Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan's 'The Strain' TV Adaptation in the Works

Marti Noxon (left) and Dawn Parouse Olmstead (right)

Grady Twins Prods. are teaming with director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) and novelist Chuck Hogan on a TV adaptation of their co-authored horror trilogy, The Strain.

The Strain book trilogy is a bioterror thriller with fangs, telling the story of an outbreak in the U.S. of a virus that either kills those who are exposed to it or turns them into vampires. The first of the series came out in June. The plan is to shop the TV project, envisioned as an event series unfolding over three seasons, early next year after the second book is released.

Grady Twins, the production company formed earlier this year by TV vets Marti Noxon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Dawn Parouse Olmstead ("Prison Break"), is named for the murdered twin girls who haunt the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's book and Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining.

As evidenced by Grady Twins' initial batch of projects, Noxon and Parouse Olmstead aim to cast a wide net as producers. And they're committed to live by the maxim that "we don't want to be doing anything that we don't have a passion for," Noxon said.

Here's a look at the Dog Shed scene from The Strain...


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Source: Variety.com

New Line Could Lose Right to Release Jackson-del Toro's 'THE HOBBIT': Deciphering Tolkien Heirs' Lawsuit

Ian Holm and Ian McKellen in "Lord of the Rings."
New Line Cinema

The worldwide take for Jackson's LOTR trilogy, from box-office receipts, home-video sales and associated merchandising is $6 billion. Yet according to a lawsuit filed recently in Los Angeles by Tolkien's children and other interested parties, New Line Cinema and its parent company Time Warner (which produced and distributed the films) haven't paid them a cent.

Tolkien's heirs are likely motivated by a sense of injustice and a desire to reclaim their father's patrimony, as much as by the prospect of a huge payday, but other, more shadowy factors are at work as well. Hypothetically, this case could shut down New Line's forthcoming production of The Hobbit, or turn it over to the Tolkiens, for resale to the highest bidder.

J.R.R. Tolkien sold the movie rights to his “Lord of the Rings” novels in 1969 for 7.5 percent of future receipts. In poor health and facing a big tax bill, Tolkien came away with $250,000, which comes under the heading of It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time. According Eskenazi, New Line is allowed to deduct 2.6 times its production costs plus a certain amount of advertising expenses before it begins to pay the family its 7.5 percent royalty.

The company is taking the position that its production and promotional expenses were so enormous that no royalties are due to the Tolkiens out of those 6 billion dollars, either now or in the foreseeable future. As Pierce O'Donnell, a lawyer who represented Buchwald in his suit against Paramount, told Bloomberg reporter Brett Pulley, Hollywood accounting is "an esoteric world where black doesn't mean black, and white doesn't necessarily mean white."

Purely based on the history of these things, it seems unlikely that New Line/Time Warner can escape without paying the author's children, Christopher and Priscilla Tolkien (who are 84 and 80 years old, respectively), or their heirs a substantial pile of cash, $220 million.

The Tolkien family's claim that New Line's byzantine accounting practices amount to a breach of the contract Tolkien originally signed with United Artists 40 years ago. If such a finding were made, the remedy would be clear. All rights to Tolkien's work would presumably revert to his heirs, and New Line's planned two-part production of "The Hobbit," a pair of LOTR prequels to be produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Guillermo del Toro, would be thrust into legal limbo. "Should this case go all the way through trial, we are confident that New Line will lose its right to release 'The Hobbit,'" Eskenazi told Pulley.

This does not mean the Jackson-del Toro "Hobbit" won't get made as some LOTR buffs and reporters have stated.

No one at the table is foolish enough to want to shut down a production that promises to yield, at a conservative estimate, an additional $2 billion to $3 billion in worldwide revenue. What the Tolkiens and Time Warner are fighting over is who controls that production and who will reap the enormous benefits. In that regard, it's worth noting that the Tolkiens' principal co-plaintiff is Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the parent company of HarperCollins, which publishes the Tolkien books. Another News Corp. subsidiary, of course, is Fox, a studio that would be well positioned to take over production and distribution of the "The Hobbit" movie if the rights reverted to the Tolkien family.

Is the Murdoch empire using the Tolkiens to wage a proxy war against Time Warner? There is an intriguing convergence between this case and the long-running rivalry between those two huge entertainment conglomerates. The likeliest outcome is a last-minute settlement that pads the lawyers' pockets and leaves everything else pretty much status quo. Failing that, Christopher Reuel Tolkien v. New Line Cinema Corp. is scheduled to go to trial in October, around the same time as del Toro's "Hobbit" production begins to roll in New Zealand.

Empireonline caught up with Peter Jackson at Comic-Con and collared him on progress with The Hobbit which, although still awaiting official greenlighting and casting, is only a few weeks from having its first script draft signed, sealed and delivered.

So could he tell us what the first line of dialogue in part 1 of The Hobbit would be? Video clip: "The film begins in very much the same way as the book begins," says Jackson. In case you haven't consigned the entire book to memory, that means the first words uttered by Bilbo will be "Good morning!"

According to the LA Times Peter Jackson really does own his own Stormtrooper costume. Unfortunately, he opted not to bring it with him to his very first Comic-Con International in San Diego -- meaning he probably didn't get the chance to wander the convention floor incognito and do some shopping, though he really wanted to. "It's very frustrating because I am the sort of guy who'd love to go and buy stuff. I do buy models and collectibles, and it's frustrating not being able to do that."

I'll be so bold as to predict Jackson-del Toro fans will be treated to The Hobbit teaser trailer at San Diego Comic Con 2010. Oh, and be on the lookout for a Stormtrooper roaming the convention floor.

The first 'Hobbit' installment is scheduled for release Dec 2011.

Source: Salon.com
Empireonline.com
LA Times

Peter Jackson and James Cameron Talk Shop at 'The Visionaries' Comic Con Panel (video)

Peter Jackson and James Cameron were part of San Diego Comic Con's 'The Visionaries' panel. The two Oscar winners discussed the worlds they create and the worlds they hope to. Both have films in theaters later this year (The Lovely Bones and Avatar, respectively).

A few attendees captured as much as they could (8 YouTube clips below).

Peter Jackson clears up Hobbit rumors (video)

During the San Diego Comic-Con District 9 panel, producer Peter Jackson took a moment at the start of the presentation to address lingering rumors about how far production has developed on The Hobbit, his and director Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited follow-up to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

"We are doing two movies, just to clarify," Jackson said in his first-ever in-person Comic-Con appearance. "[But] you're probably going to want to know that Bilbo Baggins is going to be played by ... and I think he's really going to be good," he said, deliberately garbling the microphone as he mentioned the supposed casting choice. "No, I just thought before we got started, I'd give you a little bit of an update on The Hobbit. Because everything's a process, a pipeline, we're about three or four weeks away from delivering our first draft of the script of the first movie to Warner Brothers."

Jackson spent a few minutes explaining why the development of The Hobbit has taken so long. "One of the things which is interesting is, as you obviously know, Tolkien wrote The Hobbit first in 1936, and about 20 years later he published Lord of the Rings. He'd expanded and developed and made the world of Middle-earth way bigger and more detailed than he knew about when he wrote The Hobbit. He did a lot of retrospective detail, so The Lord of the Rings, the novel, contains a lot of information about what was happening during the years of The Hobbit and events that were happening outside that particular storyline, things that were happening behind the scenes in Middle-earth."

According to Jackson, part of the appeal of returning to the series was tying together all of the disparate strands of Tolkien's work, not to mention the narratives of his existing adaptations of it. "Tolkien never got to combine them in one book, but one of the things we were really excited about when we got to thinking about it is we got to take that expanded information that he created later on and apply it to The Hobbit and make it fuller and more epic and sort of really put The Hobbit into context of the greater activity that's happening on Middle-earth at that time. So to do all that, we figured we really needed two epic films to be able to really tell that story. So that's the plan."

At the same time, Jackson confessed that they had yet to even finalize a plan for the films. "The film's not greenlit yet," Jackson said. "The studio has to read the script and like it, and then once we have a script, we can do a budget, and we get to figure out how much the films are going to cost. It's a process that we haven't even got to the point where we're greenlit yet, so if any of you want to see The Hobbit, you can drop Warner Brothers a line and encourage them to be kind to us."

Building of Hobbiton has begun!

Jackson added: "I know there's a lot of speculation about casting and who's playing different roles. I just want to say, because it may avoid some of the questions, we haven't gotten to the stage where we can offer anybody a role yet, because obviously we have to be greenlit. We have to have the authority to make offers to actors, and we have to be able to give them a schedule of when we want them to work and how long we need them to work for. And obviously actors are going to want to read a script, so we have to have a script for them."

All things considered, they were making progress and hoped to have some more concrete announcements in the months to come, Jackson said. "We're about three or four weeks away from delivering that draft, and then we can start the process of the budget and everything," he said. "So probably in about two months is when we're going to be able to actually start to offer people roles. So despite everything and all of the gossip you may have read, we honestly have not offered anybody a role in the film."

The current plan is to release the first “Hobbit” film in December of 2011 and the second one in December of 2012. This is assuming everything comes together and the JRR Tolkien heirs lawsuit doesn't derail the production.





Source: Scifiwire.com

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland Trailer

Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter) & Helena Bonham Carter (The Queen of Hearts)

From the looks of the new trailer for Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, movie-goers will be in for a wild and colorful ride.

The Walt Disney Pictures adaptation of Alice in Wonderland all-star cast includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter and Australian actress Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

Alice In Wonderland is due out March 5, 2010, "a very important date."

Visit the Alice in Wonderland website for more amazing concept art images.

Johnny Depp’s vampire meditation

Johnny Depp meditates in a room full of vampire memorabilia.

Depp is fascinated by the mythical blood-sucking creatures, and has a space in his London home full of items relating to them.

A source explained to National Enquirer magazine: “Johnny uses the room to relax, meditate and be alone.”

Among the items in the space are masks, capes, posters, fangs and a rare copy of Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’.

Johnny, 46, has previously admitted he is fascinated by vampires, claiming he found 60s supernatural show ‘Dark Shadows’ enthralling.

He said: “Barnabas Collins from ‘Dark Shadows’ was a huge obsession of mine. I loved Barnabas Collins more than I loved the Harlem Globetrotters.

“I wanted to be Barnabas Collins so much that I found a ring, it was probably one of my mother’s rings, and I wore it on this finger, and I tried to comb my hair like Barnabas Collins, and I was trying to figure out how I could get fangs. It really had a heavy impact on me, a heavy influence on me.”

Peter Jackson's DISTRICT 9: New TV spot!

TriStar Pictures has unleashed a new extended TV spot and two brand new spots for the highly-anticipated horror film, District 9, produced by Peter Jackson.

If you haven't already heard, District 9 will be showing at San Diego Comic-Con International on Thursday this week, so expect to hear some early buzz coming from that. Peter Jackson, who produced this, will also be at Comic-Con in support of the movie. Lucky you if you were able to snag a tix to the sneak preview! If you get the opportunity, ask Peter about the latest Hobbit casting rumours (wink, wink).

Tagline: You are not welcome here!

It's really not a coincidence that a movie from a South African director, District 9, has aliens being treated like second-class citizens. In a new interview, Peter Jackson explains that yes, the movie really is all about apartheid.

The NZ Herald has an interview with Jackson, and the article also explains a bit more of this movie's plot, which revolves around a multinational corporation, MNU, charged with policing the aliens while trying to find out their technological secrets. When an MNU agent is accidentally exposed to a mysterious alien substance, he finds himself a hunted man. An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions in Johannesburg, South Africa suddenly find a "kindred spirit" in the government agent from MNU.

District 9 is both written and directed by first-timer Neill Blomkamp, a South African filmmaker who previously directed the awesome Halo: Arms Race shorts. The screenplay was co-written by Blomkamp and writing partner Terri Tatchell. This project is based on Blomkamp's short film Alive in Joburg.

Shot documentary style, District 9 breaks down responses to the presence of space aliens to the level of the streets. The information always seems imperfect, distorted by fear and other agendas. In the new TV trailer we get further glimpses of the near-panicked atmosphere that arises in the absence of any real knowledge of what's going on.

The aliens have arrived, but people don't know what to expect of them. A government representative says they will not be able to go home. The aliens are herded into the mysterious District 9, where the police conduct raids, unprepared for what they find. And as one alien gets hauled away, a man insists, "I did not know they were doing this to you guys." Most ominous of all is the comment that "nobody ever knew what this place was."

In the absence of any reliable information, people's reactions say a lot more about them than they do about the aliens. This is highlighted further in a couple of viral interviews that popped up recently. Not knowing what exactly the aliens eat leads to disturbing rumors that they are eating missing pets (perhaps even people) or subsisting on government handouts, all of which fuels public animosity. Overall, the movie looks to be treading pretty close to the old Pogo line: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

District 9 is set for release on August 14.

TV Spot #1


District 9
TV Spot #2


MNU Protest

Post-apocalyptic Animated Movie '9': Extended Clip

The Year of 9: Shane Acker's 9 , Peter Jackson's District 9 and Rob Marshall's Nine.

Shane Acker's upcoming animated movie 9 is a weirdly original and surreally beautiful movie produced by Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley.

It takes place in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world in which a band of courageous rag dolls battles for the survival of civilization. Featuring the voices of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and John C. Reilly. 9 will be previewed at this week's Comic-Con in San Diego and opens in theaters on 9-9-09.

Looks like Pixar's UP will have some serious competition come awards season!

Source: Scifiwire.com

The Strain (Book review)

Guillermo del Toro (left) and Chuck Hogan (right); The Strain book signing

The Strain, is the first of an apocalyptic new trilogy that includes The Fall (2010) and The Night Eternal (2011), from the visionary creator Guillermo del Toro of the Academy Award®-winning film Pan's Labyrinth and the comic book movies Hellboy 1 and 2. Del Toro teams up with Hammett Award-winning mystery/thriller author Chuck Hogan to bring you this epic novel about a horrifying battle between man and vampire that threatens all humanity.

The Strain opens with a flashback to the 1920's and Eastern Europe where a young Jewish boy, Abraham Setrakian, is being told a fairy tale by his grandmother. The legend of Jusef Sardu, the giant, his walking stick (pick-pick-pick), and his haunted castle. Very old world creeeeepy.

Flash forward to present day New York where something has gone terribly wrong. A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK enroute from Germany and lands safely. It suddenly goes completely dark, all of its shades down, with no communication or 911 calls coming from the aircraft as CSI type investigators puzzle outside it. Upon examination the plane yields only four survivors and no apparent answers.

Center for Disease Control (CDC) is called in and the head of their early response “Canary” team, Dr. Eph Goodweather, is baffled by the strange findings in the plane. After examining the situation, he is left with a feeling of dread that chills him to the bone as he tries to implement his scientific methods to a situation that clearly does not follow the rules of modern science.

An ornate box, rectangular in shape, containing only earth is found in the cargo hold of the plane. Vampires! These are not the sexy, love struck bloodsuckers of today. These are powerful, vengeful, hideous creatures who will stop at nothing until the world is theirs.

In a pawnshop on the Upper East Side (Spanish Harlem), Abraham Setrakian, a Holocaust surviver (Treblinka) realizes that there is an even older evil at work. A force from who's been seeking retribution for half a century, which has crossed the pond from the old world to the new. The legendary Dark Thing Sardu has arrived. It is a race against time to contain this ancient force before it spreads outside the city limits; an apocalyptic nightmare descending upon the characters and the world as they know it:

(excerpt from The Strain) "His lower jaw descended and out wriggled something pink and fleshy that was not his tongue. It was longer, more muscular and complex...and squirming." Eeeewwww!

And as the infection spreads throughout New York City, it falls to Eph, Abraham Setrakian, second generation Russian Vasiliy Fet (a rat catcher) and a few others to try and stop something which is seemingly unstoppable. The book shifts focus to different characters and their experiences as the plot sees the vampire infection spreading wider as it steers the leading characters closer together for the "final" confrontation with the Bad Guy.

Del Toro and Hogan flesh out the bones of the story so meticulously and vividly that the hairs on your neck will be standing while you check the deadbolts on your door. These Big Bad Bloodsuckers will have fans of horror and crime novels turning the pages of this compelling novel way into the wee hours of the morning.

The Strain conjures up visions of a big budget apocalyptic thriller laced with cutting-edge creature makeups and special effects. Check out the The Strain book trailer : Dog Shed scene



I would love to see a film adaptation of The Strain trilogy. The book is like a teaser for Guillermo del Toro's deliciously wicked world of hideous, creepy, fleshed out monsters on the big screen. The Strain book trailer: Jail Scene will totally creep you out and leave you wanting more.


I can't wait for The Fall (2010) and The Night Eternal (2011)!



Check out The Strain website at www.thestraintrilogy.com

Who Will Play Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit"?

Peter Jackson will be in attendance at the upcoming San Diego Comic Con to promote his upcoming film District 9. Some believe that he will take advantage of the event to also announce who will play Bilbo Baggins in his The Hobbit films.

It has been long-rumored that James McAvoy (Wanted, Last King of Scotland) is being considered, but LA Times is now saying that Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is also in the running.

While McAvoy is likely the favorite out of the two actors, there is another name that keeps coming up. Apparently, David Tennant will be attending Comic-Con for the first time to promote "Dr. Who," but the newspaper believes that he will be there at the request of Jackson for "The Hobbit" announcement.

There is a chance that none of the actors mentioned will get the role. Hmmm. If you are attending SD Comic Con you may be the first to know the answer.

Synopsis
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book, "The Hobbit," which is a prelude to "The Lord of the Rings." The story is of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of exhiled dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo, alone and unaided, who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside.

Source: LA Times

Guillermo del Toro's 'The Hobbit' could be jeopardised by Tolkien heirs' lawsuit

Ian McKellen as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings

• JRR Tolkein heirs claim $220m in compensation for unpaid profits from the trilogy
• Suit also seeks option to terminate further film rights, including for Guillermo del Toro's 'The Hobbit' project

Like me, you probably thought whatever outstanding legal issues the JRR Tolkein heirs had, were settled prior to the pre-production of The Hobbit. Wrong!

Guillermo del Toro's film version of The Hobbit could be killed off in a pending battle between a Hollywood giant and the family of the book's author, JRR Tolkien. The heirs to the Tolkien estate are suing New Line Cinema, the studio behind the Lord of the Rings adaptations, claiming $220m (£133m) in compensation for undistributed profits from the films. For good measure, they are also demanding the option to terminate further film rights to Tolkien's work, citing breach of contract.

"Should the case go all the way to trial, we are confident that New Line will lose its rights to The Hobbit," said Bonnie Eskenazi, the lawyer working for the author's son, Christopher, and the family's charity, the Tolkien Trust. The case – officially billed as Christopher Reuel Tolkien v New Line Cinema Corp – is due to be heard at Los Angeles superior court in October.

JRR Tolkien sold the film rights to the trilogy in 1969 for an upfront fee of £250,000 and a reported 7.5% of future profits. Released between 2001 and 2003, the Lord of the Rings trilogy went on to earn upwards of $6bn in theatrical and DVD sales. However, the Tolkien estate claims it has yet to receive any payment from New Line or its parent company, Time Warner. For their part, lawyers acting for New Line argue that terms of the original contract are "ambiguous".

In 2005 director Peter Jackson sued New Line for a share of the profits, eventually settling for an undisclosed sum in 2007. The film-maker Saul Zaentz, previous owner of the rights to Tolkien's work, settled for a reported $168m in 2005.

The Hobbit is currently in pre-production in New Zealand, with a release date set for December 1, 2011. Tolkien's tale of an intrepid hobbit who sets off in search of dragon treasure will be divided into two pictures, directed by Del Toro and executive produced by Jackson.

Let's hope the legal issues are settled quickly so that The Hobbit (I & II), which I predict will be the most significant film of this decade, can be produced.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

Katie Holmes on the Set of 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

The Guillermo Del Toro-produced remake of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is the debut feature of director Troy Nixey, best known for Latchkey's Lament, a short film he made a while back. It obviously impressed Guillermo. Check out the awesome trailer!


Del Toro and Matthew Robbins co-wrote the Don't Be Afraid of the Dark screenplay. It's also the comeback feature of Katie Holmes, who was recently snapped on the set of the film in full-on "distressed woman" mode -- which is in character, as she plays a woman haunted by evil gnomes that live in her home. The film is currently filming in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Here's the paparazzi pic that turned up on ABC News. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is set to be released in 2011.

Source: esplatter.com

'Orphan' Esther Has A Secret

There's something wrong with Esther. Check out the trailer (below).

Synopsis
The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate's fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther--this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther's sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late...for everyone.

Genre: Horror
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard | Vera Farmiga | Isabelle Fuhrman
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer: David Johnson
Official Site: Orphan

Orphan starts July 24th.

Pedro Almodovar's 'Broken Embraces' (Los abrazos rotos)

Director Pedro Almodovar, the most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel focuses on love, death, identity, and guilt in his lates film Broken Embraces. His beautiful cinematography can be likened to that of a master painter using sumptuous color palettes and brush strokes of light (All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!). Penelope Cruz stars as the film’s female lead.

Penelope Cruz with director Pedro Almodovar

Synopsis
Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco,and was directing his last movie.

Broken Embraces U.S. release date is set for November 20, 2009, but only in limited theaters.

For more information about the film visit the Broken Embraces official site (Spanish and French only).

'Under the Mountain' Trailer

New Zealand is the hot destination for lavish film productions requiring beautiful landscapes; bleeding edge F/X technology, monsters and creature makeups.

Guillermo del Toro (The Hobbit, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) on New Zealand...
"It is infinitely superior to Hollywood for me. Because this is Hollywood the way God intended it. The creation of movies. And the structure to create those movies in the most technically perfect environment, but all around the pure love of filmmaking as opposed to the accounting, and the money, marketing, and everything that is wrong with making movies. You know you have a place that is creatively driven, but technologically, absolutely great. And if you have anything lacking and you say "we don't have this, we don't have that"; ingenuity and craftsmanship and devotion supply it as opposed to the idea of an idea of a marketing place that produces movies to a particular target audience, you know."

New Zealand's filmmaker Jonathan King, who wrote and directed fun horror/comedy indie film called Black Sheep, releases his latest offering Under the Mountain in December 2009. The film showcases some of New Zealand film industry's finest resources.

Sam Neill, Tom Cameron, and Sophie McBride star in the movie which is based on the novel by Maurice Gee.

The story follows two twins that have to fight against shape-shifting monsters that live under Aukland’s extinct volcano’s.

Synopsis
When teenage twins Rachel and Theo Matheson investigate the creepy old house next door, they discover the Wilberforces - shape-shifting creatures that lurk beneath Auckland’s ring of extinct volcanoes. Guided by the mysterious Mr Jones and with the help of their older cousin Ricky, the twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy this ancient evil - before it destroys them.

Joe Jackson Grooming Michael’s Children To Become The Jackson 3

The Jackson 3

Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, plans to force the late singer’s children to become a new version of The Jackson 5, according to the claims of a British biographer.

New reports claim the stage parent, now 80, is intent on thrusting the children, Prince Michael, 12; Paris, 11; and Blanket, age 7 into fame, despite the wishes of his late son, who tried to keep his children out of the spotlight.

“Joe wants the children to go on a world tour in 2010. He has also… offered recording contracts to two of Michael’s kids. Now he is talking about getting them the world’s best backing band and taking them on tour as The Jackson 3,” Ian Halperin, who published an unauthorized biography on the King of Pop earlier this year, titled Unmasked , told The Sun on Monday.

In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday, Joe confessed that he could see a future in showbusiness for the Jackson children.

This talk is simply absurd! The children have just lost their parent and he hasn't even been laid to rest yet. The family can't agree on where he should be buried. He hated Neverland in the end and never wanted to return so it probably won't be the place.

Gary, Indiana, is a fitting place to lay Michael to rest. If Michael had any sort of normal childhood, it was probably in Gary.

Berry Gordy is pushing for a Hollywood Hills “V.I.P. R.I.P.” burial and went as far as to purchase a crypt there.

It sucks being a celebrity sometimes; especially when you are dead one.

'Inglourious Basterds' NEW Trailer

Watch the new trailer for Academy Award-winning director Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic, Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt. Cast includes Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Brühl, Eli Roth.

During World War II a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.



Visit the official Inglourious Basterds site. Theatrical release is Aug 21, 2009.

Brüno, "Queen of Fashionistas" Stops By The Late Show With David Letterman (Video)

Brüno arrived at the Late Show sporting a racy, black and red ensemble inspired by the "King of Pop". Michael Jackson's memorial was held in Los Angeles the same day. I hereby dub Brüno as the "Queen of Fashionistas". Brüno opens this weekend.

Brüno, "Queen of Fashionistas"

Part 1: Brüno Talks About the Making of Brüno


Part II: Brüno Interviews a Terrorist

World Will Watch Jackson Memorial

Thousands from around the world are expected to swamp Los Angeles, California, to mourn Michael Jackson today at the Staples Center.

Fans gather at the Holmby Hills home to remember Michael Jackson.


Some fans found themselves at Staples Center because of the unexpected generosity of others.

Michelle Mann and Basra Arte, both 18, flew in from Vancouver, British Columbia, to honor Jackson.

"It's overwhelming," Mann said. "We can't believe that we're here."

The two had appeared on Canadian television and said they planned to fly to Los Angeles for the memorial service -- even though they had no tickets. Six hours before their flight, 15-year-old Karlo Karanan, who'd seen them on TV, tracked them down and gave them his.

"I'm looking forward to being in the presence of other fans," Arte said.

Jackson's family and closest friends attended a gathering at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills this morning before going to the public memorial. The gold casket is currently being driven in a procession from Forest Lawn to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

The Staples event is expected to feature singers Mariah Carey, Usher and Stevie Wonder. Also participating will be basketball stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson; singers Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Smokey Robinson; and activists Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to an announcement released on behalf of the Jackson family. A Grammy producer will produce today's MJ Tribute.

Jackson memorial lineup


Watch live coverage on CNN.com

R.I.P Michael!

Source: CNN.com

'Jennifer's Body': Foreplay for 'Bruno' Opening Weekend

Screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno) teams up with Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking) again for Jennifer's Body, 20th Century Fox's horror offering. Cody whipped up this hellish tale about a high school cheerleader (Megan Fox), screwed over by a visiting rock band, who becomes possessed by a demon and begins to feed off of the boys in her town. Amanda Seyfried stars as her best friend. Johnny Simmons and Adam Brody also star.

Karyn Kusama (Girlfight) directed the Reitman produced music driven flick.

A word from the filmmakers...

"Fox is putting a trailer of Jennifer's Body in front of Bruno this Friday. Great, right? Only problem is it's not our trailer. It's kind of a straight horror preview and while we're sure it'll appeal to many of you, we wanted to make sure you guys got to see our cut... Lets call it the "filmmaker's cut". We think it captures the comedy and scares of the horror films we grew up on - a kind of nostalgia for when horror films were fun. Can't wait to show you the whole film... In the meantime, here's the red band trailer we wanted our fans to see."

- Karyn, Diablo, and Jason

Watch the exclusive Red Band Trailer at ShockTillYouDrop.com

Jennifer’s Body is set to hit theaters September 18th.

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com

Guillermo del Toro in Conversation with Charlie Rose, July 2, 2009

Charlie Rose’s exciting conversation with director Guillermo del Toro on July 2, 2009. The two covered his new book The Strain, monsters, Catholicism, the kidnapping of his father, the perils of New Zealand Pavlova, his desire to adapt a Carson McCullers novel, and his rescue of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s first film.



Running Time: 30 minutes
Source: CharlieRose.com

'Carriers'...Smells Like Swine Flu

Paramount/Vantage Films presents Carriers

A deadly virus has spread across the globe. Contagion is everywhere, no one is safe and no one can be trusted. Four young attractive people race through the back roads of the American West to the pounding beat of a vacation soundtrack. Their aim is to retreat to secluded utopian beach in the Gulf of Mexico, where they could peacefully wait out the pandemic and survive the apocalyptic disease.

Carriers follow their getaway through a surreal and dangerous world where laws and rules no longer apply. Their plans takes a grim turn when their car breaks down on an isolated road starting a chain of events that will seal the fate of each of them in an inexorable and horrifying voyage of hell through a western landscape populated by only the hideous dead or the twisted living. Their desperate retreat south turns into a deadly battle against infected children, homicidal doctors, crazed survivalists, rabid dogs, and, finally each other. The virus is the least of their problems as horrible choices must be made in the face of lost humanity.

Carriers stars Chris Pine, Lou Taylor Pucci, Piper Perabo and Emily VanCamp. Opens in theaters on September 4th.

Official site: carriersmovie.com