Opening in theaters later this week, THE AVENGERS is the long-awaited and much-anticipated super-hero epic that gathers together some of the most revered characters in the Marvel Universe for what fans hope will be the be-all-and-end-all comic-book movie for the ages. Written and directed by fanboy fave JOSS WHEDON, the cast includes CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., SCARLETT JOHANSSON, JEREMY RENNER, CHRIS EVANS, MARK RUFFALO, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, GWYNETH PALTROW and CLARK GREGG.
Arriving today on DVD and Blu-ray, JOYFUL NOISE is a musical comedy centering on the conflicts of a gospel choir hell-bent on winning a national singing competition. Written and directed by TODD GRAFF, the cast features DOLLY PARTON, QUEEN LATIFAH, KEKE PALMER, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, COURTNEY B. VANCE, JESSE L. MARTIN and JEREMY JORDAN.
Eschewing a theatrical U.S. release in favor of going VOD on Direct TV, GET THE GRINGO is a surprisingly entertaining action adventure about an American professional criminal who finds himself tossed into El Pueblito, the most notorious prison in Mexico. Directed by ADRIAN GRUNBERG from a script he co-wrote with producer and star MEL GIBSON, the cast also features DANIEL GIMENEZ, JESUS OCHOA, ROBERTO SOSA and DOLORES HEREDIA. Talking to entertainment reporters about his reasons for doing the film, GIBSON admitted it was another chance to work with his APOCALYPTO assistant director, ADRIAN GRUNBERG. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)
Opening in theaters later this season, FOR GREATER GLORY brings to the screen the real-life drama of the Cristeros War, the Mexican rebellion sparked by the government’s attempt to secularize the country. Directed by DEAN WRIGHT from a script by MICHAEL LOVE, the cast includes ANDY GARCIA, EVA LONGORIA, OSCAR ISAAC, PETER O’TOOLE, BRUCE GREENWOOD, NESTOR CARBONELL and BRUCE McGILL.Charlie’s Back (Kinda) On Tonight’s ‘Two And A Half Men’
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Tonight’s episode of the CBS comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN sees the return of the not-so-dearly-departed Charlie Harper as he appears before his recently hospitalized brother Alan. No, CHARLIE SHEEN isn’t back on the scene, instead KATHY BATES lights up a cigar and dons a bowling shirt to play the ghost of the irascible womanizer. As Alan, JON CRYER plays one of the most accident-prone characters on TV today. At the Television Critics Association press conference to promote this season’s shows, CRYER joked about how working on this series could be the death of him. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)
Arriving in theaters and available via VOD later this week, THE PERFECT FAMILY is a satiric family drama about a devoutly Catholic woman so desperate to win a church award that she fails to recognize her family for who they are. Directed by ANNE RENTON from a script by PAULA GOLDBERG, the ensemble cast includes KATHLEEN TURNER, EMILY DESCHANEL, JASON RITTER, MICHAEL McGRADY, SHARON LAWRENCE, ELIZABETH PENA and RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN.
Finally getting a U.S. release via VOD, Canadian import CITIZEN GANGSTER tells the story of Edwin Boyd, Toronto’s most infamous and colorful bank robber. Set in the 40s, Boyd returned home from World War II with hopes of supporting his family by becoming an actor. After being turned away from local acting schools, he applied performance art to bank robbery and captured the imagination of an entire country. Written and directed by NATHAN MORLANDO, the cast features SCOTT SPEEDMAN, KELLY REILLY, KEVIN DURAND, JOSEPH CROSS, WILLIAM MAPOTHER and BRIAN COX.Did Hollywood Movie Studios Bribe Chinese Officials?
By · CommentsAs the entertainment industry seeks a greater presence in China’s ever-increasing movie market, the Obama administration is investigating some of the major Hollywood film studios for possible inappropriate payments to Chinese officials.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sent letters of inquiry, seeking to obtain answers about whether or not some major Hollywood movie studios tried to buy their way into what is quickly becoming the world’s largest entertainment market.
Reuters, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, all of which are citing anonymous sources, have reported that the SEC sent inquiries to 20th Century Fox, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation.
However, it now appears as though the SEC may be in the midst of an industry-wide probe. Recent reports indicate that letters from the agency were sent to all six major Hollywood studios, and additionally to DreamWorks Animation, in an apparent effort to search for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with regard to the studios’ dealings with Chinese officials.
Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks Animation are all members of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The entertainment companies played a significant role in recent trade negotiations, which resulted in some dramatic changes taking place with regard to the rules of access that China had imposed on Hollywood.
The state-owned China Film Group had previously limited film imports to a maximum of 20 foreign films per year; however, in February 2012 restrictions were abruptly eased.
China’s Vice President Xi Jinping, who next year is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as president of China, traveled to the U.S.
After the Chinese leader’s visit to Washington, D.C., Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that China was going to permit 34 films to be shown annually as long as the additional movies utilize either Imax or 3-D technologies. Hollywood will be allowed to keep about 25 percent of the box-office as well, which is an increase from the previous 15 percent.
Xi Jinping also made a visit to Los Angeles, where DreamWorks Animation made the announcement that a $2 billion breakthrough deal had been made to build a production studio in Shanghai with some of China’s biggest media companies.
Hollywood movie studios have for a while now been seeking to loosen China’s restrictions on foreign films, which the entertainment industry has viewed as potentially fueling the demand for pirated materials.
U.S. box-office sales in 2011 had taken a drop of about 5 percent, landing at approximately $10 billion, while Chinese movie revenues had grown to $2.1 billion, an astounding 35 percent increase. The number of movie screens in China had doubled in five years to 10,700 at the end of last year, and are expected to reach 13,000 by the end of 2012, according to the MPAA.
This kind of growth is extremely attractive to Hollywood studios, and consequently the entertainment companies have rushed into China to take advantage of the situation. “Avatar” brought in $207 million, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” $159 million, and “Titanic 3-D” so far has grossed more than $100 million in Chinese box-office revenues.
Disney recently announced that “Iron Man 3” will be co-produced in China with DMG Entertainment in Beijing.
Filmmaker James Cameron, who did so superbly with “Avatar” and “Titanic 3-D,” has contracted to provide 3-D technology for a Chinese produced film, “The Art of War.”
As for the expectations of the Chinese government, film official Tong Gang told Xinhua, the official press agency of China, that the country’s long history could serve as a database for American filmmakers and could draw in huge audiences, if stories are properly developed.
The action of the SEC in probing the Hollywood-China connection appears to be part of the Obama administration’s increasing interest in the use of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, (FCPA) which prohibits the payment of bribes to officials of foreign governments.
Because of the accelerating growth of foreign markets, anti-bribery laws pose a threat to the entertainment industry particularly when federal investigators view Hollywood as a target-rich environment for potential probes.
The SEC generally maintains a focus on the provisions of the FCPA that pertain to accounting and, should violations be proven to have occurred, results typically involve the imposition of a fine.
If the Department of Justice were to join in the future with the aforementioned SEC-movie studio probe, the stakes would be raised to include possible criminal violations and more substantial penalties.
Airing tonight on CBS, the Season 3 finale of the hit drama THE GOOD WIFE promises to answer several questions while posing several more as a set up for Season 4. Joining regulars JULIANNA MARGULIES, JOSH CHARLES, CHRIS NOTH, CHRISTINE BARANSKI and ARCHIE PANJABI, recurring guest stars MICHAEL J. FOX, MARTHA PLIMPTON and MATTHEW PERRY will be adding interesting intrigue to what may just mark the reunion of the titular character with her formerly philandering husband.
The sleeper hit Think Like A Man retained its #1 position at the box office with an $18 million haul, beating newcomer The Pirates! Band of Misfits (#2, $11.4 million). The Jason Segel/Emily Blunt rom-com The Five-Year Engagement performed below expectations, limping to a #5 finish with just $11.2 million. Here’s the top 10:
1. Think Like A Man - $18 million
2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $11.4 million
3. The Lucky One - $11.3 million
4. The Hunger Games - $11.3 million
5. The Five-Year Engagement - $11.2 million
6. Safe - $7.7 million
7. The Raven - $7.2 million
8. Chimpanzee - $5.5 million
9. The Three Stooges - $5.4 million
10. The Cabin in the Woods - $4.5 million
* Steve Harvey talks about writing his bestselling book Think Like A Man:
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posted by Greg Srisavasdi
