Monday, March 30, 2009

Exclusive "Dissecting Fantasies: The Secrets of Guillermo Del Toro" Exhibition Poster Available Now!


Exclusive William Stout Guillermo Del Toro Exhibition Poster is now available only through DelToroFilms.com

The reknown graphic artist, William Stout, is the father of this exclusive poster art for the ambitious digital exhibition Dissecting Fantasies: The Secrets of Guillermo Del Toro.

William Stout says of his design: "The creatures and characters are behind Memo because they are his past. The gold bug creeps forward on to Guillermos shoulder because an artists past is still always with him in the present. His future is represented by the mystery of the lens. It is opaque; no one can see what his next vision will be except for him."

Stout is an award-winning fantasy artist and illustrator, and has worked as a concept artist on PANS LABYRINTH. Stout also serves on the creative team for Del Toros AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS project.

The Dissecting Fantasies exhibit started its tour in 2008 at the and is currently travelling across the globe.

The poster is approximately 39 x 30 inches on gloss, heavy paper.

Click here to pre-order.

Source: DelToroFilms.com

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

'Pandorum' Hits Theatres Labor Day Weekend

Ben Foster stars in Overture Films' Pandorum.
Jay Maidment © 2009 Constantin Film Produktion GmbH

Don't fear the end of the world. Fear what happens next. . .

In Pandorum, actors, Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Express) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog), join Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down, Twilight), Cung Le (Tekken, Fighting), newcomer Antje Traue and director Christian Alvart (Antibodies) to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly realize they are not alone.

Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the spacecraft. They can't remember anything - who are they, what is their mission? The only way out of the chamber is a dark and narrow airshaft. Corporal Bower (Foster), the younger of the two, crawls inside, while the other, Lt. Payton (Quaid), stays behind for guidance on a radio transmitter. As Bower ventures deeper and deeper into the ship, he begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking and deadly secrets come unraveled, and the astronauts realize that the survival of mankind hinges on their actions.




Movie Poster: Shockya.com
Pandorum in theatres (US) Sept 4, 2009.
Rating: TBD

Monday, March 23, 2009

Canadian Acting Legend Dan Aykroyd to Visit Winnipeg on Promotional Tour

Aykroyd to host several public bottle signings promoting Dan Aykroyd Wines, Patron Tequila and Crystal Head Vodka

Canadian acting legend Dan Aykroyd will visit Winnipeg on a wine and spirits promotional tour March 23-24, announced Murray Marshall, President and CEO of Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd, the award-winning wine and spirits agency that successfully produces and distributes Dan Aykroyd's Canadian wine.

According to Dan Aykroyd, "I have fond memories of Winnipeg and its wonderful people from when I filmed the movie The Avro Arrow in the late 90's. My returning will be a unique opportunity for me to personally thank the people of Winnipeg for their kindness and support, sign some autographs and introduce people to my terrific Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series Canadian wines, my new vodka made in Newfoundland called Crystal Head, and for them to experience the ultimate in tequila, "Patron".





Aykroyd will visit the following Liquor Marts where he will be hosting bottle signings open to the public:

Monday, March 23, 2009

Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: Madison Square Liquor Mart
Address: 1600 Ness Avenue

Time: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Location: Grant Park Liquor Mart
Address: Grant Park Shopping Centre


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: cityplace Liquor Mart
Address: 333 St. Mary Avenue

"Manitoba Liquor Marts regularly welcomes winery and spirit company principals to our market to discuss and promote their products," said Steve McConnell, Liquor Marts Marketing manager, "We're especially pleased that Dan Aykroyd has agreed to host three bottle signings to promote his award-winning Discovery Series wines, as well his Canadian-made Crystal Head vodka and ultra-premium Patron tequila."

Aykroyd will also be making a cameo appearance on March 23 in support of the Hunger for Hope charity event that will be held at Stereo Nightclub in Canad Inns Destination Centre Windsor Park.

Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits produces, distributes and markets its wines nationally from its own Niagara wineries and vineyards including Dan Aykroyd Wines, 20 Bees Winery, EastDell Estates, Lakeview Cellars, De Sousa Wines and Birchwood Estate Wines.

Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd. is an award-winning wine and spirits distribution and marketing agency for various international brands across Canada. Since inception, the company has grown to become one of Canada's top agencies representing some of the most compelling beverage alcohol brands in today's marketplace. For more information about Dan Aykroyd wines, please visit www.DanAykroydWines.com -- For more information about Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits, please visit www.diamondwines.com.

Regent Entertainment Acquires RomCom "Weather Girl"

Regent Worldwide Sales, the sales affiliate of Regent Entertainment, announced today that it has acquired the international sales rights (excluding North America) to the new romantic comedy, "Weather Girl," from writer/director Blayne Weaver.

"Weather Girl" features sitcom star Tricia O'Kelley ("The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Gilmore Girls,") and Emmy-nominated actor Mark Harmon ("NCIS," "The West Wing"). The film - a Secret Identity Productions' film in association with T&A Pictures, Steakhaus Productions, and H2R Productions - also stars Jon Cryer, Ryan Devlin, Jane Lynch, Kaitlin Olson and Patrick J. Adams.

"Weather Girl" focuses on a Seattle TV news show weather girl (O'Kelley) who learns that her boyfriend/morning news anchor (Harmon) has cheated on her. Forced to cope with the realities of being thirty-something, single and unemployed, she begins an unlikely romance with her brother's best friend, who's younger than she is.

Weather Girl Trailer

"We were hugely pleased with the response in Park City and the interest from film distributors," said Blayne Weaver, writer/director of "Weather Girl." "We took many meetings about the future of 'Weather Girl' but Regent's reputation and track record along with their love for the film made it an easy choice."

Weaver added, "We're so excited that Regent will be introducing 'Weather Girl' to an international audience."

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Natasha Richardson dies after skiing accident at age of 45

LinkNatasha Richardson, the Tony Award winning stage and screen star and scion of British performing arts royalty, has died following a skiing accident. She was 45.

The daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson was flown to hospital close to her home in New York on Tuesday evening [March 17], the day after she injured her head during a skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec.

Tuesday, the Mont Tremblant ski resort, released the following statement regarding her accident:

"Natasha Richardson fell in a beginners trail while taking a ski lesson at Station Mont Tremblant," the statement said. "She was accompanied by an experienced ski instructor who immediately called the ski patrol. She did not show any visible sign of injury but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor.

"As an additional precautionary measure, the ski instructor as well as the ski patrol accompanied Mrs. Richardson to her hotel," the statement continued. "They again recommended she should be seen by a doctor. The ski instructor stayed with her at her hotel. Approximately an hour after the incident Mrs. Richardson was not feeling good. An ambulance was called and Mrs. Richardson was brought to the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste-Agathe and was later transferred to Hôpital du Sacre-Coeur."

A spokesperson for the resort noted Richardson was not wearing a helmet while skiing and didn't collide with anything when she fell.

Richardson’s husband Liam Neeson flew from the Toronto set of Atom Egoyan’s Chloe to be by her bedside and joined the actress’ mother Vanessa Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson, aunt Lynn Redgrave, and her ex-husband Robert Fox.

Richardson was nominated for a British Independent Film Award best actress prize for her lead role in David Mackenzie’s 2005 romantic thriller Asylum. Her feature credits included The White Countess, The Handmaid’s Tale, Patty Hearst and Maid In Manhattan.

She began her stage career with the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds and went on to earn widespread critical acclaim for a range of lead roles in such plays as Anna Christie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Closer and Cabaret, for which she won a best actress Tony Award in 1998.

Neeson’s publicist Alan Nierob issued a statement that read: "Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."

Neeson and Richardson co-starred on stage in 1993 in Anna Christie and reunited a year later on screen in Michael Apted’s Nell. They married in 1994 and had two sons Michael, 13, and Daniel, aged 12.

This ABC news story and a video about Richardson's brain injury at ABCNews.com

Source:
ScreenDaily.com

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Cedric Sanders in 'Venice' the Hip Hop Musical: Apr 15-18 @ the Douglas

Hollywood rising star Cedric Sanders told me yesterday he is currently busy preparing for his role in the new Hip-Hop musical 'Venice' which will play at the Kirk Douglas Theatre next month. Cedric said the play is "about betrayal and politics; loosely based on Shakespeare's Othello." Cedric is really excited about the workshop production which will include "post-show discussions after each workshop presentation."

The Venice workshop production written by the hit show 'Clay' team of Matt Sax (Playwright, Composer Lyricist), and Eric Rosen (Playwright) promises to be a high voltage musical experience.



Hey, check out Sanders' cool rap performance about curling for ESPN.



Sanders was the triumphant Best Lead Male Award Winner of the 18th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. Sanders' delivered a stellar lead performance as “Johnson C Whittaker” in 6-time nominated play, A Matter of Honour. Sanders told me he would really love to perform this role again, but on Broadway. Any Broadway producers out there? Hello!

After seeing Sanders in the outstanding play, Director Mark Young cast him as the lead opposite Academy Award ® Winner Louis Gossett, Jr. in his feature film, The Least Among You.

Cedric Sanders’ breakout film was American Gangster opposite Denzel Washington. Sanders has also appeared in the HBO movie Life Support starring Queen Latifah, and guest starred on both Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Here are a few of his performance clips...


Check out Venice and get a chance to interact with Cedric Sanders during the post-show discussion while he's still accessible. Venice runs April 15-18 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Performance at 8:00 PM nightly. All seats are $20. Call 213-628-2772 or order tix online.

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Alex Jones' 'Obama Deception' online today; 'New World Order' screens at SXSW March 17

Impassioned radio host and documentary filmmaker Alex Jones has been labeled a conspiracy theorist by the mainstream media, so it will be interesting to hear what the uninitiated will think about him after seeing Darkon filmmakers Luke Meyer's and Andrew Neel's new doc feature New World Order, which premiered at SXSW March 13.

New World Order is a documentary about conspiracy theorists. The film is a behind the scenes look at the underground anti-globalist movement. This growing movement targets the annual Bilderberg conference, and the 9/11 attacks as focal points in the alleged global conspiracy.

Alex Jones is the main character of the film. The film chronicles Alex (of Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), and four other conspiracy theorists, on their ceaseless quests to expose the 'massive global conspiracy' that they believe threatens the future of humanity.



Jones drove around Austin in his specially outfitted vehicle—bullhorn speakers mounted up top to better reach the masses at SXSW. Listen to the podcast interview hosted by GreenCine editor Aaron Hillis.

World dictatorship?

With the official release of THE OBAMA DECEPTION– now available for high-quality download and streaming at PRISONPLANET.TV– director Alex Jones reaches out to Obama supporters everywhere, to let them know where he stands.

Prison Planet.tv members can watch the film right now.



The Obama Deception is a hard-hitting film that completely destroys the myth that Barack Obama is working for the best interests of the American people. The Obama phenomenon is a hoax carefully crafted by the captains of the New World Order.

He is being pushed as savior in an attempt to con the American people into accepting global slavery. We have reached a critical juncture in the New World Order's plans. and only by exposing the con can we help to save freedom in America.

The Obama Deception is not about Left or Right: it's about a One World Government. The international banks plan to loot the people of the United States and turn them into slaves on a Global Plantation.

Covered in this film: who Obama works for, what lies he has told, and his real agenda, and how his initial appointments and actions prove he serves the corporate oligarchs, not the American people. If you want to know the facts and cut through all the hype, this is the film for you.

Scenes from Obama Deception:



Source: GreenCine.com
Infowars.com
PrisonPlanet.tv

'Wild Ocean 3D': 2009 Earthwatch Film Award Winner


On March 19 Earthwatch will honor Wild Ocean, a Giant Screen Films and Yes/No Productions release, as its 2009 Film of the Year with a screening, award presentation, and panel discussion in Washington, DC.

Written, directed, edited, and scored by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas (the UK-based, Oscar and Emmy-nominated creative duo behind the internationally acclaimed Stomp), Wild Ocean is presented in theatres worldwide by Nokia.

Each year an unbelievable feeding frenzy takes place in the oceans of South Africa as billions of fish migrate up the KwaZulu-Natal Wild Coast. Wild Ocean 3D (U.S., 2008, 40 min.), an explosive documentary about man and nature, reveals startling giant-screen images of breaching whales, feeding sharks, diving gannets, and massive bait balls. The migration has provided a food source for life in the ocean and for the people living along the shore. However, years of overfishing are threatening this invaluable natural resource.

The film shows how business, government, and the local people have joined forces to protect this vital ecosystem. It immerses audiences in an epic underwater struggle for survival and depicts the economic and cultural impact the migration has on the coastal communities.

This 23rd Annual Earthwatch Film of the Year Award is given in cooperation with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. Earthwatch's film award program has honored environmental filmmaking for more than two decades, recognizing the power and potential of visual media to reach mass audiences and inspire them to take action on behalf of our shared environment.

The screening is followed by a discussion among Philippe Cousteau Jr., environmentalist and president and CEO of EarthEcho International; Clapperton Mavhunga, Earthwatch Principal Investigator and assistant professor of science, technology, and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Edward Wilson, president and CEO of Earthwatch Institute; and Wild Ocean directors Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, who were nominated for an Academy Award for directing Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey. The panel will take questions from the audience.

Earthwatch will screen Wild Ocean March 19 at 7:00 PM the Johnson IMAX Theater at the National Museum of Natural History, in cooperation with the Smithsonian Associates, at 10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Singer Chris Brown withdraws from Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards

I'm pleased to report...

Singer Chris Brown on Wednesday withdrew from Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards because of the controversy from criminal charges against him for allegedly attacking his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.

Brown, who is known for hit songs like "Run It!" and "Forever," was up for top male singer at the awards show airing March 28 on U.S. cable television channel Nickelodeon.

The 19-year-old R&B star, who is accused of assaulting and making criminal threats against Rihanna on the eve of the February 8 Grammy Awards, also was up for best song for "Kiss Kiss." He was competing against Rihanna in that category for her "Don't Stop the Music."

Brown, who was nominated before the incident with Rihanna, faced criticism from special interest groups and in blog postings around the Internet by people who argued it set a bad example for children for him to stay on as a nominee. The people were heard!

Brown, who celebrity news outlets report is back together with Rihanna, faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Source: Reuters

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mickey Rourke to play Russian Villain in 'Iron Man 2'; Scarlett Johannson to play Black Widow


According to Nikki Finke's Deadline exclusive scoop ICM has scored its second casting deal for Marvel's Iron Man 2. Rourke has signed on for the role of the Russian villain in the sequel after his agent David Unger got the lowball quote up to a "significant" level. Sony was considering hiring Mickey to play the villain in Spider-Man 4.

Rourke is in Russia this week promoting Fox Searchlight's The Wrestler.

Emily Blunt won't be in the sequel and Black Widow will now be played by Scarlett Johannson. (Interesting because Scarlett actually screen-tested for the role and didn't get it.)

Blunt fell out not by choice but only because Fox exercised an option that the studio had from 'The Devil Wears Prada' to make her do the upcoming film starring Jack Black, 'Gullivers Travels.'

Source: DeadlineHollywoodDaily

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Michael Jackson: This is It!


The King of Pop Michael Jackson returned to the stage Thursday after eight years marked by more scandal than music-making and proclaimed to thousands of screaming fans and media "this is it"!

Wearing his trademark sunglasses and a silver-embroidered black military-style jacket, he said that a series of 10 London shows beginning July 8 will mark his “final curtain call.” Not sure if he means London, the world, or ever. With Jacko you never know.

Jackson appeared at the 02 Arena — where the concerts will be staged — to announce the gigs. No word on any North American tour dates.



Tickets will go on sale at 7am Friday March 13th, 2009. For ticket and presale information, visit Michael Jackson Live, MichaelJackson.com and the O2.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Manhattan Arrives in London: Watchmen Thames River Event

To celebrate the Paramount Pictures UK release of the hugely anticipated and revered Watchmen (in cinemas 06.03.09), at exactly 8pm GMT, London’s River Thames will give birth to a Watchmen spectacle that is beyond the thinkable. Dr Manhattan, the blue skinned, super-powered being beloved of all Watchmen fans, will rise above the murky depths of the Thames to a height of over 70 feet and tower over all those who dare to attend.




This dramatic, one-off spectacle will be created using the world’s biggest water screen projector. The water screen, moored especially for this occasion in the middle of the Thames between the London Eye and The Shell Building, will create an enormous vertical screen of water that will extend to 72 feet in height and 100 feet across. Specially created, never to be seen again Watchmen footage, will be projected onto the screen to showcase Dr Manhattan’s translucent and shimmering form in dramatic and gigantic effect – this really will be an excellent and exciting medium to see Dr Manhattan in all his super human glory; and to watch him hover over the city in true Watchmen style!

A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, “Watchmen” is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the Doomsday Clock—which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union—moves closer to midnight.
When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the outlawed but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion—a disbanded group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers—Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future.

Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who is watching the Watchmen?



Watchmen- Event on the River Thames, London
March 4, 2009
Watchmen Monster, Big Eye
Teple Pier, Victoria Embankment
Photos by Jo Hale/Paramount Pictures

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Vincenzo Natale's sci-Fi horror film 'SPLICE' opens this fall


Canadian Writer-director Vincenzo Natali will soon release 'Splice' a scifi-horror film executive produced by Guillermo del Toro.

"The Bonnie and Clyde of genetics" features Clive and Elsa, superstars of the genetic engineering world. They specialize in splicing together DNA from different animals to create fantastical new hybrids. The charismatic couple wants to use human DNA in a new hybrid – something that could yield astronomical medical benefits. The pharmaceutical company that funds their research, however, is more interested in exploiting their earlier triumphs for easier, short-term profit. Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiment. The result is Dren (Delphine Chanéac): an amazing creature who exhibits an array of unexpected developments, both physical and intellectual. Dren exceeds their wildest dreams... and, ultimately, their most terrifying nightmare.

Director Natali says that the film is: “…about finding humanity in the monster and… the monsters that lurk within humanity.”

In the twelve years since Natali first began talking about the project, he finished two other movies (Nothing and Cypher), a segment of Paris, Je T'Aime, and the storyboards for hip werewolf picture Ginger Snaps.

What took so long? Explained Natali's long-time production partner Steve Hoban: "I can say this for both Vincenzo and I: We make movies in Canada. We don't make movies anywhere else." If you want to make a small indie drama, Canada's not a bad place to do it, but if you're looking to fund and shoot a high concept, $30 million or so scifi-horror film... well, try and name another large budget genre picture financed in Canada over the past ten years. It wasn't until French outfit Gaumont put up some cash and Guillermo del Toro got involved as an exec producer that things finally got rolling.

And then, ironically, being a Canadian production in 2007 became a huge asset: Because American productions were being canceled in the lead up to the writer's strike, Adrien Brody suddenly became available to join local girl Sarah Polley in the lead roles; the two of them offered instant credibility. Says Hoban: "For us, though, the reason to cast them had nothing to do with whether they liked this kind of film or had done this kind of film before or not. It was all about casting actors that you would believe to be scientists... Adrien and Sarah were the leading two who were the right kind of age and who you could really believe."

A limited theatrical US release is planned for Sept 18, 2009.

Source:
BloodyDisgusting.com
IMDB.com
Blogs.amctv.com



Sarah Polley and the fully grown creature played by Delphine Chanéac