Transformers: Dark of the Moon was released on June 29th and has generated $1+ billion in worldwide box office receipts since hitting theaters. Of that amount, $59.6 was from IMAX screenings. Transformers: Dark of the Moon now sits in fifth place on the all-time biggest grossing films list, behind only Avatar, Titanic, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Source: Paramount – August 23, 2011
More on Transformers: Dark of the Moon:
–Photo gallery
–Movie review
–Posters, interviews, and news
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Returning to IMAX Theaters
Kate Winslet and Ryan Gosling Act Heroic
Kate Winslet helps save Richard Branson’s 90-year-old mom and Ryan Gosling breaks up a street fight – and no, neither act was part of a film project. Kate Winslet and her children (Mia, 10 and Joe, 7) were vacationing at Richard Branson’s private island residence in the British Virgin Islands when a fire broke out in the middle of the night. Branson reports that his house has been destroyed, but everyone was able to get out unharmed.
Branson posted on the Virgin website: “We had a tropical storm with winds up to 90mph. A big lightning storm came around 4am and hit the house. My son Sam and nephew Jack rushed to the house and helped get everyone out and many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90-year-old mum out of the main house to safety – she was wondering when a Director was going to shout CUT!”
Kate Winslet’s involvement in the rescue of Branson’s mother comes on the heels of news Ryan Gosling broke up a fight on the streets of New York. Two men were apparently fighting over a painting in the middle of St Marks Place in Manhattan when Ryan Gosling walked up, dropped the bag he was carrying and stepped between the men. The whole thing was caught on video by spectators watching (and laughing at) the fight.
The Last Exorcism Isn’t Actually the Last Last Exorcism
The producers of the first film are backing the sequel. Filming’s expected to begin this fall on the untitled Last Exorcism follow-up.
The Last Exorcism was made on a $2 million budget and grossed $62 million worldwide before exiting theaters. Rated PG-13 for, among other things, disturbing violent content and terror, the ‘found footage’ film followed Reverend Cotton Marcus (played by Patrick Fabian) and his last exorcism.
The plot: “When he arrives on the rural Louisiana farm of Louis Sweetzer, the Reverend Cotton Marcus expects to perform just another routine “exorcism” on a disturbed religious fanatic. An earnest fundamentalist, Sweetzer has contacted the charismatic preacher as a last resort, certain his teenage daughter Nell is possessed by a demon who must be exorcized before their terrifying ordeal ends in unimaginable tragedy.
Buckling under the weight of his conscience after years of parting desperate believers with their money, Cotton and his crew plan to film a confessionary documentary of this, his last exorcism. But upon arriving at the already blood drenched family farm, it is soon clear that nothing could have prepared him for the true evil he encounters there. Now, too late to turn back, Reverend Marcus’ own beliefs are shaken to the core when he and his crew must find a way to save Nell – and themselves – before it is too late.”
–August 23, 2011
First Look at Hunger Games Coming This Weekend
The Hunger Games fans need to only wait a few more days for the first look at the dramatic action film starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. MTV just announced that we’ll get our “first glimpse” at the first film based on Suzanne Collins’ best-selling trilogy during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards airing live from Nokia Theater L.A. Live on Sunday, August 28th at 9pm (live on the east coast, tape-delayed on the west coast).
Jennifer Lawrence will introduce the clip. It’s unclear whether it will actually be the first official trailer as MTV’s press release labels it “first glimpse,” which could mean it’s just a clip and not a full-length trailer.
Celebs expected to appear on this year’s MTV Video Music Awards include Jonah Hill, Rick Ross, Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian and Odd Future. Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Adele, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown are scheduled to perform.
Winners in the general Video Music Award categories are determined by fans. You can cast your vote by visiting vma.mtv.com online or m.mtv.com on your mobile phone.
More on The Hunger Games:
Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once existed, The Hunger Games follows the quest of “Tributes” – one teenage boy and girl chosen from each of the country’s twelve districts – as they compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.
Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for the Hunger Games their entire lives, the main character, Katniss, is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Source: MTV – August 23, 2011
Thunder Dog Makes the NY Times Bestsellers List
After Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero debuted on the New York Times bestseller list this week, it can only be a matter of time before we’re treated to Thunder Dog – the movie (a movie I’d be happy to pay to see). The inspirational story of a blind man and the guide dog (Roselle) who led him and others out of the World Trade Center just minutes before the building fell to the ground was just released on August 2nd and already sits at #28 on the NY Times‘ bestselling hardcover non-fiction list.
Co-written by Susy Flory and Michael Hingson*, Roselle’s owner, the book is a moment-by-moment “account of not only what it was like to be inside the World Trade Center when Tower One was struck, but of each painstaking step between the 78th floor and survival on the streets below moments before the tower collapsed just yards away.”
“On one level, this is a book about the events of 9/11, but it is so much more than that,” said Brian Hampton, Senior Vice President and Publisher at Nashville-based Thomas Nelson Publishers. “It’s a beautiful story of trust and courage, an exploration of the unique bond between humans and animals. It leaves the reader inspired and full of hope. I believe that’s why it has impacted people so quickly and powerfully and why they are telling their friends about it.”
On his website, Hingson has this to say about Roselle’s work on 9/11: “She remained poised and calm through the entire day. She gave kisses and love wherever she could and she worked when she needed to do so. I would not be alive today if it weren’t for Roselle. I cannot say enough about the incredible job she did. What Roselle did on 9/11 is a testimony not only to [Kay and Ted Stern} and the others who raised her, but also to her trainer, Todd Jurek, the entire GDB training staff, and all the people who make up the wonderful organization of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Most of all, what Roselle did that day and in fact every day she and I were together is nothing less than the strongest possible evidence I can provide of the value of teamwork and trust.”
* Hingson is the national ambassador for the Braille Literacy Campaign and has recently launched “Roselle’s Dream Foundation,” the purpose of which is to assist blind children – and later blind adults – in obtaining new technologies.
Source: Thomas Nelson Publishers – August 22, 2011
Disney Announces Cars Land Contest
Did you visit Disneyland sometime between late 1977 and the spring of 1978? Did you happen to snap a photo of a Jungle Cruise skipper? If you did, and if the skipper happens to be John Lasseter – current Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering – you could win a trip for four to Disney California Adventure next summer.
Talk about a tough contest…
Here’s the scoop from Disney: “Recently, a search for a photo of John skippering the Jungle Cruise came up empty. Surely there must be a photo of Skipper John somewhere? To find one, we have created a contest: the first person to submit a verifiable photo of John as the skipper of the Jungle Cruise from 1977 will win a trip for 4 to the grand opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure in summer 2012, and a ride on the Jungle Cruise skippered by none other than John himself! What better way to turn a Disney memory of old into a Disney memory of today?”
Sure, it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack, but the prize is worth the effort of at least looking through old photographs to see if you somehow have a picture of Lasseter at the helm of a Jungle Cruise boat.
For more details on the contest, visit Johnofthejungle.com.
True Blood Season 4 September Episode Guide
From HBO:
Episode #47: “Soul of Fire”
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 4 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 4 (11:05 p.m.), 6 (11:35 p.m.), 7 (9:00 p.m.) and 10 (1:15 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 5 (9:00 p.m.), 8 (10:00 p.m.), 9 (11:00 p.m.) and 11 (1:00 p.m.)
As the Wiccan-vampire standoff reaches a critical juncture, Sookie (Anna Paquin) summons her faerie powers to prevent Marnie (Fiona Shaw) from bewitching Bill (Stephen Moyer), Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) into a suicide march, while Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) casts a secret spell designed to un-bind Marnie/Antonia and break the witch’s deadly defenses. Sam (Sam Trammell) settles a score with Marcus (Dan Buran); Alcide (Joe Manganiello) confronts Debbie (Brit Morgan) about her allegiances; Andy (Chris Bauer) finds unexpected passion in the forest; Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) is consumed by the past.
Written by Mark Hudis; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Episode #48: “And When I Die” (season finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 11 (11:00 p.m.), 13 (11:30 p.m.), 14 (10:00 p.m.) and 17 (10:15 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 12 (9:00 p.m.), 15 (10:00 p.m.), 16 (11:00 p.m.) and 18 (6:00 p.m.)
It’s Samhain, Wicca’s greatest holy day, and spirits of the dead surface in Bon Temps, giving Sookie valuable allies to combat Marnie’s newest incarnation. Lafayette’s latest medium encounter imperils his relationship with Jesus; Jason (Ryan Kwanten) finds confession good for the soul, but not the body; Alcide makes a heartfelt appeal to the woman he loves; Terry (Todd Lowe) receives an unexpected visitor at Merlotte’s; Sam and Luna (Janina Gavankar) envision a storybook ending, for once; Nan (Jessica Tuck) wears out her welcome with Bill and Eric. Debbie confronts Sookie and Tara (Rutina Wesley) with deadly consequences, and the denizens of Bon Temps brace for a new crisis with a familiar face.
Written by Raelle Tucker; directed by Scott Winant.
More on True Blood:
–Photo gallery
–Exclusive photos from True Blood Season 4’s red carpet premiere
–Details, videos, and cast info
Coriolanus Poster Debuts
Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler stare each other down on the Coriolanus poster released by The Weinstein Company. Coriolanus, based on the play by William Shakespeare, will hit theaters in limited release on December 2, 2011.
The Plot:
Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus’ (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus’s anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.
Another Sex and the City Movie on the Way?
Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker told Parade that a third Sex and the City movie is in the works. “I know what the story is,” said Parker in the August 19, 2011 interview. “It’s a small story, but I think it should be told. The question is, what’s the right time to tell it?”
The question left unasked is do we really need/want another Sex and the City film? The creative well apparently ran dry before Sex and the City 2, with that film receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.
Rumor had it that if there was another Sex and the City project, it would be a prequel that did not involve any of the four lead actresses from the HBO series and two feature films. Kristin Davis wasn’t keen on that idea, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “Not so into the prequel movie, because we’re us and we’ve discussed our history in the show already so for all of our fervent fans who listen to what we say, why would we rewrite that? And then have like different people with our names? It’s kind of freaky.”
Despite the negative reviews, 2010’s Sex and the City 2 collected $280 million worldwide before exiting theaters.
–August 21, 2011
Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine Film in the Works
The story: “Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather’s renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley’s bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always. But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay. It can be a best friend moving away, a human time machine who can transport you back to the Civil War, or a sideshow automaton able to glimpse the bittersweet future.”
“This is the best birthday gift I could ask for,” stated Bradbury who turns 91 on August 22nd. “Today, I have been reborn! Dandelion Wine is my most deeply personal work and brings back memories of sheer joy as well as terror. This is the story of me as a young boy and the magic of an unforgettable summer which still holds a mystical power over me.”
Nahapetov stated, “I was deeply honored when Ray Bradbury chose me to write the screenplay adaptation for his novel Dandelion Wine. When I began my studies at the Cinema Institute in Moscow, many foreign books were banned in Soviet Russia. Still, I decided to make my short film based upon Dandelion Wine because this novel represented to me the childhood I never had. My childhood had been stolen by the ravages and destruction of post World War II Russia and Dandelion Wine restored it back for me.”
Source: Phoenix Pictures – August 20, 2011
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