Entertainment News
Entries from February 2013
It's been a long time since Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was in theatrical release-- 22 years, to be precise. However, star Kevin Costner is suing the production company Morgan Creek over alleged hanky panky when it comes to royalties still due to him from the film. Costner says the production company was tardy in providing accounting records, and in some years didn't provide them at all. A judge ruled that Costner has enough validity to his argument to proceed with his suit, but cautioned him he needs to provide more compelling evidence if he hopes to win a financial award. For more click here
Don Fearney, the man
behind “Legend Of Hammer Vampires†documentary and Amicus style anthology movie
“Grave Talesâ€, is preparing a feature length documentary on Amicus films.
Amicus titles include The House That Dripped Blood, Tales from the Crypt
(1971), Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Asylum, The Skull, Dr. Who and the
Daleks, Daleks: Invasion Earth, The Land That Time Forgot, The People That Time
Forgot, The Mind of Mr. Soames, At the Earth’s Core, Madhouse, The Vault of
Horror and more. Check out IMDB
under Amicus Productions for a complete list of titles.
Don is currently at the pre-production stage and is on the look out for high
resolution scans from Amicus’ history. Any image from poster artwork to front
of house and behind the scenes photos would be greatly appreciated.
Those who are aware of Don's previous productions or of his numerous events
such as Bray Days, will know how much effort he puts in to ensuring the best
possible product for genre fans.
If you can assist in this project Don can be contacted in writing at Don
Fearney, 25 High Hill Ferry, Bakers Hill, London E5 9HL. Credit will, of
course, be given.
For e-mail enquiries contact matt@mattgemmell.freeserve.co.uk
The Hollywood Reporter presents an amusing article in which an anonymous director allows a reporter to review his Oscar ballot with him while he decides what to vote for. His candor is refreshing and insightful, as he lambasts some Oscar favorites and speaks up for other films he feels are being neglected. He says Django Unchained was fun but really just "Tarantino masturbating". He thinks Alan Arkin shouldn't be nominated. He likes Life of Pi but disdains the film's religious message and he threatens to fillet his neighbor's dog if Skyfall doesn't win Best Song (he's been angry at the Academy ever since they passed over Live and Let Die for Best Song back in 1973). Click here to read
The tradition started benignly enough in 1994 with a short segment on the Oscar broadcast paying tribute to notable people in the film community who passed away the previous year. The segment is now a mainstay of the Oscar telecast. Although the Academy keeps it a closely guarded secret regarding who is on the committee that decides who will be included in the tribute and who will not make the cut, friends, family and colleagues of the dearly departed routinely launch PR campaigns to ensure certain individuals are honored with the fleeting, multi-second photo or film clip. No matter how inclusive Oscar tries to be, someone is always insulted that a loved one has been excluded. In some cases, major names like Harry Morgan and Peter Graves were eliminated, but AMPAS argues that's because some stars became primarily known for their work in TV as opposed to feature films. The New York Times provides insight into the lobbying efforts some people initiate in order to influence the Academy. Click here to read
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd generally sticks to provocative political matters in her columns but she's fed up with filmmakers who change major historical facts in their movies then hide behind the "artistic license" excuse as a defense. Critically acclaimed films such as Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln have all come under fire for changing key facts. In the case of Argo, director Ben Affleck admitted to one and all that he inserted an action-packed climax that never occurred in real life. At least that makes sense, but in the case of Lincoln, screenwriter Tony Kushner is livid over criticisms deriving from the fact that he presents the state of Connecticut as having voted against the Emancipation Proclamation when, in fact, it voted for it. Kushner tells Dowd it's a minor trifle equivalent to arguing over the color socks Lincoln wore. Dowd doesn't buy his argument, and frankly, neither do we. Its a completely avoidable mistake that doesn't have any justification, but Kushner is digging in and defending the decision not to alter the DVD edition of the film- even though director Steven Spielberg is sending this flawed historical record into Connecticut schools through a program whereby the DVD is being donated to educational institutions. Still, nothing beats Oliver Stone's JFK, which made up entire key characters and "facts" that didn't exist in order to support Stone's conspiracy theories. As for Lincoln, we're quite upset at another historical omission: the President's well-known career as a vampire hunter, which isn't even mentioned. - Lee PfeifferFor more click here
A Fox News Hollywood reporter is standing by his claim that Harrison Ford will return as Han Solo in the new Star Wars feature film currently in the works for Disney. The reporter could not say whether Ford will have a starring role in the film or just a cameo, but other reports indicate that both Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, who starred with Ford in the original film, will also be appearing the new production. If true, it will spur fan interest into another galaxy. For more click here
Director Lars von Trier is preparing two version of his highly-anticipated new film Nymphomaniac. The first version will be soft-core but it's the second, hardcore version, that has audiences eager to see just how far everyone goes. Charlotte Gainsbourg's character is introduced as a 50 year-old self-professed nymphomaniac who reviews her erotic escapes in flashbacks. The cast of notables includes Uma Thurman, Shia LaBeouf, Willem DaFoe, Stellan Starsgard and Jamie Bell. The real suspense is in seeing who ends up doing what to whom on screen. Major actors in a hardcore film isn't unprecedented. In 1979, Bob Guccione produced Caligula featuring Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and rising young actress Helen Mirren. When the film was released, it contained hardcore sex sequences. The principals argued that they were unaware that this footage would be added after the fact. Not so with Nymphomaniac - all the participants have gone into the project aware of von Trier's vision. Click here for more
Pierce Brosnan will star in Last Man Out, a new action film that casts the former James Bond star as a reformed IRA hit man who is released from jail after serving a twenty-year sentence. Plagued by guilt over the people he has killed, the character decides to make amends by avenging them through violent means. For more click here
A new biopic of Grace Kelly makes the claim that her marriage to Prince Rainier III, presented to the public as a fairy tale come true, was, in fact, a loveless union of convenience designed to produce an heir so that Monaco would not fall under French rule. The royal family has denounced what they claim are historical inaccuracies in the film, which stars Nicole Kidman as Grace, the Hollywood superstar-turned-real life princess. According to the script, Grace was secretly miserable and had accepted Alfred Hitchcock's offer to star in Marnie, for the then staggering fee of $1 million. Grace missed Hollywood and felt she was like a bird in a gilded cage, trapped in her royal residence in Monaco. Rainier is presented as a cold womanizer in the new film and his objection to her returning to Hollywood won out because Grace was advised that she would see very little of her two young children again, as they would remain under Rainier's care. For more click here
Disney, the new owners of LucasFilm, has canceled plans to to bring 3-D versions of the films to theaters following the weak box-office performance of The Phantom Menace in that format. Disney is sensitive to fan's criticisms that George Lucas was going to the well too often in attempts to milk more profits from the series while showing little enthusiasm for getting new entries off the ground. Instead, the studio will go all out to reboot the franchise now that J.J. Abrams has agreed to direct the first of the new films in the franchise. For more click here
The Huffington Post has compiled a list of 15 movies released in recent years during the month of January, long regarded as the elephant's graveyard for premiering a new film. With the holidays over and bills pouring in, movie-going generally declines, leading studios to dump some questionable entries onto the market. Click here to view
If you're a fan of glamor girl Lana Wood, click here to visit her re-designed new web site that offers autographed photos and information about her fan club.
British director Michael Winner passed away recently. Although he had not been a force in the film industry in decades, the larger-than-life director remained one of the best-connected people in show business and could pretty much induce anyone to socialize with him. Click here to access some great stories about his relationships with Michael Caine, Sophia Loren, Sean Connery and Burt Lancaster.
When I was in high school back in the 1970s, rumors went around that Rock Hudson was dating Jim Nabors. I laughed them off as ludicrous...the world knew that neither man was gay! Well, while it's clear Hudson and Nabors were friends and colleagues, we don't know if they ever did date. But the idea that these two iconic American entertainers had to hide their true sexuality from the world now seems bizarre. However, at the time, the knowledge that one of Hollywood's on-screen lady killers, not to mention Mayberry's beloved mechanic, were anything but straight-as-arrow would have been the death knell to both men's careers. Hudson sadly didn't live to see the changing social values toward homosexuality, but Nabors has. He's proud to say he's just married his partner of 38 years. - Lee Pfeiffer
For more click here
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