Arriving in theaters later this week, LOCKOUT is a futuristic action/adventure centered on a wrongly convicted U.S. traitor offered his freedom if he will rescue the president’s daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates. Co-written and directed by JAMES MATHER and STEPHEN ST. LEGER, the cast includes GUY PEARCE, MAGGIE GRACE, PETER STORMARE and VINCENT REGAN.‘Hunger Games’ Star Jennifer Lawrence Hits PETA
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Jennifer Lawrence, the newly minted Hollywood superstar of the blockbuster film “The Hunger Games,” recently made some distinctly right-of-center remarks in an interview that appears in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
Lawrence, who in “The Hunger Games” plays archer warrior Katniss, spoke about a scene in “Winter’s Bone,” a movie in which she previously appeared, which has her gutting a squirrel.
Addressing the issue of whether or not the scene had been created by Hollywood special effects, Lawrence let her feelings be known about the animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
“I should say it wasn’t real, for PETA,” Lawrence said. “But screw PETA.”
To prepare for the “Winter’s Bone” role, the 21-year-old actress spent a month with a family in Missouri, living a rural lifestyle that included plenty of rifle shooting.
Lawrence’s “Games” co-star, Woody Harrelson, explains the actress’s independent spirit, referring to Lawrence as “the real deal” and describing her as someone “who’s not trying to be anyone she’s not.”
“She’s just this frickin’ amazing gal from Kentucky who hit it big,” Harrelson said.
During the Rolling Stone interview, Lawrence hinted at her plans following the completion of her next film project.
In atypical Hollywood language, she announced that she is “thinking about buying a house. And a big dog. And a shotgun.”
Shannen Doherty Gets ‘Real’ With New WE Series
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Premiering tonight on WE TV, SHANNEN SAYS is a new reality series that follows former BEVERLY HILLS 90210 star SHANNEN DOHERTY as she plans her wedding to photographer KURT ISWARIENKO. Probably better known for her tabloid coverage than her professional career, DOHERTY has survived two divorces and an annulment and seems to have settled down to enjoying domestication.
Opening in theaters next month, HYSTERIA is a romantic comedy set in the Victorian era and centered around the unlikely subject of how Mortimer Granville invented the first vibrator in the name of medical science. Directed by TANYA WEXLER from a story by STEPHEN DYER, the film stars MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, HUGH DANCY and JONATHAN PRYCE.
Opening in theaters later this week, the highly anticipated horror film, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS promises a new take on what looks to be a genuine horror movie. Co-written (with cult fave JOSS WHEDON) and directed by DREW GODDARD, the cast features RICHARD JENKINS, BRADLEY WHITFORD, JESSE WILLIAMS, CHRIS HEMSWORTH, KRISTEN CONNOLLY and ANNA HUTCHISON. Revealing anything about this clever twist on the “teens in peril” genre would be to spoil the film but at the press day to promote its opening, WHEDON and GODDARD talked about how their collaboration came about. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)
Stephen King Makes A Play For Musical Theater Greatness
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Currently running at Atlanta’s Alliance Theater, GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY is a new musical with songs by JOHN MELLENCAMP and a book by best selling author STEPHEN KING. A Southern Gothic tale of tragedy in a small Mississippi backwoods town, the cast features familiar Broadway vets EMILY SKINNER and SCHULER HENSLEY as well as American Idol runner-up JUSTIN GUARINI. The production is slated for several weeks and the hope is to eventually open on Broadway. Horror-meister KING sat down with The Alliance Theater to talk about the creation of the show.NBC’s Spin on the Zimmerman Edit Is Not Believable
By · CommentsIn the era of spin in which our society is currently immersed, political figures, celebrities, high-profile individuals, and corporate executives on behalf of their companies frequently attempt to alter public opinion and/or perception through use of borderline tactics, particularly when damage control is what is being sought.
NBC News recently found itself in the position of having to seek damage control and in so doing the network news division ended up making a dubious assertion to Reuters, which indicated that the precisely edited recording of a phone call from George Zimmerman to police prior to the shooting of Trayvon Martin was a mere “mistake.”
The incident is reminiscent of the controversy that CBS faced back in 2004, which in some quarters is still referred to as “Rathergate.”
Dan Rather reported on “60 Minutes Wednesday” that memos critical of then-President George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service record had been discovered. However, the authenticity of the documents was called into question because they possessed modern typographic conventions that were unavailable on military typewriters of the 1970s.
Both Rather and CBS initially insisted that the documents were legitimate, claiming that they had been authenticated by experts. CBS later retracted the story.
NBC appears to be using a comparable playbook with regard to the edit of the Zimmerman tape.
Since the story hit the national media, the thrust of the Martin shooting has revolved around the assumption that race had been a factor in the incident. Protests in various locations erupted seeking the shooter’s arrest.
The edited recording that aired on NBC’s “Today” show was directly related in terms of newsworthiness to the question of whether or not Zimmerman’s actions were racially motivated. The tape was, in essence, a critical piece of evidence in an already volatile situation.
NBC News President Steve Capus told Reuters that the edit had been the result of “a mistake and not a deliberate act to misrepresent the phone call.”
The edit redacted just enough of the conversation to leave listeners with the impression that Zimmerman’s motivation for assuming Martin was “up to no good” was based on skin color.
The following is the edited recorded segment, which was aired on March 27 by NBC News:
Zimmerman: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good …”
Zimmerman: “He looks black.”
If the actual unedited recording shown below had been aired by NBC, it would have left listeners with a distinctly different impression.
Zimmerman: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.”
Dispatcher: “OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?”
Zimmerman: “He looks black.”
When a comparison of NBC’s edit and the actual recording is done, it simply stretches the bounds of credibility to expect people to believe that when a professional is editing a recorded conversation, he or she would not listen to the words on the recording prior to deleting sections of the audio, particularly the question that was posed by the 911 operator.
NBC News has offered a statement of apology for having made “an editing error in the production process” and has indicated that an internal investigation has been conducted.
However, the network is also indicating that it has no intention of releasing the results of the investigation to the public.
Laura Linney Lights Up A Third Season Of ‘The Big C’
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Returning tonight for its third season, HBO’s THE BIG C will see last season’s cliff-hanger resolved in the first five minutes and cancer patient Cathy Jamison possibly having good news for friends and family thanks to her new and highly-regarded oncologist. Created by DARLENE HUNT (PLATONICALLY INCORRECT), the series’ cast includes LAURA LINNEY, OLIVER PLATT, JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY, GABOUREY SIDIBE, CYNTHIA NIXON, PHYLLIS SOMERVILLE and ALAN ALDA.
Making its debut tonight on TV Guide Network, WILSON PHILLIPS: STILL HOLDING ON is an eight-episode original reality series that follows one of the most successful all-girl groups in music history as they attempt a comeback with their new CD, DEDICATED. Sisters CARNIE and WENDY WILSON with best pal CHYNNA PHILLIPS completely live up to the show’s log-line (”Three parts harmony, one part drama”) and SILL HOLDING ON is a “guilty pleasure” worth checking out. During the Television Critics Association press event to promote the show, the ladies talked about what fans can expect from the new series. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)
The Hunger Games reigned supreme once again, proving that Katniss Everdeen is more popular (at least this weekend) than Jack Dawson in 3D (Titanic 3D, #3, $17.53 million) and Jason Biggs’ sexual exploits with food (American Reunion, #2, $21.5 million). Wrath of the Titans came in fourth with $15 million. Here’s the top 10:
1. The Hunger Games - $33.5 million
2. American Reunion - $21.5 million
3. Titanic 3D - $17.35 million
4. Wrath of the Titans - $15 million
5. Mirror Mirror - $11.1 million
6. 21 Jump Street - $10.2 million
7. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax - $5 million
8. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -
9. John Carter - $820,000
10. Safe House - $581,000
* The Hunger Games co-stars Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson talk about how Jennifer Lawrence is similar to Katniss Everdeen.
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posted by Greg Srisavasdi
