LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The "Saw" horror franchise is not as sharp as it used to be, but the seventh -- and reportedly -- final entry in the annual Halloween franchise managed to take the top spot at the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
"Saw 3D" earned $24.2 million during the three days beginning on Friday, in line with muted expectations, but still the series' third-lowest opening.
Last year's disappointing "Saw VI" launched to just $14.1 million, crushed by the "Paranormal Activity" chiller. The four entries before that all opened at No. 1 with more than $30 million each. The first film in distributor Lionsgate's lucrative series, opened at No. 3 in 2004 with $14.1 million.
Last weekend's champion, "Paranormal Activity 2," slipped to No. 2 with $16.5 million, taking the 10-day haul for Paramount Pictures' scary movie sequel to $65.7 million.
Summit Entertainment's Bruce Willis-led crime ensemble "Red" held at No. 3 with $10.8 million, giving it a $58.9 million total after three weekends.
The only other new entry in the top 10 was Fox Searchlight's Hilary Swank legal drama "Conviction," which jumped 15 places to No. 10 with $1.8 million in its first weekend of wide release.
Lionsgate is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. Summit Entertainment is privately held. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of News Corp.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker George Hickenlooper has died at age 47, just before the premiere of his new film "Casino Jack" at the Starz Denver Film Festival, the Denver Post newspaper reported on Saturday.
"We are devastated," John Hickenlooper, his cousin and the mayor of Denver, said in a statement. "His passion for life, zeal for people and unquenchable curiosity enriched everyone who had the fortune to know him."
The filmmaker appears to have died from natural causes and no foul play was suspected, the Denver Post said, quoting a statement from the mayor's office.
"Casino Jack," starring Kevin Spacey as jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was set to premiere on Thursday, it said.
The film festival, which starts on Wednesday, "will be dedicated in its entirety to our friend George Hickenlooper," festival director Britta Erickson said.
Hickenlooper's other films include "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse" in 1991 and "The Mayor of Sunset Strip" in 2003.
MIAMI (Billboard) - During an early afternoon in Miami in January, over drinks with two local radio program directors, the conversation turned to rapper Pitbull. "He should come over and join us," said one, and impulsively picked up his cell phone and dialed.
No more than 20 minutes later, there was Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull -- sans entourage or management -- chilling over martinis in a nearly empty restaurant overlooking Biscayne Bay.
Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" was peaking on the charts, and his face was plastered on billboards that were popping up all around Miami. Still, Pitbull seemed immune to the celebrity. This was his town, his turf, his place to stroll about as he pleased. He was, after all, a performer who had hustled his way to popularity, unabashedly seeking out DJs and artists, distributing mixtapes, endlessly posting online, playing parties and doing charity appearances. There seemed to be nothing too big or too small for Pitbull to do.
More than nine months later, that frenzy of activity is set to explode. In the year since the gimmicky "I Know You Want Me" (a remix of the song "75 Street Brazil," by Nicola Fasano featuring Pat Rich) became a worldwide hit, Pitbull has become ubiquitous. Look at the charts and you'll see that his melange of dance beats, borrowed hooks, catchy phrases and entreating, party-flavored raps have become must-haves for an ever-growing list of superstars, from Enrique Iglesias and Shakira to Usher and T-Pain.
"You always have to be relevant," Pitbull says, defending his habit of releasing records seemingly any time, any place. "I've never been a traditional artist. I'm a survivor. And for me it's kind of scary when people try to make plans."
MULTIPRONGED PLAN
But now there is a plan. On Tuesday (November 2), Pitbull releases his first all-Spanish-language set, "Armando" (so named after his father), with the bilingual "Planet Pit" due in early 2011. Intertwined with the albums are two major sponsorship deals featuring Pitbull's image and music. One, for Kodak's Easy Share cameras, includes 15-second TV spots with Pitbull, Drake and Trey Songz. Pitbull's spots feature his single "Hey Baby" from "Planet Pit," featuring T-Pain.
The second deal has Pitbull as the face and voice of Dr Pepper's 2011 Spanish-language marketing campaign, "Vida a la 23." Pitbull will be featured in the "Vida" radio and TV spots with the song "Good Times (Vida 23)," which he wrote specifically for the campaign. Plans are under way to make the track the second single from "Armando," coinciding with the launch of the campaign in January.
The simultaneous push in two languages may be what finally clinches Pitbull's popularity at all levels. For although his singles are extraordinarily successful -- "I Know You Want Me" has sold 2.5 million downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- his album sales haven't always kept pace.
Pitbull's top-selling set was his 2004 debut, "Miami," which has sold 634,000 copies, according to SoundScan. But his two latest, 2007's "Boatlift" and 2009's "Rebelution," which included "I Know You Want Me," have sold fewer than 200,000 copies each in the United States.
"Any superstar, particularly in rap, appears on 50 million records, but the hits are the ones that shine through," says Bryan Leach, president of Polo Grounds Music, which partnered with Pitbull's Mr. 305 Records to release his English-language albums through Sony's RCA/J Records. In Pitbull's case, Leach adds, "whether it's the current single from the 'Armando' album or 'Hey Baby' from ours, we just need to be very clear and make sure each album has its own identity."
As a white, light-eyed Cuban-American who raps, Pitbull is an anomaly. The urban audience initially eluded him, but has now embraced him, thanks in part to the company he keeps.
"He was ahead of his time," Leach says. "If you look at what's popular in rhythm and pop radio, it's stuff that's fun, and Pit's been making those records his entire career. People are a lot more open now to the music he's always made. And he also brings his own twist, making huge pop records in Spanglish."
"I have known Pit for years and have always respected his hustle and talent," T-Pain says. "He's one of the few artists that really understands the music and business sides of this industry."
DOHA (Reuters) - Stars including Salma Hayek, Freida Pinto and Kevin Spacey descended on Qatar this week for the second annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival, the Middle East branch of the celebrated New York event.
Headlining the festival is French-Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb's action-thriller "Outside the Law," set against the backdrop of the Algerian struggle for independence from France after World War Two. The film set off protests at Cannes where it was screened earlier this year.
Other highlights include Julian Schnabel's "Miral," starring Freida Pinto, Stephen Frears's "Tamara Drewe," starring Gemma Arterton, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's "Certified Copy" and Randall Wallace's "Secretariat."
The event's organizers say it aims to create a center
for regional filmmakers in the Gulf Arab state through mentoring opportunities and educational initiatives.
"The festival plays an important role in supporting long-term plans to build a sustainable film industry in Qatar," said Amanda Palmer, executive director of the Doha Film Institute, created to promote a regional film industry.
"We are nurturing the new generation of filmmakers, supporting regional and international film financing and supporting the new wave in Arab filmmaking."
Doha, which has been named the Arab Capital of Culture for 2010 by UNESCO, launched the film festival last year in conjunction with New York's Tribeca Film Festival founded by American actor Robert De Niro.
Created as a way to rejuvenate lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 attacks which destroyed the World Trade Center, the Tribeca Film Festival in New York has become a showcase for international films with a political edge.
Organizers said the Doha event aims to do the same, using the festival as a platform on which to shine a spotlight on Arab cinema. It will give away $400,000 in prize money for its Arab Film Competition.
"It's very important for organizations like this to exist and to use their resources toward the goal of promoting Arab cinema and filmmaking talent and taking their stories to audiences around the world," Bouchareb said.
The five-day event will close with Justin Chadwick's "The First Grader," a story about an elderly farmer in a Kenyan village who wants to enroll in a local school and learn to read.
(Reporting by Regan E. Doherty; Editing by Paul Casciato)
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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Take That fans have complained after facing major problems buying tickets to see Robbie Williams tour with the group for the first time in 16 years.
"Unprecedented demand" overwhelmed official ticket agencies, meaning many fans were to unable to access their websites or get through on the phone.
"Ticket buying is a nightmare!" one fan named Louise wrote to the BBC.
"You would think there would be something in place to prevent the nightmare of crashing sites."
The websites of official agencies including Ticketmaster, See Tickets, Ticketline and The Ticket Factory all buckled under the strain as the tickets went on sale at 0900 BST.
Ticketmaster said the demand was at least double that seen when tickets for Michael Jackson's planned comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London went on sale last spring.
It is madness in this day and age that the ticket companies cannot gear up for days like today"
End QuoteIggy, Take That fan
Hundreds of fans have also been queuing at venue box offices, while BT said the national phone network had received between three and four times the normal number of calls.
A Take That spokesperson urged fans to be patient.
"Massive demand this morning has caused phone lines and websites to jam as ticket agents have struggled to cope with the number of people trying to buy Take That tickets," a statement from the band said.
"However all ticket agents are confident they will be able to process all enquiries so are asking fans to keep trying."
The group have announced dates in Sunderland, Manchester, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Birmingham and London in May, June and July. They will also take the show across Europe.
Meanwhile, hundreds of tickets appeared on eBay and other secondary websites at inflated prices.
Police have warned fans not to buy from unofficial agencies, whom they said may not fulfil orders and may use personal details in identity theft.
Nik from Ipswich, another fan who contacted the BBC, said: "It is very frustrating as you don't know if all the tickets have gone or not.
"I don't really understand why the sites can't have more bandwidth or servers at times like this."
Iggy in Barrowford, Lancashire, said: "It is madness in this day and age that the ticket companies cannot gear up for days like today.
"As for the tickets already appearing on resale sites, how is this fair to the genuine fans?"
Another fan, Lucy, in Cardiff said: "I have been using two phones and a computer.
"Really annoyed that at just gone nine this morning there are people selling bundles of tickets on eBay for three times more that the ticket cost, sometimes more than that."
Problems 'addressed'
The official agencies are Gigs and Tours, The Ticket Factory, Ticketline and Ticketmaster.
Gigs In Scotland is selling tickets for Hampden Park in Glasgow, Event Travel is offering hotel packages and Mark Butler is selling VIP tickets.
A Ticketmaster statement said it had "addressed" the problems.
An earlier message from the company said: "Due to totally unprecedented demand all ticket agents across the UK, including Ticketmaster, are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of people logging on to try and buy Take That tickets."
A statement from The Ticket Factory said it had been "the busiest release that we have ever experienced" but that many customers had got through, exceeding the company's previous sales record by more than 50%.
The band's last UK tour - without Williams - was seen by a record-breaking one million people in 2009.
Williams rejoined the group this summer. Their new album, Progress, will be released next month.
Actor Gerard Kelly has died at the age of 51 after suffering a brain aneurysm earlier this week.
Kelly died in intensive care on Thursday evening after collapsing at his home in London on Tuesday.
He came to fame in comedy City Lights and appeared in EastEnders and Brookside as well as other TV and film parts, most recently in Extras.
He also regularly starred in pantomime and was due to appear in The Rocky Horror Show in Glasgow next month.
His family and closest friends were with him when he died at West Middlesex University Hospital. A spokesman said he had died peacefully after a sudden illness.
Kelly was born in Glasgow in 1959 and appeared in a string of television roles which included Juliet Bravo, Rab C Nesbitt, Scotch and Wry and Hamish Macbeth along with his villainous portrayal of Callum Finnegan in Brookside and hardman Jimmy in Eastenders.
Last year, he celebrated his 20th year in pantomime at Glasgow's Kings Theatre.
On the big screen, he played an angry priest in the Ken Loach film Ae Fond Kiss.
Kelly remains best known in Scotland for his starring role as hapless would-be author Willie Melvin in City Lights, but more recently he appeared in the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras as Bunny.
A statement issued by his family said: "Gerard will be deeply missed by his friends and family and indeed his huge fan base across his beloved Scotland and further afield.
"He was a private and gentle man and his family and friends would appreciate privacy during this sad and difficult time."
Comedian and actress Elaine C Smith said she "greatly admired" Kelly, who she had known for more than 25 years.
"He was a warm, kind, funny human being. We had lots of similar views on politics and the world," she said.
"One of my fondest memories is of me dressed as a fairy and Gerard as Wishy Washy as we stood discussing the situation in Palestine.
"We worked together on City Lights and in numerous pantos, and I remember being so impressed when I first saw him act in the award-winning drama Donal and Sally.
"Gerard starred in this drama about two teenagers with special needs falling in love and I knew then he had amazing talent.
"He will be sadly missed by so many people and my heart goes out to all his friends and family."
Actor and writer Andy Gray, who played Chancer in City Lights, said: "I was a friend and colleague of Gerard's for 30 years and we grew up in this business together.
"We were great friends and I will miss the fun we used to have. We shared great chats and many laughs over the years and I have lost someone who I greatly admired and respected.
"He will be very sadly missed."
A private service is to be held for family and closest friends and details of a memorial service are expected to be announced later.
Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is to star opposite Jonny Lee Miller as Doctor Frankenstein in a new London stage play directed by Danny Boyle.
The actors will alternate roles as the mad scientist and his monstrous creation in the National Theatre production, starting in February.
Miller is best known for playing Sick Boy in Oscar winner Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting.
Cumberbatch is currently shooting the film adaptation of War Horse.
The movie is being directed by Steven Spielberg and is due out in 2011.
The new play has been adapted by Nick Dear from Mary Shelley's Gothic horror story, which was first published in 1818.
Boyle's latest film 127 Hours closed the London Film Festival on Thursday evening.
The maker of Slumdog Millionaire was presented with a BFI fellowship at the gala.
Miller was recently seen in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, while Cumberbatch is due to return in the modern day re-telling of famous detective Sherlock Holmes.
The first three stories proved to be a ratings hit for BBC One.
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Talk show host Jon Stewart was crowned the most influential man of 2010 on Tuesday, heading a list of 49 men who all swayed public opinion and were described as rule-breakers to some degree in a time of recession.
Stewart, who will host President Barack Obama on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" this week before holding a "Rally to Restore Sanity" at the weekend, claimed the No. 1 spot in an annual survey of about 500,000 readers of AskMen (www.askmen.com), a men's lifestyle website.
He was followed by Microsoft's Bill Gates while Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of social networking site Facebook, came in third place. Apple co-founder and chief executive officer Steve Jobs came fourth.
"We noticed the rule-breaking trend because it spans a lot of industries," James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen, told Reuters.
He said this extended to people like musician Kanye West who ranked fifth, and actor James Franco at seventh, who proved he was more than just a movie star by enrolling in graduate programs and writing a book.
Number 48 on the list was Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who stormed off his job with some profanities and a dramatic exit down an inflated emergency chute, winning widespread admiration.
This month Slater, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal mischief and was ordered to undergo a year-long mental health program and receive alcohol and substance abuse counseling.
"In the list last year we were looking more at guys who were players in the industry or were perceived as players, like (U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman) Ben Bernanke," said Bassil.
"Guys are open to the idea of rejecting the status quo in some ways. They've kind of come to more admire these dudes who took it upon themselves to break out on their own and discover success on their own terms."
Last year's list was headed by the character Don Draper from the Emmy-winning drama "Mad Men" who is played by actor Jon Hamm, followed by track star Usain Bolt.
This attitude in 2010 could well be due to the recession and lagging recovery, Bassil added.
"The terms that were dictated to us previously were terms such as 'work hard' and 'show up on time' and everything will be okay. That's all been kind of proven to be a failure," he said.
One notable absence this year was professional golfer Tiger Woods, whose private life unraveled after allegations of infidelity late last year set off a months-long sex scandal. He eventually confessed to infidelity and was divorced from his wife, Elin Nordgren, in August.
By contrast, talk show host David Letterman came in at 39 despite his on-air revelations about his affairs followed by an apology to his wife.
"Guys obviously preferred David Letterman's response which was to be frank and sincere and 'fess up in the most public form possible rather than the route that Tiger Woods took, which was to try to hide it until it blew up in his face," Bassil said.
U.S. President Barack Obama fell to 21st place from the top five last year.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies, editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
Robbie Williams said he would be performing some of his solo material
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Robbie Williams is to tour with Take That for the first time in 16 years when the reunited group go on a stadium tour next summer.
They have announced initial dates in Sunderland, Manchester, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Birmingham and London in May, June and July.
Tickets go on sale on Friday. They will also take the show across Europe.
The band's last UK tour - without Williams - was seen by a record-breaking one million people in 2009.
Williams rejoined the group this summer and their new album, Progress, will be released next month.
The singer said the gigs would include a mixture of his solo material and the band's hits.
"There's going to be a bit for everybody," he told a press conference in London. "I'm going to be doing a bit, the lads are going to be doing a bit then we're all going to be doing a bit."
Gary Barlow added: "Some fans might be coming just to see Rob, some fans might be coming to see the four of us, some fans will be coming to see the five of us.
"On this night they'll get to see us all doing our individual bits."
Last summer Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald performed 20 stadium concerts - beating U2 and Michael Jackson to the title of the UK and Ireland's biggest ever tour.
Williams has also been one of the country's most popular live acts since leaving the group in 1995.
Asked whether he had only rejoined the group because of his dwindling solo fortunes, Williams responded: "The greatest hits album was number one in 14 countries. My last album sold more than Circus [Take That's last album]."
More dates are likely to be added if tickets for the current shows sell quickly, as is expected. No prices have been announced.
"It's going to be a big production stadium show," Barlow told reporters. "It's not going to be a stripped back acoustic set.
"We're looking forward to coming up with big ideas and for it to be a spectacular again."
Arts Council England (ACE) has outlined a four-year plan to cut spending, with a 7% first-year reduction for regularly funded organisations.
ACE's budget is being cut by �100m between 2011 and 2015 as part of the government's Spending Review.
Regularly-funded bodies will be subject to cuts of 15% in real terms across the four years.
The body's fund which supports touring and audience development, is to be cut by 64%.
Chair Dame Liz Forgan said they were "severe cuts".
She added they were worsened by the fact that the majority of them are being implemented in the first two years.
Cultural bodies including the Welsh National Opera currently receive ACE funding to assist their tours across the entire UK, but it has not yet been determined how the cuts will be allocated.
Regularly-funded organisations are being asked to take on more responsibility in the field of audiences and touring.
Other areas that will see their budgets cut under the new proposals include money to promote the arts in schools as well as Arts and Business which will be no longer funded from 2012.
Colin Tweedy, the body's chief executive, called it an "extraordinary and potentially very damaging decision".
But ACE insists that working with children and young people will remain an "absolute priority".
Alistair Spalding, chief executive of the Sadler's Wells dance company said the cuts meant that planned building improvements would be postponed.
"I think it's going to be up to large organisations to help smaller organisations as much as they can," he added.
Thousands gathered to demonstrate against the moving of the film to another country
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Crisis talks between New Zealand's prime minister and Hollywood studio executives have ended with no decision on where The Hobbit will be filmed.
There is deadlock with Warner Bros over whether the Lord of the Rings prequels should be shot in the country.
Last month, acting unions threatened to boycott the films in a row over wages - damaging relations with Warner Bros.
It follows protests by thousands of New Zealanders against possible plans to move production of the films elsewhere.
Prime Minister John Key met 10 Warner Bros executives, including New Line Cinema boss Toby Emmerich, at his official residence in Wellington.
He said the talks were constructive, but the likelihood of the films remaining in New Zealand was still no greater than 50-50.
Mr Key said the sticking point was "unquestionably" the uncertainty in industrial relations.
"They [the executives] have a lot of goodwill towards New Zealand, but there's no question that the industrial action caused concern on their side.
"If it wasn't for the industrial action, they [Warner Bros] were good to go," he was quoted by the New Zealand Herald as saying.
He said the talks would reconvene later and that he expects a decision in the next 24 to 36 hours.
In a studio statement issued last week, Warner Bros said that the action by the acting unions had "forced us to consider other filming locations for the first time".
The three Lord of the Rings movies, which were all filmed in New Zealand, earned billions of dollars at the box office.
Filming on the two-part prequel is set to begin in February after it was finally given the go-ahead. British actor Martin Freeman was confirmed in the lead role of Bilbo Baggins.
Mel Gibson has missed out on a cameo role in the sequel to the hit comedy The Hangover after objections from cast and crew, its director has said.
Todd Phillips said in a statement that he planned to cast him as a tattoo artist but did not have "the full support of my entire cast and crew".
Phillips said he and studio Warner Bros thought "Mel would have been great".
The decision follows the release of recordings of Gibson, 54, apparently threatening his ex-girlfriend.
"I realize film-making is a collaborative effort and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew," Phillips said.
A representative for Gibson made no comment.
Extortion allegation
The original Hangover film, about a stag party that goes awry in Las Vegas, took more than $467m (�297m) globally.
The sequel, due out next year, will reunite Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha.
Los Angeles police are investigating Gibson on suspicion of domestic abuse against ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his one-year-old daughter.
Ms Grigorieva, meanwhile, is being investigated over claims that she tried to extort money from Gibson.
Neither have been charged.
On Thursday, a judge ruled that detectives could have unlimited access to Ms Grigorieva's computer.
She had sought a ruling to limit access to her machine.
It's a triumph for the fact you have to make a decision in context"
End QuoteTom HooperDirector, The King's Speech
Had The King's Speech been released with a 15 certificate, no-one under that age would have been allowed to see it.
Now, however, no-one beneath the age of 12 can see the film - out in the UK on 7 January - unless accompanied by an adult.
Speaking on Thursday night, Hooper said he was "elated" by the BBFC's move, which he called "a triumph for the fact you have to make a decision in context".
"I'm incredibly thrilled and incredibly grateful and I hope it means more people will go and see the film," he continued.
The director had earlier attacked the original ruling at a press conference for the film, saying "my head is in my hands about it".
Firth had also expressed dismay over the 15 rating, which was originally passed on 15 October.
"It would be very interesting actually for somebody to do a study as to who the people are that would complain about that stuff (bad language), before they would complain about the violence," he told reporters on Thursday morning.
It was subsequently reported that the BBFC had reclassified The King's Speech following the comments.
But the BBFC said the rating was changed before the press conference took place and that it had informed the film company of its decision on Thursday morning.
Actor Geoffrey Rush, who plays the monarch's unconventional therapist, said the swear words were "not [used] in any abusive or hurtful context."
The BBFC's language guidelines for a 12A release say that the use of strong language must be infrequent.
Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall were among other cast members to attend the film's premiere, held in London's Leicester Square.
Bonham Carter plays Firth's wife - the future Queen Mother - in The King's Speech, part of whose funding came from the recently axed UK Film Council.
Newsreader Jon Sopel has broken his hip in a crash on his motor scooter on his way to Westminster to front the BBC's Spending Review coverage.
The 51-year-old's scooter skidded on wet leaves and he fell on to the road on Wednesday morning.
Passers-by offered Sopel help but he thought his injury was not serious and continued his journey to Westminster.
It was only when the pain became unbearable that he headed for a central London hospital, he said.
"I thought I had just given myself a dead leg at first and that the pain would ease - but it didn't; it became unbearable."
In a statement the BBC said: "He was desperate to be part of such an important day in the political calendar, but instead went into surgery just as prime minister's questions were starting and came round after George Osborne had sat down.
"The operation was successful and Jon is now recovering in hospital.
"He has been told he will probably need several weeks to recuperate before returning to work."
Sopel presents the Politics Show on BBC One and presents on the BBC News Channel.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A racy photo shoot for men's magazine GQ featuring three "Glee" cast members raised eyebrows on Wednesday, provoking terms like "creepy" and "pedophilia" and questions over whether the popular TV musical show is becoming over-exposed.
Short skirts, high heels, scanty panties and provocative poses featuring lollipops dominate the November issue photoshoot featuring Lea Michele (Rachel), Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Corey Monteith (Finn) that plays with the high school setting of the Emmy-award winning television show. All three actors are in their 20s.
The Parents Television Council watchdog group said the photos "border on pedophilia," given the adult male readership of GQ. "This is just the latest example of the overt sexualization of young girls in entertainment," the PTC added.
"Glee", a sometimes dark, subversive comedy featuring a high school choir, has taken U.S. pop culture by storm since its 2009 debut. Superstars like Madonna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga readily agreed to license their songs to the show.
The program has produced three best-selling albums, won two Emmys and deals boldly with issues like sex, disability, and gay bullying. It is regularly watched by some 13.4 million U.S. viewers and has a strong youth following.
Broadcaster Fox on Wednesday declined to comment on the PTC statement. But GQ editor in chief Jim Nelson said that the watchdog group "should learn to divide reality from fantasy."
"As often happens in Hollywood, these 'kids' are in their twenties. Cory Monteith's almost 30. I think they're old enough to do what they want," Nelson said
Bob Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, brushed off the PTC comments, noting that "Glee" had never been a "kiddie show" despite attracting teens.
"From the very beginning, 'Glee' has dealt with pot, teen pregnancy and gay sexuality.
"This is a show that has definitely got adult themes. The GQ shoot demonstrates it isn't just a show for teeny boppers," Thompson told Reuters.
But Salon.com writer Mary Elizabeth Williams said GQ's playing up of the sexy teen angle was "just creepy".
Los Angeles Times TV writer Mary McNamara, noting that Monteith remains fully clothed, expressed dismay that young women still feel the need to pose so provocatively. Michele, she wrote "seems to be auditioning for a live action version of Japanese anime porn."
The Washington Post's Celebritology blog said the GQ shoot was "the latest evidence that the 'Glee' hype machine might be starting to spiral out of control".
Thompson said he had long felt that "Glee" is over-rated by the media. But he noted that one of its consistent themes was tolerance and "that's a pretty good message for a kid, even though it gets there with a lot of dicey content."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bob Guccione, who brought full-frontal nudity to the newsstands and built a multimillion dollar publishing empire on the success of his flagship Penthouse magazine, died of cancer in Plano, Texas, on Wednesday, his family said. He was 79.
His wife, April Dawn Warren Guccione, and two of his children were at his side, according to a statement emailed to Reuters.
Seen as an upstart rival to Playboy's Hugh Hefner as the leading publisher of skin magazines, Guccione aggressively challenged his rival while trying to keep Penthouse legitimate.
The financial success of Penthouse's mix of racy photographs, investigative reporting, science fiction and sexual advice columns allowed Guccione to launch other magazines, most notably the glossy science publication Omni.
He also published Forum, Variations and Penthouse Letters, pocket-sized magazines based on some of the most popular Penthouse columns.
Guccione also owned one of the largest mansions in Manhattan. But he eventually lost his Penthouse empire due to Reagan-era censorship, a series of extravagant business failures and the Internet onslaught of free pornography.
He earned world headlines and sent Penthouse sales rocketing with publication of nude photographs of Miss America, Vanessa Williams, in 1984 and of rock queen Madonna in 1985.
In July 1988 and again in January 1989, Penthouse rocked the worldwide television ministry of Jimmy Swaggart with "confessions" from women who said they acted out pornographic fantasies for Swaggart. The preacher was defrocked by his denomination.
Guccione portrayed himself as a conservative workaholic, belying the racy reputation inspired by his magazines and his stock uniform of a shirt open to the waist and gold chains draped around his neck.
"No one has ever been in my swimming pool without a bathing suit," he once said.
The son of a successful accountant, Guccione was born in the New York borough of Brooklyn, grew up in suburban New Jersey but left the United States after high school to practice painting first in Rome and, three years later, in London.
IMMEDIATE CRITICISM
While there, he held a variety of jobs, working as a cook, actor and private eye before launching Penthouse in 1965.
With its frontal pictures of naked women, the magazine drew immediate criticism that only spurred its popularity.
In 1969, Penthouse invaded the United States and challenged Playboy with more sexually explicit stories and photographs, many taken by Guccione himself in soft-focus. The magazine also was among the first to run a column for Vietnam veterans.
By 1974, Guccione's annual personal income from Penthouse was estimated at $6 million.
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Belgian martial artist and actor Jean Claude Van Damme took to the Web on Wednesday to deny reports he had suffered a heart attack on the set of his latest movie "Weapon."
"Hours ago, I read a rumor online about me suffering a heart attack," Van Damme, 50, said on his Facebook page.
"Please do not believe all what you read from rumors on any unofficial JVCD sites. Jean-Claude Van Damme is 100 percent healthy, training well for taking the fight and sending his fans and friends much love," the post added.
A similar post on the actor's official website, www.musclesfrombrussels.be, said "JCVD is in better shape than ever and preparing for his fight in July. He did not suffer from a heart attack on the set of 'Weapon' as reported on some websites!"
One of Van Damme's representatives in Hollywood had no immediate comment, and another did not immediately return calls, which appear to have stemmed from a little-known movie website Twitch, citing postings by Van Damme fans.
Twitch said the action hero was admitted briefly to a hospital in New Orleans before shooting scenes for the movie there. The report said Van Damme was released, had returned to Belgium and would make a full recovery. It was not clear when the reported incident had taken place.
"Weapon" -- an action movie about rival assassins fighting a drug cartel -- is expected to be released some time in 2011.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - First he gave an unexpected endorsement to Jon Stewart's upcoming "Rally to Restore Sanity." Now President Barack Obama is giving Stewart's satirical talk show the ultimate television "get" -- himself as a guest.
Obama will appear on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Wednesday, October 27, in the middle of a week of special episodes taped in Washington ahead of the November 2 mid-term elections, which will culminate on Saturday, October 30, with the talk show host's rally on the National Mall.
Stewart's program is calling the DC-based shows -- set to air October 25 - October 28 -- "When Grizzlies Attack: A 'Daily Show' Midterm Teapartyganza," referring to the Republican Tea Party political movement and former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's labeling conservative women politicians as "Mama Grizzlies."
The appearance gives Obama a chance to appeal to the popular show's core young viewers just days before the vote, in which Republicans are widely expected to seize his fellow Democrats' majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and cut into their majority in the Senate.
Republicans also are expected to do well in races for state governor. "The Daily Show" is watched by about 1.8 million people every night, and is particularly popular with viewers under age 35. The appearance is Obama's latest bid to appeal to young voters -- earlier this month he appeared at a youth town hall that was shown live on MTV and two other television networks, CMT and BET.
It would be Obama's second appearance on "The Daily Show," which has won consecutive Emmy awards as the best U.S. variety, music or comedy series, but his first as U.S. president.
Other political figures scheduled to appear on the show next week include Austan Goolsbee, chairman of Obama's Council of Economic Advisors and Delaware Senator Ted Kaufman.
Obama gave the rally an unexpected endorsement last month during a meeting with voters in Virginia, which the show later played gleefully during a program.
"Jon Stewart, you know, the host of 'The Daily Show,' apparently he's going to host a rally called something like Americans in favor of a return to sanity, or something like that," Obama said during the meeting at a crowded community center in Richmond.
"And his point was 70 percent of the people -- it doesn't matter what political affiliation -- 70 percent of folks are just like you. They go about their business. They work hard every day. They're looking after their families. They don't go around calling people names. They don't make stuff up. They may not be following every single issue, because they just don't have time. But they are just expecting some common sense and some courtesy in how people interact. And having those voices lifted up is really important."
The White House did not say whether Obama would make an appearance at the rally itself.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Tom Bosley, whose career spanned five decades and included his role as the father of a typical American family on popular 1970s TV comedy "Happy Days," has died after a long battle with lung cancer, age 83.
The actor died at his home just outside Palm Springs, California on Tuesday, his family said in a statement.
Bosley's everyday manner and looks helped him forge a career in Hollywood as a character actor and guest star in a number of popular 1960s television shows such as "Route 66," "Dr. Kildare," "Marcus Welby, M.D." and "Bonanza."
But it was on the long-running "Happy Days" that he enjoyed his biggest success, playing the father of the show's central character Richie Cunningham, who was a teenager growing up in the 1950s.
"Happy Days" ran from 1974 to 1984 and was a smash hit series that made Henry Winkler (Fonzie) a major Hollywood star and sparked the adult success of Ron Howard, who played Richie and would later go on to a career as a film director.
Winkler told a local Los Angeles radio station that the cast and crew were "a family" and that Bosley was "one of the dads on set."
"I spoke to him just a few weeks ago, and he seemed to be getting his strength back and doing really well," Winkler said.
Howard called him "a great father and husband, and a wonderful artist (who) led by example, and made us all laugh while he was doing it."
When the show ended, Bosley returned to character work on TV with roles in numerous popular series such as "The Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote." He continued working well into the 2000s with parts in series such as "That '70s Show."
Bosley was born in October, 1927, in Chicago and he served in the U.S. Navy during World War Two. He began his career on stage following the war and worked in theater for more than a decade before moving to television.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia Carr, a daughter from his first marriage and her children.
The television licence fee, which funds the BBC, is to be frozen for the next six years at �145.50, it has emerged.
The BBC will also take over the cost of the World Service, currently funded by the Foreign Office, as well as the Welsh language TV channel, S4C.
There had been a proposal to make the BBC pay the cost of free TV licences for the over-75s, but it is understood this will now not happen.
A formal announcement will be made on Wednesday during the Spending Review.
The BBC is refusing to comment, but insiders say that this is a significantly better settlement than the proposal to force it to pay the cost of free TV licences.
It will mean a 16% real terms cut in the BBC's funds over the next six years as opposed to a 25% cut over four years if they had been obliged to cover the licence fee costs.
Ministers are expected to present the freeze as "reining in" the corporation's costs, but Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of broadcasting union Bectu, said he was "alarmed ".
"It seems as if the BBC is now doing the government's dirty work. They have thrown in the towel, so they will now have to justify the cuts to staff," he said.
"How can you cut 16% off your costs without affecting jobs or services? Morale at the BBC is already at rock bottom, but now there is little or no confidence in the management."
The BBC has been embroiled in a row with staff and unions over changes to its pensions provision, and last week it announced that the post of deputy director-general was being axed to cut costs.
The BBC Trust earlier warned the government it would fight any move to force the corporation to meet the cost of free television licences for the over-75s.
A trust spokeswoman said it would be "unacceptable" for licence fee payers to foot the bill.
'Cavalier and short-termist'
Last month, Foreign Secretary William Hague told MPs the World Service was of "huge importance" but could not expect to be immune from cost-cutting.
"Can the BBC World Service make itself more efficient and therefore contribute to the spending round? Yes, I think it can and it thinks it can," Mr Hague told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
But shadow foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said she was concerned about the announcement.
"It is alarming that only 24 hours before the spending review, the funding of the World Service has been completely up in the air," she said.
"Although editorially independent, the World Service is a key component of UK diplomacy and does important work promoting British values and open debate across the world.
"Jettisoning it from the Foreign Office at this late stage, without serious consultation or a strategy for its future, is cavalier and short-termist."
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport currently funds S4C to the tune of just under �100m a year.
Along with the channel, the BBC will also take over the cost of BBC Monitoring, which monitors, translates and analyses media coverage from around the world.
My last conversations with Tom reflected the love of life and peace of mind that he always maintained throughout his full and rewarding life. I miss him already"
End QuoteRon HowardHappy Days co-star
"He was a loving husband, a doting father and a fantastic grandfather. He will be so missed but never forgotten by the Winkler Family or the world."
Film director Ron Howard, who played Bosley's son in the show, said: "Tom's insight, talent, strength of character and comic timing made him a vital central figure in the Happy Days experience.
"A great father and husband, and a wonderful artist, Tom led by example, and made us all laugh while he was doing it.
"My last conversations with Tom reflected the love of life and peace of mind that he always maintained throughout his full and rewarding life. I miss him already."
Marion Ross, who played his wife Marion Cunningham on the show for 11 years, said: "He was so smart he could fix the end of a joke or a scene on the spot.
"We made a perfect couple. I played piccolo to his tuba."
'Wonderfully interesting'
Scott Baio, best known for playing Chachi Arcola in the popular sitcom, said Bosley took "tremendous pride" in playing the part of Richie Cunnigham's father.
"He loved it and I think it was one of the true loves of his life was doing that character. He was a wonderful, suffering, sort of jovial, happy guy and he took to it like a fish takes to water."
After Happy Days, Bosley had a string of roles in TV shows, most notably as a crime-solving priest in The Father Dowling Mysteries.
Angela Lansbury played Bosley's unfaithful wife in the 1964 Peter Sellers film The World of Henry Orient.
Then, from 1984 to 1988, Bosley played a recurring role in Lansbury's long-running TV series, Murder, She Wrote.
"He was a wonderfully interesting actor, and very much a part of the early success of Murder, She Wrote," Lansbury said.
"Working with him in the early days of the show gave me tremendous confidence."
Happy Days began in 1974 and ran for 11 series, becoming a worldwide hit.
In an interview in 2000, Bosley said he thought the key to the show's success had been because "kids were watching their parents grow up, and parents were watching themselves grow up".
The actor initially turned down the Happy Days role, but after re-reading the pilot script he had a change of heart.
"I changed my mind because of a scene between Howard Cunningham and Richie. The father/son situation was written so movingly, I fell in love with the project," he once said.
In 2004, Bosley's Howard Cunningham character was listed at number nine in a list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time by TV Guide.
Before his TV career took off, Bosley had started out on Broadway and his Fiorello! performance eventually earned him the best actor in a musical Tony award.
For two years, Bosley stopped the show every night when he sang in several languages.
The production was also awarded with the Pulitzer Prize.
It was not until 1994 when Bosley returned to Broadway when he originated the role of Belle's father in Disney's production of Beauty and the Beast.
Bosley married dancer Jean Eliot in 1962 and the couple had one child, Amy.
Two years after his wife's death in 1978, Bosley married actress-producer Patricia Carr, who had three daughters from a previous marriage.
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He used to say that the manuscripts earned the awards so it is right that they should be together"
End QuoteLady Antonia Fraser
The British Library said Pinter's Nobel Prize in Literature medal, which he won in 2005, would sit alongside handwritten notes and 19 typed drafts of his acceptance speech which are already in the collection.
"He was extremely proud of his awards but even prouder of his manuscripts, already in the British Library," Lady Antonia said.
"He used to say that the manuscripts earned the awards so it is right that they should be together."
Awards including his 1960 Evening Standard play of the year award for The Caretaker, and his Moliere d'honneur medal are in the collection.
The medals, plaques, medallions and original artwork won by Pinter - who died in 2008, aged 78 - include the 2004 Wilfred Owen Prize, awarded after he wrote controversial poems opposing war in Iraq.
Under the acceptance in lieu scheme, people can transfer important works of art and heritage items into public ownership instead of making inheritance tax payments.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer John Mayer on Tuesday joined "Twilight" actor Taylor Lautner in the ranks of men thought to be targeted by country pop singer Taylor Swift in her upcoming album "Speak Now."
Joe Jonas, music industry critics, and Kanye West also appear to feature in what is shaping up to be an unusually forthright commentary on men who have broken, or messed with, the heart of the 20 year-old singer.
Swift, whose Grammy-winning album "Fearless" was the biggest selling record of 2009, has said each song on "Speak Now" is "a different confession to a different person."
Individual songs are being released weekly on iTunes and Swift has given sneak peeks of others on webcasts in a massive promotional push for "Speak Now".
"Dear John" is widely seen as being aimed at Mayer, 33, with whom Swift had a brief relationship about a year ago. The lyrics include lines like, "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with", and "Don't you think nineteen's too young/To be played/By your dark, twisted games/When I loved you so."
Asked if the song was about Mayer, who has a reputation as a ladies' man, Swift told People magazine; "A lot of times when people's relationships end, they write an e-mail to that person and say everything that they wish they would have said. A lot of times they don't push send."
"This was a tough one to write," she said "and I guess putting it on the album was pushing send."
Swift's track "Back to December" is thought to be an apology to Lautner, who dated Swift in late 2009 during the making of the 2010 movie "Valentine's Day". The pair broke up amicably in December.
"The person I wrote this song for deserves this. This is about a person who was incredible to me -- just perfect to me in a relationship -- and I was really careless with him," she told E! News.
Swift's relationship with Joe Jonas of boy band The Jonas Brothers, is rumored to be the subject of another album track. "Better Than Revenge" is thought to be aimed at the young actress Jonas pursued after dumping Swift.
"Mean", released as a single this week, appears to take aim at critics who slammed Swift's shaky vocal performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards and at other live shows last year.
"Drunken rumbling on about how I can't sing/ But all you are is mean/ And a liar/ And pathetic/ And alone in life," the usually charming Swift sings.
Swift has already gone public with her feelings about the infamous Kanye West interruption of her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech.
In her new song "Innocent", performed in front of West at the September MTV show, Swift appeared conciliatory, singing "Who you are is not what you did".
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Tom Bosley, whose career spanned five decades and included his role as the father of a typical American family on popular 1970s TV comedy "Happy Days," has died at 83, according to media reports on Tuesday.
Celebrity news website TMZ cited family members as saying Bosley died at his home in Palm Springs, California and recently he had been battling a staph infection.
A spokesman for Bosley was not immediately available for confirmation.
Bosley's everyday manner and looks helped him forge a career in Hollywood as a character actor and guest star in a number of popular 1960s television shows such as "Route 66," "Dr. Kildare," "Marcus Welby, M.D." and "Bonanza."
But it was on the long-running "Happy Days" that he enjoyed his biggest success, playing the father of the show's central character Richie Cunningham, who was a teenager growing up in the 1950s.
"Happy Days" ran from 1974 to 1984 and was a smash hit series that made Henry Winkler (Fonzie) a major Hollywood star and sparked the adult success of Ron Howard, who played Richie and would later go on to a career as a film director.
When the show ended, Bosley returned to character work on TV with roles in numerous popular series such as "The Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote." He continued working well into the 2000s with parts in series such as "That '70s Show."
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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LONDON (Reuters) - British singer Elton John described today's songwriters as "pretty awful," pop music as uninspiring and talent shows like "American Idol" as boring in an interview published on Tuesday.
The 63-year-old singer of "Your Song" and "Candle in the Wind," one of the most successful pop artists of all time, added that the instant fame which talent shows can bring was not the way to become a genuine star.
"It's important they (pop stars) write their own songs, so they're not at the mercy of anyone," John, whose real name is Reginald Dwight, told Britain's Radio Times magazine.
"Songwriters today are pretty awful, which is why everything sounds the same. Contemporary pop isn't very inspiring."
He said he was a fan of young female pop acts Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, before adding:
"I'm not a fan of talent shows. I probably wouldn't have lasted if I'd gone on one. I was asked to judge 'American Idol'. I couldn't do it because I won't slag anyone off.
"Also I don't want to be on television. It's become boring, arse-paralysingly brain crippling."
He said "X Factor" judge and music producer Simon Cowell had discovered some talented acts through his TV shows, "but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small ... clubs.
"I was in a band at 17, became a songwriter with Bernie Taupin and wasn't successful until we'd had six years of hard graft and disappointment, as well as great times.
"TV vaults you to superstardom and then you have to back it up, which is hard. (British 'X Factor' winners) Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke are at the mercy of the next song they can get.
"('Britain's Got Talent' runner-up) Susan Boyle was an endearing phenomenon, but I fear she might not understand the rigors of showbusiness."
John is releasing a new album this week, "The Union," a collaboration with his musical hero Leon Russell, and plays the BBC Electric Proms in London on October 28.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Simpsons" just got a blessing from the Vatican.
The official Vatican newspaper has declared that beer-swilling, doughnut-loving Homer Simpson and son Bart are Catholics -- and what's more, it says that parents should not be afraid to let their children watch "the adventures of the little guys in yellow."
"Few people know it, and he does everything to hide it. But it's true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic", the Osservatore Romano newspaper said in an article on Sunday headlined "Homer and Bart are Catholics."
The newspaper cited a study by a Jesuit priest of a 2005 episode of the show called "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star". That study concludes that "The Simpsons" is "among the few TV programs for kids in which Christian faith, religion and questions about God are recurrent themes."
The Simpsons pray before meals, and "in its own way, believes in the beyond," the newspaper quoted the Jesuit study as saying.
It's the second time the animated U.S. TV series, which is broadcast in 90 countries, has been praised by the Vatican.
But executive producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly on Monday he was in "shock and awe" at the latest assertion, adding that the Simpsons attend the "Presbylutheran" First Church of Springfield.
"We've pretty clearly shown that Homer is not Catholic," Jean said. "I really don't think he could go without eating meat on Fridays -- for even an hour."
In December 2009, the Osservatore Romano described the show as "tender and irreverent, scandalous and ironic, boisterous and profound, philosophical and sometimes even theological, nutty synthesis of pop culture and of the lukewarm and nihilistic American middle class."
"The Simpsons", which introduced the catch-phrase "D'oh", is the longest-running prime-time TV series in the United States and is now in its 22nd season.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two movies with different views of the modern American family led nominees for the independent film world's Gotham Awards on Monday with "Winter's Bone" collecting three nods including best breakthrough actor for Jennifer Lawrence.
"Winter's Bone," which follows a teenage girl as she searches for her father amid a secretive community in rural Arkansas, picked up three nominations overall, including best film and best ensemble performance for Lawrence and co-stars such as John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, and others.
"The Kids Are All Right" picked up two nominations, best film and ensemble cast, with its comedic tale of two lesbian parents whose children were conceived by artificial insemination and who want a relationship with their father. It stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as the mothers.
Another film, "Tiny Furniture," also pulled in two nominations for breakthrough director, Lena Dunham, and for its ensemble cast that includes Dunham, Laurie Simmons and others.
The Gotham Awards are given out each year by the New York-based Independent Filmmaker Project, an organization that supports and promotes mostly low-budget movies that are funded and produced outside Hollywood's major studios.
Movies and performances singled out at the Gotham awards are often similar to those nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, another set of key set of honors for indie movies that is organized by Los Angeles-based group, Film Independent.
The Gothams and Spirits focus on low-budget movies, some of which will compete for more prestigious awards such as the Oscars. Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right," for one, is being talked about as a possible Oscar contender.
Other Gotham nominations for best film went to "Black Swan," director Darren Aronofsky's tale of a ballerina (Natalie Portman) who looks to sabotage a rival, and "Blue Valentine," which stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a married couple whose relationship is unraveling. Rounding out the list of five best film nominees is thriller "Let Me In."
"Life During Wartime" and "Please Give" joined "Winter's Bone," "The Kids Are All Right" and "Tiny Furniture" among nominees for best ensemble cast.
Movies competing for the award for "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You" were "Kati with an i," "Littlerock," "On Coal River," "Summer Pasture" and "The Wolf Knife.
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