Hollywood

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

NAACP Image Award nominees & two Hollywood superstars eye movie remake

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” in the running for NAACP Image Award “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” a behind the scenes look at the King of Pop rehearsing and prepping for a series of concerts, is up against four other films for the NAACP ‘s Outstanding Motion Picture Image Award. The other contenders are: “The Blind Side,” “Invictus,”  “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ […]
Monday, January 4, 2010

Entertainment Bytes: The top grossing domestic films of 2009 & a new high-powered agency in Hollywood

 “Transformers ll” tops the Box Office in 2009 Well, you can’t win them all. The blockbuster, “Avatar,” is dominating the Box Office right now, but when it came to to the top grossing domestic films of 2009, another action flick grabbed the top spot. The title of the number one big grosser belongs to “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with $402,111 million.  2.   “Avatar” […]
Tuesday, December 29, 2009

2009 Oscar nomination ballots are in the mail

Photo: Greg Harbaugh/AMPAS — Rick Rosas and Bradley Ottmanns of PricewaterhouseCoopers give the nomination ballots a final check before sending them off to be mailed. (12/28/09) The Oscar race is officially on. Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences sent out 5,777 nomination ballots to its voting members. Before being carted off to the Beverly Hills post office, the […]
Monday, December 28, 2009

Biz Bytes: Holiday retail sales jolly & Warner Bros. chalks up another multi-billion dollar year

                                             New stats show holiday shoppers spent more this season than last Some Christmas cheer for retailers and good news for the economy today. Consumer spending during the period of November first through Christmas Eve rose 3.6 percent. That’s a heck of a lot better than what happened last year, when fears of economic disaster had shoppers holding tight to their […]
Friday, May 15, 2009

Jay Leno gearing up for “Tonight Show” finale

Photo: NBC Time is running out, if you plan to attend a “Tonight Show” taping hosted by Jay Leno. In two weeks, after 17 years,  the veteran comic will host his last “Tonight Show,” on Friday, May 29. Leno told CNN he’s planning some surprises for his finale and he revealed the guests will include singer James Taylor and new “Tonight Show” […]
Monday, April 27, 2009

Major Hollywood Deal: William Morris and Endeavor agencies to merge

After months of negotiations, two powerful entertainment agencies, William Morris and Endeavor, announced they will merge into one company today. The new agency will be known as William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment. The announcement came shortly after the leadership at both talent agencies approved the historic deal, which requires government approval. The Hollywood Reporter says this is “the largest combination of two existing agencies in Hollywood history.” Variety described WME Entertainment as a […]
Friday, April 24, 2009

Successful screenwriter making his mark as a novelist

        Writer Derek Haas has had great success scripting movies for Hollywood. Haas co-wrote “3:10 to Yuma” (2007,) a remake of the classic western film based on acclaimed author Elmore Leonard’s short story with the same title. Along with his partner, Michael Brandt, Haas wrote the screenplay for “Wanted” and several major scripts in development like “The A-Team,” “Beverly Hills Cop IV,” and “The Thirteenth Hour.” Now Haas is creating […]
Monday, April 20, 2009

Preparations underway for SAG membership vote on tentative deal

After months of on again /off again talks and tons of haggling and sniping, the members of the Screen Actors Guild will soon get the opportunity to vote on a contract deal. Yesterday, the Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors approved a tentative agreement with the Big Studio producers by a narrow 53 to 47 vote. SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture […]
Sunday, April 19, 2009

New comedy/fantasy “17 Again” tops Box Office

Teen heartthrob Zac Efron scored big at the Box Office this weekend with his new comedy/fantasy, “17 Again.” The film is about a thirtysomething guy who gets a second shot at his life when he magically becomes 17 again. Young movie fans, especially teenage girls, stormed the theaters propelling the film into the number 1 spot with an estimated $24 million. “17 Again” also stars Matthew […]