Academy Award News Blog

Fort Worth schools getting in on the act

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

Honoring artists and athletes

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

Although the BET Awards doled out awards to some of entertainment's most celebrated performers on Tuesday night, from Beyonce to Jennifer Hudson, it was the show's tributes to living legends and recently departed giants that evoked the most emotion.Lifetime achievement honoree Diana Ross urged younger performers to "keep it classy" and refrain from foul behavior. A tearful Patti LaBelle joined an all-star tribute to R&B crooner Gerald Levert, who died last year. And fists pumped in the air as hi...

Perfect Pixar

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

Pixar Animation will serve no rodent before its time.The outfit behind such animated smashes as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" has a simple secret: The company takes its time and lets a story mature to its finest.That includes the new "Ratatouille," the tale of a rat that gets an unlikely chance to do what he loves most -- cook in a French restaurant in Paris.Unlike "Shrek the Third," the animated sequel that grabbed big audiences but was dismissed by critics as a tired aftert...

Under the weather

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

"The doctor will see you now," says a Hollywood publicist as she opens a door for a reporter at Los Angeles city hall.Alone inside a conference room there is Michael Moore, who has just finished speaking at a rally outside with supporters of universal health coverage for Americans.An Academy Award winner for the 2002 gun-control documentary "Bowling for Columbine" and the filmmaker behind 2004's President Bush-bashing "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore returns with "Sicko," his dissection of the nation's ...

Wahlberg talks about shedding the boy band label, playing a cop in Pittsburgh

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

Fifteen years ago, Donnie Wahlberg was performing in front of thousands of screaming, prepubescent girls. Last Friday, he was repeating the same five minutes of dialogue for several hours in front of an audience of a few dozen.

"There's nothing like being on stage in front of 50,000 people, and it's just mass hysteria," Donnie said while on the Lawrenceville set of "The Kill Point," a Spike TV series set in Pittsburgh. But the 37-year-old New Kid on the Block-turned-actor said he prefers his thespian side, which gives him a "different kind of rush" than the screaming throngs of fans.

It's not the first time Donnie has played an authority figure. His credits include Detective Eric Matthews in "Saw II" and "III"; Det. Joel Stevens in the critically acclaimed "Boomtown" TV series; and Det. Jim Lipton in "Dead Silence," the horror film released earlier this year.

Whistling Birf gets a top rating on Range

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

Editors Note: This is the first of a new regular Friday feature Iron Range Restaurant Review where MDN reporters will go to restaurants across the Range and write reviews. The reviews will be based on five criteria atmosphere, service, food, drinks and value of the dining experience. Five forks will be the top rating.

GILBERT Something special was missing, mon, at the Whistling Bird Cafe & Bar Tuesday evening.

It wasnt the Caribbean ambiance the ocean-hued textured walls, the illuminated palm trees, the Island music.

Ron Howard Joins 'MOON' Mission

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

NEW YORK, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, whose "Apollo 13" remains one of the most popular and highly-regarded dramatizations of man's exploration of space, is partnering with THINKFilm to present the award-winning film, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, the definitive feature documentary about the Apollo space program and the first-ever landing on the moon. Howard's name, and the "Ron Howard Presents" credit will appear on all prints and in all paid advertising f...

A rousing celebration of human endeavor, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON begins in the early 1960's, with President Kennedy's stated ambition to put an American on the moon before the end of the decade, and culminates in Apollo 11's successful lunar landing and the extraordinary global impact that event had. Ten of the surviving astronauts who journeyed to the moon tell their stories in their own words, accompanied by spectacular NASA footage, much of it never seen before in a feature film, and all of it re-mastered for maximum visual and aural effect.

About the film, Howard says, "IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON is a spectacular film that should be seen by the widest audience possible. It is especially timely now, when we are all reminded how fragile our Earth is and how much there is for us to explore in the universe. I am thrilled to be able to support it in this way and to remind Americans in these dark times about what a truly incredible accomplishment going to the moon was."

Honoring Artists and Athletes, BET Awards Deliver Hot Performances and Heartfelt Tributes

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Although the BET Awards doled out awards to some of entertainment's most celebrated performers on Tuesday night, from Beyonce to Jennifer Hudson, it was the show's tributes to living legends and recently departed giants that evoked the most emotion.

Lifetime achievement honoree Diana Ross urged younger performers to "keep it classy" and refrain from foul behavior. A tearful Patti LaBelle joined an all-star tribute to R&B crooner Gerald Levert, who died last year. And fists pumped in the air as hip-hop group Public Enemy honored the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, with a stirring rendition of one of his landmark hits, "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)."

"James Brown gets credit for laying the musical foundations of hip hop, but he set some attitudes for the culture as well. He was pro-black, pro-strong," said civil rights activist and longtime Brown friend, the Rev. Al Sharpton. "It's time for us to pick up the legacy and teach another generation to wear their shoulders back and hold their heads high and be able to say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud."

IMAX(R) 3D version of Beowulf to be released November 16, 2007

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

LOS ANGELES, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - IMAX Corporation, Paramount Pictures, Shangri-La Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Beowulf, the latest film from Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis, the filmmaker behind such box office successes as Forrest Gump, The Polar Express, the Back To The Future series and What Lies Beneath, will be released domestically in IMAX(R) 3D simultaneously with the motion picture's premiere in conventional theatres on November...

Inspired by the 9th century English epic poem, Beowulf combines a digitally enhanced live-action filmmaking technology with an all-star cast that includes Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie. Neil Gaiman (MirrorMask, the graphic novel Sandman) and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction) adapted the legend for the screen.

"IMAX 3D has enabled us to tell stories in a whole new way, and we are very excited to offer moviegoers a chance to experience Beowulf in this incredible format," said Robert Zemeckis. "IMAX lends itself to the incredible image detail in Beowulf and in 3D, it will transport the audience directly into the story."

Leo's the king of green

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:44 +0000

Leonardo DiCaprio is at the forefront of celebrities working hard to make everyone aware of important environmental issues -- including global warming. Now I've learned that the actor has been quietly meeting with some major players on the hip-hop and rap scenes -- including Jay-Z, Q-Tip and Russell Simmons -- hoping to expand environmental awareness in our largely African-American inner cities.

Under discussion: A series of well-publicized concerts -- with huge stars performing -- to help get the message out.

• In other DiCaprio news: The actor will team up with Oscar winner Russell Crowe in ''Body of Lies,'' directed by Crowe's frequent collaborator Ridley Scott. It's a film about a terrorist plot.

Briefs: Fresno man treated after Tuesday stabbing

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 05:21:24 +0000

COSHOCTON - The Coshocton County Sheriff's Office is investigating a stabbing that occurred late Tuesday night.

According to a sheriff's office release, dispatchers received a report that a subject had been stabbed. After further investigation, it was discovered that the stabbing victim was Jebb S. McKee, 28, of Fresno. He'd suffered a knife wound to the abdomen, authorities said.

Greenville Symphony Orchestra receives community enrichment grant

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 05:21:24 +0000

The Greenville Symphony Orchestra has recently received a $6,700 Community Enrichment Grant from the Community Foundation of Greenville, Inc.

The grant money will be used to support the GSO's efforts to implement music education and community engagement events for the Upstate's hearing-impaired community.

The events will center on Dame Evelyn Glennie's performance with the GSO during the GSO's 2007-08 Masterworks season. Glennie, who is deaf, is a percussionist and Academy Award-winning composer. She will perform Puts' Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra Feb. 16-17 with the GSO and Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel conducting.

New on DVD: Wahlberg hits the marky-mark in 'Shooter'

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 05:21:24 +0000

Mark Wahlberg continues his decent run, following up on last year's solid sports hit "The Invincible" and his Academy Award nomination for "The Departed" with this tale of an ace sharpshooter framed in a presidential-assassination attempt. Wahlberg plays a former military marksman who has become disillusioned with the government but is lured back into the fold to help scope out the people behind a plot to bump off the commander in chief, only to end up on the lam after he's fingered as the trigg...

"Black Snake Moan"

Samuel L. Jackson singing the blues, Justin Timberlake playing a jittery lover, Christine Ricci chained to a radiator -- what more could you want in a movie? Jackson plays a former bluesman who finds a slutty Southern chick (Ricci) unconscious along the road and takes it on himself to heal her body, mind and soul by chaining her in his house until she mends her ways -- and in the process helps him mend his own. Timberlake co-stars as Ricci's soldier boyfriend, who has a serious case of the nerve...

On DVD: 'Pride' shows passion for swimming team's story

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 05:21:24 +0000

Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac star in a standard-issue inspirational sports tale based on the true story of a black man in the 1970s who creates a world-class swimming program for inner-city youths in Philadelphia.Howard plays the former competitive swimmer who, unable to find a job coaching despite a good education and resumé, is hired to help close down a youth center, where his idle efforts to interest black teens in swimming gradually turn into a passion for them and a career for him...

Reliable Pixar adds 'Ratatouille' to its gourmet animation plate

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 05:21:24 +0000

Seven films into their once-shaky partnership, the Disney-Pixar marriage has produced nothing but gifted offspring. Now, Oscar-winning director Brad Bird, the 49-year-old animation whiz behind "The Incredibles," intends to continue Pixar's remarkable run ? "Finding Nemo," "Monsters, Inc." and the "Toy Story" flicks, etc. ? by giving rodents a good name. There's a pint-sized cook who makes even Rachel Ray look big, and we meet him in "Ratatouille." It's the tale of a gourmet rat named Remy, who w...

20 People Who Changed Black Music: Pop Darling Whitney Houston, Queen of the Ballad

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:18:02 +0000

Despite possessing a beauty that enabled her to land coveted covers of magazines and commercials for popular soft drinks barely out of her teens, Whitney Houston couldn't run from her destiny.

Her mother is a gospel and soul artist whose mighty vocals have backed up, among others, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Otis Redding and Elvis Presley. Her first cousin is a solo star whose career has spanned five decades. And her godmother is the bona fide queen of soul.

With relationships like these, it's no wonder Houston became one of the music industry's brightest stars. Her songs have been more than just key pieces in radio stations' playlist mosaics. They've made history.

Asian Pacific groups hold town hall on hate crimes

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:18:02 +0000

Moderator Vivien Hao, far left, conducts a panel discussion on hate crimes during a town hall meeting sponsored by the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress Sunday in Little Tokyo. Panelists, from left, included, Shazia Kamal, Hamid Khan, Stewart Kwoh, Renee Tajima-Pena and Robin Toma.

From Wave Staff and Wire Reports 28.JUN.07

LOS ANGELES The Asian Pacific Americans for Progress held a town hall meeting last Sunday focusing on hate crimes.

Bay Area flavors food tale

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:18:02 +0000

The Bay Area is so obsessed with food that just finding the latest cheese, the tangiest sourdough or the richest coffee is enough to spark passionate debates.

So it's no surprise that Emeryville filmmakers tapped into Northern California's bountiful culinary scene to make "Ratatouille," the animated movie about a rat who wants to be a chef. The film opens nationwide Friday.

For six years, members of Pixar Animation Studios took classes at Bay Area cooking schools and channeled the artistry of Thomas Keller, the chef/owner of Napa's critically acclaimed French Laundry restaurant.

Bird creates incredible success rate

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:18:02 +0000

LAS VEGAS Brad Bird has become one of the Incredibles of movie animation as part of the pioneering outfit behind such cartoon hits as Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. and the Toy Story flicks.With 2004's superhero saga The Incredibles, Bird won Pixar Animation's second Academy Award for feature-length animation, following the company's Oscar triumph the previous year for Finding Nemo.

Writer-director Bird, 49, should be back in Oscar contention with Ratatouille, the tale of gourmet rodent Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), who teams with a human kitchen hand to whip up fabulous meals in a French restaurant.Opening Friday, Ratatouille also features the voices of Peter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brad Garrett and Brian Dennehy.Ratatouille could have been the first movie Pixar released with a studio partner other than the Walt Disney Co., whose deal to distribute Pixar fil...

Tension eases

Camp to foster youths’ environmental interest

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:18:02 +0000

A weeklong day camp will offer students information about key environmental issues. The Active Environmental Leadership Summer Camp, sponsored by the America Reads Academy of Empowerment organization, will address global warming, energy efficiency, resource conservation, “green” building and more. Each day will include a mental and physical exercise for the students, lunch and a guest speaker f...

—Greg Russell LEADERSHIP CAMP

What: Active Environmental Leadership Camp, for students in grades eight through 12

R&B legends stand out at BET awards

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:18:04 +0000

LOS ANGELES — Although the BET Awards doled out awards to some of entertainment's most celebrated performers on Tuesday night, from Beyoncé to Jennifer Hudson, it was the show's tributes to living legends and recently departed giants that evoked the most emotion.

A tearful Patti LaBelle joined an all-star tribute to R&B crooner Gerald Levert, who died last year. And fists pumped in the air as hip-hop group Public Enemy honored the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, with a stirring rendition of one of his landmark hits, "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)."

"James Brown gets credit for laying the musical foundations of hip-hop, but he set some attitudes for the culture as well. He was pro-black, pro-strong," said civil-rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime friend of Brown's. "It's time for us to pick up the legacy and teach another generation to wear their shoulders back and hold their heads high and be able to say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud."

Silver Surfer Pushes Latino Actor Into Spotlight

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:18:04 +0000

Get ready, comic book fans, because director Tim Story and producer Ralph Winters are at it again. This time they bring us the much-anticipated sequel to their 2005 hit movie Fantastic Four. In their latest collaboration, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer they bring to life yet another historic character, the Silver Surfer, voiced by Laurence Fishburne.

Silver Surfers creation brings to the movie a different element. There was a collaborative effort to create the computer generated character between Academy Award-winning visual effects house Weta Digital (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and three-time Oscar nominee and visual effects supervisor Scott Squires.

The Silver Surfer, however, isnt the only addition to the cast. In this sequel we are also introduced to Major Cruz, played by Gonzalo Menndez, whose work includes roles in CSI Miami & N.Y., Blow and Nip-Tuck just to name a few.

'Ratatouille' is on the menu

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:18:04 +0000

Brad Bird has' become one of the incredibles of movie animation as part of the pioneering outfit behind such cartoon hits as "Finding Nemo," "Monsters, Inc." and the "Toy Story" flicks.

With 2004's superhero saga "The Incredibles," Bird won Pixar Animation's second Academy Award for feature-length animation, following the company's Oscar triumph the previous year for "Finding Nemo."

Writer-director Bird, 49, should be back in Oscar contention with "Ratatouille," the tale of gourmet rodent Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), who teams with a human kitchen hand to whip up fabulous meals in a French restaurant. Opening Friday, "Ratatouille" also features the voices of Peter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brad Garrett and Brian Dennehy.

BET Awards ?a straight up party?

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:18:04 +0000

Say what you will about BET?s regular programming. Yes, it can sometimes be rather whack. But when it comes to award shows, the network that Bob Johnson built and sold usually gets it right.

In fact, the only thing that could have topped Tuesday night?s BET Awards ?07 at the Shrine Auditorium was if the original Temptations ? four of whom are dead ? had miraculously come back to life and serenaded lifetime achievement honoree Diana Ross with ?My Girl.?

Stranger things have happened at the BET Awards and that?s why show tickets are harder to score than prime seats at the Academy Awards. On the day before the show I was offered $1,000 for one ticket, but I sensed something special was going to happen so I turned it down.

Getting hotter? Do you feel it

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:18:04 +0000

b). A natural warming of earth that happens once every 10,000 years.

c). A gradual warming of the Earth caused by greenhouse gases trapping the sun's heat in the atmosphere. It's not a good thing.