This fall, Hollywood tries to balance box office with the ballot box
This fall, Hollywood will be trying โ with everything from swaggering historical epics like โGladiator IIโ to the high-seas adventure of โMoana 2โ โ to capture the nationโs attention at a time when much of it will be directed at the polls.
Venice Film Festival: From โJoker 2โ to โMaria,โ here are 10 movies to get excited about
Some of Hollywoodโs biggest stars are getting ready to descend on the Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix.
Venice Film Festival lineup includes โJoker 2,โ films with Pitt, Clooney, Jolie, more
Five years after โJokerโ won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, filmmaker Todd Phillips is returning with the sequel.
Daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt files court petition to remove father's last name
A daughter of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has filed paperwork to legally remove โPittโ from her name.
New Smyrna Beach restaurant owner discusses rebuilding from the ashes
In January, Brad Pitt spent a week filming a movie inside the diner. In March, a fire devastated the building and forced the business to close.
How to be a 'Fall Guy': Stunt performers on their rough-and-tumble life
Since the early days of Hollywood, stunt performers have fueled the mayhem of movies, playing a vital role in sustaining the illusion of countless car chases, bar fights and rooftop leaps.
Iconic New Smyrna Beach restaurant likely a total loss after overnight fire
Firefighters with the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department are investigating what caused a fire at the Pappas Drive-In on North Dixie Freeway.
'The Fall Guy,' a love letter to stunt performers, premieres at SXSW
Coming nearly straight from the Oscars with a truck full of Kenergy, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt rolled into South By Southwest to premiere โThe Fall Guy,โ an affectionate, action-fueled ode to stunt work and the dedicated professionals that throw their bodies into filmmaking.
Your Florida Daily: Flight attendant accused of filming kids inside plane lavatory, Brad Pitt movie filming in Daytona
Estes Carter Thompson III, an American Airlines flight attendant, repeatedly used his phone to record kids using the restroom including one alleged incident on a flight out of Orlando, according to new documents.
Julia Ormond sues Harvey Weinstein saying he assaulted her; accuses CAA, Disney, Miramax of enabling
Actor Julia Ormond has filed a lawsuit in New York accusing disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her career.
Verstappen takes 6th straight F1 win at British GP as Norris, Hamilton in epic fight for 2nd
Max Verstappen recovered from a slow start to win the British Grand Prix for his sixth Formula One win in a row as Lando Norris held off fellow British driver Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling battle for second.
An anti-Trump video shared by the DeSantis campaign is โhomophobic,โ says a conservative LGBT group
A prominent group that represents LGBT conservatives says a video shared by Ron DeSantisโฒ presidential campaign that slams rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people โventured into homophobic territory.โ.
Lawyer: Pitt will keep responses to abuse account in court
An attorney for Brad Pitt says he will continue to respond in court to allegations from ex-wife Angelina Jolie that he abused her and their children on a 2016 flight.
Jolie details Brad Pitt abuse allegations in court filing
A new court filing from Angelina Jolie alleges that on a 2016 flight, Brad Pitt grabbed her by the head and shook her then choked one of their children and struck another when they tried to defend her.
'The Winx Saga' star says showbiz isn't all fairy dust
Abigail Cowen, the star of Netflix's popular teen series โFate: The Winx Saga,โ wants people to know that a life in showbiz may look glamorous and exciting, but it's also filled with self-doubt and rejection.
Brad Pitt, Nick Cave make surprise art debut in Finland
Brad Pitt and Australian musician Nick Cave have debuted as artists in an exhibition in Finland, showing off for the first time sculptures and ceramics created by the movie star and the singer-songwriter.
Henry Silva, known for many tough-guy roles, dies at 95
Henry Silva, a prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in โThe Manchurian Candidate,โ โOceanโs Elevenโ and other films, has died.
Movie chain Cineworld files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Movie theater operator Cineworld Group has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. as it deals with billions of dollars in debt and lower-than-expected attendance at screenings.
Brad Pitt foundation reaches settlement over Louisiana homes
Brad Pittโs Make It Right Foundation and homeowners of the houses built by the program, in an area of New Orleans hit hard by Hurricane Katrina have reached a more than $20 million settlement.
Wolfgang Petersen, blockbuster filmmaker of 'Das Boot,' dies
Wolfgang Petersen, the German filmmaker whose WWII submarine epic โDas Bootโ propelled him into a blockbuster Hollywood career that included the films โIn the Line of Fire,โ โAir Force Oneโ and โThe Perfect Storm,โ has died.
Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train' pulls into station with $30.1M
Sunday studio estimates say the Brad Pitt action romp โBullet Train" arrived with a $30.1 million opening weekend as the last big movie of Hollywoodโs summer recovery landed in theaters.
Sony sees profit rise despite waning interest in video games
Sony has reported its profit edged up 3% in the last quarter, weathering production setbacks from COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and a trend away from video games as pandemic restrictions eased elsewhere.
Movies love a comeback story. This summer, it's their turn.
Hollywood is bringing out some of its biggest and most reliable players for the 2022 summer movie season, which unofficially kicks off this weekend with the help of Marvel and Disneyโs โDoctor Strange and the Multitverse of Madnessโ and runs through the end of August.
'Nomadland' wins best picture at a social distanced Oscars
Chloรฉ Zhaoโs โNomadland,โ won best picture Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the China-born Zhao also became just the second woman โ and the first woman of color โ to win best director.
Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt join Oscars starry presenting cast
The Oscars are aiming to be more like a movie than a television show and enlisting A-list stars like Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon to help.
Churchill painting owned by Angelina Jolie sells for $11.5M
The Moroccan landscape painted by Winston Churchill and owned by Angelina Jolie sold at auction on Monday March 1, 2021, for more than $11.5 million, smashing the previous record for a work by Britains World War II leader. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)LONDON โ A Moroccan landscape painted by Winston Churchill and owned by Angelina Jolie sold at auction on Monday for more than $11.5 million, smashing the previous record for a work by Britainโs World War II leader. The pre-sale estimate was 1.5 million pounds to 2.5 million pounds, and the previous record price for a Churchill painting was just under 1.8 million pounds. Churchill gave the painting to Roosevelt as a memento of the trip. The painting was sold by the Jolie Family Collection.
In 'Minari,' harvesting an American dream
In Chungโs film, the watery basin throbs with significance โ a physical symbol of putting roots down, of Korean American harmony, of resiliency. The minari in โMinariโ was sowed by Chungโs father โ an almost impossibly poignant bit of set dressing in a film that blooms in the gap between generations. AdThe Golden Globes spawned a controversy by limiting โMinariโ (a deeply American film, with dirt in its fingers, and largely Korean dialogue) to its foreign-language film category. And perhaps most importantly, its honest and authentic rendering of an Asian American family, in an entertainment world so often reliant on stereotype, has resonated meaningfully for many. For me, whatโs incredible, taking a step back, weโre almost like their American dream come true,โ says Oh.
As 'Kimye' become Kim and Kanye, will it stay peaceful?
FILE - Kanye West, left, and Kim Kardashian attend the WSJ. Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, from Kanye West after 6 1/2 years of marriage. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ Initial signs suggest a smooth and amicable split between Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West. As โKimyeโ becomes just Kim and Kanye with Kardashian filing for divorce Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, they do so with a prenuptial agreement in place, independent fortunes and a desire to share time with their four young children. โThere's a lot of wiggle room in the space between joint custody," divorce attorney Reid Aronson said.
Former Trump casino where stars played goes out with a bang
The former Trump Plaza casino was imploded after falling into such disrepair that chunks of the building began peeling off and crashing to the ground. โI got chills,โ Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said. AdOpened in 1984, when Trump was a real estate developer in his pre-politics days, Trump Plaza was for a time the most successful casino in Atlantic City. AdBut things began to sour for Trump Plaza when Donald Trump opened the nearby Trump Taj Mahal in 1990, with crushing debt loads that led the company to pour most of its resources โ and cash โ into the shiny new hotel and casino. Trump Plaza was the last of four Atlantic City casinos to close in 2014, victims of an oversaturated casino market both in the New Jersey city and in the larger northeast.
Angelina Jolie sells painting Churchill gave as gift to FDR
(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON โ A painting by Winston Churchill that is a piece of both political and Hollywood history is coming up for auction. He painted it after the January 1943 Casablanca Conference, where Churchill and Roosevelt planned the defeat of Nazi Germany. He said Churchill captured the view in the โwonderful, evocative paintingโ and gave it to Roosevelt as a memento of the trip. AdThe painting is being sold by the Jolie Family Collection as part of Christieโs March 1 modern British art auction in London. โThe record price at auction for Churchill is about 1.8 million (pounds) for a painting that, in my view, is not as important as this,โ he said.
Pop Culture in (ugh) 2020, from the bizarre to the sublime
on Aug. 31, 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman in character as T'Challa in "Black Panther" and 10-year old twins Lenny, left, and Bobby Homes paying tribute to Boseman at their home in in Mesa, Ariz. on Aug. 31, 2020. (Takiyah Dupas, Marvel Studios, Annalie Homes via AP)And now, for our annual look at the year in pop cultureโฆ. Truth is, people turned to culture of all kinds in 2020 โ highbrow and lowbrow โ to satisfy varied and sometimes conflicting needs: Distraction, inspiration, consolation, escapism, hope. A Broadway star serenaded health workers from his apartment window, and ballet dancers performed โSwan Lakeโ from their bathtubs. The world mourns an actor of immense talent who, like many of his characters, radiated a regal sense of dignity.
Tarantino has deal for 2 books on films, including 1 his own
The Oscar-winning director has a two-book deal with Harper, beginning with a novelization of โOnce Upon a Time ... In Hollywoodโ was released in 2019 and stars Brad Pitt as a television actor and Leonardo DiCaprio as his stunt double. โIn the โ70s movie novelizations were the first adult books I grew up reading," Tarantino said in a statement Tuesday. โI see myself writing film books and starting to write theater, so Iโll still be creative. I just think Iโve given all I have to give to movies.โ_____AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
TV's 'Warrior' latest proof that Bruce Lee still holds sway
(Cinemax via AP)PHOENIX โ Even nearly 50 years after his death, Bruce Lee can still make ripples. Shannon Lee isnโt giving up on finding a new home for โWarrior,โ which will eventually be available on HBO Max. โI think heโs really getting his due as a creative โ someone who knows how to story-tell,โ Shannon Lee said. โItโs just little things that the writers put in there to pay homage to Bruce Lee without being a caricature, which I think is the danger zone whenever you get to the subject of Bruce Lee,โ Nguyen said. โHe believed in celebrating peopleโs cultures and backgrounds and not holding it against them,โ Shannon Lee said.
Venice reclaims spotlight as 1st COVID-era film fest opens
Festival attendees cycle in front of the main cinema ahead of the start of the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. The 77th edition of the worlds oldest film festival opening Wednesday looks nothing like its predecessors. Italys strict 10-week lockdown largely tamed the virus, but infections are now rebounding after summer vacations. Guests to the glamorous film festival are not exempt. Italian films are well represented, including the first Italian opening-night film in years, the out-of-competition family drama Lacci by Daniele Luchetti.
Stuntmen are increasingly Hollywood's go-to action directors
This image released by Netflix shows Chris Hemsworth, left, in a scene from "Extraction," premiering this week on Netflix. (Jasin Boland/Netflix via AP)Some of today's top action directors were first doubles for Brad Pitt, Neo and Wolverine. Hargrave is the latest in a lineage of stuntmen who have gone from stepping in for actors to directing them. It's a fairly recent career pathway thanks largely to the success of Chad Stahelski ("John Wick") and David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde"). They've been leaders in the field since founding the action design company 87Eleven in 1997.
In a win for the world, โParasiteโ takes best picture Oscar
LOS ANGELES โ Subtitle this: โParasiteโ is the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. Bong Joon Hoโs masterfully devious class satire took Hollywoodโs top prize at the Oscars on Sunday night, along with awards for best director, best international film and best screenplay. In winning best adapted screenplay for his Nazi satire โJojo Rabbit,โ the New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi became the first indigenous director ever to win an Oscar. โJokerโ composer Hildur Gudnadottir became only the third woman to ever win best original score. After a year in which women made significant gains behind the camera, no female directors were nominated for best director.
Brad Pitt wins first acting Oscar for 'Once Upon a Time'
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES, Calif. โ An emotional Brad Pitt won his first acting Oscar on Sunday night, claiming the supporting actor trophy for โOnce Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,โ while referencing his own storied run in the industry where he is among the most famous and revered. Pitt beat out an iconic group that included Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. In earlier speeches, Pitt joked about DiCaprio and director Quentin Tarantino, and via Robbie zinged Brexit and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from their royal roles in Britain. Pitt's ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, won a supporting-actress Oscar in 1999 โ years before she and Pitt got together. Pitt was the only man in the category who had never won an acting Oscar.
Hanks, Fonda and more stars amuse at Oscars rehearsals
(AP Photo/John Locher)LOS ANGELES, Calif. โ Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are standing on the Oscars stage performing some hilarious material for a few dozen people who are in stitches watching the two comedians. Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell are just a few of the stars who circulated in and out of the Dolby Theatre to rehearse Saturday, including Tom Hanks, Salma Hayek, Jane Fonda and Mahershala Ali. But the stars werenโt always confined to the stage, especially if they arrived a little early. Makeup artists Antonio Rael has been standing in for big stars for 34 years. Rael was talking about the stand-ins but that doesnโt mean some of the stars arenโt anxious as well.
Screen Actors Guild Awards could offer Oscars preview
FILE - This Jan. 15, 2019 file photo shows finished Actor statuettes displayed during the 25th Annual Casting of the Screen Actors Guild Awards at American Fine Arts Foundry in Burbank, Calif. The 26th Annual SAG Awards will held on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
'Parasite,' 'Jojo Rabbit' get a boost in SAG nominations
This image released by Netflix shows Scarlett Johansson, left, and Adam Driver in "Marriage Story." On Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, Johansson was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture drama for her role in the film. (Netflix via AP)
'Parasite,' 'Bombshell' get a boost in SAG nominations
The SAG Awards are one of the most closely watched Academy Awards bellwethers because, historically, a best ensemble nomination from the actors is usually a prerequisite for any best-picture contender's resume. Notably missing out on the best ensemble nomination was Noah Baumbach's divorce drama โMarriage Story," which on Monday led the Golden Globe nominations with six nods. Johansson was nominated in that category, as well, for her performance in โJojo Rabbit.โRecently, a SAG ensemble nomination hasn't been quite as vital for a best-picture winner at the Oscars. Nothing got more of a boost from the actors guild than โBombshell,โ which tied โThe Irishmanโ and โOnce Upon a Time ... in Hollywoodโ with a co-leading four nominations. In best drama series ensemble, the actors nominated the casts of โBig Little Lies,โ โThe Crown," โGame of Thrones," โThe Handmaid's Taleโ and โStranger Things."