Entertaining Posts

Monday, July 11, 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger back in Hollywood saddle, despite scandal

LOS ANGELES | Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:40pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two months after putting his Hollywood return on hold following a damaging sex scandal, Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to get back into the saddle.

The former action star turned politician is scheduled to start shooting the Western movie "The Last Stand" in September, a film industry source said on Monday, despite being embroiled in what could be a messy divorce from his wife, Maria Shriver.

"It's an old-fashioned Western specifically designed for a 63 year-old broken-down guy with a moral decision...We always needed an iconic figure for it," an unnamed movie executive told industry website Deadline Hollywood on Monday. Deadline Hollywood first reported the story, and Schwarzenegger's participation was also confirmed by Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Representatives for the former "Terminator" star, 63, declined comment on the reports, as did a spokesman for the Lionsgate film studio that is behind the movie.

But an industry source who asked to remain anonymous confirmed to Reuters that the movie was going ahead as planned with Schwarzenegger in the lead role.

Schwarzenegger said in May that he was halting discussions for a new "Terminator" movie and all other Hollywood projects in order to focus on personal matters following an admission that he fathered a secret child 13 years ago with his family's housekeeper.

The former California governor's wife last week filed for a divorce to end their 25 year-old marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have four children together.

Schwarzenegger was ridiculed in the media after revealing he had a child out of wedlock that he had kept secret from his family until now.

A Lionsgate executive told Deadline Hollywood that Schwarzenegger was "still a big piece of news".

"The Last Stand", to be directed by South Korea's Jee-woon Kim is expected to be released some time in 2012.

Before the housekeeper scandal broke in May, Schwarzenegger was also working on a movie called "Cry Macho" and had announced plans to voice a superhero with a double life in an animated TV comic book style series called "The Governator."

Production on "The Governator" was halted and "Cry Macho" has been put on hold for the time being.

Schwarzenegger was California governor for seven years until his second term ended in January. He was last seen on screen in a cameo role in the 2010 action movie "The Expendables."

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to host CMA Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn | Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:48pm EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host the 45th annual Country Music Association Awards on November 9, sharing the duty for the fourth time, they said on Monday.

The two made the announcement via Facebook from the set of their new video, "Remind Me."

The CMA Awards, which annually are among the highest honors for country singers, will be handed out at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and will be broadcast live by ABC.

"We wanted to take a minute to share some very exciting news," Underwood said in the announcement that was available on YouTube. "The CMA has asked Brad and me back to host the CMA Awards in November."

Paisley had also tweeted earlier that he and Underwood were shooting the video, and photos from both that tweet and the CMA announcement showed them on an undisclosed beach.

"Can you believe that?" asked Paisley, who won the CMA Entertainer of the Year award last year. "I can't wait to do it again."

CMA chief executive Steve Moore said both Underwood and Paisley "have the unique qualities of humor, talent, credibility and natural rapport that makes them a hit with fans and the industry audience."

The awards show honors country music's biggest stars from the previous year, with some of the genre's best-known singers handing out 12 awards including Entertainer of the Year, Male and Female Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year.

Other awards are Single and Song of the Year, Group of the Year, Vocal Duo, Musical Event, Musician of the Year, Music Video and New Artist of the Year.

(Reporting by Vernell Hackett; Editing by Andrew Stern and Bob Tourtellotte)

Sunday, July 10, 2011

David, Victoria Beckham welcome new baby girl

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Hollywood royalty meets real British royalty

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:35pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Quoting from "The King's Speech," the Oscar-winning movie about his great-grandfather, Prince William projected his royal voice to woo the Hollywood power crowd in a bid with wife Kate to promote young British talent.

He in black tie, she in a pleated lavender Alexander McQueen gown, the young newlyweds on Saturday night set a tone of classic elegance for the most high-profile event in their three-day visit to the United States.

Hollywood royalty -- from actors Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and Barbra Streisand to studio mogul Harvey Weinstein -- turned out for the couple of the moment at the $25,000 a table gala organized by British Academy for Film and Television (BAFTA), of which William is president.

"I would like to thank Colin Firth for my perfect opening line -- I have a voice," William joked with the crowd, quoting one of the most famous lines in the 2010 movie about King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth who overcame a stammer.

Alas, Oscar winner Firth was not there nor were many established British actors. William and BAFTA instead wanted to introduce 42 emerging British actors, producers, writers and videogame designers to the movers and shakers of the entertainment capital of the world.

"Please give them the opportunities that you have always extended to some of the brightest and best that Britain has to offer," William told the gathering at the Belasco, a restored theater in downtown Los Angeles.

"When American and British creative talent gets together, magic happens. Let's continue the winning formula."

British actor Stephen Fry praised the idea to promote Brits in Hollywood while fascination with the royal couple was at its height following their April wedding.

"Royalty creates a glamour, prestige and luster that trumps anything Hollywood can produce," Fry said.

SKID ROW LIES AHEAD

That impact was likely what the British royal family sought in the young couple's first official trip overseas, first to Canada and then to California.

And as images go, the second day in sunny Southern California for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was just about picture perfect.

On a green and glamorous Santa Barbara polo field, William and Kate charmed the deep-pocketed polo set and raised millions of dollars for charity. To top it off, William made good on his promise to win the charity polo match and scored four goals for his team, earning a pair of kisses from Kate.

While polo may be an elite sport, William and Kate have tried to make their visit to California anything but stuffy. On their final day Sunday, they will visit a children's art center in the middle of Los Angeles' Skid Row and meet military veterans and their families.

Despite the high wattage celebrity turnout of Saturday night, the duke and duchess have tried to keep the celebrity quotient in check, mindful of how excess might not play well in a Britain beset by austerity measures.

The California visit is more about business than pleasure, with most activities centered on charity and trade promotion. Upon arrival Friday, they talked technology investment with a room full of innovators and financiers.

While the royal couple won't have contact with large crowds like they did in Canada, they did try to talk to ordinary Angelenos when they got the chance. At the end of the red carpet at the Belasco, they made a beeline to shake hands with a smattering of fans who'd been allowed in to see them up close.

(Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Eric Walsh)

David and Victoria Beckham welcome new baby girl

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