Entertainment

Saturday, January 3, 2009

A serious approach to writing the romantic comedy screenplay

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

A picture perfect day for the 2009 Rose Parade

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 […]
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

More fallout from another fake memoir

The children’s picture book, “Angel Girl,” is being pulled from store shelves, according to a message on the Lerner Publishing Group website. The company is offering refunds for returns and has put the brakes on all plans for reprints. Lerner officials took the action after Holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat admitted that part of his so-called true love story was a lie. Since the mid-1990s, Rosenblat has […]
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New kudos for “The Terminator” and 24 other films

Arnold Schwarzenegger as “The Terminator”    The sci-fi classic, “The Terminator” was among more than two dozen films announced today as new selections for the National Film Registry. Every year, The Library of Congress picks 25 films that are considered “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant for inclusion in the registry so they can be preserved for all time. The National Film Registry, which now totals […]
Sunday, December 28, 2008

“Marley & Me” top dog at the Box Office

“Marley & Me” beat out a slew of films at the Box Office over the long Christmas holiday weekend. The family drama is based on the best selling novel about a family and its lovable but neurotic Labrador. “Marley & Me” brought in $14.7 million on December 25— the best debut ever on Christmas Day. “Marley & Me” continued to ring up mucho dough over […]
Saturday, December 27, 2008

New deal for a book about legendary singer Tony Bennett

The most detailed ever biography of superstar crooner Tony Bennett has been bought at auction by publisher, John Wiley & Sons. Publishers Weekly reports David Evanier’s “Keeper of the Flame: A Biography of Tony Bennett” is set for release in 2011 to mark the singer’s 85th birthday.  He was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926. The singer’s career […]
Friday, December 26, 2008

Four new movies leading the Box Office race

“Marley & Me” ran away from the pack of films at the Box Office on Christmas Day. Preliminary numbers show the movie about a couple raising a less than prefect dog rang up $14.6 million during its opening on Christmas. It will be interesting to see if the Owen Wilson and Jennifer Ansiton flick can hold on to the number […]
Friday, December 26, 2008

Oscar ballots go out today

  The Oscar race shifts into high gear with the mailing out of ballots today to around  6-thousand or so voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Members are asked to select the Academy Award nominees for 2008 and are given two weeks to return their ballots to the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. The results of the secret ballots will be announced […]
Friday, December 26, 2008

Sultry singer/actress Eartha Kitt dead at 81

Eartha Kitt at 79   Entertainer Eartha Kitt never lost her sexy style and trademark catlike purr even as she continued to perform in her later years. She reportedly taped a PBS special a few weeks ago in Chicago. Sadly Kitt, who had been treated recently for colon cancer, died Christmas Day on the East Coast. She was 81 and still had star power. Kitt’s saucy version […]