Entertainment News Review

Producer joins “Watchmen” legal fracas (Reuters)

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:10:13 +0000

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) –
Larry Gordon is tired of being the villain in the “Watchmen” ownership dispute between Warner Bros. and Fox.

In an unorthodox move, the veteran producer has fired off a lengthy letter to U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess offering his version of events that led to the court’s stunning ruling that Fox owns distribution rights to the Zack Snyder-directed comic-book adaptation. Warner Bros. had been scheduled to release the film on March 6.

Feess’ December 24 decision found that Gordon, who is not a party to the case, did not secure proper rights to “Watchmen” from Fox before shopping the project and setting it up at Warner Bros. The judge also said Gordon had “refused to testify” to key questions during his deposition and, as punishment, would not be allowed to have his voice heard on “any aspect” of the case.

Gordon had remained silent since then but fired back Wednesday, stating in a letter filed by his litigation lawyers that he has been subjected to “significant public scorn” for his role in the studio battle and arguing his case that he answered deposition questions “to the best of his knowledge.”

Feess refused to read the letter, issuing a terse one-paragraph response later Wednesday that called it an “improper communication” in violation of court rules.

In the letter, Gordon defends his actions during the negotiations of two key agreements with Fox during the early 1990s and in the course of the litigation. He also lays out several pages of evidence showing his responses to deposition questions.

“Mr. Gordon clearly testified that he does not recall any conversations he had with representatives of Fox in or about 1994 relating to ‘Watchmen,’” the letter states.

Gordon is referring to a 1994 turnaround agreement signed by Gordon and Fox that allowed him to shop the project. During negotiations for that agreement, Gordon argues that he and apparently his attorneys were unaware of a 1991 quitclaim agreement that granted Fox distribution rights to the film and a share of profits if Gordon made it elsewhere.

Feess ruled that Gordon did not fully control “Watchmen” because he failed to reimburse Fox its development costs and to resubmit the project when key creative elements changed.

Gordon claims in his letter that during those negotiations, Fox sent his lawyer, Tom Hunter, a chain of title that did not include the 1991 quitclaim.

“It is Mr. Gordon’s position that the execution of the 1994 turnaround agreement was the result of either a mutual mistake by both parties or a unilateral mistake made by his counsel, on which Mr. Gordon relied,” the letter says.

Fox, Warner Bros. and Gordon’s attorneys declined comment Thursday.

The development comes as the parties are scheduled to meet in Feess’ courtroom Friday to determine a timeline for Feess to decide whether to issue an injunction blocking Warners’ release of the superhero saga.

Several sources have said settlement discussions are heating up, but both studios denied late Thursday that an agreement had been reached in the stalemate.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Cruise defends beliefs after Jett’s death

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:40:09 +0000

TOM Cruise has denied Scientology’s teachings prevented John Travolta’s son Jett from getting the help he needed.

SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Baby Stars, Black Hole, More

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:30:12 +0000

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People’s Choice Awards: ‘Dark Knight’ shines

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:50:09 +0000

(CNN) — “The Dark Knight” took home top honors at the People’s Choice Awards Wednesday night, walking away with five awards.

Christian Bale, right, accepts an award during the 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards Wednesday.

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The movie, which won high praise and acclaim from critics and fans, won the award for favorite movie, favorite action movie, favorite cast, favorite on screen match-up (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger) and favorite superhero (Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman),

“Here’s to Heath,” Bale said after accepting the award, referring to his co-star, who died of an accidental drug overdose in January 2008.

Host Queen Latifah introduced the movie at the end of the ceremony and all five awards were presented at the same time.

“American Idol” lost to “Dancing With the Stars” for favorite reality TV show, but two of their alums — Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood — picked up their own awards.

Underwood, who performed earlier during the show, nabbed two wins early on — one for “Last Name” (favorite country song) and also for favorite female singer.

Sparks and Chris Brown both took home the award for “Favorite Combined Forces,” for their collaboration on “No Air.” The pair beat out “4 Minutes” by Madonna and Justin Timberlake and “Love Like This” by Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Kingston.

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Official site: People’s Choice Awards

“I think this is the first awards show where they actually aired my award,” Sparks jokingly said as she accepted the award. Brown, who was in Dublin, accepted the award via satellite.

Ellen DeGeneres took home the award for best talk show host.

“I wish I could share this with you,” DeGeneres said. “I could throw it on the ground and smash it into a million pieces, and give each one of you a little piece of it, but that’s violent, and that’s probably why you voted for me, because I’m not violent.”

Other early winners included: “27 Dresses” (favorite comedy movie), Hugh Laurie (favorite male TV star) and Robin Williams (favorite scene stealing guest star for his role on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”)

The People’s Choice Awards celebrates its 35th ceremony this year.

The People’s Choice Awards were created in 1975 by producer Bob Stivers, who sold the show to Procter & Gamble in the early 1980s. The awards have reflected the growing divergence between popular and critical preferences; in its early years favorite movie honors went to “The Sting” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” — both best picture winners at the Oscars as well as critical favorites — while more recently, categories have included slots no industry group would even hazard, such as favorite superhero, favorite on-screen matchup and Nice n’ Easy Fans Favorite Hair (a nod to a Procter & Gamble product).

For most of their run, the People’s Choice Awards were based on Gallup polls. In the last few years, online voting has decided the winners, and this year’s categories include tech-friendly slots for favorite user-generated video and favorite online sensation.

Of course, when the people vote, other people will criticize.

“When past winners include Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston for ‘The Break-Up,’ maybe ‘of the people, by the people’ should not apply to everything,” writes the Canwest News Service’s Chris Lackner, adding that while host Queen Latifah says, “Yes. We. Can” in a promo for the awards, perhaps the response should be “Maybe. We. Shouldn’t.”

Still, the show attracts its share of celebrities, who will fill the red carpet Wednesday evening in front of Los Angeles, California’s, Shrine Auditorium.

Moreover, the People’s Choice organization is offering fans a chance to become a part of Queen Latifah’s and Rascal Flatts’ upcoming albums, according to press materials, part of an initiative to keep entertainment fans involved. (Interested parties can become a member of the People’s Choice organization at www.pcavote.com/pca/register.jsp.)

Who knows? Maybe the jump from voter to celebrity isn’t so far.

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‘Dark Knight’ sweeps People’s Choice Awards (AP)

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:30:16 +0000

AP – Christian Bale accepts the favorite action movie award for ‘The Dark Knight’ at the 35th Annual People’s …

Slideshow:
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Reuters

LOS ANGELES – Holy, People’s Choice Awards, Batman! “The Dark Knight” soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony. The caped crusader flick won five awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale’s Batman and the late Heath Ledger’s Joker.

“On behalf of all of the cast from the movie, thank you very much to the fans,” said Bale. “Here’s to Heath.”

The CBS ceremony was hosted by Queen Latifah and returned to the Shrine Auditorium for its typical star-studded live show format, following last year’s writer’s strike-friendly, pre-taped program. Stars such as Adam Sandler, Kate Hudson, Robin Williams, Hugh Laurie and Reese Witherspoon showed up to accept their awards at the slightly subdued ceremony.

“It’s such a great way to start the new year,” Witherspoon, the “Four Christmases” star who won an Oscar in 2005 for portaying June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line,” said as she accepted her award for favorite female movie star. “A couple years ago, I won a great award for singing in a movie. This year, I won an award for having a baby throw up on me.”

Other recipients selected by Internet voters in categories spanning movies, television and music included “Dancing With the Stars” as favorite reality show, Carrie Underwood as favorite female singer, “House” as favorite TV drama, Brad Pitt as favorite leading man, Angelina Jolie as favorite female action star and Ellen DeGeneres as favorite talk show host.

“I wish I could share this with you,” DeGeneres told the audience while clutching her trophy on stage. “I could throw it on the ground and smash it into a million pieces, and give each one of you a little piece of it, but that’s violent, and that’s probably why you voted for me, because I’m not violent.”

Queen Latifah accepted the favorite drama and independent movie awards alongside her “The Secret Life of Bees” co-star Dakota Fanning. The overly enthusiastic host opened the show by wading through the audience and asking celebrities if they could keep entertaining the masses in 2009. All mimicked President-elect Barack Obama and by answering: “Yes we can.”

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CBS is a division of CBS Corp.

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On the Net:

http://www.pcavote.com/pca

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Swayze ‘may live only two years’

admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:20:23 +0000

Actor Patrick Swayze, who has pancreatic cancer, has admitted he may survive only two years.

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Jennifer Garner delivers another daughter

admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:20:09 +0000

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Jennifer Garner gave birth to her second child in Los Angeles on Tuesday, People magazine reported.

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NBC KICKS COULTER TO THE CURB: But is the ban permanent or temporary?

admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:20:09 +0000

*Maybe, just maybe all the hate Ann Coulter’s been spewing against the Obamas and Democrats/liberals in general has finally come back to haunt her.

The Drudge Report is reporting that “the nation’s top selling conservative author has been banned from appearing on NBC,” according to insiders.

But not so fast says a second source from the network who strongly denies there is any “Coulter ban.”

Read full story from www.eurweb.com

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Jamie Lynn decoy demands $$2m

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:20:10 +0000

Rex Features

A woman used as a decoy for Jamie Lynn Spears has demanded $2 million (£1.4 million) for what she describes as “false arrest”.

Adessa Eskeridge was used by airport police last September in an attempt to fool waiting paparazzi into believing that she was the famous teenager.

Eskeridge, who was on the same Los Angeles-bound plane as Spears, was reportedly stopped by police and told that she was “going to help” them as they escorted her to baggage reclaim, allowing the real Spears to escape unnoticed.

In her claim for damages, Eskeridge’s lawyer alleged that airport police “did not want to subject Ms Spears to the pushing, shoving, humiliation and possible physical injury that come with the paparazzi, but instead decided that Ms Eskeridge was not important enough to give the same protections to”.

She suggested that her client was “deceived and manipulated” by police and that she had “suffered and continues to suffer great humiliation” as a result.

Eskeridge has reportedly threatened to sue police if the damages are not paid. Police have declined to comment.

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Grappling with his past, winning out in ‘The Wrestler’

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:10:09 +0000

For a few days at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where Mickey Rourke’s The Wrestler stunned audiences and started a bidding war, the onetime pretty boy/movie tough guy could be seen shambling around swanky Yorkville, his 17-year-old miniature Chihuahua, Loki, snuggled in his arms.

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