March 18, 2011
Chow to receive Asian Film Awards lifetime honor
HONG KONG (AP) – Raymond Chow, the veteran Hong Kong producer who introduced Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to an international audience, will be honored for lifetime achievement at the fifth Asian Film Awards ceremony on Monday.
Organizers of the Hong Kong event said Friday that the 83-year-old filmmaker was “instrumental in making Asian cinema the global cinematic and box office force it is today.”
Chow worked at the famed Shaw Brothers studios before leaving to found Golden Harvest in 1970. The breakaway company jump-started Lee’s career with hits like “Fist of Fury” and “Enter the Dragon.” In 1979, it signed Chan, casting him in his first English-language productions, including the star-studded 1981 action comedy “The Cannonball Run.”
Golden Harvest also made the “Once Upon a Time in China” series starring Jet Li.
Crystal says he’d consider a return to host Oscars
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Billy Crystal says he’d consider a return as Oscar host – if some changes are made to the show.
The eight-time Academy Awards host said he was moved by his warm reception at last month’s ceremony and that “it might be fun” to host the show again.
“I think the show needs to change,” he said. “There’s too many awards and it has to sort of freshen itself up, and if I can be a part of that, that would be great.”
The 63-year-old entertainer made the comments Thursday in an interview as he prepared to join longtime friend Muhammad Ali at Saturday’s Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix. Crystal is set to introduce the Champ, who hosts the annual fundraising event to support the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and research toward a cure.
Iraq Vet says ‘Hurt Locker’ damaged his credibility
LOS ANGELES (AP) – An Iraq war veteran who claims he is the basis for “The Hurt Locker” wrote in a court filing signed in Afghanistan that the movie has placed his life at risk and subjected him to ridicule about his bomb disposal prowess.
“Defendants have essentially placed a bulls-eye on the back of my army uniform/bomb suit for my current and future deployments,” Army Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver wrote in a sworn declaration filed Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Sarver wrote that the Oscar-winning film relies heavily on his experiences and background and that despite claims from the filmmakers, the screenwriter did base several of the film’s scenes on his experiences. Those include firing a handgun at suspected car bombers, placing the gun to the forehead of an Iraqi driver to get him to move away and setting off smoke screens to avoid snipers.
Sarver signed his declaration in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, where he is currently deployed.
He claims he never gave screenwriter Mark Boal permission to use personal details in a story he did for a Playboy magazine article titled “The Man in the Bomb Suit,” and that their inclusion in the story and “The Hurt Locker” have hurt his reputation.
Boal was embedded with Sarver’s unit in 2004. Sarver claims Boal wanted to stay with him exclusively because he didn’t trust other bomb techs.
“Because the actor portrays me as a reckless soldier and idiot, this portrayal is being reflected upon me at work, at home, and amongst friends,” Sarver wrote.
He also states that some of the film’s scenes feature the main character using techniques that are the opposite of proper bomb-disposal procedure, which has led to other soldiers questioning his abilities.
Sarver’s filing claims Army leadership mistakenly believes he sold his story so that it could be made into a movie, which has hurt his chances for a promotion.
“Hurt Locker” Director Kathryn Bigelow, Boal and the film’s producers are seeking a dismissal of Sarver’s case, saying he is not the basis for “William James,” the character played by Jeremy Renner. In court filings, they have also stated that the film is protected by California law and the First Amendment, and that Sarver cannot win the lawsuit.
“William James is a fictional character that is a product of my imagination,” Boal wrote in a previous filing.
A hearing on their dismissal motion is set for April 4.
Sarver sued over “The Hurt Locker” in March 2010, just days before the movie won best picture at the Academy Awards. Bigelow and Boal also received Oscars for their work on the film.
Netflix vying for first rights to new TV series
Michael Liedtke, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Netflix is trying to buy Internet streaming rights to a 26-episode drama starring Kevin Spacey before the series is shown on a television network.
If the deal is completed, it would mark a bold step in a new direction for Netflix’s popular video subscription service. The more than 20,000 titles in Netflix Inc.’s streaming library primarily consist of previously aired TV series and older movies.
The talks were reported earlier by Deadline.com. A person familiar with the negotiations on Wednesday confirmed Netflix’s interest in the series “House of Cards.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal hasn’t been reached.
Should it win rights to “House of Cards,” Netflix would emerge as an even more serious threat to pay-TV channels such as HBO. Netflix has 20 million subscribers.
Sesame Street actors plead for funding
WASHINGTON (AP) – The stars of Sesame Street – the real people – are on Capitol Hill helping unions and activist groups protest proposed federal spending cuts to public broadcasting.
Emilio Delgado (Luis), Roscoe Orman (Gordon) and Bob McGrath (Bob) lamented the effect the cuts could have on educational television like Sesame Street. The actors, along with fellow Sesame Street stars Alan Muraoka (Alan) and Alison Bartlett O’Reilly (Gina) appeared as members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The actors were helping to deliver petitions asking the Senate to fully fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps pay for Sesame Street and other programming. The House has voted to end spending that totaled about $420 million last year.
Kevin Spacey’s Chinese film clears censors
HONG KONG (AP) – The director of Kevin Spacey’s Chinese production “Inseparable” says the film has cleared the country’s censors and its financial backers are discussing release dates with local distributors.
Chinese-American director Dayyan Eng told said in an e-mail that Spacey enjoyed his shoot in the southern Chinese city Guangzhou. Eng says the two-time Oscar winner explored the city’s restaurants and took him and other crew members to them.
In “Inseparable,” Spacey plays an American expat who befriends a Chinese man bogged down by work and marital problems, played by Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu.
By choosing a Chinese-funded production, Spacey gains exposure to the booming Chinese market by avoiding import quotas imposed on American productions.
‘Avatar’ creator: Shooting in 3-D beats conversion
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The creator of 3-D epic “Avatar” says studios that rework movies filmed conventionally into 3-D,rather than shooting originally in the format, risk hurting their business.
James Cameron told a media conference in Abu Dhabi Tuesday that Hollywood is undergoing a shift from conventional films to 3-D that is similar to the transition from the first color films to a world of all color movies.
He cautioned that studios that try to hedge their bets by adding 3-D effects only in post-production, once they decide the film is worth the investment “are harming themselves in that cautious approach.”
He recommends the more expensive process upfront of shooting in 3-D directly, because customers are willing to pay more for it.
Aflac dumps duck voice actor for tasteless tweets
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) – Aflac Inc. said Monday it has fired Gilbert Gottfried, the abrasive voice of the insurer’s quacking duck in the U.S., after the comedian posted a string of mocking jokes about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Twitter over the weekend.
The tasteless tweets are particularly problematic for Aflac because it does 75 percent of its business in Japan. One in four homes in Japan buys health insurance from Aflac. The insurer’s CEO, Daniel Amos, flew to Japan on Sunday to show support for the company’s employees and agents.
The company said in a statement Monday that Gottfried’s jokes do not represent the feelings of the company, which previously announced it would donate 100 million yen ($1.2 million) to the International Red Cross to help with disaster assistance.
“There is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times,” Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said.
Gottfried has voiced the duck in numerous Aflac commercials since 2000. His career includes a run as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” and a role as the voice of the parrot in Disney’s “Aladdin.” He has also recorded a 50-minute show of dirty jokes.
The insurer said it will start a casting search for his replacement. The company also noted that Gottfried is not the voice of the duck in Japan. Aflac’s mascot in has a softer, sweeter voice in Japanese commercials.
Aflac is gearing up for an influx of claims in the wake of the disaster, though it expects only a minimal financial impact to total results. The company, which has been doing business in Japan since 1974, said less than 5 percent of Aflac Japan’s new sales and in-force premiums come from the hard-hit Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures there.
Oscar winner cleared in Batman cameraman’s death
LONDON (AP) – A British jury on Monday cleared an Oscar-winning special effects supervisor over the death of a cameraman during the making of “Batman: The Dark Knight.”
New Zealand-born Conway Wickliffe, 41, was killed when a vehicle he was filming from struck a tree during a test run for an action sequence near Chertsey, west of London, in Sept. 2007.
The jury at Guildford Crown Court took less than two hours to unanimously find Christopher Corbould, 53, not guilty of failing to ensure Wickliffe’s safety. Corbould looked relieved and could be heard breathing a sigh of relief as jurors returned their verdict clearing him of health and safety breaches.
Corbould’s lawyer Chris Humphreys said the special effects supervisor and his family were “tremendously happy with the decision of the jury.”
“We always thought from the beginning that this was an ill-conceived and misguided prosecution,” Humphreys said outside the court. “World class actors do not put their livelihoods and well-being in the hands of people that don’t put their health and safety first.”
Corbould – who won an Oscar for his visual effects work on “Inception” – had said he had followed safety procedures correctly and informed staff, including Wickliffe, of every detail of the stunt.
“I would never put someone in the position where they didn’t know every single detail of what’s going on. That’s inconceivable,” Corbould told the court. He said he had worked with Wickliffe, a father of two, for about seven years, and was devastated by his colleague’s death.
Prosecutors said Corbould should have more rigorously assessed the potential hazards of the stunt sequence.
The accident happened during the filming of a second section of action scene, following earlier work carried out in Chicago. Corbould said it involved a vehicle mounting a ramp and flipping over, with a second vehicle following close by to film the sequence.
The movie, released in 2008, paid tribute in its closing credits to Wickliffe and actor Heath Ledger – who played the Joker and died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
New NCAA TV deal changes how fans watch tourney
NEW YORK (AP) – For all you college basketball fans who’ve moaned over the years that you could do a better job of switching among NCAA tournament games than CBS – here’s your chance.
If a team leads by 30 points Thursday afternoon while another game is tied in the final seconds, CBS won’t budge. Viewers will hold all the power in their remote controls.
The NCAA tournament’s new 14-year, $10.8 billion TV deal with two media companies radically changes how a nation of bracket-fillers will watch March Madness. Every game will be broadcast nationally in its entirety, spread across four networks – old standby CBS, plus three Turner cable channels in TNT, TBS and truTV.
‘Hereafter’ tsunami movie stops showing in Japan
TOKYO (AP) – A film distributor says it has decided to stop showing Clint Eastwood’s tsunami movie “Hereafter” in Japan following a catastrophic quake.
Warner Entertainment Japan Inc. official Satoru Otani says theaters will no longer show the film. He said Monday the terrifying tsunami scenes in the movie were “not appropriate” at this time.
“Hereafter” opened in Japan in late February at around 180 theaters. Warner Entertainment initially planned to show the movie until late March.
Source Code sci-fi thriller premieres at SXSW
ByChris Tomlinson
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Director Duncan Jones has premiered his tech-savvy thriller Source Code at the high-tech South by Southwest festival.
Austin’s South by Southwest combines film, music and new technology.
Source Code’s stars Jake Gyllenhall, Michele Monaghan and Vera Farmiga walked the red carpet into the Paramount Theater for the world premiere.
Source Code follows an Air Force captain who finds himself inside another man’s body in order to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. Gyllenhaal plays the captain, Farmiga his air force handler and Monaghan a passenger on the train. The film deals with traveling to parallel universes.
This is Jones’ second feature-length film. He premiered his first film, Moon, at South by Southwest in 2009.
Source Code opens nationwide on April 1.
