Asian Filmmakers Fight Back Vs. Hollywood (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - Faced with the threat of big-budget Hollywood productions, ethnic Chinese filmmakers are fighting back by closing ranks and pooling talent, money and ideas with their Asian counterparts.
"The Hills" are alive with the sound of death (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - When it was released last year, "High Tension," French filmmaker Alexandre Aja's highly visceral ode to '70s American horror movies, got the clammy, dread-soaked atmosphere down cold, but it was ultimately done in by glaring plot logic issues.
Oscars Red Carpet Gets Royal Treatment (AP)
March 2, 2006
AP - Oscar's red carpet — Hollywood's celebrated route of royalty and runway for the world's most-watched fashion show — arrives very humbly: split into dozens of rolls, wrapped in plastic and freighted on two flatbed trucks.
A "Crash" Pileup in Court (E! Online)
March 2, 2006
E! Online - The producers of Crash are on a collision course in court.
"Crash" producer sues Oscars for recognition (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - A producer of Oscar-nominated "Crash" has sued the Academy Awards and a key producers' group in a new round in Hollywood's battle over who gets film production credits during Oscar season.
Clarification: Michael Douglas Story (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - In a story Feb. 27, The Associated Press reported that actor Michael Douglas had sued two companies over the alleged misuse of his name and image in two segments of a television production. The story should have made clear that Douglas shot footage for the openings and closings of multiple segments, not the segments themselves.
"Elvis" dreams of walking Oscars red carpet (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - Impersonating a fat Elvis from the 1970s, Michael Romeo stood on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday in a white jumpsuit and cape and dreamed of walking the red carpet as an Oscar nominee.
Some Facts About Oscar's Regal Rug (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - Some facts about the famously fabulous welcome mat for Oscar:
Jessica Alba demands Playboy pull issue (Reuters)
March 2, 2006
Reuters - Film star Jessica Alba demanded
that Playboy magazine pull its March issue, saying on Thursday
that its editors made her an unwitting cover girl and misled
readers into thinking they could see her nude inside.
A "Crash" Pileup in Court (E! Online)
March 2, 2006E! Online - The producers of Crash are on a collision course in court.
Review: 'Dave Chappelle's Block Party' (AP)
March 2, 2006
AP - Its star-studded lineup poses the possibility of divalike demands, beefs breaking out and entourages elbowing each other out of the way. But "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" is as friendly and down-home as the title suggests.
Review: 'Merry Christmas' (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - The holiday-in-March theme is out of whack in the World War I tale "Joyeux Noel," or "Merry Christmas," which opens a couple of months too late for yuletide.
Review: 'Aquamarine' (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - "Aquamarine" is clearly intended for a very specific sliver of the moviegoing public: girls 10-to-13 years old, hopefully with parents who feel comfortable dropping them off at the multiplex for a matinee.
Oscars Red Carpet Gets Royal Treatment (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - Oscar's red carpet — Hollywood's celebrated route of royalty and runway for the world's most-watched fashion show — arrives very humbly: split into dozens of rolls, wrapped in plastic and freighted on two flatbed trucks.
'16 Blocks' Is a Relatively Tame Cop Movie (AP)
March 2, 2006AP - Jaded cop. Impossible mission. Legions of gun-toting enemies.
CORRECTED: Oscar race seems close as it nears finish line (Reuters)
March 2, 2006
Reuters - please read in seventh paragraph. . .'A Beautiful Mind,'. .
. instead of . . .'A Simple Mind." . .
Actor Jack Wild Dies at 53 (AP)
March 2, 2006
AP - Jack Wild, who earned an Oscar nomination as a teenager for his role as the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film "Oliver!" has died from cancer, his agent said Thursday. He was 53.
Witherspoon's Lucky Number
March 2, 2006Twenty-nine is turning out to be a set of digits for Reese Witherspoon. It's the age at which she found herself snagging her first Best Actress Oscar nod, and now it's the number — in millions — of dollars she'll earn to star in her next flick, making her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood history. Yes, she's even topped Julia Roberts' hefty paydays. She'll be raking in the big bank for the thriller Our Family Trouble, about a new mom who returns to her Tennessee hometown and becomes frightened that an evil spirit is intent on harming her young son. Let's see $29 million … if the movie's two hours long, that's almost a quarter of a million dollars a minute, people.
Crash Clash
March 2, 2006Never mind the strong case it makes against racism in our society — here comes a family-values watchdog website, FamilyMediaGuide.com, which has investigated thoroughly and found that among Crash has … the most cursing among the Best Picture candidates. It tallied a frightening 182 profanities, beating out second-place-winning Brokeback Mountain by a full 90 mentions … And we may get to hear even more nasty words on Oscar night, as the fight heats up amongst the people who want to be able to rush the stage and torment us with their acceptance speeches should the film nab an Oscar. Movie investor Bob Yari filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, the Oscar people) and the Producers Guild of America, claiming that the two groups are denying him a producer credit on the Paul Haggis-directed and -written drama. Meanwhile, Cathy Schulman, credited as a producer on the movie, is suing Yari, claiming he, as her former business partner, failed to pay more than $2 million in fees and bonuses. Uh, we certainly don't pretend to understand the many layers of Hollywood deal-makin', but wouldn't a financial involvement to the tune of $2 million suggest that Yari might just be a producer? … And if this weren't enough Crash woes, the film's Oscar-nominated tune, "In the Deep," was the subject of a last-minute eligibility investigation. Not to worry, it's still a competitor. But, as they'd say in the movie, damn!
Hanks' Advice to Winners
March 2, 2006Okay, okay, we get it, Tom Hanks; you've won two Oscars, back-to-back even, and you know how to get up in front of a lot of people and thank everyone properly. No wonder the Oscar folk asked you to star in their little instructional DVD An Insider's Guide: What Nominees Need to Know, was distributed to 150 nominees for this year's ceremony. The DVD, a reminder of Oscar show producer Gil Cates', uh reminder, to the nominees that they should keep their speeches short — they have 60 seconds to get to the stage and complete their speeches, he says — features Hanks, sitting in the Kodak, advising winners to ask a spokesman to deliver their speeches for a "one for all" solution, to "lose the list" of people to thank, and to say something memorable. "You've devoted your passion and your dreams to the entertainment industry," says the Forrest Gump star, "so use a little of that Oscar-winning creativity to make your speech entertaining." But wait, didn't Hanks once inadvertently out a gay teacher in one of his awards show acceptance speeches? Is that an official "do" or "don't"?
Indian filmmaker cans movie in record 2 hrs 14 min (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - An Indian film maker has attempted a world record by canning a 74-minute feature, loosely based on Terri Schiavo's protracted right-to-die battle that gripped the United States in 2005, in 2 hours and 14 minutes.
"L.I.E." director warms up to "Shiver" thriller (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - Michael Cuesta, who directed and co-wrote the acclaimed pedophile drama "L.I.E.," has signed on to shoot the horror thriller "Shiver."
Actor Garcia Bernal takes first shot at directing (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal will make his directing debut with a low-budget feature film that focuses on class differences in Mexico.
Braff opens "Hearts" with remake (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - "Scrubs" star Zach Braff will follow up his "Garden State" directing debut with a remake of the 2002 Danish film "Open Hearts," which revolves around two couples whose lives become intertwined after a car crash.
Direct-to-video "Little" sequel could reap a lot (Reuters)
March 2, 2006Reuters - "Bambi II" made headlines when it topped the DVD sales chart last month, but Disney isn't the only studio producing direct-to-video sequels to animated theatrical features.
Dueling producers assume "Crash" position in court (Reuters)
March 2, 2006
Reuters - The feud over producing
credits on Oscar best picture nominee "Crash" has escalated as
producers Cathy Schulman and Tom Nunan have sued real estate
mogul and movie financier Bob Yari, alleging that he withheld
millions in profits, damaged their reputations and used their
joint venture to promote his other interests.