Movie News
1. Spielberg group gives $1M to Pa. Jewish museum
By Associated Press - July 3, 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- A foundation created by Steven Spielberg is giving $1 million to the National Museum of American Jewish History.The money from the Righteous Persons Foundation will go toward a new, five-story museum building being built in Philadelphia.With the donation,...
2. Judge: Snipes can travel abroad for movies
By Associated Press - July 2, 2008
OCALA, Fla. -- Wesley Snipes will be allowed to leave the United States to work on two movies while his lawyers appeal his tax convictions. Federal judge William Terrell Hodges on Wednesday approved the actor's motion to travel to London and Bangkok, Thailand. Snipes...
3. Jolie goes to hospital to give birth to twins
By Associated Press - July 1, 2008
PARIS -- Angelina Jolie has gone into the hospital in the south of France where she expects to give birth to twins.Nadine Bauer, a spokeswoman for the Lenval Hospital in Nice, said Jolie is fine and that everything is going well. She said the actress' admittance to the...
4. Jolie in French hospital for birth of twins
By COLLEEN BARRY - July 1, 2008
NICE, France -- Partially eclipsed by the glitterati of Cannes and the royal glare of Monaco, Nice is a place where even the brightest stars -- like Brangelina -- are greeted by little more than indifference.Only the presence of paparazzi outside the seaside hospital...
5. Heath Ledger's hometown to name theater after him
By Associated Press - July 1, 2008
PERTH, Australia -- The Australian hometown of the late actor Heath Ledger named a theater in his honor Tuesday for his commitment to acting. The $87 million, 575-seat Heath Ledger Theater in Perth is a fitting tribute because Ledger was always supportive of other young...
6. Western extras play bit parts in new Egyptian film
By PAUL SCHEMM - June 30, 2008
CAIRO, Egypt -- A motley group of foreigners -- English teachers, students of Arabic, even a journalist -- gathered on a recent chilly night in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, brought together by a love of cinema, curiosity and a furtive hope of catching a glimpse...
7. Will Smith's kids see `daddy being mean' in film
Associated Press Writer - June 29, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Will Smith usually plays the hero in his summer blockbusters. But in "Hancock," he drinks, swears, mouths off -- and goes to prison.Smith's role as a superhero-gone-bad could be jarring to some moviegoers -- but not his children and wife Jada Pinkett...
8. Strike 2? Hollywood braces for actor walkout
By DAVID GERMAIN - June 28, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood loves a good sequel, but here's one it could do without: Another union strike just months after the town got up and running again from a devastating walkout by writers.The contract between the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion...
9. Publicist: Thurman engaged to financier Busson
By Associated Press - June 27, 2008
NEW YORK -- It's official: Uma Thurman will marry financier Arpad "Arki" Busson. "I can confirm she is engaged," Thurman's representative, Stephen Huvane, told The Associated Press in an e-mail. Huvane didn't immediately respond Monday when asked for further...
10. 'Hellboy' director: I would've been a bank robber
By E.J. TAMARA - June 27, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Guillermo del Toro has had it with the beautiful people of Hollywood. It's monsters -- or bank robbers -- he wants to see. The Mexican director, whose latest movie "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" opens next month, said Thursday night that monsters have a...
11. 'Voice' of WALL-E: Robot sounds toddler-inspired
By MICHAEL WEINFELD - June 27, 2008
Sci-fi animation moviemaking in aisle four!Ben Burtt, the two-time Oscar-winning sound engineer who designed the voices of R2-D2, ET and now the main character in "WALL-E," says his out-of-this-world audio often comes from the most mundane, Earth-bound activities -- like a trip to the grocery...
12. TMZ allowed to repost portion of actor's sex tape
By Associated Press - June 27, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- The woman in a sex tape featuring Verne Troyer -- best known for his role in the "Austin Powers" movies -- says she allowed celebrity Web site TMZ to broadcast snippets of the tape.Troyer's ex-girlfriend, Ranae Shrider, signed a declaration filed in...
13. Mom of alleged Lohan sister 'wanted it exposed'
By DERRIK J. LANG - June 27, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- The father of a 13-year-old girl who may be Lindsay Lohan's half-sister said the family went public with the story after Lohan's father, Michael, repeatedly refused to provide support.The Montana girl's family is looking into legal options to pursue once...
14. Report: Loren appeals for Naples cleanup
By Associated Press - June 27, 2008
ROME -- Sophia Loren is imploring people to clear the garbage off the streets of her beloved Naples."I beg you, with my hands clasped in prayer, to multiply efforts to remedy to this tragedy," Loren was quoted as saying by the Italian daily La Repubblica on Friday.Loren...
15. Wim Wenders to head jury at Venice film fest
By Associated Press - June 27, 2008
VENICE, Italy -- Wim Wenders will head the international jury that will award the coveted Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival. The decision was made Friday during a board meeting of the Venice Biennale, whose activities include the film festival...
16. Q&A: Adam 'MCA' Yauch on his hoop film 'Gunnin'
By JAKE O'CONNELL - June 26, 2008
NEW YORK -- Adam "MCA" Yauch and the Beastie Boys have always been hoop fans, with lyrical references to ballplayers from Latrell Sprewell to streetball legend Hawthorne Wingo. Now Yauch is bringing that love to the big screen with the documentary "Gunnin' for that #1...
17. Wesley Snipes petitions court to leave country
By Associated Press - June 26, 2008
OCALA, Fla. -- Lawyers for Wesley Snipes are asking a Florida judge to let the 45-year-old actor leave the country while they appeal his three federal tax convictions. Snipes wants to work on two films, "Gallowwalker" and "Chasing the Dragon," in London and in Bangkok,...
18. `Dark Knight' credits pay tribute to Ledger
By Associated Press - June 26, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Heath Ledger is getting a fond tribute from his collaborators on "The Dark Knight." The end credits of the "Batman Begins" sequel include a farewell note to Ledger, who died in January from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs; and to...
19. Bill Murray's divorce finalized in South Carolina
By Associated Press - June 26, 2008
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Bill Murray and his wife of nearly 11 years are divorced. A judge in Charleston County signed off on the divorce agreement June 13, barely a month after Jennifer Butler Murray asked for the separation. The couple were married in July 1997.The couple's...
20. Bill Murray's divorce is finalized
By Associated Press - June 26, 2008
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Bill Murray and his wife of nearly 11 years are divorced.Documents filed in Charleston County in South Carolina show that a judge approved a divorce agreement on June 13th, barely a month after Jennifer Butler Murray, wife of the 57-year-old...
21. Robot romance `Wall-E' has heart of gold
By CHRISTY LEMIRE - June 26, 2008
Within the rumbling, stumbling hunk of junk that is WALL-E beats the sweetest, warmest heart -- a robotic representation of humanity's highest potential. And within the sci-fi adventure "WALL-E" lies an artistic truth: that Pixar's track record remains impeccable. Following high-concept movies...
22. Tom Hanks loses Idaho home construction dispute
By Associated Press - June 25, 2008
KETCHUM, Idaho -- A Blaine County judge has rejected Tom Hanks' second request for arbitration over what the actor says was $2.5 million in faulty workmanship by the construction company that built his sprawling compound north of this central Idaho resort town...
23. 'Valkyrie' portrait flap was mistaken photo ID
By JOSH L. DICKEY - June 24, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- What looked at first like another PR blow to "Valkyrie," the twice-delayed Tom Cruise film based on the true story of a German officer who plotted to assassinate Hitler, turned out to be a case of mistaken photo identity.A report posted on Slate.com last...
24. India's Reliance talking with DreamWorks
By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM - June 24, 2008
MUMBAI, India -- India's Reliance Entertainment and other investors are in talks with Hollywood's DreamWorks SKG to raise up to $2 billion to create a movie venture, two people familiar with negotiations said Tuesday.DreamWorks, the movie studio founded in 1994 by...
25. Cohen, Cotillard, Cody asked into Oscar ranks
By Associated Press - June 23, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Sacha Baron Cohen, Marion Cotillard, Ruby Dee and Jet Li have been invited to join Hollywood's most exclusive club -- the group that hands out the Academy Awards. They were among 105 actors, filmmakers, executives and others in the movie business who were...
26. Stars, relatives honor special-effects wiz Winston
By DERRIK J. LANG - June 22, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Friends, relatives and show-business colleagues gathered Sunday to remember Oscar-winning special-effects maestro Stan Winston, the man responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" and other iconic movie creatures to life.Winston died at his...
27. McConaughey photog claims surfers attacked him
By Associated Press - June 22, 2008
MALIBU, Calif. -- A paparazzo trying to photograph Matthew McConaughey at the beach told police he was attacked by a mob of surfers who threw his camera in the ocean.The 29-year-old photojournalist told sheriff's deputies that a large group of surfers near Paradise Cove...
28. Paparazzo sues Woody Harrelson for $2.5 million
By Associated Press - June 21, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Woody Harrelson has been sued for $2.5 million by a paparazzo who accused the actor of assaulting him and breaking his video camera two years ago. According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Josh Levine was filming Harrelson in...
29. Incredibly, Hulk gets abducted from Mass. theater
By Associated Press - June 21, 2008
LOWELL, Mass. -- Missing: an eight-foot-tall green man wearing ripped purple pants and missing his feet. Police in Lowell, Mass., say a promotional statue for the movie "The Incredible Hulk" disappeared from its spot in front of a local theater this week. Police Capt....
30. No contest plea in LA celeb embezzlement case
By Associated Press - June 20, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- A woman accused of embezzling more than $700,000 from Charlton Heston and television writer and producer Stephen J. Cannell pleaded no contest and was sentenced to more than five years in prison Friday.Sharon M. Walker, 56, pleaded no contest to two counts...
31. New Indian film festival debuts with 100 works
By DEBORAH BAKER - June 20, 2008
SANTA FE, N.M. -- In some American Indian tribes, when important matters are being discussed a "talking stick" is handed around. Whoever holds it is the only one who may speak, while the others listen. Hence the name of the Talking Stick Film Festival."I look at each...
32. Carell hosts charity screening of `Get Smart'
By NANCY RABINOWITZ - June 20, 2008
BOSTON -- Steve Carell stepped out of "The Office" to join the fight against cancer at a benefit that featured a screening of his new movie, "Get Smart."The screening was held Thursday night to benefit The Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund, named after a Newton teenager...
33. New Oscar rule limits song noms to 2 per film
By Associated Press - June 19, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Last time around, the Oscar songs category was three times "Enchanted" -- a trick that may never be repeated.The number of original songs that can be nominated from a single movie will now be limited to two, according to a rule change by the Academy of...
34. Son of 'Godfather' creator sues over profits
By Associated Press - June 18, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- The son of "The Godfather" creator Mario Puzo sued Paramount Pictures on Wednesday, claiming the studio failed to pay royalties from a 2006 video game based on the book and movie characters.Anthony Puzo of New York claims in a court filing that he...
35. Javier Bardem wins top Spanish film award
By Associated Press - June 18, 2008
MADRID, Spain -- Javier Bardem has won Spain's 2008 national film award, an honor given annually by the Culture Ministry. Bardem was selected for the $46,500 prize for "goals achieved throughout a long career." The ministry, in a statement Wednesday, highlighted the...
36. Best of 10: AFI releases top-10 genre film lists
By Associated Press - June 17, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- The American Film Institute's top-10 lists of the best in 10 film genres:ANIMATION1. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.2. "Pinocchio," 1940.3. "Bambi," 1942.4. "The Lion King," 1994.5. "Fantasia," 1940.6. "Toy Story," 1995.7. "Beauty and the Beast,"...
37. `Oz,' `2001,' `Vertigo' among AFI top genre flicks
By DAVID GERMAIN - June 17, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Snow White, Dorothy Gale, the HAL 9000 computer, Charles Chaplin's Little Tramp and Marlon Brando's Godfather share top billing among the American Film Institute's best genre movies.Films featuring those characters were among the No. 1 picks Tuesday on the...
38. De Niro testifies in NYC hotel dispute
By KAREN MATTHEWS - June 17, 2008
NEW YORK -- Robert De Niro's planned $43 million hotel in downtown Manhattan features a handmade brick exterior, Carrara marble bathtubs -- and a luxurious penthouse, which has raised the hackles of preservationists who say he flouted the rules with that top-floor...
39. Cyd Charisse dies in LA at 86
By BOB THOMAS - June 17, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Cyd Charisse, the long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 86. Charisse was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday after suffering an...
40. Effects guru Stan Winston dies of cancer at 62
By DERRIK J. LANG - June 16, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Stan Winston, the Oscar-winning special-effects maestro responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" and other iconic movie creatures to life, has died. He was 62. Winston died at his home in Malibu surrounded by family on Sunday evening...
41. Da Vinci Code movie banned from filming in church
By ARIEL DAVID - June 16, 2008
ROME -- Rome's diocese said Monday it has barred the producers of "Angels & Demons" from filming in two churches for the prequel to the "The Da Vinci Code," the popular book and film that angered many Catholic leaders.Producers of the film, directed by Ron Howard and...
42. Witherspoon-Phillippe divorce clears final hurdle
By Associated Press - June 13, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Reese Witherspoon has sealed another deal: her divorce from fellow actor Ryan Phillippe. Documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles show the pair have resolved the remaining issues of their split. Exact details weren't filed, though the pair had indicated...
43. Michael Moore to publish `Election Guide'
By Associated Press - June 13, 2008
NEW YORK -- Take cover, McCain. You too, Obama. Michael Moore is coming out with a new book. The tome, titled "Mike's Election Guide," a manual of mockery for the 2008 presidential election, will be published Aug. 19 by Grand Central Publishing, Jimmy Franco, a...
44. 2 movies about former Providence mayor moving forward
By MICHELLE R. SMITH - June 13, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- One movie apparently isn't big enough for the outsized personality of Vincent "Buddy" Cianci.Two films are planned about the ex-convict and radio talk show host who was one of the longest-serving mayors in U.S. history and one of Rhode Island's most...
45. Leguizamo: Working with Shyamalan `pretty amazing'
By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS - June 13, 2008
NEW YORK -- John Leguizamo, one of the stars of M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller, "The Happening," says he enjoyed working with the filmmaker.The movie -- filled with Shyamalan's characteristic plot twists and surprises -- follows a pair of teachers as they flee a...
46. John Waters swears off the word 'hon' and Honfest
By Associated Press - June 13, 2008
BALTIMORE -- John Waters is done with "Hon."Honfest, an annual celebration of beehive hairdos, cat's-eye glasses and other kitschy fashions, is getting bigger and bigger. Participants are known as "Hons" in honor of the ubiquitous Baltimore term of endearment.But Waters...
47. Kevin Spacey to teach at Oxford University
By JILL LAWLESS - June 13, 2008
LONDON -- Kevin Spacey already has two Academy Awards and heads London's Old Vic theater. Now he can add a new title -- Oxford University professor. The Hollywood star has been named Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theater at Oxford's St....
48. Beatty receives AFI's lifetime achievement award
By SANDY COHEN - June 13, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Bill Clinton was among those saluting Warren Beatty as the Oscar-winning actor-director received a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. "Over all these decades, you have shared with us, as moviegoers, this insatiable hunger for...
49. Marvel hopes to turn green to gold with new `Hulk'
By DAVID GERMAIN - June 12, 2008
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Mount Olympus never had such a potent gang as Marvel Comics, whose vast pantheon ranges from Hollywood A-lister Spider-Man to the murky shape-shifting process server Ditto.Now producing its own film adaptations for all but a few previously...
50. Jamie Foxx and stylist settle lawsuit over fees
By Associated Press - June 12, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Jamie Foxx needs no help getting dressed for trial -- the actor has apparently reached a settlement with a former stylist who sued him. Documents filed Wednesday in Los Angeles show that attorneys for stylist Stacy Young and Foxx have reached an...
51. Jolie pitted against Aniston in box-office tussle
By Associated Press - June 12, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston are sharing a play date. Brad Pitt's current romantic partner Jolie and ex-wife Aniston will go head-to-head at theaters Oct. 24, when both have a movie coming out.Jolie stars in Clint Eastwood's missing-child drama "...
52. Bond producer pays big for kiss from 007 star
By Associated Press - June 11, 2008
LONDON -- What's a kiss from 007 worth?James Bond film producer Barbara Broccoli has paid $38,000 for a kiss from Daniel Craig, who plays the suave British spy on screen.Broccoli will also get kisses from Hugh Grant and Robbie Coltrane for her winning bid at the Great...
53. Paul Newman says he is 'doing nicely'
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN - June 11, 2008
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Paul Newman has always been a fiercely private man, shunning the trappings of fame wrought by his Hollywood career while immersing himself in auto racing, philanthropy and a multimillion-dollar food business. Addressing reports that he was fighting...
54. Ape applicant vies for star on Walk of Fame
By Associated Press - June 11, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have gone to the dogs, so why can't Cheeta the chimp get some love? The animal actor, whose credits include the 1967 comedy "Dr. Doolittle" and the "Tarzan" movies, is trying for the seventh time to get a sidewalk...
55. Marlee Matlin is working on her memoir
By Associated Press - June 11, 2008
NEW YORK -- Academy Award-winning actress and "Dancing With the Stars" sensation Marlee Matlin is working on a memoir, scheduled to come out in 2009 and tentatively titled "I'll Scream Later." "As a young girl, I imagined myself as Marcia Brady who just happened to be...
56. Australian film organization creates Ledger scholarship
By Associated Press - June 10, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Heath Ledger was known for giving aspiring Australian actors a hand in Hollywood. Now, an Australian film organization has established a scholarship fund in the late actor's name to continue those efforts. "There's an entire tribe of Australians who have...
57. 'Medieval' paparazzi laws could benefit Brangelina
By ANGELA DOLAND - June 10, 2008
PARIS -- Perhaps Brangelina chose southern France for its blue skies, vineyards and the availability of an estate with a moat. But there's another reason the world's most famous expecting couple was smart to come here: French law is tough on paparazzi, especially when it...
58. `Sex and the City' book inspires real-life search
By Associated Press - June 10, 2008
NEW YORK -- A consumer alert for the millions who have seen the "Sex and the City" movie: There is no such book as "Love Letters of Great Men," which Carrie Bradshaw reads while in bed with Mr. Big.The closest text in the real world apparently is "Love Letters of Great...
59. Stuntman killed on John Woo film set
By Associated Press - June 10, 2008
HONG KONG -- A stuntman was killed and six others injured in a fire while shooting an action scene in director John Woo's Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff," the film's crew and Chinese media said Tuesday.The accident occurred Monday morning while filming an action...
60. Charity run by Hathaway's boyfriend investigated
By Associated Press - June 9, 2008
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The state is investigating the charitable foundation of Anne Hathaway's boyfriend, a spokesman for the attorney general said Monday. Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri, 29, who dates the "Devil Wears Prada" star, heads the Follieri Foundation, a...
61. Crawford prepares for showing of Bush documentary
By ANGELA K. BROWN - June 8, 2008
CRAWFORD, Texas -- Instead of limousines and a red carpet, there were pickup trucks and a grassy football field for the local premiere of a documentary film about a tiny farming town that suddenly became the Western White House.About 300 people turned out Sunday night...
62. Young filmmakers honored with student Oscars
By Associated Press - June 8, 2008
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Eleven college students received cash prizes and trophies Saturday for short films competing in the 35th annual Student Academy Awards.The gold medal prize for narrative films went to Rajeev Dassani of the University of Southern California for...
63. 'Wonderful Life' actor Bob Anderson dies at 75
By Associated Press - June 7, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Bob Anderson, who played the young George Bailey in the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life," has died. He was 75. Anderson died Friday of cancer at his home in Palm Springs, his wife, Victoria, said Saturday. Robert J. Anderson grew up in a...
64. 'Indiana Jones' earns $56 million in first 2 days
By Associated Press - May 14, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- The robot love tale "Wall-E" rolled over the competition on its debut weekend, hauling in $63.1 million as it held the Angelina Jolie thriller "Wanted" to a second-place opening.The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday,...
