Mariah Carey to Receive Award for Precious Performance

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Lionsgate, Adaptation, Drama, Awards, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, New Releases

Seeming to have finally gotten past the incident known as Glitter, Mariah Carey will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The singer-and-actress will receive the coveted honor at the Californian event in January in recognition for her portrayal of a dowdy social worker in Precious. Festival chairman Harold Matzner said:

“We’re delighted to be able to present the Breakthrough Performance Award to the extraordinary, very beautiful and versatile Mariah Carey, who, in a critically acclaimed role, completely transformed herself from a glamorous music icon to a forthright social worker for the role of Ms. Weiss in Precious.”

Previous winners of the prize include Jennifer Hudson, Marion Cotillard and Freida Pinto, who all went on to win an Oscar for their performances.

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In Theaters This Holiday Week: November 25, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Independent, Musicals, Period, Romance, Comedy, Lists, New Releases

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Ninja Assassin (R): starring Ji-hoon “Rain” Jung, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris (directed by James McTeigue)
• Old Dogs (PG): starring John Travolta, Robin Williams, Seth Green (directed by Walt Becker)
• The Road (R): starring Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Kodi Smit-McPhee (directed by John Hillcoat)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Holiday Week: November 25, 2009

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Quote of the Day: Robert Pattinson Scared of Abs

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Action, Adaptation, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, New Releases

“It was incredibly annoying when I saw Taylor [Lautner]‘s transformation. I realized just having a pre-pubescent girl’s body wasn’t going to work for me any more. In fact I saw him and thought ‘Jesus, I’m going to get fired.’”

- Robert Pattinson (abs on the left) on New Moon co-star Taylor Lautner’s (abs on the right) muscles.

(Make sure to check out other notable quotes.)

Read More | Us Magazine

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Harvey Weinstein Slightly Justifies A Single Man Marketing

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Drama, Period, Romance, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity Controversy, Distribution, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

When the original movie poster (above) for Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man, appeared online, fans questioned whether or not distributors The Weinstein Company was downplaying the major gay theme of the film.

In the film, Colin Firth plays a closeted professor who mourns over his lover’s (Matthew Goode) death. Judging by the poster of Firth in bed with Julianne Moore (whose screen time is rumored to be fairly short), I think it’s safe to say that there was little intention to illustrate said storyline.

Upon the recent release of the film’s second poster (seen after the jump), Harvey Weinstein was questioned about the marketing that seems to say something other than the real message at hand.

Click to continue reading Harvey Weinstein Slightly Justifies A Single Man Marketing

Read More | New York Magazine

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Box Office Breakdown: A Bloody Good Debut for New Moon

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

After months of endless promotion, New Moon finally opened this weekend to monster-sized numbers. But how exactly did the film compare to the other theatrical giants?

1. Despite earning over $142 million since midnight Thursday, the adaptation’s debut still falls behind The Dark Knight ($158.4) and Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million).
2. The sequel did, though, beat Knight for the best first day open ($72.7 compared to $67.2 million).
3. It had the largest midnight opening ($26.3 million) to date. (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince grossed $22.2 million.)
4. Moon also topped Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire‘s 2005 November debut ($102.7 million).

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: A Bloody Good Debut for New Moon

Read More | Variety

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: November 24, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Adaptation, Animation, Classics, Drama, Family, Horror, Religious, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:

• Air America: Blu-ray
• Angel Heart: Blu-ray
• Angels & Demons: DVD, Blu-ray
• Blood: The Last Vampire: Blu-ray
• Cujo (25th Anniversary Edition): Blu-ray
• Four Christmases: DVD, Blu-ray
• Frailty: Blu-ray
• Funny People: DVD, Blu-ray
• Ghost in the Shell 2.0: Blu-ray
• Gomorrah: DVD, Blu-ray
• Imagine That: DVD

Click to continue reading This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: November 24, 2009

Read More | Amazon

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Tim Burton Talks Directing Breaking Dawn

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Adaptation, Drama, Romance, Sequels, Thrillers, Celebrity Gossip, Filmmaking, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Despite Robert Pattinson wanting Gus Van Sant for the franchise’s fourth film, two stars from the cast are pulling for Alice in Wonderland director Tim Burton.

So what does the eccentric director think about the gig?

Click to continue reading Tim Burton Talks Directing Breaking Dawn

Read More | MTV

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First Look: Robert Pattinson in Remember Me

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Romance, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

Team Edward members—you might want to avert your eyes. It looks like your favorite vampire has found himself a new star-crossed lover.

In Remember Me, Robert Pattinson begins dating a girl from his Global Politics class (Lost‘s Emilie de Ravin) - another classmate! - whose father was responsible for arresting him. That’s a recipe that can only spell drama—and based on this clip, the two stars make the perfect couple for it.

The film co-starring Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper, opens on March 12.

Read More | People

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New Moon Already Breaks Box Office Record

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Adaptation, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Box Office, New Releases, Rumors

We all knew that the opening for New Moon was going to be big, but did we actually think it was going to beat out The Dark Knight and Harry Potter? Well, it did.

Rival studios reveal that the latest Twilight film took in an estimated $23-$24 million in midnight screenings alone; this surpasses The Dark Knight‘s $18.4 million record as well as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince‘s $22.2 million. Summit Entertainment has not yet released an official number.

With a record like that, who’s to say that the vampire-werewolf crew can’t tag-team against Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen‘s current #1 spot of the year, at its $108.9 million weekend opening? With Twi-hards’ dedication, they might even give The Dark Knight a run for its money—its weekend opening did $158.4 million at the box office.

Let’s be honest here—who needs viral marketing when you have Edward Cullen and Jacob Black?

Read More | Deadline Hollywood

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In Theaters This Weekend: November 20, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, Magnolia, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• The Blind Side (PG-13): starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron (directed by John Lee Hancock)
• New Moon (PG-13): starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner (directed by Chris Weitz)
• Planet 51 (PG): starring Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Jessica Biel (directed by Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: November 20, 2009

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