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| BSkyB announces new buyback after strong year Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 11:35 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - BSkyB announced a new 500 million pound ($766 million)share buyback on Friday as it released full-year results showing the group in fighting spirits ahead of its pending pay-TV battle with telecoms giant BT. Britain's dominant pay-TV group, which provides telephony, broadband and premium TV, said it intended to seek approval for the new capital return in November, while it also hiked its full-year dividend by 18 percent. That capped off full-year results which showed adjusted operating profit up 9 percent to 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine:' portrait of a lady who loses it all Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 06:31 PM PDT  By Mary Milliken LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - So sharp is the reversal of fortune for Woody Allen's female protagonist in his latest film, "Blue Jasmine," that the Manhattan socialite's possessions are reduced to a faint echo: a Chanel jacket, designer suitcases, a clutch of anti-depressants. She does manage to retain a regal bearing and a posh accent. But for the most part, Jasmine, played by Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett, has lost everything including her mind, thanks to her husband's financial and marital misdeeds and her own hapless ways. ... Full Story | Top |
| TCA: Mike Tyson Has 'Not Many' Regrets - But Warns That He Bites Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 06:21 PM PDT  By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Mike Tyson has mellowed out. He became a vegan, got married, performed on Broadway. But he warned critics Thursday that he hasn't gone soft. "Guys, please: Don't get carried away, alright. There's no way I'm Charles Manson but I'm never going to be Mother Teresa, either," he said in a Television Critics Association panel Thursday. "Some good advice is, don't be so quick to understand me. Just don't get too close, and be careful, I will bite you, as you may know. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' Star Sandra Bullock Can't Possibly Imagine a Sequel to 'The Heat' Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:38 PM PDT  By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Heat" was well-received by audiences and critics alike, but Sandra Bullock - one half of the female buddy cop duo - doesn't plan on pestering director Paul Feig for a sequel. The Academy Award-winning actress told Entertainment Weekly that she "can't imagine" turning the R-rated comedy, which co-starred Melissa McCarthy, into a franchise. "I know they say never say never, but right now, I can't imagine it. I don't want to ruin what Melissa and I had," Bullock said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tatum O'Neal Reteams With 'Paper Moon' Director Peter Bogdanovich for Showbiz Comedy (Exclusive) Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:28 PM PDT By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Tatum O'Neal will reteam with her "Paper Moon" director Peter Bogdanovich on his new showbiz-themed comedy "Squirrels to the Nuts," which has also added Joanna Lumley ("Absolutely Fabulous") and Debi Mazar ("Entourage") to its ensemble cast. Imogen Poots stars as a prostitute who gets a shot as a Broadway actress thanks to a married theater director (Owen Wilson) who falls for her charms. Jennifer Aniston co-stars as an unprofessional therapist, while Lumley will play her mother. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'American Idol' Sued by 10 Black Contestants Alleging Racial Smear Campaign Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:20 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - A group of 10 black former "American Idol" contestants have sued the Fox show, claiming that producers dug up their arrest histories to get them thrown off because of their race, according to TMZ. The contestants say they were unfairly painted as criminals and sexual deviants - despite that none was ever charged with a crime for which they were arrested, according to the report. What's more - they say only blacks were targeted with the smear campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
| TCA: Roland S. Martin Says Royal Baby Getting 'an Absolutely Stupid Amount of Attention' Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:15 PM PDT By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Roland S. Martin says his new show "NewsOne Now" would have covered the birth of the royal baby - "but the story would be, this is an absolutely stupid amount of attention being paid to a child being born." Martin was asked at a Television Critics Association panel Wednesday how his coverage on the African-American-focused TV One would be different from that of other networks when it launches in September. He pointed to the royal baby coverage as an example. ... Full Story | Top |
| TCA: 'Doctor Who's' Matt Smith Talks His Exit - 'People Will Forget Me' Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:08 PM PDT  By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - BBC America's "Doctor Who" carried on its U.S. tour of sorts at Thursday's Television Critics Association Press Tour in Beverly Hills after hitting San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend. As much as the panel was to speak of the upcoming 50th Anniversary episode airing November 23, the discussion really centered mostly around Matt Smith's planned departure during the special. At first, Smith played down the episode's significance for his turn as the iconic British character. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rosamund Pike to Play Ben Affleck's Wife in David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:06 PM PDT  By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - David Fincher has offered British actress Rosamund Pike the lead in his next film, "Gone Girl," an individual with knowledge of her plans told TheWrap. Pike is expected to accept the role, which has been tied to various actresses over the past few months, including Charlize Theron. Pike will play Ben Affleck's wife, a woman who goes missing on the couple's fifth wedding anniversary, prompting speculation that the husband is the culprit. Many of Pike's scenes are flashbacks to when they were together. ... Full Story | Top |
| Whoopi Goldberg Slams 'View' Co-Host Barbara Walters' Royal Baby Special Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:03 PM PDT  By Sara Morrison LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Despite reports (and a clip from "The View") that suggest otherwise, Whoopi Goldberg says she and Barbara Walters have no beef. "Dude, she hired me," Goldberg told the New York Daily News. "It is a very good relationship." But there were some undeniably tense moments on Tuesday's episode of "The View" when the talk turned to the royal baby. Walters was trying to promote her "20/20" special on the newborn to air that night, but was pre-empted by her co-host's rant that the birth was being over-covered. "People are losing their minds," Goldberg said. ... Full Story | Top |
| NFL and MLB Legend Deion Sanders Reality Show to Debut on Oprah's OWN Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:02 PM PDT By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Oprah Winfrey's OWN announced Thursday a new reality series starring football legend and broadcaster Deion Sanders. "It's Prime's Time" (the show's working title) will depict the daily goings-on of the former dual-sport - he also played baseball - competitor who many consider to be the greatest athlete of all-time. The series will debut next year. The show will follow the Hall of Famer, businessman, educator and father as he "strives to keep all the facets of his complicated, crazy and chaotic life in balance and under control," the network said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oprah Returning to Letterman Show Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:01 PM PDT  By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Oprah Winfrey is returning to the "Late Show With David Letterman" for the first time in nearly eight years. She will be making only her second appearance on the show since December 1, 2005. Winfrey and Letterman have both made light over the years of supposed tension between them, which wasn't apparent in Winfrey's previous appearance. The OWN chairman stars in the upcoming film "Lee Daniels' The Butler" as Gloria Gaines, wife of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), a White House butler who watches history unfold through eight presidencies. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'To Do List' Director: How to Film the Most Unsexy Sex Scene in History Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:00 PM PDT By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - From "Porky's" to "American Pie," teenage sexual discovery has inspired countless movies that push the boundaries of good taste with antics the involve everything from backseats to baked goods. It would be tempting to add this summer's "The To Do List," except there's one crucial difference. Unlike those earlier exercises in hormonal hijinks, this film is told from the woman's point of view. Credit first-time feature film writer and director Maggie Carey and her muse, the reliably deadpan Aubrey Plaza (at left), for steering clear of cheap laughs. ... Full Story | Top |
| TCA: 'Game of Thrones' Lord David Bradley on Hosting Red Wedding: 'I Enjoyed Every Moment' Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 04:58 PM PDT  By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - David Bradley has been getting some funny looks since playing "Game of Thrones" villain Walder Frey, host of the most talked-about wedding of the season. Lord Frey proved himself to be (spoiler alert) a very bad host when he orchestrated the murder of much of House Stark in the penultimate episode of Season 3. Bradley says a few people have wagged a finger at him for what his character did - but he has no regrets. "I enjoyed every moment of it," he said at a Television Critics Association panel on Thursday. "I enjoyed it rather too much, actually. ... Full Story | Top |
| Melissa McCarthy in Talks for Paul Feig's Spy Comedy 'Susan Cooper' (Exclusive) Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 04:56 PM PDT  By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After successful collaborations on "Bridesmaids" and "The Heat," Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to reteam with director Paul Feig on his female spy comedy "Susan Cooper," multiple individuals familiar with the 20th Century Fox project have told TheWrap. "Susan Cooper," which is being developed as a potential franchise in the same tone as "The Heat," will be a realistic comedy about a female James Bond-type. McCarthy has an offer and her team is now negotiating her deal, which is subject to scheduling issues with her CBS series "Mike & Molly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time Warner Cable gets new CEO as industry ponders deals Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 04:44 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Time Warner Cable Inc's longtime chief executive and chairman, Glenn Britt, will step down at the end of the year and be replaced by Robert Marcus, the company's second in command. The move was widely expected. Britt, 64, has been CEO since 2001. Marcus, 48, will become CEO and will join the company's board of directors as chairman starting January 1. He was promoted to chief operating officer and president in 2010. There are no immediate plans to replace him as president. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tuvan throat singer Kongar-ol Ondar dies at 51 Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 04:34 PM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky (Reuters) - Kongar-ol Ondar, a Tuvan throat singer credited with popularizing the centuries-old musical tradition of his homeland to Western audiences, died on Thursday after emergency surgery to treat a brain hemorrhage, friends said. He was 51. Ondar died at a hospital in Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva, a Central Asian republic of Russia that borders Mongolia, said Sean Quirk, a longtime friend of the singer and manager of the Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Alash. "He is not replaceable," Quirk told Reuters by phone from his home in Tuva. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lady Gaga to perform at MTV awards for first time since surgery Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 04:21 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Lady Gaga will debut new music at the MTV Video Music Awards in August in her first performance following hip surgery, the network said on Thursday. Grammy-winning Lady Gaga, 27, will perform her first single from her upcoming new album "ARTPOP," which is scheduled to be released in November. The new single will be released on August 19, ahead of the VMA show on August 25. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hugh Jackman's 'The Wolverine' to Stop the Bleeding at the Box Office Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 03:34 PM PDT  By Todd Cunningham LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Fox's Hugh Jackman superhero sequel "The Wolverine" is a lock to win the box office this weekend in the $75 million range, snapping a four-week run of high-priced summer flops. The only question: how high it will go? Since Brad Pitt's "World War Z" opened to a surprisingly strong $66 million on June 21, pricey blockbuster-wannabes "White House Down," "The Lone Ranger," "Pacific Rim" and "R.I.P.D." have all tanked in successive weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Glee' cast, producers hold private memorial for Cory Monteith Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 03:22 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Glee" cast, crew and producers held a private memorial on Thursday for star Cory Monteith, the 31-year-old heartthrob who died this month from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. Fox Television said in a statement that "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy and Monteith's co-star and girlfriend Lea Michele joined their colleagues "to share memories and music in an emotional celebration of the life of Cory Monteith." Fox declined to provide additional details. ... Full Story | Top |
| Is George Clooney the Greatest Movie Producer Since David O. Selznick? Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 02:09 PM PDT  By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - If we needed any more proof that George Clooney is the king of Hollywood, here's some: He could become the first producer since David O. Selznick to win back-to-back Best Picture Oscars - and if you want to get technical, the first in the history of Hollywood to officially be the recipient two years in a row. Yes, we're jumping the gun and getting way ahead of ourselves here, but bear with us. Clooney was one of three producers to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in February for "Argo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Embattled head of American Academy of Arts and Sciences to step down Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 01:12 PM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - The head of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences will resign effective July 31 amid a controversy over whether she lied about her academic degrees, the honorary society said on Thursday. The 233-year-old Cambridge, Massachusetts-based academy has begun a search for a successor to Leslie Cohen Berlowitz, its current president and chief executive. It expects the process to take "some months," said the group's chairman, Louis Cabot, in a letter to its 4,600 fellows and other members. ... Full Story | Top |
| American, British films dominate Venice festival lineup Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 11:34 AM PDT By Hanna Rantala ROME (Reuters) - New films by British and U.S. directors Terry Gilliam, Stephen Frears, Jonathan Glazer and James Franco will vie for the top prize at this year's Venice Film Festival, organizers said on Thursday. English-language titles prevail in the lineup of 20 films that will be competing for the Golden Lion award at the 70th edition of the world's oldest film festival, which runs from August 28 to Sept 7. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sex researcher Virginia Johnson dies at 88: local media Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 10:35 AM PDT KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Sex researcher Virginia Johnson, part of the famed Masters and Johnson team which did groundbreaking work on human sexuality, has died in St. Louis at the age of 88, St. Louis Public Radio reported on Thursday, quoting her son Scott. Johnson and her ex-husband William Masters, who died in 2001, published the bestselling book "Human Sexual Response" in 1966. (Reporting by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Greg McCune and Gerald E. McCormick) Full Story | Top |
| A minute with: Wong Kar Wai on 'The Grandmaster' and Kung Fu Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 10:33 AM PDT  By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, best known for pensive dramas "Chungking Express" and "In the Mood for Love," explores the life of Kung Fu master Ip Man in the new film "The Grandmaster," which will be released on August 23 in the United States. The film tells the story of Ip - the trainer of Kung Fu film icon Bruce Lee - played by longtime Wong actor Tony Leung. It is divided into three parts that span his adulthood in 1930s' southern China and his Hong Kong exile after Mao's communist revolution in 1949. ... Full Story | Top |
| Talk show host Jimmy Fallon and wife welcome baby girl Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 09:57 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who will take over from Jay Leno as the host of NBC's "Tonight" show next year, said he and his wife have had their first child, a girl. Fallon's wife, producer Nancy Juvonen, gave birth early on Tuesday morning. "My wife and I thank you for all for the nice baby well wishes. Her first day was the best day of our lives. So happy," Fallon said on Twitter on Wednesday. The 38-year-old comedian, who is the host of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," started out on the long-running "Saturday Night Live" comedy show in 1998. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wagner's 200th anniversary gets an oil-themed "Ring" Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 09:54 AM PDT  By Michael Roddy BAYREUTH, Germany (Reuters) - The sometimes staid audience for the annual Wagner festival in the Bavarian opera house he built was bracing this week for a new production of his mythic "Ring" cycle inspired by American TV, Hitchcock's "Psycho" and the pursuit of oil. For a new production for the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth, Berlin theatre director Frank Castorf said "Rheingold", the first in the four-opera cycle, was set in Texas and opened at a motel on Route 66 - the road that snakes through America. ... Full Story | Top |
| For 'Fruitvale Station' director, film school and football pay off Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 09:24 AM PDT  By Mary Milliken LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two years out of the University of Southern California's film school, Ryan Coogler is still paying down his debt. That may not be the case for long. Coogler's first feature film, "Fruitvale Station," goes into wide U.S. release this weekend, having earned universal acclaim from critics, awards at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals and some early Oscar buzz. Coogler, 27, wrote the script and directed the independent drama, while Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker produces. Add to that auspicious start a timely release. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'The English Girl' debuts at top spot on U.S. best-sellers list Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 07:58 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Daniel Silva's "The English Girl" leapt to the top of the U.S. best-sellers list on Thursday, while Dan Brown's "Inferno" slipped to third place. The list is compiled using data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide. Hardcover Fiction Last Week 1. "The English Girl" by Daniel Silva (Harper, $27.99) - 2. "First Sight" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte, $28.00) - 3. "Inferno" by Dan Brown (Doubleday, $29.95) 1 4. "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, $28.95) 5 5. "Hidden Order" by Brad Thor (Atria, $27. ... Full Story | Top |
| Book Talk: A parenting journey as father-turned-mother Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 07:14 AM PDT  By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Author Jennifer Finney Boylan says there is more to being a mother than giving birth and in her newest book, "Stuck in the Middle with You," she chronicles her transgender journey from being a father to a mother. For much of her life as a parent of two boys she said she was "some parental version of the schnoodle or the cockapoo," referring to the dogs produced by mixing two breeds. In the book, Boylan, 55, describes the impact of her transition, which began about 11 years ago, on her now-teenage sons, Zach and Sean, and her wife of 25 years, Deirdre. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'The Beatles' bring all their loving back to Broadway Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:37 AM PDT  By Jill Serjeant NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Beatles - that is, a version of the Liverpool band that broke up more than 40 years ago - are back on Broadway, sending theater audiences dancing into the aisles and proving it's not just Paul McCartney who still believes in "Yesterday." "Let it Be," a concert-style celebration of the music of the Fab Four that opened in New York this week, is the latest stage show to take fans old and new back to the Beatlemania of the 1960s even as surviving members McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr perform and tour the world in their own right. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time Warner Cable, CBS agree to extend negotiations over fees Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 05:12 AM PDT  By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Time Warner Cable Inc and CBS broadcast network, locked in a battle over fees the cable company pays to carry CBS programming, will continue negotiating until Monday, which temporarily averted a blackout in some large cities. "Both parties have agreed to an extension through Monday, July 29 at 5 p.m.," Time Warner Cable spokeswoman Maureen Huff told Reuters late on Wednesday. CBS spokesman Dana McClintock confirmed the extension on Thursday. If both the companies had failed to reach a new deal by Thursday, the No. ... Full Story | Top |
| SoftBank CEO: no comment on whether he tried to buy Universal Music Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 01:58 AM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank Corp CEO Masayoshi Son said on Thursday he could not comment whether he had tried to buy Universal Music, after a media report last week said Universal's owner Vivendi SA had rejected an $8.5 billion offer from Son's company. "I can't comment on the matter," he told reporters inside Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, when asked whether he had considered acquiring Universal Music from Vivendi. The Financial Times reported last week that the Japanese telecoms group, which just completed a $21.6 billion takeover of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
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