Emmys move back to September 20
The Primetime Emmys are returning to their original airdate of September 20 to avoid a conflict with the MTV Video Music Awards airing a week earlier, CBS said Wednesday.
“After we announced plans for September 13, MTV informed us they were locked into the same day for the Video Music Awards, with venue and sponsorship agreements in place. We had the flexibility to move; they didn’t,” said Jack Sussman, executive vp, specials, music & live events, CBS Entertainment.
Because CBS has an NFL double-header scheduled for September 20, to avoid a possible delay for the ceremony — concern that prompted the move to September 13 — “60 Minutes” is planning a flexible broadcast following the late afternoon NFL game, CBS said.
Evan Rachel Wood’s Dumb Struggle
Evan Rachel Wood found it hard to play a “dumb and ditzy” character.
The 21-year-old actress stars opposite Larry David in ‘Whatever Works’ and admits she would have turned down the role of a teen bride if the film wasn’t directed by Woody Allen.
She said: “Funny enough, I had just sworn off teenage roles because I was ready to move on and go to the next level. But how could I say no to a Woody Allen film even though I can’t say I identified with my character who is not exactly a smart cookie. I don’t want to sound pompous, but it was really hard to play dumb and ditsy.”
‘ So I took that as a thumbs up
The ‘Wrestler’ star was so worried about working with the famed director, she called her friends to discuss how to best approach him.
She explained to Parade.com: “I was nervous, so I actually called Edward Norton because he had worked with Woody before and I just wanted to know what to expect. He told me Woody was very shy, very reserved, and didn’t really give a lot of direction to the actors.
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“I almost had a panic attack the first day. I was certain I was going to get fired. You ask Woody, ‘Was that OK?’ And he says, ‘Yeah. It was fine.’ So I took that as a thumbs up. Now, I kind of get what he was going after. He wants you to be as natural as possible.”
Guy Pearce to join supernatural thriller
Guy Pearce is in final negotiations to appear alongside Katie Holmes in new supernatural thriller Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.
The film, based on a 1973 TV movie, follows a young girl, her father and his girlfriend as they discover the house they’re living in is possessed by demonic creatures.
The Hollywood Reporter states that the young girl is set to be played by rising child star Bailee Madison, who will soon be seen in Brothers, alongside Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman, and An Invisible Sign of My Own, with Jessica Alba.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is being produced by Guillermo Del Toro, who co-wrote the script, and directed by Troy Nixey.
Donatella Versace Invites Fashion Fringe Finalists to Milan
Donatella Versace personally invited this year’s Fashion Fringe finalists to Milan for a VIP taster of the fashion world.
The lucky young designers attended the SS10 Versace Menswear show on Sunday, followed by a high profile party in the prestigious Royal Palace of Milan and a tour of the Versace Atelier.
As a nationwide search to discover, nurture and sustain cutting edge design talent across the UK, the Fashion Fringe finalists are currently undergoing an intensive mentoring programme from industry experts.
The Milan trip was designed to give the finalists a behind the scenes look at the workings of Versace, from the designing and creative process to the catwalk shows, giving them an invaluable insight into what it takes to build a global luxury fashion business.
The intensive mentoring programme also includes sessions with a range of industry experts on running a creative business. The sessions cover subjects including finance, distribution, identity and branding, marketing, pr, the demands of the buying process, show production, trends and legal.
This kind of training, not extensively covered by college courses, is indispensable for a designer looking to start and establish their own sustainable business.
During July and August the designers will be given a budget along with technical help and studio space from the London College of Fashion to create their capsule collections.
The four finalists will then showcase these collections at London Fashion Week in September in front of Donatella Versace, the judging panel and national and international media and buyers. The winner will be announced following the show and presented with a trophy and in excess of £100,000 worth of funding and support for their first full collection which will be shown at London Fashion Week in February 2010.
Chaired by Donatella Versace for the second year, the 2009 Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden judging panel includes Natalie Massenet (CEO and founder of net-a-porter.com), Joshua Schulman (CEO of Jimmy Choo), Anne Pitcher (Head of Buying at Selfridges), Antoni Burakowski (designer, Antoni and Alison), Paula Reed (Fashion Director of Grazia) and Roy Peach (Dean of MA Fashion at London College of Fashion).
Lady GaGa a saint?
With her wacky outfits and suggestive lyrics, we never had Lady GaGa down as a good girl – but apparently she is.
The singer – real name Stefani Germanotta – visited the Orange RockCorps HIV Support Centre in Manchester and revealed she’s been doing charity work from an early age.
Speaking to The Sun she said: “I’ve been doing volunteer work since I was two. When I can, I do everything I can for those in need.”
Exactly what kind of volunteer work a two-year-old can do is anyone’s guess.
She added: “When I was in school in New York I did 60 hours a year of volunteering with young people hungry for a life in theatre.
“It was for kids who didn’t go to schools with good theatre facilities. It was a great cause.”
Speaking about promoting safe sex at the centre, she added: “I want to make it fashionable to have safe sex. You must be safe. You can have sex with hundreds of people with a condom on and get nothing.
“If you have sex without one, then you could get all sorts of problems.”
Wise words indeed!
Amy Adams set for The Fighter
Amy Adams is in negotiations to star alongside Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in The Fighter.
The Oscar nominated actress would play a gritty bartender from Massachusetts who dates Wahlberg’s character, “Irish” Mickey Ward, according to Variety.
Directed by David O Russell, The Fighter will chronicle Ward’s early days spent on the tough streets of Lowell, when he was helped to the world lightweight championship by his half-brother, Dickie Eklund (Bale). Production is due to start on the movie later this summer.
Adams can currently be seen alongside Emily Blunt in Sunshine Cleaning, which will be followed by a role in Julie And Julia alongside Meryl Streep this autumn, and then the romantic comedy Leap Year.
Bradley Cooper segues from “Hangover” to “A-Team”
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Fresh off the box-office-topping bow of “The Hangover,” star Bradley Cooper is in talks to step into the role of Face for the feature adaptation of “The A-Team.”
Cooper had been rumored for some time to play the dashing Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, part of a group of framed, on-the-run war vets who get into adventures while evading the military. Dirk Benedict originated the role on the 1980s NBC series created by Stephen J. Cannell.
The hunt is on for actors to portray team leader Hannibal, B.A. Baracus and Howling Mad Murdock in the 20th Century Fox movie.
The big-budget project, being directed by Joe Carnahan (“Smokin’ Aces”) from a screenplay by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt (“Wanted”), already has a June 11, 2010, release date set. Ridley and Tony Scott are producing.
Cooper next appears in the comedy “All About Steve” with Sandra Bullock and Thomas Haden Church. He will reprise his role as the hard-partying teacher Phil in a sequel to “Hangover,” whose development began several months before the movie came out, earning $44.9 million in its opening weekend.
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Cheri Shock
Michelle Pfeiffer was surprised at the “integrity” of her prostitute character in ‘Cheri’.
The actress plays aging courtesan Lea de Lonval in the 1920s period drama – based on a 1920 novel by Colette – and admits she was amazed at the attitudes of the period.
She said: “I didn’t know about this period at all and I was really surprised when I read how Colette describes the character.
“You sort of have your ideas about what a high-class prostitute or courtesan is, and what I love about Colette’s writing is that there was nothing undignified about Lea.”
I hadn’t seen that character before
Michelle – who stars alongside Rupert Friend in the movie – admits she expects mixed reactions for the film.
She added to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper: “The story’s really about her feelings and about a woman making a choice to sell sex. Everyone’s going to have different feelings about that, but Lea really has a lot of integrity, is very smart and thinks about other people. I hadn’t seen that character before.”
Johnny Depp Drawn To Gangsters
Johnny Depp is “fascinated” by gangsters.
The Hollywood hunk, who plays notorious bank robber John Dillinger in his new movie ‘Public Enemies’, was drawn to the role because of his interest in the charismatic 1930s American thief.
Speaking at the UK premiere of ‘Public Enemies’ in London’s Leicester Square last night (29.06.09), Johnny said: “I had a sort of fascination, not so much that he was a criminal, that this guy took up arms against the establishment and he did it with a smile. There was a sort of twinkle in his eye which I find interesting. And the hat he wears, I did it for the hat.
I was so lucky to work with him on the movie. It was set in such a beautiful and glamorous – but very tough – time in American history. I hope people will love the movie – it has action, romance and an amazing character, Dillinger.
“I enjoyed firing machine guns too.”
Johnny went on to praise his stunning co-star, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard, who plays Dillinger’s lover Billie Frechette in the movie.
The 46-year-old actor, who was wearing a dark pinstriped suit and tinted glasses, said: “Marion is wonderful. She is a great actress and lots of fun. It was so easy to work with her. We were very lucky, it was such an exciting cast.”
Marion, who looked stunning in a red Vivienne Westwood dress and towering black high heels, was equally as gushing about Johnny.
The 33-year-old French-born beauty said: “I was so lucky to work with him on the movie. It was set in such a beautiful and glamorous – but very tough – time in American history. I hope people will love the movie – it has action, romance and an amazing character, Dillinger.”
Bon Jovi makes “Stand” with Iranian protest video
DETROIT (Billboard) – A new version of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” featuring Jon Bon Jovi dueting in Farsi with exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian, is making the rounds as an online video.
The track’s co-producer, Don Was, says the video is meant to send “a musical message of worldwide solidarity” to the Iranian people in the aftermath of the country’s recent disputed election.
Was tells Billboard.com that the session, which took place last Wednesday in Los Angeles, was spurred by a conversation he had with Madadian about “whether there was something we could do just to send out a little message of solidarity, remembering the ’60s, believing music can change things.”
When they arrived to record the song, they found Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora and John Shanks, who’s producing their next album, sitting outside and having lunch.
“They asked what we were doing, I told them, and Jon said, ‘Look, man, if you do it right now we’ll do it with you,’” Was recalls. “So we did.”
Madadian — who’s lived in the U.S. since the Iranian revolution of 1979 — and Bon Jovi duet on the song, with both men singing the first verse in Farsi. Sambora plays a guitar solo, with Was on bass, Patrick Leonard on keyboards and Jeff Rothchild on drums.
“We just cut it,” Was says, “and the video is the session. It took about four hours and just fell into place nicely.” The video, which features footage and still photos from the session, went up on Was’ portion of My Damn Channel (www.mydamnchannel.com) on Saturday and was quickly disseminated via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other sites. At the end of the video Madadian and Bon Jovi stand next to each other, with the latter holding a sign saying “We are one” in Farsi.
“It is not for sale,” Was says. “It wasn’t intended to be on the Billboard charts, wasn’t meant to be a hit record or even pressed on a CD. It’s intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people. The whole idea was to get it into Iran and tell them…to carry on, that the world is watching and we’re with you.”