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The entertainment world is still reeling from the loss of one of the true icons of modern cinema, Tony Scott, who died on Sunday after jumping off of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, CA. Though Scott received few accolades for the movies he directed, he consistently turned out entertaining hits and his kinetic visual style has been influencing other action movie directors since his sophomore effort, Top Gun, became an instant classic in 1986.
In addition to sending Tom "Maverick" Cruise's career into the stratosphere, Scott helped advance fledgling filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's career when he directed the Tarantino-scripted neo-noir crime-romance movie True Romance, which is arguably Scott's best work. Scott was also Denzel Washington's director-of-choice, with five collaborations between the two, starting with Crimson Tide in 1995 and ending with Scott's last movie as a director, Unstoppable, in 2010.
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With all of the competition at the box office and in the home video marketplace, it's all too easy for even the very best of movies to fall by the wayside. That's why we at ReelzChannel always try to do our best to encourge you to see movies that we're pretty sure you're going to enjoy, if you simply take the time to look for them. One such movie is Bernie, which recently made resident movie expert Richard Roeper's list of the "five best films that almost nobody saw" this year. With Bernie now available on home video, we feel compelled to once again suggest you take another look at the Richard Linklater tragicomedy that features Jack Black giving what Roeper describes is "one of the best performances of his career."
Another new home video release featuring one of the "best comedic character actors" working today is The Dictator, the fourth feature film starring fearless comedian and social commentator Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat). Described by Roeper as a "politically incorrect version" of Coming to America, the movie centers on the antics of an antisemitic, anti-Western dictator from a fictional Middle Eastern country and contains "plenty of tasteless gags" in keeping with Cohen's previous movies. And, if you're not in the mood for comedy, A Separation, the winner of the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film — the first Iranian movie to win the award — is also out on home video this week. The domestic drama focuses on an Iranian couple who separate and pulls back the curtain on the traditions and customs of modern Iran in a movie Roeper classifies as both "brilliant" and "heart-breaking."
Catch Roeper's reviews on Hollywood Dailies weekdays 5:30p ET / 2:30p PT
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Over the past several years, Curtis Jackson, aka rapper 50 Cent, has made a concerted effort to distinguish himself not only as a musician but as an actor as well. Jackson made his cinematic debut in the 2005 semi-autobiographical crime drama Get Rich or Die Tryin' before landing a supporting role opposite Academy Award–winners Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the 2008 crime thriller Righteous Kill. Jackson's latest feature, Freelancers, pairs him again with De Niro and another Academy Award–winner, Forest Whitaker. Jackson told Hollywood Dailies that working with actors like Whitaker and De Niro keeps him wanting to raise his game as an actor.
Of course, you've got to be prepared for it. You don't want to be there with that caliber of talent and not show up performance-wise.
Freelancers sees Jackson play a crooked NYPD police officer who joins forces with his deceased father's former partner (De Niro) and a group of rogue cops. Jackson said that he bonded with De Niro during the shoot. "He's cool," Jackson admitted. "He's somebody that I would actually hang out with if I could all the time."
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Everybody has their favorite actor, the one they will go see in any movie, no matter what. Movie studios also have their favorite actors, particularly the ones that can sell a movie to a viewing public. When an actor moves from supporting roles to carrying a movie, studios put those actors on the proverbial "A-List." The actors on that list fluctuate with the times, but the reasons behind whether an actor can be on the A-list or not remains the same.
Stephen Galloway, executive editor of The Hollywood Reporter explained to The Hollywood Dailies the three criteria that put an actor on "the A-list," while discussing whether several actors — Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games), Ryan Gosling (Drive), Emma Watson (Harry Potter) and Jessica Chastain (The Help), among others — belonged on that list. Who makes it and who doesn't may surprise you.
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Hollywood Headlines
Rosie O'Donnell is recovering at home after suffering a heart attack last week. The comedian took an aspirin after realizing that she had several heart attack symptoms, including clammy skin, nausea, and an aching chest. Doctors inserted a stint after finding that O'Donnell's coronary artery was 99 percent blocked. On her blog O'Donnell urged women who believe they are having a heart attack to call 911.
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We don't know who, but somebody apparently told Amanda Bynes that driving around southern California is pretty much the same thing as riding in the bumper cars at an amusement park. The retired 26-year-old actress got in yet another car accident on Monday night. She was rear-ended while driving a rental, but the other driver is claiming a reckless maneuver on Bynes' part caused the collision. Why was she in a rental? Oh yeah, because her car is in the body shop. Between getting in car accidents every five minutes and getting photographed running around town looking like a hot mess, perhaps Bynes should look into relocating to a smaller, mellower, pedestrian-friendly town.
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We're glad to see that the often troubled Britney Spears is looking good these days. The pop-star turned X Factor judge tweeted a picture of herself on the beach wearing a bikini, and it turns out that being happily engaged looks good on Spears.
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Over the weekend, former American Idol star Jordin Sparks made her big screen debut in Sparkle (check out Richard Roeper's review here), but the singer-turned-actress isn't the fist to transition from reality show contestant to movies.
Starting with Season One winner Kelly Clarkson, Idol has become a show that not only introduces new singing talent, but acting talent as well. Well, perhaps 2003's From Justin to Kelly didn't work quite as well for Clarkson as she would have hoped, considering it's her first and only movie role, but other Idol contestants have done very well on the big screen, including Academy Award–winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and more as profiled in the above Hollywood Dailies clip.
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The erotica novel Fifty Shades of Grey may have started out as Twilight fan fiction, but after author E.L. James rewrote it and repackaged it as an original story — replacing Edward and Bella with Christian and Ana — it became a publishing phenomenon, earning James a spot on Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Naturally, the popularity of the book started a bidding war in Hollywood and Universal Pictures and Focus Features ended up securing the rights to the entire trilogy of books in March of this year. Since that time, casting speculation has run rampant. Emma Watson was one of the first actresses rumored to be up for the role of Ana, followed by Miley Cyrus, Scarlett Johansson, and even the actress who played the character that originally inspired Ana, Kristen Stewart.
Well, forget all of those names. If James has anything to say about it, Shailene Woodley, the 20-year-old actress who more than held her own opposite George Clooney in The Descendants, will play the naive virgin who falls for a rich young man with a BDSM fetish in the movie adaptation.
more about Fifty Shads of Grey >> Posted 08.21.12 by BrentJS -
Comedian Phyllis Diller passed away today at her Los Angeles home at the age of 95. Diller's agent Fred Wostbrock , who called her the first lady of stand up comedy, said Diller died in her sleep.
Diller broke into the comedy scene in 1955 at San Francisco's famed Purple Onion nightclub. Diller, who was 37 and a housewife at the time, won the crowd over when the owner gave her a substitute stand-up spot.
Diller found success in television, movies, Broadway, and as a recording artist. In the '60s and '70s Diller found an audience as she became a frequent guest on The Tonight Show, The Flip Wilson Show, and Laugh-In. Younger audiences discovered her from her stints on shows like Family Guy, 7th Heaven, and The Drew Carey Show. She lent her voice to the Pixar movie A Bug's Life. She also appeared in the raunchy documentary The Aristocrats.
Throughout her career, Diller was known for her outlandish and self-deprecating humor. With her jeweled cigarette holder in hand, Diller often joked about her domestic life, including her fictional husband "Fang." "Fang's idea of a seven-course dinner is a six-pack and a bologna sandwich. The last time I said let's eat out, we ate in the garage."
Diller was born in Lima, Ohio, on July 17, 1917. Diller is survived by her son, Perry; her daughters, Sally Diller and Suzanne Mills; four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
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Hollywood Headlines
On Friday, The Tonight Show underwent some serious downsizing. In order to stay on budget, the show lost 20 staffers, while producers and Jay Leno, himself, took significant pay cuts. A spokesman for Leno released a statement saying: "Jay’s foremost concern is for the wonderful people who work for The Tonight Show. He did what was necessary to ensure their well-being."
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Some Russian activists have sued Madonna for voicing her support for gay rights at a recent concert in St. Petersburg. A law was passed in the city early this year that makes it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors. During the show, Madge asked fans to raise their hands and show off pink armbands in support of the gays and lesbians in the crowd. The activists are asking for around $10.5 million in "damages."
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Rumor has it that Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake got hitched over the weekend. The pair were reportedly at a friend's estate in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and tied the knot in a private ceremony.
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Director Tony Scott died on Sunday after jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, CA. The Los Angeles County coroner's office is planning an autopsy, and the LAPD is investigating the death as well.
The 68-year-old had directed many noteworthy action movies, including Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, and Man on Fire. He was also successful with his work in television being an executive producer of both Numb3rs and The Good Wife. At the time of his death, Scott had just completed work on Out of the Furnace, a drama he produced that stars Christian Bale; the movie will be released next year.
Though he and his brother Ridley Scott both became Hollywood success stories, the British pair had humble beginnings. They were born to working-class parents in northern England.
The Hollywood community has already begun to share their grief and remembrances. Director Ron Howard tweeted, "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day," and Jon Favreau added, "Such sad news about Tony Scott. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends."
Posted 08.20.12 by Mandy