Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Moviegoers might think of next summer as a test. The results will tell whether Hollywood should bother to have an original thought.
As the books close on 2011, the year turns out to have been a remarkable exercise in cinematic repetition. So far the top seven pictures at the domestic box office have been sequels, an alignment that appears unmatched in movie history.
In terms of ticket sales the most popular seven films to date have been “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″; “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”; “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1″; “The Hangover Part II”; “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”; “Fast Five”; and “Cars 2.”strong opening for “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” suggests that it may well join a list that also includes “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” from yet another film series, in the ninth position. If “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” or “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” gain traction, the year’s entire Top 10 may turn out to have been sequels (and their titles will have exhausted the well of awkward punctuation).
Studio executives fed this year’s trend with a flight to financial safety that has been building for a decade. At least 10 of about 30 major studio films released in the spring-summer blockbuster season were sequels or remakes, and another three — “Thor,” “Green Lantern,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” — were based on comics whose kinship with existing films allowed them to play like parts of a “franchise.”
In 2012, much like this year, the major studios will offer about 10 sequels or “reboots” (wherein a familiar series starts again, from the top), featuring the return of proven draws like Spider-Man and the Bourne spy cycle, this time with Jeremy Renner as a new hero.
But there will also be some startlingly fresh propositions on display. One is “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” from Fox — the title says it all. Fox will also put forth “Prometheus,” directed by Ridley Scott, a science-fiction thriller that probes deep into the origins of man. (“Prometheus” may have some kinship with the “Aliens” series, which has inspired debate as to whether it might be a prequel, though its makers have said it is not.)
“We need to reinvent the business, the way television did in the 1980s,” said John Davis, a studio producer whose dozens of credits include “Gulliver’s Travels,” “I, Robot” and “Predator.” “There’s just not enough risk taking.”
(In the 1980s the pay-television service HBO began to experiment with original series and mini-series like “Fraggle Rock” and “Tanner ’88″ and eventually revolutionized television with sophisticated fare like “The Sopranos” and “Sex and the City.”)
Davis took a risk this year with “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” a family film that starred Jim Carrey with a cast of penguins but had no movie predecessor to warm the seats. “Popper” fell flat when 20th Century Fox released it in June into a marketplace that found viewers hurrying to the “Cars” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequels.
But if familiarity prevailed in 2011, the consumer was complicit. One after another the more original studio films in a variety of genres failed to draw a really large number of viewers this year.
The best-performing comedy, “Bridesmaids,” took in $169 million but fell far short of, say, “Fast Five,” which handily crossed the $200 million mark. “The Help,” so far the top drama, similarly stopped at less than $170 million, and remained outside the Top 10.
Meanwhile the more inventive propositions — “Super 8,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Moneyball,” “Real Steel,” “Contagion” — some critically acclaimed, some not, never got close to the first rank, as viewers flocked to what they already knew. The pattern snuffed what had seemed to be a swing back toward originality in 2010, when the defiantly innovative thriller “Inception” was a hit, and new propositions like “Tangled” and “Despicable Me” cracked the Top 10.
“In an unsettling world people may gravitate toward the familiar,” Martin Kaplan, the Norman Lear professor of entertainment, media and society at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, suggested of this year’s film consumer.
“There may be pleasure to be found in something new and different, but there’s also the risk of being disoriented or disappointed,” Kaplan wrote in an email recently. “Sequels are a kind of comfort food.”
Still, Hollywood is uneasy with a repetitiveness that must eventually exhaust itself — there could be no “Avatar 2″ without the original “Avatar” — and is deeply unsatisfying to many of the bright and driven people who still spend their lives making studio movies.

Anne Hathaway—Best Dressed At Oscars 2011

Oscars host Anne Hathaway had many winning outfits during the recent telecast, even if the banter with her co-host was less memorable. For Hathaway and other stars famous for looking great wherever they go, those flashbulb-fashion moments largely are a tribute to their stylists.
The Hollywood Reporter magazine has compiled its first-ever list of the 25 most-powerful celebrity stylists, and, no surprise, Rachel Zoe – who dressed Hathaway on Oscar night – is at the top.
She’s grown her bohemian, beach-girl look made famous by Cameron Diaz into a reality TV show, books and her own fashion line.
It’s important for a stylist to carve out an aesthetic, much like a designer does, but she also needs to give her clients what they want, and Zoe is a master at that, said Merle Ginsberg, Hollywood Reporter senior writer. “When Rachel was working with Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan years ago – and making them into mini-mes – she caught a lot of flack, and it ended quickly. She was young, they were young. Now she does Cameron Diaz as the bohemian, but Eva Mendes is not, and Anne Hathaway is no bohemian.”
The next names on the magazine’s list are Kate Young, a former Vogue editor behind Natalie Portman’s stylish maternity wardrobe; Petra Flannery, who is guiding young stars Emma Stone and Hailee Steinfeld; Jen Rade, who boasts longtime client Angelina Jolie; and Anna Bingemann, whose clients include Claire Danes, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts.
Depending on the celebrity, the duty of the stylist changes, Ginsberg explains. For someone like Cate Blanchett, who works with Elizabeth Stewart, she already has a strong fashion sense and is looking for someone to scout out outfits that suit her style. Other celebrities turn to their stylists to help them carve a fashion personality.
Sometimes – think Rachel Bilson or Diane Kruger, perhaps – the starlets are becoming more famous for their ripped-from-the-runway looks than their resume of roles.
“Something happened in the ’90s, maybe it was the economy or maybe that fashion became a bigger deal in America, but that’s when this whole thing started, and that’s when all the Hollywood fashion started to be good,” said Ginsberg.
She gives credit to Phillip Bloch, Deborah Waknin (number 7) and Jessica Paster (number 14) as early trailblazers who made the link between Hollywood and the runway. They introduced names such as Alexander McQueen, and, really, Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace, to the armchair audiences of America who were suddenly interested in celebrity style thanks to the weekly glossy magazines and cable channels that brought the red carpet home.
These relationships all require delicate handling, though, Ginsberg added, with the designers, stars and stylists all wanting some degree of credit for a winning outfit.
Oscars criticism: James Franco breaks his silence
James Franco has spoken out about his much-maligned Oscars co-hosting stint, insisting he couldn’t match Anne Hathaway’s energy levels on the big night.
The movie star fled to New York after the Academy Awards and hasn’t commented on the criticism he has received – until now.
In a taped interview with another criticised former Oscars host, David Letterman, which will air on the TV host’s show on Friday night, Franco admits he was most upset by reports suggesting he was stoned during the telecast.
He tells Letterman, “Maybe I had low energy. I honestly played those lines as well as I could.
“People said I was under the influence. I’ve thought about it. I think I know why. I love her, but Anne Hathaway is so energetic, I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway.”

Madonna And Live Nation Entertainment Confirm Three Album

Madonna will have a new album out in late March; it was officially confirmed today by Interscope Records. In one component of a very broad plan developed by long time manager Guy Oseary and Live Nation Entertainment, the Material Girl has signed a three album deal with Interscope Records. The new album, her first in five years, has been completed. “Gimme All Your Luvin,” the first single from the album, will be released the last week in January prior to her upcoming Bridgestone Halftime Superbowl appearance on February 5th.
In 2007, Madonna signed a multi-faceted deal with Live Nation that includes new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan club/website, DVDs, music-related television and film projects and associated sponsorship agreements. “We look forward to a great partnership,” commented Live Nation Entertainment’s Chairman of Global Music & CEO, Global Touring Arthur Fogel. Oseary was equally enthusiastic: “We couldn’t be happier to work with Jimmy Iovine, Lucian Grainge (Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group) and the entire Interscope team. We anticipate a very bright future at our new home,” added Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. “Very rarely does an opportunity like this come around. We would like to thank Madonna, Guy and Live Nation for their belief in us.”
In other Madonna news, her upcoming film, “W.E.” which she directed and co-wrote is scheduled for a wide release on February 3rd.
Over the course of her extraordinary three decade career, Madonna has sold over 300 million albums and holds the record for the most successful tour by a solo artist in history. She is a nine time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, producer and is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last CD, “Hard Candy,” debuted at No. 1 in 27 countries including US, UK, Canada, France and Australia.

INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M: Combining the legacies of three of the most influential record labels in modern music history, Interscope Geffen A&M embarked on a new tradition of musical achievement with its unification on January 1, 1999. Headed by Chairman Jimmy Iovine, Interscope Geffen A&M is a major force in global music, developing chart-topping artists across a wide range of musical genres including rock, rap, pop and alternative. Interscope Geffen A&M is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

“Breaking Dawn,” the latest in the series based on the Stephenie Meyer vampire novels, is the second film this year to claim the No. 1 spot for three straight weekends, according researcher to Box Office Mojo. Disney’s “The Help” held first place over three weekends in August and September. U.S. cinemas do about 20 percent of the year’s business between mid-November and New Year’s, Hollywood.com said.
“This is the first time any movie from the ‘Twilight’ franchise has been No. 1 for three weeks in a row,” said Gitesh Pandya, editor of Boxofficeguru.com in New York. The movie was able to hang onto the top spot because there were no new openings and because “it’s the biggest franchise out there,” he said.
‘The Muppets’
“Breaking Dawn,” about vampire Edward Cullen and his not- yet undead girlfriend Bella Swan, has taken in $246.9 million in the U.S. and Canada since its Nov. 18 release, according to Hollywood.com. The film, made for about $110 million, was expected to have weekend sales of $15.4 million, the estimate of Box Office Mojo.
The “Twilight” series is scheduled to end a year from now with “Breaking Dawn Part 2.” The first three movies in the series have had worldwide sales of $1.8 billion, according to Box Office Mojo.
In “Breaking Dawn Part I,” Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, marries Edward, portrayed by Robert Pattinson. She becomes pregnant and is targeted for death by werewolves. Taylor Lautner returns to co-star as Jacob Black, whose unrequited love for Bella is tested by his commitment to his werewolf clan.
In “The Muppets,” three fans learn that an oil man wants to drill under the characters’ old theater. They seek out the former stars Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Gonzo, now leading separate lives. Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson and Dave Goelz provide the three main Muppet voices, respectively. The film also features Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper.
‘Hugo’
“Hugo,” from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, was third with $7.6 million. The movie is Oscar winner Martin Scorsese’s first 3-D family film.
The picture tells the story of a boy, played by Asa Butterfield, who lead a secret life in the walls and clock tower of a Paris train station. Based on the book by Brian Selznick, it is also a tribute to silent film pioneer Georges Melies, played by Ben Kingsley, who runs a toy kiosk at the station.
The National Board of Review on Dec. 1 named “Hugo” the best film of the 2011 and Scorsese best director.
“Hugo” is “looking like a word-of-mouth hit,” Pandya said. “It’s got a long life ahead of it.”
“Arthur Christmas” stayed in fourth with $7.4 million. The animated film exposes Santa’s high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole, while telling the story of a family in a state of comic dysfunction, according to a Sony Corp. summary of the picture. The picture features the voices of James McAvoy as Arthur and Hugh Laurie as Steve.

Are You Or Have You Considered Paying The Austin, Texas A Visit?

Have you been to Austin, TX? Are you or have you considered paying the city a visit? If Austin is not even remotely familiar to you, then you’ve come to the right place on the web. Austin, TX is a large city in the state of Texas. It is the capital city of the state of Texas. However, any high school geography class could tell you that.Texas itself is huge , which is perhaps, where the phrase “Don’t Mess with Texas” came from. In fact, the state of Texas is the second largest state in the U.S by both physical mass and population numbers.
Austin, TX itself sits in Travis County. Austin, TX is ranked the 35th largest city in the United States of America by population numbers. The climate of Travis County is humid and subtropical characterized by hot summers and mild winters. The hottest recorded temperature was 112 degrees fahrenheit in the year 2000, during the month of September. A terribly hot day of the month it was, indeed.
Austin has become known for its left-leaning politics in what is normally considered a mostly conservative populous. In fact, this is often referred to in jest by those of more conservative leanings by calling the city by the name of “The People’s Republic of Austin”, entertainingly enough.
High-tech is the name of the game in Austin, TX. Austin is known as a hub for both the tech and defense industry sectors, which is largely fueled by the technical training programs of the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, Austin is considered a hub for pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies. There are about 85 companies from the biotech and pharma industry in Austin, TX.
A popular local motto in Austin is “Keep Austin Weird.” You may see this printed on stickers and on t-shirts. The “weird” part Austinites are referring to are the arts! …and Austin’s well-known love of music.Perhaps it is a combination of all of these things that helped Austin, TX arrive at 2nd place in the 2006 “Best Places to Live” list compiled by Money(the mag). Austin’s music and night life center around the nightclubs on 6th street and the film/music/interactive festival that has become popular in the area known as South by Southwest (SXSW), which occurs annually.

Alec Baldwin Dropped In On "Saturday Night Live"

During a "Saturday Night Live" satirical news skit, Baldwin posed as the pilot of a plane he was forced to disembark earlier in the week at Los Angeles International Airport for refusing to stop playing 'Words With Friends' on his mobile phone.Asked by SNL news anchor Seth Meyers about the incident, Baldwin, in character as the captain responded:"It was awful. That's why it was very important for me to come here and on behalf of everyone at American Airlines issue an apology to Mr. Alec Baldwin... an American treasure," said Baldwin, dressed in a pilot's uniform and fake mustache.
The "30 Rock" star also mocked the airline rule that electronic devices be turned off during takeoff and landing."Would you really get on an airplane that flies 30,000 feet in the air if you thought one Kindle switch would bring it down? C'mon! It's just a cruel joke perpetrated by the airline industry," Baldwin-as-pilot said.The actor attempted to turn around criticism from other passengers for delaying the flight by tweaking the airline's on-time record."It was the first time in the history of American Airlines that one of our flights was delayed," said Baldwin-as-pilot.
Baldwin broke character several times during the skit, including when Meyers asked him, "Alec, are you sure this is the right way to handle this?""Yeah, yeah, keep going, keep going," Baldwin said in a mock whisper.It was the second "apology" in a week from Baldwin, who the day after the incident used a Huffington Post column to say he was sorry to his fellow passengers, but then dedicated the rest of the column to bashing the airline industry.

Vienna Boys Choir Performs Tuesday At BU

The Vienna Boys Choir — a tradition spanning more than 500 years — will return to the region Tuesday night for a holiday performance in the Osterhout Concert Theater at Binghamton University's Anderson Center. The concert is presented by the Binghamton Philharmonic.Music historians trace the origins of the choir to 1498, when Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I moved his court from Innsbruck to Vienna. He gave specific instructions that there were to be six boys among his court musicians. Until 1918, the choir sang exclusively for the imperial court, at Mass, at private concerts and functions and on state occasions.
Among those who worked with or were members of the choir were such classical music superstars as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, Anton Bruckner, Franz Schubert, and brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn.In 1918, after the breakdown of the Habsburg Empire, the Austrian government took over the court's adult musicians but not the choir boys. The Wiener S*ngerknaben — as the choir is known in German — owes its survival to the initiative of Josef Schnitt, who became dean of the Imperial Chapel in 1921 and established the boys' choir as a private institution. Funding was not enough to pay for the boys' upkeep, and in 1926 the choir started to give concerts outside of the chapel, performing motets, secular works and — at the boys' request — children's operas. Soon, word spread and the choir was performing around the world.
Today, there are around 100 choristers between the ages of 10 and 14, divided into four touring choirs. The four choirs give around 300 concerts and performances each year in front of almost half a million people. Each group spends nine to 11 weeks of the school year on tour. They visit virtually all European countries as well as Asia, Australia and the Americas.
The choir's repertoire includes everything from medieval to contemporary and experimental music. Motets and lieder for boys' choir form the core of the touring repertoire, as do the choir's own arrangements of waltzes and polkas by Strauss. In the 1970s, the choir started to perform a cappella arrangements of songs by The Beatles. In 2002, the boys recorded a pop CD, including songs by Celine Dion, Madonna and Robbie Williams. The choir has contributed to a number of film soundtracks.

There Is No Doubt That Love For Some Celebrity Exists Within Us All

There is no doubt that love for some celebrity exists within us all. This isn’t the traditional definition of love but rather defined by an excessive admiration for a famous person whom we will probably never meet. The use of “love” is appropriate here as we who love celebrity tend to exhibit signs of undue influence by those highly visible. Famous people, the non-elected representatives of the human race, have always held some influence over the masses. In the days before mass media, television sets and computers fame was circulated orally, carried by the gossipy nature of social beings. Today, we open our eyes and cannot avoid these people. Of course, in a developed society entertainers are necessary. We laugh and sometimes cry at a quality performance. Our memories are seared with images, movies and songs which have touched us, frightened us and stimulated us. They dramatize the political, the romantic, the good and bad.
Yet, have we gone too far? How much influence should they have over us? Our choice of clothes, jewelry and hairstyle, our languages and ideas are often areas that we look toward celebrities to define. If you deny this then you are exceptional; the rest of us are invariably, more susceptible. Our culture has become saturated with celebrity influence. We watch their every move including who they are with and what they do. We absorb their politics and gobble up their quotes. We think about what it may be like to be that beautiful, rich and powerful. Fame is an aphrodisiac or so it seems to the unrecognized. Today we have TomKat(Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes). Yesterday it was Bennifer(Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez).
The entertainment value of a celebrity stretches beyond the screen or stage and they are wholly aware it. We are witness to carefully arranged relationships, sudden sightings in sports arenas and controversial quotes days before a new movie or show opens. They appear on your screen suddenly seemingly not to promote themselves but rather attempting to come across as natural, likable, smart and funny. Sometimes we get a glimpse into what certain celebrities are really like. Unfortunately, it is usually when they do something wrong. Drugs, infidelity and physical assaults are a few areas where celebrities have slipped in their public presentation. Mug shots and unflattering photos of famous people are the currency of entertainment news outlets. Being a celebrity has its drawback in this regard as they are monitored as closely as governmental heads of the biggest nations on earth. Alas, the power of celebrity is here with us to stay.