FILM/ "SOCIAL" & "INCEPTION" TOP CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS: "The Social Network" took home the top prizes at the Critics Choice Award last night, winning best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and best score. But "Inception" led all films with six awards total, most for technical achievement. Natalie Portman won best actress for "Black Swan" and Colin Firth won best actor "The King's Speech". Melissa Leo won best supporting actress for "The Fighter" and Christian Bale won for best supporting actor, also for "The Fighter". "The Fighter" also took best acting ensemble while Hailee Steinfeld from "True Grit" won best young acrtress/actor. Full details on all the winners can be found on the organizations website.
FILM/ FOX SHUFFLES RELEASE DATES: 20th Century Fox is rearranging its 2011 release schedule. The studio is pushing back "Rise of the Apes" from June to the lucrative Thanksgiving frame. "Rise of the Apes," a film the studio is hoping to reenergize the "Planet of the Apes" franchise, now opens November 23 instead of June 24. The tentpole, produced by Chernin Entertainment, reteams Fox and Peter Jackson's WETA Digital, which are using technologies developed for "Avatar" to render photo real apes. Fox is reported to believe that "Rise of the Apes" will play throughout the year-end holidays. In another key move, the Jim Carrey family film "Mr. Popper's Penguins" moves from August 12 to June 17. Fox also scheduled the Jack Black/Steve Martin/Owen Wilson starrer "The Big Year," which opens nationwide October 14. Directed by David Frankel, "Big Year" is based on Mark Obmascik's book "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession". Other changes announced: "The Sitter" moves from July 15 to June 24; "Monte Carlo" will open July 1 instead of August 12; New Regency's "What's Your Number?" moves from April 29 to September 30; and "Now" is bumped a month from September 30 to October 28.
The "Alien" prequel has been shelved and a new Ridley Scott project has been reborn. Fox has announced that instead of making a much-talked about "Alien" movie, the project has been reconfigured as an original sci-fi movie, titled "Prometheus," with Scott still directing and with Noomi Rapace to star. Fox has set a March 9, 2012 release date. Damon Lindelof is working together with Scott on the new script, which was originally written by Jon Spaihts and based on an idea by Scott. “While "Alien" was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place,” said Scott in a statement. “The keen fan will recognize strands of "Alien's" DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart". Rapace, pictured, is best known in the US for her turn in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".
The creators of 1980s soap "Dynasty" have announced plans to turn the TV series into a film. Esther and Richard Shapiro are working on a prequel about Blake Carrington finding out he is heir to the family's oil empire. The original series starred Joan Collins and the late John Forsythe and ran from 1981 to 1989 on ABC. Catfights, glamour and giant shoulder pads became synonymous with the show, which also starred Linda Evans and the late Christopher Cazenove. The movie version will be set in the 1960s and will feature Blake's love affair with Collins' character Alexis. There is no word on possible casting or a planned start date for the film.
MUSIC/ BEATLES HOT SELLERS ON ITUNES: The Beatles have sold more than 5 million songs since making their November 16 iTunes debut, said a spokesman for the online retailer. In that time, the legendary group has also moved more than a million full-length albums. Each of the Beatles’ 13 studio albums, including "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Revolver," "The Beatles" (The White Album) and "Abbey Road," was remastered for digital release and along with the recordings, Apple designed a full album experience including visual features and a mini-documentary about the creation of each album. Single albums have a download purchase price of $12.99, double albums go for $19.99 and individual songs are $1.29 each. The most popular song download is "Here Comes the Sun," from 1969's "Abbey Road," which is the band's top-selling album on iTunes.
THEATRE/ SHIRELLES MUSICAL EYES SPRING DATE: "Baby It's You!," the musical about the making of the '60s pop group The Shirelles, is aiming for Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre this spring. Tony Award winner Beth Leavel is being eyed to play the role of Florence Greenberg, the New Jersey housewife who found and shaped the girl group (when they were high-schoolers) and created Scepter, a record label for new voices. "Baby It's You" has a book by 2010 Tony Award nominees Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, who co-wrote Broadway's "Million Dollar Quartet". Mutrux will co-direct with Sheldon Epps. The score borrows from the Shirelles' song catalog. The synopsis of the show, which has its premiere in 2009 at the Pasadena Playhouse, is: "Wrapped in the sensational songs of the '60s, "Baby It's You!" is the new musical about the groundbreaking girl group, The Shirelles, and Florence Greenberg, the New Jersey housewife who discovered them. With the help of African-American songwriter-producer Luther Dixon, who became her lover, Florence took on a male dominated industry and revolutionized pop music. Her company, Scepter Records, created the most important songs in the golden era of rock 'n' roll, from artists including The Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Chuck Jackson and Dionne Warwick."
4 major West End productions end their London runs today, including an early closure for the new stage musical version of "Flashdance – the Musical "at the Shaftesbury, which opened officially October 14, 2010, and had been originally booking through February 26. Also exiting are the plays "Deathtrap," "Birdsong" and "Yes, Prime Minister," from the Coward, Comedy and Gielgud Theatres, respectively. "Flashdance," based on the 1983 film of the same name, is directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, and features a cast headed by Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Matt Willis. "Deathtrap," a new production of Ira Levin's 1978 Broadway thriller, opened officially at the West End's Noel Coward Theatre September 7, 2010. "Birdsong," a new play adapted from the Sebastian Faulks 1993 novel of the same name, opened officially at the Comedy Theatre September 28, 2010. And finally, "Yes, Prime Minister," a play by Jonathan Lynn and Anthony Jay based on their hit 80s TV series of the same name, transferred from Chichester Festival Theatre to the Gielgud Theatre, where it opened officially September 27, 2010. Following its closure at the Gielgud, it will embark on an extensive UK national tour.
PEOPLE/ DOCTORS AMPUTATE GABOR'S LEG: Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's right leg, which was infected with gangrene, has been amputated in a life-saving surgery her doctors have deemed a success. She is in "frail health" and will be closely monitored in a Los Angeles hospital for several days. Gabor was hospitalized on January 2 after attempts to save her leg with antibiotics proved unsuccessful. The 93 year old has been admitted to hospital a number of times since breaking her hip in July. "Ms Gabor needed an amputation above her knee due to poor circulation and a large ulcerated area on her right leg," said her doctor at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The veteran actress was partially paralyzed in a car accident in 2002 and suffered a stroke in 2005, forcing her to use a wheelchair.
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