‘Precious’ Will Leave Lasting Mark
November 20, 2009
“Everybody’s good at something,” Ms. Rain tells her student, Claireece “Precious” Jones.
And Precious is especially good at transforming dark to light, hate to love and the relentlessly callous landscape of her environment into something bearable.
There is no airbrushing or sugarcoating in Lee Daniels’ second film, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” Grit, fried food and palpable street shots of Harlem during the 1980s pervade the screen. “Precious” is a heavy film, filled with glints of light.
Pictured: Actress Gabourey Sidibe arrives at the AFI FEST 2009 Screening Of Precious: Based On The Novel ‘PUSH’ By Sapphire on November 1, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It’ Banks $100 Million Around The Globe
November 15, 2009
As expected, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” was the box-office champion over the Halloween weekend, taking in an estimated $21.3 million in the United States. The bigger news was that the documentary chronicling the King of Pop’s final rehearsals for his planned 50-show comeback residency in London banked more than $101 million worldwide.
The totals easily made “This Is It” the #1 movie in America, beating out the still-strong thriller “Paranormal Activity,” which was second with $16.5 million. Fans who didn’t wait in line or rush out to see “This Is It” during its first few days in theaters also got a reprieve, as Sony Pictures — the studio that paid $60 million for the rights to release the film — announced that the planned two-week-only engagement will now be extended through Thanksgiving.
Jackson film ‘This Is It’ earns $2.2M on 1st night
November 15, 2009
Michael Jackson may be headed to the top of the charts again — this time at the movie box office.
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” took in $2.2 million domestically from its first late-night screenings, setting it up for a big full opening day Wednesday and a strong shot at a No. 1 debut weekend.
Those evening screenings alone were enough to top the $1.7 million that Paramount’s fright flick “Paranormal Activity,” last weekend’s No. 1 movie, pulled in over the entire day Tuesday.
Pictured: People dance on October 28, 2009, in front of the Grand Rex movie theatre in Paris after attending the screening for the documentary film ‘This Is It,’ culled from more than 100 hours of footage taken from rehearsals for Michael Jackson’s comeback. Yesterday, four months after Jackson’s death, red carpets were rolled out for worldwide premieres 18 simultaneous screenings on five continents for King of Pop posthumous thriller. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)
Robert Townsend To Kickoff ‘The Ultimate Pitch’ Master Class Tour
November 4, 2009
Film Life, Inc. announces it will present acclaimed producer/director Robert Townsend’s “The Ultimate Pitch Master Class” lecture series. The first installment of the master class will be held at TheTimesCenter stage located at 232 West 41 Street in New York City on Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Additional cities to be announced in January 2010.
The three-hour session is designed to teach those seeking careers in film and television how to pitch their ideas to networks and studios. Townsend shares his technique from concept to development, through the various stages of rewrites and pitching to studios as well as providing advice on how to close the deal with clarity, precision and confidence. Read more
Movie Spotlight: Ten9Eight
October 27, 2009
Synopsis: This is the compelling question behind award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio’s newest project Ten9Eight, a thought provoking film which tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens (of differing race, religion, and ethnicity) from Harlem to Compton and all points in between, as they compete in an annual business plan competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). Read more
Disney’s Newest Royalty, Princess Tiana, Makes Debut at Walt Disney World Resort
October 27, 2009
Starting Oct. 26, Walt Disney World guests will be treated to first-ever appearances by Princess Tiana, star of the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film “The Princess and the Frog.”
Besides meet-and-greets with guests, Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen and other characters from the motion picture will star in “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!,” a rousing, colorful procession with a jazz-filled Mardi Gras theme. The good times will roll as festively dressed, bead-tossing revelers lead Magic Kingdom guests to the Liberty Belle Riverboat dock.
The party moves onboard and the Liberty Belle paddlewheels her way along the river with singing and dancing to the sounds of a six-member jazz band. Nearly two dozen Disney dancers join 30 randomly chosen park guests to be part of each show. Original songs composed by Randy Newman for the film energize the production, which will be performed three times daily. Daytime pyrotechnics and whimsical puppetry round out the spirited, 15-minute spectacle. Read more
‘Black Dynamite’ pays homage to blaxploitation films
October 27, 2009
Actor Michael Jai White thinks the negative connotation surrounding the term “blaxploitation film” is a bunch of jive.
“The problem I have with the word is that it seems to encompass movies that don’t fall under that category,” White said. “As soon as you hear the title ‘Shaft’ people think ‘blaxploitation’ and that is absolutely unfair because that film was made before the term even existed.”
White, the star and co-writer of the new movie “Black Dynamite,” would rather people focus on what he views as the positives of the genre of 1970s urban action films starring African-American actors.
Pictured: Actors Tommy Davidson (L) and Michael Jai White attend the ‘Black Dynamite’ film premiere at the Arclight Hollywood on October 13, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Disney To Unveil Couture Bridal Gown Inspired By Princess Tiana
October 27, 2009
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and renowned couture designer Kirstie Kelly are launching an exquisite gown inspired by Princess Tiana, Disney’s newest princess in more than ten years and the first African American Disney Princess character from the highly anticipated animated musical film, The Princess and the Frog. The Tiana gown will take its place in the phenomenally successful Kirstie Kelly for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings line as the signature piece of an all new collection of bridal gowns. The new collection also includes the Snow White Diamond Edition gown, all new “Maidens” for bridesmaids, “Blossoms” for flower girls and a new line of fine jewelry with renowned jeweler Mouawad, each inspired by a Disney Princess character. Read more
New book examines black women’s film stardom
October 21, 2009
Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Almost a half century passed before another black woman — Halle Berry — won the award.
They and three others — Pam Grier, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey — are subjects of the new book “Divas on Screen: Black Women in American Film.”
“These women have pushed the racial boundaries for audiences, setting new standards for beauty and body type,” said author Mia Mask.
She took on the book because, while black male stars are now enjoying huge success, little has been written about their female counterparts — as performers who can headline a film, said Mask, who teaches film and drama at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Pictured: Actress Halle Berry arrives at Spike TV’s 2009 ”Guys Choice Awards” held at the Sony Studios on May 30, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
‘American Violet’ Ends Up Going Straight To DVD
October 15, 2009
“American Violet,” a fact-based drama that opened the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival here last spring, is about as damning an indictment of good-ole-boy racism as anything the movies have given us lately.
While it may be about as subtle as a swinging sledgehammer, it does leave its mark. Today it’s bypassing theaters and going straight to DVD.
Pictured:Actress Erica Hubbard arrives for the premiere of ‘American Violet’ at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California on April 13, 2009. ‘American Violet’ tells the story of a single African-American mother struggling to clear her name after being wrongly accused and arrested for dealing drugs in an impoverished town in Texas. The movie is based on the real-life experiences of Regina Kelly. AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
