Entertainment

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Singer Isaac Hayes pronounced dead at a hospital today

The entertainment industry took another painful hit today.  Legendary singer, songwriter, and arranger Isaac Hayes reportedly was found in his home unconscious by a relative today. Attempts to revive Hayes by paramedics and later at a Memphis hospital failed.  Hayes got his big break as a studio musician at the famous Stax Records in Memphis, where he wrote songs for […]
Saturday, August 9, 2008

Two Bernies have left the Hollywood room

Comic/Actor Bernie Mac dies at the age of 50 There’s a little less laughter in Hollywood today. Actor/comedian Bernie Mac died in a Chicago hospital this morning, after what his publicist says were complications brought on by pneumonia. Cool Mac was an original. He could set up and deliver a joke with impeccable timing or crack-up an audience with just a look. […]
Friday, August 8, 2008

The Police call it quits in New York City

Madison Square Garden Another great band has taken final bows and left the stage. The Police wrapped its reunion tour and last concert with a New York City fundraiser at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, August 7, 2008.  Bassist/vocalist Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland, and guitarist Andy Summers got back together for the reunion tour after taking a break from performing in1986. The […]
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Screenplay deals

Another superhero project is on the fast track to the Big Screen. Recently, Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson sold a pitch called, “The Transplants” to Walt Disney Pictures for mid-six against high-six figures. The action-adventure comedy focuses on four superheroes. I know, the logline is lacking in details, but this very brief description of the story is all that is […]
Monday, August 4, 2008

“Breaking Dawn” breaks out big time

The hugely popular Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series ended with the release Saturday of the fourth and final book, “Breaking Dawn.” The YA teen vampire romance novel went on sale at 12:01 a.m. August 2. By the end of the day, 1.3 million copies had been sold. This is a record day sale for the publisher, the Hachette Book Group, however, the […]
Monday, July 28, 2008

Top Five at the Box Office

No joke.  “The Dark Knight” has leaped over the $300 million mark without slowing down one bit. “The Dark Knight” continued to break-records and dominate the domestic box office over the weekend. The Batman sequel grabbed the title of best second weekend ever with a $75.6 million haul to hold onto the number one spot at the box office.  That pushed the film’s domestic total to $314.2 million […]
Friday, July 25, 2008

Movie Deals

Tyler Perry          Tobey Maguire A number of film deals announced this week. Here are some that caught my attention. Tyler Perry signs a new three-year first-look deal with Lionsgate for at least three more films. Lionsgate has distributed five Perry films starting with “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” in 2005. The prolific filmmaker has “The Family That Preys,” coming […]
Thursday, July 24, 2008

“The Dark Knight”: mo’ money, ticket deals & Bale’s arrest

“The Dark Knight” continues to surpass expectations. On Monday, the Batman sequel’s record-breaking domestic weekend box office got bumped up from $155 million to a mighty $158.3 million. “The Dark Knight” is racking up other records as well to go along with the biggest opening ever for a three-day weekend. Also on Monday, the film earned $24.6 million — that’s […]
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Stephen King to judge book trailer contest

Calling all amateur and professional filmmakers! Dorchester Publishing and book trailer producer Circle of Seven Productions are looking for some top-notch book trailers based on novels in the Shomi series. The book series is Dorchester’s line of speculative romances. According to Dorchester executive Brooke Borneman, the Shomi books have received comparisons to films like “Blade Runner” and “The Matrix.” Best-selling […]