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| Robert De Niro cements place in Hollywood movies Monday, Feb 04, 2013 07:25 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Double Oscar winner Robert De Niro cemented his place in acting history on Monday by placing his hands and feet in concrete in front of Hollywood's historic Chinese Theatre. De Niro, 69, gave a short thank you speech with a few punchlines of his own. "(Actor) Joe Pesci always said I'd end up with my feet in cement. I don't think this is what he had in mind," said De Niro, referring to the many gangster movies he has filmed over his 40-year career. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Wild Thing" singer Reg Presley dies in UK: report Monday, Feb 04, 2013 06:17 PM PST (Reuters) - Reg Presley, the lead singer of 1960s British rock band The Troggs, who scored a hit with the love anthem "Wild Thing," was reported to have died at his home in England on Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 71. "He passed away peacefully at home and myself, my brother and our mother were with him. We're absolutely heartbroken," Presley's daughter Karen was quoted as telling the London-based World Entertainment News Network (WENN). Presley announced in January 2012 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer after falling ill during a performance in Germany. ... Full Story | Top |
| Liberty Global prepares bid for UK's Virgin Media: FT Monday, Feb 04, 2013 06:05 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. billionaire John Malone's cable group Liberty Global is preparing a bid for UK cable company Virgin Media Inc, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing several people familiar with the matter. Virgin Media -- the UK's second-largest pay television operator according to the FT -- has a market capitalization of around $10.4 billion (6.6 billion pounds) as of Monday's closing price. A bid for could be announced in coming days, the FT said. Liberty Global and Virgin Media could not be immediately reached for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Troubled visual-effects company Rhythm & Hues gets $20 million Studio Infusion Monday, Feb 04, 2013 05:23 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Rhythm & Hues Studios, the Oscar-nominated visual-effects company behind "Life of Pi," is in dire financial straits and will take an emergency $20 million capital infusion from three major Hollywood studios in order to keep its doors open through April, three individuals with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. After April, the company is expected to be sold to an Indian company, Prime Focus, two of those individuals said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Film Independent picks 8 filmmakers for Directors Lab Monday, Feb 04, 2013 05:21 PM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Film Independent has selected eight filmmakers for its 12th annual Directing Labs, which will give the group of directors access to digital cameras and other production resources to pursue their latest projects. Mentors will also help the filmmakers with script feedback, editing and other tools for their films. This year's mentors include James Ponsoldt, director of 2013 Sundance hit "The Spectacular Now" and Angela Robinson, writer and director for TV shows such as ‘The L Word. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oscar night to have something for everyone, producers say Monday, Feb 04, 2013 05:15 PM PST  BEVERLY HILLS (Reuters) - With a high five from 9-year-old actress Quvenzhane Wallis, and a pledge that Oscar night will have something for everyone, the Academy Awards kicked into high gear on Monday at a luncheon for more than 160 nominees. Jennifer Lawrence, Steven Spielberg, Jessica Chastain, Naomi Watts, Joaquin Phoenix, Kathryn Bigleow, Anne Hathaway and Denzel Washington were among the Oscar-nominated actors, directors and producers who mingled over cocktails and lunch at a Beverly Hills hotel before gathering for the traditional group photo of the Academy Award class of 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Super Bowl viewer ratings down from a year ago Monday, Feb 04, 2013 03:26 PM PST  (Reuters) - Sunday's close Super Bowl contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers failed to beat last year's game in total viewers, CBS Corp said on Monday. An average of 108.41 million viewers tuned in, compared with 111.3 million a year ago when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots on NBC. CBS said it was the third-most-watched program in television history, behind last year's Super Bowl and 2011's match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, which garnered 111 million viewers. ... Full Story | Top |
| NFL says no indication halftime show caused Super Bowl outage Monday, Feb 04, 2013 03:25 PM PST  NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The National Football League, the Superdome and a utility investigating the cause of a power outage at one of the world's most watched and meticulously planned events, on Monday exonerated the halftime show from blame in the Super Bowl mishap. With more than 108 million Americans watching along with television viewers in 180 countries, about half the stadium lights went dark early in the second half of the game, in which the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31. ... Full Story | Top |
| NBC Universal reshuffles, Hammer takes over cable networks Monday, Feb 04, 2013 02:48 PM PST  (Reuters) - Longtime NBC Universal executive Bonnie Hammer will soon be running all of the media company's cable networks besides sports and news, as part of a reshuffling, NBC's CEO Steve Burke said on Monday. In a memo to staff, Burke said that starting immediately, Hammer will oversee the entire cable portfolio, including Bravo and Oxygen, which are cable networks previously controlled by Lauren Zalaznick. The new unit, which also includes USA Network, SYFY and E!, will be renamed the cable entertainment group. ... Full Story | Top |
| NBCU's Bonnie Hammer to run Cable; Joe Uva to run Telemundo Monday, Feb 04, 2013 02:30 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - NBC Universal's executive lineup underwent a shift of responsibilities on Monday, with Bonnie Hammer, NBCU's chairman of cable entertainment and cable studios, taking control of NBC Universal's full cable portfolio, and executive Lauren Zalaznick being promoted to a new role, and former Univision president and CEO Joe Uva taking over NBCU's Spanish-language network Telemundo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Why Bruce Willis will blow up the box office when Stallone and Schwarzenegger could not Monday, Feb 04, 2013 02:01 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Moviegoers are not going where the action is, at least so far this year. Sylvester Stallone's "Bullet to the Head" is the latest slam-bang misfire, taking in just $4.5 million over the weekend for Warner Bros. That was even worse than Arnold Schwarzenegger's "The Last Stand," which managed just $7.2 million in its debut earlier this month, and Jason Statham's "Parker," which opened to $7 million two weeks ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| CBS orders pilots for "Homeland" team drama, Robin Williams and David E. Kelley comedy Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:58 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - CBS has ordered a crime drama from "Homeland" team Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Alex Cary, as well as a comedy from David E. Kelly that will star Robin Williams. "Anatomy of Violence," which will be written by "Homeland" vets Gordon, Gansa and Cary, will follow a criminal psychologist with an expertise in sociopaths who partners with a young female detective with whom he shares a conflicted past. Teakwood Lane is producing the project along with 20th Century Fox Television. "Crazy Ones," meanwhile, will be written and executive produced by David E. ... Full Story | Top |
| "The Ricki Lake Show" canceled Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:57 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ricki Lake's return to daytime talk television is no more. Twentieth Television announced Monday that "The Ricki Lake Show," which premiered in September, will not continue into the 2013-2104 season. Declaring herself "so proud" of the series, Lake said that she will "continue to be an active and passionate voice for subjects that are close to my heart through a variety of platforms." Lake also said that she will re-focus on making documentaries with Abby Epstein, with whom she partnered on the documentary "The Business of Being Born. ... Full Story | Top |
| How "Wreck-It Ralph" wrecked all the rules of animation Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:55 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - When Rich Moore joined Disney in 2008 after stints on "The Simpsons," "Futurama" and MADtv, the historic animation studio had just shelved an idea for a movie about videogame characters. Studio exec John Lasseter encouraged Moore to pursue his own ideas along those lines, and game-fanatic Moore was happy to do so. On the way to the movie that became "Wreck-It Ralph," Moore told TheWrap he took a sledgehammer to some of the usual axioms of animation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ed Koch remembered as quintessential New York City mayor Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:35 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was memorialized on Monday as an in-your-face, wisecracking leader who helped transform the city from a symbol of urban decay to the vital, glittering metropolis it is today. As Koch's casket was led out of Temple Emanu-El, a soaring Fifth Ave. synagogue opposite Central Park, an organ played Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" while mourners including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and a who's who of New York politics stood and applauded. ... Full Story | Top |
| For "Life of Pi," the secret to its sound is in the silence Monday, Feb 04, 2013 01:26 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" was a famously difficult movie to pull off, a philosophical and spiritual journey featuring a young protagonist (don't work with kids) stranded on the open sea (don't work on water) with his only companion, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (don't work with animals). ... Full Story | Top |
| Cinedigm, Voltage Pictures strike five-film deal with Marco Weber's Rapid Eye Films Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:59 AM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Cinedigm and Voltage Pictures have entered a three-year, five-film deal with new genre label Rapid Eye Film whereby Cinedigm will distribute the films domestically and Voltage will sell the international rights, the companies announced on Monday. Veteran German producer Marco Weber founded Rapid Eye to develop, finance and produce films. In the past, he has produced films such as the sci-fi thriller "The Thirteenth Floor" and the coming-of-age drama "Igby Goes Down." This new deal begins with "Unraveling," a sci-fi thriller Weber wrote and will direct. ... Full Story | Top |
| "The Heiress" with Jessica Chastain recoups investment Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:58 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Heiress" will recoup its $3 million investment, the Broadway show's producers said Monday. The revival of the play will move into the back during the final week of its performances. Starring Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain and David Strathairn and "Downton Abbey"s' Dan Stevens, the play injected a bit of Hollywood glamour into Broadway this fall. It will have played 27 previews and 117 regular performances when it completes its limited run on February 9. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bruce Greenwood joins Atom Egoyan's “Queen of the Night” Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:56 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Bruce Greenwood has joined the cast of Atom Egoyan's "Queen of the Night," which begins filming Monday in Ontario. Greenwood is fresh off a role as Denzel Washington's supportive pilot's union representative in last year's "Flight." He is best known for playing John F. Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis drama "Thirteen Days," and has worked with Egoyan four previous times. Among other projects, the two collaborated for the Oscar-nominated "The Sweet Hereafter" and on the recently completed crime drama "Devil's Knot. ... Full Story | Top |
| Beyonce struts back onto world stage with tour, film Monday, Feb 04, 2013 11:51 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hot on the heels of her praised Super Bowl performance, U.S. singer Beyonce on Monday announced a world tour starting in April, the latest move in her carefully choreographed return to music. The singer, who was watched by more than 100 million people as she performed at half-time in New Orleans on Sunday, is making a comeback after taking a year off following the birth of her first child with rapper husband Jay-Z in January 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fall Out Boy ends three-year break with new album, tour Monday, Feb 04, 2013 10:28 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fall Out Boy unveiled plans for a new album and world tour on Monday, three years after the pop punk band's four members announced a hiatus to pursue solo projects. "This isn't a reunion," the band said on its website, "because we never broke up." The new album, "Save Rock and Roll," will be available worldwide on May 6-7. A tour kicks off Monday night in Chicago. A new song, "My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light Em Up)," is available on iTunes. "When we were kids the only thing that got us through most days was music," the band's website statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian oligarch's newspaper wins London TV franchise Monday, Feb 04, 2013 09:27 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - London's Evening Standard, backed by the family of Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev, won a London television franchise on Monday, beating four other bidders with a package offering live news from the paper's West London offices. Britain's telecoms regulator is offering 21 licenses for local digital TV stations, most covering single cities. The London franchise, which offers an audience of up to 4 million people, is potentially the most lucrative. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cult musician Wilko Johnson "so alive" as death approaches Monday, Feb 04, 2013 07:53 AM PST  WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA (Reuters) - Wilko Johnson, cult guitarist from 1970s beat band Dr Feelgood and herald of English punk rock, is on a high - even though he is dying of pancreatic cancer. The musician, songwriter and sometime actor has watched with amazement as a planned tour of farewell concerts sold out and interest has surged in almost anything he has touched, including the 2009 award-winning documentary "Oil City Confidential." One British newspaper has even affectionately dubbed him the country's latest "national treasure". ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlin film festival looks east, hot topics in frame Monday, Feb 04, 2013 07:27 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - The Berlin film festival looks east this year with six of 19 competition entries either made or based behind the old Iron Curtain, while two star-studded U.S. movies tackle big business - energy and pharmaceuticals. Iran's record on human rights will be in the frame during the two-week cinema showcase starting on February 7, while the Flintstones make way for "The Croods", a prehistoric family at the center of a new 3D animation from DreamWorks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian Bolshoi ballet chief says knows in heart who attacked him Monday, Feb 04, 2013 06:00 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Bolshoi Ballet's artistic director left hospital on Monday saying he knew in his heart who was behind the acid attack that threatens his sight and the reputation of one of the world's great theatres. Sergei Filin, his face scarred and eyes hidden by dark glasses, hinted last month's attack was linked to his work in the fiercely competitive world of ballet. He said his attacker had looked at him from behind a mask "with fear in his eyes". ... Full Story | Top |
| London play examines financial crisis using pile of cash Monday, Feb 04, 2013 03:52 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - One of the first things people see when they sit down to watch "Money the Game Show" at The Bush Theatre in London is a pile of 10,000 pound coins on the floor of the stage. Standing by is a security guard to ensure the cash does not go missing over the ensuing 90 minutes during which two "hedge fund managers" guide the audience through the world of derivatives trading and the 2008 financial crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chrysler, Oreo score with ads during delayed Super Bowl Sunday, Feb 03, 2013 09:17 PM PST (Reuters) - Chrysler's Jeep ad featuring a patriotic salute to U.S. troops and narration by Oprah Winfrey, an Oreo ad asking viewers to vote cookie or crème, and a scantily clad male Calvin Klein model were among standout commercials during a Super Bowl that suffered a half-hour partial blackout delay on Sunday. Ads by Budweiser and PepsiCo's Doritos were less engaging, according to advertising experts, in the game that is annually the largest showcase for U.S. consumers with more than 100 million viewers. ... Full Story | Top |
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