina Jolie began sometime after splitting from Jennifer Aniston.
