BERLIN - Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal” and a version of Fritz Lang’s 1926 silent classic “Metropolis” with a new score are among 16 world premieres scheduled at the 51st Berlin International Film Festival, to be held Feb.
The Roman arena epic “Gladiator” was named best dramatic motion picture at Sunday’s Golden Globes, while “Almost Famous,” Cameron Crowe’s fictionalized story about his experiences as a teenage rock journalist in the 1970s, won best comedy film.Julia Roberts won best drama movie actress for “Erin Brockovich” and Tom Hanks won best dramatic actor for “Cast Away.”Roberts said of the real-life lawyer’s aide whose battle over water pollution inspired her film: “Erin Brockovich, the real gal, is awesome and should be a lesson that we are all powerful individuals that can make a difference in the world.”No one film dominated the night’s awards.
While Puffy and Jay-Z’s court cases dominate the hip-hop news scene, it was like music to my ears to hear that Wyclef Jean was performing at New York City’s historic Carnegie Hall.
NEW YORK - It’s not surprising that Carnegie Hall gave Wyclef Jean the distinction of being the first hip-hop artist to play the revered concert hall. As was clear on Friday night, when Jean played host and entertainer during an all-star benefit for his self-titled foundation, there is perhaps no other artist in hip-hop - or most other music genres - as multifaceted and as talented as the engaging Jean. Jean proved that in his Carnegie debut, as he mixed Bach with hip-hop, jazz with rap, and collaborated with the likes of Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston for a captivating, cross-cultural concert. “See, I’m the new Sammy Davis Jr.,” Jean joked during the event, which also included performances by Destiny’s Child, Charlotte Church, Macy Gray, Marc Anthony, Steve Marley and reggae band Third World.
It seems like only years ago - during the “Pulp Fiction” and “The Usual Suspects” days - when big guns and witty dialogue were all the rage.
PARK CITY, Utah - Some entries in the Sundance Film Festival may sound familiar.There’s a movie about a middle-aged man’s relationship with a teen-age girl, but it’s not “American Beauty.” There’s a war story about cracking the German U-boat code, only it’s not “U-571.” There’s a tale of a rock journalist profiling a difficult subject, and it’s not “Almost Famous.” And there’s Samuel L.
I know. Awards shows tend to be way too long and self-involved. Plus, the ceremonies often deteriorate into just a parade of stars.But nothing’s more rewarding than gathering a group of friends together and gloating over knowing who’ll win.
In 1997, MSU alumnus David Chappell remembers listening to a compact disc a friend recommended to him while driving home to visit his parents in Traverse City.
When the Golden Globe Awards are televised live Sunday night, millions of viewers will either tune in to watch the entire production, view bits and pieces, or ignore it entirely. And being no stranger to entertainment’s production side, Rob Kennedy knows what to expect come Sunday night. “I like to watch award shows,” the James Madison freshman said.
NEW YORK - The film “Wonder Boys” and the TV show “Queer as Folk” are among the nominees for the 12th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation each year honors people and projects in the media and entertainment for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. GLAAD plans to give special recognition to the CBS reality show “Survivor,” which featured openly gay corporate trainer Richard Hatch, and NBC’s “The West Wing,” which regularly addresses discrimination issues against gays and lesbians. The awards will take place in four ceremonies to be held in New York on April 16; in Los Angeles on April 28; in Washington, D.C., on May 12; and in San Francisco on June 9. Blair Witch prequel for 2002 LOS ANGELES - There will be a third “Blair Witch” movie, despite lackluster interest in last fall’s second installment of the horror franchise. Artisan Entertainment plans to go ahead with a “Blair Witch” prequel, said Amir Malin, who heads the independent distributor that acquired “The Blair Witch Project” at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999. After the movie became a sensation that summer, Artisan announced it would release a sequel in late 2000 and the prequel by fall of 2001.
NEW YORK - The hand-lettered sign bobbing in the balcony said it all: “Rosie, You R My Barbra.” Rosie O’Donnell may not be Barbra Streisand - O’Donnell’s own idol - but the talk-show queen conquered the crowd Tuesday night at the Richard Rodgers Theatre where she joined the cast of “Seussical,” Broadway’s musical celebration of Dr. Seuss, for a four-week run. O’Donnell, playing the Cat in the Hat, faced an adoring, celebrity-sprinkled audience that included Jennifer Love Hewitt and Reba McEntire, as well as staff from the star’s daily television show.
W hen she’s looking for a place to turn from the pressures of everyday life, Kristy Mietelka looks to her inner self for relief.
Five chuavinists and a supremely confused dumpee will grace Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre stage this weekend.These six characters, all played and written by Robert Dubac, will perform in “The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?” Friday through Sunday.“The show is a way to show women that we’re more compassionate than they think we are,” Dubac said.
There’s a line in Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” that refers to Americans as thinking nothing is important unless they’ve made a movie about it.Two things about the Cuban Missile Crisis: It is important, and they did make a movie about it.
Two years ago, MTV Films released “Election” and missed its target audience by being too smart for its own good.
Gomez “Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline” (Virgin Records) Gomez not only went to the same high school as the Beatles, but could have very easily been blood brothers who smoked cigarettes and played poker with each other every Friday night.
English senior Amanda McClintock was a little nervous Friday night at Lower Level Records, 611 E. Grand River Ave., Suite 100, when she heard that one of the bands performing at a benefit show for “Students for a Free Tibet” was having trouble locating one of its members. That fear was quickly diminished when 9:00 p.m.
Next time MSU students are looking for a place to meet new people while enjoying a variety of music and spoken word entertainment, they don’t have to look any further than Thursday nights at Cafe Latte, 110 Charles St. Singers and spoken word poets may form the basis of Open Mic Night, but graphic design senior Edmund Balde, who coordinates the evening each week, said the cafe is open to many forms of expression. “We’re not limited to music and spoken word, though,” he said.
The performance never stops at MSU’s Wharton Center, and isn’t confined to the stage. Every day is a new act for the house management staff, which ensures the show goes on in front of the curtain as well as behind.Assistant House Manager Melissa Byers led the house troops during Wednesday’s performance of “Cabaret,” which plays at Wharton through Sunday as part of the center’s annual Broadway series.“It’s really more of a team effort,” Byers said.
A local artist has decided to take the idea behind family quilts and heirlooms and weave a history encompassing the greater Lansing community instead.Nancy McRay, a fiber artist, is putting together a room-sized tapestry she hopes will reflect society as it is today.