Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Grammy Awards: Complete List of Nominees

Grammy Awards: Complete List of Nominees

Sophie Schillaci
The 2012 honorees, led by Kanye West, Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars, were announced during a live concert special broadcast on CBS.

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How Netflix Came Undone

How Netflix Came Undone

Paul Bond
A stock in freefall, erratic management decisions, the Qwikster debacle -- How the high-flying envy of Hollywood came crashing down and what it needs to do to regain its mojo.

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The Long, Strange History of Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols

For an image of the world to come, look to the children: Recently Justin Bieber, the Western world’s choirboy igni ferroque, released his first Christmas album, combining traditional carols—“Drummer Boy,” “Silent Night,” and the like, performed in his signature reedy contralto—with some festive canticles not previously loosed upon the Earth. (From one track: “I don’t want to miss out on the holiday/ But I can’t stop staring at your face.”) Bieber has said that his goal in recording this music, which has already hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, was to “work with people who had great experiences with Christmas albums.” This may strike some listeners as a quixotic ambition. Christmas carols are, if anything, the visiting relatives of the musical world: They show up at the same time every year, stick around a little longer than one might prefer, and set the tone of virtually all family entertainment while they are in town. A December without them would be strange and slightly lonely, yet the prospect of their absence tends to be, by one week in, a reason in itself to look forward to the new year.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Will 'The Artist' and 'The Descendants' Reverse the Indie Spirit-Oscar Trend? (Analysis)

Will 'The Artist' and 'The Descendants' Reverse the Indie Spirit-Oscar Trend? (Analysis)



Scott Feinberg
The two early Academy favorites will duke it out in the top three categories: feature, director and screenplay.

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Problem Kids on the X-Men Family Tree

Problem Kids on the X-Men Family Tree

Marvel Girl, who in 1963 made her debut with the original X-Men, was the first of many problem children among Marvel's extended family of genetic anomalies.

Microsoft Battles Google For the Love of Small Business

Microsoft Battles Google For the Love of Small Business

Steve Ballmer says Microsoft is "winning, winning, winning, winning, winning" in the fight with Google and other competitors to move businesses into the proverbial cloud. But the story is, well, more nuanced than that.

Patrice O'Neal dies at 41

Patrice O'Neal dies at 41

Popular guest on ''Opie and Anthony Show'' and Comedy Central had battled complications from a stroke

Latest Stats Say We're Building a Fatter, Slower Web

Latest Stats Say We're Building a Fatter, Slower Web

Thanks to a diet of ever-richer JavaScript files and more sophisticated CSS, web pages are fatter than ever. If bandwidth speeds and browser improvements can't keep pace tomorrow's web may end up slower than today's.



R.I.P. Patrice O'Neal

Comedy: Newswire: R.I.P. Patrice O'Neal

Comedian Patrice O’Neal has died at the age of 41, after suffering a stroke in late October that left his chance for recovery uncertain. His death was confirmed by Gregg “Opie” Hughes of the Opie And Anthony Show, where O’Neal was a frequent guest and co-host, who answered the numerous online rumors that had quickly spread among O’Neal’s fellow comedians by saying, “Yes it's true that our pal Patrice O'Neal has passed away. The funniest and best thinker i've ever known PERIOD.” O’Neal was 41.
Active in the stand-up comedy scene since ...

The Death of Titles

The Death of Titles

This week Fox premieres a new half-hour sitcom starring Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran titled I Hate My Teenage Daughter. Early semiotic analysis indicates it’s about two women who hate their teenage daughters. As such, the premise is unlikely to surprise viewers of NBC’s 2 Broke Girls, which—spoiler alert—follows the lives of two broke girls. Indeed, the two shows are but the latest in a cavalcade of Hollywood products outfitted not with a title but a blunt abbreviation of a concept. Ads for these releases increasingly paper bus stops and billboards, resembling, in their flagrance, whacky American hits in crude translation: Tower Heist, Our Idiot Brother, Bridesmaids, Stepbrothers, Wedding Crashers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Snakes on a Plane, Cowboys vs. Aliens, Alien vs. Predator, The Social Network.

Monday, November 28, 2011

R.I.P. Ken Russell

Film: Newswire: R.I.P. Ken Russell

Numerous UK sources have reported the death of Ken Russell, the British director known for films full of outlandish, hallucinatory visuals, controversial subject matter, and, above all, a mischievous desire to stimulate the senses. Somewhat ironically for one so often referred to as a “wild man,” Russell is said to have “died peacefully in his sleep.” He was 84.
Russell’s career began in the rather staid world of BBC documentaries, particularly those that had to do with composers. Among these, Russell often cited Song Of Summer as the best film he ever made, and his dramatization of the last ...

Fox TV Exec Brian L. Chambers, Who Worked on 'Bones' and 'Modern Family,' Dies at 56

Fox TV Exec Brian L. Chambers, Who Worked on 'Bones' and 'Modern Family,' Dies at 56



Mike Barnes
Chambers, who managed postproduction for all 20th Century Fox TV-produced shows each season, had worked at the studio since 2003.

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"Mahna Mahna" Comes from Porn

How a ditty from a soft-core Italian movie became the Muppets’ catchiest tune.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2011/11/_mahna_mahna_how_a_ditty_from_a_soft_core_italian_movie_became_the_muppets_catchiest_tune_.html


The Inventor in Hollywood

The Inventor in Hollywood

Imagine that, on Sept. 12, 2001, an outraged Angelina Jolie had pulled out a pad of paper and some drafting tools and, all on her own, designed a sophisticated new missile system to attack al-Qaida. Now imagine that the design proved so innovative that it transcended weapons technology, and sparked a revolution in communications technology over the next half-century.

Analyst: Pay TV Industry to Lose 200,000 Subscribers in 2012

Analyst: Pay TV Industry to Lose 200,000 Subscribers in 2012



Georg Szalai
"It's about cord-avoiders and cord-nevers, not cord-cutters," Credit Suisse's Stefan Anninger says in a new report.



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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Harvey Weinstein Pens Op-Ed; Reveals How 'My Week With Marilyn' Made Him 'Cool'

Harvey Weinstein Pens Op-Ed; Reveals How 'My Week With Marilyn' Made Him 'Cool'

Lauren Schutte
The producer reveals that his three daughters and mother were skeptical about the Monroe-based film until he told them Michelle WIlliams would play the legendary actress.

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Friday, November 25, 2011

Why 'Harry Potter' Might End Its Long Streak of Oscar Snubs

Why 'Harry Potter' Might End Its Long Streak of Oscar Snubs



Gregg Kilday
The first seven movies in the Warner Bros. franchise earned only a combined nine Academy Award noms, all in below-the-line categories.

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Lady Gaga Reveals She Posed Nude for Tony Bennett

Lady Gaga Reveals She Posed Nude for Tony Bennett



THR Staff
The sketches will be published in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair.

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The Worst War Movies Ever

The Worst War Movies Ever, From <cite>Delta Force</cite> to <cite>The Empire Strikes Back</cite>

Here they are: the corniest, most inaccurate, jingoistic, inadvertently hilarious battles ever to be waged on the silver screen. Warning: several are NSFW, and all of them are full-blown assaults on good taste.

Hollywood's Vision of the Future vs. the Future We Got

Hollywood's Vision of the Future vs. the Future We Got

Where?s my jetpack? In the past, Hollywood promised what the future would hold (talking cars, dragons), but this is what we got.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

20 Hollywood Stunts Gone Wrong

Lights, Camera, Accident! 20 Hollywood Stunts Gone Wrong

Sophie Schillaci , Lauren Shutte, Philiana Ng , Michael O'Connell
Actors, stuntmen and innocent bystanders have fallen prey to on-set mishaps for as long as Hollywood has been in business. Some walk away with bumps and bruises, while others have tragically lost their lives for the craft. The most recent being the unfortunate death of locally hired crew member Mike Huber who was killed on the set of Paramount's "G.I. Joe" sequel in New Orleans on Nov. 22, 2011. THR recounts some of Hollywood's accidents and injuries on set.

On Kermit

On Kermi

You are reading this article because of Kermit the Frog. This is true in the conventional sense of its arriving on the occasion of The Muppets, the charming new movie in which he returns as the ringleader of Jim Henson's vaudeville menagerie. As ever, Kermit presents a study in balance: His innate humility counters his naked ambition, his earnest sentimentality complements the company's ironic capering, and the shy reediness of his singing voice strengthens the appeal of lyrics steeled with resolution.

With Hugo, Martin Scorsese Makes a Masterful 3-D Movie for the Ages

With <em>Hugo</em>, Martin Scorsese Makes a Masterful 3-D Movie for the Ages

Nobody gets blown away in Hugo, the magnificent new movie by Martin Scorsese. Nor does America's master of cinematic violence rely on an anxiety-ridden neurotic to drive the story as he did in Raging Bull and Taxi Driver.

Instead, the PG-rated Hugo rides on the slender shoulders of 12-year-old actor Asa Butterfield, who plays ...

Making Arthur Christmas' Sci-Fi Sleigh

Making <em>Arthur Christmas'</em> Sci-Fi Sleigh

The central question of Arthur Christmas is almost as old as the holiday itself: How does Santa do it -- for real? The film's answer involves gizmos, networking, a control room that looks like the future of NASA and a sleigh that could have soared out of Star Trek.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Why the Golden Globes Crawled Back to Ricky Gervais

Why the Golden Globes Crawled Back to Ricky Gervais



Alex Ben Block
The comedian takes his third turn as emcee of the ceremony on Jan. 15.

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Aaron Sorkin 'Strongly Considering' Steve Jobs Biopic

Aaron Sorkin 'Strongly Considering' Steve Jobs Biopic



Sophie Schillaci
The “Social Network” and “Moneyball” screenwriter confirms that Sony has asked him to write a film about the late Apple co-founder.

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And... Action! LAPD Mistakes Student Film Shoot As Liquor Store Heist

And... Action! LAPD Mistakes Student Film Shoot As Liquor Store Heist

And... Action! LAPD Mistakes Student Film Shoot As Liquor Store Heist

A student film production at a Hollywood liquor store on Monday night was a bit too realistic for one resident, who dialed 9-1-1 around 11:20pm and reported a robbery in progress. The LAPD responded to the scene of the "heist" on the 3300 block of Barham Avenue with several patrol units and began removing the "criminals" from House of Ambrose liquor store. [ more › ]

Why the (near) death of film matters  

Film: For Our Consideration: Sweet emulsion: why the (near) death of film matters

When I was a little boy, before I even understood what film was, I used to draw pictures on strips of construction paper and run them through the slats on the saloon doors between the kitchen and the dining room—a rough simulation of the way film works. (This was the mid-’70s, when people liked to pretend they lived in the Old West. We had a player piano, too.) Given my future profession, that’s always been a cute origin story, the innocent beginnings of a lifelong obsession. But if I decide to bore my children and future grandchildren ...

Monday, November 21, 2011

NBC Nabs Jim Henson Puppet Comedy

NBC Nabs Jim Henson Puppet Comedy



Lacey Rose
UPDATED: The network has ordered a script for a single-camera comedy project about a Palm Springs family and its puppet neighbors.

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R.I.P. John Neville

Film: Newswire: R.I.P. John Neville, star of The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

The Guardian has reported the death of John Neville, the renowned star of English and Canadian stage perhaps best known to American audiences for playing the title role in The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen as well as the Well-Manicured Man on The X-Files. Neville suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and died at the age of 86.
Hailed as a successor to John Gielgud and lionized alongside Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole while working in London’s Old Vic Company, Neville starred in numerous prestigious productions (including several of Shakespeare’s plays) before relocating to Canada in 1972. There he ...


Band's Business Cards Play Tunes on Music Box

Band's Business Cards Play Tunes on Music Box

Musical duo Ritornell work with designer Katharina H?lzl to create business cards that can be read by a music box to play out different tunes.

Amy Poehler Wins Power of Comedy Award, Promises More Female Programming

Amy Poehler Wins Power of Comedy Award, Promises More Female Programming

Amy Poehler Wins Power of Comedy Award, Promises More Female Programming

Amy Poehler won Variety's Power of Comedy Award on Saturday, staking the claim as the first woman to do so. Her acceptance speech jabbed at Will Ferrell then weaved in and out of her crass humor and genuine advocacy for cancer awareness. The ears of feminists perked up as she promised, "I will take this honor seriously, and I'm gonna use my newly acquired power to create television shows that highlight issues important to women." [ more › ]


The Best (and Worst) Moments of AMAs 2011

The Best (and Worst) Moments of AMAs 2011



Philiana Ng , Rebecca Ford, Chris Godley
The 39th annual American Music Awards featured memorable performances from Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, along with some interesting choices by Jennifer Lopez and LMFAO. From Taylor Swift's gushing acceptance speech to Adam Lambert's return to the stage where his controversial kiss sparked outcry two years ago, THR recaps 10 standout moments from the 2011 telecast.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Oprah Announces New TV Show

There's No Staying Away: Oprah Announces New TV Show

There's No Staying Away: Oprah Announces New TV Show

When Oprah Winfrey bid adieu to her studio and at-home audience of sobbing, enraptured fans back in the spring, she didn't say she was leaving television altogether. Could the American viewing public really let her? Of course not. [ more › ]

Friday, November 18, 2011

R.I.P. Mark Hall, co-creator of Danger Mouse

TV: Newswire: R.I.P. Mark Hall, co-creator of Danger Mouse

The BBC is reporting the death of animator Mark Hall, co-founder of the Cosgrove Hall Films studio that created beloved ‘80s children’s TV series like The Wind In The Willows, Chorlton And The Wheelies, and—most famously—Danger Mouse. Hall died of cancer at the age of 74.
Together with fellow producer Brian Cosgrove, Hall founded Stop Frame Productions in 1969, before that company folded and gave way to Cosgrove Hall in 1975. Their first successful cartoon was Chorlton And The Wheelies, a surreal effort about a “happiness dragon” adopted by a society of strange creatures who run about ...

How Peter Jackson Put New Zealand on the Map

How 'Tintin' Producer Peter Jackson Put New Zealand on the Map



Pip Bulbeck
Kiwi filmmaking is at an all-time high thanks to the "Lord of the Rings" director, who, 12 years ago, boosted the country's Hollywood stock.

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'Arrested Development' is back!

'Arrested Development' is back!

Netflix deal sealed; Bluth family's new adventures will be available exclusively through service in '13

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Natalie Wood's 1981 Drowning Case Re-Opened

Natalie Wood's 1981 Drowning Case Re-Opened

Natalie Wood's 1981 Drowning Case Re-Opened Nearly 30 years ago, actress Natalie Wood, wife of actor Robert Wagner, drowned while boating with her husband and actor Christopher Walken. The Wagners' yacht, Splendour, was anchored in Isthmus Cove off Catalina. Though Wood's death was ruled accidental, today the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced they have re-opened the case. [ more › ]


'The Muppets': Where's Elmo?

'The Muppets': Where's Elmo?

Matthew Belloni
Moviegoers might be disappointed to learn that the character does not appear in Disney's reboot.

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Film Rewinds the Sartorial Clock to Capture Cold War Britain

Film Rewinds the Sartorial Clock to Capture Cold War Britain

Costume designer Jacqueline Durran rewound the sartorial clock to style Gary Oldman and capture cold war Britain for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Ricky Gervais to host Globes again

Ricky Gervais to host Globes again

Hollywood Foreign Press Association and NBC strike deal with caustic comedian to emcee for third time



'Wizard of Oz' Munchkin Karl Slover Dies at 93

'Wizard of Oz' Munchkin Karl Slover Dies at 93

Associated Press
The actor was best known for playing the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins' band in the 1939 film.

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Guillermo Del Toro Talks Vampires, Giant Monsters and the 'Arrogance of Science'

Guillermo Del Toro Talks Vampires, Giant Monsters and the 'Arrogance of Science'

The Hellboy director goes deep on bloodsucker lore, his upcoming robots-versus-monsters movie Pacific Rim and the future of storytelling in a wide-ranging interview. Plus: Enter to win a signed set of The Strain Trilogy, the vampire novel series by Del Toro and Chuck Hogan.

Google Music Store to Launch Wednesday

Google Music Store to Launch Wednesday

Glenn Peoples, Billboard
According to sources, Warner Music Group and Sony Music have yet to get on board which may diminish the impact of the announcement.

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