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| (Getty) |
According to TMZ, Lohan thinks that her latest legal woes are purely political. Sources say Lindsay believes she's being used as a very public example to further prosecutor Danette Meyers' career, as Meyers is currently running for L.A. County District Attorney.
But, as TMZ points out, Meyers actually asked to be removed from the case on Friday (Judge Stephanie Sautner denied her request). What's more, a misdemeanor theft case—regardless of its ability to draw paparazzi to the courthouse—is not exactly the sort of work that gets a DA hired.
Who is next on Lindsay's blame game list? We're betting Michael Lohan stands a good shot.
source: zimbio
The two singers enjoyed spending time with one another at the Coachella music festival in Los Angeles last weekend and decided to see each other again in New York a few days later.A source close to Usher said the pair have been friendly for a long time and have shared some "passionate kisses".
They told The Sun newspaper: "They had a really good time together last weekend and wanted to see each other again somewhere private straight after. They've known each other for a long time but it's always been bad timing.
"They've had a few long, passionate kisses. There's definitely a spark between them.
"It would have been too obvious to go somewhere in LA and they were both going back to New York for work commitments."
Earlier this year the 'OMG' hitmaker declared his musical interest in the 'S&M' star, revealing he wanted to record a duet with her.
He said: "Of course I'd do a track with her - hold on! We've been friends and our teams work together and we've talked about working together in the past, but it could potentially happen.
"I would love to work with her - I think she's an incredible artist."
SOURCE: MUSIC-NEWS
What is it about weddings that makes them such gratuitously style-free zones? Oh, I know: everything. If I had my way, I would abstain from all further reference to the subject here. But I feel honour bound to proffer a solution beyond "don't do it!"So, obviously, number one: don't do it. Matrimony being unfashionable per se. However, if you or those around you must have recourse to the institution, there are ways of making the entire thing less excruciating.
For starters, do it in winter - something that Brits especially would be wise to consider. The Queen did this, and very nice she looked too in her ration-card Hartnell. Winter nuptials score dependable weather, a somewhat less tawdry, un-Tango'd bride, and guests in stockings, coats and furs - plus a veil of darkness to cover the entire event. This, in style terms, must be considered a result.
What to wear to a wedding
As a bride, it is possible - though not customary - not to resemble a lumbering style crisis. My old mucker Lorraine Candy, of Planet Fashion's Elle magazine, found herself so amused by my gamophobia (fear of marriage) that she once sent me to haute nuptial hot spot Brown's Bride ( www.brownsbride.com ). Naturally, I came out in hives amid £12,000 of tulle.
But Browns is so tremulously chic that even a refusenik such as myself found something to swoon over: a slinky, Marilyn Monroe-esque virgin/whore Monique Lhuillier number, the price of which was roughly that of a first home. Unless one is six-years-old, the key axiom would appear to be this: pick a style that you might feasibly sport in colour for another, smart but non-nuptial, occasion.
Shop: The best wedding guest dresses
My friend Lucky purchased the most ravishing Ginger Rogers creation for £120 on eBay. Fashionista Emma favoured an off-the-peg 200-quid dress on the basis that it would presently be covered in rioja and cigarette burns, and so it came to pass (Monsoon, Coast, Phase Eight and Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti are all thoughts).
Pals Michelle and Rainy took my advice (fancy!) and headed to the woman I am proud to call my dressmaker: Covent Garden's demi-couturier, Sylvia Young of Beau Monde ( www.beaumonde.uk.com ). Sylves is the genius to whom Voguettes scurry for spousal frockage, and who never, but never hoicks up the price because it's a wedding.
Rainy has allowed me to say that her beaded lace sheath cost £300, plus £800 for material from couture fabric purveyors and Royal Appointment holders Joel & Son (www.joelandsonfabrics.com).
The Closet Thinker: What to wear to the royal wedding
As a guest, the key is to refuse all invitations to be a bridesmaid and sport something that you love, not something you deem appropriate. Harbour no fears about upstaging the bride à la Elizabeth Hurley, metallic pant-flashing at Henry Dent-Brocklehurst's post-nuptials knees-up in 1998 or, doubtless, one V Beckham next Friday. A bride with any sense will welcome the heat being taken off her - and it gives the other guests something to carp about.
A spring coat will pull everything together nicely. Should funds allow, Red Valentino's marabou-bedecked, fuchsia satin show-stopper sets an appropriate satirical tone ( www.net-a-porter.com , £985) - which is not to say that I don't really, really want one. Sister of the bride, don it and never be forgiven. LKB's Audrey coat (now £145, www.lkbennett.com ) is a less frou-frou take on the hue. Hobbs's silver wool/silk Aquarius (£269, www.hobbs.co.uk ), cornflower Newbury (now £99), or fitted, navy, polka-dot Dover Rainmac (£139) might also prove more conciliatory.
Even if said bash is in the wilds, hang on to a small vestige of sophistication by stepping out in a pair of hot-as-Hades heels: Moschino's jaunty co-respondents, say (£250, www.mywardrobe.com ). Unless the coming week yields a snow flurry (one can but hope), one is probably talking bare legs. In a reversal of past practice, it is hosiery that is now infra dig at such events, unless one is a Windsor - something to do with blue blood and veins.
Fascinators should be considered out of bounds. The tipping point was Ms Middleton-of-the-Road herself; and now it's show over, nothing to see - until some Hoxtonite rediscovers parodic ones, which I expect will be some time around Bank Holiday Monday.
More on Kate Middleton's Royal wedding
I will, however, permit you to wear a Vivien Sheriff cocktail hat ( www.viviensheriff.co.uk ). Or why not adopt some trusty old ensemble plus a Philip Treacy titfer in the manner of Camilla ( www.philiptreacy.co.uk )? You will require a hatbox for when the descent into Viking raid-style revelry begins later: the American site www.vintagehatbox.com has some sterling one-offs (hats and boxes), all of them cheap as chips.
A stupendous cocktail ring will be a means of proclaiming, to all who understand the polyalphabetic substitution cipher of girl-to-girl semiology: "Yo, sister, by refusing the bondage of matrimony I remain free to choose my own accessories rather than the sub-Ratner tat you are now forced to sport for the rest of your days. Still, congratulations and all that."
IMAGES/ SOURCE: fashion.telegraph.co.uk
Ryan Reynolds may be the sexiest man on earth, but the rest of the universe doesn't much care about that. He's got to do a whole lot more to impress them.
A new, extended trailer for Reynolds' upcoming superhero epic "The Green Lantern" has made its way to TV and the internet, explaining the backstory of the inspiration comics and showing more footage of Reynolds in his skintight CGI suit.
Fans are also treated to more views of space and the massively expensive computer scenes that filmmakers hope will wow the audiences. We see more of the Green Lantern Corps, along with Hal Jordan's allies Tomar-Re and Kilowog.
If that all sounds confusing, just watch the trailer below. "The Green Lantern" hits theaters June 17th; Reynolds' more earth-bound comedy, "The Change-Up," is due for an August 5th release.
SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST
A new, extended trailer for Reynolds' upcoming superhero epic "The Green Lantern" has made its way to TV and the internet, explaining the backstory of the inspiration comics and showing more footage of Reynolds in his skintight CGI suit.
Fans are also treated to more views of space and the massively expensive computer scenes that filmmakers hope will wow the audiences. We see more of the Green Lantern Corps, along with Hal Jordan's allies Tomar-Re and Kilowog.
If that all sounds confusing, just watch the trailer below. "The Green Lantern" hits theaters June 17th; Reynolds' more earth-bound comedy, "The Change-Up," is due for an August 5th release.
SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST
KARACHI: Former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi described MQM’s political policy of allowing middleclass people to reach parliament as being a landmark achieved, Geo News reported.
Qureshi visited MQM’s Headquarters 90 on Monday and held meeting with Rabita Committee members.
Subsequently, talking to media, he lauded host’s policies; saying that MQM encouraged politics at national level while the politics of race, language and personal gains tore country apart.
“MQM staged a historical and an organized public rally in Lahore, ” Qureshi praised, adding that Lahore’s public gathering is an evident of the depth in MQM’s ideology.
On the occasion, Farooq Sattar urged political parties to expel criminal elements form their ranks.
Qureshi visited MQM’s Headquarters 90 on Monday and held meeting with Rabita Committee members.
Subsequently, talking to media, he lauded host’s policies; saying that MQM encouraged politics at national level while the politics of race, language and personal gains tore country apart.
“MQM staged a historical and an organized public rally in Lahore, ” Qureshi praised, adding that Lahore’s public gathering is an evident of the depth in MQM’s ideology.
On the occasion, Farooq Sattar urged political parties to expel criminal elements form their ranks.
Starring: Raj Kumar Yadav, Kainaz Motivala
Directed By: Pavan Kirpalani
Written By: Pavan Kirpalani & Vaspar Dandiwala
Produced By: Alt Entertainment and iROCK Media Pvt Ltd.
Ragini MMS is a sensuous paranormal film, shot as if in real time!
The quintessential couple, Ragini and Uday, set out to have a dirty weekend at a friend’s farmhouse on the outskirts of Mumbai.
The weekend getaway quickly changes gears as they find themselves in a house that has been rigged with cameras in Bigg Boss style.
The cameras that were meant to capture love-making are witness to something that is beyond the realm of human understanding...something metaphysical....
Within the confines of this house, Ragini and Uday are now at the mercy of an unexplainable paranormal force.
With sundown approaching, what will the new entrants of the house do?
Positively, among the most keenly awaited films of the season, Ragini MMS, a hybrid of fact and fiction, is thrilling voyeurism from the producers of Love Sex Aur Dhokha.
The scariest date movie, buffering in Theatres on Friday the 13th May!
PICTURES:
Directed By: Pavan Kirpalani
Written By: Pavan Kirpalani & Vaspar Dandiwala
Produced By: Alt Entertainment and iROCK Media Pvt Ltd.
Ragini MMS is a sensuous paranormal film, shot as if in real time!
The quintessential couple, Ragini and Uday, set out to have a dirty weekend at a friend’s farmhouse on the outskirts of Mumbai.
The weekend getaway quickly changes gears as they find themselves in a house that has been rigged with cameras in Bigg Boss style.
The cameras that were meant to capture love-making are witness to something that is beyond the realm of human understanding...something metaphysical....
Within the confines of this house, Ragini and Uday are now at the mercy of an unexplainable paranormal force.
With sundown approaching, what will the new entrants of the house do?
Positively, among the most keenly awaited films of the season, Ragini MMS, a hybrid of fact and fiction, is thrilling voyeurism from the producers of Love Sex Aur Dhokha.
The scariest date movie, buffering in Theatres on Friday the 13th May!
PICTURES:
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| IMAGES/GOOGLE SOURCE:MUSIC-NEWS.COM |
In her statement she wrote, "I consider it part of my life's work and music to push the boundaries of love and acceptance," said Gaga in a statement released through celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. "To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional."
She continued: "Whether life's disabilities left you outcast, bullied or teased, rejoice and love yourself today."
Gaga's apology came after criticism from mental health charity Mencap.
Use of the word is monitored by The SocialChallenge.org. "It's really unfortunate when someone with as much influence as Lady Gaga uses that word," said Holly Roos, an advocate for TheSocialChallenge.org, and a mother of two children with Fragile-X syndrome.
"But through The Social Challenge, in just over a month, we've actually had hundreds of people tweet back with apologies, pledging not to use the word in the future. It's a great opportunity to make a difference, and I'm really glad to see that Lady Gaga thought better of her words, too."
Lady Gaga says she is aware now that her use of the word undermines the social causes with which she frequently associates.
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| (reuters) |
After debuting with anemic ratings, the half-hour comedy sank even lower on Thursday, drawing 2.5 million viewers and a 0.9 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, down 18 percent. Meantime, its lead-in, a clip show-inspired "Community" (3.3 million, 1.5) that had viewers raving online, was up 7 percent.
Prepping for Steve Carell's exit from "The Office" next week, the Dundie Awards episode saw a double-digit decline, while "Parks and Recreation" (5.1 million, 2.5) and the hourlong 100th episode of "30 Rock" (4.5 million, 2.2) were both steady. NBC placed second on the night with a 2.1 in the demo.
Fox won the night in the demo (4.4) and viewers (15.3 million) with "American Idol" (19.6 million, 5.6) paving the way, retaining 96 percent of its audience from last season in 18-49. "Idol" is also up 2 percent in viewership versus the same period. Following "Idol," "Bones" (11.1 million, 3.2) aired the backdoor pilot for "The Finder," starring Geoff Stults, down 9 percent, but was still the most-watched scripted program of the night.
The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" (2.7 million, 1.1), which had a big revelation with pivotal character Klaus, was down with "Nikita" (1.9 million, 0.8) dropping in viewers.
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| Toby Canham/Getty Images /e!online |
"If in fact it was an accident," Sautner said, referring to the defense's argument that Lohan walked out of the store unawares, "she had the phone number and she could have brought it back...There has been testimony [that] five days later she was blocks away [from the store]."
"I see brazenness here," the judge added. "On one hand, I think Ms. Lohan has earned her right for a felony...She has thumbed her nose at the court, she has walked into the court with FU on her fingernails."
But, Sautner said, "I'm going to give her an opportunity."
The jeans-clad Lohan looked nervous as Sautner pointed out her shortcomings, but ultimately the charge was reduced. (Which calls into question whether the case is now one for the L.A. City Attorney's Office instead of the District Attorney's Office, but we'll get back to you on that.)
After defense attorney Shawn Holley said that Lohan would continue to plead not guilty to any theft charge, Sautner set a pretrial hearing for May 11, with a trial to follow on June 3.
Lohan is required to appear in person, Sautner stated.
Holley had moved for a complete dismissal, but Deputy D.A. Danette Meyers argued that Lohan had been on formal probation when she left the Betty Ford Center in January and had 30 days to stay out of trouble.
"And did she do that? No," Meyers said.
"It is undisputed she walked out the store with the necklace," Holley stated on Lohan's behalf, "but what also has to be shown is that she had the intent to permanently deprive the store of the necklace."
Lohan "is photographed everywhere she goes," Holley argued. "She would have to be extremely stupid" to think she could get away with stealing something and then parading around in it, not to mention then hand it over to the LAPD.
"It shows someone who is not trying to hide or conceal something," Holley asserted.
Meyers called four witnesses to the stand today, including two police officers who investigated the allegations; Sofie Kaman, the coowner of Kamofie & Co., the store where Lohan supposedly browsed but did not buy; and sales associate Tinelli Comsooksri.
"We can get into intent," Meyers said in court. "We do that in every case...She walks out of the store. She never comes back. She has the owner's card. She never calls them. She looks well-groomed. She must have looked in the mirror...She knows she has [the necklace] on. Never once does she go back in the store."
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist [to know] that she saw it on the Internet," Meyers added. "She knew she was in trouble when she brought the necklace back."
Still to come, whether or not Lohan has to check into jail tonight for violating probation.
Read more: E!online
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| images/ google |
Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy took HK$2.78m (£219,000) on its first day last week, compared to James Cameron's epic which earned HK$2.63m (£207,000).
The film has now taken HK$17m (£1.34m) in the five days since its release.
Takings have been boosted by an influx of viewers travelling from mainland China where it is not being screened.
Sex and Zen - a remake of a 1991 Hong Kong movie by the same name - tells the story of a sexually frustrated scholar in ancient China who loses himself in the harem of a duke he befriends.
The Cantonese production features Japanese porn stars Hara Saori and Suo Yukiko and Hong Kong actress Vonnie Liu.
In Taiwan, the film also earned TWD$17m (£360,000) in its opening weekend - the best for a Chinese-language movie in Taiwan this year, producer Stephen Shiu said.
As China does not have a film ratings system - enabling movie-goers of any age to see any film - it bans erotic content in cinemas.
It is not the first time mainland viewers have travelled to Hong Kong to evade censorship by Chinese authorities.
Many crossed over to watch the uncut version of Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee's sexually explicit 2007 spy thriller Lust, Caution.
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| SOURCE: THE NEWS PK Moin Akhtar passes away |
Moin Akhtar, 61, was taken to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) where he breathed his last during treatment, Geo News reported.
Moin Akhtar was a television, film and stage actor, as well as a comedian, impersonator, and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer.
A highly dynamic and versatile performer from Karachi, Moin Akhtar made his debut appearance on PTV on 6 September 1966, in a variety show telecast on the occasion of the first defense day of Pakistan. Since then, he had performed numerous roles in TV plays/shows and later teamed up with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari to get an overwhelming public applause.
Whether on the stage or on the screen, Moin Akhtar was one of the most sought after actors in Pakistani entertainment industry. His apparent attempts to avoid vulgar in his humor has rendered him a favorite amongst family audiences.
He is an inspiration for the generations to come and is one of the few that stands out so distinguishably. Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pushto, Gujarati and others, while in the Urdu-speaking world, he is beloved for providing humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched.
He has a following not only in Pakistan but on the other side of the border, India, too due to the stage shows, Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai with Umer Sharif. It would not be wrong to say that his ardent fans are spread all around the globe.
Moin Akhtar rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rosy /Rozy, in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman.
Moreover, in a talk-show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 on a private television channel, he has appeared as a different disguised guest who is interviewed by Anwar Maqsood, the writer and the host of the program. Loose Talk ended after over 400 episodes, each seen with Moin disguised as a different personality.
Following the release of their iPad album The Fall, Gorillaz and Korg develop a remix app.
Korg, you may well know, is a legendary electronic instrument company responsible for a generation of sounds.
They've joined forces with imaginary band Gorillaz to create a beatbox for the iPad via the iELECTRIBE synthesizer engine.
The app has 128 Gorillaz sounds and 64 preset grooves from the rather minimalist new Gorillaz album The Fall.
The Fall has been mooted as the final album from the cartoon band.
Korg, you may well know, is a legendary electronic instrument company responsible for a generation of sounds.
They've joined forces with imaginary band Gorillaz to create a beatbox for the iPad via the iELECTRIBE synthesizer engine.
The app has 128 Gorillaz sounds and 64 preset grooves from the rather minimalist new Gorillaz album The Fall.
The Fall has been mooted as the final album from the cartoon band.
The Reese Witherspoon-Robert Pattinson film "Water for Elephants," "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" and Morgan Spurlock's "Greatest Movie Ever Sold" are among the movies opening domestically
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Fast Five: Universal; Thor: Paramount SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER |
Fast Five doesn't open in the U.S. until April 29; Thor, May 6.
The two event pics opened in Australia early to take advantage of what's essentially a six-day weekend, between Easter and two other holidays.
Fast Five also debuts in the U.K., New Zealand and South Korea this weekend and should build up enough of an opening gross to stay on par, or eclipse, the two big films bowing in the U.S.: Lionsgate's Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family and Fox 2000's adult drama Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz.
Thor plays only in Australia this weekend before rolling out in most other international markets next weekend, which is the May Day holiday.
Historically, Hollywood studios insist on opening their films first in the U.S., so as to parlay publicity into awareness overseas, but that is rapidly changing. Like Fast Five and Thor, 20th Century Fox's 3D toon Rio launched at the foreign box office first.
So far in Australia, Fast Five is the biggest winner, grossing $4.3 million in its first two days (Wednesday and Thursday) and beating Thoras the latter opened Thursday.
Fast Fivegrossed $2 million, while Thortook in $1.5 million.
In touting Fast Five's win over Thor, Universal pointed out that Thor has the advantage of higher-priced 3D tickets, as well starring Australian actor Chris Hemsworth.
But Fast Five's strong performance -- marking Universal's best opening day in Australia -- didn't surprise box office observers. The film is tracking incredibly well, while the last film in the Fast & Furious franchise grossed north of $200 million internationally. Also, Thor is a new offering, without the backing of a franchise.
Paramount was pleased with the opening-day take for Thor, which was 35% higher than Paramount and Marvel's Iron Man.
This weekend in the U.S., Madea is expected to gross in the mid-$20 million range, continuing Perry's winning run for both himself and Lionsgate.
Fox expects Water for Elephants, costing $40 million to produce, to gross around $15 million. The period romantic drama is based on Sara Gruen's best-selling novel.
Ultimately, both Madea and Fast Five could have a hard time keeping up with Fox's 3D holdover toon Rio in their respective markets. Riohas a strong shot at staying No. 1 domestically and an even better chance overseas, where its footprint is far bigger than Fast Five's.
With a majority of kids out of school on Friday for spring break and Easter weekend, Friday and Saturday will be busy at the multiplex. Traffic will drop off Sunday, although Perry's films have historically done well on Easter afternoon.
Rio should jump the $200 million mark worldwide on Friday and could end the weekend as the top-grossing film of the year at the global box office (Paramount's Rango is the current crown bearer at roughly $235 million).
In more limited openings at the domestic box office, Disney opens documentary African Cats in more than 1,000 theaters.
Sony Pictures Classics opens Morgan Spurlock's new documentary POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold in 18 theaters in a handful of top markets and Incendies in three theaters.
Lonely, existentially-lost boy meets popular-but-dissatisfied girl, creating an unlikely friendship that provides each with the missing piece of their emotionally adrift souls.
Okay, so the basic plot line of 'The Art of Getting By' may not be very original, but that doesn't mean it can't be pretty, fun and maybe even a little bit inspiring, stirring the inner teenager in all of us, whether we read 'The Catcher in the Rye' or 'Gossip Girl.'
Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts take the guy and girl roles in the new film from writer/director Gavin Wiesen, a Sundance selection that originally was billed as 'Homework.' It was a fitting title -- Highmore plays George, a high school senior with a dim outlook on life and an even dimmer academic record, eschewing what he calls pointless homework for doodling and painting. Roberts takes on Sally, the popular girl who yearns for something more.
It's a return to a very familiar genre and storyline for Roberts, who, before watching the blood fly in 'Scream 4,' starred in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story,' about a disturbed teenage guy who finds Roberts as a love interest.
It's a big step for Highmore, who starred in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 'The Golden Compass,' and as the voice of Astroboy.
Michael Angarano and Elizabeth Reaser co-star as adults of varying integrity.
'The Art of Getting By' will be released in theaters, in limited selection on Friday, June 17.
SOURCE: MOVIEFON
whata f***
That's what some of our Marines have been doing in the Middle East. We've already seen troops lip-syncing and dancing to Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, but now it's time for Britney Spears. You gotta check out the new video for "Hold It Against Me" that's coming to us via YouTube from "somewhere deep in the heart of Afghanistan.""I am in LOVE with this..." Brit-Brit tweeted in response to the clip. "I always knew our soldiers were fierce! Thanks for everything you guys do."
God Bless our troops...and Britney Spears.
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| Jason Merritt/Getty Images |
Marty Ingels will exec produce 'Gotti: Three Generations'; Nick Cassavetes will direct from script by Leo Rossi.
John Travolta is set to play John Gotti Sr., the mobster known as the Dapper Don, in the indie pic Gotti: Three Generations.Nick Cassavetes will direct the screenplay by Leo Rossi, which focuses on the relationship between John Gotti Sr., the head of the Gambino crime family who died in prison in 2002, and his son John Gotti Jr., who took over the family business for his father, served time in prison, but then successfully escaped conviction in four subsequent racketeering trials.
PHOTOS: Biggest Box Office Bombs
Marc Fiore is producing for his Fiore Films. Marty Ingels, the former comic turned talent broker, has come on board the project as executive producer.
Gotti Jr., who's given his blessing to the project, plans to join the producers, Travolta and Cassavetes at a press conference on April 12 at the Sheraton New York Hotel.
SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
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| Photo Agency |
She said: “It was pretty good (kissing him). Kissing somebody on film can sometimes be a bit of work, but he was so easy.”
Amanda plays Sylvia Weis in the flick and says JT was a real peach on the set. She added: “It was really fun on set. He can sing and act very well. It’s the second time I’ve worked with him actually – and he played my love interest or I played his, depending on how you see it.”
The blonde star hopes to stay friends with Justin and her Now co-stars, as she did after filming Mamma Mia a few years back.
She told Now magazine about her former co-stars: “I see Dominic, Rachel McDowall and Ashley Lilley all the time. The four of us were really tight during the movie and it never faltered, that bond – it’s been the same ever since. It’s weird, even being continents away from each other. But yeah, I do miss them all.”
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| SOURCE: ZIMBIO (Getty) |
Lovato, 18, says she was bullied constantly by classmates until she left school to finish her studies at home. In an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts (via Us Magazine), Lovato said, "I literally didn't know why they were being so mean to me. And when I would ask them why, they would just say, 'Well, you're fat.' I was bullied because I was fat. And then a few months later I developed an eating disorder, and that's kind of what I've been dealing with ever since."
Lovato has had issues with food for a decade, starting with compulsive overeating at the age of 8. In other interviews, she has acknowledged that her eating disorder is something she'll have to confront for the rest of her life.
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| REVIEW SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPOTER |
The Bottom Line
Utterly preposterous, but this car-crazy franchise is armor-plated.Director
Justin LinScreenwriter
Chris MorganCast
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Elsa Pataky, Jordana Brewster, Chris ‘Ludacris’ BridgesPaul Walker, Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster return for the fifth installment, the third film directed by Justin Lin, in the “Fast and Furious” universe.
The answer, sure to please a frothing Fast and the Furious fan base, is: not nearly. The wheels have yet to come off this car-crazy franchise and the fifth installment, set in a much grittier Rio than the recent screen version populated by animated birds, puts several more gallons of gas in the tank.
There may be more brains in your bucket of popcorn, but this gleefully silly smash-’em-up heist film is sturdy enough to restore much of the fan goodwill torched by the horror movie that was the Diesel-free The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Big crashes, lithe women and roiling testosterone, not to mention the addition of The Rock as a fire-and-brimstone federal agent – there’s plenty to pull in the (mostly) young male audience that’s shelled out a cumulative $1 billion over a decade to follow the turbo-charged adventures of a gang of street-racers.
Fast Five (also known as Fast and Furious 5 outside North America) is primed to equal if not better the $71 million opening weekend of its 2009 predecessor and, if a sixth film were not already in the works, that kind of coin would guarantee it.
Director Justin Lin, back for his third go-around, opens it up in top gear; a mere 30 seconds elapse before the first screech of tires rents the air. Showing the blithe disregard for the laws of physics and logic that defines the series, former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and girlfriend Mia (Jordana Brewster) use a matching pair of hot rods to bust Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) out of a prison transport van.
All three go on the lam in Rio de Janeiro, where logic would dictate that Lin make the most of the city’s famously underclad residents and luscious beach backdrops.
But no. Instead, we get favelas and back-street garages and gun-toting bad guys. Lin knows, perhaps, that his target demographic can live without the surplus eye-candy; they come to see shiny muscle cars getting totalled and they would likely do so if Fast Five were set in Scranton, Penn.
While gearheads may be disappointed at the final tally of choreographed car crashes and have their patience tested by lengthy collision-free stretches, Lin serves up at least two set pieces that hit new heights of metal-crunching mayhem.
This is the most expensive installment yet and it’s clear the budget wasn’t used on acting lessons for the cast.
After making a mortal enemy of the city’s reigning drug lord, Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), Dom and company find themselves in a jam that makes illegal street-racing look like kids’ stuff. With tank-like federal agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) hot on their trail and Reyes’ henchmen blasting at them with rocket-propelled grenades, Dom decides the only way to buy freedom is with $100 million of Reyes’ money.
So he assembles a dream team, calling in franchise favorites including Tej (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Han (Sung Kang) and Gisele (Gal Gadot) for “one last job.”
That’s about it for plot really, with the crew making an apathetic stab at nutting out a clever, Oceans 11-style heist strategy before reverting to type and just smashing through the obstacles.
Perhaps it’s just as well or audiences may never have been treated to the sight of a giant reinforced steel vault careening through the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro tethered to a pair of muscle cars.
Screenwriter Chris Morgan peppers his dialogue-light script with a couple of good zingers and Johnson appears to be having fun with his overzealous staccato delivery.
Walker and Brewster are as one-dimensional as ever, even while harboring a little secret that may see us lumbered with a future instalment titled Fast and Furious: The Next Generation. Keep Reading +
"On Stranger Tides," which stars Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz, will bow May 20 in most of the world, including the United States.
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| SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER |
The film will be one of the 20 imported titles allowed to recoup between 13-17 percent of its box office gross in China each year, where the state-run duopoly of the China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution control Hollywood imports and distribution despite a World Trade Organization ruling that says the practice is illegal.
China’s box office jumped 64 percent in 2010 to $1.5 billion and Hollywood studios are ever more keen to get their biggest titles into the market that, with an explosion the sale of premium 3D and IMAX tickets, saw Avatar gross more than $200 million in China alone.
Pirates 4 brings back Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and revives the franchise’s original bad guy, Geoffrey Rush. It also adds Penelope Cruz as a beautiful trickster who tangles romantically with Captain Jack and Ian McShane as a fearsome new villain.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released in China in June of 2007, in the pre-3D era here and without the benefit of a lead-in from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which was banned for its supernatural themes. Nonetheless, Pirates 3 grossed over 120 million yuan (about $18.3 million today).
The Pirates name has proven itself one of the most lucrative film franchises of the 21st century, taking in a combined total of more than $2.6 billion in box office returns worldwide.























