AP, LONDON: Royal drama "The King's Speech" was crowned the big winner Sunday at Britain's top film awards — a sign that it may reign again at Hollywood's Academy Awards in two weeks' time.
The made-in-England story of King George VI and his struggle to overcome a stutter won seven prizes, including best picture and acting trophies for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.
It had to share the crown jewels with Facebook-founding drama "The Social Network, which took three prizes including best director for David Fincher. Mind-bending saga "Inception" also won three trophies.
"The King's Speech" went into the awards as heavy favorite with 14 nominations — an unexpected British triumph that cost a reported 15 million pounds ($24 million) to make and has taken many times that at the global box office.
It beat "The Social Network," "Black Swan," "Inception" and "True Grit" to the best picture prize.
Perfectly timed in a year that sees the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the movie tells the true story of George VI, thrust unexpectedly onto the throne by his elder brother's abdication, and his battle to overcome a stammer with the help of an unconventional speech therapist.
Screenwriter David Seidler said he was astonished that this small film about "two men in a room" had been so popular around the world.
"I don't think it's the fascination with royalty," Seidler said. "I don't think it's the ostrich plumes and the gold braid. I think it's the fact that it's a story about changing your destiny."
The British-American writer, who overcame a childhood stammer and has worked on the screenplay for 30 years, said that "for a stutterer ... to be heard is a wonderful thing."
As expected, Firth won best actor for his portrayal of the reluctant monarch. He has already won a best actor trophy at the Golden Globes and is a favorite for an Oscar.
"I like coming here," said Firth, who won the same prize last year for "A Single Man."
"The King's Speech" also took awards for best British film, original screenplay, original music, supporting actor for Rush's turn as speech therapist Lionel Logue and supporting actress, for Bonham Carter's performance as the Queen Mother Elizabeth.
"I think I should thank the royal family, frankly, because they've done wonders for my career," Bonham Carter said.
Bonham Carter, who also recently played the giant-craniumed Red Queen in husband Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," joked that "I seem to be playing queens with ever-decreasing head sizes."
Natalie Portman won the best actress prize for psychosexual dance thriller "Black Swan," its only win from 12 nominations.
"The Social Network" took directing and editing prizes, as well as an award for Aaron Sorkin's adapted screenplay. "Inception" won prizes for sound, production design and visual effects.
Writer-director Chris Morris took the prize for best British debut for "Four Lions," his comedy about a group of bumbling would-be suicide bombers.
Swedish thriller "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" was named best foreign language film. Producer Soeren Staermose joked that its no-holds-barred heroine, Lisbeth Salander, was "the scariest thing to come out of Sweden since ABBA."
Most of the winners are selected by the votes of 6,000 academy members.
Actor Tom Hardy won the Rising Star Award, decided by public vote.
The awards, known as BAFTAs, are considered a strong indicator of possible Oscars glory. Last year, Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" won six BAFTAs, including best picture — then repeated the feat at the Oscars.
Sunday's ceremony provided a mix of British style and Hollywood glamour. Stars including Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Neve Campbell, Barbara Hershey and Bonham Carter — in a black Vivienne Westwood dress — braved a blustery London drizzle to walk the red carpet at London's Royal Opera House before the televised show.
Britain's movie industry is facing uncertainty amid an economic slowdown and government funding cuts. "The King's Speech" was partly funded by the U.K. Film Council, a body recently abolished by the country's Conservative-led government.
The ceremony tried to lift the mood and celebrate British success, giving an award to the money-minting "Harry Potter" franchise for outstanding British contribution to cinema.
Christopher Lee, the aristocratic 88-year-old actor who chilled generations as Count Dracula in a series of Hammer Studios horror classics, received a lifetime achievement award.
French animator brings 3D magic to Berlin festival
Reuters, BERLIN: French animator Michel Ocelot sprinkled some fairy dust over the Berlin film festival on Sunday with "Tales of the Night," old stories retold using both century-old silhouette techniques and state-of-the-art 3D.
Organizers said it was the first 3D animation movie to be included in the main competition lineup at the annual festival, which has made Sunday its unofficial 3D day.
German directors Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders are also in town showing their new 3D documentaries, though neither is eligible for awards when the festival winds up on February 19.
Tales of the Night ("Les Contes de la Nuit) is set in a dilapidated cinema, which a boy, a girl and a man use at night to re-stage old fairy tales.
From the opening "The Werewolf" to the closing "The Doe-girl and the Architect's Son," the short stories share common themes of love conquering all and children overcoming the odds.
They are told using old-fashioned silhouette techniques, so blacked-out, puppet-style characters in profile provide movement against backdrops of intense color and detail.
The contrast is exaggerated by the use of stereoscopic 3D, giving the same impression of layering and depth as real theatrical backdrops, and scenery is inspired by sources ranging from Russian painter Nicholas Roerich to medieval drawings.
"For me this new stereoscopic 3D is just a tool," Ocelot told reporters after a press screening at which the movie was warmly applauded. "It's not that important.
"It's interesting to have new tools, but in 'Garcon Tam-Tam' it's not his tam-tam (drum) which is magical, it's his hands," he added, referring to one of the fairy tales in the film.
DEBT TO BERLIN FILMMAKER
Ocelot said his style owed much to German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger, a pioneer of silhouette in cinema who began working on movies nearly 100 years ago.
After seeing a Reiniger film, the French director said he asked a children's workshop he was leading to try to make its own silhouette film, an idea which met with spectacular success.
"I said, well, that's it, I have found my method, I'm going to use these silhouettes," he said.
"It was 20 years ago and I've been doing these things since then. So thanks to Lotte!"
He said he had no other aim in making films than to enjoy himself and create something audiences enjoy.
"Fairy tales are my language, all fairy tales from any part of the planet," he said. "I like swimming happily in them."
Asked if he felt the stories in Tales of the Night portrayed the hero more positively than the heroine, he replied:
"There will be other stories in the future, but in everything I do I attempt to be fair and respect equality. Perhaps there's an imbalance, and if that is the case here, I'm horrified, I have to say."
Ocelot has said he planned to make a sequel to his "Kirikou" series as well as a new story set in Paris in 1900. Tales of the Night is due in French theatres in July.
Organizers said it was the first 3D animation movie to be included in the main competition lineup at the annual festival, which has made Sunday its unofficial 3D day.
German directors Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders are also in town showing their new 3D documentaries, though neither is eligible for awards when the festival winds up on February 19.
Tales of the Night ("Les Contes de la Nuit) is set in a dilapidated cinema, which a boy, a girl and a man use at night to re-stage old fairy tales.
From the opening "The Werewolf" to the closing "The Doe-girl and the Architect's Son," the short stories share common themes of love conquering all and children overcoming the odds.
They are told using old-fashioned silhouette techniques, so blacked-out, puppet-style characters in profile provide movement against backdrops of intense color and detail.
The contrast is exaggerated by the use of stereoscopic 3D, giving the same impression of layering and depth as real theatrical backdrops, and scenery is inspired by sources ranging from Russian painter Nicholas Roerich to medieval drawings.
"For me this new stereoscopic 3D is just a tool," Ocelot told reporters after a press screening at which the movie was warmly applauded. "It's not that important.
"It's interesting to have new tools, but in 'Garcon Tam-Tam' it's not his tam-tam (drum) which is magical, it's his hands," he added, referring to one of the fairy tales in the film.
DEBT TO BERLIN FILMMAKER
Ocelot said his style owed much to German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger, a pioneer of silhouette in cinema who began working on movies nearly 100 years ago.
After seeing a Reiniger film, the French director said he asked a children's workshop he was leading to try to make its own silhouette film, an idea which met with spectacular success.
"I said, well, that's it, I have found my method, I'm going to use these silhouettes," he said.
"It was 20 years ago and I've been doing these things since then. So thanks to Lotte!"
He said he had no other aim in making films than to enjoy himself and create something audiences enjoy.
"Fairy tales are my language, all fairy tales from any part of the planet," he said. "I like swimming happily in them."
Asked if he felt the stories in Tales of the Night portrayed the hero more positively than the heroine, he replied:
"There will be other stories in the future, but in everything I do I attempt to be fair and respect equality. Perhaps there's an imbalance, and if that is the case here, I'm horrified, I have to say."
Ocelot has said he planned to make a sequel to his "Kirikou" series as well as a new story set in Paris in 1900. Tales of the Night is due in French theatres in July.
Movie fans catch Bieber fever at box offices
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Fans of teenage pop star Justin Bieber turned out in strong numbers during the weekend for his movie "Never Say Never," putting it in a tight race for No. 1 at box offices with Adam Sandler comedy "Just Go With It."
Film studio estimates released on Sunday had Sandler's romantic comedy, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, taking in $31 million to claim the top spot on ticket charts. The Bieber film was close behind at $30.3 million for the three-day weekend.
But counting ticket sales for special screenings of "Just Bieber: Never Say Never" held late last week ahead of Friday's U.S. and Canadian opening, the movie's ticket sales hit just over $31 million, according to distributor Paramount Pictures.
Monday's final tally will decide the winner of the weekly box-office competition but Paramount was basking in a better-than-expected opening for the movie, which mixes 3D concert footage and more personal video of the 16-year-old singer to paint a picture of his rise to superstardom.
Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution for Paramount, said Bieber's legions of mostly young female fans turned out, as expected. But many positive reviews for "Never Say Never" and good exit polling of moviegoers had the studio believing the movie might expand to wider audiences.
"We think the movie will hang around (theaters) for awhile," Harris said.
The Bieber movie debuted in just over 3,100 locations for a per-theater average of $9,700. The Sandler movie opened in just over 3,500 venues for an average around $8,700 per theater.
MONDAY'S FINAL TALLY
If numbers hold up on Monday, "Just Go With It" will be Sandler's 11th No. 1 debut. Yet, it failed to match his last romantic comedy that opened ahead of a Valentine's Day weekend in the United States. In 2003, his "50 First Dates," opposite Drew Barrymore, took in $39.8 million in its first weekend, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com.
Still, distributor Columbia Pictures thinks Valentine's Day audiences should help boost ticket sales of "Just Go With It" if date-minded couples turn out on Sunday and Monday.
Columbia said Sandler continues to expand his popularity with international audiences. "Just Go With It" opened well in the United Kingdom with $2.6 million in ticket sales, and in Mexico it was the No. 1 film with $1.75 million -- a figure that was double the tally for "50 First Dates."
Elsewhere, the No. 3 film in the weekly sweepstakes at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices was animated family movie, "Gnomeo and Juliet" with $25.5 million in its first weekend. Its per-theater average was just over $8,500 in right around 3,000 locations.
The weekend's fourth new entry, action adventure "The Eagle," starring Channing Tatum, debuted with $8.6 million, or an average of about $3,700 in around 2,300 theaters. It placed at No.4 on box office charts.
Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech" rounded out the top five with $7.4 million in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative total to just under $94 million.
"Never Say Never" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc; "Just Go With It" by Columbia Pictures, a movie unit of Sony Corp; and "Gnomeo and Juliet" by the film unit of The Walt Disney Co.. "The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, the unit of Universal Pictures that is controlled by Comcast Corp.. "King's Speech" was released by privately-held The Weinstein Co.
Film studio estimates released on Sunday had Sandler's romantic comedy, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, taking in $31 million to claim the top spot on ticket charts. The Bieber film was close behind at $30.3 million for the three-day weekend.
But counting ticket sales for special screenings of "Just Bieber: Never Say Never" held late last week ahead of Friday's U.S. and Canadian opening, the movie's ticket sales hit just over $31 million, according to distributor Paramount Pictures.
Monday's final tally will decide the winner of the weekly box-office competition but Paramount was basking in a better-than-expected opening for the movie, which mixes 3D concert footage and more personal video of the 16-year-old singer to paint a picture of his rise to superstardom.
Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution for Paramount, said Bieber's legions of mostly young female fans turned out, as expected. But many positive reviews for "Never Say Never" and good exit polling of moviegoers had the studio believing the movie might expand to wider audiences.
"We think the movie will hang around (theaters) for awhile," Harris said.
The Bieber movie debuted in just over 3,100 locations for a per-theater average of $9,700. The Sandler movie opened in just over 3,500 venues for an average around $8,700 per theater.
MONDAY'S FINAL TALLY
If numbers hold up on Monday, "Just Go With It" will be Sandler's 11th No. 1 debut. Yet, it failed to match his last romantic comedy that opened ahead of a Valentine's Day weekend in the United States. In 2003, his "50 First Dates," opposite Drew Barrymore, took in $39.8 million in its first weekend, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com.
Still, distributor Columbia Pictures thinks Valentine's Day audiences should help boost ticket sales of "Just Go With It" if date-minded couples turn out on Sunday and Monday.
Columbia said Sandler continues to expand his popularity with international audiences. "Just Go With It" opened well in the United Kingdom with $2.6 million in ticket sales, and in Mexico it was the No. 1 film with $1.75 million -- a figure that was double the tally for "50 First Dates."
Elsewhere, the No. 3 film in the weekly sweepstakes at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices was animated family movie, "Gnomeo and Juliet" with $25.5 million in its first weekend. Its per-theater average was just over $8,500 in right around 3,000 locations.
The weekend's fourth new entry, action adventure "The Eagle," starring Channing Tatum, debuted with $8.6 million, or an average of about $3,700 in around 2,300 theaters. It placed at No.4 on box office charts.
Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech" rounded out the top five with $7.4 million in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative total to just under $94 million.
"Never Say Never" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc; "Just Go With It" by Columbia Pictures, a movie unit of Sony Corp; and "Gnomeo and Juliet" by the film unit of The Walt Disney Co.. "The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, the unit of Universal Pictures that is controlled by Comcast Corp.. "King's Speech" was released by privately-held The Weinstein Co.
Winners of the 2011 British Academy Film Awards
AP, LONDON: Winners of the 2011 Orange British Academy Film Awards, presented Sunday:
Film — "The King's Speech"
British Film — "The King's Speech"
Director — David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Actor — Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Actress — Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Supporting Actor — Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"
Supporting Actress — Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
Rising Star — Tom Hardy
British Debut — Writer/director Chris Morris, "Four Lions"
Original Screenplay — David Seidler, "The King's Speech"
Adapted Screenplay — Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"
Film Not in the English Language — "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Music — Alexandre Desplat, "The King's Speech"
Cinematography — Roger Deakins, "True Grit"
Editing — "The Social Network"
Production Design — "Inception"
Costume Design — "Alice in Wonderland"
Sound — "Inception"
Visual Effects — "Inception"
Makeup and Hair — "Alice in Wonderland"
Animated Feature — "Toy Story 3"
Short Film — "Until the River Runs Red"
Short Animation — "The Eagleman Stag"
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema — The "Harry Potter" films
Academy Fellowship — Christopher Lee
Film — "The King's Speech"
British Film — "The King's Speech"
Director — David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Actor — Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Actress — Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Supporting Actor — Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"
Supporting Actress — Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
Rising Star — Tom Hardy
British Debut — Writer/director Chris Morris, "Four Lions"
Original Screenplay — David Seidler, "The King's Speech"
Adapted Screenplay — Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"
Film Not in the English Language — "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Music — Alexandre Desplat, "The King's Speech"
Cinematography — Roger Deakins, "True Grit"
Editing — "The Social Network"
Production Design — "Inception"
Costume Design — "Alice in Wonderland"
Sound — "Inception"
Visual Effects — "Inception"
Makeup and Hair — "Alice in Wonderland"
Animated Feature — "Toy Story 3"
Short Film — "Until the River Runs Red"
Short Animation — "The Eagleman Stag"
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema — The "Harry Potter" films
Academy Fellowship — Christopher Lee
Sandler, Aniston barely beat Bieber at box office
AP, LOS ANGELES: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are America's box-office sweethearts, but Justin Bieber is the valentine for teens.
The Valentine's Day weekend was a close one as Sandler and Aniston's romantic comedy, "Just Go With It," debuted with $31 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
That was just ahead of the concert documentary "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," which opened a close second with $30.3 million.
Sony's "Just Go With It" and Paramount's "Never Say Never" were close enough that the rankings could change when studios release final numbers Monday.
The teen pop idol's flick exceeded industry expectations and nearly matched the $31.1 million opening of 2008's "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," the record-holder for music-documentary debuts.
Another love story, Disney's animated adventure "Gnomeo & Juliet," opened solidly at No. 3 with $25.5 million. The movie features the voices of Emily Blunt and James McAvoy in a twist on "Romeo and Juliet" told with garden gnomes.
The weekend's other new wide release, Focus Features' ancient Roman saga "The Eagle," was No. 4 with $8.6 million. The film stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell on a quest into the wilds of 2nd century Scotland.
Though Hollywood generally did strong business, revenues still were down compared to the previous year's for the 14th weekend in a row.
Receipts came in at $149 million, off 27 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Valentine's Day," "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" and "The Wolfman" combined for debuts totaling nearly $120 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
"We can't catch a break at the box office this year," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Ordinarily, this would be a great weekend, but last year, the first quarter was really strong."
"Just Go With It" is a romantic farce featuring Sandler and Aniston as pals posing as a soon-to-be-divorced couple.
The movie maintained Sandler's steady record of box-office hits, pulling in the over-25 crowd, while teen girls flocked to Bieber's film, which gave "Just Go for It" a run for the No. 1 spot.
"It was a bit of a nail-biter," said Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution. "But quite frankly, what you could see is that both movies were going to do business. Overall, it was a pretty good movie-going weekend."
While critics hated "Just Go With It," Bieber's "Never Say Never" earned fairly good reviews. But audiences for music documentaries and concert films are tough to track, and even some insiders at Paramount thought the movie might do as little as $10 million over opening weekend, just a third of what it actually delivered.
Adding in ticket sales from preview screenings Wednesday, the movie's domestic total stood at $31 million.
"I've clearly caught the Bieber fever, and I don't think they were looking for me. I don't think I was anywhere near their target audience," said Don Harris, Paramount's executive vice president for distribution. "I caught it when the grosses started coming in."
In limited release, Fox Searchlight's comedy "Cedar Rapids" debuted well with $310,789 in 15 theaters, for a healthy average of $20,719 a cinema.
That compared to an average of $9,746 in 3,105 theaters for "Never Say Never," $8,737 in 3,548 cinemas for "Just Go With It," $8,517 in 2,994 locations for "Gnomeo & Juliet" and $3,741 in 2,296 spots for "The Eagle."
"Cedar Rapids" stars Ed Helms as a naïve insurance salesman who gets some life lessons at a business conference. The movie gradually expands into nationwide release over the next month.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Just Go With It," $31 million.
2. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," $30.3 million.
3. "Gnomeo & Juliet," $25.5 million.
4. "The Eagle," $8.6 million.
5. "The Roommate," $8.4 million.
6. "The King's Speech," $7.4 million.
7. "No Strings Attached," $5.6 million.
8. "Sanctum," $5.1 million.
9. "True Grit," $3.8 million.
10. "The Green Hornet," $3.6 million.
___
Online:
http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice
___
Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue Pictures is owned by Relativity Media LLC; Overture Films is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.
The Valentine's Day weekend was a close one as Sandler and Aniston's romantic comedy, "Just Go With It," debuted with $31 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
That was just ahead of the concert documentary "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," which opened a close second with $30.3 million.
Sony's "Just Go With It" and Paramount's "Never Say Never" were close enough that the rankings could change when studios release final numbers Monday.
The teen pop idol's flick exceeded industry expectations and nearly matched the $31.1 million opening of 2008's "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," the record-holder for music-documentary debuts.
Another love story, Disney's animated adventure "Gnomeo & Juliet," opened solidly at No. 3 with $25.5 million. The movie features the voices of Emily Blunt and James McAvoy in a twist on "Romeo and Juliet" told with garden gnomes.
The weekend's other new wide release, Focus Features' ancient Roman saga "The Eagle," was No. 4 with $8.6 million. The film stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell on a quest into the wilds of 2nd century Scotland.
Though Hollywood generally did strong business, revenues still were down compared to the previous year's for the 14th weekend in a row.
Receipts came in at $149 million, off 27 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Valentine's Day," "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" and "The Wolfman" combined for debuts totaling nearly $120 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
"We can't catch a break at the box office this year," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Ordinarily, this would be a great weekend, but last year, the first quarter was really strong."
"Just Go With It" is a romantic farce featuring Sandler and Aniston as pals posing as a soon-to-be-divorced couple.
The movie maintained Sandler's steady record of box-office hits, pulling in the over-25 crowd, while teen girls flocked to Bieber's film, which gave "Just Go for It" a run for the No. 1 spot.
"It was a bit of a nail-biter," said Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution. "But quite frankly, what you could see is that both movies were going to do business. Overall, it was a pretty good movie-going weekend."
While critics hated "Just Go With It," Bieber's "Never Say Never" earned fairly good reviews. But audiences for music documentaries and concert films are tough to track, and even some insiders at Paramount thought the movie might do as little as $10 million over opening weekend, just a third of what it actually delivered.
Adding in ticket sales from preview screenings Wednesday, the movie's domestic total stood at $31 million.
"I've clearly caught the Bieber fever, and I don't think they were looking for me. I don't think I was anywhere near their target audience," said Don Harris, Paramount's executive vice president for distribution. "I caught it when the grosses started coming in."
In limited release, Fox Searchlight's comedy "Cedar Rapids" debuted well with $310,789 in 15 theaters, for a healthy average of $20,719 a cinema.
That compared to an average of $9,746 in 3,105 theaters for "Never Say Never," $8,737 in 3,548 cinemas for "Just Go With It," $8,517 in 2,994 locations for "Gnomeo & Juliet" and $3,741 in 2,296 spots for "The Eagle."
"Cedar Rapids" stars Ed Helms as a naïve insurance salesman who gets some life lessons at a business conference. The movie gradually expands into nationwide release over the next month.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Just Go With It," $31 million.
2. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," $30.3 million.
3. "Gnomeo & Juliet," $25.5 million.
4. "The Eagle," $8.6 million.
5. "The Roommate," $8.4 million.
6. "The King's Speech," $7.4 million.
7. "No Strings Attached," $5.6 million.
8. "Sanctum," $5.1 million.
9. "True Grit," $3.8 million.
10. "The Green Hornet," $3.6 million.
___
Online:
http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice
___
Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue Pictures is owned by Relativity Media LLC; Overture Films is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.
Wim Wenders premieres Pina Bausch dance film in 3D
Reuters, BERLIN: German filmmaker Wim Wenders took arthouse cinema to a new dimension on Sunday at the Berlin Film Festival with the premiere of his 3D dance film "Pina" about the work of avant-garde choreographer Pina Bausch.
The annual cinema showcase made Sunday its unofficial three dimension day, with 3D screenings also of "Tales of the Night" by French animator Michel Ocelot and "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" by German veteran director Werner Herzog.
Wenders said he had wanted to do a joint film project with Bausch for more than two decades, since meeting the legendary choreographer, but struggled to convey the emotional rawness of her work on the screen until the advent of 3D technology.
"Only when the dimensional space was added to our language was I able to enter the dancers' very own realm and their language -- that is why it took so long," he told a news conference in Berlin.
"3D and dance fit so wonderfully together, I don't know how you could use this medium in a more appropriate manner."
Hollywood 3D movies such as the sci-fi juggernaut "Avatar," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Toy Story 3" have taken box offices worldwide by storm in recent years, but have yet to gain traction among arthouse movie makers.
"The future of this technology does not necessarily lie where it is being used at the moment, in fantasy films," said Wenders, director of cinema classics such as "Wings of Desire" and "Buena Vista Social Club."
"Once it has been established with smaller and lighter cameras - which is only a matter of time - it will create a whole new approach for reality-driven films."
The 3D effect is discrete in "Pina," compared with that in Hollywood blockbusters, yet gives depth to the dance scenes and draws the viewer into the theater.
DANCE AS NARRATIVE
Pina Bausch was credited with revolutionizing the language of modern dance, mixing athletic movement, sound and fragmented narrative in her choreographies.
Wenders said he had originally been planning to follow Bausch and her Wuppertal Dance Theater company on tour, filming the journey, rehearsals and performances in 3D.
Yet her sudden death in 2009, a few days after she was diagnosed with cancer, nearly brought the project to a halt.
"We had always wanted to do this film together..and then the unimaginable happened and Pina was no more," he said.
"At first I wanted to cancel the whole project but we slowly realized it was important to do it all the same, and Pina was always present in some way."
The resulting film alternates scenes from Bausch's choreographies, archive footage of her at work and poetic soloist dance performances in the city and surrounding area of Wuppertal -- her home and inspiration for 35 years.
A ballerina glides on pointes through an empty, red-brick industrial landscape, a couple bring each other to life through passionate dance by the side of a busy road and a bride stomps dramatically through a carriage on Wuppertal's famous hanging monorail.
"Her whole imagination was constantly fired by the people of this city of Wuppertal...so it was very important for us to let the city be a character in this film," said Wenders.
The 61st Berlin film festival runs to February 20 this year, culminating with the awards ceremony taking place on February 19. "Pina" is screening in the main film line-up but is not in the running for awards.
The annual cinema showcase made Sunday its unofficial three dimension day, with 3D screenings also of "Tales of the Night" by French animator Michel Ocelot and "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" by German veteran director Werner Herzog.
Wenders said he had wanted to do a joint film project with Bausch for more than two decades, since meeting the legendary choreographer, but struggled to convey the emotional rawness of her work on the screen until the advent of 3D technology.
"Only when the dimensional space was added to our language was I able to enter the dancers' very own realm and their language -- that is why it took so long," he told a news conference in Berlin.
"3D and dance fit so wonderfully together, I don't know how you could use this medium in a more appropriate manner."
Hollywood 3D movies such as the sci-fi juggernaut "Avatar," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Toy Story 3" have taken box offices worldwide by storm in recent years, but have yet to gain traction among arthouse movie makers.
"The future of this technology does not necessarily lie where it is being used at the moment, in fantasy films," said Wenders, director of cinema classics such as "Wings of Desire" and "Buena Vista Social Club."
"Once it has been established with smaller and lighter cameras - which is only a matter of time - it will create a whole new approach for reality-driven films."
The 3D effect is discrete in "Pina," compared with that in Hollywood blockbusters, yet gives depth to the dance scenes and draws the viewer into the theater.
DANCE AS NARRATIVE
Pina Bausch was credited with revolutionizing the language of modern dance, mixing athletic movement, sound and fragmented narrative in her choreographies.
Wenders said he had originally been planning to follow Bausch and her Wuppertal Dance Theater company on tour, filming the journey, rehearsals and performances in 3D.
Yet her sudden death in 2009, a few days after she was diagnosed with cancer, nearly brought the project to a halt.
"We had always wanted to do this film together..and then the unimaginable happened and Pina was no more," he said.
"At first I wanted to cancel the whole project but we slowly realized it was important to do it all the same, and Pina was always present in some way."
The resulting film alternates scenes from Bausch's choreographies, archive footage of her at work and poetic soloist dance performances in the city and surrounding area of Wuppertal -- her home and inspiration for 35 years.
A ballerina glides on pointes through an empty, red-brick industrial landscape, a couple bring each other to life through passionate dance by the side of a busy road and a bride stomps dramatically through a carriage on Wuppertal's famous hanging monorail.
"Her whole imagination was constantly fired by the people of this city of Wuppertal...so it was very important for us to let the city be a character in this film," said Wenders.
The 61st Berlin film festival runs to February 20 this year, culminating with the awards ceremony taking place on February 19. "Pina" is screening in the main film line-up but is not in the running for awards.
"The King's Speech" royal winner at BAFTA awards
Reuters, LONDON: "The King's Speech," in which Colin Firth plays stammering King George VI, reigned supreme at Britain's BAFTA awards Sunday, picking up seven prizes with just two weeks to go before the Oscars.
The royal biopic, which won awards for best film, best actor and best supporting actor and actress, also leads the field at the Academy Awards with 12 nominations.
It had been nominated for 14 BAFTAs, ahead of ballet drama "Black Swan" and "Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
"To win best British film and best film at home ... it's a huge thing," director Tom Hooper told reporters.
Hooper said reports that Britain's Queen Elizabeth approved of the film and found it moving were particularly gratifying.
"The fact that it appears to have a seal of approval means a huge amount to me and Colin."
Firth picked up his second BAFTA best actor award in two years after winning the prize for "A Single Man" last year.
"This thing has run away with us all, we're all astonished," he said.
Firth has already won best actor at the Screen Actors Guild awards, the Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for his portrayal of the current British monarch's father. He is nominated for best actor at the February 27 Oscars.
Firth's co-stars in The King's Speech -- Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush -- won the best supporting actress and actor respectively. Bonham Carter thanked the royal family in her acceptance speech.
The film also won the award for outstanding British film, music and scriptwriter David Seidler picked up the best original screenplay prize.
"Inception" picked up three awards including sound and special visual effects.
David Fincher won the best director award for "The Social Network," which tells the tale of the founding of the Facebook website. The film, which has been one of the most tipped for Oscar glory, also won the award for best adapted screenplay.
Best actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg picked up the award on Fincher's behalf as he was unable to attend due to filming.
HARRY POTTER AWARDED
The BAFTAs tend to lean toward British talent more than the Oscars, and they are a far-from-perfect barometer of what happens at the Academy Awards.
But the scale of the success of "The King's Speech" has been noted by the industry as well as the media.
Natalie Portman won the best actress award for Black Swan, the only award the film picked up out of 12 nominations. The film's director Darren Aronofsky picked up the award for the pregnant actress who did not attend the awards ceremony.
Climbing story "127 Hours" was left empty-handed while Western remake "True Grit" earned the award for cinematography.
Inception actor Tom Hardy won the Orange Rising Star prize, which is decided by the British public unlike the other awards. The best foreign film went to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" whose Swedish version is an adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling novel.
The Harry Potter films picked up the award for outstanding British contribution.
"It's very strange to look back after seven films and remember how wary I was of letting anyone put Harry on the big screen," Harry Potter author JK Rowling said.
"...Being involved in these films has been one of the best experiences of my life."
Christopher Lee, best known for his role in horror classics, received an Academy Fellowship in honor of a career spanning six decades. The fellowship is BAFTA's highest honor. Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor and Vanessa Redgrave are among the previous recipients.
The royal biopic, which won awards for best film, best actor and best supporting actor and actress, also leads the field at the Academy Awards with 12 nominations.
It had been nominated for 14 BAFTAs, ahead of ballet drama "Black Swan" and "Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
"To win best British film and best film at home ... it's a huge thing," director Tom Hooper told reporters.
Hooper said reports that Britain's Queen Elizabeth approved of the film and found it moving were particularly gratifying.
"The fact that it appears to have a seal of approval means a huge amount to me and Colin."
Firth picked up his second BAFTA best actor award in two years after winning the prize for "A Single Man" last year.
"This thing has run away with us all, we're all astonished," he said.
Firth has already won best actor at the Screen Actors Guild awards, the Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for his portrayal of the current British monarch's father. He is nominated for best actor at the February 27 Oscars.
Firth's co-stars in The King's Speech -- Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush -- won the best supporting actress and actor respectively. Bonham Carter thanked the royal family in her acceptance speech.
The film also won the award for outstanding British film, music and scriptwriter David Seidler picked up the best original screenplay prize.
"Inception" picked up three awards including sound and special visual effects.
David Fincher won the best director award for "The Social Network," which tells the tale of the founding of the Facebook website. The film, which has been one of the most tipped for Oscar glory, also won the award for best adapted screenplay.
Best actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg picked up the award on Fincher's behalf as he was unable to attend due to filming.
HARRY POTTER AWARDED
The BAFTAs tend to lean toward British talent more than the Oscars, and they are a far-from-perfect barometer of what happens at the Academy Awards.
But the scale of the success of "The King's Speech" has been noted by the industry as well as the media.
Natalie Portman won the best actress award for Black Swan, the only award the film picked up out of 12 nominations. The film's director Darren Aronofsky picked up the award for the pregnant actress who did not attend the awards ceremony.
Climbing story "127 Hours" was left empty-handed while Western remake "True Grit" earned the award for cinematography.
Inception actor Tom Hardy won the Orange Rising Star prize, which is decided by the British public unlike the other awards. The best foreign film went to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" whose Swedish version is an adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling novel.
The Harry Potter films picked up the award for outstanding British contribution.
"It's very strange to look back after seven films and remember how wary I was of letting anyone put Harry on the big screen," Harry Potter author JK Rowling said.
"...Being involved in these films has been one of the best experiences of my life."
Christopher Lee, best known for his role in horror classics, received an Academy Fellowship in honor of a career spanning six decades. The fellowship is BAFTA's highest honor. Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor and Vanessa Redgrave are among the previous recipients.
Factbox: BAFTA award winners for 2011
Reuters, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards were handed out in London on Sunday.
Britain's top film accolades come two weeks before the Oscars and will be watched for clues as to the outcome of the U.S. Academy Awards. Its record as a barometer of success in Los Angeles, however, has been patchy over the last decade.
The following were BAFTA winners:
ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
- Christopher Lee
BEST FILM
- "The King's Speech"
ACTRESS
- Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"
ACTOR
- Colin Firth for "The King's Speech"
DIRECTOR
- David Fincher "The Social Network"
FOREIGN FILM
- "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo"
ANIMATED FILM
- "Toy Story 3"
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- "The Social Network"
ORANGE RISING STAR
- Tom Hardy (voted for by the British public)
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- "Inception"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- David Seidler for "The King's Speech"
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- "The King's Speech"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech"
MAKE UP & HAIR
- "Alice in Wonderland"
COSTUME DESIGN
- "Alice in Wonderland"
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Geoffrey Rush for "The King's Speech"
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- "Inception"
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- "True Grit"
OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
- The "Harry Potter" films
EDITING
- "The Social Network"
SOUND
- "Inception"
MUSIC
- "The King's Speech"
SHORT ANIMATION
- "The Eagleman Stag"
SHORT FILM
- "Until The River Runs Red"
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY BRITISH WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
- Chris Morris, director/writer of "Four Lions." (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian, editing by Paul Casciato)
Britain's top film accolades come two weeks before the Oscars and will be watched for clues as to the outcome of the U.S. Academy Awards. Its record as a barometer of success in Los Angeles, however, has been patchy over the last decade.
The following were BAFTA winners:
ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
- Christopher Lee
BEST FILM
- "The King's Speech"
ACTRESS
- Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"
ACTOR
- Colin Firth for "The King's Speech"
DIRECTOR
- David Fincher "The Social Network"
FOREIGN FILM
- "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo"
ANIMATED FILM
- "Toy Story 3"
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- "The Social Network"
ORANGE RISING STAR
- Tom Hardy (voted for by the British public)
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- "Inception"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- David Seidler for "The King's Speech"
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- "The King's Speech"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech"
MAKE UP & HAIR
- "Alice in Wonderland"
COSTUME DESIGN
- "Alice in Wonderland"
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Geoffrey Rush for "The King's Speech"
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- "Inception"
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- "True Grit"
OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
- The "Harry Potter" films
EDITING
- "The Social Network"
SOUND
- "Inception"
MUSIC
- "The King's Speech"
SHORT ANIMATION
- "The Eagleman Stag"
SHORT FILM
- "Until The River Runs Red"
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY BRITISH WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
- Chris Morris, director/writer of "Four Lions." (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian, editing by Paul Casciato)
'Khodorkovsky' director wary of showing film in Russia
AFP, BERLIN: The maker of a twice-stolen documentary on jailed Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the hottest ticket at the Berlin film festival, is wary of showing it in Moscow for his own safety.
German director Cyril Tuschi had the final edit of "Khodorkovsky" snatched in a break-in at his Berlin office this month, weeks after a hard disk with key scenes were taken from his hotel room in Bali.
In both cases, the thieves left other valuables behind.
He told AFP ahead of the keenly awaited premiere Monday that he was unsure who was behind the thefts but said they had made him extremely cautious.
"I feel more insecure and that is not a good feeling," he said. "I wanted to show the film around May in Moscow and I might not do this personally now."
Tuschi said he was also avoiding his home and office and staying with friends until at least the end of the festival on February 20.
"I don't want to be in the office right now. But we want to do the premiere party near the same location also as a statement, not to let fear govern you and cancel everything," he said.
He pointed to widespread speculation in the international and Russia press that the Kremlin or Russia's FSB domestic security service could have ordered the break-ins.
"I don't have the right to say something about that because I don't know," he said.
"But what I know is that many people in Russia think that and that should make you think about how the people in the country trust the powers (that be) and that is scary."
The film paints a nuanced picture of the man at the heart of Russia's most high-profile legal saga in interviews with family members, opponents, fellow travellers and, in the picture's riveting climax, Khodorkovsky himself.
Tuschi depicts the trials as a kind of tug-of-war between the country's richest man, before he was stripped of his assets, and its most powerful, then president Vladimir Putin.
Khodorkovsky, 47, was first detained in 2003, convicted of tax evasion two years later and handed an eight-year sentence. He was jailed for the second time in December on fraud charges and is to stay behind bars until 2017.
His supporters see him as a martyr punished for daring to challenge Putin while Russian authorities insist he is guilty of serious financial crimes.
Tuschi, who had until now only made art films, said he was puzzled by the theft because the film is more a psychological study rather than a work of investigative journalism. He said he aimed to start a dialogue with the film.
"Totally without irony, I invited the Russian ambassador and some other Russian people (to the Berlin premiere) and it would be great if they came," he said, adding that he had received no response from the embassy.
"I don't have anything against Russia. I love Russia. That it is maybe a provocation to put up the truth in the film -- it's still a wish to communicate. It's not meant as an insult, to nobody," he said.
He acknowledged that the break-in had generated useful publicity ahead of a festival at which nearly 400 films from 58 countries are jockeying for attention.
"It's not only negative of course -- many people make jokes 'good PR stunt, great'," he said, joking that some press reports had depicted the controversy as a kind of James Bond fantasy.
He said he and his team had on Friday frantically completed the editing work lost in the break-ins, just three days ahead of the premiere. "Khodorkovsky" will screen in the festival's Panorama section
German director Cyril Tuschi had the final edit of "Khodorkovsky" snatched in a break-in at his Berlin office this month, weeks after a hard disk with key scenes were taken from his hotel room in Bali.
In both cases, the thieves left other valuables behind.
He told AFP ahead of the keenly awaited premiere Monday that he was unsure who was behind the thefts but said they had made him extremely cautious.
"I feel more insecure and that is not a good feeling," he said. "I wanted to show the film around May in Moscow and I might not do this personally now."
Tuschi said he was also avoiding his home and office and staying with friends until at least the end of the festival on February 20.
"I don't want to be in the office right now. But we want to do the premiere party near the same location also as a statement, not to let fear govern you and cancel everything," he said.
He pointed to widespread speculation in the international and Russia press that the Kremlin or Russia's FSB domestic security service could have ordered the break-ins.
"I don't have the right to say something about that because I don't know," he said.
"But what I know is that many people in Russia think that and that should make you think about how the people in the country trust the powers (that be) and that is scary."
The film paints a nuanced picture of the man at the heart of Russia's most high-profile legal saga in interviews with family members, opponents, fellow travellers and, in the picture's riveting climax, Khodorkovsky himself.
Tuschi depicts the trials as a kind of tug-of-war between the country's richest man, before he was stripped of his assets, and its most powerful, then president Vladimir Putin.
Khodorkovsky, 47, was first detained in 2003, convicted of tax evasion two years later and handed an eight-year sentence. He was jailed for the second time in December on fraud charges and is to stay behind bars until 2017.
His supporters see him as a martyr punished for daring to challenge Putin while Russian authorities insist he is guilty of serious financial crimes.
Tuschi, who had until now only made art films, said he was puzzled by the theft because the film is more a psychological study rather than a work of investigative journalism. He said he aimed to start a dialogue with the film.
"Totally without irony, I invited the Russian ambassador and some other Russian people (to the Berlin premiere) and it would be great if they came," he said, adding that he had received no response from the embassy.
"I don't have anything against Russia. I love Russia. That it is maybe a provocation to put up the truth in the film -- it's still a wish to communicate. It's not meant as an insult, to nobody," he said.
He acknowledged that the break-in had generated useful publicity ahead of a festival at which nearly 400 films from 58 countries are jockeying for attention.
"It's not only negative of course -- many people make jokes 'good PR stunt, great'," he said, joking that some press reports had depicted the controversy as a kind of James Bond fantasy.
He said he and his team had on Friday frantically completed the editing work lost in the break-ins, just three days ahead of the premiere. "Khodorkovsky" will screen in the festival's Panorama section
Liz Taylor remains hospitalized for heart failure
AP, LOS ANGELES: Elizabeth Taylor is likely to spend another few days in a Los Angeles hospital while being treated for congestive heart failure, a spokeswoman for the Oscar-winning actress said Sunday.
Sally Morrison said Taylor was resting comfortably and had been receiving family and friends in her room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
"She had a pretty good day Saturday, and a good night," Morrison said.
The 78-year-old Taylor was admitted late last week and is being treated for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure, a condition she disclosed she had back in November 2004.
Morrison didn't know exactly how long Taylor would be in the hospital but said if past treatments are any indication it could be for several more days.
"At this stage, with her history, they're going to want to keep her in for a while just to make sure they've fixed what they needed to fix," Morrison said, who did not offer details of the treatment.
Taylor, who's appeared in more than 50 films, won Oscars for her performances in "Butterfield 8" (1960) and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966). But she's been just as famous for her marriages — all eight of them, including two to Richard Burton — and her lifelong battles with substance abuse, her weight and physical ailments, including numerous visits to the hospital for more than 20 major operations and countless treatments.
The actress had near-fatal bouts with pneumonia in 1961 and 1990, and another respiratory infection forced her to cancel all engagements for several weeks in late 1992. She had both hip joints replaced in 1994 and 1995.
Her 2004 diagnosis for congestive heart failure, compounded with spinal fractures and the effects of scoliosis, left her nearly bedridden. She's also battled ulcers, amoebic dysentery, bursitis, and had a benign brain tumor removed in 1997. In recent years, she has had to use a wheelchair when out in public.
Sally Morrison said Taylor was resting comfortably and had been receiving family and friends in her room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
"She had a pretty good day Saturday, and a good night," Morrison said.
The 78-year-old Taylor was admitted late last week and is being treated for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure, a condition she disclosed she had back in November 2004.
Morrison didn't know exactly how long Taylor would be in the hospital but said if past treatments are any indication it could be for several more days.
"At this stage, with her history, they're going to want to keep her in for a while just to make sure they've fixed what they needed to fix," Morrison said, who did not offer details of the treatment.
Taylor, who's appeared in more than 50 films, won Oscars for her performances in "Butterfield 8" (1960) and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966). But she's been just as famous for her marriages — all eight of them, including two to Richard Burton — and her lifelong battles with substance abuse, her weight and physical ailments, including numerous visits to the hospital for more than 20 major operations and countless treatments.
The actress had near-fatal bouts with pneumonia in 1961 and 1990, and another respiratory infection forced her to cancel all engagements for several weeks in late 1992. She had both hip joints replaced in 1994 and 1995.
Her 2004 diagnosis for congestive heart failure, compounded with spinal fractures and the effects of scoliosis, left her nearly bedridden. She's also battled ulcers, amoebic dysentery, bursitis, and had a benign brain tumor removed in 1997. In recent years, she has had to use a wheelchair when out in public.
Betty Garrett, actress in film, TV, Broadway, dies
AP, LOS ANGELES: Betty Garrett, the vivacious Broadway star who played Frank Sinatra's sweetheart in two MGM musicals before her career was hampered by the Hollywood blacklist, has died in Los Angeles, her son said Sunday. She was 91.
Garrett died Saturday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, most likely from an aortic aneurysm, said her son, Garrett Parks. Garrett had been in good health and taught her usual musical comedy class at Theater West, the non-profit organization she helped found, on Wednesday night, but Friday checked into the hospital with heart trouble, and died with her family at her side the following morning.
Garrett was best known as the flirtatious girl in love with the shy Sinatra in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "On the Town," both in 1949, and later in life she became well-known to TV audiences with recurring roles in the 1970s sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne and Shirley."
Her movie career was brief, largely because of the Red Hunt led by congressmen who forced her husband, actor Larry Parks, to testify about his earlier membership in the Communist Party.
Parks had won stardom and an Academy Award nomination as best actor for his dynamic portrayal of singer Al Jolson in the 1946 "The Jolson Story." But in 1951, he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and he admitted that he had joined the Communist Party in 1941 and left in 1944 or 1945.
Pressed to name his fellow members of the party, Parks pleaded not to be forced "to crawl through the mud as an informer." He agreed to testify fully in executive session.
He made one more film, "Love Is Better Than Ever" with Elizabeth Taylor, then his film career was over.
"It was a dark period, a foolish, foolish period," Garrett said in 1998. "It destroyed a lot of lives and ruined my husband's career."
Garrett had also had a brief dalliance with the party but wasn't called to testify, perhaps, she said, "because I was nine months pregnant with my second son, and they didn't think I would be a good witness."
Garrett's stage career began to click when she sang the show-stopping "South America, Take It Away" in "Call Me Mister" on Broadway in 1946. That brought Hollywood offers, and at 27 she signed a contract with MGM, then the king of musical movies. Her son said aside from her family she considered the work she would do for MGM her life's highest point.
"She was very proud of the MGM musicals," Parks said.
Particularly memorable was "On the Town," the Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein musical about three sailors on leave in New York City. She played the comically aggressive cab driver who pursues Sinatra (singing the racy "Come Up to My Place") while his pals, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin, team up with Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller.
Besides the two pictures with Sinatra, she appeared in "Words and Music" and "Neptune's Daughter," in which she and Red Skelton sang the Oscar-winning song "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
MGM dropped her after Parks' testimony, and she received no film offers until she co-starred with Jack Lemmon and Janet Leigh in the 1955 musical version of "My Sister Eileen," playing Eileen's (Leigh's) sister, Ruth.
Unable to find much work in Hollywood, she and Parks hit the road with a musical act. It proved a hit in Las Vegas, London and other cities. When the bookings thinned out, Parks became a home builder. He died in 1975.
Betty maintained a busy career in theater and television. She played recurring roles in "All in the Family," as the chatty friend of Edith Bunker who duels with Archie, and "Laverne and Shirley," as a landlady who married Laverne's father.
She garnered an Emmy nomination in 2003 for guest actress in a comedy series for an appearance on the Ted Danson sitcom "Becker."
Over the years, she also had sporadic roles on Broadway, including parts in "Spoon River Anthology" in 1963 and "Meet Me in St. Louis" in 1989. She was back on Broadway in 2001 in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies."
In 1998, she published her autobiography, "Betty Garrett and Other Songs," which was the title of her one-woman show.
She also taught and appeared in plays at Workshop West, which she helped found in the late 1950s.
Asked in 1998 if she retained bitterness that she and Parks were blacklisted, she replied: "It's not my nature to be bitter. What I feel is deep sorrow. We both, I think, were just on the verge of becoming really big stars, particularly Larry. And it just went crashing down."
Betty Garrett was born in 1919 in St. Joseph, Mo. Her father, a traveling salesman, moved his wife and daughter to Seattle. He died of alcoholism when Betty was 2. She attended Roman Catholic schools though she wasn't a Catholic.
She had demonstrated a talent for dancing and acting, and her ambitious mother took her to New York where she had won a scholarship at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse. Betty was 17.
Garrett's stage debut came with "Danton's Death" at Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre in 1938. Later shows included "All in Fun," "Something for the Boys," "Laffin' Room Only" and "Bells Are Ringing." She also danced with the Martha Graham troupe, worked summers on the Borscht Belt, and even wore a fake jewel in her navel as a $25-a-week chorus girl in the Latin Quarter in Boston.
In addition to Garrett Parks, a composer, his wife Karen Culliver Parks and her granddaughter Madison Claire Parks, she was survived by her son Andrew Parks, an actor, and his wife Katy Melody.
The family did not plan to have a funeral, but was planning a memorial service for later in the month.
Associated Press writer Bob Thomas in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Garrett died Saturday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, most likely from an aortic aneurysm, said her son, Garrett Parks. Garrett had been in good health and taught her usual musical comedy class at Theater West, the non-profit organization she helped found, on Wednesday night, but Friday checked into the hospital with heart trouble, and died with her family at her side the following morning.
Garrett was best known as the flirtatious girl in love with the shy Sinatra in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "On the Town," both in 1949, and later in life she became well-known to TV audiences with recurring roles in the 1970s sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne and Shirley."
Her movie career was brief, largely because of the Red Hunt led by congressmen who forced her husband, actor Larry Parks, to testify about his earlier membership in the Communist Party.
Parks had won stardom and an Academy Award nomination as best actor for his dynamic portrayal of singer Al Jolson in the 1946 "The Jolson Story." But in 1951, he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and he admitted that he had joined the Communist Party in 1941 and left in 1944 or 1945.
Pressed to name his fellow members of the party, Parks pleaded not to be forced "to crawl through the mud as an informer." He agreed to testify fully in executive session.
He made one more film, "Love Is Better Than Ever" with Elizabeth Taylor, then his film career was over.
"It was a dark period, a foolish, foolish period," Garrett said in 1998. "It destroyed a lot of lives and ruined my husband's career."
Garrett had also had a brief dalliance with the party but wasn't called to testify, perhaps, she said, "because I was nine months pregnant with my second son, and they didn't think I would be a good witness."
Garrett's stage career began to click when she sang the show-stopping "South America, Take It Away" in "Call Me Mister" on Broadway in 1946. That brought Hollywood offers, and at 27 she signed a contract with MGM, then the king of musical movies. Her son said aside from her family she considered the work she would do for MGM her life's highest point.
"She was very proud of the MGM musicals," Parks said.
Particularly memorable was "On the Town," the Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein musical about three sailors on leave in New York City. She played the comically aggressive cab driver who pursues Sinatra (singing the racy "Come Up to My Place") while his pals, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin, team up with Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller.
Besides the two pictures with Sinatra, she appeared in "Words and Music" and "Neptune's Daughter," in which she and Red Skelton sang the Oscar-winning song "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
MGM dropped her after Parks' testimony, and she received no film offers until she co-starred with Jack Lemmon and Janet Leigh in the 1955 musical version of "My Sister Eileen," playing Eileen's (Leigh's) sister, Ruth.
Unable to find much work in Hollywood, she and Parks hit the road with a musical act. It proved a hit in Las Vegas, London and other cities. When the bookings thinned out, Parks became a home builder. He died in 1975.
Betty maintained a busy career in theater and television. She played recurring roles in "All in the Family," as the chatty friend of Edith Bunker who duels with Archie, and "Laverne and Shirley," as a landlady who married Laverne's father.
She garnered an Emmy nomination in 2003 for guest actress in a comedy series for an appearance on the Ted Danson sitcom "Becker."
Over the years, she also had sporadic roles on Broadway, including parts in "Spoon River Anthology" in 1963 and "Meet Me in St. Louis" in 1989. She was back on Broadway in 2001 in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies."
In 1998, she published her autobiography, "Betty Garrett and Other Songs," which was the title of her one-woman show.
She also taught and appeared in plays at Workshop West, which she helped found in the late 1950s.
Asked in 1998 if she retained bitterness that she and Parks were blacklisted, she replied: "It's not my nature to be bitter. What I feel is deep sorrow. We both, I think, were just on the verge of becoming really big stars, particularly Larry. And it just went crashing down."
Betty Garrett was born in 1919 in St. Joseph, Mo. Her father, a traveling salesman, moved his wife and daughter to Seattle. He died of alcoholism when Betty was 2. She attended Roman Catholic schools though she wasn't a Catholic.
She had demonstrated a talent for dancing and acting, and her ambitious mother took her to New York where she had won a scholarship at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse. Betty was 17.
Garrett's stage debut came with "Danton's Death" at Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre in 1938. Later shows included "All in Fun," "Something for the Boys," "Laffin' Room Only" and "Bells Are Ringing." She also danced with the Martha Graham troupe, worked summers on the Borscht Belt, and even wore a fake jewel in her navel as a $25-a-week chorus girl in the Latin Quarter in Boston.
In addition to Garrett Parks, a composer, his wife Karen Culliver Parks and her granddaughter Madison Claire Parks, she was survived by her son Andrew Parks, an actor, and his wife Katy Melody.
The family did not plan to have a funeral, but was planning a memorial service for later in the month.
Associated Press writer Bob Thomas in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Russell Brand riffs on fame on "Saturday Night Live"
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Another American domino has fallen for Russell Brand.
The English actor appeared on "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday in his first-ever hosting gig for the U.S. comedic television institution.
In his opening monologue, the funnyman better known as Mr. Katy Perry to some Americans rather than for his own stand-up material or acting roles, riffed on the nature of fame.
"Fame really looses its edge if you have to tell people you have it," he said, referencing his notoriety in the Britain versus his lower profile in the United States.
Critical reaction was mixed for the show.
Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker said of one sketch, "Brand managed an American accent to deliver dialogue that would have required a private detective to locate any punchlines." He called Brand's opening of the show "high-energy" but "low-amusement."
Curiously, Brand's pop singer wife Katy Perry didn't say much on Twitter after his set aired. Perry only gushed before Brand appeared live Saturday on the show, saying, "If you're looking to LAUGH tonight check out my highlarious hubby @rustyrockets HOSTING SNL TONIGHT!!!"
Brand, who recently played a series of well-received surprise shows in small venues in Los Angeles, finished the night off in good cheer.
"I bled for you," the star of the upcoming movie remake of "Arthur" said as the show drew to a close.
The English actor appeared on "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday in his first-ever hosting gig for the U.S. comedic television institution.
In his opening monologue, the funnyman better known as Mr. Katy Perry to some Americans rather than for his own stand-up material or acting roles, riffed on the nature of fame.
"Fame really looses its edge if you have to tell people you have it," he said, referencing his notoriety in the Britain versus his lower profile in the United States.
Critical reaction was mixed for the show.
Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker said of one sketch, "Brand managed an American accent to deliver dialogue that would have required a private detective to locate any punchlines." He called Brand's opening of the show "high-energy" but "low-amusement."
Curiously, Brand's pop singer wife Katy Perry didn't say much on Twitter after his set aired. Perry only gushed before Brand appeared live Saturday on the show, saying, "If you're looking to LAUGH tonight check out my highlarious hubby @rustyrockets HOSTING SNL TONIGHT!!!"
Brand, who recently played a series of well-received surprise shows in small venues in Los Angeles, finished the night off in good cheer.
"I bled for you," the star of the upcoming movie remake of "Arthur" said as the show drew to a close.
Lady Gaga "hatches" from egg, sports pointy shoulders
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Lady Gaga stole the Grammy limelight on Sunday by arriving encased in a giant egg, and crawling out of it to perform her new single "Born This Way".
Gaga, 24, declared in a Twitter message that she was "in incubation" for her live appearance. Aides said she had spent three hours crouched inside the egg with an oxygen mask ahead of her arrival.
Borne aloft by attendants dressed in scanty gold-colored garb, the egg was the latest in a series of stunts by the performance artist and singer. In September, she wore a headline-grabbing dress made entirely of raw meat that she wore to the MTV Music Video Awards.
Onstage on Sunday, she crawled out of the egg dressed in yellow and sporting what appeared to be pointed shoulder implants.
Away from the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles, the singer made headlines by saying in a pre-recorded TV interview that she uses marijuana and whiskey to help write her songs.
"(I) drink a lot of whiskey and I smoke weed when I write. And I don't do it a lot because it's not good for my voice," the singer told TV news show "60 Minutes".
"I don't want to encourage kids to do drugs....And I don't lie. I'm not a liar. I built good will with my fans. They know who I am. And I'm just like them in so many ways," she added.
Halfway through the Grammy ceremony, Gaga had won three of the six awards she had been nominated for -- one for her album "The Fame Monster" and two for her song "Bad Romance."
"I had this dream when I was really young that I could be whoever I wanted to be," she said in her acceptance speech.
The singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, told "60 Minutes" there was always a point to her outrageous outfits.
"There's nothing that I've ever put on my body that I didn't understand where it came from, the reference of it, who inspired it. There's always some sort of a story or a concept that I'm telling," she said.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Dean Goodman; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)
Gaga, 24, declared in a Twitter message that she was "in incubation" for her live appearance. Aides said she had spent three hours crouched inside the egg with an oxygen mask ahead of her arrival.
Borne aloft by attendants dressed in scanty gold-colored garb, the egg was the latest in a series of stunts by the performance artist and singer. In September, she wore a headline-grabbing dress made entirely of raw meat that she wore to the MTV Music Video Awards.
Onstage on Sunday, she crawled out of the egg dressed in yellow and sporting what appeared to be pointed shoulder implants.
Away from the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles, the singer made headlines by saying in a pre-recorded TV interview that she uses marijuana and whiskey to help write her songs.
"(I) drink a lot of whiskey and I smoke weed when I write. And I don't do it a lot because it's not good for my voice," the singer told TV news show "60 Minutes".
"I don't want to encourage kids to do drugs....And I don't lie. I'm not a liar. I built good will with my fans. They know who I am. And I'm just like them in so many ways," she added.
Halfway through the Grammy ceremony, Gaga had won three of the six awards she had been nominated for -- one for her album "The Fame Monster" and two for her song "Bad Romance."
"I had this dream when I was really young that I could be whoever I wanted to be," she said in her acceptance speech.
The singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, told "60 Minutes" there was always a point to her outrageous outfits.
"There's nothing that I've ever put on my body that I didn't understand where it came from, the reference of it, who inspired it. There's always some sort of a story or a concept that I'm telling," she said.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Dean Goodman; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)
Movie fans catch Bieber fever at box offices
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Fans of teenage pop star Justin Bieber turned out in strong numbers during the weekend for his movie "Never Say Never," putting it in a tight race for No. 1 at box offices with Adam Sandler comedy "Just Go With It."
Film studio estimates released on Sunday had Sandler's romantic comedy, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, taking in $31 million to claim the top spot on ticket charts. The Bieber film was close behind at $30.3 million for the three-day weekend.
But counting ticket sales for special screenings of "Just Bieber: Never Say Never" held late last week ahead of Friday's U.S. and Canadian opening, the movie's ticket sales hit just over $31 million, according to distributor Paramount Pictures.
Monday's final tally will decide the winner of the weekly box-office competition but Paramount was basking in a better-than-expected opening for the movie, which mixes 3D concert footage and more personal video of the 16-year-old singer to paint a picture of his rise to superstardom.
Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution for Paramount, said Bieber's legions of mostly young female fans turned out, as expected. But many positive reviews for "Never Say Never" and good exit polling of moviegoers had the studio believing the movie might expand to wider audiences.
"We think the movie will hang around (theaters) for awhile," Harris said.
The Bieber movie debuted in just over 3,100 locations for a per-theater average of $9,700. The Sandler movie opened in just over 3,500 venues for an average around $8,700 per theater.
MONDAY'S FINAL TALLY
If numbers hold up on Monday, "Just Go With It" will be Sandler's 11th No. 1 debut. Yet, it failed to match his last romantic comedy that opened ahead of a Valentine's Day weekend in the United States. In 2003, his "50 First Dates," opposite Drew Barrymore, took in $39.8 million in its first weekend, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com.
Still, distributor Columbia Pictures thinks Valentine's Day audiences should help boost ticket sales of "Just Go With It" if date-minded couples turn out on Sunday and Monday.
Columbia said Sandler continues to expand his popularity with international audiences. "Just Go With It" opened well in the United Kingdom with $2.6 million in ticket sales, and in Mexico it was the No. 1 film with $1.75 million -- a figure that was double the tally for "50 First Dates."
Elsewhere, the No. 3 film in the weekly sweepstakes at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices was animated family movie, "Gnomeo and Juliet" with $25.5 million in its first weekend. Its per-theater average was just over $8,500 in right around 3,000 locations.
The weekend's fourth new entry, action adventure "The Eagle," starring Channing Tatum, debuted with $8.6 million, or an average of about $3,700 in around 2,300 theaters. It placed at No.4 on box office charts.
Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech" rounded out the top five with $7.4 million in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative total to just under $94 million.
"Never Say Never" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc; "Just Go With It" by Columbia Pictures, a movie unit of Sony Corp; and "Gnomeo and Juliet" by the film unit of The Walt Disney Co.. "The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, the unit of Universal Pictures that is controlled by Comcast Corp.. "King's Speech" was released by privately-held The Weinstein Co.
Film studio estimates released on Sunday had Sandler's romantic comedy, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston, taking in $31 million to claim the top spot on ticket charts. The Bieber film was close behind at $30.3 million for the three-day weekend.
But counting ticket sales for special screenings of "Just Bieber: Never Say Never" held late last week ahead of Friday's U.S. and Canadian opening, the movie's ticket sales hit just over $31 million, according to distributor Paramount Pictures.
Monday's final tally will decide the winner of the weekly box-office competition but Paramount was basking in a better-than-expected opening for the movie, which mixes 3D concert footage and more personal video of the 16-year-old singer to paint a picture of his rise to superstardom.
Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution for Paramount, said Bieber's legions of mostly young female fans turned out, as expected. But many positive reviews for "Never Say Never" and good exit polling of moviegoers had the studio believing the movie might expand to wider audiences.
"We think the movie will hang around (theaters) for awhile," Harris said.
The Bieber movie debuted in just over 3,100 locations for a per-theater average of $9,700. The Sandler movie opened in just over 3,500 venues for an average around $8,700 per theater.
MONDAY'S FINAL TALLY
If numbers hold up on Monday, "Just Go With It" will be Sandler's 11th No. 1 debut. Yet, it failed to match his last romantic comedy that opened ahead of a Valentine's Day weekend in the United States. In 2003, his "50 First Dates," opposite Drew Barrymore, took in $39.8 million in its first weekend, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com.
Still, distributor Columbia Pictures thinks Valentine's Day audiences should help boost ticket sales of "Just Go With It" if date-minded couples turn out on Sunday and Monday.
Columbia said Sandler continues to expand his popularity with international audiences. "Just Go With It" opened well in the United Kingdom with $2.6 million in ticket sales, and in Mexico it was the No. 1 film with $1.75 million -- a figure that was double the tally for "50 First Dates."
Elsewhere, the No. 3 film in the weekly sweepstakes at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices was animated family movie, "Gnomeo and Juliet" with $25.5 million in its first weekend. Its per-theater average was just over $8,500 in right around 3,000 locations.
The weekend's fourth new entry, action adventure "The Eagle," starring Channing Tatum, debuted with $8.6 million, or an average of about $3,700 in around 2,300 theaters. It placed at No.4 on box office charts.
Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech" rounded out the top five with $7.4 million in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative total to just under $94 million.
"Never Say Never" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc; "Just Go With It" by Columbia Pictures, a movie unit of Sony Corp; and "Gnomeo and Juliet" by the film unit of The Walt Disney Co.. "The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, the unit of Universal Pictures that is controlled by Comcast Corp.. "King's Speech" was released by privately-held The Weinstein Co.
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