Entertaining Posts: 09/21/11

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tony Bennett apologizes for 9/11 comments

LOS ANGELES | Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:26pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Tony Bennett apologized on Wednesday for controversial comments he made in a radio interview that suggested the United States bore blame for provoking the September 11 attacks.

"There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country," Bennett, 85, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The legendary "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" singer cited his service as a U.S. soldier in World War II, and said experiences such as fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and marching with Martin Luther King Jr. have made him "a life-long humanist and pacifist."

"I am sorry if my statements suggested anything other than an expression of my love for my country, my hope for humanity and my desire for peace throughout the world," he said.

Bennett commented on the September 11, 2001, attacks during an appearance on shock jock Howard Stern's radio program, where the two discussed the planes flown into New York's World Trade Center by members of al Qaeda.

"They flew the plane in but we caused it," Bennett said on the show. "Because we were bombing them and they told us to stop."

Bennett's remarks caused a furor in the United States just as he launches his new album "Duets II," which features a track he recorded with the late Amy Winehouse, and songs with Lady Gaga and Aretha Franklin.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Jill Serjeant)

Defensive Brad Pitt calls Aniston a "dear friend"

LOS ANGELES | Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:33pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Brad Pitt is seeking again to distance himself from apparently negative remarks about his marriage to Hollywood sweetheart Jennifer Aniston, calling his ex-wife a "dear friend" and a "valuable person."

Pitt is out in public promoting his new baseball movie "Moneyball". But he spent much of a TV interview on morning talk show "Today" trying to explain an earlier remark that suggested he found his five-year marriage to Aniston boring, and that he is now a "satisfied man" in his relationship with Angelina Jolie.

"All I know is that my point was, the best thing I'd done as a father is be sure that my kids have a good mother," Pitt told Matt Lauer in an interview to be broadcast on "Today" on Thursday.

"That's all I was, or am, trying to say. It has no reference to the past. And I think it's a shame that I can't say something nice about Angie without Jen being drug in. You know, she doesn't deserve it," Pitt said.

Pitt issued a swift statement last week saying his remarks to Parade magazine about not living an "interesting life" with Aniston had been misinterpreted. But his remarks have served only to fuel a long-standing celebrity media obsession over perceived rivalries between Aniston and Jolie.

Us Weekly magazine claimed on Wednesday that Aniston's publicists "went ballistic" over Pitt's remarks last week and that "Brad was read the riot act."

Pitt, who is raising six children with Jolie, said he tried to distance himself from constant speculation about when he would marry Jolie, or when they would split up.

"I know things get misconstrued, and I know there's a good cycle and a good story to say we're splitting up. And then when we don't, they say we've come together again, it's another new cycle, and then there's a secret wedding. 'No, that was put on hold because they're upset.' ... I live outside of that, and it's much healthier."

Pitt told Lauer that Aniston, whom he divorced in 2005, had not called her himself about the Parade interview. "She's also a seasoned veteran and she knows. You know, and she's a valuable person. We spent seven years together. Come on.

"I don't want them to say anything bad like that about Jen. She's a dear friend of mine," Pitt said.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

"Glee" debut loses TV fans but wins over critics

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Wed Sep 21, 2011 3:24pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Television musical comedy "Glee" returned to smaller audiences but warm reviews after a summer of confusion over the future of its stars, a box-office flop of a concert movie and disappointment at the Emmys.

The Fox show attracted just 8.9 million viewers, a 30 percent drop on last year's season two opener, according to figures on Wednesday from media research company Nielsen.

But those who watched the subversive comedy about a failing high school show choir mostly liked what they saw.

Entertainment Weekly said it was "a really satisfying start to the new year." Rolling Stone praised the plot, the witty repartee and song choice but thought the season opener "didn't hit any of the emotional notes 'Glee' is capable of."

As promised, the show made clear that lead characters Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) would be "graduating" and leaving the program at the end of the season.

Artie (Kevin McHale) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) still have another year of high school to complete while the status of other key characters, including Brittany (Heather Morris) and the newly-punkified Quinn (Dianna Agron) was unclear.

"Glee" became a pop culture phenomenon in 2010 with its best-selling musical cover versions, quirky humor, treatment of teen sexuality, a character in a wheelchair and an actress with Down's Syndrome.

But last season, the show disappointed fans when it brought in too many guest stars and the plot meandered. "Glee The 3D Concert Movie" made a dismal $16 million at world box offices over the summer, and the show won just two Emmys last week, for best casting and for guest actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Creator Ryan Murphy has said that this year the show will get back to basics and renew its focus on core characters.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Rome film festival to honor Richard Gere

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Disney, Cameron to create theme-park "Avatar"

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES | Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:54am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Moviegoers pining for a return to the lush moon of Pandora in James Cameron's film "Avatar" will finally get their chance -- first-hand.

Walt Disney Co is teaming with the Oscar-winning director and News Corp unit Fox Filmed Entertainment, to mimic the thriving green landscape depicted in the highest-grossing movie of all time in a section of its Orlando, Florida, theme park.

Under their agreement, Disney won exclusive global theme park rights to the "Avatar" franchise. It will begin building from 2013 and will eventually take Avatar "lands" beyond Orlando's Disney World.

"Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park-goers the chance to see, hear and touch the world of 'Avatar' with an unprecedented sense of reality," Cameron said in a statement.

At a news conference, Cameron said that when he began talks with Disney designers, he "quickly realized their vision for this thing was far beyond what I imagined, and I've got a pretty good imagination."

The estimated cost for the Orlando project is about $400 million, a source familiar with the matter said. Construction should take about five years.

Planning is in the early stages, and executives gave few details on how Disney would recreate the fantasy world of "Avatar" and the creatures that inhabit it. The section will be located within Disney's Animal Kingdom park.

"Avatar," the 2009 film that chronicled the struggle of the alien Na'vi against marauding resource-ravenous humans, grossed almost $3 billion worldwide and triggered the current renaissance in 3D-film making. Cameron is planning sequels to the blockbuster hit, which surpassed his own "Titanic" as the highest-grossing movie in history.

The first of the "Avatar" sequels is set for release around Christmas 2014, Cameron said.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said the company planned to bring "Avatar" to other locations beyond the Florida park. "We think we can clearly leverage the global interest in this property," Iger said.

The company is deep into several big theme park projects, including building a new park in Shanghai and adding a 12-acre section, set to open next year based on the animated "Cars" films, to its California resort.

Disney typically works with its own movies when developing themed sections and rides. It does have some attractions based on films from other studios, including the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Edwin Chan; Editing by Gunna Dickson and Tim Dobbyn)