BREAKING MOVIE/TV NEWS

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Paramount Believes In "Ripley's Believe It Or Not"

Further to Sneak Peek's first report October 2008, Paramount continues to develop a bio-pic feature based on the life of Robert Ripley, creator of newspaper strip "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", starring actor Jim Carrey as the eccentric cartoonist/explorer.

Academy Award winning writer Eric Roth ("Forest Gump") has agreed to do a screenplay rewrite.

Travel was Ripley's lifelong obsession, visiting 198 countries, but feeling most at home in China, where he adopted local customs, often greeting guests in traditional Asian costume while presiding over elaborate feasts.

His many US houses were filled with 'odditorium' artifacts he brought back from his Marco Polo-like travels, including Chinese wallhangings, shrunken heads, totem poles from Alaska and giant bronze guardian statues from the Orient.
He became a self-made multi-millionaire through the syndication of his comic strip, dressing in bright colors and patterns, bat-wing ties and two-toned spat shoes, collecting cars but never learning to drive, and although he used complicated recording equipment for broadcasts, he was afraid of using a telephone for fear of being electrocuted.

A non-swimmer, he owned numerous boats including dug-out canoes and a Chinese sailing junk moored at B.I.O.N. Island, his estate in Mamaroneck, New York.

The 1930's and 40's were regarded as the 'Golden Age of Ripley', with "Believe It or Not!" becoming the catchphrase of the day and small towns across the US selling out halls and vaudeville theaters to hear his lectures and see his films.

Self-educated, Ripley received honorary titles and degrees, but died of a heart attack in 1949, at the age of 56, shortly after the thirteenth telecast of his TV series.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Robert Ripley"...

Sneak Peek Rooney Mara As "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"

Sneak Peek the cover to "W Magazine", showcasing actress Rooney Mara as 'Lisabeth Salander' in the US remake of the Swedish feature "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" directed by David Fincher ("The Social Network").

The film adapts the novel "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Swedish author/journalist Stieg Larsson, from the first book in his "Millennium Trilogy".

Cast of the new film also includes Daniel Craig as 'Mikael Blomkvist', Robin Wright as 'Erika Berger', Stellan SkarsgÄrd as 'Martin Vanger' and Christopher Plummer as 'Henrik Vanger'.

Filming started in Stockholm Sweden September 2010, before moving to Zurich, Switzerland December 2010. Production resumes @ Sony Studios in Los Angeles, before returning to Sweden in the spring.

Fincher's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" will be released December 21, 2011.

Click the images to enlarge...

"Power Rangers Samurai"

"Power Rangers Samurai" is the nineteenth season of Saban Brands US TV series "Power Rangers", debuting on Nickelodeon/Nicktoons, February 7, 2011.

...'Red Ranger Jayden', serious samurai 'Blue Ranger Kevin', creative rebel 'Green Ranger Mike', young and innocent 'Yellow Ranger Emily' and big sister 'Pink Ranger Mia', fight evil 'Master Xandred' and the forces of 'Netherworld', while mastering the use of the 'Samurai Symbols of Power', empowering them with the elements of fire, water, sky, forest, and earth.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Power Rangers Samurai"...


Lena Heady Joins "Dredd"

Actress Lena Heady ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") has now joined the cast of "Dredd" as the villain 'Madeline Madrigal' (aka 'Ma-Ma'). DNA Film's is currently shooting, the $45 million budgeted, 3D adaptation of comic book character "Judge Dredd" in South Africa.

Karl Urban ("Star Trek") will star as title character 'Judge Joseph Dredd', a law enforcement officer from the futuristic Mega-City One' for director Pete Travis ("Vantage Point"), from a screenplay by Alex Garland ("Sunshine").


Reliance BIG Pictures and IM Global, a Reliance international sales company, will finance the live-action feature, based on the 2000 AD Publishing character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

“The main thing about 'Dredd' is that it’s a fantastic comic," said producer Andrew Macdonald.

"Our idea is to make a very hard, R-rated, gritty, realistic movie of 'Dredd' in 'Megacity', so we’ve got to get the tone right. He’s going to hit people and it’s going to feel real."

"Alex Garland’s script is faithful to the original concept that made 'Judge Dredd' a favourite bad-ass hero," said "Judge Dredd" co-creator Wagner.

DNA has also signed Michael Murphy ("District 9") as a South African co-producer, along with Jason and Chris Kingsley, owners of Rebellion/2000 AD.

"The incredible writers and artists of 2000 AD were formative influences on me," said screenwriter Garland.

"This adaptation of 'Judge Dredd' will have an emphasis on adrenaline and realism, but with all the scale and spectacle of 'Mega-City One'. We think Pete’s propulsive, edgy style is a perfect match for the project."

Inspired by Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry", Dredd is a law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine powers of police, judge, jury and executioner. Dredd and his fellow Judges are empowered to arrest, sentence and execute criminals on the spot.

With 'bionic' eyes implanted after a time-traveling mission to the 'City Of The Damned', Dredd uses a 'lawgiver' pistol, while riding a cannon-mounted, artificial intelligence 'lawmaster' chopper.

'Joseph Dredd' and his brother 'Rico' were cloned from the DNA of 'Chief Judge Fargo', the first chief judge. Their growth was artificially accelerated, emerging in 2066 with all the appropriate knowledge for their age, electronically implanted in their brains by computer during gestation.

The name 'Dredd' was chosen by genetic scientist 'Morton Judd', to "instill fear in the population."

In 2070 the Dredds saw action for the first time during the 'Atomic Wars', when as cadets, they were temporarily fast-tracked through the 'Academy Of Law', assigned the rank of full judge and sent to restore order, after the US Justice Department deposed 'President Booth'. Joseph excelled as a judge, rapidly gaining promotion to the rank of senior judge, saving the world from being destroyed during the 'Fourth World War'.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Judge Dredd"...

The Hair-Raising Adventures Of "Vidal Sassoon"

Sneak Peek the poster supporting director Craig Teper's upcoming documentary "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" :

"...'Vidal Sassoon: The Movie' is a true rags-to-riches tale, tracing Sassoon's path from a London orphanage to international success and celebrity. Producer Michael Gordon, founder of hair care company Bumble and bumble, first set out to document Vidal's life in a richly visual book about icons in the world of hairdressing. What started as an 80th birthday tribute to Sassoon became a movie when Gordon brought on director Craig Teper.

"While chronicling the fashion, style and social revolutions of the 1960s, 'Vidal Sassoon: The Movie", shows how Sassoon revolutionized the world of hair with his pioneering, geometric, Bauhaus-inspired styles and 'wash and wear' philosophy, literally changing the way women look and cut their hair today..."


Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie"...


Production Up In LA

According to non-profit "Film L.A.", whose core service provides centralized coordination of on-location filming permits, production of movies, TV shows and commercials was up 15 percent in the Los Angeles region in 2010, with 43,646 permitted production days in Los Angeles last year, compared to 37,979 counted for 2009.

Commercial production in the region was also up 28.1 % in 2010, the largest yearly increase since Film L.A. began tracking permitted shooting days in 1993, while feature production grew 8.1 % in 2010, and 28.1 % in the fourth quarter.

TV production ended the year up 11.9 % over all and 49.9 % in the fourth quarter, with sitcoms (up 77.9 %) and reality shows (up 46.6 % ) driving the growth.

Film L.A. attributed increased production to state film and TV tax incentives...

"Carl Palmer Drum Solos" - February 22

Drummer Carl Palmer, founding member of "Emerson Lake & Palmer" is the subject of the new instructional DVD, "Carl Palmer Drum Solos", due for release February 22, 2011, by Music Video Distributors (MVD).

The video is a unique study of Palmer's drum solos from the "Brain Salad Surgery" era of ELP, through his years with both "ASIA" and his own band, capturing three classic Palmer solos from different eras, at speeds of 25%, 50% and 100%. By watching solos in the slowest motion, drummers can peek into Palmer's methods.

The DVD also comes with note-for-note sheet music transcriptions of each solo, downloadable with Adobe Reader.

"It enables other drummers to get inside how I have crafted and arranged my solos over the years," said Palmer. "A drum solo is an extremely personal work of art, but others can learn from it and develop their own percussive expressions."

The idea for the DVD was conceived by fellow drummer Eric Fischer, who, with Palmer/ELP archivist Tony Ortiz, combed through hours of Palmer-related concert footage before settling on sequences for the DVD, including a performance of Palmer's drum solo from ELP's 1974 "California Jam" TV concert.

MP3 audio files of the solos are also included on the disc, complete with MIDI soundtracks, for drummers to play along. Bonus footage includes a snare drum only solo, a Palmer solo from his ELP-offshoot band "3" with Keith Emerson & Robert Berry; and a Carl Palmer photo gallery, featuring images from "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown"; ELP; 3; ASIA; and the Carl Palmer Band.

"This is not an instruction in the traditional sense of the word", said Palmer. "I view it as more of an examination of my work as a drummer and percussionist, that comes with an invitation for all drummers to join in. I learned my craft studying the work of the great drummers such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. Hopefully, this DVD will offer that same kind of inspiration."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Carl Palmer"...