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In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. -George Orwell Steven Spielberg, the man who had to redesign his stable because it was going to block his neighbors' views of the ocean, he is enough of an elitist to not let his neighbors ruin his grandiose plans; he just dozed the top of his little Sullivan Canyon hill and built the stable where the top of the hill once was. Elitists can work around the will of the people; it's logical in their minds, since they are the will of the people. Now, where...

In May 2010, as production geared up for the third installment in the "Transformers" franchise, Megan Fox's publicist released this statement. “Megan Fox will not be starring in Transformers 3, It was her decision not to return. She wishes the franchise the best.” Well, that statement may not jive with reality. "Transformers" director Michael Bay recently told the Daily Mail that Fox was fired from the production after she gave an interview comparing Bay to Hitler. The comparison, to put it mildly, did not sit well with executive producer Steven Spielberg. "You know the Hitler thing?" said Bay. "Steven said,...

The influence of Spielberg, who has blessed this project with his producer's credit, is all over every frame of this delightful movie. Super 8 isn’t quite up to the level of Steven Spielberg’s finest early-80s work — but it’s surprisingly close, a sci-fi movie with heart that is thrillingly directed by Spielberg worshipper J.J. Abrams. Is Abrams playing God? As Steve Martin put it, when his mad-scientist character was accused of this in The Man with Two Brains, “Somebody has to!” In a Hollywood that’s becoming increasingly reliant on special effects at the expense of story — of wowing you...

Video 1 (runs 9:29): Steven Spielberg reflects on his early work in television as a freelance director for such shows as Night Gallery, Marcus Welby, M.D., Columbo, and for his first made for TV movie Duel starring Dennis Weaver. Spielberg's talent was evident from the get-go. Video 2 (runs 9:26):Richard Matheson talks about his inspiration for writing the novelette, Duel, working on the script for the movie, and his thoughts about Spielberg's final product. Even though I was just a kid in the 70's, I sure do miss some of those shows from the era.

Steven Spielberg smacks down Nancy Pelosi’s request for rebranding help. In what can only be termed yet another high-profile and public loss for Nancy Pelosi, director Steven Spielberg has flat-out rejected the fired house speaker’s latest attempt to help her rebrand the Democrats and herself, too. It was originally reported in yesterday’s Washington Post that the famous director was approached by Pelosi for help in marketing her damaged brand and her damaged party’s brand. While Spielberg did not respond to Pelosi at press time yesterday, a source today is quoting Spielberg’s spokesperson as saying that Spielberg only directs actors and...

DreamWorks Studios just announced that Daniel Day-Lewis will take on the role of President Abraham Lincoln in the long-in-development biopic to be directed by Steven Spielberg. Lincoln, which playwright Tony Kushner has adapted from the Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals, has been on Spielberg's docket for years, with Liam Neeson once attached to star as the 16th president. Kushner also co-wrote Spielberg's Munich, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Kathleen Kennedy and Spielberg are producing the project, which the director will begin filming next fall. “Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest...

Like "Band of Brothers" nine years ago, HBO's World War II miniseries "The Pacific" is a massive achievement. And like its Europe-set predecessor, it's at its best when it focuses on the small things as a way of reflecting the huge story it's telling. The 10-part miniseries, which premieres at 9 p.m. ET Sunday (March 14), follows U.S. Marines as they advance across the Pacific theater of World War II, beginning with the landing on Guadalcanal in 1942 and continuing until the war's end in 1945. It's told principally through the eyes of three enlisted men: John Basilone (Jon Seda),...

Three weeks to save Hollywood signThursday, March 25, 2010 » 03:22pm A conservation group says it has just three weeks to raise 3 million US dollars to save the iconic Hollywood sign from being razed by investors who want to build luxury houses on the site. Tim Ahern of the Trust for Public Land says they feel they have a good chance of doing that. The group needs to raise money to reach the 12.5 million US dollars needed to purchase the 55-hectare parcel of rugged land surrounding the sign from a Chicago-based consortium that has acquired rights to build...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Oscar-winning US director Steven Spielberg has dropped plans to remake the Hollywood classic "Harvey" after failing to find the right star to take on the lead role made famous by James Stewart. Initially, Spielberg had wanted Tom Hanks to take on the role of the gentle, mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd, who just happens to say his best friend is an invisible giant rabbit. But the industry daily Variety said Friday that Hanks was not that enthusiastic about the prospect of stepping into the legendary Stewart's footsteps.

November 24, 2009 Glamour and Taste: Obama Tent Feast To Curry Favour With India Giles Whittell in Washington The Obamas' first state dinner is in honour of an abstemious vegetarian There will be music from the composer of the Slumdog Millionaire theme, food from an Ethiopian-born Swedish chef and cedar chips sprinkled on the roofs of the portable lavatories. There may also be the faint patter of drizzle on canvas. The first state dinner of the Obama era, held tonight in a tent village on the South Lawn of the White House, will honour an Indian Prime Minister described by...

Obama hits Hollywood on fundraising trip U.S. president to tap movie, music executives at Beverly Hills hotel LOS ANGELES - President Barack Obama looked not for votes in California on Wednesday but for millions of dollars to aid Democratic campaigns, including at a fundraiser hosted by such Hollywood names as Steven Spielberg. Like Bill Clinton and other top Democrats before him, Obama visits the Golden State now and then to tap wealthy, liberal-leaning activists, especially in Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Wednesday night's two-tiered event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel offered tickets ranging from $1,000 to $15,200. The lower prices bought...

On Saturday, my wife and I went to see Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage, which is a strange mix of UFOlogy, panspermia, the destruction of Earth by fire (2 Pet. 3:10), the Edenic Tree of Life, and determinism vs. randomness. Cage’s character, John Koestler, is giving a lecture to his astrophysics’ class at M.I.T. when he presents the conundrum of determinism vs. randomness. 1 When the class asks him what he believes, he picks randomness. “There is no grand meaning, there is no purpose.” He ends the session with “I think s**t just happens.” The perfect summary of an atheist’s worldview....

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and from the creators of “Band of Brothers”, The Pacific is a a 10-part HBO mini-series which tells the intertwined stories of three Marines, Robert Leckie (played by James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda), during America’s battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II. Produced on a budget of more $150 million, and shot on location in Australia, the series follows (from an early press release) “The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in...

There were two Hollywood-related moments that gladdened the heart over this past weekend. The first, obviously, was the glorious sight of the Oscar telecast end credits, the second was Kim Master’s “Slate” story reporting that Steven Spielberg’s long gestating passion project - an Abe Lincoln biopic, is all but dead. Steven Spielberg not making a film was good news. How things have changed in thirty years.

Obama's Billionaires Claire Obusan President-elect Barack Obama has had a slew of billionaire backers with him on his journey to the White House--plutocrats who provide economic and political advice and help to raise money. Lots of money. Obama's Billionaire Buddies Obama's national finance chairwoman during his presidential campaign was Penny Pritzker, one of 11 members of the famous Chicago family that appear on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans (combined net worth as of September: $21.6 billion). As of Nov. 24, 2008, Obama's campaign had raised a record-breaking $742 million during the election, according to the Center for...

Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama stands the podium in a dark Invesco Field stadium alone as he does a late night walkthrough for his acceptance speech in Denver, late August 27, 2008. (Jim Bourg/Reuters)

Chinese call for Kung Fu Panda ban after Steven Spielberg pulls out of Olympics By Richard Spencer in Beijing Last updated: 2:22 AM BST 21/06/2008 Nationalist young Chinese are urging the country's censors to ban the Hollywood film Kung Fu Panda, in revenge for Steven Spielberg's decision to pull out of the Olympics. Spielberg was due to have been artistic adviser to the Games' opening ceremony, but announced he would no longer be taking part in protest at China's support for the Sudanese government, accused of war crimes in Darfur. His decision caused an uproar on China's active and often...

Today, at one past midnight, I have seen the latest Indiana Jones movie. Like many among you, I presume, I was a fan of that American raider travelling all over the world to look for treasures. A BIG warning : the latest Indy is absolutely AWFUL. This is the worst thing you can imagine. Actors are nuts, there are so many special effects even when Spielberg said he wouldn't use them, the screeplay is ridiculous. This is a nightmare, and I really encourage fans to boycott it. This is a shame, far away from the original Indiana Jones trilogy. Even...

There's a lot to enjoy about this fourth installment of Indiana Jones. It's fun, silly, adventure-filled and completely entertaining in ways we don't always get from movies these days, with the greatest parts coming straight from the marvelous imagination of Steven Spielberg. Plus, it's a summertime blockbuster that doesn't totally rely on CGI which feels practically old-fashioned — and I mean that in the best way possible.

Politicizing Beijing Olympics unacceptable A Western film director is so "naive and simple-minded" that he has made an inopportune move on the issue of Beijing's 2008 Olympic Games by linking it to Darfur issue in Sudan, and this perhaps exhibited the "unique" qualities of this Hollywood celebrity. Nevertheless, the "naivety or innocence" shown by a few Western media seems all the more ignorant and funny. The bid to link the Darfur issue to the Beijing Olympic Games does not commence as off today. With regard to this issue, it is believed that about two million locals have fled their homes...