Will Smith on Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
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Janet Mock Interview on The Colbert Report
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Disney Animation EVP/GM Talks Marvel’s ‘Big Hero 6′ Production
Posted by Chris Beveridge
Even though Big Hero 6 is slated for a November 7th, 2014 release, we haven’t heard all that much about it. We had gotten word early on that Don Hall was directing the feature and then Chris Williams stepped in some time along the way to co-direct it. Now we’ve got a little more of the puzzle out there in how the film is going to be handled since it’s a cross-unit piece within the sprawling Disney empire. The Disney Animation Studios general manager and executive vice president, Andrew Millstein, was involved in a discussion about Frozen and how that’s reinvigorated the unit and given them a lot more to work with. Frozen saw some amazing numbers but the upcoming Big Hero 6 is a different kettle of fish since it’s loosely based off of the Marvel Comics series of the same name.
Your next film is Big Hero 6, which comes out in November and is based on a Marvel comic series. How involved is Marvel?
It’s a Disney Animation Studios project. We have friends at Marvel. We like to share where we are. But it’s more from the perspective of, “Share your wisdom with us, what’s working, what’s not.” But it really lives within Disney Animation Studios.
It comes from the Marvel library, but it’s not a Marvel property that people are familiar with. Will you present it as Marvel-based?
We’re going to have to fine-tune the language of the presentation. But it’s not a secret we are trying to hide. We will highlight that in the right way.
FYI this is the concept art that leaked on tumblr and judging by Wasabi's design the rumors regarding this film are true so far
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PSH's request in Will
Among Philip Seymour Hoffman's final wishes, one stands out: the actor did not want his son, Cooper, to grow up in Hollywood.
In his will, signed in October 2004 and submitted into Manhattan's Surrogate Court on Wednesday, the late Oscar winner asked that Cooper (his only child at the time the document was written) be "raised and reside in" Manhattan, Chicago, or San Francisco.
"If my guardian cannot reside in any of such cities, then it is my strong desire, and not direction, that my son, Cooper Hoffman, visit these cities at least twice per year throughout such guardianship," Hoffman wrote in the 13-page document. "The purpose of this request is so that my son will be exposed to the culture, arts and architecture that such cities offer."
Noticeably absent from the list is Los Angeles, where Hoffman spent much of his working life.
When the will was signed in 2004, Cooper — now 10 — was only 1 at the time and was Hoffman's only child. The actor went on to have two daughters, Tallulah, 7, and Willa, 5.
Hoffman left most of his fortune to the mother of his three children, Marianne "Mimi" O'Donnell. He also set up a trust for Cooper to be used for "education, support, health and maintenance."
According to the document, Cooper will get half of the trust when he's 25, and the rest when he's 30.
The "Catching Fire" actor was found dead of an apparent heroin overdose in his New York City apartment on Feb. 2. He was 46.
source : http://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/philip-seymour-hoffman-s-will-revealed--did-not-want-son-raised-in-los-angeles-220210762.html
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Gone With the Wind Fraudulent: RHoA Cynthia & Peter Allegedly Hire High Powered Attorney
Shit-stirring beauty Cynthia Bailey may have told JET magazine that her husband, converted rice box model Peter Thomas, "doesn't have anything to do with a [Apollo Nida's] bank fraud scandal" but according to an unnamed source, she and Peter have retained a "high powered attorney."
This has left some wondering if Thomas, who once owned a popular Miami Beach music conference that closed amid allegations of fraud and embezzelment, might have had shady business dealings with his bestie Apollo before the feds moved in.
According to Sandra Rose*:
My source, who may or may not work at the courthouse, revealed that the federal indictments will be “unsealed soon” and become part of the public record. She said she will then be able to spill the juicy contents without fear of losing her job — since no one is supposed to know what’s in there. According to my source, “Apollo will not be going to prison alone.”
Source 1&2
Photo Source
*Yeah, I know...
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Will 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Make Chris Pratt a Movie Star?
The fantastic first trailer for Marvel's latest, Guardians of the Galaxy, is out, prompting the question: is Chris Pratt primed for movie stardom? The trailer makes us very excited for the movie, which represents a branching out for Marvel, which has been churning out sequels to their Avengers lead-up properties as of late. Guardians is obviously an odd property, but the trailer smartly spells out who these guys are while showing that James Gunn's effort isn't taking itself too seriously. How could it be when "Hooked on a Feeling" is being used on the soundtrack?
The release of the trailer also marks the start of Chris Pratt's movie-star career. Pratt is not only starring as Star Lord here, but he'll then lead the Jurassic Park reboot headed to theaters in 2015. Both movies, it's worth noting, are not exactly riding on the caliber of their stars. Audiences will go to a Jurassic Park movie no matter who's in it, and, though Guardians is untested, Marvel has a habit of taking more obscure superheroes and turning them in to phenomenons. See: Iron Man.
Aside from Robert Downey Jr.—who wasn't an obvious choice to play a superhero from the beginning, but still had name value—Marvel's other stars haven't exactly proven themselves as box office draws even as their superhero movies rake in the cash.Rush's weak box office can't entirely be blamed on Thor star Chris Hemsworth—it was, after all, a movie about Formula One—but it also showed that audiences weren't necessarily willing to follow his gorgeous blond locks anywhere.
Still, there's something far more interesting about Pratt than about Hemsworth or Chris Evans, who at first glance could be seemingly pulled out of a pail of hot guys. (Though Hemsworth did bring an unexpected spark to Thor, and is slowly proving that he's more than simply an Adonis.) Initially a charismatic cog in teen dramas like The O.C. and Everwood, Pratt is best known as the lovable dope Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation. And while he provides the voice of the main character in The Lego Movie and has had supporting turns in Her, Zero Dark Thirty, and Moneyball, he's not the first person you'd think of when someone says big-screen leading man.
But Pratt's best quality—no matter the state of his abs—is his joyousness, something that's clearly on full display in the Guardians trailer. We should remember, we would watch this man simply recite the plots of action movies and be entertained.
Source
You can click the Chris Pratt pic for hi-res, you thirsty hoes
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Mob Wives Star Drita D'Avanzo Blasts The Real Housewives: "Their Fights Are Not Fights To Me!"
Season four of Mob Wives wraps up Thursday night with a finale that sees tempers flare between the women of Staten Island. The fight is, according to the ladies themselves, the real deal — but they're not so sure they'd say that about the battles they've seen between housewives elsewhere on TV.
"The Real Housewives fights are not fights to me," Drita D'Avanzo said during a Wednesday morning visit to TODAY. "To me, that's just the way we talk on the phone. Nobody's bleeding, and there's no lenses that are broken. It's kind of like, that's not a fight."
As for the big fight to come on "Mob Wives," it was fueled by genuine anger ... and lots of libations.
"Yeah, there was a lot of wine involved," Renee Graziano admitted. "There was some Johnny Walker Black, some tequila, Tito's. There was a lot of things involved there."
But while she was filled with booze during the brawl that viewers have yet to see, she wasn't filled with satisfaction. "That was my fault," she said of the fight. "And I'm not very proud of that moment."
There's someone else who isn't exactly proud of what happens on the show — D'Avanzo's mother.
"My mother makes like she doesn't know me," D'Avanzo explained. "She's like, 'Today, in the doctor's office, everyone talks 'Mob Wives."' And I go, 'Did you tell them (I'm your daughter)?''Nah, I just say I feel bad for their mothers.'"
TODAY
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Adam Brody denies Taco Bell from paparazzi, but confirms his status as Mr. Meester
Quick, quiet confirmation! Former O.C. star Adam Brody surprised photographers when he gave them a speedy confirmation of his secret marriage to Gossip Girl lead Leighton Meester. Us Weekly broke the news of the couple's nuptials on Feb. 18.
In a TooFab video, a photographer taking picture of Brody, 34, in a parking lot asked the actor, "Hey man, is it true you really got married?"
Brody, who played the famed Seth Cohen on The O.C., replied with a simple, "Yeah."
After the photographers congratulated him, he thanked them before flashing a thumbs up when asked, "How's the new wife?"
Though the clip is short, it marks Brody's first official confirmation of the exclusive scoop Us Weekly (LOL SHUT UP) revealed on Feb. 18 of the couple's top-secret wedding.
This comes as no surprise after Brody was spotted sporting what appeared to be a wedding band while leaving the gym in Los Angeles on Feb. 18.
VIDEO HERE, CAN'T EMBED
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CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW THIS IS THE ENDING PEOPLE WHO PERSEVERED GOSSIP GIRL DESERVE? GG/O.C. fandoms are now a family - minus Chair shippers aka the Gretchen Weiners of Schwartz universe.
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This is a GoT ladies post, tbh (plus word of a red carpet S4 premiere)
Gwendoline Christie at Elle Style Awards and LFW
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Sibel Kekilli at the Top Shop Unique show at LFW
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Some social media stuff
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Sophie Turner posted this qt pic of some of the cast in NYC last year. If you look really closely and use your imagination, it looks like Kit is smizing.
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Sibel Kekilli posted this photo of her and Conleth Hill on her Facebook for Valentine's Day. <3
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Maisie Williams at some LFW event (I think?)
And here is Sophie singing the chorus of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" while hanging out on the set of Alone, which she's filming in NYC rn. Future Grammy winner, tbh.
GRRM mentions a red carpet premiere for GoT Season 4
As part of a larger blog post about an advanced screening of the premiere at his Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, GRRM mentioned that HBO has a big media roll-out planned leading up to the season 4 premiere (similar to last year, which means lots of party posts):
Sources:123456
I hope they have some sort of event again in NYC this year. They were far too West Coast friendly in their promo last year, lol.
Sibel Kekilli at the Top Shop Unique show at LFW
Some social media stuff
Sophie Turner posted this qt pic of some of the cast in NYC last year. If you look really closely and use your imagination, it looks like Kit is smizing.
Sibel Kekilli posted this photo of her and Conleth Hill on her Facebook for Valentine's Day. <3
Maisie Williams at some LFW event (I think?)
And here is Sophie singing the chorus of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" while hanging out on the set of Alone, which she's filming in NYC rn. Future Grammy winner, tbh.
GRRM mentions a red carpet premiere for GoT Season 4
As part of a larger blog post about an advanced screening of the premiere at his Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, GRRM mentioned that HBO has a big media roll-out planned leading up to the season 4 premiere (similar to last year, which means lots of party posts):
Our Santa Fe event will not be THE Premiere for season four. One of those is in the works, for a city considerably larger than Santa Fe and a theatre considerably larger than the Jean Cocteau, but I will leave it for HBO to make that announcement when the time is ripe.
Our Santa Fe screenings will follow the big red carpet premiere, the way San Francisco and Seattle followed LA last year. We expect to have a red carpet too, though I make no promises about who might show up to walk on it... besides myself, of course. I'll be there, for sure.
Sources:123456
I hope they have some sort of event again in NYC this year. They were far too West Coast friendly in their promo last year, lol.
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1D Backstage Interview - BRIT Awards 2014
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Tori Amos to Get 'Unrepentant' on New Album
Fourteen albums in, Tori Amos is still finding inspiration wherever she looks.
The prolific singer-songwriter is set to release her next studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines, on May 13th on Mercury Classics as well as support the record with a lengthy international tour. The album is an appreciative portrayal of the singer's experiences with visual art, Amos tells Rolling Stone – and, fittingly, she unveils its vibrant new cover art exclusively here.
"I've always been inspired by visual artists of all mediums because, as with music, art is not a job you can go to and leave from, but it is something that defines who and what you are," Amos tells Rolling Stone. "Visual artists shake up our brains and force us to look at everything, from objects we don't normally think twice about to people we might not have cared about. In one image, they can remind us of nature's power to enchant, as well as humankind's fruitless attempt to overpower her or simply second-guess her. Through the visual artist's application of tone, shape, pattern and pigment, I not only begin to see, but I can honestly say I begin to hear."
Amos' adulation of visual art shouldn't come as a surprise to diligent fans who have followed her piecemeal teasing of the album cover on her Tumblr over the past week, or who recall the singer discussing seeing her songs "three-dimensionally" with Rolling Stone two years ago. Unrepentant Geraldines marks the piano maven's return to her premier instrument and also to thoughtful contemporary pop; its fine art emphasis also nods to the highbrow proclivities of her last album, Gold Dust, on which she reworked past songs with classical orchestration courtesy of the Netherlands' Metropole Orchestra.
Today, Amos also unveiled the North American leg of her Unrepentant Geraldines tour, which launches July 16th at the Orpheum in Vancouver, Canada and crosses the United States before wrapping on August 24th at Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami, Florida. (See full dates below.) It follows her previously announced, far-flung international dates, which kick off May 5th in Cork Ireland and include stops in France, Belgium, Italy and Russia before culminating in Bucharest, Romania on June 19th.
Amos' album and tour announcements come amid new acclaim for her musical The Light Princess, a fanciful production currently running in South London. Cowritten with Australian playwright Samuel Adamson, the fable about a lovestruck prince and princess recently earned six prestigious WhatsOnStage nominations, an especially triumphant outcome considering the production languished in indefinite postponement in 2011 before being revived.
Tori Amos' North American Tour Dates
7/16 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum
7/17 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
7/18 – Portland, OR – Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre
7/21 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre
7/23 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
7/24 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey's
7/25 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center
7/27 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
7/29 – Dallas, TX – Winspear Opera House
7/30 – Austin, TX – Long Center
8/1 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House
8/2 – Kansas City, MO – Midland Theatre
8/3 – St. Paul, MN – The O'Shaughnessy
8/5 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
8/6 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
8/7 – Cleveland, OH – Cain Park
8/8 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
8/10 – Philadelphia, PA – Verizon Hall
8/12 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
8/13 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
8/15 – Boston, MA – Opera House
8/16 – Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall
8/18 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
8/19 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb-Energy PAC
8/20 – Durham, NC – Durham PAC
8/22 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
8/23 – Orlando, FL – Bob Carr PAC
8/24 – Miami, FL – Fillmore at The Jackie Gleason Theatre
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More New "OLLA" Reviews + A Roundup of Some Memorable Cinematic Female Vampires
IGN - "It looks beautiful, with photography and production design – overseen by Yorick Le Saux and Marco Bittner respectively – combining to create darkly luscious and frequently hypnotic images that bring the strange world of Adam and Eve to life, most notably when the camera is looking down upon them from high during the film's beautiful slow-motion interludes... Swinton and Hiddleston certainly look the part as the strung-out couple, her cheekbones all feline grace, he – dressed head-to-toe in black – every inch the Byronic anti-hero. But where Eve is filled with the joys of the after-life, Adam is a bit of a 'Debbie Downer', his depression allowing Hiddleston to deliver several amusingly deadpan digs..."
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The Scotsman - "Jim Jarmusch’s sepulchral romance seems to have been designed to accommodate both those who love the genre and those who can’t face another bite, by making a movie which acknowledges some of the bloodsuckers’ favourite touchstones whilst pondering what eternal love really means in the undead community... Fans of sharp teeth may be a little disappointed that Jarmusch’s bloodsuckers don’t do much neckbiting in this film. However, unlike the vegetarian vampires of "Twilight", this isn’t because of any great sense of compassion for humans, but because humans are so polluted nowadays that it is safer to bribe a doctor to slip you sachets from a blood bank, or tap Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt) for his supply of "the good stuff"..."
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The Arts Desk - "Unique, dreamy, super cool and splendidly silly, just like its maker Jim Jarmusch, 'Only Lovers Left Alive' is a vampire flick packed full of romanticism, wit and enchanting, fuzzy music. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton are perfectly cast as a pair of vampires named Adam and Eve entangled for eternity by the bonds of love. They don't prowl around town searching for victims, instead they live peaceful existences surrounded by the “human zombies” who are slowly ruining their beloved planet... Fans of Jarmusch should be excited as this is one of his best to date, thanks to his spot-on insertion of the hippy zeitgeist into the souls of two wise lovers as they ponder and philosophise regarding their fears and the thrills of the modern world..."
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Digital Spy - "One of cinema's most defiant rebels jumps on the vampire bandwagon, but never fear: he hasn't gone all the way to the dark side. Writer/director Jim Jarmusch casts Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as the bloodsuckers trying to fill their time after so many centuries, like a couple of urban slackers doomed to faff for eternity... Hiddleston is brilliant. He pulls off a delicate balancing act, never tipping too far into sulky self-indulgence and Swinton is a reliable anchor with her no-nonsense approach to immortal life. It seems an unlikely pairing and yet they have a great rapport, both able to tap into an unconventional vein of humour... Adam may continue to ponder the big question, but Jarmusch makes a very strong argument for Eve's philosophy of life. He delivers two hours of pure, unadulterated pleasure; a fiendishly amusing, high-spirited movie that simply bleeds with cool..."
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Move over, Dracula. Vampires don’t have to be just old dudes in capes anymore, or even dudes at all. If there was a glass ceiling in vampiredom, women have definitely bitten through it — as is apparent from the new movie Vampire Academy. Based on Richelle Mead’s young-adult series of horror-fantasy novels, the film is a girl-powered visit to a boarding school for young women who are either vampires or the half-vamp/half-human bodyguards who protect them.
Of course, female vampires have been part of vampire movie lore for ages, but it’s only recently that they’ve gotten equal time with the guys. Thanks to authors like Mead and Twilight‘s Stephenie Meyer (and Anne Rice and Charlaine Harris before them), the vampire world is largely co-ed now, in books and TV (True Blood, Vampire Diaries) as well as movies.
Whether this represents a triumph or setback for feminism is a question we’ll leave to academics and Buffy fans. Still, a lot of girls and women had to bite a lot of necks for today’s female vampires to achieve such prominence. Here’s a look back at some of the parasitic pioneers whose big-screen bloodlust blazed a trail for the current crop of fang-bearing femmes.
Of course, female vampires have been part of vampire movie lore for ages, but it’s only recently that they’ve gotten equal time with the guys. Thanks to authors like Mead and Twilight‘s Stephenie Meyer (and Anne Rice and Charlaine Harris before them), the vampire world is largely co-ed now, in books and TV (True Blood, Vampire Diaries) as well as movies.
Whether this represents a triumph or setback for feminism is a question we’ll leave to academics and Buffy fans. Still, a lot of girls and women had to bite a lot of necks for today’s female vampires to achieve such prominence. Here’s a look back at some of the parasitic pioneers whose big-screen bloodlust blazed a trail for the current crop of fang-bearing femmes.
CLAUDIA (INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE)
Kirsten Dunst became a star at age 12 with her performance in the movie version of Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire as Claudia, a little girl saved from the brink of death by vampires Louis (Brad Pitt) and Lestat (Tom Cruise), but also damned to an existence as a vampire. At first, she and her surrogate dads form a perverse parody of a family, one that feeds on the help (Claudia’s casual, ravenous cruelty is played for laughs). But black comedy turns to horror in the sequence where Claudia tries in vain to cut her hair and realizes that she’ll always be stuck in a child’s body
Even so, as the body count racks up, Claudia remains sympathetic by ultimately siding with the conscience-stricken Louie over the remorseless Lestat. Give credit to Dunst for making her sympathetic enough that it’s actually heartbreaking when she’s forced to meet her sun-charred doom.
ELI (LET THE RIGHT ONE IN)
Eli (Lina Leandersson), of the Swedish hit Let the Right One In, is another vampire who gains sympathy just by being a little girl. At first, she even seems like a good friend to a fellow outcast child, the bullied boy Oskar (Kare Hedebrant). But of course, she’s as deadly as any other vampire. Plus, she keeps a mortal, full-grown man, Hakan, in her thrall to serve her bloodthirsty needs, and he’ll go to any self-sacrificing length to do so.
The bond between Oskar and Eli is both sweet and horrifying. (Watch the scene where she shows Oskar how much she trusts him by demonstrating the gruesome consequences for a vampire who tries to enter a dwelling without permission.) She helps him find strength, but with lethal results that indicate she’s grooming him to become the next Hakan, and probably not the last. Chloe Grace Moretz did a decent job with the same role in the American version, Let Me In, but for a performance of truly deep sorrow and creepiness, stick with the Swedish original.
VICTORIA (THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE)
There are plenty of female vampires to choose from in the Twilight saga, from the nice gals in the Cullen clan to the nasty ones in the Volturi, the vampire ruling body. But the one to be reckoned with is Victoria, the flame-haired vamp who spends the first three movies hunting down the Cullens and their new human pal Bella (Kristen Stewart). Evading both the vampires of Team Edward and the werewolves of Team Jacob, she sprints and leaps through the forests of the Pacific Northwest with feral, feline grace. She’s also charismatic enough to lead a stampeding army of strong, wild, newly-made vampires.
We liked Rachelle Lefevre as the initial Victoria, as her ethereal appearance made her look especially otherworldly and beyond human. When a scheduling conflict led producers to replace her with Bryce Dallas Howard in the third film, we were skeptical, but Howard was suitably scary. Maybe not as scary as Howard was in The Help, but then, no one made Victoria eat a pie made of excrement, either.
SELENE (UNDERWORLD)
After a decade or so of B-list roles, Kate Beckinsale rose to leading lady status with the Underworld series in 2003. Looking sleek in a black leather body suit, her Selene didn’t do a whole lot of biting or bloodsucking, but she did a fair amount of gunslinging, firing fusillades of silver bullets in the wars between vampires and werewolves.
Okay, she was basically a centuries-old version of Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity from The Matrix, but despite the occasional love interest, she was pretty independent, a renegade to both camps. Horror and action fans alike were smitten; so was director Len Wiseman, who married Beckinsale after the first of the four Underworld films.
AKASHA (QUEEN OF THE DAMNED)
Now that’s what a vampire queen is supposed to look like. In the 2002 adaptation of vampire maven Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, R&B star Aaliyah looks thoroughly exotic, dangerous, and depraved. It’s sad to say, but the fact that Aaliyah died (in a plane crash, at the far too young age of 22) a year before the movie’s release only added to her character’s eerie, beyond-the-grave appeal.
In the film, Akasha is the first vampire, long dormant but awakened twice by the music of the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), now frontman of a popular metal band. She and Lestat become lovers, but her seemingly indiscriminate willingness to kill any human or vampire that stands in her way is too much even for Lestat. The whole thing is pretty silly, but there’s no denying Aaliyah’s charismatic screen presence.
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Some new stuff from Toy Fair 2014!
Among the biggest companies displaying at Toy Fair 2014 was Mattel, featuring new and upcoming products from franchises including Disney, Monster High, Batman, and Marvel - a new addition to their licensed lineup.
Not only is Mattel one of the largest toy makers at Toy Fair, they’re also one of the most secretive. With a massive pavilion secured behind a guarded entrance on their own floor of the convention center, only approved attendees can look at the Mattel displays. And even then, several areas are off limits to the press, presented exclusively for retail buyers to preview (and purchase) products and prototypes that could be more than a year away from the marketplace.
Below are highlights from the press-approved part of the pavilion, a colorful showcase filled with products spanning merchandise for boys, girls, and adult collectors.
Disney
Disney has had a long relationship with Mattel to produce many of its most popular toys. “Frozen” is still extremely popular and was spotlighted at Toy Fair with a few new toys including ice-skating Anna and Elsa dolls and Elsa’s ice castle play set. Also on display were new Disney Princess and Villain dolls and kinetic play sets for “Cars,” “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” “Sofia the First,” and “Jake and the Neverland Pirates.”
Marvel
Though Mattel has worked with DC Comics for many years (more on their products below), this year marks the first time Marvel licensed products have made their way to the Mattel brand as well, all beginning with a series of die-cast Hot Wheels vehicles themed to characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, and more.
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DC Comics
Batman is bigger than ever as Mattel, and their adult-oriented sub-brand Matty Collector, produces new action figures ranging from the old “Batman” TV show to Tim Burton’s films to the more recent ones starring Christian Bale. It’s the first time many of these likenesses have been approved for action figures, including Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny Devito as Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Also included are new figures of Christopher Reeve as Superman.
(omg....)
More products Mattel showed off included a new Back to the Future DeLorean time machine die-cast vehicle, more Masters of the Universe collectibles, Barbie, and Thomas the Tank Engine.
SOURCE
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Nas's Documentary to open Tribeca Film Festival
Continuing a tradition of highlighting music docs, the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival will open with the world premiere of “Time is Illmatic,” a new documentary about the hip-hop musician Nas and his 1994 debut album, “Illmatic,” widely considered a groundbreaker.
Since it launched in 2002, Tribeca has earned a rep as a prominent showcase for new documentaries. Music docs in particular have gotten good play in the fest, with recent editions kicking off with the preems of Elton John doc “The Union” (in 2011) and The National backstager “Mistaken for Strangers” (last year).
Directed by multimedia artist One9 and penned by Erik Parker, “Time is Illmatic” traces the creation of “Illmatic” as well as Nas’ upbringing in Queens with a family that included his jazz musician father, Olu Dara. Pic was funded and supported in part by the Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access Program, one of the initiatives operated by the nonprofit loosely affiliated with the fest, as well as by the Ford Foundation. One9, Parker and Anthony Saleh produce.
“Time is Illmatic” will bow April 16 in an opening night screening that will be followed by a live performance by Nas of the entire “Illmatic” album. The title is first to be locked in for the 2014 edition of Tribeca, which this year runs through April 27.
Sources: 12
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Ukraine unrest stops Hayden Panettiere's wedding plans
Hayden Panettiere's wedding is on hold because of violent unrest in the Ukraine.
The actress is planning to tie the knot with world boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, but things have come to a halt due to the political upheaval in her fiance's homeland.
Wladimir's brother Vitali leads the main opposition party in the Ukraine.
He says: "With the circumstances right now, it's hard for us to set a date."
Protestors have been demonstrating against Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev, over his decision to pull out of a landmark treaty with the European Union.
Wladimir, 37, says his 24-year-old partner is very supportive and takes the politics of his homeland seriously.
He told US Weekly: "She's socially aware. She has that beauty outside, but most important is the beauty inside."
The pair initially dated from 2009 to 2011.
They reconciled in January 2013 and became secretly engaged during a trip to Florida in March last year.
Panettiere says planning their nuptials takes a lot of thought as they're from different cultures.
"I'm dealing with Americans and Ukrainians on the other side of the world, so we have to find some common ground in between."
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Stunning HQ before and after picture of Independence Square here
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Everyone Games: GaymerX 2 gaming convention hits Kickstarter
The LGBTQ gaming convention that held its inaugural event last year is now seeking funding via Kickstarter for its second, to be held in San Francisco in July.
GaymerX 2 will be arriving in July, thanks to a brand-new Kickstarter campaign to fund the second LGBTQ-oriented gaming event.
The first GaymerX con was held in August last year over two days after a successful Kickstarter campaign the year before. The campaign achieved a massive US$91,388 of its US$25,000 goal, and the event itself saw over 2300 attendees.
This year, the event is only seeking US$10,000 through Kickstarter and will run over three days from 11-13 July. It will feature guest speakers well known for their work towards greater inclusivity in games such as BioWare's David Gaider, game critic Mattie Brice, Gamercamp co-founder Jaime Woo, the IDGA's Gordon Bellamy, sci-fi author John Scalzi, SMBC's Zach Weiner and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
In addition, openly gay WWE Superstar Darren Young (Fred Rosser) will be in attendance.
Although the event is focused on LGBTQ issues, everyone is welcome (if they're over 18, that is). "We want to create a gaming and tech event that focuses on queer issues and themes, not the other way around," founder Matt Conn wrote. "Similar to Gay and Lesbian film festivals and cultural events, we welcome all and hope to provide a fun, exciting, vibrant community that is in no way closed off from the rest of the gaming community."
On Kickstarter, passes start at US$50 for all three days if you want to give one as a gift, or US$59 if you're buying for yourself. If you're buying through the GaymerX website, prices start at US$70. Tickets will not be sold on the door.
The event also has a special deal with the InterContinental San Francisco, but places are limited, so you need to book fast. You'll have to sort out travel for yourself.
Head over to the GaymerX 2 Kickstarter campaign for more information and to reserve your ticket.
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a dedicated con for lgbtq+ issues sounds like a much better idea than something like pax's "diversity lounge"
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Leonardo DiCaprio and Girlfriend Toni Garrn Enjoy Ski Vacation in the French Alps
Leonardo DiCaprio and Toni Garrn are enjoying a vacation in the French Alps!
The 39-year-old Wolf of Wall Street star and his 21-year-old model girlfriend are currently on a winter getaway together. They were snapped today at the Cap Horn ski resort in Courchevel, France.
DiCaprio bundled up in an all-black ensemble with a matching black beanie and sunglasses while talking to his gal at the posh resort. Garrn was also dressed in black with her blond hair up in a bun.
DiCaprio was also snapped enjoying a meal and some drinks with pals at a restaurant table.
Over the weekend, DiCaprio was in London where he attended Sunday's 2014 BAFTA Film Awards. After the ceremony, he hit The Weinstein Company and Entertainment and Pathé's Post-BAFTA Party, hosted by Bulgari and Grey Goose at Rosewood London. Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett and Uma Thurman also attended.
The night before, DiCaprio and Garrn enjoyed the Saturday-night showing of the Broadway play A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder in NYC. During intermission, DiCaprio made like everyone else and hit the bar.
"He waited patiently in line," an onlooker told Page Six, adding, "but by the time he got to the bar, intermission ended and the bartender said he was closing." Leo replied to the server, "No problem," and headed to his seat.
source | 1& 2
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Trick: Director Jim Fall Remembers The Classic Gay Rom-Com 15 Years Later
Do you remember your one-night stands from 1999? Neither do we, but who can forget Trick? Director Jim Fall‘s clever rom-com, which followed an aspiring Broadway composer (Christian Campbell) and a go-go boy (J.P. Pitoc) who get acquainted as they search for a place to hook up, struck a chord with moviegoers when it was released 15 years ago. To mark this anniversary the film, which also features memorable supporting turns by Miss Coco Peru and Tori Spelling, will be shown at UCLA February 22 as part of the Outfest-UCLA Legacy Project Screening Series with Fall, Campbell and Pitoc in attendance. Fall chatted with Queerty about the making of the movie, the impact it had on viewers at the time and what the hopeful characters might be doing today.
How did you come to direct Trick?
I found the script while I was directing a play. The early version of Trick was maybe 60 pages long. It was about two boys wandering around looking for a place to have sex. When I read it I thought the movie needed to be more than that. What I wanted to do was not make a movie that was about two gay guys coming out or AIDS or anything I felt a lot of gay movies were dealing with or a gay guy falling for a straight guy. There were a lot of gay guy falling for a straight guy movies that I found vaguely homophobic, actually. [Laughs] Even back then I was tired of what was fast becoming cliché. What I thought was subversive about the movie was that it was really about two guys trying to find a place to have sex and then they end up falling for each other.
In 1999 some people still considered it “brave” for straight actors to play gay characters. Did J.P. and Christian have any such concerns?
It wasn’t really an issue. The only issue is was when we were casting some actors turned us down. I don’t remember names, but back then it was a lot harder to cast a gay movie. You can’t ask an actor if he’s gay because it’s inappropriate. When Christian auditioned I didn’t ask, but I assumed that maybe J.P. was gay because I’d seen him in what was essentially a gay play and jumped to a conclusion. It turns out that neither of them are.
When they saw the film a lot of guys I know hoped J.P. was gay.
[Laughs] I know. He’s not, though. He’s married with two kids now. It wasn’t that big of an issue ultimately when the right actors came about. J.P.’s role was the hardest to cast. His character had one of the biggest arcs in the story. It was tough to find someone to play a go-go boy, who had that body and could act. [Laughs] I saw a picture of J.P. in his underwear in a gay magazine in New York. I went to see his play and he did a monologue in his underwear and I thought, That’s my go-go boy!
How did you find Christian?
Christian just auditioned. I came to L.A. to broaden the casting net and he was one of the people on the list. What’s funny is his first audition didn’t go so well and I kind of wrote him off. Luckily he came back to the call backs and he’d completely rethought the character and made him much more vulnerable. I thought, Oh, you’re the guy. Auditioning is very tough. It was my first movie. You never know if you’re saying the right thing to get an actor to show you what they can do. Thank God he came back. He ended up being perfect.
Trick showed a more comedic side of Tori Spelling than 90210 fans had seen at the time. How did she become involved with the project?
I was lucky that I had no firsthand knowledge of her. I knew who she was but I’d never seen an episode of 90210. She auditioned. One of my producers suggested her and I thought she’d be funny but she had to audition. She was totally a trouper. She auditioned with the diner scene and had it down. She knew why it was funny. She earned the role like any other actor.
Coco Peru nearly steals the film with her monologue. Did you write the role specifically for her?
Coco — Clinton Leupp is his real name — had been a friend of mine for a long time and I had put him in a play. Originally there was no drag queen in Trick, but when we did readings of the script Clint actually read the Tori Spelling role. [Laughs] I didn’t know any women who could read it funny and I wanted to hear it read funny. He was so good that I thought I had to work him into the movie. That bathroom scene evolved. We eventually wrote him in and sketched out a monologue for him, but Clint who is a monologist by nature basically wrote that based on what was in the script.
There’s a very strong resemblance between Coco and Tori. Was that intentional?
That has haunted the project. In fact when the film played at Sundance that was the first question we were asked at the Q&A. I honestly didn’t see it coming. I know that sounds crazy in retrospect. I knew Clint for so long and he’d always had that trademark red wig and Tori changed her hair color a lot. I think when I met Tori her hair was a different color. I honestly didn’t intend that to happen. I wish I’d taken more advantage of it. It’s a happy accident.
There was a surge of queer films in the late ‘90s yet Trick seemed to stand apart from the rest. What do you remember about the response to the film at the time?
When you’re in the middle of the whirlwind it’s hard to be objective. It just seemed charmed. It was an amazing, magical time and was everything you hoped your first feature would be. I’m very proud of it. It was my first feature and it was a validating moment. It was just wonderful to put something out there that I really loved and to have people respond to it.
Not every film gets a celebratory 15th anniversary screening. Why do you think Trick still resonates with people?
I’m honored that people still refer to it. When people ask me what I do and I mention that I directed Trick, most of the time people have a very positive response. I think there’s something classic about the story and emotions and falling in love which is very relatable. I was actively making a gay film but I think I stumbled upon a story that was accessible and kind of universal. The subversive thing is that you fall in love with two gay guys and when they kiss at the end you want them to kiss. I think that was very political for the time.
What do you think the characters are doing now?
I’m in the very early stages of a sequel. Everybody is on board and wants to do it. I resisted it for a long time but I think now that so much time has passed it would be interesting to revisit these characters as adults. I’m still developing the story but hopefully it will come together. The concept is the two boys went on a date and it didn’t work out. They ended up never having sex. Then cut to 15 years later and they run into each other again. This would be them getting together and getting to know each other in the real world as adults with a lot of water under the bridge.
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all I remember was this
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Estelle demands it with new track 'Make Her Say', new EP available for free!
Estelle is back with another sultry track titled "Make Her Say (Beat It Up)." The "Give It All To Me" singer provides lyrical play-by-play on how to satisfy her sexual wonders.
Also, head to her website http://www.estelledarlings.com/ to download Volume 3 (as well as Vol. 1 and 2) for free!
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smasH!
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Conor Oberst files libel lawsuit over rape claim
Conor Oberst filed a lawsuit on Wednesday claiming he was libeled by a woman who wrote in online posts that she was sexually assaulted by the singer-songwriter.
An attorney for Oberst filed the civil lawsuit in a Manhattan federal court. The suit claims the woman behind the accusations was a liar who made "despicable, false, outrageous, and defamatory statements" about Oberst last December.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they were sexually assaulted.
Oberst's lawsuit says the woman posted accusations that Oberst raped her a decade ago in North Carolina after his brother, her middle school English teacher, introduced the two at an Oberst show. The lawsuit says she also claimed Oberst punched her in the face and that she was 16 at the time.
Oberst, an Omaha, Neb., resident best known for his work with Bright Eyes, is seeking monetary damages, attorney fees and other costs.
He says the media coverage that resulted from the three posts in the comments section of a blog has damaged his career, especially in New York where most of the major music publishing houses are headquartered. He says he was in the company of his brother, bandmates or then-girlfriend at the time of the claims. The suit also says the woman who made positive social media comments about Oberst in the past decade.
According to the lawsuit, the woman said in the posts that she never reported the assault because of the way her own family and friends reacted to the accusations. She says she posted his name a decade later to help others and at the suggestion of her husband.
The attorney for Oberst did not return a message seeking comment.
The woman didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment sent through her social media account. It's not clear if she has an attorney.
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