Other Topics : Art Culture - Fashion - Tourism

Latest & Hot Hollywood Film News : * hourly updation

Back to Hollywood Current News Section

Shirts from 'Brokeback Mountain' auctioned
DPA

Los Angeles, Feb 23 (DPA) Two sweat-soaked, but valuable shirts from the movie "Brokeback Mountain" have been bought by gay activist Tom Gregory and will have an honourable place in his home.

Tom Gregory, who bought the shirts for $100,000 in an eBay auction, told the Los Angeles Times that the shirts would be hung in his home - formerly that of western movie hero Gary Cooper.

Gregory said he wanted the shirts ever since he saw the tragic homosexual-themed romance movie. The shirts are worn in the movie by the stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.

Gregory, who lives with his partner David Bohnett in the restored Beverly Hills, California, villa that once belonged to Cooper, said he considered the price he paid for the shirts appropriate. Proceeds from the sale are going to a children's aid organisation.

The shirts are an "important symbol" for gay culture, he said adding that they will be left as they are, hanging together on one hanger.

The shirts are seen in key scenes at the beginning and at the end of the film, a favourite to win the Best Film Oscar.

Indo-Asian News Service
 

Clooney can't take direction
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) Oscar nominated actor George Clooney is blaming his career start as a TV actor for his refusal to listen to directors.

According to contactmusic.com, Clooney got his first break in the hospital drama "ER". He is grateful for his TV roots but prefers roles where he can follow his own emotions. 

He says: "People love to knock sitcoms, but television is a great place to start. After hundreds of episodes or television as an actor, though, you become director-proof, because you are guarding the character. That's not an insult to television directors. Each new director wants to make the episode his 'Macbeth'. 

"But on 'ER' a director would come and say, 'I think this really upsets you and you would be crying here'. And you are like, 'I cried the last three episodes.' So, I trained myself not to listen to directors, because you can't."
 

Liu defends 'Geisha' casting
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) Actress Lucy Liu has defended director Rob Marshall's choice to cast Chinese and Malaysian actors in the "Memoirs Of A Geisha", which is set in Japan.

According to contactmusic.com, Liu is calling it 'anti-racism'. She is stunned that the movie has been banned in China because Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li play Japanese Geishas.

She said: "I think that is reverse racism. I think Rob has an incredible vision and it doesn't matter. If you don't like the acting that's fine, but I don't think it is fair to go down to the core like that."

She added: "Because we can just tear apart everything else that has happened - Meryl Streep can't have an Italian accent or be from any other place because she is American. Or Chinese actresses can only play Chinese, and I am Chinese-American so I can only play Chinese-American? That limits me in every possible way."

Producers fight over 'Crash'
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Feb 23 (IANS) A battle between producers is brewing over the movie "Crash". 

According to pagesix.com, financial backer Bob Yari is angry that he has been downgraded from 'producer' to 'executive producer' after an investigation by the Producers Guild of America. So if "Crash" wins any Academy Awards, he won't be allowed to go onstage to receive the award. The new Academy rules allow only three official producers on a film. 

Now, Yari's former partner Cathy Schulman, who is also a producer, will accept the award. Schulman and Yari had made four movies together but have now split up and he is suing her over the producer title. 

Schulman's representative says: "This fight is between Bob and the Producers Guild, not Bob and Cathy. They are the ones who make the decision, not her. Cathy is one of the producers of the movie, it doesn't matter who she stands next to on Oscar night."
 

Craig can't drive Bond car
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) "James Bond" star Daniel Craig has surprised movie bosses on the sets of the new Bond movie "Casino Royale" because he can't drive the Bond car.

According to contactmusic.com, Craig is qualified to only drive an automatic transmission vehicle and he could not handle the Bond's manual Aston Martin DB5. 

Sources say that the filming had to be stopped while Craig learnt to drive the car. It has been specially shipped to the Bahamas set.
 
Kanye angry at Brit awards
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) Hip-hop star Kanye West has slammed producers of the Brit Awards for cutting short his acceptance speech from the televised show.

According to contactmusic.com, West performed a medley of his hit songs and he won the male solo artist. West admitted that he watched the show the next day and was shocked. 

He said: "So I get up on stage and do my acceptance speech, thanking all the people that have been there for me from the beginning. Then I watch it on the television and they cut the whole thing."

Spielberg confirms 'Indiana Jones 4'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) Two-time Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg will start shooting the fourth instalment of the "Indiana Jones" movie later this year.

Contactmusic.com reports that Spielberg had remained mum over the extent of his involvement with the movie but says he is now keen to return to his film roots. 

He says: "I haven't given up making entertaining films, but over the last decade I have been making some films that express the respect I have for history. I am about to make 'Indiana Jones 4', which is, as far as I am concerned, the sweet dessert I could give those who had to chow down on the bitter herbs that I have used in 'Munich'.

Actor Harrison Ford has confirmed his role in the movie.

Bono defends his relationship with Bush
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) Rocker Bono has slammed claims that his friendship with US President George W. Bush damages his work as a charity campaigner.

According to contactmusic.com, critics claim that Bono would achieve more by attacking Bush. But he says his achievements prove that his strategy works, and insists he was never easy on Bush.

He says: "We have had lots of rows and we have denounced the Bush administration when they have made mistakes, but we are not placarding and throwing rotten tomatoes at people who are trebling our aid to Africa."
 
Gilmour too old to tour
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 23 (IANS) Pink Floyd legendary guitarist David Gilmour has vowed to never to tour again because he says he is too old.

According to contactmusic.com, Gilmour, 60, is absolutely sure that nothing can make him go on the road again, not even his legions of fans can convince him otherwise. He said: "I can't help other people's frustrations. I don't owe people anything. If people would like to come to my concerts, I'd love them to come. And if they like the music that I make, I love that too."

He added: "But I do not make music for other people. I make it to please myself. To go out and tour for months and months on end is not just what I want to be doing at my age. Sorry, if you don't like that, but it's my prerogative."

Australian 'Gone with the Wind' to star Kidman, Crowe
DPA

Sydney, Feb 23 (DPA) A "sweeping romance" to rival the timeless classic "Gone with the Wind", starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe as star-crossed lovers, will begin filming in Australia by the year-end.

Director Baz Luhrmann told Sydney's Daily Telegraph that the twin Oscar-winners had taken a pay cut to help convince Twentieth Century Fox to finance the film.

"Russell, Nicole and I have been wanting to do a large Australian piece for a very long time," Luhrmann, who is based here, said. 

"We have some of the most extraordinary landscape on the planet and we want to get two of the most extraordinary actors in the world to put them, acting, in that landscape."

The "Moulin Rouge" director said he'd been working on the screenplay for seven years and that Kidman and Crowe shared his ambition to do "something purely Australian on a scale the world hasn't seen before".

Locations have been selected in the tropical northeast and in the outback but how much will be shot outside and how much at Sydney's Fox Studios is yet to be decided.

The crew and cast will be mostly Australian, including an Aboriginal boy in a major role.

The love story is set in the 1930s and 1940s and will have a scene recreating the bombing of the far north city of Darwin by Japanese fighter-bombers in World War II.
 
'Firewall': fun while it lasts
By Rezaul H. Laskar, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Firewall"; Cast: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Robert Patrick, Alan Arkin, Robert Forster; Director: Richard Loncraine; Released by Warner Bros; Rating: *** 

Can a middle-aged computer security expert outwit a bunch of tech-savvy crooks who are holding his family hostage and want him to hack into his bank's mainframe to steal a lot of money? And can he save his family and the dog too while he's at it?

Sure he can, if he's Harrison Ford. Yes, the same guy who played Han Solo in the "Star Wars" series and the whip-cracking Indiana Jones in those three movies by Steven Spielberg.

Ably directed by Briton Richard Loncraine, the man responsible for the romantic comedy "Wimbledon", "Firewall" marks the return of Ford as an action star after a long gap. His last such outing was the dismal "Hollywood Homicide".

Ford is computer security specialist Jack Stanfield, whose world comes crashing down one rainy evening as a gang of criminals led by the suave and nasty Bill Cox (Paul Bettany) takes his family - wife Beth (Virginia Madsen) and two kids (Carly Schroeder and Jimmy Bennett) - hostage and asks him to steal $100 million from the bank he works for.

As the goons monitor his every move with all sorts of fancy gadgets, Stanfield has to go to bank and try to hack into the computers to get the money. And to make things tougher, the bank's just been taken over and Stanfield no longer has much access to its complete computer network.

Like most other modern action thrillers, "Firewall" is loaded with clichés - the crooks have all kinds of hi-tech gizmos that allow them to snoop on Stanfield, there is the obligatory failed escape by the family, a nasty goon who doesn't like the kids and a sensitive goon who does like them, and the villain is a cool blonde Englishman.

But on the plus side, director Loncraine's pacing is just fine and Ford, Madsen and Bettany as well as the supporting cast of Robert Patrick, Robert Forster and Alan Arkin are great in their roles, even if they don't really have much to do in terms of acting. 

Sometimes though, Loncraine tries too hard to be hip, throwing in hi-tech touches like loads of grainy footage shot by webcams and having the hero using his daughter's iPod for a nifty bit of computer hacking!

"Firewall" will never be ranked alongside Ford's classic action thrillers like "Patriot Games" or "Air Force One", but it's a fun ride while it lasts. 
 
Nicole, Keith all set for March marriage
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Feb 24 (IANS) Actress Nicole Kidman and country star Keith Urban have sent out invitations for their wedding, which will reportedly take place in March.

Marriage rumours have besieged the couple, who began dating since November last year, when Kidman began wearing a large diamond ring on her left hand, reported hollywood.com. 

Sources told the US Weekly magazine that the couple would exchange vows in Australia in early March. 

"Nicole is an Australian girl at heart. It's no surprise that she would want to get married here," the sources said.

Lohan dating Olympic snowboarder
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Feb 24 (IANS) Actress Lindsay Lohan reportedly has a new man in her life - Olympic gold medallist Shaun White.

The couple was spotted sharing an intimate night together at New York club Bungalow 8 and White is already boasting about his latest conquest, reported hollywood.com. 

The champion snowboarder, who won a gold medal last week in the Winter Olympics in Italy, says: "Lindsay and I ended up meeting up at the famous Bungalow 8. It was a good time. It was a trip. 

"Coming home from Italy, everybody's been running up to me, saying how proud they are. It's been crazy and so I had to get some time to have fun." 
 

Real gladiators fought by the book of combat
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Feb 24 (IANS) Real gladiators stuck to strict rules of combat and did not resort to savage violence and mutilation as shown in several popular Hollywood films, a forensic analysis has revealed.

The analysis of remains from a gladiator cemetery at Ephesus in Turkey found that the real heroes stuck to the conventional rules unlike the gory free-for-all scenes depicted in films like Ridley Scott's "Gladiator". 

The research might also confirm what historians had previously suspected - gladiators whom the crowd condemned to death were often alive when dragged from the arena and were dispatched by a final hammer blow to the head from a backstage executioner, NewScientist.com reported.

Much of what is known about gladiatorial combat comes from Roman artwork, which suggests that gladiators were well matched in their capabilities and followed sets of rules enforced by two referees.

To find out whether they actually stuck to the rules, Karl Groschmidt of the Medical University of Vienna and Fabian Kanz of the Austrian Archaeological Institute used modern forensic techniques to determine the causes of death of 67 gladiators discovered at Ephesus, the centre of power for ancient Rome's empire in western Asia. 

The cemetery, having tombs of gladiators, was unearthed by archaeologists in 1993 and is thought to date to second century AD.

Kanz and Groschmidt used CT scanning and microscopic analysis of bone injuries to identify whether the gladiators' injuries had occurred at the time of death or earlier in their lives.

Injuries to the front of each skull suggested that each opponent used just one type of weapon per bout of face-to-face contact, the researchers said in a paper to be published in Forensic Science International. 

"The lack of multiple injuries and mutilation shows that the very strict nature of combat rules for gladiator fights was adhered to," they said.

Groschmidt said the findings dismiss the theory that gladiatorial combat was a kind of martial-arts spectacular. 

Kathleen Coleman of Harvard University who was historical consultant on "Gladiator" agreed with the findings. 

"The fact that none of the gladiators' skulls was subjected to a repeated battering does seem to confirm that discipline was exercised in gladiatorial combat and its aftermath," she said.
 

Posh to design shades
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 24 (IANS) Victoria Adams aka Posh Spice, wife of footballer David Beckham, is designing her own range of sunglasses.

According to contactmusic.com, Posh supposedly got the idea after she heard the sales of Dior glasses has increased since she began wearing them. 

A source said: "Victoria was amazed to hear that sales of the sunglasses have increased so much. When she starts wearing something it isn't long before a copycat version appears on the High Street. But Victoria has a good business sense and wanted to expand brand Beckham to fill her boots in the specs market."

The glasses will be on sale later this year. Posh already designs a range of jeans for Rock & Republic.
 
Holmes spends eight hours a day at church
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 24 (IANS) Katie Holmes, the actress and fiancée of Tom Cruise, is reportedly spending eight hours a day at a Scientology 'church'. 

According to contactmusic.com, Holmes is expecting Cruise's baby and has been visiting the centre three times a day. Holmes was raised a Catholic but converted to Scientology after she got involved with Cruise. 

A friend says: "Her family are becoming very worried. They don't know what she is being taught. She is becoming more distant and seems to worship Scientology as much as she worships Tom."

She has also given up her education eight years after the prestigious American university Columbia accepted her.

Holmes was forced to defer her education in 1998 at Columbia when she got the role in the hit TV show "Dawson's Creek". She has not gone back to continue her education. Finally, last week her father called the college withdrawing her name.

Barton is Britain's most eligible woman
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 24 (IANS) Star of the hit TV show "OC" Mischa Barton and "King Kong" leading leady Naomi Watts have topped a new poll to find the Most Eligible Women in Britain.

According to contactmusic.com, Barton beat out Watts in the list created by the men's magazine FHM. The supermodel Kate Moss came in third beating out Joss Stone and Zara Phillips.
 
Washington slams marriage reports
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 24 (IANS) Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington has slammed reports that his marriage is in trouble due to his womanising ways.

According to contactmusic.com, Washington is still surprised by rumours of his infidelity and love children. He finally broke his silence in the upcoming issue of Essence magazine. 

He says: "I have heard the rumours. Having babies, I have left home and all this... I am a big boy. I can take it. But what bothers me about all of that stuff is the effect on the family."

Washington also added that he and his wife Pauletta, who have been married for 22 years, are standing firm together to fight the rumours.
 

Parton threatened for having gay fans
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 24 (IANS) Country singer Dolly Parton has been receiving hate mail because she is becoming more popular in the gay community.

According to contactmusic.com, Parton has a largely gay male fan base and this has made her a target for hate-mongers. She says: "Having a big gay following, I get hate mail and threats." 

Parton has received an Oscar nomination for writing the song "Travelin thru" for the movie "Transamerica". The film's main character played by Felicity Huffman is a pre-operative transsexual. 

The singer is hoping the film and her song can add to more understanding and tolerance between people from different walks of life. 

She adds: "Some people are blind or ignorant, and you can't be that prejudiced and hateful and go through this world and still be happy. One thing about this movie is that I think art can change minds. It's all right to be who you are."
 

Bono uses F word 14 times in speech
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 24 (IANS) Rocker Bono shocked organisers at the NME awards in London by peppering his speech with four letter words.

According to contactmusic.com, Bono was introducing Sir Bob Geldof, who won the hero of the year award, and he uttered the F word 14 times. "Bob Geldof has told me to f*** off perhaps hundreds, maybe thousands of times", he said before repeating the profanity over and over again. 

He finished by saying: "Thank you very much for this award and to my friend who is picking it up in all our honour - f*** off."

Romijn to bring Mystique character in TV show
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Actress Rebecca Romijn may pay a tribute to her character Mystique from the "X-Men" movies in her new TV show "Pepper Dennis" by having her character sprayed by an exploding blue dye pack.

Romijn played a character covered by blue body paint in the "X-Men" movies and has just finished filming "X-Men: The Last Stand", contactmusic.com reported.

In the show, Romijn plays a TV reporter in Chicago and will debut on the WB television network in the US. In the episode, the accident-prone journalist gets sprayed with blue dye while she is covering a story. 

Executive producer of the show, Aaron Harberts, says: "Rebecca brought some of the actual Mystique blue paint from the 'X-Men' set."

Now, Latin American version of 'Desperate Housewives'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Four local versions of the hit TV show "Desperate Housewives" will be produced for Latin American TV, it was announced.

There will be different versions in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and in Brazil, contactmusic.com quoted television executives as saying. 

The Latin American version will follow the script and format of the US original. Each series will have their own cast and will be designed to incorporate local cultural references.

The president of the Walt Disney Company-Latin America says, "'Desperate Housewives' represents the beginning of a new project that will mark a before-and-after for the Latin American television industry."
 
Lohan hates teen queen label
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Teen actress Lindsay Lohan says she is sick of the teen queen label because she wants to be seen as slightly more sophisticated.

According to contactmusic.com, Lohan insists she's not only grown up but has plenty of adult fans too. 

"I hate when people call me a teen queen. I know better what to do and what not to do. I lost sight of the people and things that are most important to me," she says.

Lohan in a recent interview to Vanity Fair admitted she had suffered from an eating disorder and had tried drugs. She explained her dramatic weight loss by saying: "I was sick and I had people sit me down and say, 'You're going to die if you don't take care of yourself'."
 

Clooney's no to political career
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Actor George Clooney says he is sure he will never run for office because his past is too controversial.

According to contactmusic.com, Clooney says he could never follow the footsteps of other actor-turned politicians like Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

He says: "I drank too much, did too many drugs. I have a great admiration for politicians. But I couldn't do what they do - which is that in order to do anything you want to accomplish, you have to make a lot of compromises. I am more stubborn than that. I would make a horrible politician."

Hollywood ignoring older moviegoers: MacLaine
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Movie legend Shirley MacLaine has slammed Hollywood, saying it is not making movies for older people.

MacLaine believes Hollywood is obsessed with youth and beauty and is neglecting older audiences, reported contactmusic.com. 

She says: "I think Hollywood is making a big mistake not making films for people over 50. Young people are fickle. They'll stay home and play video games or go out and party instead of going to the movies on a regular basis unless they're dating someone." 
 

Sheryl Crow undergoes surgery for breast cancer
Indo-Asian News Service

Washington, Feb 25 (IANS) Grammy-winning pop singer Sheryl Crow has undergone surgery for breast cancer, her website said. 

Crow underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital Wednesday in a procedure she called "minimally invasive." 

According to the site, the singer's doctors called her prognosis 'excellent'. 

"I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. We are a testament to the importance of early detection and new treatments," she said on her website.

She also postponed her North American tour, which was scheduled for March and April.

Crow, 44, earlier this month split up with cyclist champion Lance Armstrong after dating him for two years.

Armstrong, 35, overcame cancer to become the most dominant athlete in cycling - winning the gruelling Tour de France a record seven times.
 
Blunt says he is not sensitive
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Singer James Blunt has lashed out at people who label him 'sensitive' and says he is actually emotionally stunted. 

According to contactmusic.com, Blunt received acclaim for his debut album "Back to Bedlam" which features emotionally moving and melodic pop songs. 

Explains Blunt: "Bob Dylan is a singer/songwriter and therefore is 'sensitive' or aware, maybe, but do you anticipate him crying on every street corner? I think sensitive is the wrong description of me.

"I'm British, actually, so quite bad at expressing myself in conversation, as any ex-girlfriend will tell you. I'm probably emotionally stunted."

Grammer uses Shakespeare for inspiration
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 25 (IANS) Kelsey Grammer, the star of "Frasier", is taking his role in the movie "X-Men 3" so seriously that he is using Shakespeare as inspiration. 

According to contactmusic.com, Grammer is taking a leap from his most famous role as the TV psychiatrist and theatre experience to play the beast. He jokes that his character shares similarities with some literary greats.

He says: "Some of what people assume about me, Kelsey Grammer, is evident in him. You know, a kind of innate intelligence and a well-spoken way of communicating. He's very wise, so he's a bit like Jacques in 'As You Like It'. And he's a bit like Pandarus in 'Troilus And Cressida', because he understands the role of society. And he's also a bit like 'Henry V', because he likes to rally round a cause."

'De Battre Mon Coeur' named best French film of 2005
DPA

Paris, Feb 26 (DPA) French film "De Battre Mon Coeur S'est Arrete", or "The Beat
That My Heart Skipped", a stylish remake of a 1970s American film, won the French Cesar for best film of 2005.

Director Jacques Audiard's adaption of the 1978 James Toback cult classic "Fingers" picked up eight Cesars, the French equivalent of the Oscar, including best director for Audiard and best supporting actor for Niels Arestrup late Saturday.

In the film, Romain Duris plays a brooding young man working as a real estate thug for his corrupt father, Arestrup, when a chance meeting inspires him to return to his former study as a classical pianist.

In other awards, Michel Bouquet was named best actor and Nathalie Baye won the Cesar for best actress of 2005.

Director Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby", which won the 2005 Academy Award for best motion picture, was awarded the Cesar for best foreign film.

Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman starred in the film about a woman boxer, which beat out four competitors including Woody Allen's "Match Point" and David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence".

"Darwin's Nightmare", a documentary about the harrowing effects of fishing Nile perch in Tanzania's Lake Victoria, won the Cesar for best first film of the year. Directed by Hubert Sauper, the film is also up for this year's Oscar for best documentary.

British actor Hugh Grant, star of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill", was awarded an honorary Cesar.

"All my roles are more or less the same, and you have given me this honour despite that," Grant said, speaking French.

The 45-year-old Grant said that he had become a Francophile at the age of 13 when, as an exchange student in France, he "smoked 20 Gauloise cigarettes a day and became a Communist".

Indo-Asian News Service

Hoffman loves Oscar tour
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) "Capote" star Philip Seymour Hoffman says he is thrilled with his Oscar nomination since he gets to spend quality time with other nominees.

According to contactmusic.com, the actors in the Best Actor category have got to attend several events leading up to the actual ceremony. Hoffman is excited he has made such prestigious friends. 

He says: "One of the great things (about being nominated) is getting to know a bunch of other actors like Terrence Howard, Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix, David Strathairn and George Clooney. 

"Some of them I have met before, but you make friends and it's a good thing. Being nominated for an Oscar is like being on tour - you're all together and going from event to event. We had this Oscar luncheon with all the nominees. 

"It's a good time and at the end they give you this sweatshirt...this Oscar nominees sweatshirt. On the tour we all wear them out at night," he jokes.
 

Soderberg challenged by 'Motorcycle Diaries'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) Director Steven Soderbergh is finding it difficult to make his biopic of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara because of the success of the movie "The Motorcycle Diaries" in 2004.

According to contactmusic.com, Soderbergh was not very impressed with early films about Che. But he admits he was pleasantly surprised by the critically acclaimed film by Walter Salles which starred Gael Garcia Bernal. 

Soderbergh is currently shooting his Che movie "Guerrlia" starring Benicio Del Toro as Che.

He says: "It's also raised the bar of Guevara biopics, which has made my job 10 times harder. Benicio and I have been talking about it since 'Traffic'. Che's a very complicated subject, there's a lot of story there and the story we're going to tell is a war movie."
 

Beckham battling age
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) England soccer star David Beckham is battling age even though he is only 30 years old.

According to contactmusic.com, Beckham claims he is losing his stamina and his physique is starting to sag.

He says: "I find it harder to get out of bed in the morning. It could be because I'm getting older, or it could be because I've got three sons. For a woman, I think 30 is one of the best ages - for a man, they say it's all downhill from there. 

"You start putting on weight and getting lumps and bumps in places you didn't have them when you were 20."
 

Steve Martin stays private
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) Comedian Steve Martin refuses to speak about his private life to the media because his relationship is too sacred to be handled by the press.

According to contactmusic.com, Martin is currently dating New Yorker magazine journalist Anne Stringfield. He has been involved with a string of famous stars such as ex-wife Victoria Tennant, Cindy Sherman and Anne Heche.

He says: "I have a long-term relationship with a woman and I keep it private because I don't like prying, and it's better to keep those things to myself."
 

Freeman wants to make ultimate Western movie
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is keen on making the ultimate Western movie before he retires.

Freeman has played a range of roles from detectives, a convict and a poor black chauffeur. 

He is now eager to complete the list by playing a deputy marshall from the 1870s, according to contactmusic.com.

He says: "There are two or three things I still want to do. One is my definitive Western. It's the true story of a deputy US marshall in the mid 1870s. No one knows about the law officers who populated the West - the deputy sheriffs, deputy marshalls and people of that ilk who were in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 

"This guy's name was Bass Reeves and he was a true character. It's been in the pipeline for years and it's something I really want to do, but we have a problem getting the script together. That's the hardest part of any movie."
 

Longoria fights disabled prejudice
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) Eva Longoria, star of the hit TV show "Desperate Housewives" has paid tribute to her sister Elizabeth who was born with Down Syndrome. 
 
According to contactmusic.com, Longoria insists her 37-year-old sibling has always been an inspiration. She is now keen to redress people's perceptions of the mentally disabled. 

Says Longoria: "I've met so many amazing people but no one comes close to my own sister. She is and always has been the brightest light of my family's life. As children we always knew that someone else came first because she had special needs, and we were taught from when we were babies to respect and understand that. 

"People think that if you are mentally retarded then it's a great shame and you can't play any part in life. I would like to educate people because that just isn't true. It is never about what Elizabeth can't do, it is about what she can do."

Morrissey says death is always nearby
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Feb 26 (IANS) British rocker Morrissey says he thinks about death all the time and is depressed that he has spent so many years making himself a better person because it is eventually meaningless.

According to contactmusic.com, Morrisey believes everything is ultimately futile. 

He says: "People don't last and it's the thinnest of lines that you step over and make that final journey. When you're younger you feel it's a great leap to take, but it isn't, it's the batting of an eyelid and you're no longer. 

"All this brain matter you've been working on for the last 50 years, perfecting, and all these elongated words you now know and use, comes to nothing and you're rubble."
 

Legendary US television actor Knotts dead
DPA

Washington, Feb 26 (DPA) Legendary US television actor Don Knotts, who played the bumbling deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show", has died of lung cancer.

The 81-year-old Knotts died late Friday at UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles, his manager announced late Saturday. The slightly built Knotts became a defining icon of US television playing Fife from 1960-65, collecting an astonishing five Emmy awards for the role.

The egotistical, nervous, inept deputy was the show's comic focus, with star Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor becoming the straight man to Knotts. Together, they kept the peace among the indelible small-town characters in the fictional North Carolina town of Mayberry.

The Andy Griffith show continued in syndication for decades and is still aired frequently on cable television.

Griffith, a close friend of Knotts' throughout their careers, was reportedly among his last hospital visitors Friday night.

Knotts starred in a string of film comedies after gaining fame as Barney Fife, including "The Incredible Mr Limpet" in 1964, "The Ghost and Mr Chicken" in 1966 and "The Apple Dumpling Gang" in 1975.

He returned to television in 1979 as a nosy landlord on the bawdy comedy "Three's Company".

Most recently, he voiced the character of Turkey Mayor in the 2005 animated film "Chicken Little".
 
Cinematographer of film about carjacker carjacked
DPA

Johannesburg, Feb 26 (DPA) A crewmember of the Oscar-nominated film "Tsotsi", which deals with the perpetrator of a car hijacking, became the victim of carjacking.

Lance Gewer, the director of photography for the South African film that has already won numerous awards, was with a female companion when the hijacking occurred in the northeastern Johannesburg suburb of Bramley, the Sunday Independent newspaper said.

The two persons were pulled out from a BMW by armed thieves and Gewer spent most of Saturday thinking he would not be able to leave the country Sunday to attend the March 5 Oscar ceremony because his passport and air ticket were in the car, according to the report.

Gewer's friend said she was afraid but said one of the young men who carjacked assured her: "Don't worry I won't kill you."

The unidentified friend said: "I guess I was in shock because at that point I asked (the robber) if he had seen the film 'Tsotsi'. He replied that he had seen it and then said: 'That is why I am so sorry to do this to you. I saw Tsotsi, it's a good film. My heart is sore for you. Please forgive me for doing this'."

Police later recovered the car in the nearby Alexandra town.

"Tsotsi", which is set in Johannesburg and its surrounding townships was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Feature category.

It maps events that unfold in the days after a young car hijacker forces a mother from her car, only to realise that he has driven off with her baby.

Indo-Asian News Service