After an extra long wait (first due to the writer’s strike, then to Hollywood’s deciding to push it back some more), HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is finally coming out July 15h. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Michael Gambon, this film also brings back such favorites as Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Tom Felton and Julie Walters, while adding some new actors to the mix: Jim Broadbent brings Professor Horace Slughorn to life, while Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (nephew to Ralph Fiennes) gives us insight into the young Tom Riddle aka Voldemort.

This installment is being directed by David Yates, who also brought us HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX.  Hopefully having learned his lesson from that one (it was cut waaaay too far down from the books in most fans opinions, including mine), this new film runs a respectable 2 1/2 hours, which should give us plenty of time to enjoy the story and the characters.  That’s especially important since this book is the one that sets up the sides for almost all the important people in it.

(A while back I picked up some secondhand audiobooks of the first 4 titles in the series.  I’ve been listening to them in the car, catching myself up on the storyline.  Still can’t decide whether to re-read HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, though, before or after the movie as it’s been a couple years since I read it…  I think I prefer to revisit the story with the movie version first, then re-read the book to see what’s different.)

Less than a month and counting!  (Unfortunately, we’ll then have a year and a half to wait for the next one, too…  <ARRgggh> Talk about exquisite agony…)

Technorati Tags: daniel radcliffe, dumbledore, emma watson, Harry Potter, hermione granger, Michael Gambon, ron weasley, rupert grint

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
PAUL GIAMATTI              John Adams                         "JOHN ADAMS"                  HBO

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURA LINNEY               Abigail Adams                      "JOHN ADAMS"                  HBO

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
HUGH LAURIE               Gregory House                      "HOUSE"                           FOX

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD                 Nora Walker                          "BROTHERS & SISTERS"     ABC

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN             Jack Donaghy                       "30 ROCK"                         NBC

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
TINA FEY                      Liz Lemon                            "30 ROCK"                         NBC

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"30 ROCK"                 NBC

SCOTT ADSIT               Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN            Jack Donaghy
KATRINA BOWDEN       Cerie
TINA FEY                     Liz Lemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER   Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI        Jenna Maroney
JACK McBRAYER          Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN          Tracy Jordan
MAULIK PANCHOLY      Jonathan
KEITH POWELL            Toofer

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"MAD MEN"                              AMC

BRYAN BATT                              Salvatore Romano
ALISON BRIE                             Trudy Campbell
MICHAEL GLADIS                       Paul Kinsey
JON HAMM                                Don Draper
AARON HART                             Bobby Draper
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS             Joan Holloway
JANUARY JONES                        Betty Draper
VINCENT KARTHEISER               Pete Campbell
ROBERT MORSE                         Bertram Cooper
MARK MOSES                            Herman “Duck” Phillips
ELISABETH MOSS                      Peggy Olson
KIERNAN SHIPKA                       Sally Draper
JOHN SLATTERY                         Roger Sterling
RICH SOMMER                           Harry Crane
AARON STATON                         Ken Cosgrove
 

(Amazing – some of my favorites/picks actually won something!  Hooray for Hugh Laurie, Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet , Heath Ledger, Robert Morse, and Vincent Kartheiser, just to name a few…)

Technorati Tags: Awards, Heath Ledger, Hugh Laurie, SAG, Screen Actors Guild

According to the official website of the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the nominees for this year’s Oscars are as follows:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
• Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
• Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
• Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
• “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

• “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

• “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

• “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
• “Revolutionary Road”  (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in directing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

Best documentary feature

• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
• “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
• “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
• “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
• “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

• “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
• “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
• “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
• “The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

Best foreign language film of the year

• “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
• “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
• “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
• “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
• “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in makeup

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat
• “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
• “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
• “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam                  
   

Best motion picture of the year

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
• “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer

Best animated short film

• “La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
• “Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
• “Oktapodi” (Talantis Films), A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
• “Presto” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
• “This Way Up” A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

• “Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
• “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
• “New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
• “The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
• “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
• “Wanted” (Universal), Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
• “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Adapted screenplay

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
• “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay

• “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
• “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
• “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
   

Technorati Tags: Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie, Australia, Brad Pitt, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, Oscars, The Dark Knight, Wall-E

Eliza Dushku (TRU CALLING, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) takes on 2 new roles:  a character named City Hall (no, that’s not a typo) in the upcoming indie film NOBEL SON and as Echo in TV’s DOLLHOUSE.

NOBEL SON stars Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenburg, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, Danny DeVito, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson and Eliza Dushku.  According to the official website synopsis,

"Barkley Michaelson is in a deep life rut. He’s struggling to finish his PhD thesis when his father, the learned Eli Michaelson, wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Barkley and his mother, Sarah, a renowned forensic psychiatrist, now have the ill-fortune of living with a man-eating monster whose philandering ways have gotten less and less discrete. As if Barkley’s world is not bad enough, on the eve of his father receiving the Nobel, Barkley is kidnapped and the requested ransom is the $2,000,000 in Nobel prize money. Needless to say, Eli refuses to pay it and so starts a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge. In the words of Michel De Montaigne, the 16th century philosopher: ‘There is more barbarity in eating a man alive than in eating him dead.’"

In a note on the website, Eliza says, "I fought my ass off for this role."  Per an interview with TV GUIDE,  she told them
"I just loved the script. It’s sort of rare when you turn that last page and go, ‘I have to be in this movie, I have to play this character.’"  Early in the movie, City Hall, a damaged soul, spends an amorous evening with Barkley Michaelson before he goes to see his father accept the Nobel prize, setting in motion a series of wild and weird events in this very original and twisted movie.

And while early in her career she stated, people have "a better chance of seeing God than seeing me naked," they come quite close in this film.  (To seeing her naked, that is – she’s down to very small underwear in this one.)

And while TRU CALLING is still canceled (regardless of how many fans write in), Eliza will be back on TV on FOX in Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE, a sci fi thriller.  She’ll be ECHO, an operative who has her original mind removed and has covert mission-specific personalities imprinted on her.  According to the TV GUIDE interview, she’s "played probably twenty-some different characters in the past couple months, and every one is a thrill. I’ve been riding motorcycles and deer hunting, I had a Muay Thai fight scene with a 6-foot-5 cop, I went river rafting, rock climbing…"  Her character can be anyone, but doesn’t remember who she is. (Sounds a bit like THE PRETENDER / MISSION IMPOSSIBLE / MY OWN WORST ENEMY all mixed together…?) 

Planned as a mid-season replacement, so far 7 episodes of 13 have been filmed, but with a possible actor’s strike coming up, the future of the rest of the episodes are unknown. The show will be on Friday nights at 9pm, with THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES as its lead-in.

Here’s an interview with Joss Whedon (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, FIREFLY) and Eliza about the upcoming show: 

Screenshots from the movie NOBEL SON:

Technorati Tags: DOLLHOUSE, Eliza Dushku, Joss Whedon, NOBEL SON

Based on estimates made on Sunday, Catherine Hardwick (THIRTEEN, LORDS OF DOGTOWN) now has the largest opening weekend for a female director. TWILIGHT brought in approx $70.6 million dollars, beating the old record held by Mimi Leder. whose film, DEEP IMPACT,  had opened at $41.1 million dollars back in 1998.

Plans for a sequel based on the 2nd book, NEW MOON, are already under way, but it’s not known if Catherine Hardwick will helm it.  She’s said,  “I want to be sure that it’s going to be done right. I don’t want to rush into it. It’s not like “FRIDAY THE 13TH” or “HALLOWEEN,” you can’t just do it super fast and knock another one out. I want to understand their plans and all that.”  However, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are already on board for the second installment.

Technorati Tags: Catherine Hardwick, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, TWILIGHT, Vampire Movies

I’ve always had an affinity for all things Australian, especially their movies and actors.  A few of my all-time favorite Australian movies are THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, MAD MAX, GALLIPOLI. CROCODILE DUNDEE, PITCH BLACK, BREAKER MORANT, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA – QUEEN OF THE DESERT and STRICTLY BALLROOM.  (They seem to have a little something for everyone: drama, sci fi, horror, comedy, crossdressing, comedic dancing… And the gorgeous scenery!  Wow…)

And the actors that have come out of Australia are amazing: Cate Blanchett, Claudia Black, Bryan Brown, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Paul Mercurio, Hugo Weaving, Toni Collette, Heath Ledger, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman are just a few of the people I will go out of my way to watch–and listen to.  Gotta love that accent!  (Must be something in the water that keeps churning out all that talent…)

Speaking of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, they have a new movie coming out in theaters November 26th:  AUSTRALIA.

According to the synopsis:

“AUSTRALIA is an epic and romantic action adventure, set in this country on the explosive brink of World War II. In it, an English aristocrat (NICOLE KIDMAN) travels to the faraway continent where she meets a rough-hewn local (HUGH JACKMAN) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbour. With his new film, director Baz Luhrmann is painting on a vast canvas, creating a cinematic experience that brings together romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.”

It should be interesting to see how Lurhmann does with such dark subject matter as the bombing of Darwin.  I loved STRICTLY BALLROOM (quite twisted, yet touching), but MOULIN ROUGE! didn’t quite hit the mark and both were musicals, not large-scale dramas.  (I only saw a little of ROMEO+JULIET – I’m not a huge Leonardo diCaprio fan.)

Russell Crowe was to be in AUSTRALIA originally, but the part went instead to Hugh Jackman.  Rounding out the main cast are Bryan Brown, David Wenham, Essie Davis, and Jack Thompson.

“Lose yourself in the movie, find yourself in Australia…”  (Tagline from the movie)

One of these days I’ve just got to visit that country and see it for myself.  Films just aren’t enough…

Technorati Tags: Australia, Darwin, Hugh Jackman, MOVIES, Nicole Kidman, Outback

The movie hasn’t even come out yet, but TWILIGHT, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, has already set a record – its soundtrack album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week, outperforming AC/DC’s Black Ice at #2, followed by the soundtrack to Disney’s High School Musical 3 at #3, Hinder’s Take It to the Limit at #4 with Pink’s Funhouse taking spot #5.

It’s highly unusual for a soundtrack to top the charts before the movie has even hit the screens, much less take the #1 spot.

The movie, based on Stephanie Meyer’s bestselling series, comes out in theaters November 21st.  Stewart (ZATHURA) plays Bella Swan, a teenager who finds herself in love with a vampire played by Pattinson (HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE).

Based on the reception the album has already received, it’s probably a safe bet the movie itself will also score big at the box office.  (Pattinson has been continually mobbed at pre-screening events by hundreds and thousands of young girls trying to get a glimpse of the actor bringing the supernatural “Edward Cullen” to life.)

If you want to check out the music for yourself, click on the box below:

Technorati Tags: Kristen Stewart, MUSIC, Robert Pattinson, TWILIGHT

Coming January 2009, this prequel to UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION brings back Bill Nighy (Viktor), Michael Sheen (Lucian), Shane Brolly (Kraven) and Kevin Grevioux (Raze – he also helped write the original story the first movie was based on).

Rhona Mitra takes over the part of Sonja, Lucian’s love.  (Her character was only previously seen in flashback, played by Jazmin Damak.)

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS gives us the backstory of the Death Dealers and their slaves, the Lycans, taking us to where it all began.  (UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION already gave us some of the origin story, but this provides the entire tale.)

Technorati Tags: Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra, Rise of the Lycans, Underworld

They control your money. They control your government. They control your life. And everybody pays. THE INTERNATIONAL tells the story of an Interpol agent (Clive Owen) who attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution’s role in an international arms dealing ring.  It also stars Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl and James Rebhorn. Here are some stills from the upcoming movie, due out February 13, 2009: Boy, Clive Owen is easy on the eyes…  (Even when it looks like he’s been dragged behind a car…)  He’s one of my favorite actors: intense, believable, classy and intelligent.

Technorati Tags: Clive Owen, Espionage, Naomi Watts, The International

Paramount and J.J. Abrams have released 7 new photos from the upcoming STAR TREK movie: Also, the upcoming issue of Empire magazine will have an exclusive photo shoot of Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine, including three exclusive new stills straight from the USS Enterprise.

Technorati Tags: Anton Yeltin, Chris Pine, Eric Bana, J. J. Abrams, John Cho, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Star Trek, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana