Entertaining Posts

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Anna Nicole Smith to crash genteel world of opera

By Mike Collett-White, Entertainment Correspondent

BERLIN | Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:48am EST

BERLIN (Reuters) - The genteel world of opera collides with that of lurid headlines, strip clubs and Playboy Thursday when a new work based on the life of the late Anna Nicole Smith has its premiere at London's Royal Opera House.

"Anna Nicole" is one of the prestigious opera company's riskiest projects yet, both because it leaves Covent Garden open to accusations of sensationalism in a bid to stay relevant and because some of the characters in the story are still alive.

According to the British media, lawyers are nervous, particularly in relation to tabloid star Smith's ex-boyfriend Howard K. Stern whose conviction for supplying her with drugs before her death in 2007 was dismissed last month.

The Royal Opera House has not denied the reports but declined to comment in detail on the work's contents or whether alterations had been made at the last minute for legal reasons.

The press office did confirm that the run of six shows, starting on February 17 and ending on March 4, had sold out.

The company's website called the new work "a celebrity story of our times that includes extreme language, drug abuse and sexual content," and imposed a minimum age of 16.

"This new opera is provocative in its themes, exciting in its bravura style and thrilling with its sheer contemporary nerve," it added in language normally reserved for reality TV.

"Anna Nicole Smith's life made the news -- you can bet this world premiere will too."

DUTCH SINGER IN LEAD ROLE

Smith died aged 39 of an accidental prescription drug overdose in Florida. At the time of her death, the former pin-up model and reality television star was embroiled in a long-running legal battle over the will of her late husband, billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall.

They had married when she was 26 years old and he was 89.

Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek will perform the role of the voluptuous blonde in composer Mark-Anthony Turnage's latest work, under the direction of Richard Jones.

The libretto is by Richard Thomas, no stranger to controversy after his musical "Jerry Springer: The Opera" offended many Christians and sparked a record number of complaints when it was aired on BBC television in 2005.

In a recent piece written for the Times newspaper, Thomas admitted to feeling nervous and spoke of the risks involved in putting on a new opera.

"Unlike musicals, operas don't have the luxury of a preview period," he wrote. "There is one dress rehearsal and then BANG -- opening night."

Princess Di's brother Earl Spencer to marry again

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Justin Bieber 3D film might get director's cut

By Pamela McClintock

Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:27am EST

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Looking for a way to feed Bieber Fever at the box office, Paramount is considering releasing a special director's cut of "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" while the film is still in theaters.

The film opened to a better-than-expected $29.5 million across North America last weekend, just $1 million short of Adam Sandler's new champ "Just Go With It."

The redo is a novel idea, since it would give Bieber's rabid girl fan base a reason to go see the movie again. But the logistics are complicated, and insiders caution that the updated version could just as easily be held and released on the web and DVD.

Director Jon M. Chu has been working on the new version, but isn't done. And he's now on his way to Europe with Bieber's team for the premiere of "Never Say Never" in London and then Paris.

Chu will be back by the weekend and work on the special cut. Paramount wants to make a decision by early next week, so that moviegoers will be able to see the updated version during the film's third weekend in release.

Also, Paramount will have to resubmit "Never Say Never" to the ratings board. But since a new rating isn't being requested, the original film could stay in theaters pending the review of the new scenes.

If the director's cut were released in theaters, it would probably play only in 3D runs, since the cost of digital prints is nominal compared to regular prints.

No decision has been made about what footage would be used. One idea is to incorporate scenes that moviegoers expressed an interest in seeing during test screenings. A videographer also has been documenting Bieber.

New York Magazine's Vulture website first reported Paramount's plan.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Charlie Sheen says ready to return to TV sitcom

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES | Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:29pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen said in an interview on Monday that he is ready to return to work on the sitcom, after he took a break to deal with his drug problems.

"We are on forced hiatus," the actor with a history of drug and alcohol abuse told the Dan Patrick Television Show on DirecTV.

"They said, 'You get ready and we'll get ready.' And I got ready and went back and nobody's there. I don't know what to tell you ... I'm here and I'm ready. They're not. Bring it, you know?" the actor said in the DirecTV interview.

Sheen, the highest paid actor on U.S. television and the star of its top-rated comedy "Two and a Half Men," forced production to be suspended last month when he began a drug rehab program, after being hospitalized following a wild party at his home.

A spokesman for Sheen said on February 3 that the actor expected to return to work at the end of this month.

In his interview on Monday, Sheen seemed less certain about his return date to CBS Corp's "Two and a Half Men," which was suspended with eight episodes still to be shot.

"I believe August of 2014 at this pace," Sheen joked about his expected return to the set.

"I don't know, it's supposed to be the 28th or the 29th. That's what it is! It's the 29th of the non-leap year."

A spokesman for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros division, the studio that produces "Two and a Half Men" for the CBS network, declined to comment on Sheen's radio interview, or when production will resume.

Warner Bros and CBS said when they suspended production that they were "profoundly concerned" about Sheen's "health and well-being" and supported his decision to begin rehab.

Sheen, in his interview, said that he has made a quick recovery from his drug and alcohol-fueled binge.

"Check it, it's like I heal really quickly. But I unravel pretty quickly. So get me right now, guys," Sheen said.

At another point, Sheen suggested that people should avoid crack cocaine "unless you can manage it socially."

Sheen, who recently agreed to the terms of his divorce from estranged wife Brooke Mueller, was asked if he thought that he could manage crack socially. "Well, yeah, but that kinda blew up in my face," he said.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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