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Avatar Tops Box Office For January 2010
Studio Estimates Have Avatar Ahead of the Pack
Jan 2010 The top 10 movies at the North American box office for January, 2010, by reigning champion "Avatar," according to studio estimates compiled on Sunday (1) Avatar, the reigning box office champion comes in at $41.3 million 2 The Book of Eli comes in second at $31.6 million 3. The Lovely Bones . $17.1 million 4. Alvin and the Chipmunks at $11.5 million 5. Sherlock Holmes at $ 9.8 million Closing up the top ten list are as follows 6. The Spy Next Door with $ 9.7 million 7. It's Complicated at $ 7.7 million 8. Leap Year comes in with $ 5.8 million 9. The Blind Side at $ 5.6 million 10. Up in the Air comes up with $ 5.5 million Brittany Murphys's Hollywood Sudden Death Investigators Dont Seem To Have Much To Say
A toxicology test looking for the presence of alcohol and drugs will also be conducted, but the results will not be available for weeks. One of Murphy's neighbors said that paramedics were inside her house for nearly an hour before she was taken to an ambulance on a stretcher. "One paramedic was still working on her," said the female neighbor. "First, I couldn't even tell that it was Brittany that was on the stretcher. I looked like an older woman. Brittany was completely white and her face was covered with a mask. You could tell that something horrible had happened." Morgan Freeman Plays Nelson Mandela in Movie "Invictus" Award Winning Actor Gets a Chance to Play This Iconic Role
Mr. Freeman the Academy Award winner for his role in Eastwood's boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" has portrayed many characters over the years, but rarely one who is alive and important to so many people as Mandela. The former South African President was jailed for 27 years due to his militant work to end apartheid in South Africa before being released in 1990 and In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. "Invictus" tells of how Mandela brought the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship to his nation, utilizing the South African team around which to rally his countrymen and ease racial tensions between black and white citizens. "I didn't have any agenda as it were in playing the role other than to bring it as close to reality as I possibly could," Freeman said. "The biggest challenge I had, of course, was to sound like him." The actor had six months to muscle up for the role, and critics so far says its "a very good story very well told. The Princess and the Frog Walt Disney Christmas Movie
Many people have already voiced their opinions regarding the movie. African Americans have reacted positively and negatively about the movie. Some are cheering on Disney's behalf saying that finally a positive role model for young black girls and are elated that the princess has AA features. Well some are bickering as usual saying you know what... Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised Disney for rediscovering its traditional hand-drawn animation and also praised the film for "a thing called story". Betsy Sharkey of The Los Angeles gave the movie a glowing review claiming that Disney got just about everything right citing that the dialogue is fresh and the theme is ageless...A tremendous amount of thought, effort and good old fashion hard work was put into making this film. Production started in early 2006 and a detailed casting call for the movie was announced. Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose were top contenders for the voice of the princess. Alicia Keys wanted the role so bad that she contacted Dick Cook Disney's studio chief directly. It was later revealed that America's Next Top Model Host and Producer Tyra Banks was considered for the role as well. Anika Noni Rose of Dreamgirls fame won the coveted role. Hollywood Continues To Market Violence To Children FTC Release Report
A report released Thursday by the Federal Trade Commission concludes that movie companies continue to take aim at young children with advertising for PG-13 rated movies and often advertise R-rated films on television shows and Internet sites that are likely to reach teenagers. While the marketing of violent images has become more restricted, the film industry is also putting out a greater number of unrated DVDs that may contain material much more explicit than what had been available in R and PG-13 films ABC Network News Anchor Charly Gibson To Retire Dec. 18th Dianne Sawyer Will Replace Mr. Gibson
"It's that time of year in this great country of ours when we give thanks for family and friends and focus on the things that matter most to us," Banner wrote. "It's no different here in the newsroom, where we are preparing to see our very good friend and anchor off as he begins a new journey." Gibson announced in September that he planned to retire from the anchor job on "World News. Diane Sawyer is scheduled to replace Gibson on the nightly world news. As for Charly, we're going to spend a good deal of time during his final week on the air looking back at the stories Charlie covered, and paying tribute to our friend and colleague said one of the senior staffers at ABC. The War Child Story From Child Soldier to Hip Hop Artist By Doyin Ola
The film War Child charts the journey of Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier turned Hip Hop MC and peace activist. His story is one of pain, loss, and redemption. Early one morning years ago, a very young Emmanuel was ordered, by his father, onto a boat along with over 300 little boys. Many were close to his age, some younger or older. They were being transported to god knows where, after all their opinions were not sought in the matter. The boat owners and soldiers wrangled over whether the boat could truly transport so many people, but the soldiers won the argument and more boys were brought in. Emmanuel, frightened beyond words and unsure of what lay ahead, said goodbye to family members as the boat left the shore. Not long after, water started seeping in through unseen holes. The vessel began to capsize and the struggle to stay afloat grew frantic. When little Emmanuel Jal emerged from the wreckage – one of its few survivors, he realized the life he had known as a child among many in his father’s compound was now behind him. His father had conscripted him, a mere child, into the Southern Sudanese guerrilla army and, near death or not, this was what lay in front of him. So began Jal’s sojourn into the life of a child soldier. Continued in 24hrs. Article By Doyin Ola Capitalism Has an End "End of Poverty" November 2009 By Beth Portello
Award-winning actor and activist, Martin Sheen, provides the narration for THE END OF POVERTY?, directed by Philippe Diaz, which connects the dots from colonialism to modern times in an indictment of the creation of the free market system, the system now blamed for the worst global recession in decades. The film was produced in association with the New York based non-profit, Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, and will be distributed by Cinema Libre Studio. Most of the experts interviewed in the film had predicted the current economic crisis more than two years ago, when we started to film, explaining that a system based on a neoliberal policies and the fraudulent trickle-down theory can only collapse one day or another.” says filmmaker Diaz. “It is great that Michael Moore is attacking the bankers and the financial establishment in his new film, but the end of greed on Wall Street will not end poverty in the world. The problem is much deeper than that: it is centuries old. Our economic system since colonial times requires cheap labor and cheap resources from the global South to succeed and to finance our lifestyle in the North. Without changing that we will never alleviate poverty. “ Filmed in the slums of Africa to the barrios of Latin America, THE END OF POVERTY? explores how the true causes of poverty stem from actions taken during and since colonial times to perpetuate exploitation: first by forcing people from their land and their access to natural resources, then through unfair trade, debt repayment and unjust taxes on labor and consumption. This system was carefully built and maintained by free market policies, resource monopolies and structural adjustment programs by the World Bank, the IMF and other international financial institutions. The documentary features: Nobel prize winners in economics Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz; expert authors Susan George (“Another World Is Possible If”), Eric Toussaint (“The World Bank: A Never Ending Coup d’Etat”), John Perkins (“Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”), Chalmers Johnson (“Nemesis: The Last Days of the America Republic”), Brookings Institute fellow and author, William Easterly (“White Man’s Burden”); government ministers such as Bolivia’s Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and leaders of social movements in Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Kenya and Tanzania. The film has since been embraced by activists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide for its ‘direct talk’ about the role of debt, free trade, and neo-liberal policies and poverty. Groups including: Amnesty UK, ATTAC (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions to Aid Citizens), CADTM (Committee for the Abolition of the Third World Debt), Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), InterAction, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Make Poverty History, Tax Justice Network, Transnational Institute, and the UN Millennium Campaign, shared the film with thousands of activists, educators and politicians during the “Week of Action Against Poverty” and during the Stand Up Take Action events this past October. Synopsis: The End of Poverty? is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies -- in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries such that today 20% of the planet's population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate. Produced by Cinema Libre Studio with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 104mins, 2008, USA, documentary in English, Spanish, and French with English Subtitles. More information as well as trailer, clips and images for download are available at www.TheEndofPoverty.com. About Cinema Libre Studio: Cinema Libre Studio has been a leader in the distribution social issue films that tackle timely issues. The company is a haven for independent filmmakers offering one-stop shopping for production and distribution. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company is best known for distributing social-issue documementaires that include: Outfoxed, Uncovered, WMD: Weapon’s of Mass Deception, Darfur Diaries, The Future of Food, A River of Waste, and Desert Bayou and The Beautiful Truth. The company has recently released the films of French auteur Jean-Jacques Beineix and has partnered with Iranian director Masoud Jafari Jozani to bring the first film crew to shoot in US since the Iranian revolution. For more information, please visit www.cinemalibrestudio.com. Beth Portello Cinema Libre Studio 8328 De Soto Avenue Canoga Park, CA 91304 Ph: (818) 349-8822 bportello@cinemalibrestudio.com Ghanaian American Straddles Both Worlds Review of Bronx Princess by Doyin Ola
“I’m so excited for this summer. I’m going to grow up and be independent for the first time in my life,” she proclaims, in anticipation of her summer trip to Ghana. She has spent the final year of high school putting up with her loving, yet stern, mother’s demands. Yaa, a strong Black Ghanaian woman with quirky sense of humor, does not fully understand her American-born daughter, who laughs in the face of custom and tradition. Rocky, on the other hand, wants to be free to find her own way. While she recognizes her Ghanaian connection, she’s also been in the Bronx, NY her whole life. Her socialization process is vastly different from her mom’s, and as a result they are often like two ships passing in the night. The summer in Ghana represents a chance to spend more time with her father, and live the good life as the daughter, a.k.a. princess, of a well known and respected Chief. In a particularly funny scene she jokes with her father over the phone, claiming that as Ga royalty she is entitled to certain amenities, such as the best bed in the palace and police escort. “I want a Jacuzzi. You said you’re a chief I should get one,” she demands. Her mother, hanging out nearby, lets out a small laugh. She knows her daughter is in for a reality check. "Is she that beautiful that she can be saying those things?” dad playfully asks a few moments later, after Rocky has handed mom the phone. "You can say that again," she retorts, her voice tinged with pride. However, in Accra, the good and cushy life Rocky had envisioned ends up being merely a pipe dream. As she becomes more familiar with dad’s stricter side, she comes to see her relationship with Yaa in a whole new light. After returning to the States, life at college also falls far short of her expectations. On her first trip home, she hungrily scoffs down her mom’s cooking, relieved to be reunited with her family. Yaa simply smiles lovingly, happy to have her daughter home once again. Bronx Princess authentically conveys the identity conflict 1st generation immigrants typically experience. “I want young people who are first-generation American in their family to gain a more cohesive sense of identity from the film,” explains now 19-year-old Rocky Otoo in the April 4th edition of the Daily News. She is now a sophomore and gender studies major at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College. “I would hope that the film will illuminate their internal struggles and show them that so many people experience the same feelings and that they are not alone,” she goes on to say in the same article. The 38 minute documentary, produced by filmmakers Yoni Brook and Musa, premiered to rave reviews last spring, and has since appeared in a number of film festivals around the world, including the NYC African Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Dokufest (the main documentary film festival in the Balkans), as well as various other venues in New York City and beyond. It will air on PBS on September 22nd as part of its POV (Point of View) series on. Film website - http://www.bronxprincess.com/ Film trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5ktE0L1CVA Sydney Pollack The US actor and director Sydney Pollack has died at his home in Los Angeles, aged 73. One early success was The Game in 1966, for which he won an Emmy
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