Academy Award-winning actor and multiple Grammy-winning performer Robin Williams has teamed up with leading charity auction site charitybuzz.com to auction off a pair of tickets to the final performance of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo on Broadway to raise funds for an organization close to his heart. The winner will also meet Robin Williams himself backstage, pose for a photo with him, and have him sign their playbill.
The proceeds of this auction benefit Bernadette Peters' Broadway Barks. This organization promotes the adoption of animals and focuses on the plight of homeless animals. Broadway Barks has opened the doors of communication and fostered a spirit of community among the numerous shelters and rescue groups working throughout the city.
In Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the lives of two American Marines and an Iraqi translator are forever changed by an encounter with a quick-witted tiger who haunts the streets of war-torn Baghdad attempting to find meaning, forgiveness and redemption amidst the city's ruins. The New York Times writes, "This boldly imagined, harrowing and surprisingly funny drama is wonderfully daring."
A finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo comes to Broadway for a strictly limited engagement, directed by Tony Award® nominee Moisés Kaufman.
source: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Robin-Williams-Teams-with-Broadway-Barks-for-BENGAL-TIGER-Auction-20110609#ixzz1P5oy0nxi
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Brooke Shields and Robin Williams Will Be Tony Presenters; Daniel Radcliffe To Sing
Brooke Shields and Robin Williams are the latest additions to the list of artists who will present awards at the 65th Annual Tony Awards, which will air on CBS June 12 at 8 PM ET live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Neil Patrick Harris hosts.
Special appearances will also be made by the previously reported Catherine Zeta-Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson, Kelsey Grammer, Viola Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Christie Brinkley, David Hyde Pierce, Marg Helgenberger, Matthew Broderick, Angela Lansbury, Jim Parsons, Joel Grey, Patrick Wilson and Robert Morse.
In related news, Daniel Radcliffe, who is currently starring on Broadway in the revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, will join cast members from that show to perform "Brotherhood of Man" on the Tony telecast.
The 2011 Tony Awards will be executive-produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment.
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The awards, Broadway's highest honor, have been broadcast on CBS since 1978. This will be the first year that the show will be broadcast from The Beacon Theatre, which is part of the Madison Square Garden portfolio of venues. (As previously reported, Radio City Music Hall, the home of the Tony Awards for the past several years, is unavailable for this year's awards show.)
The Tony Awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
source:http://www.playbill.com/news/article/151537-Brooke-Shields-and-Robin-Williams-Will-Be-Tony-Presenters-Daniel-Radcliffe-To-Sing
Special appearances will also be made by the previously reported Catherine Zeta-Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson, Kelsey Grammer, Viola Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Christie Brinkley, David Hyde Pierce, Marg Helgenberger, Matthew Broderick, Angela Lansbury, Jim Parsons, Joel Grey, Patrick Wilson and Robert Morse.
In related news, Daniel Radcliffe, who is currently starring on Broadway in the revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, will join cast members from that show to perform "Brotherhood of Man" on the Tony telecast.
The 2011 Tony Awards will be executive-produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment.
Advertisement
The awards, Broadway's highest honor, have been broadcast on CBS since 1978. This will be the first year that the show will be broadcast from The Beacon Theatre, which is part of the Madison Square Garden portfolio of venues. (As previously reported, Radio City Music Hall, the home of the Tony Awards for the past several years, is unavailable for this year's awards show.)
The Tony Awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
source:http://www.playbill.com/news/article/151537-Brooke-Shields-and-Robin-Williams-Will-Be-Tony-Presenters-Daniel-Radcliffe-To-Sing
Previous post The Legend of Robin (and Zelda)
The fact that the 3D redux of iconic Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is set to be released in North America this Sunday, which also happens to be Father’s Day, is apparently not lost on Nintendo of America. The latest commercial for this newly re-skinned classic features actor/comedian Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda, who is named after the titular princess.
It’s a sweet and enjoyable ad for an equally captivating game. Still, while I’m not quite willing to give Williams the award for geekiest kid’s name outright, I’m pretty sure he’s got the “Best Beard” category all sewn up!
It’s a sweet and enjoyable ad for an equally captivating game. Still, while I’m not quite willing to give Williams the award for geekiest kid’s name outright, I’m pretty sure he’s got the “Best Beard” category all sewn up!
Popular right now: Raven Symone 'Hates Partying,' Worries What Parents Would Say Is She Really A Good Girl?
Raven Symone has grown up in the spotlight for most of her life, so she can't be blamed for wanting to creep under the radar sometimes. The actress has revealed that she only goes out to celebrity parties when she has a show to promote.
In an interview with JET magazine, Raven admits that she would rather stay at home than party. "I stay in my house. The only reason you're seeing so much of me now is because I need to promote the show," she reveals.
"I sit there like this (rolling her eyes) wondering when's this going to be over. As soon as the show ends, I'll be back under the radar."
The 25-year-old also reveals that she has trouble finding a good man and is fed-up of mothering her boyfriends. "I don't want to always have to pamper and baby. That's not going to happen. My perfect guy would be a mannequin - one that comes alive only when I need him to!"
Do you think Raven is as innocent as she wants us to believe?
source: http://www.taletela.com/news/7091/raven-symone-hates-partying-worries-what-parents-would-say
In an interview with JET magazine, Raven admits that she would rather stay at home than party. "I stay in my house. The only reason you're seeing so much of me now is because I need to promote the show," she reveals.
"I sit there like this (rolling her eyes) wondering when's this going to be over. As soon as the show ends, I'll be back under the radar."
The 25-year-old also reveals that she has trouble finding a good man and is fed-up of mothering her boyfriends. "I don't want to always have to pamper and baby. That's not going to happen. My perfect guy would be a mannequin - one that comes alive only when I need him to!"
Do you think Raven is as innocent as she wants us to believe?
source: http://www.taletela.com/news/7091/raven-symone-hates-partying-worries-what-parents-would-say
Raven Symone extreme Body Transformation
Raven Symone has undergone a dramatic body transformation since her days of That's So Raven. Of course it turns out the young actress felt beautiful all along.
"I find it funny that people now come up to me and say 'Wow, you are absolutely gorgeous,' she told Vibe magazine. "I'm like, 'I was beautiful before I lost the weight. Egotistically speaking, I thought I was amazing."
It's not the first time she's said so, either. Earlier this year when Raven first revealed her new body, she explained her frustration with people's fixation on skinny body types.
"I thought I looked fabulous before and nobody else did. So, whatever," she told People.
Raven has been taking advantage of her new body by rocking some brand new styles on the red carpet. Check out the pictures below and see what you think.
source:http://www.zimbio.com/Raven-Symone/articles/ZGz31lJEKiO/Raven+Symone+Body+Transformation+Latest+Pictures
"I find it funny that people now come up to me and say 'Wow, you are absolutely gorgeous,' she told Vibe magazine. "I'm like, 'I was beautiful before I lost the weight. Egotistically speaking, I thought I was amazing."
It's not the first time she's said so, either. Earlier this year when Raven first revealed her new body, she explained her frustration with people's fixation on skinny body types.
"I thought I looked fabulous before and nobody else did. So, whatever," she told People.
Raven has been taking advantage of her new body by rocking some brand new styles on the red carpet. Check out the pictures below and see what you think.
source:http://www.zimbio.com/Raven-Symone/articles/ZGz31lJEKiO/Raven+Symone+Body+Transformation+Latest+Pictures
( who is ) Raven Symone
Raven-Symone (born December 10, 1985) is an actress, singer-songwriter, dancer, and television producer. Raven-Symone is best known for her television roles as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show, Nicole Lee on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Galleria Garibaldi on The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2 and as Raven Baxter on her own show, That's So Raven. Raven-Symoné owns a "how-to" video website, Raven-Symoné Presents, which is used as her official website.She has also lent her voice to the animated series Kim Possible, for the character Monique.
source: http://www.zimbio.com/Raven-Symone/articles
source: http://www.zimbio.com/Raven-Symone/articles
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Amityville Horror gets its own 3-D something something
by Sean O'Neal May 11, 2011
Not to be outdone by Lionsgate’s forward-thinking strategy of affixing some cheap stereoscopic siding over a creaky, paint-slapped old property, Hannibal Classics has announced plans to reboot, again, the Amityville Horror franchise with the spin-off The Amityville Legacy 3-D. And perhaps realizing that the long-running haunted-house story is by now so predictable, where plot is secondary to the “dazzling set pieces” that are the only remaining reason to see the same slightly variegated scares, the company has issued in its press release a ridiculously detailed synopsis of exactly what will happen in the movie—spoiling every “surprise” along the way—that you can read right here. Of course, anyone headed to see this isn’t exactly looking for surprises, we suppose, but rarely do you see a film so aware of its own formula that it doesn’t mind just printing the contents right on the can. It’s kind of ballsy, actually. Balls 3-D.
source:http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-amityville-horror-gets-its-own-3d-something-so,55896/
Not to be outdone by Lionsgate’s forward-thinking strategy of affixing some cheap stereoscopic siding over a creaky, paint-slapped old property, Hannibal Classics has announced plans to reboot, again, the Amityville Horror franchise with the spin-off The Amityville Legacy 3-D. And perhaps realizing that the long-running haunted-house story is by now so predictable, where plot is secondary to the “dazzling set pieces” that are the only remaining reason to see the same slightly variegated scares, the company has issued in its press release a ridiculously detailed synopsis of exactly what will happen in the movie—spoiling every “surprise” along the way—that you can read right here. Of course, anyone headed to see this isn’t exactly looking for surprises, we suppose, but rarely do you see a film so aware of its own formula that it doesn’t mind just printing the contents right on the can. It’s kind of ballsy, actually. Balls 3-D.
source:http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-amityville-horror-gets-its-own-3d-something-so,55896/
Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes
“CANNES, FRANCE, May 15, 2011 – Dimension Films and Miramax today announced the production of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE LOST TAPES. This is the first film to be produced under the agreement between
Miramax and The Weinstein Company to create sequels to some of Miramax’s best-known properties.
Dimension also announced that it has acquired the rights to a new screenplay for the film by Casey La Scala and Daniel Farrands. Farrands and La Scala are also set to direct the film. Production will commence this summer with a release date scheduled for January 27, 2012. The announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company (TWC), and Mike Lang, CEO of Miramax.
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE LOST TAPES showcases the events after the time of the original The Amityville Horror book and movie through found footage dating back to 1976. An ambitious female television news intern, on the verge of breaking the most famous haunted house case in the world, leads a team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers into an investigation of the bizarre events that will come to be known as The Amityville Horror … only to unwittingly open a door to the unreal that she may never be able to close.
“We are thrilled to return to the mythology of the Amityville Horror with a new and terrifying vision that will satisfy our existing fans and also introduce an entirely new audience to this popular haunting phenomenon,” said Bob Weinstein.
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE LOST TAPES is being produced by Jason Blum, Casey La Scala and Daniel Farrands. Bob and Harvey Weinstein are Executive Producers. Blum has previous experience with found footage films having produced PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 1 and 2, which have grossed close to $400 million worldwide.
The Amityville Horror stories are based on events in the life of George Lutz. The Amityville Horror project is one of several sequel or development projects that Miramax and TWC are currently collaborating on.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Bob to reinvent one of the all-time great horror franchises, and I think this new installment will really hit home with a new generation of moviegoers,” said Jason Blum.”
I remember vividly seeing the original movie back in my youth on the Movie Channel. I was watching it on a Saturday night at my Grandmother’s house and she got so scared by it she made me turn it off. It took me a couple of weeks to catch it again with my Father, then he dropped the bombshell that it was based on a true story.
Thanks to FilmmakerEBW over at YouTube for posting this bit of info on the real case of the Amityville Horror, but BE WARNED, there are some graphic images of the slain family members who lived in the house before Kathleen and George Lutz moved in.
source:http://www.retroist.com/2011/05/16/amityville-horror-the-lost-tapes/
Miramax and The Weinstein Company to create sequels to some of Miramax’s best-known properties.
Dimension also announced that it has acquired the rights to a new screenplay for the film by Casey La Scala and Daniel Farrands. Farrands and La Scala are also set to direct the film. Production will commence this summer with a release date scheduled for January 27, 2012. The announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company (TWC), and Mike Lang, CEO of Miramax.
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE LOST TAPES showcases the events after the time of the original The Amityville Horror book and movie through found footage dating back to 1976. An ambitious female television news intern, on the verge of breaking the most famous haunted house case in the world, leads a team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers into an investigation of the bizarre events that will come to be known as The Amityville Horror … only to unwittingly open a door to the unreal that she may never be able to close.
“We are thrilled to return to the mythology of the Amityville Horror with a new and terrifying vision that will satisfy our existing fans and also introduce an entirely new audience to this popular haunting phenomenon,” said Bob Weinstein.
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE LOST TAPES is being produced by Jason Blum, Casey La Scala and Daniel Farrands. Bob and Harvey Weinstein are Executive Producers. Blum has previous experience with found footage films having produced PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 1 and 2, which have grossed close to $400 million worldwide.
The Amityville Horror stories are based on events in the life of George Lutz. The Amityville Horror project is one of several sequel or development projects that Miramax and TWC are currently collaborating on.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Bob to reinvent one of the all-time great horror franchises, and I think this new installment will really hit home with a new generation of moviegoers,” said Jason Blum.”
I remember vividly seeing the original movie back in my youth on the Movie Channel. I was watching it on a Saturday night at my Grandmother’s house and she got so scared by it she made me turn it off. It took me a couple of weeks to catch it again with my Father, then he dropped the bombshell that it was based on a true story.
Thanks to FilmmakerEBW over at YouTube for posting this bit of info on the real case of the Amityville Horror, but BE WARNED, there are some graphic images of the slain family members who lived in the house before Kathleen and George Lutz moved in.
source:http://www.retroist.com/2011/05/16/amityville-horror-the-lost-tapes/
The Amityville Horror ( the history )
The Amityville Horror: A True Story is a book by Jay Anson, and was published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released between 1979 and 2005. The book is said to be based on the real life paranormal experiences of the Lutz family, but has led to controversy and lawsuits over its truthfulness.
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children moved into 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial house in Amityville, a suburban neighborhood located on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Thirteen months before the Lutzes moved in, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. had shot and killed six members of his family at the house. After 28 days, the Lutzes left the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there.
The Amityville Horror has been the subject of nine films:
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Amityville 3D (1983) (made in 3-D, and has also been released as Amityville III: The Demon)
Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
The Amityville Curse (1990)
Amityville: It's About Time (1992)
Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
The Amityville Horror (2005 remake)
The 1979 film, based on Jay Anson's novel, is the most well-known in the series. James Brolin and Margot Kidder portray the couple George and Kathy Lutz. The part of the priest who blesses the house (renamed Father Delaney in the film) was played by Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger. The first three Amityville films received a theatrical release, while the fourth film was made for television by NBC. The sequels from the 1990s were released direct to video, and contain virtually no material relating to the Lutz family or the DeFeo murders. Instead, they concentrate on paranormal phenomena caused by cursed items supposedly linked to the house.
One of the famous features of the Amityville Horror films is the distinctive pumpkin head appearance of the house, which was created by two quarter round windows on the third floor attic level. The windows are often illuminated in the films, giving the appearance of malevolent eyes. The first three films were filmed at a house in Toms River, New Jersey which had been converted to look like 112 Ocean Avenue after the authorities in Amityville denied permission for location filming. Although not all of the films in The Amityville Horror series are set at the former Lutz home on Ocean Avenue, the distinctive Dutch Colonial house is traditionally used as the main image in promotional material.
In 2005, a remake of the original Amityville Horror film was released, with the tagline Katch em and kill em, referring to the claimed link between the house in Ocean Avenue and John Ketcham, whose name has been linked to witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts but remains a controversial and elusive figure.[19] This version exaggerates the isolation of 112 Ocean Avenue by depicting it as a remote house similar to the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's The Shining. In reality, 112 Ocean Avenue was a suburban house within 50 feet (15 m) of other houses in the neighborhood. The house used in the 2005 version was in Silver Lake, Wisconsin, while other location work was shot in nearby Antioch, Illinois. The child character Jodie DeFeo, appearing in the film, is fictional and was not one of the victims of the shootings by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. in November 1974. George Lutz described the 2005 remake as "drivel" and sued the makers for defamation, libel, and breach of contract.[20] He objected particularly to the scene in the film where the male lead – named as George Lutz and played by Ryan Reynolds – is shown killing the family dog with an axe. The film also shows the George Lutz character building coffins for members of his own family. The defamation claim was dismissed by a Los Angeles court in November 2005, while other issues related to the lawsuit remained unresolved at the time of George Lutz's death.[21]
Los Angeles independent filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach is currently working on a docudrama about the Amityville Horror case. The film, "Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders" will reportedly chronicle the DeFeo family and examine forensic evidence associated with the original 1974 murders while challenging the veracity of the "Amityville Horror" story. Edward Asner is narrating the film, which will reportedly be 4 hours long.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amityville_Horror
In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children moved into 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial house in Amityville, a suburban neighborhood located on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Thirteen months before the Lutzes moved in, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. had shot and killed six members of his family at the house. After 28 days, the Lutzes left the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there.
The Amityville Horror has been the subject of nine films:
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Amityville 3D (1983) (made in 3-D, and has also been released as Amityville III: The Demon)
Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
The Amityville Curse (1990)
Amityville: It's About Time (1992)
Amityville: A New Generation (1993)
Amityville Dollhouse (1996)
The Amityville Horror (2005 remake)
The 1979 film, based on Jay Anson's novel, is the most well-known in the series. James Brolin and Margot Kidder portray the couple George and Kathy Lutz. The part of the priest who blesses the house (renamed Father Delaney in the film) was played by Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger. The first three Amityville films received a theatrical release, while the fourth film was made for television by NBC. The sequels from the 1990s were released direct to video, and contain virtually no material relating to the Lutz family or the DeFeo murders. Instead, they concentrate on paranormal phenomena caused by cursed items supposedly linked to the house.
One of the famous features of the Amityville Horror films is the distinctive pumpkin head appearance of the house, which was created by two quarter round windows on the third floor attic level. The windows are often illuminated in the films, giving the appearance of malevolent eyes. The first three films were filmed at a house in Toms River, New Jersey which had been converted to look like 112 Ocean Avenue after the authorities in Amityville denied permission for location filming. Although not all of the films in The Amityville Horror series are set at the former Lutz home on Ocean Avenue, the distinctive Dutch Colonial house is traditionally used as the main image in promotional material.
In 2005, a remake of the original Amityville Horror film was released, with the tagline Katch em and kill em, referring to the claimed link between the house in Ocean Avenue and John Ketcham, whose name has been linked to witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts but remains a controversial and elusive figure.[19] This version exaggerates the isolation of 112 Ocean Avenue by depicting it as a remote house similar to the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's The Shining. In reality, 112 Ocean Avenue was a suburban house within 50 feet (15 m) of other houses in the neighborhood. The house used in the 2005 version was in Silver Lake, Wisconsin, while other location work was shot in nearby Antioch, Illinois. The child character Jodie DeFeo, appearing in the film, is fictional and was not one of the victims of the shootings by Ronald DeFeo, Jr. in November 1974. George Lutz described the 2005 remake as "drivel" and sued the makers for defamation, libel, and breach of contract.[20] He objected particularly to the scene in the film where the male lead – named as George Lutz and played by Ryan Reynolds – is shown killing the family dog with an axe. The film also shows the George Lutz character building coffins for members of his own family. The defamation claim was dismissed by a Los Angeles court in November 2005, while other issues related to the lawsuit remained unresolved at the time of George Lutz's death.[21]
Los Angeles independent filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach is currently working on a docudrama about the Amityville Horror case. The film, "Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders" will reportedly chronicle the DeFeo family and examine forensic evidence associated with the original 1974 murders while challenging the veracity of the "Amityville Horror" story. Edward Asner is narrating the film, which will reportedly be 4 hours long.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amityville_Horror
'Amityville Horror' sequel: 'The Lost Tapes' from the people who brought you 'Paranormal Activity'
Good news, horror fans! As announced last months, Dimension Films and Miramax are making a sequel of sorts to "Amityville Horror" -- not the 2005 remake, but the original film.
"Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes" will be a story told by "found footage" from the events after the original film.
Jason Blum, producer of "Paranormal Activity," recently spoke to Shock Til You Drop about the upcoming project, which is currently in production for a January 27, 2012 release date. "Dan [Farrands] and Casey [La Scala] came to me and said they wanted to do a found footage version of Amityville and they had the rights to do it," Blum says.
"I knew Bob [Weinstein] had the rights to do it. I said, lets take it to Bob and not fight him but join him - I worked for Bob and Harvey for five years - and we pitched it to Bob, and he threw it into production. We're making our movie and releasing in January."
Blum feels that the new film will reinvent the great horror franchise and give it an updated appeal for a new generation of viewers. The story centers around an ambitious news intern who seeks to expose the truth about the legendary haunted house. Her team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers may accidentally uncover something that should have stayed hidden.
"I think genre audiences are getting more and more sophisticated at sniffing things out that are done more for commercial reasons than going to movies that are made by people who want to do different things in the genre and love it," Blum says. " Audiences are more savvy about that now, they are gravitating to more stuff that's pure."
Will you be hitting theaters to see the "Amityville" update?
source:http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/06/amityville-horror-sequel-the-lost-tapes-from-the-people-who-brought-you-paranormal-activity.html
"Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes" will be a story told by "found footage" from the events after the original film.
Jason Blum, producer of "Paranormal Activity," recently spoke to Shock Til You Drop about the upcoming project, which is currently in production for a January 27, 2012 release date. "Dan [Farrands] and Casey [La Scala] came to me and said they wanted to do a found footage version of Amityville and they had the rights to do it," Blum says.
"I knew Bob [Weinstein] had the rights to do it. I said, lets take it to Bob and not fight him but join him - I worked for Bob and Harvey for five years - and we pitched it to Bob, and he threw it into production. We're making our movie and releasing in January."
Blum feels that the new film will reinvent the great horror franchise and give it an updated appeal for a new generation of viewers. The story centers around an ambitious news intern who seeks to expose the truth about the legendary haunted house. Her team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers may accidentally uncover something that should have stayed hidden.
"I think genre audiences are getting more and more sophisticated at sniffing things out that are done more for commercial reasons than going to movies that are made by people who want to do different things in the genre and love it," Blum says. " Audiences are more savvy about that now, they are gravitating to more stuff that's pure."
Will you be hitting theaters to see the "Amityville" update?
source:http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/06/amityville-horror-sequel-the-lost-tapes-from-the-people-who-brought-you-paranormal-activity.html
'Amityville Horror' sequel: 'The Lost Tapes' from the people who brought you 'Paranormal Activity'
Good news, horror fans! As announced last months, Dimension Films and Miramax are making a sequel of sorts to "Amityville Horror" -- not the 2005 remake, but the original film.
"Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes" will be a story told by "found footage" from the events after the original film.
Jason Blum, producer of "Paranormal Activity," recently spoke to Shock Til You Drop about the upcoming project, which is currently in production for a January 27, 2012 release date. "Dan [Farrands] and Casey [La Scala] came to me and said they wanted to do a found footage version of Amityville and they had the rights to do it," Blum says.
"I knew Bob [Weinstein] had the rights to do it. I said, lets take it to Bob and not fight him but join him - I worked for Bob and Harvey for five years - and we pitched it to Bob, and he threw it into production. We're making our movie and releasing in January."
Blum feels that the new film will reinvent the great horror franchise and give it an updated appeal for a new generation of viewers. The story centers around an ambitious news intern who seeks to expose the truth about the legendary haunted house. Her team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers may accidentally uncover something that should have stayed hidden.
"I think genre audiences are getting more and more sophisticated at sniffing things out that are done more for commercial reasons than going to movies that are made by people who want to do different things in the genre and love it," Blum says. " Audiences are more savvy about that now, they are gravitating to more stuff that's pure."
Will you be hitting theaters to see the "Amityville" update?
"Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes" will be a story told by "found footage" from the events after the original film.
Jason Blum, producer of "Paranormal Activity," recently spoke to Shock Til You Drop about the upcoming project, which is currently in production for a January 27, 2012 release date. "Dan [Farrands] and Casey [La Scala] came to me and said they wanted to do a found footage version of Amityville and they had the rights to do it," Blum says.
"I knew Bob [Weinstein] had the rights to do it. I said, lets take it to Bob and not fight him but join him - I worked for Bob and Harvey for five years - and we pitched it to Bob, and he threw it into production. We're making our movie and releasing in January."
Blum feels that the new film will reinvent the great horror franchise and give it an updated appeal for a new generation of viewers. The story centers around an ambitious news intern who seeks to expose the truth about the legendary haunted house. Her team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers may accidentally uncover something that should have stayed hidden.
"I think genre audiences are getting more and more sophisticated at sniffing things out that are done more for commercial reasons than going to movies that are made by people who want to do different things in the genre and love it," Blum says. " Audiences are more savvy about that now, they are gravitating to more stuff that's pure."
Will you be hitting theaters to see the "Amityville" update?
Fran Drescher opens up about her EX and more!
(Wokay) – Celebrated American film and television actress/comedian, political lobbyist and health activist Fran Drescher has revealed that she considers her ex-hubby Peter Marc Jacobson, who is a gay, to be her best friend.
During a recent interview with People, Drescher, 53, who previously portrayed Fran Fine in her own sitcom vehicle The Nanny and is currently working along with Jacobson on TV Land’s new sitcom Happily Divorced, opened up about her relation with ex-husband and the new show, saying the series is largely true to life and reflects the former couple’s real relationship.
“During our marriage he had told me he might be bisexual, but he wanted to stay married. By the time he told me that he’s gay I had survived uterine cancer. Nothing could shake me,” explained Drescher.
She further added, “It’s great that we had the ability and the wisdom to reinvent our relationship. All those years weren’t for nothing. We’re very tight. We’re best friends.”
According to a mutual friend, Drescher and Jacobson first met while attending Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens. They tied the knot in 1978, divorced in 1999 and have no children.
Fran Drescher has co-created the new sitcom and plays the lead character, a florist named Fran.
source:http://www.wokay.com/entertainment/celebrity/fran-drescher-opens-up-about-her-ex-and-more-48588.html
During a recent interview with People, Drescher, 53, who previously portrayed Fran Fine in her own sitcom vehicle The Nanny and is currently working along with Jacobson on TV Land’s new sitcom Happily Divorced, opened up about her relation with ex-husband and the new show, saying the series is largely true to life and reflects the former couple’s real relationship.
“During our marriage he had told me he might be bisexual, but he wanted to stay married. By the time he told me that he’s gay I had survived uterine cancer. Nothing could shake me,” explained Drescher.
She further added, “It’s great that we had the ability and the wisdom to reinvent our relationship. All those years weren’t for nothing. We’re very tight. We’re best friends.”
According to a mutual friend, Drescher and Jacobson first met while attending Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens. They tied the knot in 1978, divorced in 1999 and have no children.
Fran Drescher has co-created the new sitcom and plays the lead character, a florist named Fran.
source:http://www.wokay.com/entertainment/celebrity/fran-drescher-opens-up-about-her-ex-and-more-48588.html
‘Happily’ never after Fran Drescher borrows from life for ‘Divorced’ comedy
In its new sitcom “Happily Divorced,” TV Land poses the question nobody asked: What would a middle-aged “Will & Grace” look like?
The answer: kinder and funnier than their younger versions.
Co-creators and writers Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) and her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson based the show on their own lives after he came out to her after years of marriage.
You might not think such a crisis would lend itself to a sitcom, but “Happily Divorced” marries seasoned pros with a breezy script.
Drescher, her signature foghorn voice ratcheted down a notch (or perhaps TV Land has just found a way to Auto-Tune it), stars as Fran, a Los Angeles florist who is stunned when her husband, Peter (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”), wakes her up one night for an overdue confession.
“But we just had sex during ‘Leno’ — how gay can you be?”
Fran’s parents Glen (Robert Walden, “Lou Grant”) and Dori (Rita Moreno, “Oz”) are unfazed.
“Sweetheart, don’t throw a good marriage away over nothing,” Dori advises.
Because of the recession, Peter can’t afford to move out and takes over the den.
Flash-forward six months later: Fran is trying to rebuild her personal life with the help of best friend Judi (Tichina Arnold, “Everybody Hates Chris) and remain on good terms with her roomie.
“I blow the leaves, he blows my hair. It’s like we’re still married,” Fran says.
She even ventures out on a date with music producer Elliott (D.W. Moffett), who asks if she’s heard of Coldplay.
“I love Gwyneth Paltrow,” Fran zings.
In “Happily Divorced,” TV Land, the cable channel for baby boomers, finally may have found the perfect companion to its smash “Hot in Cleveland” (which returns with new episodes at 10 p.m.). The one bit of discord comes in the form of Fran’s flower delivery guy Cesar (Valente Rodriguez), who borders on an ethnic stereotype. Drescher and Jacobson are smarter than that.
Still, if Drescher were, say, of the E! generation and a Kardashian, she and her ex would have turned their personal turmoil into a reality series. To that, you can only praise the wisdom — and humor — that comes with maturity.
source:http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view/2011_0615happily_never_after_fran_drescher_borrows_from_life_for_divorced_comedy/srvc=home&position=also
The answer: kinder and funnier than their younger versions.
Co-creators and writers Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) and her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson based the show on their own lives after he came out to her after years of marriage.
You might not think such a crisis would lend itself to a sitcom, but “Happily Divorced” marries seasoned pros with a breezy script.
Drescher, her signature foghorn voice ratcheted down a notch (or perhaps TV Land has just found a way to Auto-Tune it), stars as Fran, a Los Angeles florist who is stunned when her husband, Peter (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”), wakes her up one night for an overdue confession.
“But we just had sex during ‘Leno’ — how gay can you be?”
Fran’s parents Glen (Robert Walden, “Lou Grant”) and Dori (Rita Moreno, “Oz”) are unfazed.
“Sweetheart, don’t throw a good marriage away over nothing,” Dori advises.
Because of the recession, Peter can’t afford to move out and takes over the den.
Flash-forward six months later: Fran is trying to rebuild her personal life with the help of best friend Judi (Tichina Arnold, “Everybody Hates Chris) and remain on good terms with her roomie.
“I blow the leaves, he blows my hair. It’s like we’re still married,” Fran says.
She even ventures out on a date with music producer Elliott (D.W. Moffett), who asks if she’s heard of Coldplay.
“I love Gwyneth Paltrow,” Fran zings.
In “Happily Divorced,” TV Land, the cable channel for baby boomers, finally may have found the perfect companion to its smash “Hot in Cleveland” (which returns with new episodes at 10 p.m.). The one bit of discord comes in the form of Fran’s flower delivery guy Cesar (Valente Rodriguez), who borders on an ethnic stereotype. Drescher and Jacobson are smarter than that.
Still, if Drescher were, say, of the E! generation and a Kardashian, she and her ex would have turned their personal turmoil into a reality series. To that, you can only praise the wisdom — and humor — that comes with maturity.
source:http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view/2011_0615happily_never_after_fran_drescher_borrows_from_life_for_divorced_comedy/srvc=home&position=also
Fran Drescher Talks About Her Gay Ex-Husband Peter Marc Jacobson
Fran Drescher met her ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, in high school, and they married in 1978, when she was just 21. They split after 21 years of marriage and remain close friends--and now both set each other up with men.
In Touch Weekly's press release follows:
Fran Drescher has never been shy about voicing her support for gay rights: In 2008, she and her former husband co-hosted a cocktail party in LA to benefit an organization that has sought to block California's ban on same-sex marriage. But it turns out that the cause was even closer to the Nanny star's heart than her fans could have guessed -- as In Touch can now exclusively reveal, Peter Marc Jacobson, the man to whom Fran, 52, was married for more than two decades, is gay. "Peter and I met when we were 15," Fran tells In Touch. "We were just kids and didn't know who we truly were. We went through a lot together." The couple split for good in 1999, and according to an insider, Peter later came out of the closet to Fran. They continue to collaborate and are still "the best of friends. We love each other dearly," she says. "We have even fixed each other up! I more successfully than him, by the way." They're even working together on a new sitcom based on their relationship. "Peter and I feel so blessed to have met each other and to still have a caring, loving relationship," Fran says. "Love is what we're all about."
source:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/02/fran-drescher-talks-about_n_597802.html
In Touch Weekly's press release follows:
Fran Drescher has never been shy about voicing her support for gay rights: In 2008, she and her former husband co-hosted a cocktail party in LA to benefit an organization that has sought to block California's ban on same-sex marriage. But it turns out that the cause was even closer to the Nanny star's heart than her fans could have guessed -- as In Touch can now exclusively reveal, Peter Marc Jacobson, the man to whom Fran, 52, was married for more than two decades, is gay. "Peter and I met when we were 15," Fran tells In Touch. "We were just kids and didn't know who we truly were. We went through a lot together." The couple split for good in 1999, and according to an insider, Peter later came out of the closet to Fran. They continue to collaborate and are still "the best of friends. We love each other dearly," she says. "We have even fixed each other up! I more successfully than him, by the way." They're even working together on a new sitcom based on their relationship. "Peter and I feel so blessed to have met each other and to still have a caring, loving relationship," Fran says. "Love is what we're all about."
source:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/02/fran-drescher-talks-about_n_597802.html
Adam Levine On Christina Aguilera: 'If She Busts My Balls, I'll Bust Hers'
Maroon 5 star Adam Levine responded to reports suggesting he and Christina Aguilera, his fellow TV judge on hit talent show "The Voice," are not getting along.
He explained, "She's great. I respect the s**t out of her. She's going through a tough time, and God bless her. This show is great for her, but if she busts my balls, I'll bust hers."
Meanwhile, the judges have pledged to return for a second season.
Cee Lo Green has broken the news that he, Adam, Christina and country star Blake Shelton will be back, despite reports suggesting Levine and Aguilera are not getting along as the series' first season comes to an end.
source:http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2011/06/14/adam_levine_on_christina_aguilera_if_s
He explained, "She's great. I respect the s**t out of her. She's going through a tough time, and God bless her. This show is great for her, but if she busts my balls, I'll bust hers."
Meanwhile, the judges have pledged to return for a second season.
Cee Lo Green has broken the news that he, Adam, Christina and country star Blake Shelton will be back, despite reports suggesting Levine and Aguilera are not getting along as the series' first season comes to an end.
source:http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2011/06/14/adam_levine_on_christina_aguilera_if_s
Jeff Jenkins Sings Carrie Underwood’s ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’ on ‘The Voice’
Country crooner Jeff Jenkins had an emotional bond with Carrie Underwood‘s ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ for his live performance on tonight’s edition of ‘The Voice.’
Jenkins, a member of Adam Levine‘s team, has talked about the recent loss of his mother on previous episodes of ‘The Voice.’ He said that Underwood’s song “means so much” to him, as he went through some dark times when his mom passed away.
“Because you’re so emotionally connected to it, that has to be conveyed [in your performance],” Levine told Jenkins. “I want it to be the emotional tearjerker it’s meant to be, so I can make my mom proud,” said Jenkins.
Jenkins started out a little timid on the first verse during the live performance, but then showcased his powerful country twang on the song’s chorus. He seemed to really take on the spirit of the song as he sung, and was a bit broken up at the end of the tune.
Immediately after the performance, host Carson Daly said to Jenkins, “Momma was proud of that one.” Levine told his team member, “You did such an incredible job that it’s almost as if Ijavascript:void(0) completely forgot about the fact that this is a competition.”
source:http://popcrush.com/jeff-jenkins-carrie-underwood-jesus-take-the-wheel-the-voice/
Jenkins, a member of Adam Levine‘s team, has talked about the recent loss of his mother on previous episodes of ‘The Voice.’ He said that Underwood’s song “means so much” to him, as he went through some dark times when his mom passed away.
“Because you’re so emotionally connected to it, that has to be conveyed [in your performance],” Levine told Jenkins. “I want it to be the emotional tearjerker it’s meant to be, so I can make my mom proud,” said Jenkins.
Jenkins started out a little timid on the first verse during the live performance, but then showcased his powerful country twang on the song’s chorus. He seemed to really take on the spirit of the song as he sung, and was a bit broken up at the end of the tune.
Immediately after the performance, host Carson Daly said to Jenkins, “Momma was proud of that one.” Levine told his team member, “You did such an incredible job that it’s almost as if Ijavascript:void(0) completely forgot about the fact that this is a competition.”
source:http://popcrush.com/jeff-jenkins-carrie-underwood-jesus-take-the-wheel-the-voice/
Can The Preteen Adam Levine Lip-Sync Bobby Brown As Well As Blossom Can?
The only part of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that we caught last night was Ziggy Marley‘s “Forward to Love” performance, so thanks to Popdust for alerting us to an unmissable bit of Leno’s interview with Adam Levine of Maroon 5 (promoting The Voice, naturally). Apparently Los Angeles, where Levine grew up, was home to a Chuck E. Cheese-plus-lip syncing birthday party venue called Closet Stars, at which kids would get somewhat in costume and sing their favorite songs. Naturally, somebody dug up footage of a preteen Levine mouthing the words to “Don’t Be Cruel” while copping some of Bobby Brown‘s signature dance moves. (Levine starts talking about Closet Stars at 2:12; the performance kicks in at 3:24.)
source:http://blog.vh1.com/2011-06-14/can-the-preteen-adam-levine-lip-sync-bobby-brown-as-well-as-blossom-can/
source:http://blog.vh1.com/2011-06-14/can-the-preteen-adam-levine-lip-sync-bobby-brown-as-well-as-blossom-can/
'The Voice': What you didn't see on TV
Maybe it hasn’t quite sunk in that the stakes are high (a $100,000 cash prize! A recording contract!). Or maybe they’re still in shock that such uber-cool superstars like Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton are actually texting them notes at all hours of the night. Whatever the reason, the contestants’ mood before Tuesday’s live version of The Voice was oddly calm, cool, and collected.
But first, a SPOILER ALERT! Don’t move to the jump until you seen the results of tonight’s show.
As I walked through the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank, CA. looking for Stage 16, a few of the contestants walked by looking way too chill for the occasion – this being the first elimination show and all, when four contestants (two from Team Christina and two from Team Blake) would be sent packing. Jared Blake looked like the coolest of the bunch, strolling along with his head held high and an air of confidence floating over him. Frenchie Davis was laughing with a production assistant, while even shy-girl Dia Frampton was relaxing in sweat pants, looking as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
Once the show started, however, the vibe backstage told another story. V-Room host and online correspondent Alison Haislip told us after the show, “No one felt confident tonight. Patrick Thomas cried throughout the whole show. Not bawling, but he had tears in his eyes the whole time.”
As for Beverly McClellan – who ended up moving to the next round - Haislip said she told her, “It’s me. I’m going home.”
But McClellan didn’t. Instead, it was Thomas and Jared Blake from Team Blake and Raquel Castrol and Lily Elise from Team Christina. It was a total shocker and I screamed, “what????” when Shelton saved Xenia. She should’ve gone and Blake should have stayed. He was robbed, totally robbed.
Totally stoked about the others who made it, though. Dia is a clear frontrunner and a fan favorite. There were deafening screams for her.
Here’s what else I picked up behind the scenes:
Cee-Lo Green loves the ladies. It’s no secret where Green’s affection lies, but when asked pre-show if he would date a contestant, the superstar in the shiny jacket actually had to pause, think about it, pause again, and then say, “No.” He certainly likes the gals in the audience, though, as the warm-up guy pointed out that a group of giggly girls were adding him as Facebook friends right there during the show. Green also learned fast that when you tape a two-hour episode in what, hands down, is the hottest TV studio ever, you need the sweat patted off your forehead during every break. If you’re going to have someone up in your grill that much, why not make them hot chicks? So tonight, he got two sexy female makeup artists to tidy up his brow. Smart man.
Team Xtina vs. Team Adam. Maybe the rivalry between Aguilera and Adam Levine stems from the fact that they are popular and have the most talented contestants. Or perhaps it’s just good ol’ fashion sexual tension! One thing is for certain: The fans who come to the tapings seem to mostly support these two over Shelton and Green. Last week fans wore Team Xtina shirts, and this week Levine’s fans rallied and wore Team Adam shirts. (Sorry, no Team Cee-Lo or Team Blake togs yet). “You can buy them on my website very soon,” Aguilera announced to the crowd during one commercial break.
Coach Camaraderie? Eh, not so much. Levine and Green might talk a good game, telling reporters beforehand about how well they get along, but in truth they barely talk to each other during the 120-minute taping. Speaking of which, no one seems to chat to Xtina except for producer Mark Burnett. Go figure.
Levine loves his fans. When the audience warm-up guy asked who the biggest Levine fan is, a dude spoke up. When asked why, the guy said, “Just look at him!” Levine often rewarded his fans by winking and waving, and even blew one lucky lass a kiss.
source:http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/15/the-voice-what-you-didnt-see-on-tv/
But first, a SPOILER ALERT! Don’t move to the jump until you seen the results of tonight’s show.
As I walked through the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank, CA. looking for Stage 16, a few of the contestants walked by looking way too chill for the occasion – this being the first elimination show and all, when four contestants (two from Team Christina and two from Team Blake) would be sent packing. Jared Blake looked like the coolest of the bunch, strolling along with his head held high and an air of confidence floating over him. Frenchie Davis was laughing with a production assistant, while even shy-girl Dia Frampton was relaxing in sweat pants, looking as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
Once the show started, however, the vibe backstage told another story. V-Room host and online correspondent Alison Haislip told us after the show, “No one felt confident tonight. Patrick Thomas cried throughout the whole show. Not bawling, but he had tears in his eyes the whole time.”
As for Beverly McClellan – who ended up moving to the next round - Haislip said she told her, “It’s me. I’m going home.”
But McClellan didn’t. Instead, it was Thomas and Jared Blake from Team Blake and Raquel Castrol and Lily Elise from Team Christina. It was a total shocker and I screamed, “what????” when Shelton saved Xenia. She should’ve gone and Blake should have stayed. He was robbed, totally robbed.
Totally stoked about the others who made it, though. Dia is a clear frontrunner and a fan favorite. There were deafening screams for her.
Here’s what else I picked up behind the scenes:
Cee-Lo Green loves the ladies. It’s no secret where Green’s affection lies, but when asked pre-show if he would date a contestant, the superstar in the shiny jacket actually had to pause, think about it, pause again, and then say, “No.” He certainly likes the gals in the audience, though, as the warm-up guy pointed out that a group of giggly girls were adding him as Facebook friends right there during the show. Green also learned fast that when you tape a two-hour episode in what, hands down, is the hottest TV studio ever, you need the sweat patted off your forehead during every break. If you’re going to have someone up in your grill that much, why not make them hot chicks? So tonight, he got two sexy female makeup artists to tidy up his brow. Smart man.
Team Xtina vs. Team Adam. Maybe the rivalry between Aguilera and Adam Levine stems from the fact that they are popular and have the most talented contestants. Or perhaps it’s just good ol’ fashion sexual tension! One thing is for certain: The fans who come to the tapings seem to mostly support these two over Shelton and Green. Last week fans wore Team Xtina shirts, and this week Levine’s fans rallied and wore Team Adam shirts. (Sorry, no Team Cee-Lo or Team Blake togs yet). “You can buy them on my website very soon,” Aguilera announced to the crowd during one commercial break.
Coach Camaraderie? Eh, not so much. Levine and Green might talk a good game, telling reporters beforehand about how well they get along, but in truth they barely talk to each other during the 120-minute taping. Speaking of which, no one seems to chat to Xtina except for producer Mark Burnett. Go figure.
Levine loves his fans. When the audience warm-up guy asked who the biggest Levine fan is, a dude spoke up. When asked why, the guy said, “Just look at him!” Levine often rewarded his fans by winking and waving, and even blew one lucky lass a kiss.
source:http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/15/the-voice-what-you-didnt-see-on-tv/
Todd Hill (quotes) : You can't pin down Natalie Portman
How well do we know our favorite Hollywood celebrities?
Not as well as we think, surely, although the answer to that question really depends on the craftiness of the stars we've chosen to admire.
Actress Natalie Portman, who turned 30 Thursday and is due to deliver her first child any day now, is someone who likes to keep us guessing.
I had the pleasure -- and a pleasure it was, truly -- to interview Portman five times during the '00s while working as a film journalist based in New York City. I got to know the actress a little better with each chat, but at the same time couldn't help coming away feeling that the more I knew, the more there was to this woman to which I would never be privy.
The quintessential actress, that's Natalie Portman.
"I'm always playing some sort of version of myself and I'm always changing, so it's always different," Portman told me in 2007. "That's sort of the goal -- I keep changing and then I keep finding myself in different ways."
This may make it harder for us to get where she's coming from, but it's always the most successful movie stars who keep their private selves from public view, the better to keep their big-screen performances believable. It's become near impossible anymore, for instance, to watch Tom Cruise playing a character without all the time remembering that we're watching Tom Cruise, playing a character.
Portman has always been able to disappear into a role, from the moment she donned Queen Amidala's ridiculous headdresses in 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" to her turn as barefoot teenage jailbait in "Where the Heart Is" (2000), a widowed Civil War bride in "Cold Mountain" (2003), an Oscar-nominated stripper in 2004's "Closer," on through her performance as a bald freedom fighter in "V for Vendetta" (2006) and a ballerina with mental issues in last year's "Black Swan," the performance that garnered her an Academy Award.
The actress was only 13 when she shot her first motion picture, 1994's "Heat," a sprawling crime saga starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, not exactly a kiddie flick.
"Look, I'm very happy with how everything worked out for me and I feel very, very lucky," Portman told me in 2007. "I definitely did miss out on a lot of kid things. But everyone has their different path, and I'm not like, 'Oh, I missed my childhood.' "
The actress pointed out that several other female film stars of her generation -- Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Claire Danes, Christina Ricci, Kirsten Dunst, Keira Knightley, Lindsay Lohan -- began acting when they were children as well.
Unlike many of her colleagues, however, Portman made a point of going to, and finishing, college, and not just any school, but Yale University.
The daughter of an Israeli doctor and an artist from Cincinnati, Portman, who was born in Jerusalem and raised in Washington, D.C., and later New York City, the place she calls home, has, in my experience, always been one of the more articulate interviews a film journalist can land. She doesn't take things at face value, particularly the roles she's offered.
"I have been recently getting frustrated," she admitted to me in 2008, "but the number of roles that are strippers or prostitutes, or the opposite, like she's the moral center of the film, she's the pure one, the one who makes the man realize who he should be -- that dichotomy exists so strongly. It's like the virgin-whore thing to the greatest extent."
Portman's concerns haven't stopped her from portraying these very characters, but working in Hollywood is a challenge for any actress today. Portman told me in 2004 that she would never do nudity in a film, only to break that rule for a torture scene in the mediocre 2006 movie "Goya's Ghosts," a decision she later regretted.
It was during that 2004 chat, for the picture "Garden State," that the actress related an anecdote that seemed quite out of character for the prim, proper Yale grad. Shooting on location at a private residence in New Jersey, the cast and crew had only one bathroom available, in the woman's house. When the toilet got backed up, Portman recalled, the woman came running outside, shouting, "Someone made doodie in the bathtub!"
The makers of "Garden State" weren't allowed back to the house after that. I was never able to determine whether "doodie" was Portman's word or the woman's.
I was as surprised as anyone to learn earlier this year that Portman was engaged to her "Black Swan" choreographer Benjamin Millepied, after learning she was pregnant with his child. I had always expected her to make, I don't know, a better match. Heck, I'm still trying to get my mind around the fact that the actress has somehow become 30 years old -- while I was watching, no less.
I wasn't just watching, of course, but was given the opportunity to catch up with Portman face to face after nearly every one of her film shoots of the last decade. Yet when I saw her take the stage at the Kodak Theatre last March to accept the Academy Award for best actress, only to give a perfectly crafted, graceful speech that revealed nothing about what she was feeling at that moment, I realized I didn't know this person at all. What made me think I did?
Well played, Ms. Portman.
source:http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20110613/LIFESTYLE/106130316/Todd-Hill-You-can-t-pin-down-Natalie-Portman?odyssey=nav|head
Not as well as we think, surely, although the answer to that question really depends on the craftiness of the stars we've chosen to admire.
Actress Natalie Portman, who turned 30 Thursday and is due to deliver her first child any day now, is someone who likes to keep us guessing.
I had the pleasure -- and a pleasure it was, truly -- to interview Portman five times during the '00s while working as a film journalist based in New York City. I got to know the actress a little better with each chat, but at the same time couldn't help coming away feeling that the more I knew, the more there was to this woman to which I would never be privy.
The quintessential actress, that's Natalie Portman.
"I'm always playing some sort of version of myself and I'm always changing, so it's always different," Portman told me in 2007. "That's sort of the goal -- I keep changing and then I keep finding myself in different ways."
This may make it harder for us to get where she's coming from, but it's always the most successful movie stars who keep their private selves from public view, the better to keep their big-screen performances believable. It's become near impossible anymore, for instance, to watch Tom Cruise playing a character without all the time remembering that we're watching Tom Cruise, playing a character.
Portman has always been able to disappear into a role, from the moment she donned Queen Amidala's ridiculous headdresses in 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" to her turn as barefoot teenage jailbait in "Where the Heart Is" (2000), a widowed Civil War bride in "Cold Mountain" (2003), an Oscar-nominated stripper in 2004's "Closer," on through her performance as a bald freedom fighter in "V for Vendetta" (2006) and a ballerina with mental issues in last year's "Black Swan," the performance that garnered her an Academy Award.
The actress was only 13 when she shot her first motion picture, 1994's "Heat," a sprawling crime saga starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, not exactly a kiddie flick.
"Look, I'm very happy with how everything worked out for me and I feel very, very lucky," Portman told me in 2007. "I definitely did miss out on a lot of kid things. But everyone has their different path, and I'm not like, 'Oh, I missed my childhood.' "
The actress pointed out that several other female film stars of her generation -- Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Claire Danes, Christina Ricci, Kirsten Dunst, Keira Knightley, Lindsay Lohan -- began acting when they were children as well.
Unlike many of her colleagues, however, Portman made a point of going to, and finishing, college, and not just any school, but Yale University.
The daughter of an Israeli doctor and an artist from Cincinnati, Portman, who was born in Jerusalem and raised in Washington, D.C., and later New York City, the place she calls home, has, in my experience, always been one of the more articulate interviews a film journalist can land. She doesn't take things at face value, particularly the roles she's offered.
"I have been recently getting frustrated," she admitted to me in 2008, "but the number of roles that are strippers or prostitutes, or the opposite, like she's the moral center of the film, she's the pure one, the one who makes the man realize who he should be -- that dichotomy exists so strongly. It's like the virgin-whore thing to the greatest extent."
Portman's concerns haven't stopped her from portraying these very characters, but working in Hollywood is a challenge for any actress today. Portman told me in 2004 that she would never do nudity in a film, only to break that rule for a torture scene in the mediocre 2006 movie "Goya's Ghosts," a decision she later regretted.
It was during that 2004 chat, for the picture "Garden State," that the actress related an anecdote that seemed quite out of character for the prim, proper Yale grad. Shooting on location at a private residence in New Jersey, the cast and crew had only one bathroom available, in the woman's house. When the toilet got backed up, Portman recalled, the woman came running outside, shouting, "Someone made doodie in the bathtub!"
The makers of "Garden State" weren't allowed back to the house after that. I was never able to determine whether "doodie" was Portman's word or the woman's.
I was as surprised as anyone to learn earlier this year that Portman was engaged to her "Black Swan" choreographer Benjamin Millepied, after learning she was pregnant with his child. I had always expected her to make, I don't know, a better match. Heck, I'm still trying to get my mind around the fact that the actress has somehow become 30 years old -- while I was watching, no less.
I wasn't just watching, of course, but was given the opportunity to catch up with Portman face to face after nearly every one of her film shoots of the last decade. Yet when I saw her take the stage at the Kodak Theatre last March to accept the Academy Award for best actress, only to give a perfectly crafted, graceful speech that revealed nothing about what she was feeling at that moment, I realized I didn't know this person at all. What made me think I did?
Well played, Ms. Portman.
source:http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20110613/LIFESTYLE/106130316/Todd-Hill-You-can-t-pin-down-Natalie-Portman?odyssey=nav|head
Is Natalie Portman Entering the Snow White War?
You already know about the Snow White fight happening between Julia Roberts and Kristen Stewart and the truly ridiculous race to be the first version of the fairy tale to hit the big screen.
But there's a third contender to be the fairest of them all.
And while it won't land in theatres in time to battle at the box office, Disney will roll out yet another version of the classic tale. And while The Brother's Grimm: Snow White has the dopey dwarves you'd expect and Snow White and the Huntsman has K.Stew kicking ass, Snow White and the Seven (as it's titled) has...Chinese warriors?
And supposedly Oscar winner Natalie Portman as Snow, herself. So should Nat be brushing up on her martial arts?
RELATED: Snow White Fight, Part 2! Julia Roberts Trumps Kristen Stewart
Play "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1" Trailer
Play Truth, Lies & Ted, June 3
Play MTV Movie Awards Seating
Nope—which is probably a good thing since she's got a baby on board.
Nat was linked to the project when it was first developed forever ago (at least by Hollywood terms) and Disney even used her liking as a model for their pre-production artwork. But the mama-to-be won't be heading to China anytime soon.
"It's very unlikely Natalie will do the project," a source tied close to the Mouse House dishes. "She was the No. 1 pick at one time, but they're looking elsewhere for their Snow White now. They haven't narrowed it down to anyone specific though."
Must fess, Nat would have given even Kris a serious run for her mirror, mirror on the wall money. She doesn't have a little gold man sitting on her mantle for nothing, after all.
So could this be the big break Lea Michele is looking for?
Here's the deal with the newest edition to the Snow White family—make sure you keep 'em straight—this Snow is a 23-year-old British babe who grew up in China. Her dad dies and step-mom goes all wicked witch on her.
And that's where the warriors come in. Instead of dwarves, Snow teams up with seven seriously dangerous dudes to get her revenge.
"It's sort of like Lord of the Rings," our source spills on the script. "It's got an epic feel but there are moments of humor—Pirates of the Caribbean-like jokes. It's a cross between the two. It will be totally different than either of the other projects."
Speaking of the other two, we got our hands on the scripts and will be giving you the goods on which is better later this week. But in the meantime, which actress do you want to see get her kung fu on in Snow and the Seven?
source:http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/the_awful_truth/b247065_natalie_portman_entering_snow_white_war.html
But there's a third contender to be the fairest of them all.
And while it won't land in theatres in time to battle at the box office, Disney will roll out yet another version of the classic tale. And while The Brother's Grimm: Snow White has the dopey dwarves you'd expect and Snow White and the Huntsman has K.Stew kicking ass, Snow White and the Seven (as it's titled) has...Chinese warriors?
And supposedly Oscar winner Natalie Portman as Snow, herself. So should Nat be brushing up on her martial arts?
RELATED: Snow White Fight, Part 2! Julia Roberts Trumps Kristen Stewart
Play "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1" Trailer
Play Truth, Lies & Ted, June 3
Play MTV Movie Awards Seating
Nope—which is probably a good thing since she's got a baby on board.
Nat was linked to the project when it was first developed forever ago (at least by Hollywood terms) and Disney even used her liking as a model for their pre-production artwork. But the mama-to-be won't be heading to China anytime soon.
"It's very unlikely Natalie will do the project," a source tied close to the Mouse House dishes. "She was the No. 1 pick at one time, but they're looking elsewhere for their Snow White now. They haven't narrowed it down to anyone specific though."
Must fess, Nat would have given even Kris a serious run for her mirror, mirror on the wall money. She doesn't have a little gold man sitting on her mantle for nothing, after all.
So could this be the big break Lea Michele is looking for?
Here's the deal with the newest edition to the Snow White family—make sure you keep 'em straight—this Snow is a 23-year-old British babe who grew up in China. Her dad dies and step-mom goes all wicked witch on her.
And that's where the warriors come in. Instead of dwarves, Snow teams up with seven seriously dangerous dudes to get her revenge.
"It's sort of like Lord of the Rings," our source spills on the script. "It's got an epic feel but there are moments of humor—Pirates of the Caribbean-like jokes. It's a cross between the two. It will be totally different than either of the other projects."
Speaking of the other two, we got our hands on the scripts and will be giving you the goods on which is better later this week. But in the meantime, which actress do you want to see get her kung fu on in Snow and the Seven?
source:http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/the_awful_truth/b247065_natalie_portman_entering_snow_white_war.html
Natalie Portman Welcomes a Baby Boy
Natalie Portman is a mom! The Academy Award-winning actress and her fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, welcomed a son, PEOPLE reports exclusively.
The pair met on the set of 'Swan' where Millepied -- a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet -- choreographed the dances and played her partner on screen. Portman won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film.
"We got along right away; she's very, very professional, not difficult - there's no attitude there," Millepied told Vulture of first working with his now fiancee.
Portman recently revealed her post-delivery plans. "I'll be out of the public eye after [the baby's born]," Portman told PEOPLE, also adding that she would think about her Hollywood future "as it comes."
source:http://www.popeater.com/2011/06/14/natalie-portman-son-baby-boy/
The pair met on the set of 'Swan' where Millepied -- a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet -- choreographed the dances and played her partner on screen. Portman won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film.
"We got along right away; she's very, very professional, not difficult - there's no attitude there," Millepied told Vulture of first working with his now fiancee.
Portman recently revealed her post-delivery plans. "I'll be out of the public eye after [the baby's born]," Portman told PEOPLE, also adding that she would think about her Hollywood future "as it comes."
source:http://www.popeater.com/2011/06/14/natalie-portman-son-baby-boy/
Monday, June 13, 2011
Ice-T's wife Coco launches Licious clothing line for women who 'need an extra lift for her gift'
BY SARAH ARMAGHAN
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Monday, May 23, 2011
Buxom blond bombshell Coco launched her Licious clothing line Sunday night at the posh midtown Grace Hotel, ready to show the world she's more than just her looks.
"For the everyday woman with curves", the 50-time magazine cover model's new line will feature clothes that "have that extra stretch within their step" for those that "need an extra lift for her gift." Something she, herself, is noted for.
With a colorful palate of super-stretchy materials, Coco (whose real name is Nicole Marrow) designed dresses, swimwear and jeans that can fit a skinny size 2 up to a voluptuous size 14.
Models donning Coco's creations strutted down the red carpet in form-fitting pink, yellow, blue and sequined dresses. Coco was wearing a skin-tight pink dress that was hugging her every curve.
She also revealed Team Coco, a collection of workout clothes including sweatpants, tops and sweatshirts so those after her curvaliciousness can work out in style.
source:http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-05-23/gossip/29592568_1_clothes-licious-team-coco
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Monday, May 23, 2011
Buxom blond bombshell Coco launched her Licious clothing line Sunday night at the posh midtown Grace Hotel, ready to show the world she's more than just her looks.
"For the everyday woman with curves", the 50-time magazine cover model's new line will feature clothes that "have that extra stretch within their step" for those that "need an extra lift for her gift." Something she, herself, is noted for.
With a colorful palate of super-stretchy materials, Coco (whose real name is Nicole Marrow) designed dresses, swimwear and jeans that can fit a skinny size 2 up to a voluptuous size 14.
Models donning Coco's creations strutted down the red carpet in form-fitting pink, yellow, blue and sequined dresses. Coco was wearing a skin-tight pink dress that was hugging her every curve.
She also revealed Team Coco, a collection of workout clothes including sweatpants, tops and sweatshirts so those after her curvaliciousness can work out in style.
source:http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-05-23/gossip/29592568_1_clothes-licious-team-coco
All cool for Ice-T in NYC unlicensed-driving case
NEW YORK —
Ice-T came out on top in a brush with real-life law and order Tuesday when prosecutors dropped unlicensed driving charges against the rapper-turned-TV detective.
"That's what I'm talking about - dismissed!" he called out in a Manhattan courtroom after a judge did just that to the misdemeanor case, which had prompted some choice words about police from the "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" actor.
"Like I said from the gate, I never broke the law," Ice-T said as he left court with his wife, Coco, a model.
Ice-T, 52, was arrested after a traffic stop of his 2009 Cadillac on Manhattan's West Side on July 20; he and his wife were on the road after taking their bulldog, Spartacus, to a vet for knee surgery. Police said they pulled the entertainer over for not wearing a seatbelt - which he contests - and a routine check showed his license was suspended.
He said he had a valid New Jersey driver's license and took to Twitter to call the officer who arrested him a "punk," and a few considerably less polite things, for "arresting the Notorious Ice T for no seatbelt."
The actor has played Detective Fin Tutuola on "Law & Order: SVU" since 2000, but he hasn't always identified with police: His 1992 song "Cop Killer" drew protests from police groups, among others. He said the song was an attempt to shed light on police brutality but ultimately agreed to remove the track from his album "Body Count."
Prosecutors said Tuesday that New York Department of Motor Vehicles records wrongly reflected that his license was suspended because of a lack of insurance, when his car is in fact insured and registered in New Jersey.
Ice-T, born Tracy Marrow, registered and insured his three cars in New Jersey after moving there from New York in 2008 and turned in his New York license plates, said his lawyer, Eric Franz. He said the actor's business managers sent that information to the New York DMV shortly after his move.
But it was "not reflected in the Department of Motor Vehicles' computerized records," Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Jessica Barron told a judge.
DMV representatives didn't immediately return a telephone call.
Ice-T said he had no clue his license had been marked as suspended.
"That's why I was so angry," he said. "It basically turned out to be a clerical error."
He took to Twitter again to let fans know the case was dismissed and thumb his nose at "all the haters that wished against me."
source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2012642625_apuspeopleicet.html
Ice-T came out on top in a brush with real-life law and order Tuesday when prosecutors dropped unlicensed driving charges against the rapper-turned-TV detective.
"That's what I'm talking about - dismissed!" he called out in a Manhattan courtroom after a judge did just that to the misdemeanor case, which had prompted some choice words about police from the "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" actor.
"Like I said from the gate, I never broke the law," Ice-T said as he left court with his wife, Coco, a model.
Ice-T, 52, was arrested after a traffic stop of his 2009 Cadillac on Manhattan's West Side on July 20; he and his wife were on the road after taking their bulldog, Spartacus, to a vet for knee surgery. Police said they pulled the entertainer over for not wearing a seatbelt - which he contests - and a routine check showed his license was suspended.
He said he had a valid New Jersey driver's license and took to Twitter to call the officer who arrested him a "punk," and a few considerably less polite things, for "arresting the Notorious Ice T for no seatbelt."
The actor has played Detective Fin Tutuola on "Law & Order: SVU" since 2000, but he hasn't always identified with police: His 1992 song "Cop Killer" drew protests from police groups, among others. He said the song was an attempt to shed light on police brutality but ultimately agreed to remove the track from his album "Body Count."
Prosecutors said Tuesday that New York Department of Motor Vehicles records wrongly reflected that his license was suspended because of a lack of insurance, when his car is in fact insured and registered in New Jersey.
Ice-T, born Tracy Marrow, registered and insured his three cars in New Jersey after moving there from New York in 2008 and turned in his New York license plates, said his lawyer, Eric Franz. He said the actor's business managers sent that information to the New York DMV shortly after his move.
But it was "not reflected in the Department of Motor Vehicles' computerized records," Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Jessica Barron told a judge.
DMV representatives didn't immediately return a telephone call.
Ice-T said he had no clue his license had been marked as suspended.
"That's why I was so angry," he said. "It basically turned out to be a clerical error."
He took to Twitter again to let fans know the case was dismissed and thumb his nose at "all the haters that wished against me."
source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2012642625_apuspeopleicet.html
ice-T`s Acting career
Ice-T's first film appearances were in the motion pictures Breakin' (1984) and its sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1985). These films were released before Ice-T released his first LP, although he appears on the soundtrack to Breakin'. He has since stated he considers the films and his own performance in them to be "whack".[27]
In 1991, he embarked on a serious acting career, portraying police detective Scotty Appleton in Mario Van Peebles' feature film New Jack City, gang leader Odessa (alongside Denzel Washington and John Lithgow) in Ricochet (1991), gang leader King James in Trespass (1992), followed by a notable lead role performance in Surviving the Game (1994), in addition to many supporting roles, such as J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and the marsupial mutant T-Saint in Tank Girl (1995). Marrow was also interviewed in the Brent Owens documentary Pimps Up, Ho's Down,[28] in which he claims to have had an extensive pimping background before getting into rap. He is quoted as saying "once you max something out, it ain't no fun no more. I couldn't really get no farther." He goes on to explain his pimping experience gave him the ability to get into new businesses. "I can't act, I really can't act, I ain't no rapper, it's all game. I'm just working these niggas." Later he raps at the Players Ball.
In 1993, Marrow along with other rappers and the three Yo! MTV Raps hosts Ed Lover, Doctor Dre and Fab 5 Freddy starred in the comedy Who's the Man?, directed by Ted Demme. In this movie, Marrow is a drug dealer who gets really frustrated when someone calls him by his real name, "Chauncey," rather than his street name, "Nighttrain."
In 1995, Marrow had a recurring role as vengeful drug dealer Danny Cort on the television series New York Undercover, co-created by Dick Wolf. His work on the series earned him the 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 1997, Marrow co-created the short-lived series Players, produced by Wolf. This was followed by a role as pimp Seymour "Kingston" Stockton in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998). These collaborations led Wolf to add Marrow to the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Since 2000, he has portrayed Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, a former undercover narcotics officer transferred to the Special Victims Unit. In 2002, the NAACP awarded Marrow with a second Image Award, again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, for his work on Law & Order: SVU.
In 1997, Marrow had a pay-per-view special titled Ice-T's Extreme Babes which appeared on Action PPV, formerly owned by BET networks.[29]
In 1999, Marrow starred in the HBO movie Stealth Fighter as a United States Naval Aviator who fakes his own death, steals a F-117 stealth fighter, and threatens to destroy United States military bases. He also acted in the movie Sonic Impact, released the same year.
Ice-T voiced Madd Dogg in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as well as Agent Cain in Sanity: Aiken's Artifact. He also appears as himself in Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout fighting video games.
Ice-T made an appearance on the comedy television series Chappelle's Show as himself presenting the award for "Player Hater of the Year" at the "Player-Haters Ball", a parody of his own appearance at the Players Ball. He was dubbed the "Original Player Hater."
Beyond Tough, a 2002 documentary series aired on Discovery Channel about the world's most dangerous and intense professions, such as alligator wrestlers and Indy 500 pit crews, was hosted by Marrow.[30]
In 2007, Marrow appeared as a celebrity guest star on the MTV sketch comedy show Short Circuitz. Also in late 2007, Marrow appeared in the short-music film Hands of Hatred, which can be found online.
Ice-T was interviewed for the Cannibal Corpse retrospective documentary Centuries of Torment, as well as appearing in Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair, in which he reminisced about going to school in hair curlers.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
In 1991, he embarked on a serious acting career, portraying police detective Scotty Appleton in Mario Van Peebles' feature film New Jack City, gang leader Odessa (alongside Denzel Washington and John Lithgow) in Ricochet (1991), gang leader King James in Trespass (1992), followed by a notable lead role performance in Surviving the Game (1994), in addition to many supporting roles, such as J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and the marsupial mutant T-Saint in Tank Girl (1995). Marrow was also interviewed in the Brent Owens documentary Pimps Up, Ho's Down,[28] in which he claims to have had an extensive pimping background before getting into rap. He is quoted as saying "once you max something out, it ain't no fun no more. I couldn't really get no farther." He goes on to explain his pimping experience gave him the ability to get into new businesses. "I can't act, I really can't act, I ain't no rapper, it's all game. I'm just working these niggas." Later he raps at the Players Ball.
In 1993, Marrow along with other rappers and the three Yo! MTV Raps hosts Ed Lover, Doctor Dre and Fab 5 Freddy starred in the comedy Who's the Man?, directed by Ted Demme. In this movie, Marrow is a drug dealer who gets really frustrated when someone calls him by his real name, "Chauncey," rather than his street name, "Nighttrain."
In 1995, Marrow had a recurring role as vengeful drug dealer Danny Cort on the television series New York Undercover, co-created by Dick Wolf. His work on the series earned him the 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 1997, Marrow co-created the short-lived series Players, produced by Wolf. This was followed by a role as pimp Seymour "Kingston" Stockton in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998). These collaborations led Wolf to add Marrow to the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Since 2000, he has portrayed Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, a former undercover narcotics officer transferred to the Special Victims Unit. In 2002, the NAACP awarded Marrow with a second Image Award, again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, for his work on Law & Order: SVU.
In 1997, Marrow had a pay-per-view special titled Ice-T's Extreme Babes which appeared on Action PPV, formerly owned by BET networks.[29]
In 1999, Marrow starred in the HBO movie Stealth Fighter as a United States Naval Aviator who fakes his own death, steals a F-117 stealth fighter, and threatens to destroy United States military bases. He also acted in the movie Sonic Impact, released the same year.
Ice-T voiced Madd Dogg in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as well as Agent Cain in Sanity: Aiken's Artifact. He also appears as himself in Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout fighting video games.
Ice-T made an appearance on the comedy television series Chappelle's Show as himself presenting the award for "Player Hater of the Year" at the "Player-Haters Ball", a parody of his own appearance at the Players Ball. He was dubbed the "Original Player Hater."
Beyond Tough, a 2002 documentary series aired on Discovery Channel about the world's most dangerous and intense professions, such as alligator wrestlers and Indy 500 pit crews, was hosted by Marrow.[30]
In 2007, Marrow appeared as a celebrity guest star on the MTV sketch comedy show Short Circuitz. Also in late 2007, Marrow appeared in the short-music film Hands of Hatred, which can be found online.
Ice-T was interviewed for the Cannibal Corpse retrospective documentary Centuries of Torment, as well as appearing in Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair, in which he reminisced about going to school in hair curlers.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
Professional music career of ice-T
Marrow received further inspiration as an artist from Schoolly D's gangsta rap single "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?", which Marrow heard in a club. Marrow enjoyed the single's sound and delivery, as well as its vague references to gang life, although the real life gang, Park Side Killers, was not named in the song.[14]
Marrow decided to adopt Schoolly D's style, and wrote the lyrics to his first gangsta rap song, "6 in the Mornin'", in his Hollywood apartment, and created a minimal beat with a Roland TR-808. Marrow compared the sound of the song, which was recorded as a B-Side on the single "Dog N The Wax", to that of the Beastie Boys.[14] The single was released in 1984, and Marrow learned that "6 in the Mornin'" had was more popular in clubs than its A-side, leading Marrow to rap about Los Angeles gang life, which Marrow described more explicitly in his raps than any past rapper; he intentionally did not represent any particular gang, and wore a mixture of red and blue clothing and shoes to avoid antagonizing gang-affiliated listeners, who argued as to what his true affiliation was.[14] In 1985, Marrow provided Beastie Boys member Adam "Adrock" Horovitz with his first sampler, a E-mu SP-1200.[15]
Ice-T finally landed a deal with a major label Sire Records. When label founder and president Seymour Stein heard his demo, he said, "He sounds like Bob Dylan."[16] Shortly after, he released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987 supported by DJ Evil E, DJ Aladdin and producer Afrika Islam, who helped create the mainly party-oriented sound. The record wound up being certified gold by the RIAA. That same year, he recorded the title theme song for Dennis Hopper's Colors, a film about inner-city life in Los Angeles. His next album Power was released in 1988, under his own label Rhyme Syndicate, and it was a more assured and impressive record, earning him strong reviews and his second gold record. Released in 1989, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say established his popularity by matching excellent abrasive music with narrative and commentative lyrics.[17]
In 1991, he released his album O.G. Original Gangster, which is regarded as one of the albums that defined gangsta rap. On OG, he introduced his heavy metal band Body Count in a track of the same name. Ice-T toured with Body Count on the first annual Lollapalooza concert tour in 1991, gaining him appeal among middle-class teenagers and fans of alternative music genres. The self-titled debut album by Body Count followed.[17] For his appearance on the heavily collaborative track "Back on the Block", a composition by jazz musician Quincy Jones that "attempt[ed] to bring together black musical styles from jazz to soul to funk to rap", Ice-T won a Grammy Award for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, an award shared by others who worked on the track including Jones and fellow jazz musician Ray Charles.[18]
Controversy later surrounded Body Count over its song "Cop Killer", a song intended as a narrative from the view of a criminal getting revenge on racist police officers guilty of brutality, from the National Rifle Association and various police advocacy groups.[17] Consequently, Time Warner Music refused to release Ice-T's upcoming album Home Invasion because of the controversy surrounding "Cop Killer". When Ice split amicably with Sire/Warner Bros. Records after a dispute over the artwork of the album Home Invasion, he reactivated Rhyme Syndicate and formed a deal with Priority Records for distribution. Priority released Home Invasion in the spring of 1993.[19] The album peaked at #9 on Billboard magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at #14 on the Billboard 200,[20] spawning several singles including "Gotta Lotta Love", "I Ain't New To This" and "99 Problems" - which would later inspire Jay Z to record a version with new lyrics in 2003. Ice-T had also collaborated with certain other heavy metal bands during this time period. For the film Judgment Night, he did a duet with Slayer on the track "Disorder".[21] In 1995, Ice-T made a guest performance on Forbidden by Black Sabbath.[2] Another album of his, VI - Return of the Real came out in 1996, followed by The Seventh Deadly Sin in 1999.[22]
His first rap album since 1999, Gangsta Rap, was released on October 31, 2006. The album's cover, which "shows [Ice-T] lying on his back in bed with his ravishing wife's ample posterior in full view and one of her legs coyly draped over his private parts," was considered to be too suggestive for most retailers, many of which were reluctant to stock the album.[23] Some reviews of the album were unenthusiastic, as many had hoped for a return to the political raps of Ice-T's most successful albums.
Ice-T appears in the film Gift. One of the last scenes includes Ice-T and Body Count playing with Jane's Addiction in a version of the Sly and the Family Stone song "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey."
Besides fronting his own band and rap projects, Ice-T has also collaborated with other hard rock and metal bands, such as Icepick, Motörhead, Pro-Pain, and Six Feet Under. He has also covered songs by hardcore punk bands such as The Exploited, Jello Biafra, and Black Flag. Ice-T made an appearance at Insane Clown Posse's Gathering of the Juggalos (2008 edition).[24] Ice-T was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.[25] His new BBC-funded movie 'Art Of Rap' features a who's who of underground and mainstream rappers.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
Marrow decided to adopt Schoolly D's style, and wrote the lyrics to his first gangsta rap song, "6 in the Mornin'", in his Hollywood apartment, and created a minimal beat with a Roland TR-808. Marrow compared the sound of the song, which was recorded as a B-Side on the single "Dog N The Wax", to that of the Beastie Boys.[14] The single was released in 1984, and Marrow learned that "6 in the Mornin'" had was more popular in clubs than its A-side, leading Marrow to rap about Los Angeles gang life, which Marrow described more explicitly in his raps than any past rapper; he intentionally did not represent any particular gang, and wore a mixture of red and blue clothing and shoes to avoid antagonizing gang-affiliated listeners, who argued as to what his true affiliation was.[14] In 1985, Marrow provided Beastie Boys member Adam "Adrock" Horovitz with his first sampler, a E-mu SP-1200.[15]
Ice-T finally landed a deal with a major label Sire Records. When label founder and president Seymour Stein heard his demo, he said, "He sounds like Bob Dylan."[16] Shortly after, he released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987 supported by DJ Evil E, DJ Aladdin and producer Afrika Islam, who helped create the mainly party-oriented sound. The record wound up being certified gold by the RIAA. That same year, he recorded the title theme song for Dennis Hopper's Colors, a film about inner-city life in Los Angeles. His next album Power was released in 1988, under his own label Rhyme Syndicate, and it was a more assured and impressive record, earning him strong reviews and his second gold record. Released in 1989, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say established his popularity by matching excellent abrasive music with narrative and commentative lyrics.[17]
In 1991, he released his album O.G. Original Gangster, which is regarded as one of the albums that defined gangsta rap. On OG, he introduced his heavy metal band Body Count in a track of the same name. Ice-T toured with Body Count on the first annual Lollapalooza concert tour in 1991, gaining him appeal among middle-class teenagers and fans of alternative music genres. The self-titled debut album by Body Count followed.[17] For his appearance on the heavily collaborative track "Back on the Block", a composition by jazz musician Quincy Jones that "attempt[ed] to bring together black musical styles from jazz to soul to funk to rap", Ice-T won a Grammy Award for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, an award shared by others who worked on the track including Jones and fellow jazz musician Ray Charles.[18]
Controversy later surrounded Body Count over its song "Cop Killer", a song intended as a narrative from the view of a criminal getting revenge on racist police officers guilty of brutality, from the National Rifle Association and various police advocacy groups.[17] Consequently, Time Warner Music refused to release Ice-T's upcoming album Home Invasion because of the controversy surrounding "Cop Killer". When Ice split amicably with Sire/Warner Bros. Records after a dispute over the artwork of the album Home Invasion, he reactivated Rhyme Syndicate and formed a deal with Priority Records for distribution. Priority released Home Invasion in the spring of 1993.[19] The album peaked at #9 on Billboard magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at #14 on the Billboard 200,[20] spawning several singles including "Gotta Lotta Love", "I Ain't New To This" and "99 Problems" - which would later inspire Jay Z to record a version with new lyrics in 2003. Ice-T had also collaborated with certain other heavy metal bands during this time period. For the film Judgment Night, he did a duet with Slayer on the track "Disorder".[21] In 1995, Ice-T made a guest performance on Forbidden by Black Sabbath.[2] Another album of his, VI - Return of the Real came out in 1996, followed by The Seventh Deadly Sin in 1999.[22]
His first rap album since 1999, Gangsta Rap, was released on October 31, 2006. The album's cover, which "shows [Ice-T] lying on his back in bed with his ravishing wife's ample posterior in full view and one of her legs coyly draped over his private parts," was considered to be too suggestive for most retailers, many of which were reluctant to stock the album.[23] Some reviews of the album were unenthusiastic, as many had hoped for a return to the political raps of Ice-T's most successful albums.
Ice-T appears in the film Gift. One of the last scenes includes Ice-T and Body Count playing with Jane's Addiction in a version of the Sly and the Family Stone song "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey."
Besides fronting his own band and rap projects, Ice-T has also collaborated with other hard rock and metal bands, such as Icepick, Motörhead, Pro-Pain, and Six Feet Under. He has also covered songs by hardcore punk bands such as The Exploited, Jello Biafra, and Black Flag. Ice-T made an appearance at Insane Clown Posse's Gathering of the Juggalos (2008 edition).[24] Ice-T was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.[25] His new BBC-funded movie 'Art Of Rap' features a who's who of underground and mainstream rappers.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
Early music career of ice-T
After leaving the Army, Marrow wanted to stay away from gang life and violence, and decided to make use of stereo equipment he had purchased in Hawaii, and make a name for himself as a disc jockey.[9] As a tribute to Iceberg Slim, Marrow adopted the stage name Ice-T.[9] While performing as a DJ at parties, he received more attention as a rapper, and decided to pursue a career as a rapper.[9] After breaking up with Adrienne, he returned to crime life, and robbed jewelry stores with his high school friends, pretending to be customers in order to plan the thefts, and later smashing the display glass with baby sledgehammers, events Marrow later described in his raps.[9][11]
In 1982, Marrow met producer William Strong from Saturn Records, who recorded his first single, "Cold Wind Madness", also known as "The Coldest Rap", which became an underground success, becoming popular even though radio stations did not play it due to the song's hardcore lyrics.[12] Despite the single's success, Marrow did not consider seriously pursuing rapping as a professional career.[12] One of Marrow's friends, Sean E. Sean, was arrested for possession of not only cannabis, which Sean sold, but also material stolen by Marrow. Sean took the blame for the stolen material, and served 25 years in prison. Marrow stated that he owed a gratitude to Sean, because his prison time allowed Marrow to pursue a career as a rapper.[12]
Marrow wound up in a car accident, and was hospitalized as a John Doe because he did not carry any form of identification due to his criminal activities.[13] After being discharged from the hospital, he decided to abandon the criminal lifestyle and pursue a professional career rapping.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
In 1982, Marrow met producer William Strong from Saturn Records, who recorded his first single, "Cold Wind Madness", also known as "The Coldest Rap", which became an underground success, becoming popular even though radio stations did not play it due to the song's hardcore lyrics.[12] Despite the single's success, Marrow did not consider seriously pursuing rapping as a professional career.[12] One of Marrow's friends, Sean E. Sean, was arrested for possession of not only cannabis, which Sean sold, but also material stolen by Marrow. Sean took the blame for the stolen material, and served 25 years in prison. Marrow stated that he owed a gratitude to Sean, because his prison time allowed Marrow to pursue a career as a rapper.[12]
Marrow wound up in a car accident, and was hospitalized as a John Doe because he did not carry any form of identification due to his criminal activities.[13] After being discharged from the hospital, he decided to abandon the criminal lifestyle and pursue a professional career rapping.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
ice-T (Gang affiliation, criminal life and time in the Army)
Tracy attended Palms Junior High, which was predominately made up of white students, and included black students bused in from South Central.[5] After graduating, he attended Crenshaw High School, which was almost entirely made up of black students.[5][7] Marrow stood out from most of his friends because he did not drink alcohol, smoke tobacco or use drugs, as a result of his survival instincts.[8] During high school, gangs began to intensify in the Los Angeles school system. Students who belonged to the Bloods and Crips gangs attended Crenshaw, and fought in the school's halls.[5] Tracy aligned with the Crips,[5] and began reading the novels of Iceberg Slim, which he memorized and recited to his friends, who enjoyed hearing the excerpts and told him, "Yo, kick some more of that shit by Ice, T,"[8] and the handle stuck. Marrow and other Crips wrote and performed "Crip Rhymes", long before the advent of hip hop and recorded rapping.[9]
At the age of 17, Tracy received the Social Security death benefit money previously in the care of his aunt for the death of his father to rent an apartment for $90 a month.[8] Marrow sold cannabis and stole car stereos for money, but was not making enough money to support his girlfriend and daughter, leading him to join the United States Army for the financial benefits; he served for four years in the 25th Infantry.[8][10] His commanding officer ordered Marrow to lead a group of soldiers to steal some supplies for him. Marrow and the group were jailed for the theft of an infantry rug.[8] While awaiting trial, he received a $2,500 bonus check, and decided to escape from the jail and desert his Army duties, returning a month later after the rug had been returned.[8] He received an Article 15 non-judicial punishment, and completed Advanced Infantry Training.[8]
Marrow became interested in hip hop music while serving in the Army. During this period, he heard Sugar Hill Gang's newly-released single "Rapper's Delight", which inspired him to perform his own raps over the instrumentals of this and other early hip hop records, but the music did not fit to his lyrics or form of delivery, leading Marrow to try to develop his skills as a rapper.[9]
As a squad leader at Schofield Barracks, Marrow met a real-life pimp named Mac in Hawaii, where prostitution was not heavily prosecuted, due to the high level of visits from soldiers during their weekends, as well as tourists, in order to keep the level of violence low.[8] Mac admired that Marrow could quote Iceberg Slim, and taught Marrow how to pimp.[8] Marrow was also able to purchase stereo equipment cheaply in Hawaii, including two Technics turntables, a mixer, and large speakers, and began to learn turntablism and rapping.[9]
Towards the end of his time in the Army, Marrow learned from his commanding officer that he could receive an honorable discharge and leave the Army early because he was a single father, and left four months ahead of schedule.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
At the age of 17, Tracy received the Social Security death benefit money previously in the care of his aunt for the death of his father to rent an apartment for $90 a month.[8] Marrow sold cannabis and stole car stereos for money, but was not making enough money to support his girlfriend and daughter, leading him to join the United States Army for the financial benefits; he served for four years in the 25th Infantry.[8][10] His commanding officer ordered Marrow to lead a group of soldiers to steal some supplies for him. Marrow and the group were jailed for the theft of an infantry rug.[8] While awaiting trial, he received a $2,500 bonus check, and decided to escape from the jail and desert his Army duties, returning a month later after the rug had been returned.[8] He received an Article 15 non-judicial punishment, and completed Advanced Infantry Training.[8]
Marrow became interested in hip hop music while serving in the Army. During this period, he heard Sugar Hill Gang's newly-released single "Rapper's Delight", which inspired him to perform his own raps over the instrumentals of this and other early hip hop records, but the music did not fit to his lyrics or form of delivery, leading Marrow to try to develop his skills as a rapper.[9]
As a squad leader at Schofield Barracks, Marrow met a real-life pimp named Mac in Hawaii, where prostitution was not heavily prosecuted, due to the high level of visits from soldiers during their weekends, as well as tourists, in order to keep the level of violence low.[8] Mac admired that Marrow could quote Iceberg Slim, and taught Marrow how to pimp.[8] Marrow was also able to purchase stereo equipment cheaply in Hawaii, including two Technics turntables, a mixer, and large speakers, and began to learn turntablism and rapping.[9]
Towards the end of his time in the Army, Marrow learned from his commanding officer that he could receive an honorable discharge and leave the Army early because he was a single father, and left four months ahead of schedule.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
early life of ice-T
Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow, son of Solomon and Alice Marrow, in Newark, New Jersey. As a child, his family moved to upscale Summit, New Jersey. Solomon was a dark skinned African American, and Alice was light skinned Creole. The first time race played a major part in Tracy's life was at the age of 7, when he became aware of the racism leveled by his white friends toward dark skinned black children, and that he escaped similar treatment because they thought that Marrow was white because of his lighter skin. Relating this incident to his mother, Alice told him "Honey, people are stupid"; her advice and this incident taught Marrow to control the way the ignorance of others affected him.
Alice died of a heart attack when Tracy was in third grade. Solomon raised Tracy as a single father for four years, with help from a housekeeper.[1] Tracy's first experience with an illegal activity occurred after a bicycle that Solomon bought him for Christmas was stolen. After Tracy told his father, Solomon shrugged, "Well, then, you ain't got no bike."[1] Tracy stole parts from bicycles and assembled "three or four weird-looking, brightly painted bikes" from the parts; his father either did not notice, or never acknowledged this.[1] When Tracy was 12 years old, Solomon died of a heart attack.[1][3] For many years, AllMusic.com has stated that his parents "died in an auto accident",[4] but Ice-T has stated that it was actually he who had been in a brutal auto accident and that was decades later.[1]
Following his father's death, Tracy lived with a nearby aunt briefly, and was sent to live with his other aunt and her husband in View Park, a middle-class black neighborhood in Los Angeles.[5] While his cousin Earl was preparing to leave for college, Tracy shared a room with him. Earl was a fan of rock music and only listened to the local rock stations; sharing a room with him spurred Tracy's interest in heavy metal music.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
Alice died of a heart attack when Tracy was in third grade. Solomon raised Tracy as a single father for four years, with help from a housekeeper.[1] Tracy's first experience with an illegal activity occurred after a bicycle that Solomon bought him for Christmas was stolen. After Tracy told his father, Solomon shrugged, "Well, then, you ain't got no bike."[1] Tracy stole parts from bicycles and assembled "three or four weird-looking, brightly painted bikes" from the parts; his father either did not notice, or never acknowledged this.[1] When Tracy was 12 years old, Solomon died of a heart attack.[1][3] For many years, AllMusic.com has stated that his parents "died in an auto accident",[4] but Ice-T has stated that it was actually he who had been in a brutal auto accident and that was decades later.[1]
Following his father's death, Tracy lived with a nearby aunt briefly, and was sent to live with his other aunt and her husband in View Park, a middle-class black neighborhood in Los Angeles.[5] While his cousin Earl was preparing to leave for college, Tracy shared a room with him. Earl was a fan of rock music and only listened to the local rock stations; sharing a room with him spurred Tracy's interest in heavy metal music.
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-T
ice-T (who is ?)
Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician and actor.
He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to district Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years. He began his career as a rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays. The next year, he founded the record label Rhyme Syndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip hop artists called the Rhyme Syndicate) and released another album, Power.
He co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count, which he introduced in his 1991 album O.G.: Original Gangster. Body Count released its self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track "Cop Killer", which was perceived to glamorize killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records, and his next solo album, Home Invasion was released later in the Fall of 1993 through Priority Records. Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late 1990s.
Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to district Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years. He began his career as a rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays. The next year, he founded the record label Rhyme Syndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip hop artists called the Rhyme Syndicate) and released another album, Power.
He co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count, which he introduced in his 1991 album O.G.: Original Gangster. Body Count released its self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track "Cop Killer", which was perceived to glamorize killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records, and his next solo album, Home Invasion was released later in the Fall of 1993 through Priority Records. Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late 1990s.
Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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