Penn opens wallets for Haiti at Cannes

CANNES: The Cannes film festival took time out from the movies to raise money for Haiti on Friday night, with Sean Penn at the helm pleading the humanitarian cause at a celebrity gala.

"Okay, room. Haiti is watching us tonight like you cannot believe," Penn told the black-tie crowd who had paid up to $100,000 for a table at the "Carnival in Cannes", just steps from the famous red carpet.

Three people paid $100,000 each in an auction to accompany Penn on a three-day trip to Haiti where the actor, a two-time Academy Award winner, has been active since the country's devastating 2010 earthquake.

In an expletive-laden yet impassioned speech, Penn exhorted guests to give generously and not turn their backs on Haiti. Celebrities included members of the Cannes jury - actors Ewan McGregor and Diane Kruger and designer Jean Paul Gaultier.

Ben Stiller and Chris Rock, voice stars of animation blockbuster "Madagascar 3" also attended, and designer Giorgio Armani, an event sponsor, made an appearance at the event co-hosted by model Petra Nemcova and "Crash" director and screenwriter Paul Haggis.

President of the Cannes jury four years ago, Penn was named "Ambassador at Large for Haiti" by new President Michel Martelly this year. In the days following the earthquake, Penn started the J/P Haitian Relief Organization with a goal of getting displaced people back into permanent homes.

"There's this very tangible success story that Haiti can be that could be a domino effect throughout the world," Penn told a news conference on Friday.

It was only the third time in its 65-year history that Cannes has lent its name to a fundraising cause, but this time the gala for Haitian relief was not tied to any festival film. In the 1980s it helped raise funds for the Pasteur Institute and in the 1990s for a Venice opera house destroyed by fire.

Penn said the event came together after Thierry Fremaux, the festival's general delegate, "called and asked how he could help".

Rebuilding Haiti will depend on private funding and collaboration between donors, Penn said, citing the non-profit groups of Nemcova and Haggis - the Happy Hearts Fund and Artists for Peace and Justice - both of which have focused on schools.

WINNING BID

Penn lashed out at the media, however, for parachuting into Haiti but then not following through to keep reporting on the zone during its rebuilding.

"It's not only celebrities that just went for the day. It's the whole ... world. It's the entire media. It's all of you," he told the press. "The reason people get Haiti fatigue is because they never committed in the first place."

Singer Lyle Lovett gave a short concert before Haitian band RAM performed and waved the country's blue and red colors on what was Haitian Flag Day.

Martelly, elected president in 2011, appeared on pre-recorded video from Port au Prince, playing the piano, singing and calling Penn "a friend and an inspiration for our country."

Haggis, who took his first trip to Haiti two years before the quake, tried to incite higher bidding on the auction items, announcing a "Golden Globes Weekend" package would also include a date with the Scottish actor Gerard Butler, whom he pulled up on to the stage, to the actor's embarrassment.

A man suddenly leapt up, yelling: "100,000 euros without Gerard Butler!" to seize the winning bid.

Speaking at the news conference, Haggis said the world had largely washed its hands of Haiti throughout its troubled history.

"Honestly, until the quake, no one really gave a damn about Haiti," said Haggis, adding: "Like Sean said, 'Give these people a shot that they've never had'." (Reuters)

Will Smith slaps reporter on red carpet

MOSCOW: Hollywood star Will Smith has slapped a male television reporter who tried to kiss him before the Moscow premiere of ‘Men in Black III.’

According to the American news agency Associated Press, the reporter from the Ukrainian television channel approached Smith on the red carpet, put his hand on the actor's shoulder and tried to kiss him.

Smith pushed him away and then slapped him lightly across the cheek with the back of his left hand.

It was not clear whether reporter Vitalii Sediuk intended to kiss Smith on the cheek or on the lips.

In any case, Smith appeared shocked by the reporter’s behavior at Friday night's premiere in the Russian capital.

(The News pk)

Lopez leads Forbes celebrity power list

NEW YORK: Jennifer Lopez has topped the annual Forbes list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in the world, taking over from fellow pop singer Lady Gaga and beating out media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

The 42-year-old singer, actress and dancer, who rose up through the entertainment world ranks from her humble birthplace of the Bronx, New York, surprisingly jumped from 50th place on last year's list that measures power by entertainment related earnings, media visibility and social media popularity.

Forbes estimated Lopez' earnings in the past 12 months at $52 million, and her top ranking is powered by her lucrative gig as a judge on popular television show, "American Idol," a new clothing line at Kohl's, a top-selling fragrance and millions of Twitter and Facebook followers. She also just announced her first upcoming world tour, joined by Enrique Iglesias.

Winfrey, who has admitted struggling with her OWN TV network after ending "The Oprah Winfrey Show" syndicated TV chat show last year after 25 years, kept her No. 2 slot from last year, earning an estimated $165 million.

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 18, also stayed at No. 3 where he debuted last year, earning $55 million, with Forbes reporting he has become a serious investor whose portfolio includes music streaming service Spotify.

Pop star Rihanna landed on the list for the first time with estimated earnings of $53 million due to hits in the past year such as "We Found Love," and "Talk That Talk," while also landing lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of Nivea and Vita Coco, Forbes said.

Dropping four places from last year, Lady Gaga was ranked No. 5, earning $52 million, while new "The X Factor" judge Britney Spears returned to the list after a one-year hiatus landing at No. 6, earning an estimated $58 million helped by a successful tour.

Kim Kardashian was also a notable newcomer at No. 7. She earned $18 million - the lowest amount in the top ten - but attracted ample media attention for her splashy wedding and divorce. Pop singer Katy Perry landed at No. 8.

Rounding off the top ten was Tom Cruise at No. 9 with the comeback success of his "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" movie that earned nearly $700 million at the global box office, and Steven Spielberg's various ventures in TV and movies earned him an estimated $130 million to place him at No. 10.

British singer Adele entered the list at No. 24 after a record-equaling six Grammy haul and returning to live performing after surgery on her vocal chords.

Among big names to drop off the list was Charlie Sheen after his "Two and a Half Men" exit. His replacement on the show, Ashton Kutcher debuted on the list at No. 51.

The collective earnings power of the top 100 dropped slightly in 2012, with this year's crop earning a collective total of $4.4 billion, down from $4.5 billion in 2011. (Reuters)

'Avengers' smashes $1 billion mark

LOS ANGELES: "The Avengers" has smashed through the $1 billion mark in global box office earnings, officials figures showed Monday, after the record-breaking movie slain its rivals again on its second weekend.

The comic book superhero blockbuster made $103.1 million over the weekend in North America, following its $207 million opening weekend, the highest-earning debut on record, said box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Globally the high-thrills Disney action adventure movie, directed by cult favorite Joss Whedon in collaboration with Marvel Comics, has made $1,002,082,000, according to industry website IMDb.

The success of the movie -- made for an estimated $220 million -- will help mitigate Disney's huge $200 million loss on sci-fi fantasy film "John Carter" in March, which prompted the departure of Walt Disney Studios boss Rich Ross.

The "Avengers," a superhero band including Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor, pounded Tim Burton's new Johnny Depp vampire flick "Dark Shadows," which earned about $29.7 million in its debut weekend.

Romantic comedy "Think Like A Man" slipped into third place earning $5.8 million.

Smash action hit "The Hunger Games" was in the fourth spot in its eighth week on the big screen. The movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence, earned $4.5 million and has raked in more than $387 million since its opening.

In fifth place was tearjerker drama "The Lucky One," an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book starring Zac Efron of "High School Musical" fame as a US soldier back from Iraq. The movie made $4.1 million in its fourth weekend.

Emily Blunt and Jason Segel feature "The Five-Year Engagement" stayed in sixth place, with $3.3 million.

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits," a children's animation film from the studio that produced the "Wallace and Gromit" series was in the number seven spot earning $3.1 million.

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," a comedic drama about British retirees in India, was in the number eight spot for the week with $2.7 million.

"Chimpanzee," a true-life, child-friendly adventure about a special chimp in the jungles of Ivory Coast also from the Walt Disney stable, was in ninth, with $1.8 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "Safe," an action thriller about a girl pursued by the Triads, Russian mobsters and corrupt police for priceless information only she knows, which netted $1.4 million. (AFP)

Monroe beckons film galaxy to Cannes '12

PARIS: Druggy roadtrips, soul-searching drama and stylish gangland flicks go head to head on the French Riviera next week as a galaxy of stars and directors converge for the Cannes film festival.

David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke headline the pick of 22 international filmmakers vying for the Palme d'Or award at the 65th edition of the world's top cinema showcase from May 16 to 27.

Star-wise, the 2012 line-up promises to dazzle with Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Brad Pitt just a few of the A-listers expected in town.

Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, who herself never walked the Cannes red carpet, was chosen as the face of this year's filmfest in a tribute 50 years after her death.

Palme d'Or-winner Nanni Moretti of Italy heads the jury, with help from eight jurors including the actor Ewan McGregor and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier.

Festival general delegate Thierry Fremaux, who cherry-picked the selection from among almost 1,800 entries, was particularly excited about this year's American crop.

US director Wes Anderson strikes a joyous keynote with Wednesday's opening film "Moonrise Kingdom", a pre-teen elopement story whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop.

Two US auteurs are running for Cannes gold: Lee Daniels' keenly awaited

The second is Jeff Nichols, whose "Mud", about two teenage boys who form a pact with a fugitive, was a surprise entry.

American stories loom large throughout the line-up, though often told by foreign directors.

Canada's Cronenberg brings Manhattan thriller "Cosmopolis", adapted from Don DeLillo's novel. It stars Robert Pattinson as a billionaire asset manager journeying through the city in a stretch limo.

Brazil's Walter Salles has adapted Jack Kerouac's cult novel "On the Road", while Australians John Hillcoat and Andrew Dominik bring two US-set works: bootlegging drama "Lawless" and the mobster flick "Killing Them Softly".

Among the European giants, Austria's Haneke will show "Amour" (Love), starring Isabelle Huppert as the daughter of a woman hit by a stroke.

In the absence of Lars Von Trier -- banned from last year's festival after incendiary remarks about Hitler -- fellow Dane Thomas Vinterberg injects a dose of icy Nordic drama with "The Hunt".

Britain's Loach returns for the 17th time with comedy "The Angel's Share", about ex-offenders who turn to whisky-making.

One of three French filmmakers in the race, Jacques Audiard has cast Cotillard as a killer-whale trainer hit by a tragedy in "Rust and Bone".

Romania's Cristian Mungiu, who scooped the 2007 Palme for a Communist-era abortion drama, returns with "Beyond the Hills" about two orphans, while Italian Matteo Garrone takes on TV culture with "Reality".

Asia gets a look-in with two South Koreans: Im Sang-soo with erotic thriller "Taste of Money", and Hong Sang-soo with "In Another Country".

And Palme-winning Iranian Abbas Kiarostami returns at 71 with "Like Someone in Love", a Japan-set tale about a student who works as a prostitute.

Cronenberg father and son will both be in Cannes, with Brandon Cronenberg showing his debut "Antiviral" in parallel new talent section "Un Certain Regard", chaired by British actor and director Tim Roth.

Seventeen directors show work in that section, including the only two women in competition.

Buzz-making films being screened out of competition include Philip Kaufman's "Hemingway and Gellhorn", with Kidman playing the writer's war reporter third wife opposite Clive Owen.

Likewise, a documentary on Roman Polanski, one about Woody Allen, and another about the Libyan war by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy.

"The Artist" star Berenice Bejo hosts the opening and closing ceremonies of the filmfest, which ends with Claude Miller's "Therese Desqueyroux", a tribute to the French director who had just finished editing it when he died last month.

Cannes triples in population during the festival to 200,000 people, with film buffs homing in on the competition and sidebar events Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week, and 10,000 industry professionals attending a giant film market. (AFP)

Abuse case: Trouble towers over Travolta

LOS ANGELES: A second unidentified masseur has joined a $2 million lawsuit against John Travolta claiming the actor sexually assaulted the men in two separate incidents during private massages, according to amended court documents filed on Tuesday.

The second unnamed man, a resident of Georgia referred to as John Doe No. 2 in court papers obtained by Reuters, claimed that Travolta rubbed his legs, touched his genitals and tried to initiate sex at a private appointment at the actor's room inside an Atlanta hotel on January 28.

The allegations echo those of John Doe No. 1, a resident of Texas, who filed the initial complaint late last week and accused Travolta of sexually assaulting him during a private massage at the Beverly Hills Hotel on January 16.

"This second 'anonymous' claim is just as absurd and ridiculous as the first one," said attorney Martin Singer, who represents the Hollywood actor.

"Our client will be fully vindicated in court on both of these absurd and fictional claims."

Travolta's spokesman has called the lawsuit "complete fiction and fabrication."

The plaintiff's attorney, Pasadena, California-based Okorie Okorocha, told Reuters that since the initial complaint was filed last week, he has had many more potential victims come forward with similar complaints.

"I will file for every single victim. Mr. Travolta has been able to evade justice, and he's going to challenge it with me. but I'm not afraid ... I'll stand up to him," said Okorocha.

He said that the men did not go to the police because they did not think the police would believe them.

Travolta, 58, rose to fame in the 1970s on the television sitcom "Welcome Back Kotter," then became a movie star with hits such as "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease," and later, "Pulp Fiction." He has been nominated for two Academy Awards and has been married to wife Kelly Preston since 1991. (Reuters)

'Avengers' grabs the 2nd biggest opening day with $80.5mn

LOS ANGELES: Lots of superheroes add up to lots of money for "The Avengers."

The film featuring a team of Marvel Comics heroes pulled in $80.5 million in its domestic debut Friday, the second-best haul ever on opening day.

"The Avengers" trails only last year's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," which took in $91.1 million in its first day on the way to a record weekend of $169.2 million.

The huge opening for "The Avengers" launches what's expected to be a colossal summer for Hollywood, whose domestic revenues already were running 14 percent ahead of last year's going into the weekend.

Summer season began a year ago with the Marvel Comics adventure "Thor," one of the solo superhero sagas that led to "The Avengers." ''Thor" earned a respectable $65.7 million for the entire weekend, while "The Avengers" brought in far more than that in a single day.

The superhero summer continues through July with two more blockbusters in the making: "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Dark Knight Rises."

Produced by Disney's Marvel Studios unit, "The Avengers" already is more than halfway toward beating the opening weekends of the second and third films on the debut charts.

At No. 2 is "The Dark Knight" with $158.4 million in its first three days, while this spring's blockbuster "The Hunger Games" is No. 3 with $152.5 million.

"The Avengers" opened a week earlier in many overseas markets, where it has pulled in blockbuster cash in a matter of days. The film added $30.3 million internationally Friday, bringing its overseas haul to $334.3 million. Adding in its first-day domestic receipts, "The Avengers" has climbed to a worldwide total of $414.8 million.

Directed by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), "The Avengers" stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury, the superhero recruiter who teams them up to fight off an invasion of Earth plotted by Thor's wicked brother.

Brangelina' ring designer sues blogger

LOS ANGELES: The jeweler who designed Angelina Jolie's engagement ring from Brad Pitt is suing celebrity blogger Perez Hilton for libel over allegations of fraud, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Robert Procop filed the suit in Los Angeles over a posting he says wrongly accused him of criminal and civil fraud over a 1985 diamond necklace transaction. He is seeking more than $500,000 in damages.

Hollywood's hottest couple made it official last month after Pitt proposed to Jolie, with whom he has been for six years. The couple have six children, three of them adopted.

Hilton's April 17 posting stated that Procop had not only been sued for fraud, but that an $89,000 judgment had been handed down against him, according to the lawsuit filed at the LA Superior Court.

It also stated that the buyer thought he was getting a 25.5-carat necklace, but in reality it was only 17.62 carats, the suit says.

"The statements that (Procop) was guilty of fraud in connection with a jewelry transaction and that the court in the fraud action had entered a judgment against plaintiff are false," the suit said.

Procop said the claim harmed his reputation, adding that Hilton refused to retract the posting. "As a world-renowned jewelry designer and jeweler, (his) reputation for honesty is of critical importance to his business," it said.

A spokesman for Hilton was not immediately available for comment.

Procop designed Jolie's engagement ring in collaboration with Pitt. The famous Beverly Hills jeweler, who has designed an entire collection inspired by Jolie, worked on the ring for a year.

The April 13 news that Pitt and Jolie - known collectively to fans as "Brangelina" - were engaged put an end to months of speculation about the couple and their plans to marry.

Jolie had stoked the media firestorm when she told ABC News in December that "the kids asked me the other day, and I asked them if it was just because they wanted to have a big cake."

Pitt, 48, and Jolie, 36, became close on the set of 2005 film "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." (AFP)

Strong women take center stage in films

NEW YORK: As women increasingly press for greater equality in countries around the world, filmmakers are breaking barriers too, making their female protagonists as strong and varied as the characters they meet in everyday life.

New York's Tribeca Film Festival, which draws to a close this weekend, has shown its spotlight on several foreign-made movies that feature strong women roles, from the Israeli military drama "Room 514" to Mexican border thriller "The Girl."

"In Israeli films, I found that women's parts are always prostitutes or some secondhand old woman nobody wants. I said, ‘What's going on?,' Sharon Bar-Ziv, director of "Room 514" told Reuters. "This is not reality. We have F-16 pilots who are young women. In the Supreme Court and everywhere, women are strong."

He said that simple fact of life made him want to create a female protagonist that was more in line with reality.

"Room 514" has drawn comparisons to 1992 Hollywood drama "A Few Good Men," which starred Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore and told of U.S. marines accused of murder and the attorney who defended them.

Yet the focus of "Room 514" is on a lone woman, Anna. She is a military investigator who takes the case of a celebrated soldier accused of brutality against a Palestinian civilian, and she relentlessly digs for the truth despite attempts by her male colleagues to thwart her efforts.

"She's brave, she's strong, determined, independent ... In a mainly male area - an army male area - she's moving forward with her loyalty to her morals," Bar-Ziv said.

U.S.-Mexican border drama "The Girl" follows Ashley (Abbie Cornish), a single mother who loses her son and becomes involved in trafficking illegal immigrants to raise money and get him back. In the process, she finds herself responsible for a young Mexican girl, leading Ashley to fend off alcoholism and re-learn the importance of motherhood.

The approach toward his protagonist taken by director David Riker, whose previous work includes "La Ciudad," is more subtle than Bar-Ziv but nonetheless effective in depicting a woman who takes control of her life during a time of crisis.

"The metaphor I use is that she's in quicksand," he told Reuters TV. "Everything she does to try and get out just sends her deeper into the kind of train wreck of her life. And Abbie, over the course of the film, has to come out of that, and she does it in the most subtle, nuanced ways."

The depiction of strong women is not confined only to tough or gritty films. It also shows up in British manners comedy "Cheerful Weather for the Wedding," which features an ensemble of female characters ranging from a bride who disregards her guests to look inward, to her mother who confidently doesn't mince words with guests she perceives as interfering.

A frank younger sister crosses class lines for a stealthy fling, an elderly aunt trades playful barbs with her husband and a best friend advises the bride's ex-lover. They round out a cast of characters who refuse to fade into the background.

"There was a big range of female characters," director Donald Rice told Reuters. "There's six or seven really good female roles and that's unusual."

Based on a 1932 novel of the same name by Bloomsbury writer Julia Strachey, "Cheerful Weather for the Wedding" takes place in an English country house and sees bride-to-be Dolly (Felicity Jones) swigging rum as she reminisces about her summer romance with ex-lover Joseph.

Elizabeth McGovern, currently starring in TV hit "Downton Abbey," plays Dolly's mother in the movie, and she said she took the role because it reflected her own experience.

"(She) is allowed to speak for herself and what she feels, in a way that isn't always perfectly motherly," said McGovern. "So much of the time, the mother character in movies and TV is painted into the background, and there's an immediate assumption she's not a character with desires or much interest."

"Since I'm a mother, I have a different feeling about it," she said. "Just because I'm a mother doesn't mean that the rest of me has died and gone to sleep." (Reuters)

Smaug is the richest dragon in fiction

NEW YORK: A smart and savvy dragon, an aged vampire and a Beverly Hillbilly are among the richest fictional characters, according to a new ranking.

Smaug, a hyper-intelligent, short-tempered dragon and the star of the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" prequel whose estimated worth is a hefty $62 billion, headed the list of Forbes' "Fictional 15" wealthiest imaginary characters, it said on Monday.

The rich dragon distrusts banks, Wall Street and "swears by 'plunder and hoard' investment style," according to Michael Noer and David Ewalt, the editors who compiled the annual list.

But for all his fire-breathing showmanship, Smaug was still not as rich as Carlos Slim Helu, the real-life Mexican magnate and chairman and CEO of Telmex and América Móvil and the world's richest man with a net worth estimated at $69 billion.

Flintheart Glomgold, the Scottish-South African diamond mining magnate and nemesis of misery Scrooge McDuck, wasn't far behind on the list with a $51.9 billion fortune, built through "mining and theft," Forbes said.

Glomgold deposed Scrooge McDuck, who was among last year's top earners, after the two engaged in a winner-takes-all, round-the-world race.

With vampire-themed franchises showing no signs mortality, Carlisle Cullen, the 371-year-old vampire from the "Twilight" books and films who has been accruing interest on a small savings account since 1670, placed third with $36.3 billion, up $100 million since last year.

Jed Clampett, the patriarch of the oil-rich "Beverly Hillbillies" clan in the popular 1960s television show was fourth with a fortune estimated at $9.8 billion.

Newcomers included Tony Stark, the engineering whiz and part-time superhero from the "Iron Man" franchise, who rounded out the top five with a $9.3 billion fortune.

Another first-timer was Lisbeth Salandar from the Stieg Larsson novels and hit film "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," with a reported wealth of $2.4 billion. She placed eleventh.

To qualify for the list the characters must be known in their fictional stories and by their audiences for being rich.

Forbes based the net worth estimates on an analysis of the character's source material and valued it against known real-world commodity and share price movements.

Forbes editors have compiled the list since 2005, using methods similar to those used to calculate real billionaires like Bill Gates. (Reuters)

Julian Assange show starts Tuesday

LONDON: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will launch his new TV talk show on Russia Today on April 17, but is keeping the guest list secret, the Kremlin-funded English language station said on Friday.



Assange, who is under house arrest in England fighting extradition to Sweden for questioning on an alleged sexual assault, filmed "The World Tomorrow" show from Britain.

Russia Today (RT) said in a news release that it would not release the guest list in advance, but said the first interview would prove controversial.

"We do not want to kill the buzz and the intrigue by revealing the name of the first guest," said RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.

"But I have no doubt that this particular guest and this interview will lead to calls to shut us down from some especially hawkish personalities who have little respect for freedom of speech," she added.

Australian-born Assange said in a statement he would be talking to people "who normally simply would not be given a voice on TV at all. What is fair to say is that the majority of what they have said to me they could not say on a mainstream TV network."

Russia Today is considered a key Kremlin exercise in image enhancement by critics. It is beamed to some 430 million subscribers worldwide and it also streams online.

Assange's new show will be broadcast simultaneously from Moscow and Washington DC, in English, Arabic and Spanish.

Assange said April 17 marks the 500th day since financial transaction firms like Visa, Mastercard and Paypal began to refuse working with Wikileaks after it published a raft of secret U.S. diplomatic cables in late 2010. The blockade has crippled the organization's ability to fund itself and continue its work. (Reuters)

Emily Blunt: 'Pubic hair joke helped Your Sister's Sister scene'

The British actress was working on the comedy drama when director Lynn Shelton asked her co-star Rosemarie DeWitt to make her cry tears of laughter for a scene.

"I remember one scene when the director Lynn Shelton came up to Rosemarie and whispered in her ear, 'Say something that would really embarrass Emily'," she told Elle.Read Full Story

Bruce Willis a father again, at 57

LOS ANGELES: Veteran Hollywood action star Bruce Willis has become a father again at 57 after his second wife Emma gave birth to a baby girl, the couple's first child together, a spokesman said Monday.

Designer and model Heming-Willis, 33, gave birth to Mabel Ray Willis on Sunday in Los Angeles, said the spokesman, adding that both parents "are overjoyed about the newest member of their family.

"Both mother and baby are healthy and doing beautifully," he added. The baby weighed in at a healthy 9 lbs., 1 oz.

Willis, who married the designer and model three years ago, already has three daughters -- Rumer, 23, 20-year-old Scout, and Tallulah Belle, 17 -- from his first marriage to Demi Moore, which ended in 2000.

The "Die Hard" star tied the knot with Heming in March 2009, in a Caribbean island ceremony attended by Moore and their three daughters. Her new husband, actor Ashton Kutcher whom she wed in 2005, also attended.

Kutcher and Moore announced their separation in November. (AFP)

Mia Wasikowska to play Madame Bovary

The Alice in Wonderland actress will take on the role of the literary heroine in the upcoming adaptation from Sophie Barthes, according to Variety.
Paul Giamatti will also star in the film, playing the town apothecary. Read Full Story

Hunger Games box office king for 2nd wk

LOS ANGELES: Filmgoers brought big appetites for "The Hunger Games" to box offices over the weekend as the blockbuster movie added $95.9 million in global ticket sales and pushed the worldwide total since its record-setting debut to $365 million.

The Lions Gate Entertainment movie about teenagers forced into a deadly survival match ranked No. 1 for the second straight weekend on domestic charts. Ticket sales in the United States and Canada reached an estimated $61.1 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates.

At international theaters, "Hunger Games" pulled in $34.8 million over the weekend. The massive worldwide total since the movie's release 10 days ago reached $364.9 million.

The film dropped 60 percent domestically from its huge opening a week ago. The decline is consistent with the performances of other big film franchises such as "Twilight" and "Harry Potter," said David Spitz, executive vice president of domestic distribution for Lions Gate Entertainment.

"That shows the staying power of the film. Word of mouth is clearly taking hold," Spitz said.

The movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence as heroine Katniss Everdeen, opened last weekend with $152.5 million, the third-highest domestic debut and biggest for a non-sequel.

The second-weekend domestic tally ranked seventh-highest among all movies, according to website Box Office Mojo.

Some of the business came from fans coming back for more. Exit polls showed 13 percent of filmgoers this weekend were repeat customers.

TITANS RULE OVERSEAS

The "Hunger Games" craze easily beat two new films at domestic theaters.

Action sequel "Wrath of the Titans" landed in second place, grossing $34.2 million in North America (the United States and Canada). The movie beat "Hunger Games" overseas, where it grabbed $78 million from 60 countries and brought the global weekend total to $112.2 million.

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures paid about $150 million to produce the movie.

The film starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes is a 3D sequel to Olympian epic "Clash of the Titans," which debuted with $61.2 million domestically in 2010 over the Easter weekend, boosted by students home from school on the opening Friday.

For the sequel, Warner Bros. opened the film a week earlier. The studio expects to benefit in the days ahead from school kids on vacation, said Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. Filmgoers under 25 rated the movie an "A-minus" in polling by CinemaScore.

Third place belonged to "Mirror Mirror," a new family-oriented film starring Julia Roberts as the evil queen in a comedy-and-adventure twist on the classic Snow White fairy tale.

The film brought in $19.0 million domestically, short of distributor Relativity Media's projection for a low $20-million opening. As with "Titans," the studio hopes Easter vacations will help boost ticket sales for "Mirror Mirror" this coming week, said Kyle Davies, Relativity's president of worldwide theatrical distribution. Girls under 18 gave the movie an "A" grade and boys awarded it an "A-minus" in CinemaScore polling.

Relativity produced "Mirror Mirror" for about $85 million.

Rounding out the top five, adult comedy "21 Jump Street" hauled in $15.0 million domestically, and animated family film "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" grabbed $8.0 million.

Also this weekend, the documentary "Bully" about children and families bullied at school earned $115,000 at five theaters in New York and Los Angeles, or a per-screen average of $23,000. The Weinstein Co. movie was released without a rating after the studio objected to the "R" from a U.S. movie industry group for language, saying it would keep many kids from seeing the film.

"Bully" will expand to about 100 theaters in roughly 50 markets on April 13, said Erik Lomis, president of distribution for The Weinstein Co.

"Wrath of the Titans" was released by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. Privately held Relativity Media distributed "Mirror Mirror" in the United States, and Alliance Films released the movie in Canada. The movie division of Sony Corp released "21 Jump Street," and Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures distributed "The Lorax." (Reuters)

Julia Roberts edits scary bedtime stories

Julia Roberts employs “parental editing” when she thinks a story is too scary for her children.

The star has three kids with her husband Daniel Moder. She is currently promoting her new movie Mirror Mirror, which is a Snow White adaptation. Julie plays the evil queen and seven-year-old twins Hazel and Finn and four-year-old Henry were too little to see some of the work Julia did on the film, although she is hoping they will like the movie when they are older. Read more

Julia reflects on evil in Mirror Mirror

LOS ANGELES: Julia Roberts has taken time off from Hollywood of late to focus on her three young children - but admits she enjoys being back on the big screen, as a fairytale villain in her latest movie.

Playing the evil Queen in "Mirror Mirror," a new version of Snow White, marks a departure for the US actress, whose career has included everything from campaigning lawyer to high-class call girl and celebrity love interest.

Directed by Indian filmmaker Tarsem Singh - who made last year's "Immortals" - the movie based on the famous Brothers Grimm children's tale opens in the United States on Friday.

Roberts, who at 44 remains one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, made her name in films including 1990's "Pretty Woman" and "Erin Brockovich" in 2000, and said she never thought she would appear in a fairy tale.

"Just the one sentence pitched over the phone: 'Hey, they're doing this Snow White adaptation,' that didn't grab my attention. I didn't have any interest in this one, really, until Tarsem lured me in his lurid way." she told reporters.

"And I looked at the script and realized that there was really something here."

The film tells the story popularized around the world by Disney, but gives it a different, sometimes comic or even absurd twist, creating a visual universe sometimes closer to "Alice in Wonderland" than the Brothers Grimm.

For Roberts, the film is less about making it different from Disney, but more "changing the tone of it, just giving a different relationship" between the Queen and Snow White, played by young British actress Lily Collins.

"I think people like variations on things," Roberts said.

The "Notting Hill" and, more recently, "Eat Pray Love" star said she liked playing the Queen, Snow White's cruel stepmother. (AFP)

Oscar-winning 'Titanic' 3D launched

LONDON: "Titanic" director James Cameron hit the red carpet in London on Tuesday for the launch of the Oscar-winning film's 3D version, as the 100th anniversary of the legendary ship's sinking approaches.

The US filmmaker jetted into the British capital fresh from his seven-mile (11.2 kilometre) submarine dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the ocean's deepest point.

He was joined on the red carpet by the film's British star Kate Winslet and US actor Billy Zane for the premiere at the Royal Albert Hall.

"The 3D enriches all of Titanic's most thrilling moments and its most emotional moments," Cameron said on the red carpet.

"More than ever, you feel you're right there going through all the jeopardy that Jack and Rose go through," he added, referring to the film's two main characters, played by Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Cameron dived the wreck 12 times before filming the original, saying it "had a huge impact" on the end result.

"We shot the real wreck -- we didn't just build models of it," he explained.

He said he had told set-builders: "It's got to be exactly like you went back in a time machine and you were on the deck of the Titanic."

The director of smash-hit sci-fi adventure "Avatar" completed his dive of the Mariana Trench, about 200 miles southwest of the Pacific island of Guam, on Sunday morning local time, and revealed it had given him fresh inspiration.

In "Titanic", Winslet played socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater alongside DiCaprio as male lead Jack Dawson, in a dramatisation of the real-life maritime disaster that claimed more than 1,000 lives.

The biggest, most ambitious ship of the age hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Southampton to New York, sinking on April 15, 1912.

The new release comes 15 years after the original. The film entered into movie history when it picked up 11 Oscars.

"It is a long time ago and it also feels like yesterday," Winslet told. "It completely changed my life and it gave me the opportunity to make creative choices.

"It's really great to celebrate it all over again. It's a very different experience, you really do feel as though you're on the boat, the water rushing round you," she added.

The Oscar-winning actress admitted that viewing her younger self would be "weird".

"It is like being forced to go through a photo album of your former self for three and a half hours solidly.

"I haven't seen the whole film in a very long time, I've seen little pieces of it, but it's a whole different me and we look much younger and our acting was different, hopefully not as good as now."

DiCaprio had been unable to attend the event because of work commitments, Winslet said. (AFP)

Jennifer Lawrence regrets teenage anxiety

Jennifer Lawrence wishes she hadn’t worried about “the b***hes” when she was younger.

The 21-year-old actress has been thrust into the Hollywood limelight recently thanks to her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.Read more

Jessica Pare shocked by Mad Men attention

Jessica Pare “had no idea” the spotlight would fall on her in the new series of Mad Men.

Jessica plays Megan, a secretary who is married to executive advertising agent Don Draper. Since her character tied the knot with the main man, played by Jon Hamm, she has stolen some of the focus away from the other stars in the hit show.Read more