Movies

Three Cases Link Terrorists to Piracy Profits

March 3, 2009 -- Organized crime increasingly is involved in the piracy of feature films, with syndicates active along the entire supply chain from manufacture to street sales of pirated movies, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

While crime syndicates have added piracy to criminal portfolios that include drugs, money laundering, extortion and human smuggling, the profits from film piracy also have been used on occasion to support the activities of terrorist groups, according to researchers.    » read more »

STAMFORD, Conn., July 21, 2008 – WWE® is changing the name of its Los Angeles-based subsidiary from WWE Films to WWE Studios to better represent its focus on creating a diversified mix of filmed entertainment, including theatrical films, direct-to-DVD movies, and scripted television movies, series and reality programming.

“The name change reflects our focus on expanding the variety of projects that WWE intends to pursue, from theatrical films to direct-to-DVD to television and other media platforms,” said Michael Lake, President, WWE Studios. “WWE Studios will continue to pursue opportunities which expand the integration of the WWE brand and its Superstars into filmed entertainment.”    » read more »

New Season To Premiere Weekend Of September 6, 2008

Tuesday, Jul 22, 2008 - Television's most popular and respected movie review program, "At The Movies," today announced that two new charismatic co-hosts, Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, will co-host the next generation of the series when its new season begins the weekend of September 6, 2008. Both of these critics will bring their unique personalities and extensive qualifications to the series, and the show will also be adding several new exciting segments. This follows the announcement that famed Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert and his co-host Richard Roeper have bid farewell to the weekly television series.    » read more »

Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Nick Nolte And Robert Downey, Jr. Star In "Tropic Thunder" Which Opens In Theaters Nationwide August 15

NEW YORK, July 21 -- COMEDY CENTRAL(R) is doing some Method acting in "Reel Comedy: Tropic Thunder." The half-hour special premieres on Monday, August 11 at midnight.    » read more »

Passes $400 Million Overseas for $713 Million Worldwide to Date

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., June 30, 2008 -- Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd.'s "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Frank Marshall and executive produced by George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, crossed the $300 million mark domestically yesterday -- and topped $400 million overseas last Friday. With a cumulative gross of more than $713 million to date it is the highest grossing worldwide release of 2008.    » read more »

Beverly Hills, CA, June 23, 2008 — The 2001 Best Picture nominee “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Great To Be Nominated” series. The fantasy about a hobbit and his epic quest to end the reign of evil in his land by destroying an ancient ring will screen on Monday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Following the screening, producer Barrie Osborne, executive producer Mark Ordesky, film editor John Gilbert, supervising sound editor Ethan Van der Ryn, Oscar®-winning visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel and U.S. casting director Victoria Burrows will participate in a discussion about the film.    » read more »

Beverly Hills, CA, June 23, 2008 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 105 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2008 to the Academy’s roster of voting members.

“These individuals are all incredibly talented and a credit to the world of filmmaking,” said Academy President Sid Ganis. “They exemplify the high standards of the Academy and I welcome each and every one of them to our ranks.”    » read more »

Beverly Hills, CA, June 19, 2008 –– The governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved the rules for the 81st Academy Awards® at their Tuesday evening (6/17) meeting. The only significant changes were in the Music – Original Song category. Other modifications of the rules include normal date changes and minor “housekeeping” changes.

Three items of note were altered in the Original Song rules. First, while there continues to be no limit on the number of songs from a given film that can be submitted for consideration, no more than two songs from any one film may be nominated for an Academy Award.    » read more »

First of Any Studio This Year

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., June 23, 2008 -- Coming off reaching the billion-dollar mark in international box office sales last weekend, Paramount Pictures Corporation has now also crossed the billion-dollar milestone on its domestic gross sales, making it the first studio to accomplish this feat this calendar year and besting last year's billion-dollar record by nearly three weeks.

This marks back-to-back years of firsts for Paramount Pictures and five consecutive weeks of holding the Number One spot in domestic market share. The studio also set a new first as of this weekend -- having the Top Three grossing films of 2008 at mid-year.    » read more »

The First Major Awards Show Of The 2009 Season Will Air Live on VH1 on Thursday, January 8, 2009 from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

NEW YORK, June 23, 2008 -- For the second year in a row, VH1 will televise the A-list excitement from the Broadcast Film Critics Association's (BFCA) Critics' Choice Awards gala live from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Thursday, January 8, 2009. The awards are bestowed annually by the BFCA to honor the finest in cinematic achievement.

Since its inception in 1995, the Critics' Choice Awards has become a star-studded bellwether event of the movie awards season. The Critics' Choice Awards is the first major award show of the year.    » read more »

Monday, June 16, 2008 -- Lindsay Lohan ("Georgia Rule," "Bobby"), Adam Garcia ("Standing Still") and Glenne Headly ("Raising Flagg") star in "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," a comedic take on the lives of a group of teenagers for whom there's always so much drama, but so little time... The movie will air in HD with 5.1 channel surround sound and Spanish audio as a presentation of "The Wonderful World of Disney," SATURDAY, JULY 5 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Rebroadcast. OAD 8/4/07)    » read more »

The 1998 Best Picture nominee "Saving Private Ryan" will be screened as the next feature in the "Great To Be Nominated" series on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater

Beverly Hills, CA, June 3, 2008 — The 1998 Best Picture nominee “Saving Private Ryan” will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Great To Be Nominated” series. The story of eight United States soldiers trying to locate a fellow soldier behind enemy lines during WWII will screen on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.    » read more »

Mumbai, India, June 02, 2008 -- Warner Bros. Pictures India enters into the animation genre with an untitled film directed by Jyotin Goel and produced by Geol Screencraft.

"This is a story of love and adventure, full of color, music, drama and comedy," says Jyotin Goel. "The film is not based on the human kingdom but portrays the melodious world of birds and attempts to explore their lives from an unusual standpoint. It is a journey into the lives of birds as they soar over dense jungles and teeming cities, giving them a point of view of the world that is hilariously different from ours."    » read more »

Deal Also Includes Broadcast Window For Michel Gondry's "Be Kind Rewind" Starring Jack Black

NEW YORK, May 29, 2008 -- COMEDY CENTRAL® has acquired the first-window broadcast premiere rights to New Line Cinema's "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," as well as a broadcast window for Michel Gondry's "Be Kind Rewind" starring Jack Black, it was announced today by David Bernath, senior vice president, programming, COMEDY CENTRAL.    » read more »

'2008 MTV Movie Awards' Golden Popcorn Goes To... Autobots, a Pregnant Teen, a Drunk Pirate and a Bloody Barber Shine As Some of the Night's Big Winners

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., June 1, 2008 -- Kicking off the "2008 MTV Movie Awards" with an over-the-top dance battle, host Mike Myers set the tone for a fun-filled extravaganza with first time winners, unforgettable acceptance speeches and cutting edge short films.    » read more »