Film Academy Gives $500,000 to Nonprofit Groups
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The film academy is giving $500,000 in grants to 73 film-oriented nonprofit programs nationwide.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the grants will support internship opportunities and enable filmmakers to visit schools and other organizations where they can share their expertise.
The American Film Institute’s directing workshop for women, the Brooklyn Museum’s Saturday screening series and various university film programs are among the recipients of this year’s academy grants.
Since 1968, the Academy Foundation has awarded more than 700 grants totaling more than $6.3 million.
3-D Video Gaming Aspires To Become Spectacle
Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) – For movie goers, watching a 3-D film is a relatively easy experience. Audiences didn’t need to do anything other than pay a few extra bucks and slip on a pair of special glasses to see 3-D versions of “Avatar” or “Alice in Wonderland.” For gamers, however, enjoying a 3-D game requires a bigger investment on their part.
For example, to play the popular online fantasy game “World of Warcraft” in 3-D, an inhabitant of Azeroth would need hundreds of dollars worth of gear: a robust computer setup with a compatible graphics card, monitor capable of displaying 3-D and a pair of 3-D spectacles. At this early stage, it’s an expense that many virtual adventurers have yet to adopt.
Dozens of game developers, business executives and other stereoscopic 3-D gaming advocates converged at a Universal City hotel this week to explore that very conundrum and witness the latest in 3-D games at the first-ever 3-D Gaming Summit. The consen sus was that whether gamers push play on 3-D or not, the home 3-D revolution is already in motion.
Television makers Samsung and Panasonic are now selling 3-D TVs. Movie studios Universal and Disney have released 3-D films on Blu-ray, such as “Coraline” and “The Polar Express.” Discovery Communications and ESPN previously announced they will launch their own 3-D networks, with ESPN first broadcasting FIFA World Cup soccer in 3-D this June.
“We’ve got to tell people about it,” said Phil Eisler, general manager of Nvidia’s 3-D Vision, which makes graphics cards with 3-D processing power. “Hollywood has done a fantastic job of educating consumers and marketing to them about the wonderful experience in the theater. We need to tell consumers about the wonderful experience that games are in 3-D.”
For many modern games, the leap to 3-D is actually just a step. The medium is well suited for 3-D because the majority of today’s games are created in three dimensions, making conversion a snap. Eisler said more than 400 current PC games, including “Battlefield: Bad Company 2” and “Resident Evil 5,” can be played in 3-D with the right equipment.
“You’re seeing it now,” said “Avatar” producer Jon Landau. “People are going to want 3-D in their homes. I think 3-D is going to become ubiquitous in everything we do. From what I understand of the initial TV sales at Best Buy, everything went out the door. Why? Because it’s of a certain quality, and I think that’s what we have to make sure we protect.”
The biggest hurdle for 3-D gaming is perhaps the simplest: Those glasses are just plain annoying. Michael Cai, a video game analyst at research firm Interpret, found in a recent survey of players who had experienced 3-D games that having to don shades was the overwhelming aversion to the medium. However, many had no qualms about 3-D gaming at all.
Sony and Nintendo have already unveiled their initial plans to enter the 3-D realm. So ny began updating PlayStation 3 consoles this week for future 3-D gaming features, which are expected this summer. Last month, Nintendo revealed a 3-D version of its top-selling handheld DS system – called 3DS – that wouldn’t require 3-D glasses due out later this year.
“One of the big advantages of the gaming market is that it’s extremely viral,” said Neil Schneider, president of 3-D gaming advocacy group Meant to be Seen. “If there’s a way to capture the interest of just a handful of these gamers, it’s the consumers that could help drive this industry forward, perhaps more influential than a retail display at Best Buy.”
Disney Bringing Back ‘Monsters’ and MuppetsRyan Nakashima
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Monsters and Muppets are coming back to a theater near you.
At a press briefing at The Walt Disney Co. headquarters in Burbank on Thursday, studios chairman Rich Ross said Disney’s Pixar division is creating a sequel to “Monsters Inc.” that will hit theaters in November 2012.
The original film from 2001 grossed $529 million worldwide.
Ross also said the studio was about to give the go-ahead to a new movie featuring the Muppets which will introduce a new character named Walter.
“He’s in felt and fur rehab now as we build him,” Ross said.
It was not clear when the movie would hit theaters. But he said there will be plenty of cameos, as with all Muppet movies. So watch for Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, too.
James Bobin, the creator of “The Flight of the Conchords” TV series, is set to direct.
The announcements were among several made during a presentation of the studio’s upcoming slate of films. Disn ey is in the midst of selling off its Miramax Films division as it focuses on family-oriented fare from Marvel, Pixar, its own studio and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks unit.
Among other future films is a retelling of the Winnie the Pooh story using hand-drawn animation; a Tim Burton-led stop-motion animation movie called “Frankenweenie” about a boy’s revival of his lost dog; and another Pixar movie called “John Carter of Mars” about a man who goes through a portal to the red planet as imagined by author Edgar Rice Burroughs.
“Wall-E” writer Andrew Stanton of Pixar has been tapped to handle the otherworldly live action picture starring Taylor Kitsch. The movie is set to hit theaters in 2012.
Jeff Bridges, ‘Breaking Bad’ Win Prism Awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Jeff Bridges is still collecting awards for his Oscar-winning turn as a booze-soaked country singer in “Crazy Heart.”
Bridges, co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal and the film were among the winners of the 14th annual Prism Awards, which recognize actors, movies and TV shows that accurately depict substance abuse and mental health issues.
The awards were presented Thursday at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Other winners included the film “The Soloist” and TV’s “Breaking Bad,” ”Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” ”How I Met Your Mother” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Winners are chosen by an 80-member committee of entertainment industry professionals and experts from the fields of medicine, mental health and addiction. A full list of winners is available on the Entertainment Industries Council website.
South Park’ Producers Say Network Cut Fear Speech
David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – Producers of “South Park” said Thursday that Comedy Central removed a speech about intimidation and fear from their show after a radical Muslim group warned that they could be killed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
It came during about 35 seconds of dialogue between the cartoon characters of Kyle, Jesus Christ and Santa Claus that was bleeped out.
“It wasn’t some meta-joke on our part,” producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone said. Comedy Central declined to comment.
Earlier this week, the radical group Revolution Muslim said on its website that “South Park” had insulted their prophet during last week’s episode by depicting him in a bear costume.
The group said it wasn’t threatening Parker and Stone, but it included a gruesome picture of Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist in 2004, and said the producers could meet the same fate. The website posted the addresses of Comedy Central’s New York of fice and the California production studio where “South Park” is made.
Despite that, Parker and Stone included the Muhammad character in this week’s episode. Muhammad appeared with his body obscured by a black box, since Muslims consider a physical representation of their prophet to be blasphemous. When the bear costume was removed, it was revealed to be Santa Claus.
Parker and Stone are known for waiting until the last minute to deliver episodes, often pulling all-nighters to get them done, and giving them the opportunity to address things in the news.
They said that in 14 years of making “South Park,” which just had its 200th episode, they’ve never delivered one they couldn’t stand behind.
“Kyle’s customary final speech was about intimidation and fear,” they said. “It didn’t mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped … We’ll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we’ll see what happens to it.”
Besides the censored dialogue, only one inside joke in this week’s episode could be interpreted as a reference to the Muslim group’s warning.
During one scene, a mechanized Barbara Streisand robot is seen stomping through the town on a path of destruction. One voice is heard to say, “they’ve destroyed La Casa Bonita!”
“La Casa Bonita” is the name of Parker and Stone’s production facility.
Court Denies Dismissal Appeal by Polanski Victim
Anthony McCartney, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – An appeals court on Thursday denied a petition by Roman Polanski’s victim to dismiss the three-decade-old sex case against the director.
The California Second District Court of Appeal denied the petition by Samantha Geimer without comment.
Geimer’s attorney petitioned the court on March 23 to dismiss the case against Polanski, arguing recent changes to California’s constitution gave her more rights as a victim to influence the case.
Prosecutors argued in a filing last week that voters’ decision in 2008 to include a victim’s bill of rights in the state’s constitution didn’t grant Geimer or other crime victims the authority to end prosecutions.
Thursday’s ruling is unlikely to have any immediate bearing on Polanski’s status. The Os car-winning director remains on house arrest at his chalet in the Swiss resort of Gstaad.
Polanski was accused in 1977 of plying Geimer, then age 13, with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill, then raping her at Jack Nicholson’s house.
Polanski was indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy. He later pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse.
Authorities are seeking Polanski’s extradition from Switzerland so he can be sentenced on the charge. The Academy Award-winning director fled the United States on the eve of sentencing in 1978.
Polanski’s attorneys hav e argued that there was substantial misconduct by the judge in that case, who is now deceased, and filed new evidence supporting the claim in their active appeal.
Geimer’s petition also sought the release of secret testimony by the former prosecutor handling Polanski’s case, who at the time expressed concerns about misconduct about the judge. Transcripts of his recent closed-court testimony remain sealed and unavailable for public review.
Senate Committee OKs Bill That Bans Movie Futures
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A proposed ban on betting on movie box office receipts took one step closer to becoming law.
A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday passed a financial regulatory reform bill that supports Hollywood in outlawing the trading of futures contracts based on predicted movie ticket sales.
The bill was backed by Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln, the chair of the committee.
The Motion Picture Association of America applauded the committee’s work. It has called such proposals a form of legalized gambling.
This month, federal regulators approved the creation of two exchanges that would trade in movie futures, but did not OK specific contracts. That means trading cannot yet take place.
A House committee is to hold a public hearing on the issue on Thursday.
Work on James Bond Film Suspended Amid MGM Woes
LONDON (AP) – Producers say work on the next James Bond film has been halted indefinitely because of uncertainty about the future of distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli say development of the movie was suspended after MGM failed to find a buyer. They said late Monday they did not know when work would resume.
MGM put itself up for sale after a slump in DVD sales and a lack of hits left it unable to manage a $3.7 billion debt.
Wilson and Broccoli’s EON Productions has produced 22 Bond thrillers since 1962. The new film, known only as “Bond 23,” had been due for release in 2011 or 2012.
Bond actor Daniel Craig says he has confidence in the producers and looks forward to production resuming.
Hollywood Studios Cut Trash Production
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Hollywood is producing less trash these days – 40 million pounds less.
The Solid Waste Task Force says major movie studios collectively diverted 66 percent of studio sets and other solid waste from landfills in an industrywide effort to be more environmentally friendly.
MPAA President Bob Pisano said Wednesday the joint effort by the Motion Picture Association of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has reached “an all-time high” in recycling and reusing since it began in the early 1990s.
Disney will donate of a portion of ticket sales for its new film “Oceans” to support coral reef conservation. Fox is marking Earth Day’s 40th anniversary and the DVD release of “Avatar” with a pledge to plant a million trees around the world by the end of 2010.
Imax Continues to Expand in China
NEW YORK (AP) – Imax Corp. said Wednesday that government-owned Zhejiang Xinyuan Cultural Industry Group Co. is installing an Imax screen in its new 16-screen multiplex.
The theater is in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province, two hours from Shanghai. Imax said the screen will be ready for the June release of “Aftershock,” the first mainstream Chinese film adapted for the technology.
Imax has been expanding in China. It currently has 26 theaters open and plans to have 50 by 2012.
Additionally, IMAX Corp. said Tuesday it will expand in Japan – the latest in a series of international deals inked recently amid growing demand for 3-D movies following the success of science fiction blockbuster Avatar.
The Canada-based company, along with local partner Tokyu Recreation, will add five of its giant 3-D equipped screens in the Japan over the next two years. Since Tokyu opened four IMAX theaters last year, box office receipts have exceeded expectations and convinced the Japanese company to build more.
“Performance has been really strong,” said IMAX chief executive Richard Gelfond of the Japanese theaters. “It’s probably the strongest start that we’ve had in any territory in our history.”
Financial returns for movie theaters were already good, Gelfond said in Tokyo. “But Avatar really put them in another strata.”
The agreement in Japan follows a 15-theater deal it signed last month in South Korea, a four-theater deal in France, a single-theater deal in Singapore and an expanded partnership in Russia.
IMAX is even looking to build IMAX screens where there are no theaters. In development is a portable IMAX theater, similar to an inflatable dome, that could be erected in days and seat 450.
The idea holds promise for rural areas, such as in China, or live a ction sports events in parks, Gelfond said. A prototype should be out by May, with possible launch in September.
The emergence of 3-D televisions also has the company considering how to parlay its success into living rooms.
It may introduce a “very very high-end” 3-D home entertainment system in the future, Gelfond told The Associated Press. It is also working on a project with Sony Corp. and Discovery Communications to launch the first 3-D television channel next year.
‘Cove’ Director Defiant of Base Ban, HarassmentYuri Kageyama
TOKYO (AP) – The director of “The Cove” said Thursday that a decision by a U.S. military base in Japan to ban the Oscar-winning film on dolphin killings and protests at the local distributor’s office won’t silence the film’s message on saving dolphins.
“The Cove” documents the bloody bludgeoning of dolphins by fishermen in the western seaside Japanese town of Taiji, where some dolphins are captured and sold to aquariums while others are killed for their meat. The film has set off a flurry of debate, especially after it won best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
The Japanese government is adamant that whaling and dolphin hunts must continue for research and cultural purposes. But most Japanese have never eaten whale or dolphin, and are shocked to see the slaughter.
The U.S. Air Force Yokota Air Base, west of Tokyo, decided last week to cancel the screening at its on-base theater to be “sensitive to local political and cultural concer ns,” base spokesperson Mitsuru Takahashi said.
“The Cove” director Louie Psihoyos said he will give away 100 DVDs of the movie to people at the base so they can see it.
“The military is facing a lot of pressure by our government to make nice of the Japanese,” he told The Associated Press by telephone from Boulder, Colorado. “We are going to win this battle, with or without the U.S. military.”
The film has not yet opened in Japan, except at a festival and small screenings, and is set to be shown at theaters in June. The faces of the fishermen and many other people in the film are blurred out to protect their privacy.
In recent weeks, dozens of nationalist protesters with loudspeakers have shown up at the distributor’s downtown Tokyo office demanding the film not be shown. Some theaters may choose not to show the film simply to avoid trouble.
Psihoyos, executive director of the Oceanic Preservation Society, a nonprofit for protecting the environme nt, said he was hopeful Japanese will be interested in what he said was a warning in his movie about the health risks of eating dolphin meat, which has mercury contamination levels higher than fish.
“It’s not just about saving dolphins. It’s about saving humans,” he said. “This kind of information needs to be freed. We’re going to get it out there, one way or another.”
He has begun working on his next film, tentatively titled “The Singing Planet,” an overview about the destruction of nature, such as the disappearance of coral reefs and the rise of toxins in tuna and other ocean life.
Psihoyos is set to testify at a U.S. congressional hearing with the Committee on Natural Resources on Tuesday that will raise questions about the educational value of keeping marine animals in captivity – an issue drawing growing interest after a SeaWorld Orlando trainer was killed by an orca, or killer whale, in February.
“Fish are talking. Whales are talking,” he said. “Everything has been singing. We just haven’t been listening, and we are destroying these voices.”
ASCAP Honors Jason Mraz, Patti Smith, the Killers
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald and Jason Mraz are tops in song writing.
Gottwald was named songwriter of the year and Mraz received song of the year honors Wednesday at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ 27th annual Pop Music Awards.
The awards recognize the writers and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed songs of the year.
Gottwald wrote five of the top hits of 2009, including Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and Flo Rida’s “Right Round.” Mraz’s song, “I’m Yours,” holds the record for the most weeks spent on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart: 76 and counting.
The honors for publisher of the year went to EMI Music Publishing, which had 15 award-winning songs in 2009.
Patti Smith received the organization’s Founders Award. ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams called Smith “a songwriter, poet, trailblazer and rock icon whose creative genius and rock ‘n’ roll spirit wil l continue to inspire generations to come.”
Previous winners of that honor include Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Annie Lennox, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell.
The Killers were presented with the Vanguard Award, which recognizes genres that help shape the future of American music. Past winners include the Beastie Boys, Modest Mouse, Nine Inch Nails and Jack Johnson.
Other songs honored during the private dinner ceremony at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel include the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow,” Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”
A complete list of winners is available on ASCAP’s website: http://www.ascap.com.
First Look: New ‘Shrek’ Film Premieres at TribecaJake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – One thing hasn’t changed with “Shrek”: Puss in Boots still steals the show.
The fourth and supposedly final “Shrek” film, “Shrek Forever After,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday night at New York’s Ziegfeld Theatre.
It was a glitzy affair for the film, the first in the franchise to be released in 3-D. Given the box-office boost 3-D films have seen – particularly since “Avatar” – the film’s studio, DreamWorks, expects a 3-D “Shrek” to be a hit, capping a franchise that has already earned more than $1 billion at the domestic box office.
“Shrek Forever After,” which will be released May 21, returns the voice cast of Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, the Zorro-like feline.
The film takes the shape of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” A mid-life crisis comes to Shrek, now a father of three, who laments the loss of his younger, wilder days as a fea rsome ogre. The evil magician Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) makes a dubious deal with Shrek, the result being that Shrek was never born and never married Fiona.
The bizarro world Shrek encounters – something like the sideways shifts of ABC’s “Lost” – is a mishmash of mostly the familiar fairy tale characters, but with different twists of fate. The Gingerbread Man, so meek in previous “Shrek” movies, is now a kickboxing warrior.
Puss in Boots, too, has been inverted. In this “Shrek,” the debonair swashbuckler has turned out an obese house cat, too lazy to shoo a mouse drinking from his bowl. He doesn’t even have his namesake’s footwear.
The character, something of a sensation after his debut in “Shrek 2,” won many of the laughs at the premiere of “Shrek Forever After.”
Shortly before the premiere, Banderas said he believed the “Shrek” films have been popular because they’re enjoyed by both kids and parents – “but most especially by the parents.” He cred ited a loose atmosphere for the films’ tone.
“We are absolutely not conditioned to say the lines in a specific way, but they allow us to improvise a lot,” said Banderas. “I know that is not the method used in all animated movies.”
“Shrek Forever After” continues many of the familiar characteristics of the franchise – the pop song allusions, the fractured fairy-tale storytelling – but moviegoers can expect Puss in Boots to again be a memorable part of the experience.
The premiere was the opening night for the Tribeca Film Festival, which was co-founded by Robert De Niro. The festival, in its ninth year, runs through May 2.
AP Writer Sigal Ratner-Arias contributed to this report.
Cigarette Sponsor Pulled from Kelly Clarkson Show
Irwan Firdaus
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Pop star Kelly Clarkson’s upcoming concert in Indonesia will no longer be sponsored by a cigarette company, the promoter said Thursday following protests from fans and anti-tobacco groups.
Clarkson, the first winner of “American Idol,” had previously said that while she was surprised to learn that billboards announcing her April 29 concert in Jakarta were prominently branded with the logo of the popular cigarette L.A. Lights, the show would go on with the controversial sponsorship.
“I refuse to cancel on my fans,” she wrote in a posting on her blog. She added that she’s not a smoker and does not advocate it.
Though Clarkson initially indicated that the sponsorship could not be pulled, promoter Adrie Subono said that his company Java Musikindo had reached a “final agreement” with cigarette company Djarum, the maker of L.A. Lights, and the sponsorship had been canceled. He said it would take one or two days to remove all the billboards and pull other advertisements, including those on TV.
“There will be no (L.A. Lights) media promotion at the Kelly Clarkson concert,” Subono told The Associated Press.
Djarum has declined to comment.
In a similar dispute two years ago, Grammy winner Alicia Keys apologized to fans and denounced the sponsorship of her Indonesian concert by an affiliate of U.S. tobacco giant Philip Morris International. She went ahead with the show, but only after the cigarette logo was removed from her promotions.
Indonesia, a nation of 235 million people, is one of the final frontiers where tobacco companies are given virtual free rein when it comes to selling, advertising and promoting their products, practices long banned in the U.S. and many other countries. The Marlboro Man still rides high on huge billboards that cross four-lane highways. Free samples are sometimes given out at events by young women dressed in matching short skirts.
About 63 percent of all men light up and a third of the country’s entire population smokes. A quarter of boys age 13 to 15 are already hooked.
In recent days, Clarkson’s Facebook page has been flooded with fans begging her to reject the cigarette sponsorship, saying she is sending the wrong message to kids about smoking. Anti-tobacco groups have blasted the singer for using her image to sell products that kill 200,000 Indonesians every year.
Clarkson fired back in her blog.
“I think the hardest part of situations like this is getting personally attacked for something I was completely unaware of and being used as some kind of political pawn,” she wrote.
