August 19, 2011
Raoul Ruiz, French-Chilean filmmaker, dead at 70
By Cecile Brisson
PARIS (AP) – Raoul Ruiz, a French-Chilean filmmaker who directed John Malkovich in a role as Austrian artist Gustav Klimt and worked to put cinema on an artistic par with literature, has died, one of his producers said.
Ruiz, 70, died Friday at Saint-Antoine hospital in Paris following complications from a pulmonary infection, said Francois Margolin, a producer of several of the dozens of films by the director.
Ruiz directed Malkovich as the famed Austrian art nouveau painter in “Klimt,” from 2006, as well as European film stars including French actresses Laetitia Casta and Catherine Deneuve and late Italian legend Marcello Mastroianni.
Ruiz fled to France from his native Chile in 1973 after military strongman Augusto Pinochet seized power in a coup.
Payne’s ‘Descendants’ to close NY Film Festival
NEW YORK (AP) – Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” will close the New York Film Festival.
The festival announced Wednesday that the film starring George Clooney is its closing night selection. It will screen Oct. 16 and mark the director’s first film at the festival since 2004’s “Sideways.”
“The Descendants” is adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. It is first premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September. It will be released theatrically Nov. 23.
The 49th annual New York Film Festival also announced the 27 films of its main slate. Selections include Abel Ferrara’s “4:44: Last Day on Earth,” Martin Scorsese’s “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “The Kid With a Bike,” Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” and Wim Wender’s “Pina.”
McBride taps famous cancer survivors for video
NEW YORK (AP) – Martina McBride’s new single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” is an inspirational song about going through cancer, and for the video, she enlisted the help of a few famous faces to convey the message.
“Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, singer Sheryl Crow, ABC’s Katie Couric and “Today” anchor Hoda Kotb ( HO’-duh KAHT’-bee) all appear in the clip, which debuts Wednesday on CMT.com.
Roberts, Crow and Kotb are all survivors of breast cancer; Couric’s husband died of colon cancer.
McBride, who has never had cancer, says she wanted to sing the song to give hope and positive messages to those going through the struggle. She says it “takes a lot of strength and a lot of love to get through something like that.”
The song is from her new album, “Eleven,” due out Oct. 11.
Abercrombie asks ‘The Situation’ to shop elsewhere
Abercrombie asks ‘The Situation’ to shop elsewhere
NEW YORK (AP) – The Situation doesn’t usually require a lot of motivation to lose the shirt. But Abercrombie & Fitch wants him to go one further – the company has offered to pay “Jersey Shore” cast members to stop wearing clothes carrying their brand.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. said in a news release posted Tuesday that it’s concerned that having Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino seen in its clothing could cause “significant damage” to the company’s image.
Abercrombie says a connection to The Situation goes against the “aspirational nature” of its brand and may be “distressing” to customers. The Ohio-based retailer says it has offered a “substantial payment” to Sorrentino and producers of the MTV show so he’ll wear something else.
The company says it also is making the offer to others in the hard-partying cast.
“It’s a clever PR stunt and we’d love to work with them on other ways they can leverage Jersey Shore to reach the largest youth audience on television,” MTV said in a statement.
NC’s 1st film commissioner dies
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Bill Arnold, North Carolina’s first film commissioner who saw “The Color Purple,” ”Dirty Dancing” and other successful movies produced during his tenure, has died. He was 75.
State Department of Commerce public relations manager Margo Metzger said Arnold died Sunday at his home in Raleigh. The cause wasn’t known.
Arnold was appointed by Gov. Jim Hunt in 1980 to head a new office designed to bring movies and television productions to North Carolina. During Arnold’s 26 years, De Laurentiis Entertainment Studios, now EUE/Screen Gems Studios, opened in Wilmington.
Other movies produced in the state during Arnold’s time were “Bull Durham” and “Days of Thunder.” The television series “Dawson’s Creek,” and its spinoff, “One Tree Hill,” were also shot.
A funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Raleigh.
Miss. judge tosses suit against ‘The Help’ author
By Hollbrook Mohr
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Did Kathryn Stockett use her brother’s African American maid as the basis for a character in the bestselling novel-turned-movie “The Help?”
For now, that question may go unanswered, by a court anyway.
A Mississippi judge threw out a lawsuit Tuesday in which Ablene Cooper alleged Stockett used her likeness without permission in a book about relationships between white families and their black maids in the segregated South of the 1960s.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green granted a motion for summary judgment, dismissing the case because a one-year statute of limitations elapsed between when Stockett gave Cooper a copy of the book and when the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit sought $75,000 in damages.
Stockett was not in court in Jackson, the same city where the book is set.
Cooper wiped away tears leaving the courtroom and launched into a tirade outside the courthouse.
“She’s a liar. She did it. She knows she did it,” Cooper screamed.
The judge did not make any determination on whether Cooper was the basis for the character, Aibileen, saying the statute of limitations trumped those matters.
Besides the similarities in names, Cooper’s lawsuit says she lost a son shortly before going to work for Stockett’s brother, where she takes care of two children, a boy and a girl. Cooper’s lawsuit says that’s the same as the character portrayed in the book.
Cooper’s attorney, Edward Sanders, told The Associated Press he will consider the legal options available, including an appeal.
Melissa Broder, Stockett’s publicist, had no comment. One of Stockett’s attorneys, Fred Banks Jr., had no immediate comment either, saying he would release a statement later.
Stockett’s defense team argued in court papers that Cooper and the character are not that similar.
“‘The Help’ does not use Mrs. Ablene Cooper’s name. It uses the name Aibileen Clark. It does not paint a picture of Mrs. Ablene Cooper, middle-aged in 2011. It paints the picture of Aibileen Clark, middle-aged in 1962,” the lawyers said in court filings.
Stockett’s attorneys said in court records that Aibileen is based on the late Demetrie McLorn, the Stockett family’s housekeeper, who died when the author was a teenager.
“The Help” was made into a movie that opened last week. It debuted at No. 2 nationwide, bringing in $26 million.
The lawsuit says Stockett’s refusal to acknowledge that she based the character on Cooper’s likeness “is so outrageous in character, and so extreme as to go beyond all bounds of human decency, and is utterly intolerable in a civilized community.”
The suit also says that during a 2009 interview with The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Stockett said: “When I was writing this book I never thought anyone else would read it, so I didn’t get real creative with the names. I just used people I knew. Some of them aren’t talking to me right now, but I feel like they’ll come around.”
After court Tuesday, Cooper’s adult son wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulders and yelled at a throng of reporters to get out of their way as they walked toward their car.
Cooper has said she’s been embarrassed and distraught by the language used by the character that she says is based on her.
“You see how I’m hurt? You know I’m hurt,” Cooper said outside the courthouse.
The lawsuit quotes passages from the book, including one in which Aibileen’s character describes a cockroach: “He black. Blacker than me.”
The lawsuit says Cooper found it upsetting and highly offensive to be portrayed as someone “who uses this kind of language and compares her skin color to a cockroach.”
Cooper’s lawyer acknowledged in court that Stockett gave her a copy of the book in January 2009, about a month before it was published. The lawsuit was filed in February 2011.
Sanders, Cooper’s lawyer, said a note Stockett wrote to Cooper falsely implied the book had nothing to do with Cooper, so she didn’t read it until later. Sanders argued that the statute of limitations should have begun later, when Cooper eventually read the book.
The judge was not persuaded.
Kidman, Cage, De Niro titles head to Toronto fest
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz’s British spy tale “Page Eight” has been chosen to close next month’s Toronto International Film Festival, one of the world’s biggest cinema showcases.
Co-starring Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon and Judy Davis, “Page Eight” will bring down the curtain on the festival that runs Sept. 8-18.
Other films added to the Toronto lineup Tuesday include Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage’s thriller “Trespass”; Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard’s Winnie Mandela drama “Winnie”; Gerard Butler’s African missionary tale “Machine Gun Preacher’; Jason Statham and Robert De Niro’s action saga “Killer Elite”; and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy’s comedy “Hysteria.”
Among previously announced Toronto titles is “From the Sky Down,” a portrait of superstar band U2 that will be the first documentary ever to open the festival.
Similar movies, same time: A look at how they did A quick look at similar movies that came out within months of each other. In some cases, both did just fine. Will the same hold true for next year’s two Snow Whites?
Battle at the O.K. Corral: “Tombstone” – Gunslinger and law enforcer Wyatt Earp moves to Tombstone and gets in a gunfight at the O.K. Corral with the outlaw Cowboys. Starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. The Walt Disney Co.’s Buena Vista Pictures released it Dec. 25, 1993.
“Wyatt Earp” – Wyatt Earp becomes a broken-hearted widower and then moves to Tombstone, where as a gunslinger and law enforcer he shoots up the outlaw Cowboys. Starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman. Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. released it June 24, 1994.
The verdict: “Tombstone” sold $57 million at the U.S. box office. “Wyatt Earp” grossed less than half of that, $25 million, about six months later.
Fighting in Europe:
“Rob Roy” – The leader of a Scottish clan battles with feudal landowners in the 18th century. Starring Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange. United Artists released it April 7, 1995.
“Braveheart” – A Scottish rebel leads an uprising against English oppressors in the 13th century. Starring Mel Gibson. Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures released it May 24, 1995.
The verdict: “Rob Roy” sold $59 million worldwide. “Braveheart” came out less than two months later yet grossed much more, $204 million.
Eruption of the volcanoes:
“Dante’s Peak” – A dormant volcano in Washington state erupts, endangering a nearby town. Starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. Universal Pictures, now part of Comcast Corp., released it Feb. 7, 1997.
“Volcano” – A dormant volcano under Los Angeles erupts and rains lava bombs on the city. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche and Don Cheadle. News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox released it April 25, 1997.
The verdict: “Dante’s Peak” grossed $169 million worldwide, while “Volcano” grossed $120 million about three months later.
Destruction by space objects:
“Deep Impact” – A comet is on its way to destroy Earth, and 800,000 people are randomly selected to keep the human race alive. Starring Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni and Morgan Freeman. Paramount released it May 8, 1998.
“Armageddon” – An asteroid is on its way to destroy Earth and a team of offshore drillers is sent to plant a nuclear bomb that will knock it off course. Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler. Disney’s Touchstone Pictures released it July 1, 1998.
The verdict: “Deep Impact” sold $349 million worldwide and “Armageddon” grossed $555 million despite coming out just two months apart.
Tale of a princess: Untitled Snow White Project – An exiled princess enlists seven dwarves to win back her birthright from an evil queen in an adventure comedy. Starring Julia Roberts, Lilly Collins and Armie Hammer. Relativity Media plans to release it March 16, 2012.
“Snow White and the Huntsman” – An exiled princess trains in the art of war with a huntsman dispatched to kill her and tries to overthrow an evil queen in an epic adventure. Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. Universal plans to release it June 1, 2012.
The verdict: Stay tuned.
Source: AP/IMDb Pro
Relativity Media partners with China moviemakers
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Hollywood studio Relativity Media says it is partnering with two companies to make Chinese films for global audiences and distribute movies in the fast growing Chinese market.
The partnership teams Relativity with private equity firm SAIF Partners and IDG China Media, an investment arm of Boston-based International Data Group.
Relativity will also distribute future films in China through a joint venture called SkyLand, in which the three companies are co-owners. SkyLand will also invest in local film and TV production.
The companies are working on bringing well-known Chinese folklore tales to the big screen around the world.
SkyLand recently co-produced “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,” a movie inspired by the novel by Lisa See.
Relativity has produced or co-financed more than 200 movies including “Cowboys & Aliens,” ”Bridesmaids,” and “Limitless.”
‘Lone Ranger’ filming shut down over budget issues
By Noaki Schwartz
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Walt Disney Studios’ much-anticipated big-screen adaptation of “The Lone Ranger” starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer has been shut down, according to a source close to the production.
Those involved in the project are figuring out their next steps, and it’s possible filming could resume, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the discussions and requested anonymity.
The development was first reported in Deadline Hollywood, an entertainment industry news website. It cited difficulties with reducing the movie’s estimated $250 million cost to $200 million.
Jerry Bruckheimer was set to produce the film with a script by Justin Haythe. Hammer was expected to play the title character, and Depp was set to be the Lone Ranger’s partner, Tonto.
The Lone Ranger show – about a masked Texas Ranger who battles injustice in the Old West – first aired on radio in the 1930s and became a hit TV series during the 1950s. The movie adaptation was scheduled to be released Dec. 21, 2012.
The film would bring together Depp and Bruckheimer, who have collaborated on the wildly successful “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. That franchise has raked in billions of dollars in worldwide box office sales for Disney.
