Hollywood Highlights

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Movie deal for a new twist on the “Romeo & Juliet” love story

“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 […]
Monday, January 5, 2009

John Travolta & Kelly Preston “heartbroken” over death of son

  Google image –The Travolta Family — John, Jett, Kelly, and daughter Ella Bleu    An autopsy is scheduled in the Bahamas today for the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston. A New Year’s celebration at Travolta’s vacation home turned tragic last Friday, when Jett Travolta was discovered unconscious in a bathroom. There are reports the teenager may have suffered a seizure and hit […]
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 […]
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 […]
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Big movies opening on Christmas Day

Adam Sandler stars in “Bedtime Stories”    A bunch of new films with some pretty big stars will be opening on Thursday, Christmas Day. Severe weather continues across the country. Here in the Southland, rain and strong winds are predicted for the  “ho, ho, ho” holiday. That may slow down the now traditional trek, for a lot of people, to the movies on […]
Monday, December 22, 2008

SAG delays strike authorization vote

In a new development late today, the Screen Actors Guild put the brakes on a plan to send out strike authorization ballots to its membership on January 2, 2009. SAG’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, Doug Allen, announced the change in a message to the 122,000 members posted on the guild’s website. Allen says the much publicized No SAG Strike petition drive has prompted […]