ITV

Category: Movies

  • Pamela Anderson breaks child protection laws

    MUMBAI: Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has come under fire from child protection advocates after a nine-year-old-girl carried the train of her gown at a fashion event.

    Anderson shocked guests at the Hollywood Style Awards on 11 October when she turned up with young Adelaide Gault, who walked behind her making sure that her flowing gown didn‘t catch on the floor, it is understood.

    Gault, the daughter of a make-up artist who was said to be working at the event, was left looking embarrassed and uncomfortable as she followed the actress around, and even sat on the floor as Anderson took her seat near the catwalk.

    The audience physically gasped when Anderson took to the stage, turned to Gault and patted her leg, shouting ‘daughter,‘ as if she was calling for a pet dog.

    A spokesperson for America‘s Child Labor Coalition has now called for investigation into how the nine-year-old came to be ‘working‘ as part of Anderson‘s entourage.

  • Palm Springs’ Rising star award to Anna Kendrick

    MUMBAI: Anna Kendrick will be the proud winner of the 21st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival‘s ‘Rising Star Award‘ for her performance in Up in the Air.

    The award will be presented during the fest‘s awards gala on 5 January at the Palm Sporings Convention Center, hosted by “Entertainment Tonight‘s” Mary Hart.


    The announcement was made by Festival chairman Harold Matzner at a private event.


    Said, Matzner, “Anna is a gifted young actress. At 12, she received a Tony Award nomination for best featured actress in a musical for her role as Dinah in High Society. Now in her mid 20s, Anna has gone from strength to strength with each film.”


    Up, directed by Jason Reitman and also starring George Clooney will be released by Paramount on 4 December.


    Anna‘s other credits include Camp, Rocket Science and Twilight and also its sequel New Moon.


    The festival itself will run from 5 to 18 January.

  • Singer Al Martino no more

    MUMBAI: Crooner Al Martino expired on Tuesday at the age of 82. A crooner who had several hits to his credit in more than 20 years, Martino essayed the role of Johnny Fontane in all the Godfather films.

    Born Alfred Cini on 7 October, 1927 in South Philadelphia, Martino was pushed into singing by his childhood friend Mario Lanza. He began his singing career in the late 1940s.


    His single Here in My Heart hit no. 1 in the U.K. in 1952 and stayed on top for a record nine weeks. That year, Martino performed for Queen Elizabeth at the London Palladium.


    Martino had a run of chart singles through 1953, but his career stalled with the advent of rock ‘n‘ roll. He caught fire again in 1963 with the Top 5 hit I Love You Because; it was the first of six consecutive top 40 singles in less than two years, including I Love You More and More Every Day in 1964.


    Martino sang I Have but One Heart (O Marenariello) in the first part of Godfather in the wedding



    scene.



    A longtime resident of Beverly Hills, Martino is survived by his wife, Judi; a daughter, Allison; a son, Alfred; a brother, Frank; two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

  • DIAF pays tribute to Bimal Roy

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF) recently organised a film festival on a rare gem of Indian cinema, Bimal Roy.

    The tribute to the filmmaker was organised by the DIAF in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals and the National Film Archives, India to commemorate his birth centenary with the screening of five Hindi films.

    Roy’s son Joy and daughter Aparajita Sinha said that their father had lived for his cinema and gave full attention to the medium and would continue to live in the hearts of the people as long as people kept coming to see his films.

    Rattnotama Sengupta, daughter of the late filmmaker and writer Nabendu Ghosh who had written most of Roy’s films said that the films of Roy came out of real-life characters and out of literature. Director of Film Festivals, S M Khan and Arshiya Sethi of DIAF also paid their tributes on the occasion.


    Films screened in the Bimal Roy tribute section were Bandini, Parakh, Sujata, Do Bigha Zameen and Madhumati. The films were varied for their range. If Bandini was about the moral dilemma of a condemned woman and her struggle for social legitimacy, Parakh was about greed and lust for money. Sujata dealt with the divides created by casteism while Do Bigha Zameen told the story of a zamindar‘s hold on the rural poor. Madhumati was a commercial film with lighter moments tinged with some hints of re-incarnation.

    It would not be wrong to describe Bimal Roy as a filmmaker who crossed national and international boundaries through his cinema. Noted for his realistic and socialistic films, Roy made around forty features and documentaries from 1944 till his death on 7 January, 1966 in Mumbai.

    After a long stint in Kolkata, Roy launched Bimal Roy Productions in 1952-53 with Do Bigha Zameen that made a strong universal impact for its humane portrayal of Indian peasantry.


    Do Bigha Zameen has the additional distinction of being one of the first Indian films to win awards and accolades in China, UK, Karlovy Vary, Cannes, the then Soviet Union, Venice and Melbourne.


    It is considered one of the ten best Indian films of all time.

  • PVR in plans to invest Rs 1.6 bn for expansion

    MUMBAI: PVR Cinemas is in plans to invest Rs 1.6 billion to scale up its screen and bowling alley network in the country.

    Said PVR Blu-O Director Pramod Arora, “We plan to invest Rs 1000 million to add 60 more screens by the end of this fiscal and open five bowling alleys in the next calendar year.”


    The balance 600 million would be invested in setting up the five bowling alleys in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. The company also plans to set up 60 new alleys across the country over the next two-and-a-half-years.


    “These new alleys will come up in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Cochin,” Arora added. Presently, Blu-O has a 24-lane bowling alley at Gurgaon in NCR, which has posted a revenue of Rs 150 million, Arora said.


    Currently, the company runs 108 screens nationwide. PVR earned a Rs 270 crore revenue in FY 09 thus projecting a 40 per cent growth this fiscal from its cinemas.


    From its bowling alley segment alone, PVR expects a 100 per cent growth this fiscal and a whopping 500 per cent growth next financial year.

  • UTV signs exclusive three-year deal with Anurag Kashyap

    MUMBAI: UTV has signed an exclusive deal with Anurag Kashyap for the next three years. In this period, Kashyap will direct 4 to 5 films produced by UTV, while creatively producing an equal number of films in this period.

    Said UTV Motion Pictures COO Vikas Bahl, “Anurag Kashyap is an extremely talented director with a unique vision for his projects. There is a clear connect between how we want each of our films to be exceptional and diverse in various aspects and how Anurag treats each of his projects.

    “Dev D, a UTV Spotboy film directed by Anurag, was a blockbuster and set the base for a phenomenal working relationship. We now want to take this association forward with a long-term perspective and that is exactly how this idea came about.”


    Averred Anurag Kashyap, “I am very happy to sign up with UTV because it gives me the freedom to make the kind of films I want to and feel UTV supports as well as enhances my creative process.


    “Not only do I enjoy directing for UTV but I also appreciate the support they give to films and filmmakers in delivering a creative vision that the films demand. Making Dev D was one of the most satisfying experiences and the production and distribution support that I got from UTV was the best I ever had. A repeat of that is always welcome.”

    Dev D, the first UTV Spotboy film directed by Anurag Kashyap, was a modern take on Devdas, the novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The film broke all the typecasts of the original novel including its principal characters.

  • Jere Hausfater resigns as Essential CEO

    MUMBAI: After working as CEO for Essential Entertainment, Jere Hausfater has stepped down from the organisation.

    John Fremes has taken over as president of worldwide distribution before the American Film Market (AFM). It is understood that Hausfater is likely to serve as a consultant.

    A statement from Essential Entertainment read, “We acknowledge and appreciate Jere‘s contribution to Essential over the past three years, and look forward to a continued relationship with him as a consultant and valued advisor to our team.

    “Recently, Essential has made soon to be announced investments, specifically in television production, and we are looking at further expansion in other media ventures. I have full confidence in the existing management team, and am excited about the future of Essential.”

    Hausfater was the former executive vice-president of Miramax International and head of worldwide sales and acquisitions at Intermedia. He served as a longtime senior executive at Buena Vista International.

  • Macau’s first film fest in December

    MUMBAI: Macau is all set to launch its first international film festival in December with a jury chaired by popular Chinese actor Ge You. The inaugural Macau International Film Festival (MFF) will run from 26 December to 2 January.

    The MIFF jury will award prizes for best feature film, screenplay, director, actor, actress and newcomer.


    Last year, Macau was host to industry trade show CineAsia, put on by Hollywood Reporter parent, the Nielsen Company. CineAsia 2009 will be held in nearby Hong Kong from Dec. 8-10.


    Ge, one of China‘s most popular actors, was last seen in If You Are the One directed by Feng Xiaogang and produced by Beijing-based Huayi Bros. Pictures.

  • Entertainment Partners is ‘ESOP Company of the Year’

    MUMBAI: Entertainment Partners, a leading provider of payroll and production management solutions for the entertainment industry, has been selected by The ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) Association as the ‘California/Western States Chapter 2010 ESOP Company of the Year.‘

    With this title, Entertainment Partners will be the Chapter`s nominee for the “National ESOP Company of the Year Award” at the May 2010 national conference in Washington, D.C.


    In addition to the top prize, Entertainment Partners‘ ESOP Communications Committee leader Justin Standard, a senior programmer analyst, placed as a finalist for “Employee Owner of the Year.”


    The Award was based on an overall assessment of how Entertainment Partners,which became 100 per cent employee owned in 2004, has developed a culture of employee ownership.


    In May, Entertainment Partners was named first runner-up in the Annual Awards for Communication Excellence by The ESOP Association.


    The ESOP Association, founded in 1978, is a national non-profit membership organization with 18 local Chapters, serving approximately 2,500 ESOP companies, professionals with a commitment to ESOPs, and companies considering the implementation of an ESOP.

  • Lionsgate acquires distribution rights of Burst 3D

    MUMBAI: Film studio Lionsgate has acquired worldwide distribution rights of Burst 3D, a horror/thriller to be produced by Ghost House Pictures. Neil Marshall, who had warlier written and directed Lionsgate‘s 2006 horror film The Descent, is likely to direct the film.

    In the film a group of stranded travelers meet during a blizzard and are stalked by a malevolent force that makes people spontaneously combust.


    Lionsgate says that it was the first to apply next-generation 3D technology to the horror genre with My Bloody Valentine 3D, released 16 January this year.


    Says Lionsgate president of motion picture production Mike Paseornek, “We are thrilled to be working again with Neil Marshall, a modern master of horror, suspense and action. With Neil at the helm of Burst 3D, horror fans are guaranteed one of the most terrifying and innovative experiences of their movie-going lives.”