News & General Info

Sunday, January 11, 2009

“Gran Torino” out runs the competition at the Box Office

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 […]
Saturday, January 10, 2009

Working off those holiday pounds in sunny California

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank   Now is definitely the time to kick that sluggish or dormant workout plan into high gear. The holiday noshing is over; the business of working off those extra pounds is well underway for a lot of folks. I was out this week, huffing and puffing my way through the Burbank foothills along with other walkers […]
Friday, January 9, 2009

Oprah offers free downloads of financial expert Suze Orman’s new book

  In these troubled and shaky financial times who doesn’t need some professional advice on money matters. Along that line, talk show host and mega-successful entrepreneur, Oprah Winfrey, is offering one of the best bargains around. Right now, at www.oprah.com readers can download a free copy of “Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan.” Orman is a top notch finance guru and the author of six consecutive New […]
Thursday, January 8, 2009

Barack Obama teams up with Spider-Man

   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

“The Dark Knight” gets a nomination from the Directors Guild of America

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

40th NAACP Image Awards nominees announced

 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

WGA reveals its best screenplay nominations for 2008

  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

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 […]
Tuesday, January 6, 2009

President-elect Obama and his years as a local college student

As a bright soft-spoken college student, President-elect Barack Obama spent two years at Occidental in nearby Eagle Rock. The young Obama, who went by the nickname of Barry then, transferred from the small but highly regarded liberal arts college to Columbia University in New York at the end of his sophomore year. He left some strong impressions with fellow Oxy students, surprisingly, those impressions were not the type they associated […]