THERE NEVER WAS A WOMAN LIKE RITA’S GILDA!
By Philip Berk
GOLDEN GLOBES CASE GOES TO TRIAL
The Hollywood Foreign Press accuses Dick Clark Productions of secretly squeezing it out of its own awards show as one of TV’s messiest, nastiest battles heads to trial.
As the 2010 golden Globe Awards kicked into high gear, members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had reason to smile. Despite persistent rain showers outside the Beverly Hilton, the red carpet at the HFPA’s annual film and television awards show again was packed with international media and entertainment elite: The Blind Side star Sandra Bullock mingled with Avatar director James Cameron and the cast of Mad Men. The Globes telecast would draw 250 million viewers worldwide and become that week’s highest-rated entertainment program on U.S. television, continuing a streak of stunning success for the event thrown by a ragtag group of foreign journalists
.For the full Hollywood Reporter story click on this link:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/globes-go-court-226562
OVERSEAS AUDIENCES PREFER 3D
Overseas audiences enjoy seeing movies in 3D more than their U.S counterparts, according to a survey by Daily Variety.
In the U.S, 3D’s contribution to the overall box office income this year was about 45 per cent, down five per cent from last year, while overseas the format accounts for about 60 to 70 per cent of a film’s international take, Variety reports, adding: ” To some degree the divergence can be chalked up to a matter of preference–some cultures just like 3D more than others for reasons that can’t be quantified…but there are also some subtle differences in local pricing.”
Variety goes on to list some notable factors: “Many international markets temper 3D upcharges with discount play periods. China has half-price Tuesday. In Germany, “Cinema Day” brings a steep midweek price drop to matinees. And some territories even charge less for 3D pics that have shorter running times. In many countries premium ticket prices for 3D are further mitigated because moviegoers are encouraged to buy their own reusable glasses.”
The 3D format is proving a big hit in Japan, where the total 2010 box office ranked second only to the U.S while this year’s highest-grossing titles, Harry Potter and Transformers, delivered some of their highest 3D results in Japan and Russia.
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JO’S LETTERS ARE NOW IN ITALIAN
Congratulations to HFPA member Gabrielle Donnelly, whose acclaimed novel, THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS, a modern take on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved LITTLE WOMEN, which was published in America last June by the Touchstone division of Simon & Schuster, is now available in Italian.
LETTERE SEGRETE DI JO, translated by Stefania de Franco, was published by Giunti on July 27 and has been garnering favorable reviews on a variety of Italian book blogs. Diario Di Pensieri Persi said: “Over the whole story, Jo March’s letters are scattered like so many little stars to be admired on a dark night…. The letters seem really to have been written by Jo March; Gabrielle Donnelly is excellent at re-creating the literary style of Alcott’s heroine, and for the parts of the story that take place in the twenty-first century, she uses a natural evolution of the same style, just as crisp and lively, but more appropriate to the modern world.”
Another blogger has added, more simply, “I want this book soooo bad!”
Gabrielle Donnelly was born in London and has been a member of the HFPA since 1985. When not writing novels she is a freelance journalist contributing to British publications Hello!, The Daily Mail, Woman’s Weekly, Candis, and Saga.
Read More »THE GRADUATE: A TRIUMPH FOR MIKE NICHOLS
By Philip Berk
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
By JORGE CAMARA.
More than “Roman Holiday,” “Sabrina,” “My Fair Lady” or any of her many other films, the signature image of Audrey Hepburn for which she is most remembered –the long elegant black dress, the stylish hair-do, the string of pearls, and of course the impossibly long cigarette holder– belongs to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
With her performance in that movie and her wardrobe designed by her friend, Givenchy, Hepburn cemented her reputation as a fashion icon and Hollywood’s reigning queen of chic, never mind that her part was really that of prostitute.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was adapted from a novella by Truman Capote, who was not pleased with the dramatic changes that Paramount Studios and screenwriter George Axelrod made to his work. For one thing Capote’s story was somewhat dark and gritty and not “a valentine to New York,” as he later complained. For another, the author wanted Marilyn Monroe for the part of Holly Golightly, a free-spirited party girl of dubious origins who wants to marry the richest man in world, but whose only companion is a nameless cat. It was not to be, despite the writer’s pleas, since Monroe was under contract to 20th Century Fox, and Hepburn was Paramount’s brightest new star.
The starring cast was completed by George Peppard as Paul Varjak, a struggling writer who falls in love with Holly, but who is “helped” by a rich “patron” played by Patricia Neal.
One of the best elements of the picture is “Moon River”, the song with words by Johnny Mercer and music by Henry Mancini, that Hepburn sings with a guitar sitting on the outside stairs of her apartment after she’s washed her hair. Ironically, it is reported that when the movie was previewed, Martin Rackin, head of Paramount production, said, “that f*ing song has to go,” while Hepburn had to be restrained by her then husband, Mel Ferrer, screaming back, “over my dead body.”
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the film is Mickey Rooney’s stereotypical portrayal, with buck teeth and a phony accent, of Mr. Yunioshi, the Japanese landlord. Political correctness was not in vogue then, but why Hepburn didn’t say anything is not known; four years before, she was offered the part of a Japanese bride in “Sayonara” with Marlon Brando, which she refused saying, “I couldn’t possibly play an Oriental. No one would believe me. They’d laugh. And if you did persuade me, you would regret it, because I’d be terrible.”
In 1962, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” won two Golden Globe nominations, as a Best Motion Picture – Comedy and for Audrey Hepburn as a Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical or Comedy.
Read More »CATWOMAN IS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ANNE
It’s a huge
jump from the Princess Diaries, but Anne Hathaway has revealed to the HFPA that she is fulfilling a long-held dream by portraying Catwoman in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.
“Everybody used to ask me if I always dreamed about being a princess but I wish I’d said the truth which was, ‘No, I wanted to be Catwoman,’” Anne told members in New York. “The first time I put the catsuit on it was a dream come true. I felt fierce, I felt fun, really really lucky and sexy, too. You feel pretty sexy in a catsuit.”
In the first official photograph, released by Warner Bros., the 28-year-old actress wears a black leather catsuit, a pair of black goggles and lashings of red lipstick.
Read More »MARK WAHLBERG’s WARNING TO LEO DICAPRIO
Mark Wahlberg had the guests at the HFPA Grants and Installation lunch roaring with laughter when he issued a jocular warning to his old pal Leonardo DiCaprio, who had introduced him as Marky Mark.
“There’s a guy on my table who’s better looking than you and in better shape than me,” he said. “Taylor Lautner. We’re screwed, man Titanic and Boogie Nights were a long time ago.”
The three stars were at the luncheon to accept checks from the HFPA on behalf of film-related organizations and charities.
Read More »SARAJEVO HONOR FOR ANGELINA JOLIE
Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie was the star of the Sarajevo Film Festival, where she received an award in anticipation of her upcoming film In The Land of Blood and Honey (the “B” and “H” also signaling a metaphor for Bosnia-Herzegovina) about the tragic personal fallout of the war in what was Yugoslavia. The English language version of the movie, also shot in Serbo-Croatian, will open in the US on December 23.
Accepting the Heart of Sarajevo from the hands of festival director Mirsad Purivatra, UN Goodwill Ambassador Jolie praised the people of Bosnia for the strength of local artists. Her mission statement for her directorial debut: “My goal was try to talk to people from all sides of the situation and allow them to have a voice; allow them to go through what they went through and express it, whether it be extreme cruelty or the loss of humanity or the extreme sense of hope or the beauty, whatever it was.
“It`s a combination of views from different sides. Hopefully it will also be a beautiful story where you get to know some of the people of the former Yugoslavia. If there`s a political statement it`s that hopefully people will watch it and say, ‘Where was I when this was happening? How did I not know? Why did I not do anything? Why did my country not do more? Why did it take so long? Next time when this happens what can we do to prevent it?’”
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THE HFPA ATTENDS THE ODESSA FILM FESTIVAL
Since Ukraine became an independent country Odessa has transformed itself into a vibrant European resort full of cafes, night life and young people. The city was ripe for a major cultural event, and the first Odessa Film Festival last year was a huge success. Every film that was exhibited had a full house, so for its second edition, the bet was increased.
This year, from July 15 to 23, more than 100 films from 40 countries were received by an enthusiastic audience, and 14 of the films were in competition. A jury that included Maria de Medeiros and Jerzy Stuhr awarded the Golden Duke to “Tomboy” in a grand closing night at the Opera House, one of the finest music palaces in the world.
Hollywood Foreign Press member Gabriel Lerman presented the president of the festival,Viktoria Tigipko, with a plaque from the HPFA and explained to the full house how the HFPA helps film education and the restoration of classics through its extensive philanthropic work.
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