Category: Hollywood

Common & John Legend to perform together at The Oscars

MUMBAI: Musical artists Common and John Legend will perform their Oscar-nominated song “Glory” at the 87th Oscars. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be held on 22 February.

Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said, “Common and John Legend are artists who have always lifted our spirits and made us think. The Oscar stage is that much more profound because of their presence and we welcome them.”

“Glory,” written by John Stephens (a.k.a. John Legend) and Lonnie Lynn (a.k.a. Common) for the film “Selma,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights,” “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”

Common won a Grammy in 2002 for Best R&B Song for “Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop),” and in 2007 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Southside,” with Kanye West. His many acting credits include the films “American Gangster,” “Wanted,” “Date Night” and “Selma,” in which he plays the role of Civil Rights leader James Bevel.

Legend is a nine time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter. His critically acclaimed debut album, “Get Lifted,”scored multiple Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The follow up was the platinum-selling “Once Again,” which garnered a Best Male R&B Performance nod. Legend’s most recent highly acclaimed fourth studio album, “Love in the Future,” scored two Grammy nominations and features his break out hit, “All of Me,” which is his highest selling and charting song to date and also earned a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

January 28, 2015
Maroon 5’s Adam Levine to perform at the Oscars

MUMBAI: Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and actor Adam Levine will perform the Oscar-nominated song “Lost Stars” at the 87th Oscars.

The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be held on 22 February.

Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said, “Adam Levine is an exceptional and dynamic artist. We’re thrilled to have him make his Oscars stage debut this year.”

“Lost Stars,” written by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois for the film “Begin Again,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Glory” from “Selma,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights” and “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me.”

Levine is the lead singer for the group Maroon 5, which has received three Grammy Awards, two for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (2005 and 2007) and one for Best New Artist (2004), Levine made his feature film acting debut in “Begin Again,” which is directed by John Carney and also stars Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.

The 87th Oscars will be held on 22 February at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. The Oscars will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

January 27, 2015
‘American Sniper’ hits $200 million at US box office

MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ Oscar-nominated movie American Sniper has surpassed $200 million at the North American box office on only its tenth day in wide release.

Following its record-breaking first weekend in wide release, the Clint Eastwood-directed film has continued to fill conventional and IMAX theatres nationwide. American Sniper took in an estimated $64.4 million this past weekend, representing the smallest percentage drop ever for a film that opened at more than $85 million, including both three and four-day weekends, and bringing the domestic gross to $200.1 million and climbing. The movie is now, domestically, the highest-grossing film in Eastwood’s long career, and it is on track to become his top-grossing film worldwide.

Warner Bros. Pictures president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said, “The filmmakers, led by Clint Eastwood, and cast, led by Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, have created a gripping drama with a rare insight into the toll of war that has resonated with audiences in almost every demographic. We congratulate them not only on the film’s box office success but on generating one of the most talked about films of this or any year.”

Eastwood directed American Sniper from a screenplay written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Jim DeFelice and Scott McEwen. Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller star in the film, produced by Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Cooper and Peter Morgan. Tim Moore, Jason Hall, Sheroum Kim, Steven Mnuchin and Bruce Berman served as executive producers.

The movie has earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall). In addition, Eastwood was honoured by his peers with his fourth Directors Guild of America Award nomination and also won the National Board of Review Award for Best Director. The film’s other honours include a Producers Guild of America Award nomination, a Writers Guild of America Award nomination, and a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

January 27, 2015
Emma Watson pushes gender equality initiative in Davos

MUMBAI: Emma Watson, the Harry Potter star and goodwill ambassador for UN women, spoke about her plan to fight against deficiencies in gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Speaking about gender equality she said, “We need all-country leadership, as well as that of hundreds of universities and corporations, to follow HeForShe’s IMPACT 10X10X10X so as to bring an end to the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally.”

Watson unveiled a new element of her “HeForShe” gender equality campaign before business leaders and international politicians at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland so that the issue gets global importance.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who was a participant on the panel with Watson, then emphasized her appeal to encourage men to advocate alongside women for gender equality.

January 24, 2015
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin: Trouble in paradise?

MUMBAI: A recent report by InTouch magazine claimed that Hollywood actor George Clooney and British human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, who got married in Venice 27 September last year, are headed for divorce due to constant ego-clashes.

“Amal’s disdain for Hollywood and many of George’s pals, her increasingly diva-like behaviour, as well as fights over starting a family, have friends convinced it’s all gone wrong for the couple,” the magazine quoted a source as saying.

However, the couple’s representative have denied the news and said that the couple is not getting divorced. “This story is totally made up in order to sell their magazines,” said the representative.

January 23, 2015
Half of Oscar sound nominations go to Dolby Atmos films

MUMBAI: Dolby Laboratories has announced that almost half of the nominations going to Oscar this year were Dolby Atmos films. Three Dolby Atmos films, American Sniper , The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and Unbroken were nominated in the sound editing category for the 87th Academy Awards®. Two of those titles were also nominated in the sound mixing category: American Sniper and Unbroken.

Dolby Atmos allows filmmakers unprecedented precision in designing a movie soundtrack. They can place and move sounds anywhere in a theatre, including over the audience’s head, to make viewers feel like they’re inside the story. Dolby Atmos debuted in June 2012 in the Oscar winning animated film Brave. The technology is now available for home theaters and on mobile devices.

The other films nominated for sound editing—Birdman and Interstellar and for sound mixing—Birdman, Interstellar, and Whiplash—all used Dolby surround sound technology.

This is the 37th consecutive year that films released with Dolby® audio technologies have earned Academy Award nominations for outstanding sound quality.

American Sniper received six nominations in all, including one for best picture. Dolby Atmos films also received two of the five nominations for best animated feature, with Big Hero 6 and How to Train Your Dragon 2 getting nods.

The announcement came along with some proud moments for the Dolby Atmos team when the production teams of the nominated movies credited Dolby Atmos for being able to provide them the technology which completely understood the demands of the scene.

The Unbroken sound team credits Dolby Atmos with helping put the audience in the extreme situations that World War II hero Louis Zamperini experienced—hurtling airplanes, vast oceans, and oppressive jungles.

“This film was served well by [Dolby] Atmos,” said Monta?o, the sound rerecording mixer. The effect “was subtle, but very precise.”

“When you’re in the ocean, when you’re in the jungle and you hear the bugs, you just feel like you’re in that space,” said Andrew DeCristofaro, the supervising sound editor. “It feels more realistic.”

Director Peter Jackson and his team have used Dolby Atmos for each of the three Hobbit movies. Jackson says their knowledge of how to use the technology has evolved. “Each year now, we’ve managed to do different things as our knowledge of how to best use it expanded,” Jackson says.

Dolby Atmos helps fill out the sound environment and make it match the action on the screen, according to rerecording mixer Michael Hedges. “It’s great to have Dolby on our side.”

The creators of American Sniper decided to keep the film’s music to a minimum and “score” the film with realistic sounds, according to film industry site Below the Line. That meant long recording sessions with the actual guns used by Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his comrades and even tracking down a plane with the same engine as the early Predator drones.

Take a look at the full list of Oscar nominees. The winners will be announced on February 22 at the Dolby Theatre® in Hollywood.

January 22, 2015
Christina Thomas to step down as BAFTA New York CEO

MUMBAI: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in New York announced that Christina Thomas will step down as chief executive on 1 July 2015.

Thomas will remain with the organisation in the newly created position of development consultant, where she will be responsible for expanding the non-profit’s funding resources by overseeing and implementing new approaches to fundraising that will increase revenues to support the strategic direction of the organisation.

Thomas – a founding member of the New York branch of BAFTA – was appointed the organisation’s first chairman in 1996 and remained in that position until 2006. In 2007 she was appointed to her current role of CEO. Under her leadership membership has grown to over 800 members. During her tenure she established, along with the support of the Board and various committee chairs, new programming strands such as the acclaimed ‘In Conversation’, ‘In Production,’ ‘Brits Who Cracked America’ and ‘The BAFTA New York Media Studies Scholarship Program’. As part of BAFTA’s global activity, Thomas was also responsible for overseeing annual events including the New York-based Film Awards Celebrations, the Television Awards Situation Comedy Nominees Party, NYTVF/BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forums and BAFTA Brits to Watch events.

Thomas said, “I have enjoyed serving as chief executive and I am particularly gratified to have played a role in raising awareness of BAFTA New York and contributing to the shared goals of BAFTA worldwide. I feel that now is the right time to hand over the reins to a new generation to continue to build the organization in New York. Development is an area that I have always enjoyed and now I will be able to devote all my time to this endeavour while supporting the organization’s mission and helping it grow even more.”

BAFTA New York chairman Charles Tremayne added, “Christina has been at the heart of BAFTA New York since it started. With her guidance the organization has grown from a small body of passionate individuals to one which helps position BAFTA as a leading advocate for the best in film and television in the US. This year we are on target to break our record and present over 80 screenings for our members, as well as numerous other professional events, while awarding more scholarships than ever before and attracting the highest membership in our history.”

Prior to BAFTA New York, Thomas was president of the US subsidiary of Primetime Entertainment, Inc. She was also SVP at Producers Group International, where she was responsible for program development, and global co-production and sales activities. Thomas is the founder and CEO of Jigsaw Communications a global finance and independent film distribution consulting agency.

January 21, 2015
Coen brothers named presidents of Cannes Film Festival jury

MUMBAI: American filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen will be presiding over the jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes.

This will be the first time in the history of the Festival de Cannes, when not one but two leading figures will chair the Jury.

“We look forward to returning to Cannes this year. We welcome as always the opportunity to watch movies there from all over the world. Cannes is a festival that has been important to us since the very beginning of our career. Presiding over the Jury is a special honour, since we have never heretofore been president of anything. We will issue further proclamations at the appropriate time,” said Joel and Ethan Coen.

The brothers are currently filming the George Clooney, Christophe Lambert, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Josh Brolin and Channing Tatum starrer film Hail Caesar!

2015 is the celebration of 120 years since the invention of the Lumi?re cinematograph, and the Festival de Cannes will recognise, through the Coens, the work of all “cinema brothers” who, since Louis and Auguste Lumi?re, have enriched its history. The Festival has also had the opportunity to welcome “brothers” in a great way: like Joel and Ethan Coen who won the Palme d’or in 1991, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani received it in 1976, as well as Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne in 1998 and in 2005.

The Festival de Cannes will take place from 13-24 May, 2015. The composition of the Official Selection and the members of the Jury will be unveiled in mid-April.

January 20, 2015
Amazon to produce original movies for theaters and Prime Instant Video

MUMBAI: Amazon Studios, known for television series such as Transparent, Tumble Leaf and Mozart in the Jungle, will begin to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release and early window distribution on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Whereas it typically takes 39 to 52 weeks for theatrical movies to premiere on subscription video services, Amazon original movies will premiere on Prime Instant Video in the US just four to eight weeks after their theatrical debut. It will focus on unique stories, voices, and characters from top and up-and-coming creators.

Amazon Studios vice president Roy Price said, “We look forward to expanding our production efforts into feature films. Our goal is to create close to 12 movies a year with production starting later this year. Not only will we bring customers exciting, unique, and exclusive films soon after a movie’s theatrical run, but we hope this program will also benefit filmmakers, who too often struggle to mount fresh and daring stories that deserve an audience.”

Amazon Original Movies creative development will be led by independent film visionary Ted Hope. Hope co-founded and ran production company Good Machine, which produced Academy Award-nominated films such as Eat Drink Man Woman and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

“Audiences already recognize that Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, tackling bold material in unique ways and collaborating with top talent, both established and emerging. To help carry the torch into the feature film world for such an innovative company is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility,” said Hope.

January 20, 2015
East Europe dominates Palm Springs Awards

NEW Delhi: ‘Selma’ received the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature while ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ received the Audience Award for Best Documentary feature, both sponsored by Mercedes Benz, at the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.

‘Leviathan’ received the FIPRESCI Prize given by the International federation of film critics while Haluk Bilginer and Anne Dorval received the FIPRESCI Acting Prizes.

‘No One’s Child’ was awarded New Voices/New Visions Award; ‘Flowers’ got the Cine Latino Award; ‘Walking Under Water’ won the John Schlesinger Award and ‘Corn Island’ got the HP Bridging The Borders Award.

The Festival held earlier screened 196 films from 65 countries, including 51 of the 83 foreign language entries for this year’s Academy Awards.

Festival director Darryl Macdonald said, “Eastern European filmmakers – both emerging and established – have utterly dominated our juried awards this year: first time feature director Vuk Rsumovic from Serbia takes the New Visions New Voices prize for No One’s Child, the Bridging the Borders award goes to Georgian director George Ovashvili’s Corn Island plus a special jury prize to Kosovo’s Three Windows and a Hanging directed by Isa Qosja, and the Schlesinger award goes to Polish director Eliza Kubarska for her debut documentary Walking Under Water. The power of stories from this region is palpable and infectious.”

The runner-up documentary film was ‘The Salt of the Earth’ (France). Popular documentary selections in alphabetical order included: ‘Back on Board: Greg Louganis’ (USA), ‘Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey’ (USA), ‘How I Got Over’ (USA), ‘Limited Partnership’ (USA), ‘The Breach’ (USA).

The winner and runner-ups were picked on the basis of over 70,000 ballots cast by audience members during the Festival. Both winners received the John Kennedy Statue (“The Entertainer”) specially designed for the Festival.

The 2015 FIPRESCI jury members were Ella Taylor (film critic), Michael Oleszczyk (film critic and scholar) and Ernesto Diezmartínez Guzman (columnist and author).

January 19, 2015