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| Actress Amanda Bynes placed under psychiatric care in California Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 12:15 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Troubled actress Amanda Bynes has been taken to a hospital for involuntary psychiatric care after the former teen star was involved in a disturbance in Southern California, authorities said on Tuesday. Don Aguilar, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, declined to describe the incident that prompted deputies to take Bynes into custody and commit her for psychiatric evaluation. But local media reported that the 27-year-old actress had started a fire in the driveway of a home in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Actress Penelope Cruz gives birth to baby girl Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 10:17 AM PDT  MADRID (Reuters) - Oscar-winning Spanish actress Penelope Cruz gave birth to her second child with husband Javier Bardem, a girl, on Monday in a Madrid hospital, a source familiar with the situation said. Spanish media reported the birth earlier on Tuesday, citing a hospital representative, though Madrid's Clinica Ruber declined to confirm the news and representatives for Cruz and Bardem could not be reached for comment. Cruz, 39, was still in hospital on Tuesday, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spanish town painted "Smurf blue" decides to stay that way Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 09:30 AM PDT  By Jon Nazca JUZCAR Spain (Reuters) - A Spanish hilltop village has found a way to chase away the country's recession blues by keeping all its buildings blue, the way they were painted in 2011 for a promotion for a cartoon Smurf movie. "We calculate that around 210,000 tourists have visited us since we painted ourselves blue two years ago, and people keep on coming," Juzcar Mayor David Fernandez told Reuters on Tuesday. Tourism is one of the few bright spots in Spain's recession-bound economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| CBS-Time Warner Cable blackout deadline extended Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 09:16 AM PDT  By Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - Millions of Time Warner Cable customers will get an extra day to watch CBS shows before the companies' programming agreement expires in large markets such as New York and Los Angeles, both companies confirmed on Tuesday. The deadline to hammer out a new agreement between Time Warner Cable, the second largest U.S. cable operator, and CBS, the No. 1 rated broadcast network, has been moved to Thursday at 9 a.m. EDT from Wednesday at 5 p.m. EDT. The deadline was extended not because there was any progress in talks but because of a technicality related to U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hugh Jackman claws deep into 'Wolverine' to expose a softer side Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:34 AM PDT  By Patricia Reaney NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hugh Jackman battles Ninja warriors, trounces a monster Samurai and rescues a Japanese heiress but still manages to show a softer, vulnerable side of the comic book superhero in "The Wolverine," the newest film in the X-Men series. The movie, which opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, marks the sixth time the 44-year-old Australian actor, who seems as comfortable singing and dancing on Broadway as defeating bad guys on the big screen, is portraying the silver-clawed, self-healing, century-old mutant. "I am enjoying playing him more than ever. ... Full Story | Top |
| Banned South African film on sexual abuse creates buzz Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 08:31 AM PDT By Jon Herskovitz JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A low-budget movie no one in South Africa is allowed to see has become the most talked-about film of the year. For the first time since apartheid ended in 1994, regulators banned a local feature film, saying the movie "Of Good Report" contained child pornography. This halted its screening this month at the Durban International Film Festival. ... Full Story | Top |
| Singer-songwriter Roy Harper rediscovers youth - and vice versa Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 07:19 AM PDT  By Jeremy Gaunt LONDON (Reuters) - After decades as a critically acclaimed but fringe figure in music, British singer-songwriter Roy Harper is suddenly finding himself in demand. Aged 72 and some 50 years into his career, Harper has been "discovered" by the young - drawn by his complex, intelligent lyrics and his persona as poetic outsider. ... Full Story | Top |
| Man Booker fiction prize nominees span the globe Tuesday, Jul 23, 2013 05:39 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Life in London's Jewish community and Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, billionaires in China and hard times in Ireland all feature in the novels vying for this year's Man Booker Prize. The longlist for the prize, one of the English language's top fiction awards, names 13 writers from seven countries. "This is surely the most diverse longlist in Man Booker history: wonderfully various in terms of geography, form, length and subject," said Robert Macfarlane, a writer and Cambridge University academic who chairs the panel of five judges. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rapper J Cole apologizes for insensitive lyrics about autism Monday, Jul 22, 2013 08:59 PM PDT  (Reuters) - An American rap artist who drew criticism for using a disparaging line about people with autism in a song lyric has apologized. J Cole said he had removed the line, which referred to rivals as "autistic" and "retarded," from the song "Jodeci Freestyle." "I want to educate myself more on Autism, and I'll gladly own my mistake and serve as an example to today's generation that there's nothing cool about mean-spirited comments about someone with Autism," J Cole wrote on his blog, DreamVillain. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Law & Order' star Dennis Farina dead at 69 Monday, Jul 22, 2013 06:21 PM PDT  By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Dennis Farina, the former Chicago cop turned film and television actor best known for his role as wise-cracking detective Joe Fontana on the hit NBC police drama "Law & Order," died in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday, his publicist said. He was 69. Farina, who parlayed his experience as a police officer, a Chicago-accented baritone and straight-talking demeanor into a series of tough-guy roles in Hollywood, died after suffering a blood clot in his lung, his publicist Lori De Waal said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jackson's mother says he denied prescription drug problem Monday, Jul 22, 2013 06:11 PM PDT  By Dana Feldman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's mother testified on Monday in her wrongful death lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live that the late pop star denied he was abusing prescription drugs when she confronted him in the years before his death. Katherine Jackson, 83, said under cross-examination that she and her family had heard rumors that the singer was abusing pain medications but never saw him under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the final years of his life. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hollywood studios' message to executives: embrace digital or die Monday, Jul 22, 2013 05:29 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - When Paramount announced Monday that Amy Powell would run its new TV division, it sent a message to the rest of Hollywood: Embrace digital or die. The move resonates most in the context of another recent promotion - Kevin Tsujihara taking over as the head of Warner Bros. Tsujihara, like Powell, was in charge of a less sexy, less moneyed part of a major media company. In Powell's case, digital and microbduget films; Tsujihara was focused on business development and online content before taking over WB's home entertainment division. ... Full Story | Top |
| Title spat over, the Weinstein Co. releases first poster for 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' Monday, Jul 22, 2013 05:28 PM PDT By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Weinstein Co. has released the first official poster for "Lee Daniels' The Butler." TWC was forced to add the director's name to the title of the film after losing an appeal to the MPAA, which ruled in favor of Warner Bros. on Friday. The ruling states that the font of "Lee Daniels" must be at least 75% of the font of "The Butler." Under the ruling, the Weinstein Co. will also have to pay $400,000 to the Entertainment Industry Foundation for its violations, an additional $100,000 to the EIF and pay up to $150,000 to Warner Bros. for legal fees. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Bunheads' canceled by ABC Family Monday, Jul 22, 2013 05:27 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Bunheads" is no more. The ABC Family series has been canceled, the network told TheWrap on Monday. "'Bunheads' is a wonderful series that we are very proud to have aired," an ABC Family spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement. "The series had amazing storytelling, the most talented cast and a passionate and loyal fan base. Recognizing all of this, we took extra time to try and find ways to bring the series back for another season, but in the end it simply wasn't possible. We wish the cast and crew the best in their future endeavors. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. film, TV actors to honor Rita Moreno with lifetime award Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:53 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Screen Actors Guild, which represents film, television and other performers in the United States, on Monday said Rita Moreno will receive its lifetime achievement award at its annual awards ceremony in January. Moreno, 81, has been performing for nearly 70 years as an actress, singer and dancer and won an Oscar in 1962 for her supporting role as the sassy Anita in "West Side Story," a character she informed with her own upbringing in a Bronx "barrio. ... Full Story | Top |
| Peter Fonda sues Dolce & Gabbana, Nordstrom for $3 million over 'Easy Rider' t-shirts Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:34 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Peter Fonda isn't such an easy rider when it comes to his face being slapped on T-shirts. The "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" star is suing clothing manufacturers Dolce & Gabbana and retail chain Nordstrom, claiming that the companies are unlawfully peddling T-shirts bearing the actor's likeness. Fonda wants $3 million for his trouble. ... Full Story | Top |
| Paramount's new TV chief Amy Powell: we'll be more like a start-up than a TV studio Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:32 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Amy Powell took the reins as the new chief of Paramount's TV division on Monday, adding a third division to her purview (alongside microbudget film label Insurge and Paramount Digital). The promotion cements her status as one of the top executives at Paramount, a place she has worked for almost a decade. Powell has long stood out in slow-moving Hollywood for her embrace of innovative marketing tactics. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mike Myers makes directing debut with documentary 'Supermensch' Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:31 PM PDT  By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - At the age of 50, Mike Myers has decided to take on a new challenge - documentary filmmaking. The "Saturday Night Live" alum has directed "Supermensch," a documentary about talent manager Shep Gordon that will be released by A&E IndieFilms ("The Imposter"). Myers was left intrigued by Gordon after meeting him on the set of the 1991 comedy "Wayne's World," which featured his client Alice Cooper singing "Feed My Frankenstein." Gordon, who once dated Sharon Stone, also helped guide the careers of artists such as Luther Vandross and Blondie. ... Full Story | Top |
| FXX announces 'Always Sunny,' 'Totally Biased,' 'The League' premiere dates Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:28 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will return for its ninth season September 4 at 10 p.m. and will air its episodes Thursday night on the new FX offshoot network FXX, the network said Monday. The network also announced that "The League" and "Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell" will air their season premieres on the same night, at 10:30 and 11 p.m., respectively. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Sons of Anarchy' gets the comic-book treatment Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:27 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Sons of Anarchy" has found a new - but decidedly old-fashioned - way to draw fans in. The FX biker drama has inspired a comic book, which will launch September 11 through a partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and BOOM! Studios, which publishes such comics and graphic novels as "Adventure Time," "2 Guns" and "28 Days Later. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dave Franco joins Vince Vaughn in comedy 'Business Trip' Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:26 PM PDT By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Dave Franco may have played a master illusionist in "Now You See Me," but his rising status as a budding movie star is no illusion - he's in final negotiations to join Vince Vaughn in New Regency's comedy "Business Trip," TheWrap has learned. Ken Scott, who just worked with Vaughn on DreamWorks' comedy "Delivery Man," is directing the movie, which follows an American businessman who travels to Europe where madness in the vein of "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" ensues. ... Full Story | Top |
| Facebook responds to Kirk Cameron movie trailer ban Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:25 PM PDT By Sara Morrison LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Facebook has responded to Kirk Cameron's allegations that it was deliberately trying to stop users from accessing the trailer and website for his upcoming film "Unstoppable." Cameron's film was marked as "spam" on both the social networking site and YouTube, thus preventing anyone from posting a link to it or its trailer. After Cameron mobilized his followers to protest, the ban was lifted. Facebook responded today, telling TheWrap in a statement that the ban was a mistake from its automated systems. ... Full Story | Top |
| Writers Guild Awards rule changes give new media its due Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:24 PM PDT By Todd Cunningham LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Writers Guild of America is changing the rules for its annual awards, giving new media shows more equal footing with broadcast and cable TV rivals, and adding a new Quiz & Audience Participation writing award. The union made the announcement Monday. "Whether you're watching content on a TV screen, online on a laptop, or with a hand-held device, outstanding writing and great storytelling deserve the same recognition," said WGAW President Christopher Keyser and WGAE President Michael Winship in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| BBC America co-producing 'Atlantis' from 'Merlin,' 'Misfits' producers Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:23 PM PDT By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - BBC America is bringing the underwater adventure of "Atlantis" to its programming slate. The cable channel announced on Monday that it will be co-producing the fantasy drama with Urban Myth Films, which will join its Supernatural Saturday programming block in Fall 2013. The series comes from "Merlin" executive producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps and "Misfits" EP Howard Overman. "Atlantis is the perfect series for our long-running successful Supernatural Saturday programming block. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rita Moreno to receive SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:21 PM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Rita Moreno will have a Screen Actor's Guild Life Achievement Award to add to a trophy case that already boasts an Oscar, two Emmys, a Tony, a Grammy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of the Arts. The "West Side Story" actress has been named the 50th recipient of guild's highest tribute. It's an award that honors both career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Aereo expanding to Utah next Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:20 PM PDT By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Fresh off another legal victory, the antenna-based Internet TV service Aereo is expanding west to Utah. So far, the service has only been available in the New York, Boston and Atlanta markets. It will expand to Utah on August 19. Last week, a New York court declined to review a ruling that Aereo's service does not infringe on copyrights. The service uses many tiny antennas to beam broadcasters' signals of over-the-air networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC to computers, but networks say that amounts to stealing. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Jon M. Chu to be director-in-residence for AT&T crowdsourcing film festival Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:18 PM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - He's waded into crowds of screaming tweens to capture Justin Bieber in action, orchestrated daring mountainside battles between Cobra and G.I. Joe, and showed the world how well Channing Tatum could hoof it with "Step Up." Now Jon. M. Chu is taking on the world of crowdsourcing. Fresh off the blockbuster hit "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," Chu has signed a pact to serve as a special director-in-residence and mentor for new mobile phone film festival that is sponsored AT&T, according to an individual with knowledge of the deal tells TheWrap. ... Full Story | Top |
| Impressions of Comic-Con: hey Hollywood, superheroes need a little love, too Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:16 PM PDT By Sharon Waxman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - You'd forgive, I hope, a journalist staggering into the daylight after three full days at Comic-Con, for feeling hopeless, sad and forlorn. It's not because the only thing to eat in Hall H is $10 nachos. It's because the sum totality of the movies unrolled by studio after major studio, day after day, depicts a world drenched in despair. It is impossible not to leave this pageant of gore and violence without a sense of personal hollowness. ... Full Story | Top |
| Five takeaways from Comic-Con: the Brits and Indies ruled, but where were the women? Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:15 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Comic-Con concluded on Sunday after four days of panels, men in tights, women in costumes and fans sleeping on the grass. Hollywood film studios maintained the robust presence they have become known for, taking over Hall H for most of the week with the latest iterations of Spiderman, Captain America and Katniss Everdeen. (For the uninitiated, Hall H is the convention's massive home to the event's biggest panels, where reporters spend almost all their time). ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Modern Family' star Jesse Tyler Ferguson's wedding ceremony officiated by Tony Kushner Monday, Jul 22, 2013 04:13 PM PDT  By Todd Cunningham LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Jesse Tyler Ferguson of "Modern Family" has tied the knot. The TV sitcom star wed lawyer Justin Mikita, in downtown New York City on Saturday, his publicist told TheWrap Sunday. "Never been happier. XO Goodnight!" Ferguson tweeted early Sunday morning. Ferguson, 37, and Mikita, 27, became engaged last year in Mexico, after being together nearly two years. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. statistician Silver moves popular site to ESPN from NY Times Monday, Jul 22, 2013 02:44 PM PDT By Mary Milliken (Reuters) - Nate Silver, the statistician who earned star status by correctly predicting the 2012 U.S. presidential election in all 50 states, said on Monday he is moving his popular FiveThirtyEight blog to sports media company ESPN from the New York Times. Disney-owned ESPN said it is buying the URL www.fivethirtyeight.com and the trade name for an undisclosed sum. The relaunched site will encompass not only sports, but also politics and elections, economics and weather among other subjects. Content will be shared with ABC News, also owned by Disney. ... Full Story | Top |
| Al Jazeera America taps ABC News executive to lead network Monday, Jul 22, 2013 01:30 PM PDT By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Al Jazeera America announced its leadership team on Monday, about a month ahead of its U.S. launch, tapping longtime ABC News executive Kate O'Brian to be the network's president. O'Brian will report to Ehab Al Shihabi, the head of Al Jazeera's international operations, who was also named interim chief executive of the U.S. channel. The network is due to launch on August 20. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time Inc getting new CEO ahead of magazine unit spinoff Monday, Jul 22, 2013 01:12 PM PDT By Liana B. Baker and Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc said it named a new chief executive to head its magazine titles People, Sports Illustrated and Time, which will soon be separated from the media conglomerate. It tapped Joseph Ripp, a former Time Inc and AOL executive, to become CEO effective September. Time Warner intends to spin off the magazine unit Time Inc into an independent publicly traded company around the end of 2013. Ripp, 62, is currently the CEO of business marketing company OneSource Information Services. ... Full Story | Top |
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