Police Academy to be revived
5th March 2010 - reported by www.hollywoodreporter.com
According to hollywoodreporter.com, we should prepare ourselves for a return to the big screen of the misfit cadets of the Police Academy.
The original series of films began with Police Academy in 1984. Steve Guttenberg took the lead as Mahoney, a mischevous rogue, forced into the academy alongside an oddball bunch of rookies. The film's broad humour led it to become an international success, spawning a half dozen sequels, which came to a halt with 'Mission to Moscow' in 1994.
The revived series looks to be more of the same, helmed by original producer Paul Maslansky, this latest film will feature an all-new cast of cadets.
82nd Academy Awards ®
5th March 2010 - reported by www.oscars.org
It's only a couple of days to go before the red carpet is rolled out for Hollywood's biggest awards night on Sunday 7th March. While preparations are still in progress, here's a little about what we can expect.
Current Oscar nominees Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Matt Damon, Anna Kendrick, Carey Mulligan and Quentin Tarantino will present on the 82nd Academy Awards, telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman announced yesterday.
Bridges received his fifth Oscar nomination for his lead performance in “Crazy Heart.” He previously earned a nomination for his leading role in “Starman” (1984) and nominations for his supporting performances in “The Last Picture Show” (1971), “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” (1974) and “The Contender” (2000).
Bullock, Mulligan and Kendrick are first-time nominees, Bullock and Mulligan for their leading performances in “The Blind Side” and “An Education,” respectively, and Kendrick for her supporting role in “Up in the Air.” All three films are also nominated for Best Picture.
Damon’s nomination for supporting actor for “Invictus” marks his third. In 1997 he won an Oscar for Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) “Good Will Hunting.” Damon was also nominated for his lead performance for that film.
Tarantino’s nominations for writing and directing “Inglourious Basterds” are his third and fourth. In 1994 he was nominated for writing and directing “Pulp Fiction” and took home the Oscar for Original Screenplay. “Inglourious Basterds” is also a contender for Best Picture.
For a full run-down of the even, take a look at - http://www.oscars.org/
Voting in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2010 has now opened!
19th January 2010 - reported by classic FM
Classic FM wants to know your all time classical music Top 3, so it’s down to you to vote for your favourite film soundtrack composers to make sure they win! Hall of Fame is Classic FM’s biggest chart compilation that has been a huge success since launching in 1996.
Will the winner be James Horner’s exquisite new score from Avatar or perhaps a classic from Titanic which remains today the best selling film soundtrack of all time? The battle has commenced, so nominate your favourite to decide who is going to win!
Visit
www.classicfmhalloffame.co.uk to vote for your favourites. Type the details of the piece or composer you'd like to vote for in the box and search from the list of thousands of pieces chosen in previous years by other listeners. If your favourite isn't listed, you can also follow the instructions to type it in manually. The list of suggestions is simply there to help you vote as easily as possible - but it's by no means restrictive.
Online voting closes at 23:59 on Sunday 31 January 2010. The brand new Top 300 will be revealed on Classic FM across the Easter weekend from 2-5 April 2010.
Jurassic Park Comes Back From Extinction
19th January 2010 - reported by WENN.com
Dinosaur-movie franchise Jurassic Park is set to take another bite out of the box office -- Hollywood bosses are planning to bring a second trilogy to the big screen. The original 1993 film, starring Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum, was a massive success, grossing $914 million worldwide and spawning two sequels. Now, nine years after Jurassic Park III hit theaters in 2001, movie bosses are planning to let the dinosaurs roam the earth once again. And Joe Johnston, who directed the third installment, reveals a new movie will be closely followed by two more. He tells BoxOffice.com, 'There is going to be a Jurassic Park IV. And it's going to be unlike anything you've seen. It breaks away from the first three -- it's essentially the beginning of the second Jurassic Park trilogy. It's going to be done in a completely different way. 'If you think of the first three as a trilogy, number four would be the beginning of a second trilogy. We just want to make them justified in their own right. We don't want to make sequel after sequel just because there's a market for it. We want to tell different, interesting stories.'
THOR production lets hammer fly!
14th January 2010 - reported by Paramount Pictures
Marvel Studios and director Kenneth Branagh have officially commenced principal photography on PPI's summer 2011 release THOR this week. The comic-book film also set a new launch date at the head of the summer season for 2011, on May 6.
The epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard and tells the story of The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war and as a result he is sent to Earth to live among humans as a punishment. On Earth Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade the planet.
Chris Hemsworth (STAR TREK) stars as Thor, Tom Hiddleston (TV's WALLANDER) as the evil Loki, Natalie Portman as human love interest Jane Foster and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin. The cast also includes Rene Russo, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Kat Dennings, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba and recent additions Josh Dallas and BABEL actress Adriana Barraza.
Maguire & Raimi quit Spider-Man 4
13th January 2010 - reported by WENN.com
Just last week (ends08Jan10), a Columbia studios source revealed the sequel had been put on hold indefinitely due to script problems. And now Daily Variety reports the film's star and director have departed the project, and Columbia executives are planning to make a prequel about Spider-Man's alter-ego, Peter Parker, as a teenager instead. James Vanderbilt has already written a script for the alternative, which will be produced by Marvel Comics boss Avi Arad and movie mogul Laura Ziskin. Raimi, who publicly expressed his dislike for the idea behind Spider-Man 4, says, 'While we (Maguire and I) were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job.' A new director and star will be announced in the coming weeks.
Zemeckis Finds a Fab Four to Sail 'Yellow Submarine'
13th January 2010 - reported by Nancy Tartaglione
Robert Zemeckis has found his fab four. In negotiations to play The Beatles for the director's Yellow Submarine are Cary Elwes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz and Adam Campbell, according to the Heat Vision blog. Kelly, currently on the BBC's Robin Hood series, is portraying John Lennon; Serafinowicz, who appeared in Shaun of the Dead and Couples Retreat, is Paul McCartney; Elwes, who worked with Zemeckis on A Christmas Carol, will play George Harrison; and Campbell, whose credits include Epic Movie and Date Movie, will be Ringo Starr. Zemeckis is remaking the 1968 animated movie for Disney using 3D performance-capture technology. He also wrote the screenplay and is producing with his Imagemovers Digital partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey. Because actual Beatles music will be utilized (licensed from Sony/ATV and EMI-Capitol Records) the actors will not actually be performing the 16 songs used in the movie, HV notes.
Townsend Quits 'Thor'
12th January 2010 - reported by WENN.com
Irish actor Stuart Townsend has quit superhero blockbuster Thor just days before the movie was set to start shooting. It's the second time the Queen of the Damned star has missed out on a potentially major film franchise -- he was replaced by Viggo Mortensen in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fandral, Townsend's role in Thor, will now go to little-known actor Joshua Dallas. Full details about the actor's departure have not been released, but Internet reports suggest he left the Marvel Comics movie adaptation, directed by Kenneth Branagh, over creative differences. Branagh's film will star Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins. The film is scheduled for a May 2011 release.
Lohan in court again
12th January 2010 - reported by WENN.com
Lindsay Lohan's father attended a hearing in Central Islip, New York to face up to accusations he violated an order of protection granted to Muller. The born-again Christian has his own protection order against his ex, which he claims she has violated. But Lohan, who is now said to be dating U.S. TV star Jon Gosselin's ex Kate Major, was frustrated after the hearing was adjourned to a future date. His lawyer Anthony Grandinette tells RadarOnline.com, 'Michael would like to get on with his life.' The former couple hit the headlines in November (09) when Muller accused Lohan of breaking the terms of his restraining order by contacting her. He was arrested and released, before having Muller taken into custody days later on a charge of harassment in the second degree, when he attempted to stop her from driving, claiming she was too 'drunk and high' to get in the driver's seat.
Malkovich replaces Reilly in Red
12th January 2010 - reported by WENN.com
The Dangerous Liaisons star will join a stellar cast including Dame Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis in the film, based on the comic book series of the same name. The movie, which is set to go into production this month (Jan10) in Toronto, Canada, follows a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent who is hunted by a hi-tech assassin. The movie is scheduled for a November (10) release, according to Variety.com.