ITV

Category: International

  • Obama speech writer Jon Favreau to turn to script writing

    Obama speech writer Jon Favreau to turn to script writing

    MUMBAI: President Obama‘s head speechwriter, Jon Favreau is considering pursuing a career in writing scripts for films.

    Favreau, who was just 23 when he joined then-Senator Obama‘s staff, will leave his job on 1 March.

    During his tenure, Favreau cultivated a celebrity persona of sorts, dating actress Rashida Jones and taking her to the 2007 White House Correspondents‘ Dinner. He was named one of People‘s most beautiful people in the world in 2009 and has been touted as an influential figure by GQ, Time and Vanity Fair.

    Favreau‘s friends are of the belief that he is interested in following the footsteps of former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett, who went on to co-create NBC‘s political comedy 1600 Penn. Though he plans on staying in Washington for some time now but may move to Los Angeles later.

    During his time at the White House, Favreau penned big speeches for the president, including Obama‘s first inaugural address and his healthcare speech to Congress. The president has since thanked him for his service.

    Cody Keenan, who is a Chicago native in charge of writing Obama‘s upcoming State of the Union address will succeed Favreau.

  • How celebrities should use Twitter

    How celebrities should use Twitter

    MUMBAI: Twitter might limit its users to a 140 characters but it isn’t just a tool to make small talk!

    Despite its popularity, not every celebrity seems to have used the platform effectively. Recently, Sylvester Stallone and Megan Fox decided to skip tweeting, calling this a futile effort to connect with fans.

    This resulted in a destruction of a perfect bridge between these actors and their fans, causing them to lose out on a substantially large audience online: a loss not echoed by Twitter.

    Little did Sylvester and Megan know that the micro-blogging platform has worked wonders for several celebrities online including Justin Bieber, the teenage pop sensation, who currently enjoys the love of 33,931,436 fans on Twitter; Britney Spears, the American singer and entertainer, currently has 23,639,424 fans; and Lady Gaga has 33,760,113 followers.

    Twitter is the perfect platform between celebrities and their fans because it allows direct communication. This gives fans the opportunity to read tweets by their favourite personalities in real-time. Also, this communication isn’t one-way, since celebrities too can have a peek at what their fans think about them and respond as and when they wish. Besides celebrities, prominent world figures including Barack Obama and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI are also active on the micro-blogging platform.

    Quitting Twitter shows a lack of understanding of the power of social media platforms on a celebrity’s part. Their inability to adapt to it could be cited as a reason for this shift away from the platform.

    It’s only a matter of time until every celebrity and world figure understands the true potential of connecting with their audiences online while realising the importance of staying in touch with the quickly transitioning world of technology.

    It seems like Megan and Sylvester will be at loss in the long-run, having quit Twitter; certainly not the other way around!

  • Django Unchained sticks to no. 1 spot for third week

    Django Unchained sticks to no. 1 spot for third week

    MUMBAI: With Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained staying at the no. 1 spot for the third week consecutively grossing $30.6 million at 6,060 screens in 65 markets, it seems that Oscar-related films continued to dominate the foreign theatrical circuit.

    Unchained maintained its number one status in at least 10 territories and for the third straight weekend. The biggest single market remained Germany ($6.35 million drawn from 865 locations, down only about 20 per cent from the prior round; market cume $29.8 million).

    The action westerner that costars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo Di Caprio has got as many as five Oscar nominations.

    20th Century Fox‘s release of Steven Spielberg‘s historical epic Lincoln, that has a dozen of nominations expanded its foreign run by more than 20 territories and drew $13 million from 3,510 situations in 43 markets.

    Fox‘s Life of Pi pulled in $10.1 million from 5,224 situations in 48 territories lifting its foreign total to $443.5 million. The film, based on Yann Martel‘s novel, now ranks as Fox‘s ninth biggest foreign grosser.

    On the other hand, Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty also expanded its foreign footprint via Universal and other distributors. The film‘s weekend take was $3.7 million at 1,400 play dates in eight markets handled by Universal.

  • Ben Affleck wins DGA award for Argo

    Ben Affleck wins DGA award for Argo

    MUMBAI: The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has awarded Ben Affleck for helming the film Argo, a thriller that centers around the rescue of American hostages in Iran. French director Michel Hazanavicius presented the award to the 40-year-old director.

    Also competing for the top director‘s award were Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty, Tom Hooper for Les Miserables and Ang Lee for Life of Pi.

    Affleck said, “I worked really hard to try to become the best director that I can be. I don‘t think that this makes me a real director but I think it means I‘m on the way.”

    Usually, the winner of the DGA prize also wins the Oscar for best director, but Affleck has not been nominated for an Oscar in this category though Argo has received as many as seven Oscar nominations including that of best picture.

  • Mark Wahlberg, Ted to present at Oscars

    Mark Wahlberg, Ted to present at Oscars

    MUMBAI: Actor Mark Wahlberg and his co-star in the film ‘Ted‘ who was a teddy bear will be presenters on the Oscar show, telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced.

    Zadan and Meron said, “We are happy to make it possible for Mark and Ted to make their debut appearance on the Oscar stage. And we won‘t deny that Ted used his pull with our host to get himself the booking.”

    ‘Ted’ is now the highest-grossing R-rated original comedy of all time. Ted said, “I‘m excited to present an Oscar with Mark Wahlberg. I‘m spending the next month learning to pronounce ‘Quvenzhané.‘”

    Wahlberg has twice been nominated for Academy Awards, in 2006 for his supporting role in ‘The Departed‘ and in 2010 as a producer of the best picture nominee ‘The Fighter‘.

    Wahlberg and Ted join a list of previously announced Oscar performers including Adele, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand.

    The Oscar Awards take place on 25 February 2013 and will air on Star Movies.

  • 20th Century Fox Celebrates 25 Years of Die Hard

    20th Century Fox Celebrates 25 Years of Die Hard

    MUMBAI: Twentieth Century Fox marked the silver anniversary of its blockbuster movie franchise Die Hard with a ceremony on the historic studio backlot. During the event a mural depicting the film‘s iconic lead character John McClane was unveiled in front of Stage 8. It joins murals celebrating The Empire Strikes Back, The Simpsons, The Sound of Music, The Seven Year Itch, and The Ox-Bow Incident, which adorn other Fox stages.

    Separately, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment also released the Die Hard 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection including the first four Die Hard films and featuring an all-new 60 minute bonus disc, “Decoding Die Hard,” on 29 January.

    When DIE HARD exploded into theaters during the summer of 1988, it launched a new cinematic hero, John McClane, and changed the paradigm of action movies. McClane is identifiable and relatable – an ordinary man forced by circumstances to attempt extraordinary tasks. That is what separates him from the comic book heroes of most action movies, and has made McClane one of the most endearing characters in film history.

    The character has been essayed by action hero Bruce Willis in all five DIE HARD pictures, including the latest installment, A Good Day to Die Hard. The ceremony saw the presence of the actor along with his co-star Jai Courtney, who portrays McClane‘s son Jack in the new film, and its director, John Moore.

    The festivities also included a reception on the 21st floor of the Fox Plaza.

    Willis said, “One of the most exciting things about playing McClane is that he‘s definitely not a superhero. He has no special powers or abilities. He‘s a regular guy to whom anybody can relate. While we‘re always pushing the envelope to create great action sequences, I think it is McClane‘s relatability and sense of humor that really draws in people.”

    20th Century Fox Film chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos added, “Twenty-five years ago, Die Hard, John McClane, and Bruce Willis thrilled audiences around the world and set a new template for action and adventure. Now, on the eve of the release of A Good Day to Die Hard, we were delighted to celebrate and honor this enduring part of our studio‘s legendary history with this mural unveiling.”

  • Emily VanCamp bags lead role in Captain America sequel

    Emily VanCamp bags lead role in Captain America sequel

    MUMBAI: Emily VanCamp has bagged the female lead role in Marvel‘s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

    It is VanCamp‘s first movie as a lead.

    The movie is a sequel of Captain America: The First Avenger which is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America.

    The 26-year-old actress will star opposite Chris Evans, who reprises his title role from 2011‘s Captain America: The First Avenger.

    The Captain America sequel is schedule to release by Disney on 4 April 2014.

  • This year, Barbara Streisand returns to Oscar stage after 36 years

    This year, Barbara Streisand returns to Oscar stage after 36 years

    MUMBAI: Two-time Oscar winner Barbara Streisand will perform at the upcoming Oscar ceremony on 24 February.

    Streisand sung only once before during at the Academy Awards. She last sang the love theme from A Star Is Born in the 1977 show winning the best original song Oscar for Evergreen the same night.

    “In an evening that celebrates the artistry of movies and music. How could the telecast be complete without Barbra Streisand? We are honored that she has agreed to do a very special performance on this year‘s Oscars, her first time singing on the show in 36 years,” said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

    Streisand won her first Oscar for Best Actress in the Funny Girl in 1968 and was nominated again in 1973 for her spectacular performance in The Way We Were.

    The Academy awards will take place on 24 February.

  • Chicago real estate developer gifts 1,088 orginal film posters to Academy

    Chicago real estate developer gifts 1,088 orginal film posters to Academy

    MUMBAI: A Chicago real estate developer has gifted more than 1,000 original movie posters from the golden era of Hollywood to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    The posters document the studio era of “B” movie filmmaking in the first half of the 20th century and include a variety of genres like westerns, war films, musicals, biblical tales and films regarding social problems.

    “The 1,088 posters were donated to the Academy by Dwight Cleveland, a Chicago real estate developer, who continues to collect even today,” said the Academy in a statement.

    “B-movies tap into the public consciousness and provide rich fodder for better understanding the times,” observed Academy Library Director Linda Mehr while Anne Coco, the Herrick‘s graphic arts librarian called it as a “dream” gift.

    “Not only was it very well organized, but the posters also were in excellent shape. Our staff is fairly certain he was a librarian in another lifetime,” she said.

    It may be noted that Cleveland began collecting posters in 1977 while still in high school after being inspired seeing film posters in an art teacher‘s classroom. “I really think that film posters are one of the very few truly indigenous art forms of our country. By making these gifts, I hope to excite an appreciation for the works themselves among members of the general public and also set a good example for other collectors,” he observed.

  • Movie going patterns remain stable in the US: Nielsen

    Movie going patterns remain stable in the US: Nielsen

    MUMBAI: Media research company Nielsen has taken a look at annual moviegoer trends in the US as the awards season continues. According to Nielsen National Research Group‘s 2012 American Movie going report, 70 per cent of Americans aged 12 and older reported seeing one or more movies at a theater in the last 12 months, which is in line with the earlier year trend.

    The demographic makeup of the movie going audience has remained relatively consistent over the last couple of years, but the proportion of younger moviegoers (12-24) and oldest moviegoers (65-74) has grown gradually at the expense of middle-aged moviegoers (25-54).

    Overall attendance to new release movies was on par with a year ago (6.8 movies per person on average, compared with 6.9 in 2011), while movie going increased among Hispanics (12 per cent), people aged 25-34 (seven per cent), youths 12-17 (three per cent) and males (three per cent). Although there were slightly more female moviegoers than male moviegoers in 2012 (51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively), men accounted for 55 per cent of theatrical attendance.

    When looking at the movie going audience by race/ethnicity, Hispanics were the heaviest moviegoers, as they represented 18 per cent of the movie going population, but accounted for 25 per cent of all movies seen. Hispanics were also the only demographic group that went to more movies in 2012 than in the prior year-9.5 movies on average compared with 8.5 in 2011.

    The 2012 report highlights that going to the movie theater seems to carry a particularly positive cultural significance for Hispanics, as they were considerably more likely than non-Hispanics to view going to a theater as a way to spend time with their family and friends (86 per cent versus 77 per cent). They also were more likely to spend time discussing the movies after seeing them (66 per cent versus 53 per cent).