23 Jul 2014

John Travolta's pilot to tell all about 'personal, intimate' relationship

Aside from his many iconic movie roles, John Travolta is known as a qualified airline captain who pilots passenger jets dressed in full uniform and sporting an "Aw shucks" grin worthy of Chuck Yeager.

But less well-documented is the Grease star's lengthy battle to silence a former pilot who worked for his aviation company, who alleges that their relationship went beyond the professional.

This week, Douglas Gotterba - who is trying to disclose what are described in court documents as details of "his personal and intimate relationship" with the star of Pulp Fiction and Saturday Night Fever - won the right to argue in a lawsuit that he holds no duty of confidentiality to the star and should be allowed to sue to speak openly about his relationship with the 60-year-old Travolta.

SM Entertainment has released an official statement confirming they will debut a new girl group next month!

The agency told media outlets, "The new girl group is planning for a debut in August. We will reveal the exact date, concept, and such details at a later time... It is a new girl group that SM Entertainment has [sic] put out in a while, so please look forward to them." (AllKpop)

The girl group will consist of 4 girls; 3 we know of already from their pre-debut as SM Rookies: Seul gi, Irene, and Wendy. There is also 1 more mystery member that is yet to be revealed but said to have a resemblance to actress Kim Yoo Jung.

The group would be the agency's 1st girl group to debut following f(x)'s back in 2009.

Sales at local businesses are often affected by the weather, but never more so than those participating in the annual Northampton Sidewalk Sales, which runs July 24-27.

So far, this summer has been a dream as far as weather, with temperatures remaining warm but not blistering hot, and rain coming largely at night. Sidewalk sale organizers are hoping those rainless days remain.

"The last piece of the equation is, of course, the weather," said Jaz Tupelo of the Northampton Business Improvement District. "So far it's looking good, so let's all keep our fingers crossed for blue skies and no rain."

Although there are few organized family-friendly events in St. Tammany Parish this weekend, the following list may help satiate any need for last-minute entertainment before the back-to-school rush begins. Here's our roundup of all-ages activities on the north shore for the weekend of July 25-27:

Adults can sit back in a folding chair while the kiddos try their hand at reeling in a big one at Fairview-Riverside State Park in Madisonville, which will host Bait-N-Wait, a fishing derby for kids aged 15 and under, on July 26 from 8 a.m. until noon. Young anglers can bring bait, rod and reel and try to win a prize in the casting competition or weigh-in. For the youngest children -- ages 5 and under -- there will also be fish print-making and fishing for magnetic fish in a swimming pool. Pre-registration is encouraged by calling 985.792.4652.

LOCALLY

Barnes & Noble – Round Rock
The bookstore hosts its DC Comics Spectacular July 23-27, with giveaways and activities. Local artist Scott Sutton will provide a superhero drawing demonstration at 11 a.m. July 26 and Austin American-Statesman editor/writer Joe Gross will lead a “Talking Pop Culture” discussion at 5 p.m. that day. The event is free and open to the public.

Author Donna Scarbrough Josey, author of “Georgetown, Texas (Then and Now Series),” will sign copies of her book at 2 p.m. July 26. The event is free and open to the public.

The bookstore will host “Frozen Friday” on Aug. 1, with crafts and activities with Olaf from the movie “Frozen.” Activities begin at 5 p.m.

Motley Two Rivers Music Fest scheduled
MOTLEY - The eighth annual Two Rivers Music Fest and Craft Fair will be held Friday and Saturday at the Fairgrounds in Motley.

The free two-day event was established to provide an annual family entertainment event through music that will range from bluegrass, country, gospel, variety and old-time; arts and crafts; and fireworks. It's a free event and spectators should bring their own lawn chairs.

The festival begins at 4 p.m. with a pie and ice cream social at United Methodist Church.

Saturday's event begins at 7 a.m. with a pancake, sausage and egg breakfast, sponsored by Motley's Fire Department. A parade commences at 11 a.m. At noon, the grounds open with food and beverage vendors. The Kiddie Land will run from noon to 4 p.m. and is open for youth of all ages. The 34th Division Marching Band will perform.

» Ledge View Nature Center in Chilton continues to offer its cave tours. By reservation, tour Carolyn’s Cave at 1 p.m. July 27 or 31. Take a naturalist-guided tour and learn the geology, biology and human history of natural caves. Opportunities for exploring are provided. It is a half-mile walk to the caves — accessed via stairs and ladders. Floors are dirty and uneven, may be puddled or muddy. Flashlights are helpful. Wear layers and plan on getting dirty if you want to explore. Minors must be accompanied by supervising adult. Recommended minimum age is 5 years old with parent. Tour lasts about two hours. No access to caves except on guided tour. $6 per person. Call 920-849-7094 for reservations.

After 30 years making people laugh with his parodies, Weird Al Yankovic is finally at the top of his game.

The comedian’s latest album Mandatory Fun—his fourteenth traditional studio record—has just been announced as the new number one album in the country for the week ending July 20. Billboard confirmed the good news earlier today after a week or so of speculation about who would claim the top spot.

The album, his last with RCA Records according to his current contract, managed to sell 104,000 copies—much higher than industry forecasters originally guessed. Going into the week of the release, Weird Al and singer-songwriter Jason Mraz were pitted against one another, with both expected to sell somewhere near 70,000 copies of their new albums. Mraz collects his second consecutive runner-up album with Yes!

See how you can check out Ireland's fastest comedy show for nothing as Comedy Festival rolls around

There was a lot of horse play today as Dublin prepared for the Vodafone Comedy Festival.

Brian Quinn and the BQ Trio held one off performances at the Vodafone Superfast 4G Comedy lunchtime show in an intimate four-seater Victorian Style Theatre inside a Horsebox - it was all very surreal.

Writing for Vulture last week, critic Margaret Lyons called for a new era in romantic comedy that plays out on the small screen.

“TV has a long, proud history of will-they-or-won’t-they relationships, and it’s easy to imagine a new wave of that as just when-will-they,” she wrote. “There are lots of kinds of love stories. It’s just a matter of shifting the focus: Instead of a lawyer show where characters happen to fall in love, it’s a love show where characters happen to be lawyers. We have so many lawyer shows. Can’t one of them be this?”

But I think at least part of the future Lyons dreams about has already arrived. A group of showrunners for Fox’s comedies said at a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour on Sunday that the decline of movie romantic comedies had left a lot of territory for them to work with.

“My parents hate me slash don’t trust me, so they sent me to boarding school 15 minutes from my house,” LizaBanks Campagna deadpans on stage at Science Club’s open mic night.

Her parents have to trust her, though. She is an unsupervised teenager at a bar in Dupont Circle doing a stand-up comedy set. If she had a curfew, she would be breaking it.

For more than a year, 14-year-old LizaBanks has been a regular at open mike nights in Washington and Virginia. She estimates that she’s done stand up between 40 and 60 times. She performs so often that her boarding school, Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., allows her to count her off-campus comedy trips as an extracurricular activity, like soccer or lacrosse. The arrangement lets her leave campus almost every weekend to venture into D.C. and tell jokes. (LizaBanks has been telling audiences she’s 15 for several months to be taken more seriously on stage, but her fifteenth birthday isn’t until August.)

A chocolate finger named Roy, a manta ray called Tony and a cafe on a volcano... Jeananne Craig enters the weird and wonderful world of Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy and finds out why the Mighty Boosh star is in "a happier place".

Noel Fielding and his pals may hang out in a coffee shop in the new series of his E4 show Luxury Comedy, but it's about as far removed from sitcoms like Friends as you can imagine.

For starters, the funny man's cafe is perched on the edge of a volcano in Hawaii, half the action comes in the form of animated cartoons, and his gang includes a reincarnated Andy Warhol and a part-man, part-anteater named Smooth.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival kicks off in less than a fortnight with nearly 60,000 performances expected to take place. There is bound to be something for everybody, with plenty of stand-up, sketch comedy and improv being performed from 1 to 25 August in everything from big theatres and pubs to a double decker bus and a garden shed. With so many acts to choose from, here are some of the critics' top recommendations for comedy at the Fringe:

What Does the Title Matter Anyway?

Fans of the radio and television show Whose Line is it Anyway? are bound to enjoy this stage revival, hosted by Clive Anderson. Original cast members Josie Lawrence, Greg Proops and Richard Vranch are also expected to take part in the popular improv games, such as Stand up, Sit down and Lie down, Hoe-down and Props.

BUCKS COUNTY

Bucks County Comedy Cabaret: Jay Black, Larry X L, Dom Lepore 9 p.m. Saturday, $20. Atop Poco's, 625 N. Main St., Doylestown. 215-345-5653.

Comedy Works: Matt Faison, Gary Ewing, Brian Jenkins, 7 p.m. Friday (dinner and show), $37.50; 9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, $15 show only. Georgine's Restaurant, 1320 Newport Road, Bristol Township. Reserve 215-741-1661.

Parx Casino: Joe Conklin's Comedy Night w/ Shuli Egar, "Mad Dog" Mattern and Stephen Rindaldi 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. 360 Lounge, 2999 Street Road, Bensalem. $20. 888-588-7279.

Leeds-born Josie told her Twitter followers she was due to appear on the Channel 5 reality show instead

Benefits Street star White Dee has apparently missed out on a £100,000 Celebrity Big Brother pay-day - after NHS boob job mum Josie Cunningham pinched her slot on the show.

Leeds-born Josie told her 24,000 Twitter followers she was due to appear on the Channel 5 reality show instead of the loud-mouthed Birmingham mum.

Captain Kirk got in a fight with the Internet on Tuesday. It started with a Tumblr post in which William Shatner set his criticism of Facebook’s new celebrity app to “kill.” Facebook Mentions was released last week as a way for “actors, athletes, musicians and other influencers” to interact with fans. Overall, Shatner praised Facebook, but he found the new app to be “ill conceived” — especially when it tried to make him follow a “Star Trek” celebrity with whom he has had a long-standing feud.

“The first person on the list I was given was George Takei (rolling my eyes.) I ended up choosing Robert Downey Jr. to follow and then I hid his posts (sorry Robert!) I think that is a big flaw in the set up. If this app is for celebrities then WHY force them to follow another celebrity in order to set up this app?”

(CNN) -- Are stars just like us? It doesn't feel that way when gazing at some celebrity's multimillion-dollar estate through the window of a star-map tour bus.

But thanks to the rise of peer-to-peer vacation rental sites, staying in a legend's current or former home is now sometimes just a click away. These properties offer travelers the chance to live vicariously—and, sure, lavishly. Staying in a house with ties to big names like actor Denzel Washington, rock star Jim Morrison, or celebrity cook Paula Deen also comes with vacation-rental perks like private pools, gourmet kitchens, and ample square footage.

Some celebrities keep their rentals on the market year round, while others are getting savvy about choosing when to seize the moment. In June, timed to the World Cup, soccer star Ronaldinho rented out his Rio de Janeiro mansion for $15,000 on Airbnb.com and touted it on Facebook. Musician Kevin Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers) made headlines earlier in 2014 when he put up his New Jersey home for rent during Super Bowl XLVIII.

The boy who lived becomes the boy who thrived.

Daniel Radcliffe, known best for portraying Harry Potter in the eight part film franchise, turns 24 today.

Here are some interesting things you might not have known about the young wizard:

An inquest into the death of Peaches Geldof has heard she was a heroin addict who had been taking the substitute drug methadone in the two-and-a-half years before her death.

The inquest began on Wednesday and has been held to shed light on whether Geldof's death was an accident.

The 25-year-old celebrity was found at her home by her husband, Thomas Cohen, on April 7 this year. A prelimary inquest into her death ruled that heroin use was a factor.

Kanye West has served up some gloriously bizarre remarks in an interview for GQ magazine's August cover.

One of the more alarming revelations was his comparison of the troubles facing modern celebrities to the injustices suffered by African-Americans during the fight for civil rights in the US in the 1960s.

West said when he married reality-TV star Kim Kardashian in Florence in May he turned his wedding toast into an impassioned plea for the rights of the famous.

You never know what to expect from the rich and famous - so here's some photos of what they've been up to

Not a day goes by when we're not treated to the weird and wonderful world of showbiz.

Today we've had Myleene Klass preparing for a water balloon attack and Nick Grimshaw taking a, erm ...papaya selfie.

That must be a first.

SANT’AGATA DE’ GOTI, Italy — Mayor Bill de Blasio was leaving the cemetery in this picturesque hillside town, where his grandfather was born and his ancestors are buried, when an elderly Italian woman standing nearby made the sign of the cross.

A boy beside her tugged at the woman’s sleeve.

“Grandma,” the boy whispered in Italian. “He’s not Jesus Christ.”

But on a day when an entire village halted for an elaborate ceremony in Mr. de Blasio’s honor — when hundreds of Italians lined the streets for a glimpse of their exalted visitor, and billboard-size posters of the mayor’s likeness were festooned on ancient walls — it was easy to see how someone could make the mistake.

Here's What Would Happen If Celebrity Media Focused On Discussing Poverty Instead

Move over, Kim Kardashian. Poverty is ready for its close-up.

In a provocative campaign that pokes fun at our culture's obsession with celebrities, WoodGreen Community Services in Canada places struggling single mothers on the covers of glossy magazine mock-ups. The standard tabloid teases are replaced with headlines such as "Tanya Tries To Avoid Eviction" and "25 Things She Can't Afford."

But the best skewering is aimed at TV's gossip shows. A spot-on parody (watch above) makes the same women the subjects of two chirping hosts. No reality stars or spoiled singers in this segment.

Children on the west side of Washington, me included, grew up in the 1950s-’70s with a plethora of Seattle-Tacoma-area kids’ shows with such personalities as Julius Pierpont “J.P.” Patches, whose fans were Patches Pals, Buttons and his Buddies, Captain Puget, King’s Clubhouse with Stan Boreson and bassets No Mo Shun and Tallulah, Brakeman Bill’s Cartoons and Crazy Donkey, Romper Room, Ranger Charlie’s Kids Club, Sheriff Shot Badly, Sheriff Tex, Penny & Her Pals, Captain Sea-Tac, Flash Blaidon and Wunda Wunda.

Some of these program hosts told kids’ stories, others welcomed kids in the studio and on camera, told jokes, offered skits with other actors on their show, or talked with their puppets and showed cartoons. Think Soupy Sales, Capt. Kangaroo and Bozo the Clown nationally.

(Reuters) - The TV Format Fund aims to capitalize on the recent success of Israeli television shows such as spy thriller "Homeland" in Hollywood by investing in new formats created in Israel and selling them abroad.

Founded six months ago by Alon Dolev and the Rubicon Business Group, the fund plans to invest $55 million, hoping to do for Israel's small but active entertainment sector what venture capital funds have done for its high-tech industry.

"Why does the high-tech industry work so well and the creative industry is bleeding money? In Israel, when you have an idea for a television show you have very few options for funding," Dolev, the fund's chief executive, told Reuters.

New Zealand's warrior princess is to join the cast of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

TV Guide today reported Lucy Lawless, the former Xena: Warrior Princess star, will be joining the US television series for its second season airing in September.

Marvel was remaining tight-lipped about the actress's role, and how many episodes she'll appear in, the Huffington Post reported.

The escalating conflict in Gaza has forced two US television dramas to shift production out of the region.

The US drama series Dig, described as a "murder mystery which unearths a 2000 year old conspiracy", is moving to Albuquerque in the US state of New Mexico.

Another series, Tyrant, about the family of a Middle Eastern dictator, has already confirmed it has shifted production to Turkey.

As fresh as last week's leftovers, NBC's Adam Richman-hosted show is the TV dinner of culinary competitions.

As fresh as last week’s leftovers, NBC’s “Food Fighters” is the TV dinner of culinary competitions. Featuring elements recycled from so many similar shows, most of them on cable, the eight-episode summer series might as well be dubbed “IronMasterTop Chef Chopped Throwdown.” That may not have mattered if the folksy appeal of the premise — home cooks challenge professional chefs — weren’t lost in a muddled whirl of fast-paced, low-impact execution. It was originally ordered and shot more than a year ago, and network expectations can’t be too high for a show that’s all filler and somehow never filling.

Model Kendall Jenner reportedly wants to quit reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

The 18-year-old reportedly has been advised that the show could be damaging to her modelling career, which is so far going well, reports contactmusic.com.

Also read: Kim Kardashian fears sis Kendall Jenner might upstage her on her wedding

Playlists will now be available on Spotify for music that plays during shows that air on MTV, VH1, and country music channel CMT. Basically, this means you no longer have to hunt for a song you liked while watching an episode on TV, which is kind of useful.

This is also something that the CW has done in the past — listing tracks for music either at the end of a program or via a website. For the Viacom cable channels, it could mean more money from record labels that want to promote the latest tracks from hot artists. The Spotify partnership works well considering the large number of songs in the streaming music service’s library.

I used to think that TV was in a slow death spiral. Now I think its best days are yet to come.

Here's why:

MORE COMPLEX DRAMAS

The new ways of consuming TV on demand and via the internet mean we can have richer, denser, more complex dramas.

When TV channel controllers decided what we got to watch and when we got to watch it, they would typically schedule shows once a week.

For kids in school, summer is typically spent catching up on reading lists and assigned homework between hours spent at the swimming pool and with friends at summer camp (not necessarily in that order). But many professionals working in the entertainment industry—whether as producers, journalists, actors, or producers—spent this summer learning about Latino moviegoers. (That’s largely thanks to an exclusive series on Hispanic film consumers published at TheWrap.)

From the growing importance of Hispanic females at the box office to the expanding movie preferences of Latino film fans, here are a few essential—takeaways about Hispanics that got Hollywood’s attention this summer.

This week, I caught a sneak peek of the X-Wing fighter from the new “Star Wars” films in production. The forthcoming movies — and the middling response to the most recent trilogy — provide a perfect excuse to examine some questions I’ve long wanted answers to: How many people are “Star Wars” fans? Does the rest of America realize that “The Empire Strikes Back” is clearly the best of the bunch? Which characters are most well-liked and most hated? And who shot first, Han Solo or Greedo?

We ran a poll through SurveyMonkey Audience, surveying 1,186 respondents from June 3 to 6 (the data is available on GitHub). Seventy-nine percent of those respondents said they had watched at least one of the “Star Wars” films. This question, incidentally, had a substantial difference by gender: 85 percent of men have seen at least one “Star Wars” film compared to 72 percent of women. Of people who have seen a film, men were also more likely to consider themselves a fan of the franchise: 72 percent of men compared to 60 percent of women.

There's something disarming about a little kid swearing. It's shocking and delightful at the same time, even though it's not supposed to be encouraged. That's real life, though. This supercut of children cursing in movies, however, can be enjoyed without guilt. Embrace the profanity, especially "bunghole."

An interview with director Richard Linklater, who filmed “Boyhood” over a period of 12 years.
Filmed over a period of 12 years, Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” shows a Texas family literally growing up on camera, as their precocious child, Mason, navigates the perils of first grade through high school.

I see good movies all the time that I end up forgetting completely. I know this from experience, having, on a few occasions, watched a movie for a second time, thinking it was the first, only to discover, on researching it, that I’d not only seen it but reviewed it a few years before.

I had to stop using the word “unforgettable” — or at least, I had to stop using it liberally — when I re-read some old articles and realized that I’d forgotten lots of unforgettable scenes.

TORONTO - The 39th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has chosen its closing night gala, along with 59 other feature films that were officially announced on Tuesday, but there is still no opening night gala to brag about.

That was the surprise twist as TIFF co-directors Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey unveiled an impressive slate of high-profile pictures for its gala and special presentations programs from Sept. 4 through 14. The star-studded titles include Canadian icon David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars, his Hollywood satire that triumphed at Cannes with Julianne Moore winning as best actress.

The Young Hollywood Awards are right around the corner on July 28, and all of our favorite young stars are set to attend — including Ansel Elgort, Bella Thorne, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and many, many more!

The annual Young Hollywood Awards is one of the most exciting shows of the season and one of the few that really showcases up-and-coming talent. This year, all of the biggest and brightest young stars in music, movie and television will be coming together for one amazing night! HollywoodLifers, are YOU excited to see all your favorites in one place?

Explosions rocked the Hollywood Bowl early. Fireballs during Mötley Crüe's "Saints of Los Angeles," the opening song of the metal band's farewell tour, pushed heat into the cheap seats.

But bombast was required. Not half an hour earlier Alice Cooper had been guillotined on that storied stage, his head landing in a basket that sexy zombie nurses then waved before the crowd like a trophy. There was fake blood everywhere. How do you follow that on a Monday night?

Through 90 minutes of flash and zing, along with any number of the Crüe's power metal hooks and recognizable licks, its snapshot verses and scream-along choruses. Also useful are big bangs, fog bombs, sparkle showers, Roman candles, solos and wails and lots of songs about girls, girls and girls.

(CNN) -- Robert Downey Jr. is once again the most highly paid actor in Hollywood, according to Forbes magazine.

The publication, which regularly ranks who's making top dollar, estimates that Downey earned roughly $75 million between June 2013 and June 2014, putting him at the top of its highest-paid actors list for the second year in a row.

Forbes calculated that Downey earned $75 million in 2013 as well.

The mystery grows over President Obama's visit to Hollywood Wednesday ... which we've learned has now been officially cancelled.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD brass notified its Hollywood division an hour ago ... they got a call from the Secret Service saying Obama would no longer be coming to Hollywood ... although he is coming to L.A.

Though known best for crawfish, hurricanes and Mardi Gras, Louisiana is California’s newest film industry rival.

Currently, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are fighting crime with a Pelican State backdrop in 22 Jump Street. You may have watched Anna Kendrick sing her way through Baton Rouge in Pitch Perfect and soon in its sequel. True Detective took us through the bayous, while Treme showcased the ins and outs of the nation’s most eclectic city, the one also serving as setting for the new NCIS: New Orleans.

See also: 8 Top Apps and Services for Streaming Your Favorite Movies

Chris Pratt looked as though he had undergone a complete Hollywood transformation as he attended the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy in Hollywood last night (July 21).

The 35-year-old star, sporting a new spiky hairdo, was looking bronzed and groomed on the red carpet for the Marvel movie, in which he plays the lead role of Star-Lord.

We take a look at the ever-changing Chris Pratt over the years below:

A fresh-faced, curly-haired Chris Pratt attends AMC & Movieline's Hollywood Life Magazine's Young Hollywood Awards in LA back in 2002.

The adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1973 film hails from writers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and exec producers J.J. Abrams and Jerry Weintraub and has now been officially picked up to pilot.

Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood are heading West for HBO and J.J. Abrams.

The Silence of the Lambs Oscar winner has been tapped to star in the premium cable network's Abrams-produced Westworld adaptation, which has been formally picked up to pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, with Wood set to co-star.

Australia’s own Chris Hemsworth has made the rich list of Hollywood’s top ten highest paid actors today - coming in at number five on the Forbes rich list of Hollywood's highest paid actors, having earned US $37 million in the past financial year.

Chris Pratt, left, and Zoe Saldana pose at the panel for their film Guardians of the Galaxy on Day 4 of Comic-Con International, Saturday, July 20, 2013, in San Diego.

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