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| Six charged in theft of artworks from home of U.S. financier Gundlach Friday, Jan 04, 2013 07:55 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Prosecutors announced on Friday a major break in the investigation of an art heist from the Southern California home of financier Jeffrey Gundlach, charging six people with burglary and other offenses stemming from the caper. The six, including two arrested in September when the 13 stolen artworks were recovered, pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to charges of burglary, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and being an accessory after the fact. ... Full Story | Top |
| HBO's Liberace film aims to humanize through love story Friday, Jan 04, 2013 07:24 PM PST  PASADENA, California (Reuters) - Michael Douglas takes on larger-than-life entertainer Liberace as he plays the singer in an HBO film about a secret love affair in the 1970s that Douglas on Friday called "a great love story." Director Steven Soderbergh said he chose to tell Liberace's story through the lens of his romance with Scott Thorson - a young man who walked into the singer's Las Vegas dressing room in the summer of 1977 - in part to expand public perception beyond his outsized personality and lavish lifestyle. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Pacino inhabits Phil Spector in Mamet's HBO film Friday, Jan 04, 2013 05:33 PM PST  PASADENA, California (Reuters) - Playwright David Mamet had little interest in legendary music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector, dismissing him as a "freak" - until he watched a documentary that shed light on a complicated personality. Now, the "Glengarry Glen Ross" writer is bringing to HBO a movie inspired by Spector's life that imagines his relationship with the attorney who defended him against charges of killing actress Lana Clarkson in Los Angeles in 2003. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nancy Pelosi gets gig on ''30 Rock'' TV finale Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:34 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nancy Pelosi will play some comedic hardball with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey in the series finale of TV comedy "30 Rock," the Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Friday. The Emmy-winning show created by comedienne Fey about the day-to-day life of fictional sketch comedy show will air its final episode on January 31 after seven seasons. "I would do almost anything Tina Fey asks me to do," Pelosi said in a statement. "I'm flattered that they asked me to make a cameo in the series finale. I had a lot of fun. ... Full Story | Top |
| Joe Biden, Reality TV Star? Huh? Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:32 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Kim Kardashian. Honey Boo Boo. Joe Biden? Vice President Biden could join the ranks of the reality TV elite if the supporters of a new petition have their way. A petition published on the White House website is urging the Obama administration to authorize a recurring TV show on public-affairs cable network C-SPAN that would chronicle Biden's day-to-day antics as he interacts with the world at large. The petition cites Biden's winning personality and unifying presence as a selling point for the potential ratings-grabber. ... Full Story | Top |
| Julia Roberts to star in HBO film on early AIDS epidemic Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:08 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Julia Roberts will star as a paraplegic physician treating patients early in the AIDS epidemic in the stage-to-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning drama "The Normal Heart," U.S. cable television network HBO said on Friday. "The Normal Heart," set to air on HBO in 2014, tells the story of the dawning of the epidemic in 1980s New York. Oscar-winner Roberts plays Dr. Emma Brookner, who treats several early patients infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS. Co-star Mark Ruffalo plays Ned Weeks, an eyewitness to how the disease ravaged the city's gay community. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Texas Chainsaw 3D' Review: One Interesting Idea, Dozens of Stupid Ones Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:06 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Texas Chainsaw 3D" brings one interesting new facet to the nearly 40-year-old franchise - and it's not the half-hearted 3D, which adds up to little more than the occasional shot of the titular implement bursting out of the screen. What the movie does do, which horror buffs may or may not go for, is turn the terrifying, bloodthirsty Leatherface into a maligned and misunderstood monster. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oscar Hopeful Baltasar Kormakur to Produce Dagur Kari's 'Rocketman' Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:04 PM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "The Deep" Oscar hopeful Baltasar Kormakur will produce "Rocketman," fellow Icelandic director Dagur Kari's next film, under Kormakur's Blueeyes Production banner. "Rocketman" is Kari's first Icelandic movie since 2003's "Noi the Albino," his first feature-length film. He has since made the Danish-language "Dark Horse," which screened at Cannes in 2005, and the English-language "The Good Heart," starring Brian Cox and Paul Dano. The new project, a co-production with Denmark's Nimbus Film, will begin production in February. ... Full Story | Top |
| James Van Der Beek Takes to the Stage in 'The Gift' Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:02 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - James Van Der Beek is following in the footsteps of his former "Dawson's Creek" co-star Katie Holmes with an upcoming role on stage. The actor, who also starred in "Varsity Blues" and currently appears as himself in ABC's "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," will hit the boards in the American premiere of Joanna Murray-Smith's "The Gift" at the Geffen Playhouse. Emmy Award-winning actress Kathy Baker ("Picket Fences") also will star in the play, directed by Maria Aitken. Opening night is set for February 6, with previews beginning January 29. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Killing Lincoln' Producer: John Wilkes Booth Could Be 'Poster Child for the Tea Party' Friday, Jan 04, 2013 04:00 PM PST  NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Erik Jendresen, writer and executive producer of the upcoming Nat Geo film "Killing Lincoln," says presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth could have been a modern-day "poster child for the Tea Party." Jendresen spoke about the film, which stars Billy Campbell as Lincoln, at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The film is based on the book co-written by "O'Reilly Factor" host Bill O'Reilly, a noted supporter of many Tea Party ideals. Jendresen stressed that Booth wasn't a madman, but held views that were fairly common at the time of the assassination. ... Full Story | Top |
| HBO Sets Premieres for 'Parade's End,' Christopher Guest's 'Family Tree' Friday, Jan 04, 2013 03:59 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - 'Family Tree,' Christopher Guest's latest foray into documentary-style comedy, will premiere this spring on HBO, the network said Friday. Meanwhile, the five-part, World War I-era miniseries "Parade's End" will premiere February 26 at 9 p.m. The miniseries, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall and Adelaide Clemens, will have additional airings on February 27 and February 28. ... Full Story | Top |
| How BuzzFeed Is Betting on Hollywood, Long-Form Writing to Grow Friday, Jan 04, 2013 03:58 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Last January, BuzzFeed, then an aggregator of memes and cat videos, secured a $15.5 million round of venture capital to beef up a craft that most traditional media was downsizing: journalism. It hired dozens of reporters and editors, opened bureaus in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and became a must-read for political junkies during the 2012 presidential election. On Thursday, the company took another step. It added adding a fourth round of capital investment - this time worth $19.3 million. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anna Faris Joins Chuck Lorre's CBS Pilot 'Mom' Friday, Jan 04, 2013 03:56 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Anna Faris has joined the ranks of big-screen talent taking on small-screen projects. "The House Bunny" and "Scary Movie 4" star Faris has been cast to star in "Mom," the CBS pilot from "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" executive producer Chuck Lorre, individuals familiar with the situation told TheWrap on Friday. Faris will play a newly sober single mom who attempts to pull her life together in California's Napa Valley. (Which could pose a problem, given the region's prodigious wine output. ... Full Story | Top |
| Madonna, Bruce Springsteen biggest 2012 world tours Friday, Jan 04, 2013 02:04 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop and rock music legends bested their younger chart-topping competition on the concert trail in 2012, according to data released on Friday by trade publication Pollstar. Pop matriarch Madonna, 54, led all competition, grossing some $296.1 million in ticket sales in her 88-show world tour. She topped Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ($210.2 million) and Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters ($186.4 million). ... Full Story | Top |
| Boyz II Men to Vegas for extended gig at the Mirage Friday, Jan 04, 2013 01:41 PM PST  (Reuters) - One-time boy band Boyz II Men is Vegas-bound for an extended stay at the Mirage hotel and casino, the group said on Friday. The Grammy-award winning R&B trio will begin performances on March 1, with 78 shows slated through December 2013. "We've been dreaming of this day since we performed an extended holiday show two years ago in Las Vegas," said founding member Nathan Morris in a statement, adding "we can't wait to take the stage in March and be a part of the Las Vegas community. ... Full Story | Top |
| Salma Hayek, Jeremy Renner Named Honorary Co-Chairs of 2013 Independent Spirit Awards Friday, Jan 04, 2013 01:37 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Salma Hayek and Jeremy Renner will serve as honorary Co-Chairs for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Film Independent announced on Friday. The pair, who were chosen due to their outstanding artistic achievement and continued support of independent filmmaking, will announce the nonprofit's grant winners for 2013 during the Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch on January 12. "It is an honor to have both Salma and Jeremy join us as Co-Chairs of the 2013 Film Independent Sprits Awards," said Film Independent Co-President Sean Mc Manus. ... Full Story | Top |
| A+E Networks and Amazon Prime Reach Licensing Deal Friday, Jan 04, 2013 01:34 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Pawn Stars" fans, rejoice; you'll now be able to catch Big Hoss and Chumley on Amazon Prime. Amazon announced Friday that it has struck a licensing deal with A+E Networks to carry A&E, bio, History and Lifetime programs on its premium Prime Instant Video service. The deal includes prior seasons of programs such as "Pawn Stars," "Storage Wars" and "Dance Moms." Amazon Prime, which allows subscribers to stream videos through a variety of gadgets, costs $79 a year. ... Full Story | Top |
| ''Zero Dark Thirty'' screenplay among Writers Guild nominees Friday, Jan 04, 2013 12:16 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The writers of controversial Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" and of the presidential drama "Lincoln" won nominations on Friday for the Writers Guild Awards, as momentum built in Hollywood ahead of the Oscars in February. The screenplays for Iran hostage drama "Argo," cult movie "The Master," quirky comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," and shipwreck tale "Life of Pi" also won nods from the Writers Guild of America for honors either as adapted or original movie screenplays. ... Full Story | Top |
| Academy Announces Scientific and Technical Achievement Honorees Friday, Jan 04, 2013 11:56 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor nine scientific and technical achievements at this year's Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation, the Academy said Thursday. This year's presentation is scheduled February 9 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Among the honorees will be J.P. Lewis, Matt Cordner and Nickson Fong, who invented the Pose Space Deformation technique, which developed into an essential technique in creating computer-generated characters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leader of Online Movie Group IMAGiNE Gets five Years for Piracy Friday, Jan 04, 2013 11:54 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Jeremiah B. Perkins, the former leader of internet movie group IMAGiNE, was sentenced to five years in prison on a piracy charge, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. Perkins, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement in August. In addition to the prison sentence, Perkins was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wesley Morris, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Film Critic, Leaving Boston Globe Friday, Jan 04, 2013 11:39 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Wesley Morris will leave his post as film critic for the Boston Globe to write full time for Grantland. His exit is a blow to the Globe's arts section. Morris has a loose, jazzy style, a virtuoso feel for adjectives and a passion for film history. He earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 with the awards committee hailing his "...pinpoint prose and an easy traverse between the art house and the big-screen box office." Morris did not return a call and email requesting comment on his departure from the world of newspapers. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Pippin' Returning to Broadway Friday, Jan 04, 2013 11:36 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Pippin" will warble about his "Corner of the Sky" once more, now that the musical story of Charlemagne's son will Broadway this spring. The Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz musical will begin preview performances on March 23 and officially open April 25 at the Music Box Theatre. The revival will be directed by Diane Paulus, artistic director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University and oversaw the recent Tony-nominated production of "Hair." The circus-themed "Pippin" is currently playing at the Cambridge, Mass. ... Full Story | Top |
| '56 UP' Review: The Kids Are All Right - If Wrinkled, Heavier and Hurt by the Economy Friday, Jan 04, 2013 11:35 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It's like catching up with old friends. They're a little heavier than when we last saw them and have a few more wrinkles, but they're still very much who they always were. We know that because, even as we're looking at their 56-year old selves up on the screen, it is intercut with footage of them at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 or 49 years old, answering the same question or explaining how they were feeling then. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Grey's Anatomy' star Patrick Dempsey buying Tully's coffee Friday, Jan 04, 2013 11:24 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Patrick Dempsey, better known as television's "Dr. McDreamy," promised to rescue Seattle's Tully's coffee chain with a $9.15 million bid to buy it out of bankruptcy. The "Grey's Anatomy" star who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd, a surgeon at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, said his offer bested those from six rival bidders - including global coffee giant Starbucks Corp. "We met the green monster, looked her in the eye, and ... she blinked! We got it!" Dempsey said in a tweet late on Thursday, referring to his company's face-off with Starbucks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oscars to feature special James Bond movie tribute Friday, Jan 04, 2013 10:48 AM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Oscars are jumping on the James Bond anniversary bandwagon, featuring a special salute to the 50-year-old franchise at the annual awards ceremony in February, producers said on Friday. "We are very happy to include a special sequence on our show saluting the Bond films on their 50th birthday," Oscar show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a statement. While no details of the segment were revealed, the producers added that "starting with 'Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
| Model Naomi Campbell mugged in Paris in November Friday, Jan 04, 2013 09:09 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - British supermodel Naomi Campbell was mugged by two assailants who tried to steal her handbag in Paris in late November, the prosecutor's office and police said on Friday. Campbell lodged a complaint with police after being attacked by two men on motorbikes in the capital's trendy Marais neighborhood. The men attempted to steal Campbell's bag from inside the car she was in on the evening of November 21, a police source said. "There was an attempted robbery with violence," an official at the prosecutor's office said. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Musical acts to watch out for in 2013 Friday, Jan 04, 2013 06:55 AM PST (Reuters) - The music press and labels have stepped up their search for the "next big thing" in pop, an annual exercise in identifying up-and-coming talent and promoting artists recently signed up to record companies. In 2013, a handful of acts from Britain, the United States and beyond have caught the attention of "pop pickers" and appear on influential lists drawn up by music channel MTV, British broadcaster BBC and music magazine NME, among others. Following is a list of names who appear on the latest "faces to watch" surveys. 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-film star Bardot may seek Russian nationality Friday, Jan 04, 2013 06:32 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - Former French screen goddess Brigitte Bardot on Friday threatened to follow Gerard Depardieu in asking for a Russian passport, in protest not at tax hikes, but at the treatment of two circus elephants. The animals, named Baby and Nepal and owned by a touring circus, are thought to be carrying tuberculosis and were ordered to be put down by a court in Lyon, southern France, on Friday as a precautionary measure. ... Full Story | Top |
| LA sisters Haim lead hopes of pop revival in 2013 Friday, Jan 04, 2013 06:26 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Three sisters from Los Angeles producing fun and infectious folk-pop could be the tonic that chart music needs to lift it from what some experts are calling a creative slump. As music channels, journalists and record labels step up their search for the "next big thing" in 2013, the Fleetwood Mac-inspired Haim sisters have appeared in a growing number of lists produced at the start of each year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Jazeera inherits Current TV's distribution woes Friday, Jan 04, 2013 02:56 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Al Jazeera's announced plans to establish a new U.S. cable news channel via the purchase of Current TV isn't even 48 hours old and already it finds itself in a vicious battle to retain distribution rights. Al Jazeera's acquisition of Current TV is basically a pay-for-distribution play. The Qatar-backed network plans to replace Current TV in the more than 40 million homes where it is currently distributed with its own news network, tentatively dubbed Al Jazeera America. The new network's success is predicated on maintaining, if not increasing, that level of distribution. ... Full Story | Top |
| China shuts website of leading reformist magazine Friday, Jan 04, 2013 12:59 AM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - China shut the website of a leading pro-reform magazine on Friday, apparently because it ran an article calling for political reform and constitutional government, sensitive topics for the ruling Communist Party which brooks no dissent. "Yanhuang Chunqiu" (China Through the Ages) is an influential Beijing magazine that features essays from reformist retired officials. In a message posted on its official Sina Weibo microblog, the magazine said that it had been informed on Thursday that the site's registration had been canceled and that it had not been given a reason. ... Full Story | Top |
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