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During last month's MTV music video awards ceremony, actor Jack Black urged the audience join hands and pray to "dear dark lord Satan." In his prayer, the actor prayed that the musicians and nominees would have "continued success in the music industry." The awards program was broadcasted on the MTV network (a subsidiary of the Viacom Corporation) throughout the country through cable and satellite television. The Radio City Hall audience readily acquiesced to Black's invitation to pray to the devil. In a video posted on YouTube, Black encouraged the large audience to join in by saying, "let me see those...

Ever since CNN HLN's "Joy Behar Show" has splashed on the scene, it has become little more than a show dedicated to bashing conservative, specifically former CNN HLN host, now Fox News host Glenn Beck. The Oct. 15 broadcast of host Joy Behar's show was no different. First it tackled the issues of the day, like Arianna Huffington's take on whether or not Vice President Joe Biden should resign based on what President Barack Obama does in Afghanistan. Then Behar and her two guests, actor and left-wing activist Richard Belzer and New York Daily News Columnist Liz Benjamin discussed Rush...

BUSAN, South Korea (AFP) – Hollywood producer Jon Landau said Friday he had no doubt that his latest feature with "Titanic" director James Cameron would live up to its billing as the year's most-anticipated film. The 300-million-dollar "Avatar", packed with computer-generated imagery and 3-D effects, is the pair's first project together since scooping 11 Oscars with "Titanic" in 1998.

COLUMN Character AssassinationHollywood Kills Off the Movie HeroInterview with Barbara Nicolosiby Bobby Maddex In Salvo 7, we asked our resident film critic Barbara Nicolosi about the essential elements of good storytelling, as well as the egregious manner in which contemporary filmmakers tell their stories. What we didn’t get to discuss was the importance of character. Specifically, we failed to explore the concept of the hero and speculate on why the franchise hero has all but disappeared from Hollywood. Can you start by identifying the qualities of a hero? What attributes must a hero possess? I’m going to defer to Aristotle...

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. - Singer Al Martino, who played the Frank Sinatra-type role of Johnny Fontane in "The Godfather" and recorded hits including "Spanish Eyes" and the Italian ballad "Volare" in a 50-year musical career, died Tuesday. He was 82.

Maybe DVD Sales Collapsed Because Movies SuckPosted By John Nolte On October 13, 2009 @ 2:31 pm In Entertainment, News | 163 Comments Everyone seems to have an opinion as to why DVD sales have cratered since hitting their peak in 2006, but no one’s looking at the obvious answer. Plunging sales have been blamed on piracy [1], competing technologies such as video games [2]and low-priced rental outlets like Redbox [3]… everything but the quality of the actual films. First and foremost, I’m a movie lover. Nothing competes for my attention in this regard, including dollar rentals and the like. But...

A pro-family activist says he's not surprised that the Walt Disney Company has named an open homosexual as studio head. Disney announced last week it had named Rich Ross as studio chief. The 47-year-old television executive helped to revive the Disney Channel, and now will oversee all production, distribution, and marketing for the company's live-action and animated feature labels. It is the first time an open homosexual has been named to such a position. Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. He says although a boycott of the entertainment giant (initiated by the American Family Association) was...

<p>This Friday, October 16, the movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are opens in theaters.</p> <p>The poignant 10-sentence book about an angry boy who is sent to bed without supper and sails to a magical land overrun by wild creatures has been made into a full-length feature film with a script by director Spike Jonze (recently interviewed by the Chronicle) and local boy Dave Eggers.</p>

Is leftism rising to the defense of evil even as it sinks to the depths of hell? Perhaps this question would have made a better title for this article but why scare readers away with what may only be construed as preachers pious platitudes. America is busy with economic problems, the war in Afghanistan and healthcare issues, whose got time for questions of morality or theological issues? Apparently no one! While all the current issues are worthy of our attention isn’t it odd that we tend to dismiss the very issue that we ultimately ignore at the price of our...

Can't post Bloomberg content but looks like Coppola thinks Hollywood is in big trouble. Awww. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ajbmamDBit14

Attorneys for Roman Polanski met with Justice Department officials and presented arguments against extraditing the jailed director from Switzerland, where he is being held, to Los Angeles to face sentencing for his 1977 criminal case. Polanski’s lawyers recently sought help from Obama administration officials in the Justice Department requesting that they not return the filmmaker to America, according to court documents filed in L.A.. Members of the director’s legal team met with a deputy assistant attorney general and other Justice Department officials on Oct. 2, according to the appellate court filing...

...Say what you will about the roughly 150 black action, horror and comedy films that came out between 1971 and 1976, the height of the blaxploitation era: that they were cheaply made, poorly acted, hyper-violent and glorified pimps, prostitutes, criminals and con men -- all those things are true, to a certain extent. But they were also utterly empowering, gobbled up by African American audiences desperate for strong, and recognizable, working-class heroes... Howard believes that '70s cultural references have stuck with us -- afros are popular again, and there are countless music videos that reference "Superfly" and "The Mack" --...

MEXICO CITY — Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly "running out" on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it's not the end of the world. Or is it? Definitely not, the Mayan Indian elder insists. "I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff." It can only get worse for him. Next month Hollywood's "2012" opens in cinemas, featuring earthquakes, meteor showers and a tsunami dumping an aircraft carrier on the White House. At Cornell University, Ann Martin, who runs the "Curious? Ask...

In Polanski Case, ’70s Culture Collides With Today By MICHAEL CIEPLY October 10, 2009 LOS ANGELES — At the end of “Manhattan,” the celebrated movie romance from 1979, a teenager played by Mariel Hemingway delivers some good news to the 42-year-old television writer, portrayed by Woody Allen, with whom she has had a long-running sexual affair. “Guess what, I turned 18 the other day,” said Ms. Hemingway, in what was framed as a poignant encounter. “I’m legal, but I’m still a kid.” That was then. Roman Polanski’s arrest on Sept. 26 to face a decades-old charge of having sex with...

A top Hollywood studio today announced the remake of "The Greatest Story Ever Told". The original movie starred Charleston Heston. This several trillion dollar remake will star Jesus as Barrack Husseain Obama. Rumor is Oprah will play the role of his mother. The expected release for this mega-film will be January of 2012.

Contrary to reports, MGM has yet to sell the marketing and distribution rights of the James Bond franchise to 20th Century Fox. Claiming to be contacted directly by the studio on the matter, Film School Rejects set the record straight by forwarding MGM's denial that the taking-over story is incorrect. An official source, as reported by the site, also mentioned the studio still owns the Bond property and will announce the release date and distribution strategy in due time. Another denial came from 20th Century Fox as well. To IGN, sources at Fox slammed the speculation. They also insisted people...

"Your Freedom Has Been A Lie. Liberation Is Here." [ US flag with People's Liberation Army red star insignia superimposed ] "We Are Here To Help"

Sitcom queen Kirste Alley makes like human zeppelin, docks at fat farm for quick fix. Alarmed as her weight skyrocketed toward 300 pounds, a desperate Kirstie checked into a fat farm and began grueling six-days-a-week workout sessions. The distraught actress collapsed and broke down in tears when her weight soared to a record 250 pounds, as The ENQUIRER reported in late June. But she was unable to put the brakes on her out-of-control bingeing. Racing to avert disaster, Kirstie started a new diet and exercise routine, but ended up adding another 15 pounds - and hit the 265-pound mark in...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is enlisting Hollywood celebrities including actress Rosario Dawson and musician Will.I.Am to draw attention to his health care overhaul agenda. The performers will act as celebrity judges for a TV commercial contest set up by Organizing for America, the Obama political organization that's part of the Democratic National Committee. Organizing for America last month invited supporters to create and submit 30-second ads in support of remaking health care. The winning one will be aired nationally. In addition to Dawson and Will.I.Am, the panel of judges being announced by Organizing for America Wednesday consists of...

But, alas, it's not viewers returning to broadcast Typically, the cable networks see their ratings rise in the summer as they roll out new and returning original series, at a time when the broadcast networks are running either repeats or reality series, with their ratings well down from the regular season. But how does cable fare when the broadcast networks break out their new shows in the fall? It's an interesting question, and at first glance it would appear they’re suffering as viewers swing back over to broadcast, where there are a number of new shows that could become breakout...

Quick Name three Roman Polanski films. (Don't use IMDB.com) Rosemary's Baby Chinatown and...... Thought so. These movies, plus many others in subtitles, seem to excuse this man of raping a 14 year old girl. Debra Winger complains "the whole art world suffers" in such arrests. I beg to differ. Polanski should be in prison for subjecting the movie viewing world to the abomination that is Rosemary's Baby, an absolutely horrible horror film. I'm seen it twice hoping that after a second viewing it would get better. It Doesn't Read more HERE

Remember when Rush Limbaugh used the term "Gorbasm" to describe how the left in America used to react Mikhail Gorbachev? I ask because in today's Huffington Post, Dan Siegel had what can only be called the first ever public, multiple Moore-gasm while describing the newest hypocritical piece of trash from Michael Moore, the successful, capitalist filmmaker who hates capitalism. In the piece, titled (seriously) Michael Moore's Grapes of Wrath, Siegel sets a new standard for leftist hero worship. "Michael Moore has made the most important and urgent political film of our time. In fact, he might have made the most...

"Outrage," a documentary that claims to expose closeted homosexuality among elected officials who have taken stances against gay rights issues - including, it says, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist - will make its cable television debut tonight. The film was in theaters last May. HBO is scheduled to begin showing it at 9 tonight. Director Kirby Dick said the message remains as important as ever. He said gays and lesbians are locked in the largest civil rights struggle in the United States today and his film examines hypocrisy among lawmakers that has set back the movement. "This is one of the...

Now David Letterman knows who his friends are – and there are plenty of them. At Monday night's New York City screening of the HBO documentary Good Hair, its star and co-director Chris Rock had nothing but the best to say about Letterman, blackmail scandal or no. "He's the greatest host in the world," said Rock, 44, at the Cinema Society event sponsored by Target. "I would never make a disparaging comment about David Letterman." Talk-show host Wendy Williams is also behind Letterman 100 percent. "I like him even more," she said. "He did a disgusting thing. But I thought...

On January 31st 2009 the past finally came back to haunt Bruno Vece who has been jailed for 20 years for sexual crimes he committed decades ago. Bruno Vece, of Loram Way, Alphington, had been found guilty of raping an underage girl in the late 1970s. What Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, David Lynch and other Hollywood elites need to know about Bruno Vece is that he has built a new life since he committed these crimes over 20 years ago; he’s a new man with a new family and now it has been destroyed. Bruno Vece needs Hollywood’s help.

WaPo TV critic Tom Shales has come up with a creative new defense of Roman Polanski: Hollywood thirteen-year olds aren't really thirteen. NB reader FT pointed us to an online exchange between a reader and Shales today that included this: Tom Shales: Hello, Dunn Loring, I didn't want to sign off without trying to answer your question. I didn't realize I had written a column defending Roman Polanski and minimized his crime - are you sure it was me? I mean, I? There is, apparently, more to this crime than it would seem, and it may sound like a hollow...

Compass? We Don’t Need No Stinking Compass! by Big X Before Big X achieved fame, glory and untold wealth as a writer-producer, he spent a decade or so  as an executive in the financial industry. So when I read Mr. Weinstein’s comment that “Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion,” I couldn’t help but choke and spray a fine mist of Starbucks all over my laptop screen. In comparison to “real” businesses, I think I can say from personal experience inside and outside the bubble that Hollywood is the most systemically ruthless, amoral, deceitful, cruel and thuggish...

Hollywood Studios In Midst Of Their Own Horror Show The recent firings and hirings of studio executives at Disney, Universal and elsewhere point to a widespread corporate panic amid sharp declines in DVD sales. Marc Shmuger, David Linde out at Universal Pictures Rich Ross named chairman of Walt Disney Studios By John Horn, Ben Fritz and Rachel Abramowitz October 6, 2009 Hollywood's biggest slasher story isn't playing at any theater near you. It's hitting the industry's corporate suites, where the sacking of studio executives has reached epidemic level. As evidenced by Disney's recent firing of its studio chief, Dick Cook,...

THERE are many graceful touches in Mao's Last Dancer, Bruce Beresford's stirring, uplifting adaptation of the best-selling memoir by Li Cunxin, the Chinese ballet star who defected to the West in 1981 while on a fellowship with the Houston Ballet. Snip There's little grace, though, in Beresford's highly efficient if workman-like direction. With so much ground to cover and so many characters to keep track of, Beresford diligently churns through Cunxin's story in a frill-free, matter-of-fact manner. This certainly gives the film great drive, if little rhythm or any real sense of style.

The chairman of Universal Pictures Marc Shmuger and David Linde, have been ousted from the studio, in the latest sign that parent General Electric Co. has tired of disappointing results at much of its NBC Universal entertainment arm. After three and a half years, Shmuger and Linde have been replaced by Adam Fogelson, who had been Universal's head of marketing, according to Universal. Production president Donna Langley will serve as co-chairwoman, reporting to Fogelson. The move comes at a time when GE is in talks with Comcast Corp. about selling a 51% stake in NBC Universal to the cable operator....

How did a veteran “48 Hours” producer end up being accused of a $2 million blackmail attempt on David Letterman? “There is another side of this story,” Gerald Shargel, attorney for Robert J. Halderman, said. “This story is far more complicated.” What could the plot to the other side of the story be? Halderman has already entered a “not guilty” plea to first-degree attempted grand larceny. According to Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, Halderman wrote to Letterman stating that he needed to “make a large chunk of money.” Attached to his letter was a one-page screenplay treatment, which described...

I admire Michael Moore. When God distributed gifts, He endowed Moore with a rare gift for story-telling. Any communicator would do well to learn from Moore's prodigious gift for spinning a yarn or sharing a tale. If only God had also endowed Moore with a brain. Moore has become America's scarecrow. Moore's newest film, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” debuted in theaters this weekend. I did not attend. When I fork out my hard-earned cash for entertainment, I do not like to support ignorance and gall. When I view documentaries, I prefer for the writer and producer to have a functioning...

A recent shift in merchandising strategy by the world's largest retailer spells more trouble for DVD sales and the entertainment industry that depends on them for profits. As part of a larger effort to clean up its aisles and appeal to higher-end shoppers, Wal-Mart is doing away with display cases to promote the latest hot movie titles. The move comes as major film studios are reeling from declines in revenue from DVD sales as cash-strapped consumers turn to low-cost rental services and digital downloads for home movies. "We think the new strategy implies Wal-Mart no longer sees DVDs and Blu-ray...

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the GI Film Festival at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The Festival took place in one day and showed films that portray American enlisted men and women in a favorable light as opposed to the usual Hollywood fare. This festival was an offshoot of the main GI Film Festival which takes place in May every year in Washington D.C. The main event lasts seven days and includes showings of approximately 50 films. This was a one day shortened version in which the crème of the crop were exhibited. You can...

The world ravaged by fires, earthquakes, meteor showers and floods and a heroic struggle for survivors. It sounds like something straight out of Hollywood - and it is. This is the first glimpse of the latest U.S. blockbuster, 2012. John Cusack leads an all-star cast, featuring Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Amanda Peet struggling to stay alive when the Earth is threatened with the biggest disaster man has ever known.[Read more on WHY OBAMA THREW THE OLYMPICS!]

Fusing together entries on Fleming’s famous 00-agent and detailed information on cases of espionage, real-life spies, MI5, SIS, CIA, KGB, and others, Historical Dictionary of Ian Fleming’s James Bond asks the question: What proportion of Fleming’s output is authentic, and what comes directly from the his imagination?

I was tempted to write some scathing remarks about those who support Roman Polanski because they believe he is a great artist. But then I realized two things. One was that Dr. Blanchard had beaten me to the punch. The other was that those of us who are moviegoers or moviestayers (I am a huge fan of Netflix), are guilty of the same kind of support. Consider the case of Nicole Kidman. In 2004, she starred in the movie Birth, where she plays a widow who believes that a ten-year-old boy is her husband reincarnate. The movie features a bathtub...

After a couple of weeks of unsubstantiated rumors, it has been confirmed that the forthcoming film The Invention of Lying is indeed intended to satirize religion and religious believers. New York Post critic Kyle Smith has seen the film and describes it as “a full-on attack on religion in general and Christianity in particular. It might be the most blatantly, one-sidedly atheist movie ever released by a major studio, in this case Warner Bros.”

Though he has profited by over $50 million selling his product in the marketplace, left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore contends that capitalism hasn’t done him any good. “If I made all that money, where is it?” Moore asked. While wags may jibe that there is ample evidence that Moore has put a large portion of his profits into augmenting his personal girth, Moore contended that “a system that allows a person to frivolously spend on items that endanger their health, like America does, victimizes people.” Moore argued that “a socialist government like Cuba would’ve still let me make movies, but would...

October 4, 2009 How Hollywood Finds Its Charitable Causes Meet the discreet power brokers of the talent agencies who match influential charities with guilt-ridden celebrities Angelina Jolie, a UN goodwill ambassador, listens to music played by Sikh girls who have fled from Afghanistan IMAGE :1 of 4 Jonathan Foreman The headquarters of the United Talent Agency is in a gleaming white building on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Inside, it looks and feels surprisingly like a corporate law firm. The men pacing around the glass-walled offices wear crisp white shirts and sober ties, a silvery telephone headset attached to one...

A deal to merge General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal into a new joint venture with Comcast Corp.'s cable networks might solve pressing needs for both companies. But a number of financial and legal issues still hang over the talks, which are still at an early stage. While both sides hope to complete a deal, people familiar with the matter give the transaction "50-50" odds of coming together. In the deal under discussion, Comcast would contribute cash and its cable networks to NBC Universal for a 51% stake in the expanded company. NBC Universal would borrow money that would be turned...

October 4, 2009 Glitterati Throw Their Ugly Halos Around Roman Polanski Minette Marrin If Vanessa George, nursery school paedophile convicted last week, were somehow to escape from justice here and stay safely in some other country for 30 or so years and turn during that time (snip) Would they insist that she is such an outstandingly gifted person and a delightful friend that no one should now hound her back to justice for what she did? Would they say that what she did, all things considered, was not so very bad? Would they protest with all the power of their...

RELATED BOX OFFICE LINKS Weekend Grosses | 2009 Grosses All Time Grosses | Adjusted for Inflation

To day this day it stands true that there are no women in the Navy SEALs. This has been debated by many “equal rights” groups who claim that this is a sexist law. However, there has never been a woman who could pass the strenuous physical aspects of Navy SEAL training. In fact, there has never been a woman who has qualified to even be considered to enter BUD/S Training. Though this is true of the United States Navy, it’s not true where film is concerned. Specifically for the 1997 Ridley Scott film G.I. Jane, wherein, Demi Moore plays a...

If you want to write for Hollywood, study this picture. This faded lobby card from Charles Chaplin’s The Kid is the best lesson you’ll ever have in how to write for the movies. Despite its age, it illustrates many of the essential elements you’ll need to keep in mind today as your write your Hollywood screenplay. It’s a visual reminder of the kind of movie that producers, studios and – most importantly – audiences are looking for.

Naming Names: The ‘Free Roman Polanski’ Petition Fatih Akin, Stephane Allagnon, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, Wes Anderson, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Alexandre Arcady, Fanny Ardant, Asia Argento, Darren Aronofsky, Olivier Assayas, Alexander Astruc, Gabriel Auer, Luc Barnier , Christophe Barratier, Xavier Beauvois , Liria Begeja , Gilles Behat, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Marco Bellochio, Monica Bellucci, Djamel Bennecib, Giuseppe Bertolucci , Patrick Bouchitey, Paul Boujenah, Jacques Bral, Patrick Braoudé, André Buytaers, Christian Carion, Henning Carlsen, Jean-michel Carre, Mathieu Celary, Patrice Chéreau, Elie Chouraqui, Souleymane Cissé, Alain Corneau, Jérôme Cornuau, Miguel Courtois, Dominique Crevecoeur, Alfonso Cuaron, Luc et Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Jonathan Demme, Alexandre Desplat, Rosalinde...

Disney To Slash Miramax Films Staff To 20, Reduce Releases To 3 A Year By Claudia Eller October 3, 2009 Walt Disney Co., looking to rein in costs at its Hollywood studio as it focuses on mainstream movies, is slashing staff by 70% at its Miramax Films specialty label and is substantially reducing the number of pictures it releases. The retrenchment, which has been foreshadowed in Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger's strategy to emphasize family and "branded" films, comes quickly on the heels of the recent ouster of former Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook. The former movie chief left abruptly...

'ROSEMARY'S Baby" ("outdoes Hitchcock" -- Roger Ebert), "China town" ("outstanding" -- Variety) and "The Pianist" ("definitive" -- The New York Times) are fine films. They've been rightly honored and praised. The question is whether their excellence justifies criminal acts. The controversy over director Roman Polanski's arrest in Switzerland on his way to a film festival exposes a stark front in the culture war. The divide is not necessarily between right and left, but between an artistic elite that thinks it deserves its own moral rules, and the rest of us who'll never win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film...

Charlie Sheen, Mariska Hargitay Among TV's Highest Paid Stars Wed Sep 30 Charlie Sheen is at the top of the scripted TV heap, according to TV Guide. The mag reported that the "Two and a Half Men" star takes home $875,000 an episode for his role as Charlie Harper on the CBS sitcom. Last year, "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini led the pack with a whopping $1 million an episode for the final season of the HBO mob drama. Among the rest of TV's highest paid men in 2009 are "24" star Keifer Sutherland ($550,000 an episode), "House" doctor Hugh Laurie...

Could it be that the conservative culture warriors who portray Hollywood as a cesspool of moral bankruptcy have been right all along? Not really. But in the case of Roman Polanski, the puritan scolds definitely have a point. Even the French government has backed off its defense of the fugitive director.... But some of Hollywood's most prominent luminaries contend that Polanski's crime--which he acknowledged in a guilty plea--really wasn't so awful. Or that maybe it was a big deal at the time, but now we should let bygones be bygones. Or that maybe it's still a big deal, but whatever...