Entertaining Posts

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Justin Timberlake keeps date for Marine Corps Ball

LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:00pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Justin Timberlake's date with a Marine combat instructor on Saturday night was "one of the most moving evenings" of his life, the singer-turned-actor said on his website.

Keeping his promise to Corporal Kelsey De Santis, Timberlake donned formal wear to escort her to the Instructor Battalion Marine Corps Ball in Richmond, Virginia.

In a post on his website Sunday, Timberlake noted that he was "almost brought to tears" during a video tribute to Marines.

De Santis, who practices mixed martial arts, invited Timberlake to the event via a YouTube video in July.

She was inspired to reach out to him after he publicly encouraged Mila Kunis, his "Friends with Benefits" co-star, to accept a similar invitation from a serviceman.

"You want to call out my girl Mila?" De Santis said to Timberlake in her video. "Well, I'm going to call you out and ask you to come to the Marine Corps ball with me on November 12."

She added, "If you can't go, all I have to say is, cry me a river."

Timberlake said in his post that he and De Santis had ample time to chat before the evening's ceremony, and that she spoke of her training in mixed martial arts "with a passion, a discipline, and a respect." He was struck by her concern with his comfort at the ball.

"I have to tell you, it's not every day that I meet a 23-year-old girl and she's more worried about if I'm having fun or if I'm comfortable!" Timberlake wrote. "It hit me all of a sudden that these were the type of people that look after us and our freedom... Last night changed my life and I will never forget it."

A military wife who attended Saturday's event at the Richmond Convention Center told local news station WTVR that Timberlake "posed for pictures and seemed like a normal guy."

Kunis, meanwhile, will attend a Marine Corps Ball with Sergeant Scott Moore on November 18 in Greenville, North Carolina.

(Reporting by Sheri Linden; Editing by Tim Gaynor and Jerry Norton)

Oscars come to London to honor Vanessa Redgrave

LONDON | Sun Nov 13, 2011 4:17pm EST

LONDON (Reuters) - The Oscars came to London on Sunday, when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honored British actress Vanessa Redgrave in the first such tribute made in Europe.

Playwright David Hare hosted the event at a central London cinema, and stars including Meryl Streep, Ralph Fiennes and James Earl Jones were at the ceremony marking a stage and screen career that has spanned more than 50 years.

"Wherever you go in the world, people know and admire Vanessa Redgrave," Hare said in a statement.

"There are not many consistently brilliant 50-year careers in the history of cinema, but hers is one of them."

Hare created three film sequences for the event showcasing Redgrave's work.

The 74-year-old actress, currently appearing alongside Jones in "Driving Miss Daisy" in London's West End, was born into a famous acting dynasty and began her stage career in the late 1950s.

She quickly moved into movies, picking up the first of six Oscar nominations for her appearance in "Morgan!" in 1966.

Her sole win was for best supporting actress in "Julia," and she caused controversy with an acceptance speech in which she attacked a "a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums" who had objected to her involvement in a pro-Palestinian documentary.

In addition to the Oscar, Redgrave's honors include Olivier, Tony, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and Cannes film festival awards.

She stars in "Anonymous," currently in cinemas, and the upcoming "Coriolanus."

Redgrave's "Driving Miss Daisy" co-star Jones, famous to many as the voice of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" franchise, received an honorary career Oscar in London on Saturday.

The 80-year-old did not attend the main U.S. ceremony in person because of his stage commitments in Britain.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Oprah Winfrey receives "unimaginable" Oscar

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 13, 2011 3:07am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey received an honorary Oscar for her charitable work on Saturday in what she called an unimaginable moment for a black woman who grew up poor in Mississippi and rose to the top of Hollywood stardom.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually bestows its Governors Awards on people who have made an impact in the industry. This year, the honorary Oscars went to Winfrey, actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith at a black-tie affair that brought out stars such as John Travolta, Glenn Close and Alec Baldwin.

Talk show host and film actress Winfrey, who was nominated for a supporting-actress Academy Award in 1985's "The Color Purple," was given a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by a young woman who was sent through high school on a financial grant she earned from Winfrey's foundation.

Winfrey teared up when accepting her honorary Oscar and described the moment as "unimaginable" given her humble roots growing up in Mississippi.

"All of us can make a difference through the life we lead," Winfrey said. "We're all here to help each other."

She talked of her career as a TV chat show host and her movie work, and said it was "The Color Purple" that paved the way to stardom which, ultimately, led to philanthropy.

That movie "door opened to me through the magic and majesty of film," she said.

James Earl Jones was given his honorary Oscar for a body of acting work that ranges from his Academy Award-nominated performance as a boxer in "The Great White Hope" to voicing the role of the villainous Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies.

Jones was not on hand because he is in working in London, but he spoke to the Los Angeles audience in a speech that was taped earlier on Saturday.

He said he was "deeply honored, mighty grateful and just plain gobsmacked," using British slang for being astounded.

Finally, the "Godfather of makeup" Dick Simon was given an honorary Oscar for his behind-the-scenes work using makeup and prosthetics to make actors look old, young, sick, dying and dead in films ranging from "The Exorcist" to "The Godfather."

Simon gave a tearful and heartfelt acceptance speech in which he said he has loved every minute of his work in the movie business. "This kind of puts the crowning cap on all that," Simon said.

The Oscars, or Academy Awards, for the films of 2011 will be given out in a ceremony in Los Angeles on February 26.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Friday, November 11, 2011

Black Sabbath announce new album, 2012 world tour

LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:03pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran British rock band Black Sabbath announced on Friday they are reuniting in their original four man line-up for their first new album in 33 years and a 2012 world tour.

Singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward told a news conference at legendary Sunset Strip club Whiskey a Go Go they would perform at the Download Festival in England in June 2012, and then embark on a world tour.

The band, which first got together under the Black Sabbath name in 1969, said they were working on new material for the album for release in the fall of 2012. There is no title as yet but it will be produced by Rick Rubin.

"It's now or never. We are getting along great. Everything's really good," Iommi told reporters at the club where Black Sabbath played their first show in Los Angeles exactly 41 years ago.

"It's like putting on an old glove. It's fantastic," Iommi added.

The four musicians, now all in their 60s, released their last studio album of all original material in 1978 with "Never Say Never."

Rumors of a possible reunion of the English metal band, regarded as one of the pioneers of heavy metal with hits like "Iron Man" and War Pigs," had been swirling for months.

"It's just time," Osbourne said, noting that the four had tried in the past to work together again. "This time, for some magical reason, we have written about seven or eight songs."

Nothing has been recorded yet and no dates were announced on Friday for the world tour.

Frontman Osbourne was fired from the band in 1979, leading to a revolving line-up for a number of years. The original foursome reunited for the 1998 release "Reunion" and played again together sporadically for shows in the early 2000s.

Black Sabbath was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Kirsten Dunst rises out of "Melancholia"

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 11, 2011 1:10pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kirsten Dunst steps out of her comfort zone and deep into a paralyzing depression in her latest film "Melancholia."

Better known for light fare like "Spider-Man" and romantic comedies, Dunst plays the lead in the part science-fiction, part family drama from Danish director Lars von Trier, which opens in select U.S. cities on Friday.

The actress, 29, found herself challenged with intense emotional scenes and nudity while portraying Justine -- a complex bride who deteriorates into a melancholic depression after getting married and immediately regretting it.

"It's a very vulnerable part and there are very difficult scenes, but the environment was very comfortable," said Dunst.

"Anything I had to do, which I may not have felt comfortable with in a different setting, felt protected so I could let loose and be open," the actress added.

Complicated female characters and visually arresting images have become a trademark for von Trier, who cast Nicole Kidman in the 2003 thriller "Dogville" and Charlotte Gainsbourg in the 2009 supernatural movie "Antichrist".

Dunst called von Trier "one of the great directors of our time." He, in turn, drew a performance from Dunst that won her the best actress award at the Cannes film festival and is now earning talk of a possible first Oscar nomination.

It is the best critical acclaim Dunst has experienced since her performance as a 12-year-old in the 1994 drama "Interview With the Vampire" alongside Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

New York Times movie reviewer A.O. Scott said the actress "is remarkably effective at conveying both the acute anguish and the paralyzing hollowness of depression."

END OF THE WORLD

"Melancholia" is an apocalyptic tale of sisters Justine (Dunst) and Claire (Gainsbourg) set against an epic backdrop, when Earth's existence is threatened by the approach of the planet Melancholia. Alexander Skarsgard and Keifer Sutherland co-star.

The film is divided into two sections named after the sisters, and moves from light, celebratory scenes of Justine's wedding to darker anxieties, accompanied by arresting cinematography and Richard Wagner's dramatic operatic score of "Tristan and Isolde."

Justine's depression and mental decline make her reliant on the strength of her sister Claire. But as the mysterious planet Melancholia slowly edges its way on a collision course with Earth, Justine finds herself becoming stronger while her sister crumbles.

"I kind of envisioned it as Justine comes from this planet that's going to hit Earth, and this is her mother Earth in some way," Dunst said.

The actress believes the overall message of the film is a comforting one, despite its melancholic overtones.

"This film is very personal to everyone, but I think it's very comforting for anyone who's gone through any depression in their lives," she said. "It's exciting to experience a movie like that."

Dunst has more than 60 films under her belt in a career that has seen her transition from child actress to Hollywood star in movies such as "Crazy/Beautiful," "Marie Antoinette" and the "Spider-Man" franchise.

"I could retire, and I'd be proud," laughed the actress.

However, she isn't quite ready to step away from the spotlight. She wants to portray iconic characters like Marlene Dietrich, or Blondie singer Debbie Harry.

"Blondie was going to happen at one point and I'd still like to do that. She was successful in her thirties, so that would be fun to play," said Dunst, adding, "Don't worry, I'm not going to put out an album, I'm going to stick to acting."

The actress will next be seen in an adaptation of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road", and alongside British actor Jim Sturgess in sci-fi romance "Upside Down."

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bob Tourtellotte)