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| Chicago bluesman Magic Slim dead at 75 Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 08:08 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Guitarist Magic Slim, a mainstay of the Chicago blues scene who followed in the footsteps of such greats as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, died on Thursday at age 75, his manager said. Slim, the son of Mississippi sharecroppers, gave up the piano and turned to guitar after losing his right pinky finger in a cotton gin accident at age 13. He died at a Philadelphia hospital where he had been under treatment for various ailments, manager Marty Salzman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| New "Die Hard" grabs biggest box office action Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 06:53 PM PST  (Reuters) - The fifth movie in the Bruce Willis "Die Hard" franchise scored the biggest box office action over a U.S. holiday weekend, beating out love story "Safe Haven", which came in third. "A Good Day to Die Hard," with Willis returning as the tenacious wise-cracking hero John McClane, pulled in $25 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. The tally was expected to top $35 million through Monday, the Presidents' Day holiday in the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| Best Picture contenders produce $2 billion box office bounty Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 05:25 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The movie studios behind this year's Best Picture nominees already have brought home a treasured prize: big box-office sales that placed the Oscar contenders among the most-watched films of 2012. The nine competitors for Hollywood's top film award sold a combined $2 billion in tickets worldwide heading into Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. Six of them, including frontrunners "Argo" and "Lincoln," hauled in at least $100 million apiece at U.S. and Canadian theaters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mira Sorvino cast in Jim Gaffigan's CBS pilot Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 04:44 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Mira Sorvino and Jim Gaffigan are getting hitched. At least on the small screen. "The Replacement Killers" star Sorvino has signed on for Gaffigan's CBS comedy pilot. as the comedian's wife. The as-yet-untitled, single-camera pilot stars comedian Gaffigan as a happily married and harried New York City father of five (as, perhaps not coincidentally, he is in real life). Sorvino will play Jeannie, a super-wife and super-mom of five who has a sixth child in the form of her husband, Jim. ... Full Story | Top |
| "The Americans" renewed by FX for second season Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 04:06 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Americans" has been picked up by FX for a 13-episode second season, network president John Landgraf said on Thursday. The renewal comes just four episodes into the first season of the series, which premiered in January with 5.11 million total viewers to become the most-watched debut of any FX series. FX's newest hit drama to join the roster of original programming stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as two KGB spies posing as an American married couple in suburban Washington D.C. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jane Fonda, Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Garner join list of Oscar presenters Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:55 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Oscar-winner Jane Fonda has been added to this year's list of presenters at the Academy Awards ceremony, along with non-Oscar winners Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Garner and Kerry Washington, the show's producers said on Thursday. Fonda took home her first Oscar statue in 1972 for her leading role in "Klute" and then won another in 1979 for her performance in Hal Ashby's "Coming Home." She has been nominated five other times, while Stewart, Garner and Washington have yet to be so honored. ... Full Story | Top |
| Justin Timberlake to do double duty on "Saturday Night Live" in April Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:49 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - No word on whether he'll wear a suit and tie for the occasion, but Justin Timberlake is coming back to "Saturday Night Live." Timberlake will return to NBC's sketch-comedy institution on March 9, pulling double duty as the episode's host and musical guest. The "Sexy Back" singer is no stranger to the show, having made 16 appearances in the past, including four hosting stints. (He last hosted the show in May 2011, with Lady Gaga as musical guest.) Timberlake's latest album, "The 20/20 Experience," is out March 19, with the first single, "Suit & Tie," already ... Full Story | Top |
| Barry Josephson signs on to produce Stan Lee's "Annihilator" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:47 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Stan Lee's newest superhero creation, "Annihilator," is coming to the big screen with the help of producer Barry Josephson and Magic Storm Entertainment, the company announced on Thursday. Screenwriter Dan Gilroy ("The Bourne Legacy") wrote the script for the film based on a treatment by Lee, which focuses on a Chinese expatriate named Ming who participates in a secret U.S. super solider program that gives him extraordinary abilities that complement his martial arts training. ... Full Story | Top |
| Producers Guild sets January 19 for 2014 PGA Awards Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:45 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Producers Guild Awards will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Sunday, January 19, 2014, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the Producers Guild of America announced Thursday. While the PGA is typically the first of the major Hollywood guilds to hold its awards show, the Screen Actors Guild recently claimed Saturday, January 18 for its 2014 ceremony, forcing the producers to set their show for the next day. The previous weekend, January 11-12, will most likely be Golden Globes weekend. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Identity Thief" could swipe box-office from openers "Snitch," "Dark Skies" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:44 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It's clear that Hollywood will be more focused on the Oscars than the box office this weekend. The studios have for the most part steered clear of the theaters. Neither of this week's two wide openers - the Weinstein Company's low-budget horror thriller "Dark Skies" and Summit's Dwayne Johnson action film "Snitch" - are expected to crack $13 million. The battle for the top spot will likely be between last week's runner-up, "Identity Thief," and last week's No. 1 movie, "Good Day to Die Hard." Only with a lot of luck could "Snitch" sneak in for a surprise win. ... Full Story | Top |
| Actor Ben Foster replaces Shia LaBeouf in Broadway's "Orphans" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:39 PM PST  (Reuters) - Independent film actor Ben Foster will replace Shia LaBeouf in the Broadway play "Orphans," the producers said on Thursday, as the sudden exit of the young Hollywood star turned into an intriguing off-stage drama. LaBeouf, 26, best known as the star of the "Transformers" franchise, was set to make his Broadway debut alongside Alec Baldwin in "Orphans" in April. But after weeks of rehearsals, producers announced on Wednesday that LaBeouf was leaving because of "creative differences. ... Full Story | Top |
| Will Arnett joins CBS pilot - but it's not quite lights out for "Up All Night" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:25 PM PST  NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "Up All Night" star Will Arnett has lined up his next job, but it's still not the final curtain for his struggling NBC sitcom. Arnett has joined a CBS comedy pilot from "My Name Is Earl" creator Greg Garcia. Arnett will play a recently divorced man who realizes his parents are also having marital troubles. But he is in second position for the new comedy, meaning "Up All Night" still has dibs on him if NBC elects to continue it without Christina Applegate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mike Tyson pummels live nation with $5 million lawsuit Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:22 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Mike Tyson is used to squaring off against opponents in the ring. But the boxing legend is hoping to best his latest foe through the legal system. Tyson and his wife Lakiha are suing events giant Live Nation and its subsidiary, SFX Financial Advisory Management Enterprises, claiming that the person that Live Nation appointed to look after their finances embezzled from them, causing them damages "in excess of $5,000,000. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chris Connelly chosen as Academy's red carpet greeter at Oscars Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:20 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Entertainment and sports reporter Chris Connelly has been chosen to welcome nominees, presenters and performers on the red carpet at Sunday's Oscar ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday. Connelly's interviews with celebrity guests attending the 85th Annual Academy Awards - recently rebranded as simply the Oscars - will be heard by those watching the action live in the stands, as well as any viewers watching Backstage Pass on the official Oscar website or the official Oscars App. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ben Foster replacing Shia LaBeouf in "Orphans" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:16 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ben Foster, the gritty and intense star of "The Messenger" and "3:10 to Yuma," will replace Shia LaBeouf in the upcoming Broadway production of "Orphans," the show's producers said Thursday. The play marks Foster's Broadway debut. Though not as bankable as LaBeouf, he has built a reputation as a critical favorite, with his searing performances in the likes of "Alpha Dog" (2007) and "Rampart" (2011). ... Full Story | Top |
| Shia LaBeouf and Alec Baldwin "Incompatible"? Actor tweets about exit From "Orphans" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 03:04 PM PST  (Please note that this story contains strong language in paragraphs 10 and 21.) LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Shia LaBeouf is taking a cue from his former co-star Alec Baldwin and using Twitter to defend his actions - in this case his split from "Orphans" on Broadway. The show, which begins previews in less than a month, was to be the "Transformers" star's Great White Way debut. In a brief statement Wednesday, the actor's departure was attributed to those pesky "creative differences. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congolese teen actress gets U.S. visa to walk Oscar red carpet Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 02:46 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The teenage star of the Oscar-nominated Canadian drama "War Witch" will get to travel from her native Congo to the Academy Awards in Los Angeles after she received a last-minute visa, the film's U.S. distributor said on Thursday. Amateur actress Rachel Mwanza, 16, who grew up an orphan on the streets of capital Kinshasa, received her visa to the United States earlier in the week and will arrive in Los Angeles on Friday, two days ahead of Sunday's Oscar ceremony, a spokeswoman for distributor Tribeca Film said. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's BRIT Awards slammed as celebration of bland Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 02:41 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - "Sensible" and "sober" are words not normally associated with rock and roll, but they summed up how music critics viewed Wednesday night's BRIT Awards ceremony at the London O2 Arena. Viewing figures for commercial broadcaster ITV1, which aired British pop's biggest night live, were the highest for a decade, so organizers, advertisers and the acts who performed were unlikely to care too much about what experts thought. Gordon Smart, showbusiness editor at the Sun tabloid, summed up the mood, writing: "Well, rock'n'roll is officially dead. ... Full Story | Top |
| Singer Morrissey will not get meat-free concert in Los Angeles Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 02:03 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British vegetarian rock singer Morrissey's concert in Los Angeles next week will be a little more meaty than the former Smiths frontman had initially hoped. The longtime animal rights activist said earlier this week he had urged the Staples Center arena to close the concessions of fast-food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance there. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hollywood couple Diane Lane and Josh Brolin split after 8 years Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 12:43 PM PST  (Reuters) - Hollywood couple Diane Lane and Josh Brolin are divorcing after more than eight years, their representatives said on Thursday. "I can confirm Diane Lane and Josh Brolin have decided to end their marriage," said Lane's spokeswoman, Kelly Bush. A source close to the couple termed the split as "amicable" and said it was a mutual decision. The divorce will be the second for both Lane and Brolin. They have no children together. ... Full Story | Top |
| Adam Ant delivers first new album in 18 years Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 11:37 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Flamboyant and wild, Adam Ant stormed the British pop scene in the 1980s dressed as a pirate and highwayman, but crashed out of the music world in 1995, exhausted and battling mental illness. The British singer/songwriter spent these years raising his daughter and in and out of psychiatric care with bipolar disorder before slowly re-emerging with concerts leading to the release this year of his first album in 18 years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Seth MacFarlane bringing a surprise factor as Oscar host Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 11:32 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar night traditionally comes packed with shocks and upsets for the winners, but on Sunday the biggest surprise could be the host - provocative comedian, actor and singer Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane, 39, the creator of the edgy animated TV series "Family Guy," "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show," has awards watchers and audiences intrigued as to what he has up his sleeve for the movie industry's biggest night. "We love the expectation of the newness of Seth and we love the fact that people don't quite know what they're going to get with him as a host. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lady Gaga has hip surgery, calls injury "bump in the road" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 11:00 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lady Gaga said she has undergone surgery to repair an injured hip that forced the pop singer last week to cancel the remainder of her concert tour. The "Born This Way" singer thanked fans in a blog post on her littlemonsters.com fan website on Thursday, saying the setback was "just a bump in the road." "As they wheeled me into surgery...I thought about all of your pain and perseverance, your unique family situations, school environments, health issues, homelessness, identity struggles," wrote Lady Gaga, who often engages with her fans about their personal problems. ... Full Story | Top |
| Imax plans to open more theaters in Brazil, India Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 10:58 AM PST  (Reuters) - Imax Corp, a maker of movie cameras and projection equipment for giant screens, plans to open 10 to 15 theaters each in Brazil and India as it seeks growth in emerging markets, its chief executive told Reuters. Shares of Imax rose as much as 6 percent to C$27.16 -- their highest in more than a year -- on the Toronto Stock Exchange, after the company said fourth-quarter profit more than doubled. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Scary Spice" Mel B joins "America's Got Talent" panel Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 10:28 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Spice Girl Mel B will join the judging panel on summer TV talent show "America's Got Talent," broadcaster NBC said on Thursday. The 37-year-old Briton, known by the nickname Scary Spice when she was part of the chart-topping 1990s British girl band, will replace Sharon Osbourne who quit the series in a dispute with NBC over their decision to drop her son Jack from another reality show. Mel B, whose full name is Melanie Brown, will join "shock jock" Howard Stern, who has agreed to return for his second season, and comedian Howie Mandel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fox TV's Bill O'Reilly to chronicle crucifixion of Jesus in book Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 09:51 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Television host and author Bill O'Reilly, whose previous books were about the assassinations of two U.S. presidents, will tackle another famous death in his upcoming work, "Killing Jesus: A History," his publisher said on Thursday. The Fox News television network anchor will write the book, which will be published on September 24, with Martin Dugard, the co-author of "Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot" and "Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever. ... Full Story | Top |
| How to host an Oscar party, and still enjoy the show Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 09:10 AM PST  (Reuters) - It goes without saying â€" but we will say it, anyway â€" that the key to hosting an Oscar party is to make sure that you do not spend too much time in the kitchen and too little time in front of the TV. Oscar night is all about serving everything buffet-style, and with a little planning, you can enjoy the fun. Here's how. DRINKS This is no time to play bartender. Stick with a good white wine and a solid red â€" there are great inexpensive bottles coming from everywhere these days. There are a lot of good beers and microbrews, too. ... Full Story | Top |
| Massive awards dinner a piece of cake, says Oscars chef Puck Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 09:06 AM PST  (Reuters) - Wolfgang Puck may be the world's best-known celebrity chef â€" he certainly was one of the first in the U.S. â€" and at 63, he is busier than ever. Puck oversees a global empire of restaurants (including his flagship, Spago, in Beverly Hills), popular lines of canned and frozen food, and his designer cookware, all balanced with television and radio appearances and seemingly nonstop travel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Commercial paper market shrinks in week: Fed Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 06:46 AM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The amount of commercial paper contracted in the week ended Feb 20 Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday. U.S. seasonally adjusted commercial paper outstanding fell $22.4 billion to $1.063 trillion in the latest week. Non-seasonally adjusted commercial paper outstanding - which some analysts consider a more reliable reading than the seasonally adjusted one since it has been distorted by the financial crisis - fell $19.4 billion to $1.045 trillion. U.S. non-seasonally adjusted foreign financial commercial paper outstanding fell $16.3 billion to $229.9 billion. Full Story | Top |
| Actresses walking Oscar's red carpet to exude sophistication, not sex Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 04:32 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When actresses sashay down the red carpet before the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, they are expected to be wearing gowns exuding glamour and sophistication, not flesh-exposing jaw-droppers. Performers at this month's Grammys were issued a "wardrobe advisory" ahead of the big music awards show, telling them to cover up and keep buttocks, nipples and genitals under wraps. The advisory appeared to work, as no one bared too much skin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel's Oscar bid discomforts Netanyahu government Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 04:08 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Oscar-nominated Israeli documentary has brought little joy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the focus of the film's criticism of Israel's policy toward the Palestinians. Featuring searingly confessional interviews with six former chiefs of the shadowy security service Shin Bet, "The Gatekeepers" portrays the 46-year-old West Bank occupation and Jewish ultranationalism as threats to Israel's survival. Its run for Sunday's Academy Awards comes at an awkward time for the conservative Netanyahu. ... Full Story | Top |
| Book Talk: Nadeem Aslam's "The Blind Man's Garden" Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 12:06 AM PST JAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Born in Pakistan and raised in Britain, Nadeem Aslam's writing, drawn from a life lived with one foot in the war on terror in his birthplace and neighboring Afghanistan, has made him one of South Asia's most celebrated writers. In his new novel, "The Blind Man's Garden," Aslam again returns to those countries in the months after the September 11 attacks, to portray the terror that gripped a region that was blind to the forces behind the turmoil. ... Full Story | Top |
| BSkyB and Disney to launch new TV channel in UK Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 12:02 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - BSkyB has extended its 24-year relationship with Walt Disney to create a new television channel which will show Disney films in Britain and Ireland. Sky Movies Disney will launch on March 28 and marks the first time entertainment group Walt Disney has ventured into a co-branded, traditional movie channel, the companies said in a statement on Thursday. The deal comes amid sluggish growth in Sky's pay-TV service, with it adding 25,000 subscribers in the last three months of 2012, well down on the more than 100,000 users it used to routinely add each quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
| NBCU's Lauren Zalaznick Makes First Hire in New Role (Exclusive) Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 11:41 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lauren Zalaznick has made her first major hire in her new role driving innovation at NBCU, bringing in A&E distribution executive Lori Conkling to be a senior strategist in charge of digital monetization, TheWrap has learned. "Lori is a key hire for the company's newly dedicated effort to drive growth through monetization of our innovative content across all platforms in new and transformative ways," Zalaznick said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. ... Full Story | Top |
| Baseball and broadcasting veteran Joe Garagiola retires at 87 Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 11:07 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Joe Garagiola, the Major League baseball veteran best known for his affable personality and quick wit as a sports commentator, game show host and even late-night television personality, retired from broadcasting on Wednesday. Garagiola, 87, who made his Major League debut with his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals, in 1946 and ended his baseball career nine seasons later with the New York Giants, embarked on a much longer broadcasting career in 1955. ... Full Story | Top |
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