Sony thinks its new Michael Jackson documentary could be a contender for best picture.
Spokesman Steve Elzer said Thursday that the studio will submit "Michael Jackson's This Is It" for Academy Awards consideration this year.
It missed the deadline to be considered for a 2009 documentary Oscar, but the film about the late King of Pop's preparations for a series of comeback concerts will be eligible in several other categories at the Academy Awards, including sound, film editing, director and best picture.
"This Is It" opened worldwide Wednesday and has already earned $20.1 million at the box office, along with praise from critics and fans who say it restores Jackson's reputation as a world-class entertainer.
Director Kenny Ortega, a longtime Jackson collaborator who was overseeing his concert comeback, crafted the nearly two-hour film from more than 100 hours of footage recorded during rehearsals for the London shows, which were to have begun in July. Jackson died June 25 at age 50.
"What we did here was focus on telling a good story and creating a film for the fans really enabling them to understand what Michael Jackson had dreamed for them," Ortega said Wednesday.
He added it was his hope "the audience for this film will grow and that as many people come to see it as possible because I think that it's a wonderful story about a brilliant man. ... Awards, Oscars, that's all great wishful thinking."
It may be more than wishful, said Steven Gaydos, executive editor of the Hollywood trade paper Variety and a self-described cynic. With the Academy Awards best-picture slate expanded to 10 films this year rather than the traditional five, "This Is It" could find itself among the contenders, he said.
To qualify, the film must complete a seven-day run in Los Angeles County and filmmakers would need to "submit the proper paperwork," said Leslie Unger, spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars.
Sony, which paid $60 million for the global film rights, plans to keep "This Is It" in theaters for just over two weeks. Elzer said the studio will submit it for consideration for best picture "and other appropriate categories." He wouldn't specify which ones.
Entering it in the Oscar race this year means "This Is It" cannot be considered in the documentary category next year.
The movie includes plenty of music, but none of it is eligible for Oscar consideration because it wasn't created specifically for the film.
Ortega, a veteran director, producer and choreographer who counts TV's "High School Musical" among his credits, could also find himself in contention for a best-director nod, Gaydos said.
"He did a masterful job putting this whole thing together," he said. "It was so powerful and interesting, so creative and well-done, I think he should be considered... Kenny just won over all these critics like me with Michael Jackson that anything interesting could go on with this guy."
The film can't be considered for a Golden Globe. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the annual ceremony, doesn't permit feature documentaries to enter, said spokesman Michael Russell.
Ortega said an Oscar nod would be a fitting recognition of Jackson's last work.
"He deserves one," he said. "Come on people."
___
Associated Press writer Marcela Isaza in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
___
AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: Follow her at http://twitter.com/APSandy
www.movie.com
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Canadian folk singer died doing something she loved, mother says
(CNN) -- Those who knew Canadian folk musician Taylor Mitchell say her passion for her craft was matched by her affinity for nature.
Fresh out of high school, she embarked upon a three-week tour of Eastern Canada earlier this month full of hope over her blossoming career and excited to explore the region with a new car and driver's license.
The 19-year-old rising star was in between gigs when, according to a Nova Scotia Cape Breton Highlands National Park official, she was killed by coyotes during a hike on Tuesday afternoon.
"If there can be any comfort at all, it is knowing that Taylor was doing two of the things she loved most, sharing story and song on the road and spending time in nature's fold," her manager, Lisa Weitz said in an e-mail. "She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity."
Mitchell was a "seasoned naturalist" well versed in wilderness camping who wouldn't want the coyotes responsible for her death to be killed, her mother said Thursday.
Map: Cape Breton Highlands National Park
RELATED TOPICS
* Folk Music
* Nova Scotia
* Canada
"When the decision had been made to kill the pack of coyotes, I clearly heard Taylor's voice say, 'please don't, this is their space.' She wouldn't have wanted their demise, especially as a result of her own. She was passionate about animals, was an environmentalist and was also planning to volunteer at the Toronto Wildlife Centre in the coming months," Emily Mitchell said in a statement Thursday.
"Tragically, it was her time to be taken from us so soon," the mother said.
When she was 15, Mitchell began vocal lessons with her future producer, Michael Johnston.
"Taylor inspired and impressed everyone from her musical peers to members of the Canadian roots-music community who were two and three times her age," he said in a statement.
"They saw in her the rarest of the gifts -- an ability to sing not only from the heart, but in a way that transcended her age and experience and became something universal."
The Toronto-based musician's career began to take off earlier this year after the April release of her debut album, "For Your Consideration."
She was nominated for Young Performer of the Year honors by the Canadian Folk Music Awards, which will be awarded in November.
On her Facebook page, she detailed her busy summer performance schedule, describing it as her "craziest summer yet."
In July, she said she took a Greyhound bus to perform in the Young Performers Program at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, her first show west of Ontario, which featured acts including Arlo Guthrie, Neko Case and Elvis Costello.
She played more shows in the Toronto area, relishing the airplay her album was receiving, and worked on songs for her next album, Weitz said.
Yet she managed to return to nature with her aunt, mother and best friend at the family cottage in Owen Sound, Ontario, delighting in its simple joys.
"Our cottage is on the shores of Georgian bay. It's 125 years old with three bedrooms that sleep two and one bedroom that sleeps four, plus a bunkhouse. It's old and creaky and absolutely beautiful. As I sit on my couch in my apartment, I'm homesick for the precariously slanted stairs, tennis courts, lake and wonderful memories," Mitchell said on her Facebook page.
Before she set out eastward for her tour of the Maritimes, she shared her works in progress at the Ontario Council of Folk Music conference in Ottawa, impressing all those in attendance, Weitz said.
"Taylor Mitchell's vocal style and consummate songwriting craft belied her vernal years. Indeed, her songs told the tales of a seeker, a sojourner with a sage wisdom atypical of most, let alone one of such tender years," Weitz said.
On her Facebook page, she had begun counting down the days to her East Coast tour in September, saying in a September 18 status update that she was "feeling the pull of the road."
In her last post on the site, she described playing a show in someone's home, calling it "a welcome dose of normality after a whirlwind weekend" at the Ontario Council of Folk Music.
Those closest to her said they'll derive inspiration from her passion for life.
"Taylor was my shining light, my baby, my confidante and best friend," her mother said. "I don't know how to move forward from here but I know that she would want that for me, and I will try to do that in her memory and celebrate her life in the way she lived it -- with passion, commitment and an unbridled loving heart."
www.cnn.com
Fresh out of high school, she embarked upon a three-week tour of Eastern Canada earlier this month full of hope over her blossoming career and excited to explore the region with a new car and driver's license.
The 19-year-old rising star was in between gigs when, according to a Nova Scotia Cape Breton Highlands National Park official, she was killed by coyotes during a hike on Tuesday afternoon.
"If there can be any comfort at all, it is knowing that Taylor was doing two of the things she loved most, sharing story and song on the road and spending time in nature's fold," her manager, Lisa Weitz said in an e-mail. "She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity."
Mitchell was a "seasoned naturalist" well versed in wilderness camping who wouldn't want the coyotes responsible for her death to be killed, her mother said Thursday.
Map: Cape Breton Highlands National Park
RELATED TOPICS
* Folk Music
* Nova Scotia
* Canada
"When the decision had been made to kill the pack of coyotes, I clearly heard Taylor's voice say, 'please don't, this is their space.' She wouldn't have wanted their demise, especially as a result of her own. She was passionate about animals, was an environmentalist and was also planning to volunteer at the Toronto Wildlife Centre in the coming months," Emily Mitchell said in a statement Thursday.
"Tragically, it was her time to be taken from us so soon," the mother said.
When she was 15, Mitchell began vocal lessons with her future producer, Michael Johnston.
"Taylor inspired and impressed everyone from her musical peers to members of the Canadian roots-music community who were two and three times her age," he said in a statement.
"They saw in her the rarest of the gifts -- an ability to sing not only from the heart, but in a way that transcended her age and experience and became something universal."
The Toronto-based musician's career began to take off earlier this year after the April release of her debut album, "For Your Consideration."
She was nominated for Young Performer of the Year honors by the Canadian Folk Music Awards, which will be awarded in November.
On her Facebook page, she detailed her busy summer performance schedule, describing it as her "craziest summer yet."
In July, she said she took a Greyhound bus to perform in the Young Performers Program at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, her first show west of Ontario, which featured acts including Arlo Guthrie, Neko Case and Elvis Costello.
She played more shows in the Toronto area, relishing the airplay her album was receiving, and worked on songs for her next album, Weitz said.
Yet she managed to return to nature with her aunt, mother and best friend at the family cottage in Owen Sound, Ontario, delighting in its simple joys.
"Our cottage is on the shores of Georgian bay. It's 125 years old with three bedrooms that sleep two and one bedroom that sleeps four, plus a bunkhouse. It's old and creaky and absolutely beautiful. As I sit on my couch in my apartment, I'm homesick for the precariously slanted stairs, tennis courts, lake and wonderful memories," Mitchell said on her Facebook page.
Before she set out eastward for her tour of the Maritimes, she shared her works in progress at the Ontario Council of Folk Music conference in Ottawa, impressing all those in attendance, Weitz said.
"Taylor Mitchell's vocal style and consummate songwriting craft belied her vernal years. Indeed, her songs told the tales of a seeker, a sojourner with a sage wisdom atypical of most, let alone one of such tender years," Weitz said.
On her Facebook page, she had begun counting down the days to her East Coast tour in September, saying in a September 18 status update that she was "feeling the pull of the road."
In her last post on the site, she described playing a show in someone's home, calling it "a welcome dose of normality after a whirlwind weekend" at the Ontario Council of Folk Music.
Those closest to her said they'll derive inspiration from her passion for life.
"Taylor was my shining light, my baby, my confidante and best friend," her mother said. "I don't know how to move forward from here but I know that she would want that for me, and I will try to do that in her memory and celebrate her life in the way she lived it -- with passion, commitment and an unbridled loving heart."
www.cnn.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Jolie, DiCaprio to Co-Star in Gucci Movie?
Leonardo DiCaprio at the Palm Springs Film Festival Gala. Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, CA. 01-06-09
Photo Gallery
Ridley Scott is talking to Angelina Jolie about a role in Gucci, the director's drama about murder and decadence in the Gucci fashion dynasty.
Media reports say Jolie would play Patrizia Reggiano, who was sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci. Scott has approached Leonardo DiCaprio to play Maurizio, but he is not attached at this point.
Fox 2000, for which the project is a priority, is eyeing a 2010 start date. Scott Free and Giannina Facio are producing.
The studio is hiring a writer to work from Charles Randolf's current draft of the script, which follows the drama that highlights the glamorous days of the Gucci family dynasty in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Infighting hobbled the clan until Maurizio, the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, came out on top of a power struggle to run the family business.
In 1995, gearing up to reestablish the brand name via then-newcomer designer Tom Ford, Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment.
Jolie is likely to next star in The Tourist, the Spyglass thriller that has Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in line to direct. Scott is in post-production with Robin Hood for Universal Pictures and Imagine.
Full story: http://www.hollywoodwiretap.com/?module=news&action=story&id=41584
Photo Gallery
Ridley Scott is talking to Angelina Jolie about a role in Gucci, the director's drama about murder and decadence in the Gucci fashion dynasty.
Media reports say Jolie would play Patrizia Reggiano, who was sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci. Scott has approached Leonardo DiCaprio to play Maurizio, but he is not attached at this point.
Fox 2000, for which the project is a priority, is eyeing a 2010 start date. Scott Free and Giannina Facio are producing.
The studio is hiring a writer to work from Charles Randolf's current draft of the script, which follows the drama that highlights the glamorous days of the Gucci family dynasty in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Infighting hobbled the clan until Maurizio, the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, came out on top of a power struggle to run the family business.
In 1995, gearing up to reestablish the brand name via then-newcomer designer Tom Ford, Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment.
Jolie is likely to next star in The Tourist, the Spyglass thriller that has Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in line to direct. Scott is in post-production with Robin Hood for Universal Pictures and Imagine.
Full story: http://www.hollywoodwiretap.com/?module=news&action=story&id=41584
Box office top10: 20090911 I Can Do Bad All by Myself
1. I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $24M, нийт: $24M.
2. 9. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $10,9M, нийт: $15,3M.
3. Inglourious Basterds. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $6,55M, нийт: $104M.
4. All About Steve. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,8M, нийт: $21,8M.
5. Final Destination, The. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,5M, нийт: $58,3M.
6. Sorority Row. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,27M, нийт: $5,27M.
7. Whiteout. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,1M, нийт: $5,1M.
8. District 9. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $3,6M, нийт: $109M.
9. Julie & Julia. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $3,3M, нийт: $85,4M.
10. Gamer. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $3,15M, нийт: $16,1M.
Шинэ бокс офист 4 кино нэмэгдлээ.
I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Мадеа маань энэ удаад шөнийн клүбийн дуучин Эприлд түүний үеэлүүд болох өнчин хүүхдүүдийг аваачиж өгнө. Эприл эхэндээ хүүхдүүдэд дургүй байх боловч, мексик цагаач Сандинод сэтгэлтэй болж, гэр бүл, хайр сэтгэлээс эрхэм зүйл үгүй ухаарна.
9. Бяцхан хүн 9 энэ хорвоод мэндлэхэд дэлхийн амьтай бүхэн устаж үгүй болсон байв. 9 маань өөр шигээ бяцхан хүнэнцрүүдийг олж, яагаад энэ дэлхийг аймшигт машинууд сөнөөсөн болохыг олж мэдэхээр аян замдаа гарна.
Sorority Row. Remake кино юм. Оюутны дотуур байрны найз охидууд нэгнийхээ үхлийг нууцалснаас болж цуврал аллагад өртөх болноо.
Whiteout. Алуурчныг мөрдсөөр Антарктидад очсон америкийн маршал Керри Стэткогийн адал явдал.
Бичсэн: Arcus
2. 9. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $10,9M, нийт: $15,3M.
3. Inglourious Basterds. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $6,55M, нийт: $104M.
4. All About Steve. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,8M, нийт: $21,8M.
5. Final Destination, The. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,5M, нийт: $58,3M.
6. Sorority Row. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,27M, нийт: $5,27M.
7. Whiteout. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $5,1M, нийт: $5,1M.
8. District 9. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $3,6M, нийт: $109M.
9. Julie & Julia. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $3,3M, нийт: $85,4M.
10. Gamer. Өнгөрөгч 7 хоногт: $3,15M, нийт: $16,1M.
Шинэ бокс офист 4 кино нэмэгдлээ.
I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Мадеа маань энэ удаад шөнийн клүбийн дуучин Эприлд түүний үеэлүүд болох өнчин хүүхдүүдийг аваачиж өгнө. Эприл эхэндээ хүүхдүүдэд дургүй байх боловч, мексик цагаач Сандинод сэтгэлтэй болж, гэр бүл, хайр сэтгэлээс эрхэм зүйл үгүй ухаарна.
9. Бяцхан хүн 9 энэ хорвоод мэндлэхэд дэлхийн амьтай бүхэн устаж үгүй болсон байв. 9 маань өөр шигээ бяцхан хүнэнцрүүдийг олж, яагаад энэ дэлхийг аймшигт машинууд сөнөөсөн болохыг олж мэдэхээр аян замдаа гарна.
Sorority Row. Remake кино юм. Оюутны дотуур байрны найз охидууд нэгнийхээ үхлийг нууцалснаас болж цуврал аллагад өртөх болноо.
Whiteout. Алуурчныг мөрдсөөр Антарктидад очсон америкийн маршал Керри Стэткогийн адал явдал.
Бичсэн: Arcus
Saw VI
Synopsis:
Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) emerges as the next heir to Jigsaw's twisted legacy, but as the FBI closes in, he sets in motion a game that is designed to reveal Jigsaw's grand scheme.
Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) emerges as the next heir to Jigsaw's twisted legacy, but as the FBI closes in, he sets in motion a game that is designed to reveal Jigsaw's grand scheme.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Lyrical interpretation
This song is about climbing back to the top after you've hit totally rock bottom. Steven Tyler and songwriter Richie Supa wrote it for the kids at the Caron Foundation, which is the drug and alcohol rehab center in Pennsylvania where Tyler gained his sobriety in 1986.
The lyrics document the struggles Aerosmith faced and overcame as they were confronted with drug and alcohol problems as well as creative differences that threatened to break up the band. The line, "That one last shot's a permanent vacation" refers to the Aerosmith's comeback album Permanent Vacation, which put them back on top. The line, "How high can you fly with broken wings?" is a reference to their logo, which contains a set of wings.
In the song, Steven Tyler sings about hard times in his life ("I thought I could leave, but couldn't get out the door", "I was wishin' that I would die", "Scratchin' to stay alive") and how he came to grasp reality and escape his hard times ("It's amazing...with the blink of an eye you finally see the light...when the moment arrives that you know you'll be alright") and how he's "sayin' a prayer for the desperate hearts tonight".
The lyrics primarily concern the band's well-documented struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and their subsequent recovery, the musical renaissance of their career in the nineties being a last chance at what they should have always been - "Got one last shot at permanent vacation, and how high can you fly with broken wings? Life's a journey, not a destination, and you just can't tell just what tomorrow brings. You have to learn to crawl, before you learn to walk, but I just couldn't listen to all that righteous talk, oh yeah - I was out on the streets, tryin' to survive, scratchin' to stay alive."
The lyrics document the struggles Aerosmith faced and overcame as they were confronted with drug and alcohol problems as well as creative differences that threatened to break up the band. The line, "That one last shot's a permanent vacation" refers to the Aerosmith's comeback album Permanent Vacation, which put them back on top. The line, "How high can you fly with broken wings?" is a reference to their logo, which contains a set of wings.
In the song, Steven Tyler sings about hard times in his life ("I thought I could leave, but couldn't get out the door", "I was wishin' that I would die", "Scratchin' to stay alive") and how he came to grasp reality and escape his hard times ("It's amazing...with the blink of an eye you finally see the light...when the moment arrives that you know you'll be alright") and how he's "sayin' a prayer for the desperate hearts tonight".
The lyrics primarily concern the band's well-documented struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and their subsequent recovery, the musical renaissance of their career in the nineties being a last chance at what they should have always been - "Got one last shot at permanent vacation, and how high can you fly with broken wings? Life's a journey, not a destination, and you just can't tell just what tomorrow brings. You have to learn to crawl, before you learn to walk, but I just couldn't listen to all that righteous talk, oh yeah - I was out on the streets, tryin' to survive, scratchin' to stay alive."
Rock/heavy metal love songs
Love songs have been present in rock music since the early days of the genre; one of the most common examples of a rock love song is Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender". The 80's saw several rock love songs including "The Promise" by When in Rome. Common newer examples of love songs in rock include "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls, and "Check Yes Juliet" by We The Kings. Love was a common theme in early hard rock, heavy metal and glam metal bands; like Guns 'N' Roses, Ozzy Osbourne and KISS in power ballads. From the emergence of thrash metal (which would become the standard style for most all metal to come), the genre's lyrical themes became centered around hate, horror and political unrest, leaving little room for sentiments of love. However, Metallica occasionally write what could be considered love songs (particularly "Nothing Else Matters"). Love songs in the primarily hateful genre of extreme metal are extremely uncommon, though "Symbiosis" by Mortification and "Diktat" by Napalm Death both speak of the value of marriage. Trivium's "The World Can't Tear Us Apart", "Mordecai" by Between the Buried and Me, and Zao's "Angel Without Wings" exemplify the most common way that metal bands write about love in a positive manner. "The World Can't Tear Us Apart" uses metal's typical dark imagery to describe life without love, while also pondering why the metal scene is usually so devoid of it. In "Mordecai", a depressed man on the brink of insanity questions the meaning of his existence, and finds comfort in "the lovely laugh from the love of my life". "Angel Without Wings" thanks a female friend for staying close to the singer during a near-death experience. Secondhand Serenade is a rock band whose lyrics almost always center around love. While neither of these bands typically create what could be considered a true "love song", two of the most famous modern rock bands, U2 and Coldplay, frequently write songs about being haunted by love. Gothic bands like Within Temptation, Evanescence, Nightwish and Leaves' Eyes often reflect on love and lost love, sometimes in a rather dreary manner. Another example of this is Demon Hunter's "My Heartstrings Come Undone", a dark expression of unconditional love. While death metal is perhaps the most notorious genre for hateful lyrics, the lead singer of band Novembers Doom wrote a love ballad to his daughter, in the form of "Twilight Innocence". There are many post-hardcore and metalcore songs about love; while Bullet for My Valentine and Bring Me the Horizon are known for writing about love and relationships in a negative light, almost every song by Killswitch Engage, Blessthefall and early As I Lay Dying speaks of the wonder of love. Love occasionally finds its way into the lyrics of the primarily positive genre power metal (Sonata Arctica being a prime example of this). Although the belligerent and restless genre of punk rock rarely yields love-themed lyrics, love songs of sorts are common among pop punk bands like Relient K, Green Day and New Found Glory.