The Latest in Latino Entertainment News

Hathaway, Franco to host 83rd Oscars

Two very unorthodox presenters have been selected to be co-hosts of the 83rd ceremony on Feb. 27 – James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be running the show at the next Academy Awards.

James Franco is a fine actor but can he host? Anne Hathaway is surprisingly a fantastic entertainer who showed her chops at last year’s Oscars and The Tony’s.

The announcement creates the prospect that one or both hosts might also be nominees. Franco is considered a solid best-actor prospect for the survival drama “127 Hours,” while Hathaway has a chance for a best-actress slot for the romance “Love & Other Drugs.”

Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, producers of the Oscar telecast, said it’s not unprecedented for Oscar hosts also to be nominees.

It’s the second-straight year the Oscars have tapped a pair of actors as hosts. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin teamed up as hosts last time.

The Expendables

Rated: R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language.
Release Date: 2010-08-13
Starring: Dave Callaham, Sylvester Stallone
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://expendablesthemovie.com/

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‘The Expendables‘, the latest film by Sylvester Stallone, is a no holds barred movie full of man sweat, rampaging bullets, vomiticious wounds, 80’s tattoos and biceps … What more can you ask of from a film with a cast like this? Well, honestly, you could ask for much more. Let’s be clear: ‘The Expendables’ is not an action movie, rather it is a love story with moments of action. It also doesn’t merit a detailed analysis on my part, nor do I think that deserves to be battered, because it does serve up a large dose of nostalgia . Anyway, it is far from achieving what was intended, largely due to a faulty script. Despite this drawback, the plot conforms to what is asked of it and it won’t be unpleasant, it won’t be anything remarkable.

The premise is simple and straightforward – leader and mastermind Barney Ross (Stallone), former SAS blade expert Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), hand-to-hand combat specialist Yin Yang (Jet Li), long barrel weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Crews), demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), and precision sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren).  Living life in the fringes of the law, these hardened mercenaries take on what appears to be a routine assignment: a covert, CIA-funded operation to infiltrate the South American country of Vilena and overthrow its ruthless dictator General Garza (David Zayas).  But when their job is revealed to be a suicide mission, the men are faced with a deadly choice, one that might redeem their souls…or destroy their brotherhood forever.

Some of the negative highlights can be narrowed down to a few but no larger than the misuse of Jet Li. Known for his spectacular martial arts moves and fast paced fights without the use of weapons, there should have been some intense and epic battle to remind us of the old days. Although there is a small fight with Lundgren, it fails to impress and for the rest of the film he goes almost unnoticed.
 
Obviously by now, you’ve all seen the trailer with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis in THE SCENE. It really is worth all the hoopla just to experience that.

This film is bad and wonderful. It doesn’t have a great script, the plot is chaotic, and it’s an old dick party reminiscing of the good ol’ days. I’ll give it this, it has some nice moments, but the story is unchallenging which leaves us unsatisfied.

If it had tried something more daring or have brought the full potential of what they had (Stallone and Drago II), it would have hit a bigger jackpot. Nevertheless, the word is that  there is a sequel in the works where they can perfect the imperfections. Let’s toast to that.

‘Linda Lovelace’ says no to Lindsay Lohan

Porn gets a new star. Malin Akerman (Couples Retreat, Watchmen, 27 Dresses) is now confirmed to replace Lindsay Lohan in Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story according to Deadline.com. “My understanding is that Lindsay was dropped as she’s impossible to insure and the producers loved Malin,” an insider emails.

Malin, mostly known for her work in ‘Watchmen‘ and The Heartbreak Kid, has a few upcoming credits that include Wanderlust (Paul Rudd, Jen Aniston), Happythankyoumoreplease (Josh Radnor) and The Bang Bang Club (Taylor Kitsch, Ryan Philippe). She is also attached to star opposite Ethan Hawke in The Numbers Station. The Lovelace project (we really need another after Brian Grazer did one?) is based on the novel Ordeal: An Autobiography by Linda Lovelace with Mike McGrady.  The producers include Chris Hanley of Muse Productions and Jordan Gertner.

Can she pull-off the porn actress bit? According to pic below, she more than fits the criteria, ahem.

First stills on the set of ‘Men In Black 3’!

New York (USA), Nov. 18 (ShowBizCafe.com) – We are two years away until the release  of ‘Men In Black 3’, but we already have the set pics of the star cast in ol’ New York – Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Nicole Scherzinger and Tommy Lee Jones.

In the stills, Will Smith is wearing a white lycra t-shirt showing a jacked up body. British actress Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee), is wearing a black dress and flip-flops. She is said to be the new head of the MIB group. Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, plays a villain named Lilly. Her scenes are unfortunately scarce. Finally, Tommy Lee Jones, a.k.a. Mr. Grumpy, is carrying what looks to be a Louis Vuitton.
briefcase.

From what we understand, the shooting schedule is not conventional. The sequel will take a break for two months after the coming holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The funny thing is that film productions rarely take breaks that long. Either way, the film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who is responsible for the two previous installments, will focus on Agent J (Will Smith) who returns to 1969 to stop a villain. Once there, he will get the help of the younger version of Agent K (Josh Brolin) and together, join forces to defeat Yaz, to prevent the destruction of his partner in the future (Tommy Lee Jones) and saving the Earth.
Men In Black 3 will be released in 3D and is scheduled to play theaters on May 25, 2012 courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

Joel Schumacher directs Latino short

Three new short films exploring what it means to come of age will premiere at New York City’s School of Visual Arts Theatre on Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Esteemed film directors Joel Schumacher, Malcolm D. Lee, and Cruz Angeles donated their time to direct the scripts written by teenagers.

The films are part of Scenarios USA’s REAL DEAL program, an educational initiative that facilitates a unique partnership between teenage writers and distinguished film directors to produce short films. Nearly 7,000 students participated in the eighth installment of the REAL DEAL curriculum and national writing contest on this year’s REAL DEAL theme—gender and masculinity. Three scripts were chosen to be produced for national distribution.

The films in the REAL DEAL series, 22 in all, reach an audience of 15 million on television outlets such as Showtime, MTV and BET, at film festivals such as the Cleveland International and Miami Film Festivals, and through online streaming. The films are incorporated into lesson plans in classrooms and community centers in every state.
 
The 2010 films address a variety of current issues facing today’s teens— from sexual orientation and abuse, bullying, double standards, and gender-based harassment to the economic realities of pursuing higher education despite cultural and financial hurdles. Each film illustrates an entertaining, gripping, and unique youth perspective.

In conjunction with the film premiere is the unveiling of “Us in the Mirror”, a photography installation inspired by one of the 2010 films that features LGBTQ youth of color. The exhibit opens immediately follows the film screenings and is scheduled to travel to schools across the nation throughout 2011 as another part of this remarkable educational initiative.

About the event:
 
WHAT: Scenarios USA REAL DEAL World Premiere School of Visual Arts Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, NYC

WHEN: Tuesday, December 7, 2010,

6:45 Doors Open,

7:30 Film Screening followed by Q&A with writers and directors

8:45 After party and “Us in the Mirror” photography installation

TICKETS: $25 for General Admission; $100 for Priority Seating

RSVP: November 23rd, seats are limited

About the films:
 
Man in the Mirror, written by Treviny Marie Colon, (age 18), of Bronx, NY is the story of Jason Gutierrez, a Puerto Rican from New York City and the quintessential All-American guy.  Status comes at a price as rumors spread that Jason is gay.  With his identity questioned, Jason pushes himself to understand who he is and how far he will go to prove that he’s just one of the boys.
Directed by Joel Schumacher – The Lost Boys (1987), Falling Down (1993), The Phantom of the Opera (2004).

Life’s Poison written by Angileece Williams (age 16) of Cleveland, OH tells the emotional story of 18 year old Eliyah Howard who thinks he knows what a real man is. He learned most of it from his abusive father.  Family, love, and tragedy test the lessons he has inherited.  Is it too late for Eliyah to re-define what a real man is?  Directed by Malcolm D. Lee – The Best Man (1999) and Undercover Brother (2002).
 
A Man Made Early written by Angelica Hernandez (age 18) of Weslaco, TX focuses on high school senior, Tony Rodriguez, who struggles with the decision of attending a college close to home or accepting a scholarship from a university in another state.  Tony will have to confront peer pressure, cultural limitations, and family expectations to make his own decision.
Directed by Cruz Angeles who was recently nominated for the Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and Gotham Awards Breakthrough Director for Don’t Let Me Drown (2009).
 
About Scenarios USA:
Scenarios USA (www.scenariosusa.org) is a national non-profit organization that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership, advocacy and self-expression in students across the country, with a focus on marginalized communities. Scenarios USA believes that by valuing youth and their stories, we strengthen academic achievement, promote civic engagement, and support young people in becoming engaged citizens and healthy individuals.

The 2010 Scenarios USA World Premiere is sponsored by Griffin Dunne, Deluxe New York, Kodak, School of Visual Arts Film School, Mad.House, Abel CineTech, Final Draft, Crew Cuts, Carl Posey Catering, Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit, All Car Rent-A-Car, Bowne, The Balanced Plate, and Union Hall.

Disney’s The Christmas Carol

Rated: PG for scary sequences and images.
Release Date: 2009-11-06
Starring: Charles Dickens (novel) Robert Zemeckis
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/achristmascarol/

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