Sunday, January 11, 2009
Clint Eastwood producer/star/director of “Gran Torino.” The New Year is off to a great start for 78-year-old mega-star Clint Eastwood. His new film, “Gran Torino,” went into wide release this weekend; and quickly barreled right to the top of the Box Office to park in the number one spot. “Gran Torino” pulled in an estimated $29 million, the best opening ever for […]
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Barack Obama and Spidey share a fist-bump in Marvel Comics’ upcoming special issue of “Amazing Spider-Man.” President-elect Barack Obama has met plenty of famous people, but next week he will get a rare opportunity to hang with a superhero. On January 14, Marvel Comics plans to release a special issue of “Amazing Spider-Man” featuring Obama. The story line of […]
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Today several films got a boost in the Oscar race with the announcement of the contenders for top feature film director of 2008 by the Directors Guild of America. The five nominees for the DGA Award are Christopher Nolan for “The Dark Knight,” Gus Van Sant “Milk,” David Fincher “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Ron Howard “Frost/Nixon,” and Danny Boyle for “Slumdog […]
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Actress/singer Beyonce has plenty to smile about these days. The nominations for the 40th NAACP Image Awards were announced in Beverly Hills today. Beyonce’s name was mentioned five times in connection with her hot new album “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” The entertainer received a sixth nomination for her supporting role in the film “Cadillac Records.” Actress/singer Jennifer Hudson received seven nomination and is competing against Beyonce in a […]
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Sean Penn stars in “Milk” Today the Writers Guild of America disclosed the list of its nominees for “outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during the 2008 season.” The writers are being honored for a variety of projects, from major motion pictures to documentary films. In the original screenplay category the nominations went to Joel and Ethan Coen […]
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
“Romeo and Juliet” by Sir Frank Dicksee (1853-1928) The publishing industry has been buzzing for months about Danish author Anne Fortier’s “Juliet.” In the novel a woman discovers she may be related to the star-crossed lovers who inspired the classic, “Romeo & Juliet.” Today, there are a flurry of reports about Universal Pictures picking up the movie rights for “Juliet.” Director/producer James Mangold is attached […]
Sunday, January 4, 2009
“Marley & Me” top dog again. Moviegoers are seriously digging “Marley & Me.” For the second straight week, the family drama is the number one film in the country. Over the New Year’s holiday weekend, “Marley & Me” fetched an estimated haul of $24 million. “Marley & Me,” based on a best selling novel, stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson […]
Saturday, January 3, 2009
FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove Story Analyst/author Billy Mernit chatted with writers and signed copies of his book, “Writing The Romantic Comedy,” last month in Brea. Actor Hugh Grant has had some of his best film success with romantic comedies so he knows a thing or two about the genre. Back in 2003, Grant explained the problem with most romcom scripts […]
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times Today under clear sunny skies around a million people lined Pasadena streets to see the 120th annual Tournament of Roses Parade roll by. Millions more watched the floral spectacular on television. “Hats Off To Entertainment,” was the theme of this year’s parade. “Bollywood Dreams,” a salute to the booming film Industry in India, won the Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy for most beautiful float […]