Zoë Saldaña has reportedly signed on to play legendary songstress Nina Simone in an upcoming biopic. The film, which will also star David Oyelowo (‘The Help’), has been in the making for many years now. Originally, Mary J. Blige signed on to portray Nina. However, due to issues with funding, the singer decided to leave the project to focus on other endeavors.

The news of Blige’s departure came as a surprise to fans as she has been extremely vocal about her love and admiration for the late jazz musician. She even went as far as to use a sample of Simone’s “You Know How I Feel,” a single from her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough, featuring music producer will.i.am.

News of Saldaña’s participation in the biopic has stirred mixed emotions. While no one is criticizing Saldaña’s ability to act the part, many are up in arms about her appearance in contrast to Simone’s. Simone was a dark-skinned African-American woman with coarse hair, a wide nose and full lips. Saldaña is an Afro-Latina, but her features may not “African enough” in the eyes of critics.

The decision to cast a woman who, despite being featured in numerous films with largely African-American casts, has largely identified as a Latina does not sit well with African-Americans. Many claim that it is hard enough for African-American actresses in Hollywood to gain respectable roles while competing with one another. Why add a ‘non-African-American’ into the mix and further complicate things?

For what it’s worth, Saldaña is proud of her mixed race. In her September 2011 cover story for Ebony Magazine, she states, “I am proud of my roots.” She goes on to acknowledge, however, that she doesn’t “identify as much with U.S. American History as I do with Latin American History. And so, I have bones to pick with Latin American people. There’s a lot of growing that we still have to do that we aren’t doing. We have to continue accepting our indigenous and our African heritage just as much as we embrace our European [blood].” The cover itself said it all: “Latina, Black, Fierce…”

While she is not ashamed of her heritage, she will not allow it to define her. She rarely speaks of it, which is another reason why some people are unwilling to accept her participation in this film. There are many who are not aware of the aforementioned interview in which she proclaimed that she is, indeed, partially black.

Simone rose to fame as a jazz singer in the late 1950s and became involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. She later lived a life of self-imposed exile from a country in which she never felt comfortable in. She died in Europe in 2003.

Production of ‘Nina’ will begin in October.

Image Courtesy of   s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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San Francisco, U.S.A. — You, friends and family, a convertible and the wide open California road. What could be a better combination? Pairing it with California wine country, of course. Because there are so many choices, California’s Wine Institute has developed five big road trip ideas to inspire wine lovers, giving them options to pick their favorites and set their pace. And speaking of pace, don’t forget to pace yourself when wine tasting (spitting is more than polite in wine country!) and have a designated driver.

From California’s iconic coast to dramatic deserts and the magnificent High Sierras, the great California road trip is on just about everyone’s bucket list. With a little planning, you can include amazing wine regions in your adventures, from hidden gem off-the-beaten path regions like the Sierra Foothills and Temecula to the most well-traveled, such as Sonoma, Napa and Paso Robles.

Here are five of California’s great wine country road trips that can be done in five days, starting from either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Don’t forget to check out other amenities offered at many wineries, from picnics, bocce ball and concerts to hiking, biking, horseback riding and garden tours. For more information on visiting California wine country go to www.discovercaliforniawines.com. And to help get you inspired, you can also check out this new California Wine Road Trip video:

1) North Coast

There’s nothing like a drive on California’s scenic North Coast to show you not only the Pacific Ocean’s dramatic beauty but also how profoundly it affects the region’s climate. That coastal influence gives us San Francisco’s famous fog, towering redwood trees, and a perfect home for cool-climate grapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and others —so let’s explore! This scenic five-day round trip from San Francisco takes you wine tasting, shopping, dining, kayaking and more: visit Sausalito; Muir Woods national park; quaint, coastal Mendocino; and Sonoma County’s diverse wine regions.

2) San Francisco Bay Area

This five-day round-trip itinerary is a foodie’s paradise, with stops from San Francisco’s Chinatown and Little Italy to Berkeley, the legendary birthplace of California cuisine. It also takes you from mountains to the sea: you’ll take in the thrilling scenery and wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Livermore Valley and Half Moon Bay.

 3) Napa Valley to the High Sierras

This adventurous round-trip itinerary starts in Napa Valley, any wine lover’s dream destination, where exquisite Cabernet Sauvignons await alongside pampering hot springs and bike tours. Then it heads for the hills, exploring Gold Country and the Sierra Foothills for gondola rides, panoramic views and off-the-beaten-path wineries before winding back down to earth in Lodi, home to some of California’s oldest Zinfandel vines. Your wine adventure starts here.

4) Central Coast – Highway 1

What says California more than driving a convertible with the top down, traveling up Highway 1? With the ocean in view, wind in your hair and wine on your mind, this trip takes you from Santa Barbara’s Sideways movie territory to the cool-climate wines of San Luis Obispo and red-wine mecca Paso Robles, then swings back to the ocean and beautiful Monterey before ending in San Francisco. Besides wining and dining, there’s a zip line, hiking, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium to interest you.

 5) Southern California Adventure: Hollywood and Grapevine

Oh yeah, you’re going to Hollywood! And for a wine lover, there’s more to Southern California than blue skies, surf and sunshine—it’s full of surprising wine regions, where winemaking has been taking place since the late 1700s. On this five-day round trip, you’ll hit hot spots like Malibu and Palm Springs while also exploring wineries in Temecula, Cucamonga and even San Diego and

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Hollywood, U.S.A. – Canadian born, award-winning actress Susie Oliver hosted one of Canada’s biggest Live Comedy venues Yuk Yuks before she traveled to Hollywood, California in 2005 where she made her Hollywood debut at the World Famous Comedy Store. A native from Cobourg Ontario, she honed her acting skills with the Second City Troupe and subsequently has won multiple awards between Toronto and New York including Best Actress of the Year and Best Actress in a Dramatic Role in her graduate year at Toronto School of Arts.

Ms. Oliver has now been officially signed to a major three picture deal with Kris Lamans Productions, LLC. /Pearl Records Group and Filmworks, two of Hollywood’s top film production companies nested comfortably at NBC/Universal Towers. After being vetted by top Hollywood talent scouts, Ms. Oliver is officially set to star in the upcoming films, ‘Heat on the Delta’, ‘The Bangkok 6′, and a groundbreaking Hollywood picture that will be mentioned later in this official announcement.

In addition to the screenplays, Ms. Oliver will co-host a hot new celebrity television series, “Soul of American Music”, produced by Kris Lamans Productions, LLC., Soul Productions Entertainment and Pearl Records Group and Filmworks Corp. with confirmed distribution through LRT/Ingrooves/Fontana/Universal Pictures.

In speaking with Kris Lamans, President/CEO/Executive Producer of KLP/PRG Films, he said this about Susie Oliver, “I met Susie Oliver at the Sundance Film Festival when she was interviewing me and my staff on the red carpet of the popular festival. I was so impressed with her exuberance and gorgeous look particularly after having experienced her quick witty questions; I was convinced that she would be perfect to star in “Heat on the Delta” and other exciting projects of Kris Lamans Productions, LLC.”

In her journey to Hollywood, Oliver transformed from stage to big screen with two Warner Bros pictures. Then, after an intense 2-year stint at 2 prestigious films schools in L.A., the actress launched Mystic Moon Entertainment  Inc. in 2010, hosting both television & feature divisions. Now with dual citizenship, MME is a vehicle for the filmmaker in ventures as an actress and screenwriter and acts in collaboration in production for both domestic & international rewards.

As a producer and actress, Ms. Oliver is currently underway a major U.S. marketing campaign in relation to her major film roles secured in association with KLP, LLC. and Mystic Moon Entertainment her personal loan out company. In addition, Ms. Oliver is currently working as a co-screen writer with Executive Producer, Kris Lamans, in writing the current script in development ‘The Crowning Glory’, a film based on the story of Eric Root, famed hairdresser to the stars, and his relationship with screen goddess, Lana Turner.

Ms. Oliver is set to star in major roles in all three films set to be produced by Kris Lamans Productions, LLC. /Pearl Records Group and Filmworks with descriptions to follow. In Heat on the Delta, she is set to star in the lead role of Primrose, an English born New Yorker who finds strength in standing up to the evils of bigotry and prejudice in her small town during the time period of segregation in America.

The Crowning Glory is about two celebrities, Lana Turner, a beautiful, charming, sensuous and talented screen goddess and Eric Root, a handsome charming Hollywood Hair Designer for the Stars in Hollywood, California.

Inspired by a true life story, Bangkok 6 tells the story of Dr. Shirley McGreal, a woman who risked everything, including her life to put a stop to a deadly, corrupt animal trader with the humanitarian hope of ultimately saving animals around the world. Bangkok 6 is an original screen play written by Susie Oliver and Kevin Bernhardt (Peaceful Warrior).

In a recent interview with Ms. Oliver regarding her feelings on her recently acquired 3 picture deal, she expressed: “I am honored to be a part of such a meaningful and valuable storytelling journey in these classic films. I can only aspire to use my art to make a positive difference in our world.”

Image Courtesy of    Susie Oliver

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Boston, U.S.A. - In the two-way mirror that often is a reflection of life or art, another trend is forming. The worlds of literature and Hollywood are colliding again, this time with a focus on cryonics, the science intended to reanimate people after death and freezing.

The debut novel from Bruce E. Spitzer, Extra Innings , about baseball great Ted Williams returning to life through cryonics, was published last month by Bear Hill Media. Extra Innings was featured recently in Sports Illustrated Magazine and ranked in the top 25 on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list for sports fiction.

A cryonics movie, Freezing People is Easy, is in pre-production in Hollywood and will shoot in the fall, reportedly starring Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson and Christopher Walken.

Inspired by Bob Nelson’s memoir We Froze the First Man and an episode of Chicago Public Media and Public Radio International’s This American Life, Freezing People is the story of Nelson’s first cryonics attempts in the 1960s. Errol Morris will direct. Producers include Steven Zaillian and Garrett Basch of Film Rites. Toronto-based Entertainment One announced that it will distribute the picture worldwide.

TV got into the act last winter when Larry King announced on CNN that he wanted to be cryonically preserved. Can reality TV be far behind?

Unlike Freezing People, which looks back at the beginnings of cryonics, Spitzer’s Extra Innings looks forward, featuring Ted Williams reanimated in 2092. In real life he was cryonically preserved after death in 2002. In his imagined return, Williams plays again for the Red Sox, bats against a robot “Botwinder” pitcher that he abhors pilot’s jets for the Marines, and struggles in a future world beset by global warming and flooding.

“The narrative resonates with the consequences of the major issues we face in our world today—the steroids debate in sports, global warming, corporate greed, technology run rampant, and the moral ambiguity of war,” says Spitzer. “It’s a societal and personal journey. Flawed in his first life, Williams must decide in the second, what’s more important: the chance to win his first World Series or the chance to be a better man?”

Extra Innings, adds Spitzer, is not only about science, baseball, redemption, and the quest for meaning in this life and the next, it’s humorous as well. “Similar to what we’re likely to see in Freezing People, you can’t help but poke a little fun at the idea of returning to life after being frozen.”

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Hollywood, U.S.A. – After being nominated in four categories by the Indie Music Channel awards (Best Pop Artist of the Year, Best female Pop Artist, Best Teen Song of the Year, Best Pop Song of the Year) which took place at the famed House of Blues in Hollywood, California. Brooklyn Haley took home the coveted Best Teen Song of the Year Award for 2012, on her hit song “Boomerang”

Brooklyn was most recently featured on Billboard Magazine’s Spotlight On, and has been rapidly gaining momentum with her hot single “Crash” and her most recent single “Boomerang”. The video for “Crash” was one of the top most viewed videos according to Kidz Bop, after Brooklyn was featured on many prestigious teen magazines. The video continues to make headlines by gracing the Music Homepage of AOL and Music Choice.

The talented 16 year old singer/ songwriter originally from Academy Texas also co-wrote and recorded five original songs with Grammy Award winning producer Alex Cantrall and Jeff Hoeppner of Radio Nation, best known for the hit song, Jo-Jo’s “Leave (Get Out),” Beyonce’s “Sweetdreams,” and the work they’ve done for Pink, Justin Timberlake and Kelly Clarkson. Of these five songs, Brooklyn’s hit song, “Record n Rock,” was featured in the multi-console video game, “Dance Wars” and “Boomerang” was featured on several episodes of 90210.

Brooklyn will be impacting national radio this summer with her multi city tour, National Television and Magazine Coverage, and her involvement with the anti-bullying campaign “No Bully Tour” which has featured a mixture of Radio Disney and Nickelodeon stars hoping to send a strong anti-bullying message to teens.

This cause in particular is important to Brooklyn because she herself was bullied as a young girl. “Although I was always a friendly person, I found myself bullied and ridiculed at times. I’ve seen this breakdown a lot of spirits and self esteems, I was very happy to be a voice for anti-bullying,” she says enthused. Her incredible performances and participation has led Brooklyn to features on Major networks such as CBS, NBC, and ABC.

For more information on Brooklyn Haley:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brooklynhaley15
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/brooklynhaleymusic1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brooklynhaley

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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Fashion is an epidemic that just keeps on growing. Billions of dollars are put into the fashion industry annually, whether it is in retail, on the catwalk, or in a magazine.

Fashion is literally everywhere, and the trends are constantly changing and reinventing themselves. To keep up with the latest fashion trends and to see what spring and summer hold for fashion, let’s reflect on some of the top fashion blogs that designers, celebrities and the every day average person go to in order to seek the hottest looks:

Fashion Foie Grass

Fashion Foie Grass is a fashion blog that originated in the United Kingdom and was founded in September 2009. The blogging site features around the clock fashion news of the latest and greatest, the best and the worst, in addition to several fashion articles that are craved and controversial among the general public. The blog’s slogan sums up the entire site with “where the good, the bad and the controversial in fashion news are force fed daily.”

Fashion Foie Gras has been featured on a number of different websites, written about in several print publications and received recognition in numerous “top fashion blogs” roundups. Emily Johnston, the editor, contributes to a number of publications beyond FFG including Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Glamour Magazine UK and Stylist Magazine.”

To check out this website, visit, www.fashionfoiegrass.com.

LLYMLRS

This blog features a range of anything and everything one would want to know about today’s fashions. The site features trends as well as fashion and beauty tips from London resident, Lily Melrose. Lily blogs daily about her fashion favorites and features daily photos of the newest fashion trend. She depicts each trend by explaining how each accessory and piece of the outfit adds a unique dimension to creating every masterpiece on her site.

Lily also features a “week in photos” section where viewers have sent her some of their favorite pictures for the week. This section ranges from outfits to make-up to accessories among an array of other unique things.

What’s most interesting about this blog is that it originally started out as a university project in the middle of 2009 when Lily was a Graphic and Media design student. The site since has taken off into an international sensation as Lily “was able to carve her own niche in fashion blogging by writing a relatable, obtainable and realistic blog that appeals to the everyday fashion conscious girl on the street.”

“LLYMLRS has also been recently being featured in Look Magazine, Company and The Times Newspaper. She’s also nominated for a Cosmopolitan Blog Award as “Best Established Fashion Blog” and Company Magazine “Best Blog for High Street Lovers.”

To check out Lily’s evolving site, go to www.LLYMLRS.com

The Business of Fashion

If the other sites aren’t of much interest to you, here is a site for the business-oriented individual. This site is “an essential daily resource for fashion creatives, business professionals and entrepreneurs in more than 200 countries around the world.” It also features controversial fashion topics and depicts several fashion articles around the globe.

Categories on the site range from “Intelligence” to “Global Briefing” to even a “Photo Diary.” Readers are given the option to share their comments and opinions and can subscribe or follow the site via Twitter. The site was founded in 2007 by Imran Amed, “a fashion business advisor, writer and digital entrepreneur.

“Today, the website has grown to leverage a network of savvy writers and fashion insiders in style capitals around the world, delivering fashion business intelligence on emerging designers, disruptive technologies and global brands that are making their mark on the industry at a time of unprecedented change.”

To check out the business savvy side of the fashion world, go to www.businessoffasion.com.

And what fashion blogging site wouldn’t be complete without a little taste of Hollywood? To top off the hottest of the hot fashion blogging sites is:

The Red Carpet Fashion Awards

The site is updated daily by featuring celebrities, literally anyone that is currently under the media spotlight. The site includes a “Features” section, upcoming events section, beauty section and of course, the very famous, “Fashion Week” section. It even features a section called, “Shop her Closet,” which shows clothing and accessories worn by stars, and even says how much the item cost and where you can find it.

The “Red Carpet Fashion Awards,” commonly referred to RCFA by fashion bloggers, has a shopping section that is coming soon, so those who are interested in a particular piece can purchase it right off the site itself!

In order to receive their e-mail newsletter, or to become more interactive with the site by connecting through Twitter or Facebook, go to www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com.

For more information regarding the latest trends, top fashions and the hottest fashion blogs, check out labs.ebuzzing.co.uk/top-blogs/fashion.

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Star-studded style is taking center stage as QVC returns to Beverly Hills with its much-anticipated The Buzz on the Red Carpet – Live from L.A. broadcast. This must-see style event is scheduled to air Friday, February 24 at 9 PM (ET), live from the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, and will feature Hollywood’s hottest designers, stylists and celebrities. Among them will be Nicole Richie who will debut her bohemian-inspired fashion line, The Nicole Richie Collection.

The multimedia retailer will be joined by a veritable “who’s who” of Tinseltown to give viewers the ultimate red carpet experience, complete with celebrity guests, Oscar-nominated star interviews and exciting, never-before-seen red carpet-inspired pieces.

QVC will also be getting up-close and personal with the industry’s top trendsetters as it joins them behind-the-scenes while they get ready for the biggest night in Hollywood. Fans will hear from their favorite stylists and stars as they share their personal red carpet inspirations, predictions, and inside secrets on how to achieve that special “award-winning” look.

“We are honored to, once again, team up with the most celebrated names in Hollywood to bring the glitz and glamour of awards season to our shoppers,” said Claire Watts, CEO, QVC U.S. “What makes this broadcast truly exciting is that QVC will not only be unveiling the latest designs from the red carpet but will also be offering expert style and fashion advice from the stars and designers that help define these trends.”

On hand to celebrate QVC’s return to L.A. will be red carpet regulars Joan Rivers, Heidi Klum, theKardashians, Kris Jenner and Wendy Williams, who will share their coveted secrets to looking stunning in the spotlight, while stylists-to-the-stars Cristina Ehrlich and Mark Zunino offer tips and tricks for transforming the season’s top trends into everyday wear.

L.A. Designer Rachel Pally and actress, television personality and red carpet fashion expert Lisa Rinna will be on hand to share their love of fashion and present their debut lines. Acclaimed jewelry designers Judith Ripka and Erica Courtney will also join the all-star lineup to put the finishing touches on the ravishing red carpet looks.

To add a distinct touch of Hollywood glam to the evening, QVC has enlisted some of its premier beauty and style experts, including Kate Somerville, Nick Chavez, Ken Paves, Chaz Dean, the bareMinerals team and QVC newcomer Kimora Lee Simmons, who is scheduled to debut her innovative anti-aging cream. Celebrity favorites Sarah Potempo and smashbox will also lend their expertise by creating all of the models’ looks for The Buzz on the Red Carpet – Live from L.A. show.

A surely not-to-be-missed event, QVC’s annual awards show celebration has so much exciting content and products that, this year, it is also granting fans exclusive VIP access to a special online preview currently available at QVC.com/redcarpet. Facebook fans are also encouraged to stop by the “Red Carpet Shop” on QVC’s Facebook page to watch insider videos and shop for products, including an exclusive item from the Kardashian sisters’ K-Dash Collection.

For additional information on The Buzz on the Red Carpet – Live from L.A., visit QVC.com/redcarpet/.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the winners of its four Spirit Awards filmmaker grants today at its annual Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch held at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood. Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson hosted the casual event and handed out the honors.

Winners for the remaining categories will be revealed at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards in a tent at Santa Monica beach on Saturday, February 25, 2012. The awards ceremony will premiere later that evening at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT on IFC, and as previously announced actor, writer, and producer, Seth Rogen, will serve as host of the ceremony.

“We’re so appreciative to Audi of America, Nokia, Piaget, and Jameson Irish Whiskey for funding cash prizes as part of the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards. In addition to industry recognition the Spirit Awards provides, this kind of direct financial support makes a meaningful difference. It allows our grant winners to pay some bills as they take the next natural step in their careers, and it brings extra attention to their compelling and provocative stories,” said Co-President Josh Welsh.

“At Film Independent, we exist to provide a community for independent filmmakers, and the brunch is one way we bring together current and past Spirit Award nominees to, first celebrate them, but also to introduce them to one another prior to the awards ceremony.

The event especially shines a spotlight on the talented group of emerging film artists, selected by our blue-ribbon committees, who should be on the radar of the film industry. The grant nominees and winners are part of the next generation of filmmakers we expect to inspire film lovers for years to come,” said Co-President Sean Mc Manus.

Mark Jackson, director of ‘Without,’ received the Audi Someone to Watch Award, which recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award, which is in its eighteenth year, includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Audi of America. The finalists for the award included Simon Arthur for ‘Silver Tongues’ and Nicholas Ozeki for ‘Mamitas’.

Heather Courtney, director of ‘Where Soldiers Come From’ received the Nokia Truer Than Fiction Award, which is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not received significant recognition. The award is in its seventeenth year and includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Nokia. Danfung Dennis for ‘Hell and Back Again’ and Alma Har’el for ‘Bombay Beach’ were also finalists for the award.

Sophia Lin, producer of ‘Take Shelter’ received the Piaget Producers Award, which honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The annual award, in its fifteenth year, includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget. Finalists were Chad Burris for ‘Mosquita Y Mari’ and Josh Mond for ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’.

Benjamin Murray and Alysa Nahmias for ‘Unfinished Spaces’ received the second annual Jameson FIND Your Audience Award, which helps one low-budget independent film find a broader audience. The award included a $40,000 marketing and distribution grant funded by Jameson Irish Whiskey.

The other finalists were Cara Marcous for ‘On the Ice’ and Sheldon Larry for ‘Leave It On The Floor’. The nominating committee was composed of publicist and Film Independent Board Member, Laura Kim, filmmaker Scott Macaulay, and CrowdStarter’s Liz Ogilvie.

cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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Another award season begins in Hollywood with the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards, which will be announced on January 15. Prior to the telecast, the names of the winners will be safeguarded by Ernst & Young LLP, a leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services and services to strategic growth markets.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has relied on the firm for the past 39 years to conduct the ballot tabulation process of the Golden Globes with security, integrity and reliability. The 69th annual Golden Globe Awards will be telecast live on NBC on Sunday, January 15, 2012, 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“We maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Golden Globe Awards voting process and protect the security of the results,” said Andy Sale, Ernst & Young LLP lead partner responsible for the 2012 Golden Globe Awards. “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has depended on Ernst & Young for nearly 40 years, and we have always been unwavering in upholding the standard of our work on their behalf.”

Some additional facts about the Golden Globes voting, balloting and tabulation process:

• Winners are known only to three senior Ernst & Young LLP professionals in advance of the telecast.
• The firm is also responsible for qualifying voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, confirming that their credentials are current and meet the standards set forth by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
• The firm oversees the entire voting process, beginning with the nomination ballots, and maintains control of the ballots until the telecast is over.
• Results are triple-checked to eliminate any margin of error.
• Winner envelopes are assembled by the firm and are maintained exclusively under its control until they are handed directly to each celebrity presenter moments before they appear on-stage.

“The Golden Globe Awards signifies the start of the award season in Hollywood, and we are honored to be responsible for protecting the process of determining the winners,” said John Nendick, Global Media and Entertainment Leader for Ernst & Young. “Motion picture, television, music, publishing, advertising and digital media companies continually turn to Ernst & Young as one of their most valuable and trusted resources.”

s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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Canada gained a considerable talent when the Rennies brought their four-year-old from England in the mid-1960s. Callum Keith Rennie did not become an actor until he was twenty-five, but he has made up for it, earning over a dozen nominations and awards and appearing in over a hundred productions. He has been in five TV series this last year, and will feature in ‘The Firm’ in this coming year.

Much of Mr. Rennie’s work associates him with gritty, often antagonistic characters, though he has received critical acclaim for comedy and children’s shows. It seems his forte is the character with rough edges. Some years battling alcoholism likely helped hone those portrayals, but delayed his career.

Fortunately, he returned to acting and began collecting awards. Following a year of TV roles, he was nominated for the Genie Award (Canada’s ‘Oscar’) for best supporting actor in ‘Double Happiness’ (1993). This was one of nine productions for him that year. He has won the Genie twice since then, for ‘Last Night’ (1998) and ‘Normal’ (2007).

‘Last Night’ also earned him a nomination for the Canadian Comedy Award (for his portrayal of a sex-athlete). The same year, he received a nomination for a Gemini Award (Canada’s ‘Emmy’) for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role’ –as did his co-star, Paul Gross, both for ‘Due South’ (1997-99).

These two actors have collaborated on several other projects, including 2004’s political thriller ‘H2O’ and comedy-drama ‘Wilby Wonderful,’ and comedy-western ‘Gunless’ (2010). Mr. Rennie has appeared in a number of Hollywood films as well, including ‘Memento’ (2000); ‘The Butterfly Effect’ (2004); and ‘Blade: Trinity’ (2004).

In Canada, he is remembered for such films as David Cronenberg’s ‘eXistenZ’ (1999); ‘Hard Core Logo’ (1996); ‘Trigger’ (2010); and ‘Suspicious River’ (2000). It is in ‘Hard Core Logo’ that he exhibits his singing skills as a rock-band guitarist; he reprised the role for ‘Trigger,’ which starred Molly Parker, who also co-starred in ‘Suspicious River.’

Callum Keith Rennie is perhaps best known for his extensive TV work. He has been seen on ‘The X-Files’ (1993-2002); the reinterpretation of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (2003-09); the horror-series ‘Supernatural’ (2005-); ‘The L-Word’ and ‘Smallville’ (both 2006); ‘Californication’ (2007-); and ‘24’ (2001-10), for example.

In 2011, he appeared in the US version of ‘The Killing’ and headlined ‘Shattered’ (2010-11), in which he played a detective with multiple personalities; again, he appeared with Molly Parker. In 2012, they will reunite in the high-profile ‘The Firm,’ based on the John Grisham novel and film. The often dark character actor has a bright future indeed.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cfccreates/

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Over the past few years we have seen a lot of movie remakes or rebooting — has Hollywood run out of ideas or could it be an excuse for making a mistake the first time round? Among the most recent examples, we have seen remakes of movie and television series such as The A-team, Footloose and Fame with The Amazing Spider-man and Superman in the pipes.

If you think they are about to slow down, you should check out the amount of remakes that are in the planning stages. According to OhNoTheyDidnt.livejournal.com there is an extensive list of movies that are being dusted off and ready for a reboot, including Guys and Dolls, Alien, Total recall, Romancing the Stone and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Were these movies that terrible? Why do we need to see them remade?

The new saying in Hollywood seems to be ‘if it’s is not working, let’s go back to the beginning’; the studios seem to be finding big bucks in well-established franchises and rebooting them with young fresh faced stars. But the exciting thing about movies with original ideas is that we don’t know what’s going to happen next; Is the films ending going to make us feel good, sadden us or is it going to shock us?

The problem with these prequels or reboots is that we know how the story is going to end. A reboot can be a risky proposition because it takes some of the drama out of the story.

When Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi were fighting during the Star Wars prequels, we already knew already how that was going to end — we knew Obi Wan would win and Anakin would get burned and be transformed into Darth Vader.

Boxoffice.com editor Phil Contrino says it’s a real test of the filmmaker and the story to use younger, well-established actors for their reboot without running the risk of not having the same “star power.” Films like Indiana Jones, Die Hard, and Rambo are all associated with the actors who played these characters and bringing in someone new may not have the same impact.

So if that’s the case, then why reboot? Well one of the reasons is that it’s much less cost efficient. By the time you get into the third or fourth sequel, the actors and directors demand ridiculous amount of money, says Contrino. There is also a lot of control over the project at this point so if the whole thing is scrapped, the writers and producers can start fresh and simpler.

This is one of the reasons why the Spiderman movies starring Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst was ended and rebooted with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone — it was just too difficult to make the movie with the same cast and crew. Another factor for reboots is that it bring a new energy to the franchise. Contrino points out if a reboot is successful, it sets the stage for a really good rebooted sequel.

After Batman Begins came The Dark Knight and this movie earned $530 million at the box office, becoming the 3rd film of all time and will be followed by another sequel in 2012, The Dark Knight Rises.

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After 17 years of artistic work, Melissa Lou Etheridge received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star on September 27. Etheridge, American rock singer-songwriter and musician, received the 2,450th sidewalk star on Hollywood boulevard. To celebrate, she she gathered with her family, mother Elizabeth and two children, Bailey and Beckett.

Etheridge dedicated her star to anyone who has difficulties in life to overcome. She said her star provides proof that anything is possible in life. ”Let my life be an inspiration to anyone, gay, straight, breast cancer, woman, mother, any human being who receives the inspiration from my story,” Etheridge said during the ceremony.

“You can have a dream that you can grow up in a small Midwestern town and believe, and desire and create a life and end up with a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.” According to ABC News, the ceremony took place in front of the Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood and was refined with the Pinktober campaign, a series of concerts and events which aim to raise money and awareness about breast cancer.

The mission of the Pinktober campaign is of specific importance to Etheridge. The star has been an ambassador of it for six years since she  was diagnosed with breast cancer herself in 2004. The 50-year-old Etheridge is recognizable and treasured in the music world for her unique husky voice and for writing very personal lyrics.

She is also a devoted environmental advocate and iconic gay and lesbian activist since coming out publically in January 1993. Her most recognizable songs are “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” “I learned very early on that I could write truths,” Etheridge told CNN. “I could write about sadness or anger, where I couldn’t actually speak it.”

According to Sheknows.com, Etheridge appeared at the 2005 Grammy awards after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. In one of the most memorable moments in Grammy history, Etheridge performed for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer. She awed the audience with her touching interpretation of Janice Joplin’s Piece of My Heart.

In 2005, Etheridge received an Oscar for the song “I Need to Wake Up,” a soundtrack to An Inconvenient Truth of Al Gore. “When I realized that my music was being listened to internationally, it meant so much to me. It started to become very obvious to me that music is an international language.” Etheridge said when she received the award.

According to Biography, Etheridge released her thirteenth album, Icon, this year.
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Kimberly Stewart turned 32 with a new baby in her arms. The actress and model celebrated her 32 birthday by giving birth to a baby girl named Delilah in Los Angeles. People states the father is the actor Benicio del Toro. According to reports, the baby weighed in at a 8 Ibs 9 oz and 22 inches long.

Rod Stewart, Kimberly Stewart’s father, is extremely happy with his grandchild, and told the press his joy is indescribable. He also called the arrival one of the happiest days of his entire life. Two of  Rod Stewart’s ex-wives were in attendance at the hospital. Kimberly’s mother, Alanna Collins was supporting their daughter as well. The rocker’s third wife, Rachel Hunter paid a visit too.

Penny Lancaster, his current wife, was also at Kimberly’s side at the hospital. The rest of the family Stewart, brother Sean and half-siblings Sara, Ruby, Renée, Liam and Alastair also visited their new familymember. Stewart told USA Today: “We had everyone at the hospital to help Kimberly. I won’t say we always agree, but we get along.”

Rod Stewart revealed the arrival of his granddaughter in an unusual interview with USA Today. He sang out the name Deliah after a broadcasting saying, “I’m a grandfather now. I’ve been going around blabbing that for hours now.” Sources confirmed to People that Benicio is the father of the baby girl.

They also stated he has been very supporting and even though they are not a couple, both stars were looking forward to her arrival. There have been many rumors about the two stars after reports, seeing them meeting at the Chateau Marmont hotel earlier this year. In April, the actor’s representative confirmed to Us Weekly that the star of Wolfman and Sin City was the father of the baby.

Sources say del Toro is planning to play an active role in the child’s upbringing. Us Weekly sources affirmed the actor is excited and overjoyed about the birth of his daughter. The 44 year-old Hollywood star was seen working again after the birth in Los Angeles for his upcoming movie, Savages.

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Twilight star Taylor Lautner is set to explode on the big screen in a film fans say will be the film to really make him a real Hollywood star. He will be playing the part of a teenager named Nathan Price. Nathan always had the feeling that there was something not quite right with his life. He felt as though he was living someone else’s life.

When he stumbles upon an image of himself as a child on a missing person website, all of his darkest fears seem to come true. He realizes that his whole life is just one big lie. His parents are not really his parents at all and there seems to lie underneath the surface a much bigger, more dangerous and mysterious lie than he could ever have imagined.

As Nathan begins to put together the pieces of his life in trying to find his true identity he is pursued by a group of trained killers. Nathan is then forced to run for his life with the only person he can trust his neighbor Karen played by Lily Collins. To add romance to the film, Lautner’s real life girlfriend plays Lily.

Image Courtesy of  abductionthefilm.com

Together, they head off for an adventure of their lives and discover the mysterious death of Nathan’s real parents. Nathan and Karen must run for their lives with not a second to lose or they face the fear of being captured by an army of Assassins and federal operatives. Nathan must realize the only way to survive is to discover the truth of his biological father and take matters into his own hands.

The movie Abduction is directed by John Singleton, who is responsible for films such as Boyz in the Hood, Poetic Justice and Higher Learning. Abduction stars Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins and Sigourney Weaver. Lautner who is one of the most successful young stars in Hollywood over the last few years due to his work on the Twilight series looks set to make it big in this high paced action adventure.

It was made with a budget of about $40 million, as estimated by Variety magazine. Lionsgate studios won a bidding war for the script in 2010 for $1 million. Gotham group and Vertigo entertainment developed the script based on an idea by Jeremy Bell. Photography on the film began on July 12, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Casting for extras was held at Carnegie Mellon University, which drew more than 900 people, many of whom were fans of the Twilight series. A majority of the film’s scenes were shot at Mount Lebanon. The film is also set to include some of the most intense fight scenes that are guaranteed to thrill audiences.

Lautner revealed recently that he performed nearly all of his own stunts in the movie. Lautner said he made the insurance companies covering the movie very nervous since he insisted on performing his own stunts. Although he got a few bruises, there was nothing that bad. Abduction is set to open in theatres on September 23 2011

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An actor smoking a cigarette in a movie may soon be considered as racey as explicit sex scenes. A number of health organizations argue that smoking on camera should make a film “R” rated. Drug use, obscene language and nudity are the common characteristics moviegoers expect of an “R” rated film. In the future, film watchers may need to add “lighting up” to that list.

Research conducted by Department of Primary Care and Public Health at The Imperial College in London, found that approximately one in five teenagers worldwide, ages 13 to 15, is a regular smoker, with nearly 100,000 children taking up the habit every day. The study concluded that “exposure to smoking in movies is a potent stimulus for youth smoking.”

<pAn article published by the Public Library of Science stated similar findings. It pointed to the connection between tobacco imagery in films and the likelihood of youth to experiment with smoking. “Essentially eliminating smoking and other tobacco imagery from youth-rated films would substantially reduce the total exposure of onscreen smoking images delivered to youth,” explained the article.

The World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others, suggest that all future films that include scenes with smoking be given the adult content rating.

The movie industry is aware of health organizations’ concerns with smoking on screen. According to the CDC, Hollywood is less likely to show actors lighting up on in movie scenes than they were five years ago. However, health groups are still determined to view the smoking scenes that are still being included in films with a more critical eye.

Not all researches are on board with the notion of rating smoking in films more harshly. In an article, also published by the Public Library of Science, a study at the University of Sydney argued against the idea of giving smoking an adult rating in films. The article pointed out that youth are likely being exposed to smoking, to a greater degree, outside the context of the movie theatre. The researchers also expressed an overall concern with the notion of regulating cultural expression.

While no new standard has been passed, anti-smoking advocates continue to push for a more serious rating of movies that choose to include the addictive habit.

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers, well-known actor and model, was rushed to the hospital Tuesday June 28^th when he was rumored to have attempted to take his own life. Meyers was found at his home in Maida Vale, London where authorities believe that he had taken a large amount of pills.

More recently, a source has told US Weekly magazine that he was not suicidal, but rather just intoxicated.

Paramedics tried to help him for a half hour when they found him before calling the police when the actor refused to cooperate or accept any treatment. When sent to the hospital, Meyers was treated in the urgent care. Police also confirmed their role in the intervention at the actor’s home. Meyers, however, had no comment for the press.

Whether or not Jonathan Rhys Meyers tried to take his own life might remain a mystery, but it is confirmed that he has struggled with alcohol abuse for years. Just one month ago he checked into rehab for the fifth time at a five-star center in South Africa. It is rumored that the actor uses alcohol to suppress his pain, especially following the death of his mother in 2007.

The actor, who owns homes in Los Angeles, Dublin, London, and Monaco, was born in Dublin and lived in Ireland with his parents and three younger brothers until his parents’ separation when he moved in with his mother.

Rumors are circulating that this recent episode is connected with his struggling seven-year relationship with heiress Reena Hammer, daughter to the owner of the Urban Retreat spa in Harrods department store.

Meyers has even spoken about his addiction in the past admitting, “When I do drink…I’m all over the place like a 16-year-old kid.” He has also been arrested twice for drinking-related incidents. The first arrest was made in Dublin Airport in November 2007, but the charges were dropped.  The second arrest occurred at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris in June 2009 where he allegedly assaulted a bar staff member.

It was reported in May 2010 that United Airlines banned the actor from flying their airline after an alcohol related incident at John F. Kennedy airport. He was reportedly behaving in a “belligerent” and “disruptive” manner.

Meyers is most known for his role as Henry VIII in the BBC series “The Tudors”. He also starred in “Mission Impossible III,” “Alexander,” “Bend it Like Beckham,” Woody Allen’s “Matchpoint,” and “August Rush” where he showed off his musical talents. In 2005 he received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for his role as rock king Elvis Presley in the four-hour CBS mini-series “Elvis”.

Signed with London’s agency Independent Models, Meyers has had a successful career working with some very big names. He was chosen to be the face of Versace men’s collection in 2006 and 2007. He has also remained the face of the Hugo Boss fragrance since 2005.

Meyers has also been the celebrity ambassador for the charity The Hope Foundation since February 2008.

Currently, Meyers is preparing to check into rehab for the sixth time to finally get the help he needs for his addiction.

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Casey Anthony who is known for her scandalous case involving the death of her daughter Caylee Marie Anthony was recently announced as not guilty. Casey who was accused of killing her daughter involved a lot of public discussion, which included blogging and tweeting. Casey’s reality show is something that many people probably might watch.

According to CNN “Anthony’s transitions from the famously accused young mother tried for the alleged murder of her child to the infamously acquitted woman whose proceedings captivated a nation, many wonder if her time on the small screen could be extended to include a reality show.” Her life has already been exposed, discussed and blogged by many spectators and experts making it as open and accessible to the public as a celebrity’s.

Unraveling like a drama, family secrets were spilled which included tensions between Casey Anthony and her mother, and Anthony’s party girl image. CNN describes how “Anthony’s story was evocative of a reality series complete with drama and the expectations of what could happen next.” The public who were saddened by the death of Caylee Anthony were on the wait to hear more information regarding the case weekly.  Even though her reality show might not be something that is actually broadcasted, it has still been given a lot of attention by different contemporaries.

Mark Yawitz cofounder of Realitywanted.com, and a casting company that include reality shows like “America’s Next Top Model” and “Bad Girls Club” mentioned to CNN how he does not think she does can be on reality TV. He said how, “its too over the top and am certain no one in reality TV would touch this… at least I hope not.”

Cable News Network after speaking with Kevin Kuffa who was co-casting director for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” described how even with the popularity of viewers who are wanting to see Anthony reality series many TV executives would not want to do business with her. Praising Lifetime (network) he mentions how they are popular for their reality crime movies.

Fredo, a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Police Department and host of “Murder in Small Town X” told CNN that “Casey Anthony lies in the mystery that still surrounds her.” He says how “I do know that people want to watch reality shows where they like the person featured” or would like to go behind the scenes in their lives. “How could you develop a show in which Casey Anthony would be liked?” Instead he mentions how Hollywood would try making a dramatic story out of it.

Casey who was going to be sentenced a year of prison for each of her four convictions of lying to authorities and a $1,000 for each count was founded not guilty. Anthony now starts her new life after being released from the prior charges.

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Michael Buble is performing again! The soothing jazz singer will be making his way on stage throughout America with his low, enchanting voice, and romantic words.

Michael might be known as the new Frank Sinatra of the generation. His music is unique considering that music like his is hardly heard anymore. Michael brings the romance of the 1950s back, and you have a chance to experience these soulful moments. It could be like going on an enchanting cruise with a date while dancing the night away, and looking up at the moon while hearing Michael’s harmonious tune.

He’s done wondrous remakes, including “Save the Last Dance For Me,” “Fever,” and “Heartache Tonight.” Plus, Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet” and “Hollywood” can be fun to dance to as well as feel good about yourself. Fans are over the moon about Michael’s performances, saying that his shows are masterful from beginning to end. Michael is also known for singing without a microphone during his last performance. This handsome young man gives a message for everyone who dreams of making it big in a giant city: “Hollywood is dead, you can find it in yourself.”

Michael Buble has also won two Grammy awards for his music. His songs and voice will bring you a night of nostalgia.

Naturally 7 has been opening for Michael Buble. They are an R&B group who mostly sing acapella. They also do some unique beat-boxing that one may not expect to find at a Michael Buble concert. Although this band isn’t that well known, it would be an amazing experience to see some beat-boxing followed by some smooth romantic music. He has been touring all year in 2010 from Los Angeles, California to Paris, France.

June 24- Moline, IL- i wireless Center

June 25- Duluth, MN- AMSOIL Arena

August 5- Kelowna, BC- Prospera Place

August 6- Victoria, BC- Save-On Foods Memorial Center

August 8- Edmonton, AB- Rexall Place

August 13- San Jose, CA- HP Pavillion at San Jose

August 14- Fresno, CA- Save Mart Center

August 16- El Paso, TX- Don Haskins Center

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After seeing the Hangover II, I thought it was not possible to laugh that much at a movie. From the beginning to the ending, there was not a sour moment of humor but to some, the Hangover II did not even compare to the first one. Yes, fans were excited to see Americas three best friends back in action; Stu, Phil, and Alan. Even though the new movie took place in Thailand instead of Las Vegas, it seems that they were basically the same. Although part II was very funny, it mimicked a lot of the first movies timeline… same jokes, same setup, and the same ending. It was expected to be a crazy hangover experience like the first one, but fans were expecting something different to look forward too. Part I created some of the most quotable movie moments in Hollywood history, such as the wolfpack speech and stealing a cop car. The second part did not have any of those moments, except for the ones that were mimicked to be like the ones in the first part.

It is hard to top an epic movie like the first part of the Hangover, but with a different story line it might of came close. In the Hangover I there was a lot of funny moments that just hit you and came out of no where. Part II, you knew those moments were coming because of having the same setup as the first one. In the second part, the movie was set up so that you knew that there would be something wrong with Stu’s face, someone would go missing, a weird animal would pop out of no where, and that they would all eventually live happily ever after.

But still the movie made over 30 million in box office sales on the first day, making it the second largest opening for an action comedy. Still, days after, the movie continued to sell out. Do not get me wrong, the movie was hysterical, but it defiantly could have been improved. The second part was designed to create another epic story, but from the looks of it, a year later, Hangover I still is better. Now, everyone is asking, will there be a third movie?  Movies, like Transformers, have had sequels that have blown viewers away. So, will there be a third hangover movie to make up for the second one? According to Warner Brothers, there will be a third movie with a completely different plot. The rumor is that part III will be Alan trying to escape from a mental ward. Even though there is no script set or dates to start, there are defiantly plans for a third one.

Producer Todd Phillips said that if there is a part III, the movie’s beginning and ending will be nothing like the hangovers before it. This will be a good change from Part II, which seemed to disappoint and let down fans. The wolfpack has become an American sensation and we know, even though the second one was not as great, there is still the three best friends that everyone can count on for a good laugh. In the long run here are not many sequels hat ever have topped the first initial movie so if you havent seen the Hangover I or II go out and see it and decide for yourself.

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Lindsay Lohan has had her fair share of Hollywood drama. At just 24, she has been in and out of rehab and courtrooms. Studios will not hire her, and directors will not work with her. Lohan’s life is a perfect example of a Hollywood superstar who has been given too much, too soon. It is difficult to tell exactly what went wrong in the starlet’s life that eventually led her to her current position, today.

In 1998, Lindsay Lohan starred in her first major role “The Parent Trap,” a remake of the 1961 classic, alongside Dennis Quaid and the late Natasha Richardson. Lohan was a hit and earned a three-year contract with Disney.

A few years later, she made headlines for the first time when she dated teen heartthrob Aaron Carter in 2002. This created drama because Carter was also rumored to be dating another Disney superstar, Hilary Duff. Though Lohan claimed that she and Duff had no feud, the tabloids would not let go of the story.

However, this feud did not affect her career because in 2003, Lohan starred in “Freaky Friday,” another remake, this time alongside Jamie Lee Curtis. In the movie, she plays a more rebellious character, and even debuts her first single on the soundtrack. The film proved to be Lohan’s most successful to date, and earned 160 million. She also earned an MTV movie award for breakout artist.

In 2004, Lohan starred in her first relatively unsuccessful film, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Though the film was heavily criticized, most people agreed that the actress still had a promising future. Little did she know, Lohan was about to become a teen superstar.

Her most remembered role today, and the one that started her downfall was the comedy written by Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey, “Mean Girls.” The film sparked the careers of cast mates Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, and made Lohan untouchable in Hollywood. She earned many awards for her role, and at 17, she even became the youngest person to ever host the MTV movie awards.

Lohan used this spark to launch her singing career. She was signed with Tommy Motolla in December of 2004, and her album “Speak” went platinum. Lohan’s busier-than-ever schedule and constant tabloid rumors took a toll on her, but not as much as the announcement of her parents’ separation. Lohan responded by releasing the single “Confessions of a Broken Heart (Father to Daughter),”which stars her sister in the video and expresses her anger towards her father’s abusive tendencies.

In an attempt to shed her Disney image, Lohan’s next 3 films were independent: “A Prairie Home Companion” with Meryl Streep, “Bobby,” and “Chapter 27.”

2006 was perhaps the year that Lindsay Lohan lost every thing. Her professional behavior was criticized for the first time when she starred in another remake, “Herbie Fully Loaded.” Perhaps this is what caused studios to replace her with other actresses. Later in 2006, she starred in “Just My Luck,” which was her least successful film to date. But her lowest point as an actress was in the summer when Lohan was working on “Georgia Rule” with Jane Fonda. A letter was released criticizing the actress for spending her nights partying with the Kardashians and other Hollywood actors, then showing up late on set and claiming “exhaustion.”

She was also seen with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears during this time, both notorious for being heavy partiers.  Lohan was also rumored to be dating British tv actor Calum Best, who was known for his drug use. Finally, during the filming of “I Know Who Killed me,” Lohan checked into rehab for the first time. However, it was an unsuccessful visit and Lohan was arrested again. She got a DUI, went to rehab again, and wore a SCRAM ankle bracelet. Just two weeks after her second departure from rehab, Lohan is arrested yet again for possession of cocaine and a DUI. She attends rehab for the third time.

The next couple of months were not better for Lohan as her film “Labor Pains” went straight to DVD, and her father released voicemails of her and publicly asked her to get help. Just last year, Lohan was expected in court, but she skipped to attend the Cannes film festival. Later that month, she was required to wear the SCRAM bracelet again and comply with other regulations. When she did not cooperate with her terms, Lohan was sentenced to jail for 90 days, resulting in her lawyer quitting the job and yet another stint in rehab. Today, Lohan is under house arrest with the SCRAM bracelet, but hopefully the actress can get the help that she needs.

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February’s Super Bowl featured the first sneak-peak into director Jon Favreau’s upcoming fantasy embarkment Cowboys and Aliens – an eclectic mix of conventional western and uhm… extra terrestrials?

Admittedly, when I first read that Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig were strapping on their hats and boots to fight an alien invasion on horseback – even I shook my head in disbelief. Had Hollywood really hit rock-bottom of ideas this time? Were there no remakes left to soak their creative dry-spell?

Of course, that was before I learned that ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ was in fact a successful graphic novel from Platinum Studios, controllers of the largest independent license library of comic book characters, created by the Studio’s founder Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and published in 2006. The unconventional genre-clash gained so much attention that Universal Studios and DreamWorks soon got their hands on it and next month, movie audiences will get to explore the result. It is considered the dark horse this season – “the true wild card among the summer 2011 popcorn films – a gritty cowboy tale that just happens to be interrupted by an alien invasion flick,” writes herocomplex.latimes.com.

Blockbuster filmmaker Jon Favreau has purposely put together, along with producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and executive producer Steven Spielberg (there he is again!), this hybrid cowboy tale in such way to avoid the obvious entrapment of comedy or camp – all considering the ‘on-the-nose’ title. According to herocomplex.latimes.com, much effort was put into the screenplay so to make the story a western first, a sci-fi second. Speaking about the universe of the movie; “The audience knows what [the aliens] are after years of Spielberg movies but the guys on the horses in the movie have no words for what they’re seeing,” explains Roberto Orci, one of the writers and producers.

The cross-franchise action has Daniel Craig starring as the stranger who stumbles into the town of Absolution with no memory of his past but with a mysterious shackle on his wrist.  Little does he know that the city is held in an iron fist by Harrison Ford’s Colonel Dolarhyde who’s cruel reign leaves no room for strangers. However, the tale of dust and true grit is abruptly interrupted when scarcely comprehensible objects attack the desolate city from the sky and abduct the stunned and helpless. Soon the hard-eyed stranger is the small town’s only hope for salvation.

Also starring is Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano and the charismatic Sam Rockwell. But it’s Ford’s turn as Absolution’s menacing Colonel which is drawing most attention in the cast, and according to an interview with the icon himself: “Ford seemed as surprised as anyone by the fact that he hadn’t starred in a cowboy movie since Jimmy Carter was in the White House.”

“For years, I’ve thought the western – as a genre – needed this guy,” said Ron Howard. “Harrison has this persona that fits the western. In a way he was a cowboy in ‘[American] Grafitti’ and ‘Star Wars’ and when you see him on screen in this setting it just feels right.”

With expectations heightening each week for phenomenal visual effects and competent acting, the ultimate clash of universes is bound to keep cine-fanatics on their toes. And think about it – is the idea that far-fetched after all? Plenty of time to make up your mind before July 29.

Image provided by cowboysandaliensmovie.com

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After many decades of using the paper ballot, its time to modernize. It seems that the Oscars have decided to join the rest of today’s technology by using an electronic ballot system. This is going to be a great thing for the Oscars to make their voting system much more efficient and speedier, but is still causing a few issues.

It appears that if they do in fact switch over to the electronic system, it “could result in a wholesale foreshortening of the entire US awards season, which traditionally extends from the Golden Globes in early January to the Academy Awards in late February or early March,” claimed BBC News. This could be a problem for the over all season because it would make the events farther apart, and less of a season, but rather more of completely separate events. However, the change fortunately will have to wait another year.

This years ceremony has already happened, and “next year’s Oscars ceremony has been confirmed for 26 February, so any significant date change would not happen until 2013 at the earliest.” This means that we will just have to wait and see what kind of changes will occur. Of course, in the mean time I’m sure that there will be further press releases and information available before a change is decided on. This does not mean that the Oscar’s voting members will change either.

The current system plans for all 6,000 members to have their nomination ballots send to them on December 27th so that they will have enough time to make their decisions and be able to make their final votes as of February 1st. If the electronic system does go into effect in 2013, the voting system should bring the awards ceremony up by a whole month. This is great considering the scale at which the ballots need to be sent out. The voting members are located in several countries all over the world. This new electronic way of voting is going to make the voting system much more proficient than it is right now.

With “nearly 250 UK-based voting members missing the deadline after their ballot papers were lost in the post” in 2004, it makes sense to come up with a new system that will reduce the risk of incidents like that from happening. Also since there is only about a three week span between receiving their final ballots and their deadline, it makes sense to have a system that encourages a speedy process.

The only news from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), is that they have asked for voting members to provide a personal email to ensure a direct delivery of the ballots with no third parties that may alter the vote, or simple loose it. This is an exciting time for the Oscars, that could cause a few bumps along the way as they figure out a good system to keep things as close to the other awards as possible, but one that is for the better.

Stacie Stauff Smith Photography / Shutterstock.com

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Tuesday afternoon, the 30 Rock ‘alpha male’ Alec Baldwin had Doug Liman, director of  The Bourne Identity and Mr. And Mrs. Smith, pinned down in a tongue-in-cheek discussion about the filmmaker’s career. Doug Liman barged into Hollywood as the independent director of Swingers and has since worked his way into blockbuster nirvana – a path which the discussion revealed was not always straight.

Joining Liman on stage was Alec Baldwin, casually dressed (sporting a mature 5 o’clock shadow) and firing off the talk with charismatic sarcasm – one that entertained the audience with several self-inflicted zingers throughout the session. His first question to the filmmaker was what made him want to become a director.

Liman took us back to when he, as a child, picked up an unwanted present to his father, a camera, and started shooting – his first movie was named ‘The Mummy’ and starred his dad. When asked by Baldwin if his choice of career had been purely out of convenience, Liman admitted a profound love for film and seemed to share an interest that moved beyond the traditional rites of moviemaking. As much as he enjoyed the process and challenges of cinema, however, he has never been in one of his own films and at this point, he admitted being a little superstitious as to whether he ever should.

Baldwin made sure to keep the talk ‘interesting’, grilling Liman on such subject as filming sex scenes. The director admitted to one movie with sex in, to try it out and Baldwin cheekily asked for its name and if it was available online – to the amusement of the audience. However, Liman revealed that the experience had been overall uncomfortable – made him feel like a pervert.

We learned that Liman’s directional debut prompted his departure from USC; a school he told the audience he hated because of its rigidness. After trying to follow the rules, the director realized that working within them was against his nature. When he started developing Swingers, the budget was set at $500.000 – but he could only raise $200.000. He explained the defining moment; where other productions would go into stalemate, he came to the conclusion that if you don’t have enough money to do it properly, you shouldn’t even pretend to do it that way. Instead, you should take the fact that you don’t have enough money and turn it to your advantage.

This became Liman’s style – not too concerned with the restrictions of moviemaking, the director has repeatedly filmed without permits and gone against studio orders. He contributed the rough style of The Bourne Identity to the fact that he had to sneak around the streets of Paris with his camera to avoid being caught.

Baldwin then asked about the post-Swingers experience. Liman explained that Swingers made him the ‘flavor of the month’. When asked back then what he wanted to do next, he already knew: Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. But the studio disagreed, so Liman explained spending a lot of time chasing the movie rights. Some of his unorthodox methods of persuasion included crashing a wedding and eventually, flying solo to Ludlum’s private home to secure the rights. Ludlum nicknamed him ‘Hollywood’ and agreed.

The final subject was Fair Game and Liman’s observation that the US is very good at forgetting things. With a father who was the chief counsel for the US Senate Iran-Contra hearings, Liman wanted to prove that it’s possible to get people to care about politics – even when they don’t want to.

Baldwin was snappy throughout the talks, adding his personal experiences more or less discriminately. There were moments where the brash Baldwin seemed unable to contain himself and unintentionally mowed over the soft voice of Liman. In such instances, Liman patiently waited with a shy calm that made a great contrast to the loud and unapologetic Baldwin. The contradiction was most blatant when Baldwin repeatedly used the f-word, leaving Liman momentarily lost for any.

The bonus was some insightful facts about Hollywood; For example, that Warner Brothers don’t make dramas. It proves a connection between the fondness of drama in independent cinema and the fact that big budgets can buy emotions with extravagant set pieces and special effects. That Doug Liman’s mind seems to move at a different plane than others goes to show, as so vigorously emphasized by the verbose Mr. Baldwin, that the director is in a league of his own.

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