5 Aug 2014

Kevin Colbert’s Top 5 Sports Movies Of All-Time

We’ve all done it.

As a sports fan, how many times have you retold a game story and used the phrase, “You couldn’t script a better ending if you tried?”

Well, the simple fact of the matter is that Hollywood does try.

No matter what your favorite sport is, there are probably several timeless classics about it.

On the heels of Kodak’s decision to continue its production of film stock after finalizing a deal with major Hollywood studios just last week, the venerable Martin Scorsese issued a heartfelt statement in support of the move, writing: “This news is a positive step towards preserving film, the art form we love.”

As the Chair of The Film Foundation, Scorsese recognizes the advantages of HD and the realities of modern movie-making while still enthusiastically embracing the importance of film, not only as a “building block” of the art form but also as something that continues to inform the current aesthetics of movies. “Film is still the best and only time-proven way to preserve movies,” he writes. “We have no assurance that digital informaton (sic) will last, but we know that film will, if properly stored and cared for.”

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directors Joe and Anthony Russo bring Marvel’s patriotic do-gooder into the modern age. The DVD/Blu-ray of the blockbuster sequel goes on sale Sept. 9 and Yahoo Movies has an exclusive preview of one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes above — this one about Cap’s evolving fighting style. We also spoke to the brother directing team about their upcoming TV gig and the question everybody wants an answer to: What do they have planned for Captain America 3?

Marvel has another critical and box office mega-hit on its hands with Guardians of the Galaxy. Yet for all the super-powered action, witty banter, and MacGuffin chasing we’ve come to expect, there’s one aspect of Marvel’s storytelling that saps a little more suspense with each passing film: The studio’s signature move of killing off that beloved character and then—volia!—bringing him right back to life.

Each big death is accompanied by all the appropriate bombast and grief. But then—usually before the credits of the same film—the character is resurrected by magic-science. The rules feel pretty clear: Major heroes are safe, while the big bad and minor heroes are potentially expendable. Some recent examples (spoilers, of course):

It's barely a spoiler (although it is one, so watch out) for me to tell you what happened at the end of Marvel's latest hit Guardians of the Galaxy, because it's a third act you've probably seen before. Our heroes chase after the evil Ronan (Lee Pace) once he gets his hand on an infinity gem, because he's going to use it to blow up a planet. They stop him, the gem is secured, and put in a safe location. Does this sound familiar? Maybe that's because almost the exact same scenario played out in The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World, which also revolved around the all-powerful ingots, which when united will play some larger role in a future Marvel movie, maybe Avengers 3.

The weekend is made possible by the Cleveland Foundation as one of its centennial gifts to the community

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Foundation today announced its August centennial gift to the community -- Cleveland Foundation Weekend at Cinema at the Square -- which recognizes the key role the foundation has played in saving and sustaining Playhouse Square.

Film production, which generates billions of dollars in spending and employs tens of thousands statewide, has gained a firm foothold in the Hudson Valley.

With it's beautiful scenery, strong creative spirit and closeness to New York City, the mid-Hudson Valley has long drawn artists to the region. In the last decade, the mid-Hudson Valley has been attracting more and more film and television crews, as well. From Academy Award-winning directors and actors to filmmakers looking to depict East Texas, the region has become a magnet for movies, television shows and documentaries.

New USC report finds that Latinos are most under-represented in films, despite buying 25% of all movie tickets

Hollywood is failing to adequately depict the increasing ethnic diversity of the US on the big screen, according to a new study. Latinos are the most under-represented, with African Americans also sparsely depicted, though the latter group is slowly gaining more screen time.

A familiar issue for many businesses these days is a scarcity of top talent.

Chinese film studio Light Chaser Animation has taken an unusual approach to help to solve this problem - it bought a robot.

The device is a "telepresence robot", which it acquired from California-based Double Robotics. It consists of a battery-powered mobile platform to which an iPad is attached.

Two heavyweight boxers decided to go a few rounds in Hollywood, Florida, the other day. Unfortunately, the incident occurred in a restaurant instead of a ring.

The bizarre incident occurred at Mama Mia Italian Ristorante in Hollywood, where Wladimir Klitschko was enjoying a quiet lunch.

Apparently, Shannon Briggs barged in and started eating the heavyweight champ's food, saying, "What you do, I do, champ."

See also: Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko Spotted at Hollywood's Taco Beach Shack

The Gravity star's $51 million earnings put her at top of Forbes list
Sandra Bullock is Hollywood's highest paid actress of 2014, with earnings of $51 million (£30 million), according to Forbes. The Forbes list covers a time period of June 2013 to June 2014.

Last year, Angelina Jolie was in the top spot, with Bullock in 7th place, with her yearly pay listed as $14 million. But, thanks in large part to her role in Alfonso Cuarón's sci-fi thriller Gravity, the size of the actress's pay cheque has more than tripled in the past year. Gravity, for which Bullock received a Best Actress nomination, took $716 million at the worldwide box-office. The 50-year-old actress's other recent film, The Heat, in which she starred alongside Melissa McCarthy, was also relatively successful, with box-office takings of $230 million.

Artists voicing solidarity for Palestinians trigger backlash from industry heavyweights in a town with strong Israel connections

It is perhaps the last taboo in Hollywood but the carnage in Gaza is prompting an increasing number of artists and celebrities to do the unthinkable: criticise Israel.

Figures as varied as Rihanna, Jonathan Demme and Selena Gomez have broken the cardinal rule, and risked giving their publicists cardiac arrest, by publicly expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.

An adult and two children were in grave condition Monday after being pulled from a motel pool in Hollywood, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said.

Paramedics rushed the three victims to the hospital after they responded to a drowning call at the Hollywood Premiere Motel in the 5300 block of Hollywood Boulevard.

University of Southern California’s Annenberg school finds Latina women have highest percentage of nude scenes on film and no significant change since 2007 in the number of non-white actors in top films.
Hollywood has been on a five-year siesta when it comes to casting more Hispanic actors and actresses in major films, a new study found.

Overall, Hispanic actors accounted for only 4.9% of speaking roles in the top 100 grossing movies of 2013, the survey by the University of Southern California's Annenberg school said.

Blake Lively joined Twitter! Well, just for one day at least.

The gorgeous Blake took over Vogue's Twitter account to do an exclusive Q&A with fans. During the Twitter session, Blake revealed some very personal details about her life. Blake dished on whether she would do another movie with husband Ryan Reynolds and how she feels about Gossip Girl. Plus, Blake talked about how it felt when she was asked to be in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Run" video! Let's just say, she was pretty happy about it!

Swansea City are believed to be ready to talk terms on a potential deal for Liverpool FC target Wilried Bony, according to the Daily Mirror .

Bony thought to have a £19m release clause in his contract but the Swans are said to be ready to relax that clause in order for the Ivorian to leave the club.

PLUS: Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen tries to force through move to United, while Spurs close in on deal for Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio

The summer transfer window is open, and agents and club representatives are plotting their next moves.

Get the latest transfer news, gossip and rumours from the Daily Mirror and plenty more newspapers and websites below.

TUESDAY, 5 AUGUST

A Red Bull F1 car burst into flames during an exhibition run in Chelyabinsk. English driver Alex Lynn emerged unscathed from the car, which was Sebastian Vettel's during his 2011 title victory. Daily Mail

French driver Jules Bianchi has not ruled out leaving Marussia and racing for Ferrari in the 2015 season. Motorsport.com

MONDAY, 4 AUGUST

TRANSFER GOSSIP

QPR are set to offer France striker Loic Remy, 27, a new contract in an effort to persuade him to stay following the collapse of his move to Liverpool. London Evening Standard
Tottenham are in talks with Villarreal over a deal for £17m-rated Argentina defender Mateo Musacchio, 23. Sky Sports
Atletico Madrid are ready to make a £25m bid to sign Mexico striker Javier Hernandez, 26, and Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa, 25, from Manchester United. Guardian

We've been selecting the best entertainment photography of the month every month, and this month is no exception. Why would it be? We don’t take the summer off. Crime never sleeps, and entertainment photographs never stop getting taken.

New Delhi: Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha along with rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh will attend the premiere of the forthcoming film "Entertainment" in London Aug 8.

The Wave World Kabaddi League (Wave WKL), the first international Kabaddi league, will host the premiere of the Tips Entertainment movie at Imax Cinema on the eve of the extravaganza`s inauguration.

The event will also see the presence of actress Tamannaah Bhatia among other officials.

A bicycle used by Pippa Middleton to ride 805km through the United States is being auctioned for charity.

The signed 2500 ($4950) custom-made Dassi Aero 6.2 road bike, which the Duchess of Cambridge's sister rode to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, is for sale on the charity's eBay site.

Miss Middleton, a BHF ambassador, has raised US$20,000 ($23,480) in donations after taking part in the 4828km relay Race Across America.

Jimmy Fallon went for a (fairy-tale) classic when Helen Mirren visited "The Tonight Show" on Monday. The comedian reached into his "Late Night" vault from 2012 for a new edition of "Mirren, Mirren" with the award-winning actress.

While dressed as a prince and talking in a silly falsetto, Fallon asked the actress' magic mirror some seriously deep questions, including her thoughts on "Fifty Shades of Grey." "Whips and chains are not my style, but who doesn't like a jolly good spanking once in a while?" the actress/magic mirror replied saucily.

U.S. consumer spending in the first half of the year was essentially flat with last year, but the shift toward digital distribution is becoming increasingly pronounced.

Numbers released this morning by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group show a robust second quarter, in which total consumer spending on home entertainment rose 2%, making up virtually the entire 3.2% deficit from the first quarter.

Total home entertainment spending for the first six months of 2014 came in at an estimated $8.58 billion, down less than 1% from the $8.65 billion consumers spent in the first half of 2013.

The guests were gathered, the bride and groom were waiting, and then the two men sharing 'best man' duties lost their speech - it could have been disastrous, but not when your stash of secret weapons includes a tank. That's just a recipe for a viral wedding video ...

The exploits of Ronan O'Dornan and Damien Gallagher have been viewed by thousands around the world since being uploaded to YouTube less than a week ago.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — If you're downtown the week of Aug. 10, you'll notice thousands of people gathering at Mall C across from the new Cleveland Convention Center.

The area is being called Festival Village and is serving as the free entertainment and social hub for the 2014 Gay Games from Aug. 10-15.

Following Gay Games competitions, people will gather at Mall C to celebrate, visit sponsors, enjoy food from local vendors and listen to artists.

Sandra Bullock has been named Hollywood's highest-earning actress.

The 50-year-old beauty has topped Forbes' annual ranking of the highest paid female movie stars after making a reported US$51 million between June 2013 and June 2014, which was largely due to her leading role in the Oscar-winning movie Gravity.

Jennifer Lawrence climbed into second place with an estimated $34 million thanks to her successful role in the Hunger Games franchise, while Jennifer Aniston followed closely behind with a reported $31 million.

Her ivory-tickling fingers have undoubtedly got the rhythm, but Delta Goodrem's been busting "unrhythmic" dance moves according to Marlon Wayans.

The American comedian has dissed the Australian songstress in a humorous Instagram selfie he took while apparently trying to enjoy a Beyonce and Jay Z concert during their The Run tour in Los Angeles.

The snap, which has gone viral, shows Wayans with his eyes awkwardly raised as he watches a seemingly oblivious Goodrem groove along to the music.

Comedy Central has set fall premiere dates for its returning series. Daniel Tosh is back with new episodes of Tosh. O on August 26 at 10 PM; Season 2 of Adam Devine’s House Party premieres Tuesday, September 9 at 10:30 PM and will move to its regular time slot on Thursday, September 11 at 12:30 AM.

Chris Hardwick, who is super-into lots of different things, had to focus. He is on the lineup for Funny or Die's Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival on Friday in Tampa, slinging jokes with Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari, Marc Maron and more. They're his friends, he said. It will be like "comedy camp." But this event takes the kind of focus that runs counter to Chris Hardwick's blanketlike brand. He'll be on the same stage where Bruce Springsteen performed, in an arena that holds 20,000. He can't ruminate topic to topic. He can't nerd out with the audience. He has to speak more slowly, enunciating to the back row. "Comedy is typically a pretty intimate experience and so the energy, the stuff you can do in an arena is different than the stuff you can do in a comedy club," said Hardwick, who called to talk about the show. His set must cut to the quick of who he is. And who is Chris Hardwick?

ITV2 has signed up one of Vine’s most popular comedians to star in his own series about pulling birds. Get ready for some top, top bantz

Who is Dapper Laughs? If you don’t know, you’re missing out and are probably a virgin or something, because Dapper – the performing name of south Londoner Daniel O’Reilly – is a sensation on six-second-video network Vine, where he has more than half a million followers. Dapper Laughs is a “pulling magnet” and a massive, massive ledge who likes birds.

Some of the biggest names in comedy are heading for Hull as the city's theatres unveil their new season schedules.

TV stars including Ross Noble, Noel Fielding, Jimmy Carr and Jon Richardson are among those who are leading the comedic charge to Hull, as the nation's funnymen – and women – take to the road after launching their latest shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Veteran Cornish funnyman Jethro will kick things off at Hull City Hall on Wednesday, September 24, followed swiftly by Pub Landlord Al Murray on Sunday, September 28, with his new show, One Man, One Guvnor.

Katt Williams Blasts Shaq ...Stay Out Of Comedy!

Katt Williams -- BLASTS Shaq ... Stay the HELL Out Of Comedy! - Watch More Celebrity Videos or Subscribe

Katt Williams is mad as hell -- again -- and this time he's taking aim at Shaquille O'Neal for jumping into the world of comedy ... which Williams says he's got NO BUSINESS doing.

Our photog asked Katt who is the funniest athlete -- and he launched into a rant about Shaq and his "All Star Comedy Jam" on Showtime. Katt even kept the bus in reverse to roll over Russell Simmons and the famous "Def Comedy Jam" too.

The third annual Riverside Comedy Night will be held 8 p.m. Saturday at the Riverside Amphitheater in Easton.

The free show will feature performances by comedians Liz Russo, Adam Lucidi, Joe Fernandes and headliner Tony Woods ("Comedy Central Presents").

Stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma, who recently dropped out of Yash Raj Films' 'Bank Chor', is planning to make his popular TV show 'Comedy Nights With Kapil' a weekly in order to concentrate on his movie outings.

The bi-weekly show, features Bollywood celebrities promoting their films besides the funny antics of other members on the show.

"I had many film offers and I could not do them because I felt that this show is my priority. It has made me a household name in such a short span of time. But being an artiste I get maximum satisfaction when I do diverse work.

TBS is developing a comedy script with Broken Lizard, the team behind cult films like "Beerfest" and "Super Troopers," the network confirms to Variety exclusively.

The project, which is called "Quality Time" and is being developed and produced by Entertainment One Television, follows the now-adult (well, at least older) versions of the group as they struggle through various challenges of adult misery and child rearing and attempt to hang on to the idiotic freedom of their irresponsible pre-parental lives.

At Edinburgh, newsworthiness and cultural clout get mashed together. Sometimes it works. For Joshua Ladgrove's thinner-than-thin imitation of Christ, it doesn't

News values and cultural value: they get mixed up, and never more so than on the fringe. All year round, arts journalists' agendas are set in part by considerations other than quality or cultural significance. If a comedian has recently been embroiled in controversy, we're likely to cover her. If a show stars a celeb, it gets a review – on the news pages, as often as not. At the fringe, of course – which is just the normal arts world ratcheted up to tooth-and-claw level – this phenomenon reaches its apotheosis.

For better or worse, we have a fascination with knowing pretty much about everything about famous people—something that’s gotten easier to do with the rise of social media. We know what they like to eat, where they like to shop, and who they like to date. Furthermore, we’re able to witness stars getting nearly-naked on Instagram almost daily, yet most of us probably have no clue about their basic informtion, like celebrity bithdays.

"A GENTLEMAN fits in anywhere, mama."
"A sponge fits in anywhere!"
So it went between Barbra Streisand and the late great Kay Medford in "Funny Girl."

Barbra's first movie -- for which she tied with Kate Hepburn for the Best Actress Oscar in 1969 -- aired over the weekend on Turner Classic Movies. It's not a perfect film and Barbra was not as assured a dramatic actress as she later became, but she is mesmerizing even when not quite up to the demands of crying for Omar Sharif. Except in the epic "My Man" finale, filmed partially live; she weeps most convincingly there. It is said she was mourning the end of her marriage to Elliott Gould, and the tears flowed like wine.

Kathmandu, Aug 5 : His popularity has reached new heights, and now people are lining up outside his family’s small house in a Nepal village to catch a glimpse of him. He is none other than Jeet Bahadur Saru Magar, the 26-year-old Nepali youth Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken under his wing and who was reunited with his family Sunday during the Indian leader’s visit to this Himlayan nation.

Jeet Bahadur, who hails from Lokaha village near Kawasoti town in western Nepal’s Nawalparasi district, has become the centre of attraction after he reached his home Sunday night. He is now staying with his brother, Dasarath, and is busy meeting people from Lokaha and adjoining areas who came to know about him from newspapers and TV channels.

FFF CELEBRITY chef Derry Clarke will serve up a morning feast this week to toast the return of the Theatre of Food at this year's Electric Picnic festival.

The L'Ecrivain owner will host a special culinary treat for ticket holders at the end of the month event in Stradbally.

And this Thursday, he's planning a breakfast for the who's who of Dublin to announce details of the Picnic Banquet.

EVERY Tuesday afternoon, the students of Condé Nast's Greek Street-based fashion college are tasked with fighting out a debate on Twitter - and everybody's invited. Watch the action play out by following the @CNCollege account and join in - we'd love to hear your views.

This afternoon's debate, which will run between the hours of 1pm and 2pm, will explore the subject: "If you could style any celebrity who would it be and why?"

(RNS) It’s not easy being a celebrity pastor these days with that pesky Internet around.

Consider the struggles of Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Faced with mounting accusations circulating online –plagiarism, misusing church funds to prop book sales, silencing anyone in his church with the temerity to question him — Driscoll has urged his followers to stay off the Web. “It’s all shenanigans anyway,” he explains.

Michelle Keegan has been voted as the celebrity with the best bikini body in 2014, beating Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé Knowles.

The former Coronation Street actress wowed fans on Saturday night when she revealed her washboard abs in a photo on Twitter, following her holiday with fiancé Mark Wright.

"I voted for Michelle Keegan because she is absolutely stunning and her figure is amazing," said one voter who took part in the poll run by lifestyle website Wrappler.com. "I recently saw her holiday pictures with Mark Wright, it's ridiculous how good looking one couple can be."

ABC presenters are scooping up many of the tens of thousands of dollars in celebrity speaking contracts being dished out by the federal public service.

A small number of departments and agencies have divulged the names of high-profile speakers they have contracted.

Answers to questions on notice reveal IP Australia paid $10,800 to bring in ABC science commentator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki to give a talk in June.

In terms of feuding stars, Chris Brown and Drake totally started from the bottom and now they're here!

LOLz! Get it??

Anyway, we NEVER thought Drizzy and Breezy would get over their beef over heartbreaker Rihanna, but they starred in a skit together and NOW they're collaborating in the studio together!

Everyone knows there are high markups in restaurants, bars, and most retail goods, but what about celebrity real estate?

The folks at real estate website Movoto looked at a number of celebrity homes in the Los Angeles and Malibu areas to see if the prices of these homes were inflated compared to similar non-celebrity homes in the same area simply because a famous person used to live there.

IT'S been another busy 24 hours in the world of celebrity. Check out our picture gallery to see what some of the biggest names in showbiz have been up to.

IN today's celebrity picture gallery, Kim Kardashian shows off her impressive cleavage in a bustier and long coat as she leaves the Jimmy Kimmel show.

The 33-year-old pulled off the risqué outfit but narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction when her ample cleavage threatened to escape from the very low-cut garment.

Don't mess with Hulk Hogan! The WWE legend sat down for an interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas recently and shed some light on the abrupt split between his daughter, Brooke, and Cowboys offensive lineman, Phil Costa, back in November.

Pages