Actor resurfaces in White House after ’suicide’
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood star Kal Penn has swapped television’s “House” for the White House. The 31-year-old actor, who made his mark as the pot-smoking Kumar in the “Harold and Kumar” feature film comedies, will become associate director in the White House office of public liaison, Entertainment Weekly reported on Monday.
Actor Jackman condemns “Wolverine” leak
SYDNEY (Reuters) – In a blaze of publicity, Australian actor Hugh Jackman zoomed in by helicopter and flying fox to an event to promote the latest X-Men movie, saying he was “heartbroken” that the film had been leaked on the Internet. At the start of a world tour to promote “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Jackman unveiled 20 minutes of footage from the action blockbuster to fans and media on Cockatoo Island in the middle of Sydney Harbor, where some of the film was shot.
ad_icon
Miller, Sarsgaard say new film sign of indie woes
NEW YORK (Reuters) – “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” was made in 2006 but will only reach U.S. theaters on Friday in what stars Sienna Miller and Peter Sarsgaard say is a sign of the impact of the financial crisis on independent filmmaking. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon’s novel of the same name, the film premiered at Sundance, the top U.S. independent film festival, in January 2008 but only found distribution through Peace Arch Entertainment a year later.
Songwriter retires as head of music rights group
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Oscar-winning songwriter Marilyn Bergman is stepping down as president and CEO of ASCAP, a music-royalties collection group that also lobbies on behalf of composers and copyright owners, the organization said on Wednesday. Bergman, 82, had led the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for 15 years, but will remain on the board of directors. Her successor will be elected during a board meeting later this month.
Leno brings comic relief to battered Motown
DETROIT (Reuters) – In a nod to the gloomy economy, late-night comedian Jay Leno hosted a show on Tuesday to lift the battered spirits of Detroit residents facing steep unemployment and a faltering auto industry. The host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” a celebrated car buff, presented a “comedy stimulus plan” to a packed house at a suburban Detroit arena that is home to the Detroit Pistons professional basketball team.
Sony nabs international rights to Obama documentary
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The documentary “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama,” which will air on HBO, has been picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group. The company has acquired all international media rights (excluding U.K. television) as well as domestic home entertainment rights to the film. HBO picked up other U.S. rights to the film in November.
Eminem spoofs celebs, Palin in new song
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Eminem debuted the video to “We Made You,” the first single off his forthcoming album “Relapse” on MTV Tuesday. The video, directed by Joseph Kahn, mercilessly spoofs a slew of celebrities, including Jessica Simpson and her alleged weight issues, Kim Kardashian’s rear, Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson’s fractured lesbian relationship, Sarah Palin, Elle DeGeneres, Jessica Alba and others.
Warner Bros. warns Bollywood: Don’t touch ‘Button’
NEW DELHI (Hollywood Reporter) – Fighting for its foothold in India’s growing movie market, Warner Bros. has threatened to sue anybody planning to remake “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” without its permission. Warners’ threat appeared in local media advertisements Monday after reports that Bollywood producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah planned to make a Hindi-language film called “Action Replay,” in which actor Akshay Kumar would go through a reverse-aging process.
Poehler and company craft winning workplace sitcom
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – It’s unfair to compare “Parks and Recreation” to “The Office” just because they share writers and producers. “Office” didn’t invent the mockumentary any more than its British predecessor did. “Parks” is a genuinely funny and engaging comedy that bears stylistic similarities to “Office” but has a heart and mind all its own. Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department in Pawnee, Ind., is the kind of naive, blindly cheerful central character who is reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott. But the key difference is that Michael’s idiocy is egocentric, while Leslie’s lack of self-awareness and her zealousness to please ultimately are designed to benefit those around her. In the words of Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), she’s “kinda doofy, but sweet.”
Cera film “Paper Heart” set for summer release
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Overture Films will release “Paper Heart,” director Nicholas Jasenovec’s faux documentary starring Michael Cera and real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi. The movie, which won the Waldo Salt Award for best screenplay at the Sundance Film Festival, was financed by Overture sister unit Anchor Bay.
The blockbuster season has arrived.
