Francis Matthews
British lead actor, onscreen from the '50s.~ All Movie Guide
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
09/01/1927
York, England, UK |
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Estevez becomes latest celebrated celebrity winemaker
October 24, 2011 5:00am ESTEstevez, the brother of embattled star Charlie Sheen, started the business in Malibu, California in 2005 while working on his Robert F. Kennedy biopic Bobby, and now his winemaking dreams have been realised. Casa Dumetz's Viognet white is a big hit and the actor is currently developing a new Gewurtztraminer. The St. Elmo's Fire star joins the ranks of Francis Ford Coppola, Lorraine Bracco, Gerard Depardieu, Sir Cliff Richard, Kyle MacLachlan and Dave Matthews among the world's celebrity vintners.
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Things We Lost in the Fire Review
October 19, 2007 6:10am ESTA perfect husband a devoted father a loyal friend a successful architect—yes Steven Burke (David Duchovny) is the kind of flawless family man we only encounter in hankie-soaking Hollywood melodramas. He exists solely to be killed off just so his friends and family can become better people through their loss. So it comes as no surprise that Steven dies a Good Samaritan's death while on his way home—of course—from buying ice cream for his two kids. If that won’t get you crying nothing will. Steven’s death leaves his wife Audrey (Halle Berry) a mess. She can’t look after herself let alone her daughter Harper (Alexis Llewellyn) and son Dory (Micah Berry). Instead Audrey turns to Steven’s best friend Jerry (Benicio Del Toro) for help. Not really the smartest choice—Audrey despises Jerry for squandering his life and career on drugs. But Audrey’s desperate for a shoulder to cry on so she inexplicably invites Jerry to stay at her home while he tries to clean up his act. Quicker than you can say “rest in peace ” Jerry’s dispensing words of wisdom to Steven’s kids and in a moment of unintentional hilarity spooning with the lonely Audrey in her bed. Audrey naturally comes to believe that Jerry isn’t the strung-out leech she’s considered him all these years. Still we can’t help but count down the minutes until Jerry slips back into his old habits. Or wonder how long it will take for Audrey to kick Jerry out of her house when the inevitable happens. Things We Lost in the Fire serves an important purpose: to make clear that Halle Berry’s performance in Monster's Ball wasn’t a happy accident. As a widow unable to function without her soul mate Berry shakes up the otherwise maudlin proceedings with a rage and intensity that’s honest and fearless. Never afraid to present Audrey as occasionally cold and unsympathetic especially in regards to her treatment of Jerry and her children Berry nevertheless always makes us feel Audrey’s burning love for Steven without resorting to Joan Crawford-like histrionics. Too bad Audrey is defined only by her role as a wife and mother—Berry never receives the chance to show that Audrey has a life outside her family. She does share a good rapport with the typically brooding Benicio Del Toro whose ravaged face reveals more about Jerry’s lifetime of self-inflicted pain and suffering than words ever could. But there is a slight spark to be found in Del Toro’s sleepy eyes which gives us the impression that Jerry has what it takes to live one day at time with the support of his new friends. David Duchovny doesn’t do much beyond smiling like he’s just been named Father of the Year for the 10th time. Not that Duchovny needs to exert himself to make Steven charming and likeable—Steven is as happy and uncomplicated as Duchovny’s Californication philanderer is as sad and screwed up. Alexis Llewellyn and Micah Berry (no relation to his onscreen mother) nail the anguish confusion and profound sense of loss that comes with grieving for a dead parent without being annoyingly precocious. How disappointing it is to discover that not even the usually calm and collected Susanne Bier can turn Things... into something more than the standard Lifetime TV weepy of the week. The Danish director’s Hollywood debut is very much like her earlier character-driven dramas in that it is preoccupied with how established family dynamics shift in the wake of a life-altering event. After the Wedding and Brothers managed to be poignant without getting too gushy but Bier cannot keep Things... from drowning in its own sentimentality. The problem clearly lies with screenwriter Allan Loeb’s emotionally manipulative script which fails from the start to convince us Audrey would open her house to her late husband’s drug buddy. Ignoring Loeb’s hard-to-swallow premise Bier does an excellent job of establishing the relationship between Audrey and Jerry. Theirs is a well-presented study in co-dependency which results in an insightful—though occasionally obvious—exploration of drug addiction the grieving process and the pursuit of personal redemption. Things... smartly avoids making much of its interracial marriage—it would only overcomplicate matters—or taking Audrey and Jerry down a path that would led to an ill-advised romance. If only Bier and Loeb showed some guts in the way they portray Steven. Surely he had at least one skeleton in his closet to make him seem more human. Everything we learn about Steven—especially about the fire referenced in the seemingly cryptic title—merely reinforces the notion that he was too good for this world. Or at least the world Hollywood thinks we live in.
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300 Review
March 13, 2007 10:10am ESTBuilt from comic book auteur Frank Miller’s (Sin City) rock solid foundations 300 is based on his vision on the 1962 film The 300 Spartans filtered through the same tough-as-nails pulp sensibility that populates most of his comics work. Leaving such leaden wannabe sword-and-sandal epics like Troy and Alexander in the historical dust 300 reworks the real-life legendary tale of the Battle of Thermopylae in which a battalion of 300 elite Spartan soldiers heroically hold the line to protect ancient Greece from the invading Persian hordes. The story focuses on the Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) who must not only lead his small cadre of troops--each one honored since childhood into a razor-sharp battle-relishing warrior—into a battle they are unlikely to survive but he must also fight for the fate of Greece and its democratic ideals. As the bizarre seemingly endless marauding legions of the tyrant Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) descend upon the Hot Gates—a narrow passageway into Greece that Leonidas’ miniscule band can most ably defend—the soldiers take up arms without the usual post-modern anti-war hand-wringing that most war epics indulge in. These soldiers are both bred for battle and fighting a good fight and the film focuses squarely on the highly charged action. Meanwhile in a new plotline created specifically for the movie his equally noble and faithful queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) takes up arms in a more symbolic way as she also tries to keep democracy alive by taking on the political warlords of Sparta to secure relief for her husband’s troops. Butler has become a familiar and welcome on-screen presence in such films as The Phantom of the Opera and Reign of Fire but there has been little on his mainstream movie resume to suggest the kind of bravura fire he brings to the role of Leonidas. This is the stuff of an actor announcing himself to the audience in a major way akin to Daniel Craig’s star-making turn as James Bond. In a big bold performance that could have gone awry in any number of ways Butler plays even the highest pitched notes like a concerto perfectly capturing the king’s bravado bombast cunning compassion and passion each step of the way. Headey is his ideal match imbuing the queen with more steel and nobility in a handful of scenes than most actresses can summon to carry entire films. Fans of Lost and Brazilian cinema will be hard-pressed to even recognize Santoro whose earnest pretty handsomeness is radically transformed into Xerxes’ exotic borderline freakish form personifying a terrifying yet seductive force of corruption and evil that spreads like a cancer across the earth. And don’t forget to add in the most impressive array of rock-hard abs on cinematic display since well ever (think Brad Pitt in Troy times 300). Even bolstered by canny casting choices and their washboard stomachs helmer Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) is the true undisputable star of 300 establishing himself firmly as a director whose work demands to be watched. With a kinetic sensibility that’s akin to Quentin Tarantino and John Woo and using CGI technology to its utmost effects both subtle and dynamic Snyder creates a compelling fully formed world that the audience is eager to explore. Snyder doesn’t literally match Miller’s signature artwork as meticulously as director Robert Rodriguez did with Sin City. Instead Snyder captures Miller’s essence be it raw brutality majestic size and scope the exotic and otherworldly carnal physicality or hideous deformity--even seemingly antiquated and potentially off-putting techniques like the repeated use of slow-motion are put to fresh effect making every blow and cut seem crucial. Yet even in the visual glorification of some of the most bloody and violent conflicts ever put to film Snyder infuses the tale—which ultimately is one big glorious testosterone-soaked fight sequence—with the sense of honor and sacrifice which characterizes the most noble of war efforts. Yes war can be hell but this is a case where some like it hot.
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Waiting... Review
October 07, 2005 11:53am ESTPity Mitch (John Francis Daley). It's his first day on the job at Shenanigans--a take on the nationwide-chain Bennigan's. The waiter who trains him Monty (Ryan Reynolds) is the same one he looks down on him. Monty shows Mitch the ropes as well as the cooks' genitalia. Sorry there's no other way to put it. See there's this game that the male employees play whereby...let's just say it's one of many unspeakable "games" they play that'll make you watch the film as you would a horror movie: your hands covering your eyes with just enough space between two fingers to catch a glimpse. And these are just Mitch's first moments on the job. Over the course of his shift he'll meet a twenty-something named Dean (Justin Long) who's trying to go straight--that is do something else with his life; a pushover (Patrick Benedict) whose timidity carries over to the urinal; and a veteran waitress (Alanna Ubach) who barks profane tirades about her patrons but not to them. People knock the MPAA's sense of humor but if they truly didn't have one this gross-out flick would be slapped with an NC-17 rating. A film set in a restaurant falls squarely on the shoulders of its actors. Thankfully Reynolds and company make good carrying the film and its script of top-that one-liners and well shenanigans. Reynolds while now a bankable star in avenues other than comedy clearly has a knack for this stuff. His comedic timing and delivery are truly first-rate never more so than in Waiting excelling in the sheer vulgarity he has to shell out. Dodgeball's Long as Dean is downright earnest next to his buddy Monty but it's his role to defer to Reynolds' eloquent sarcasm. Of course this doesn't totally preclude him from joining in on the fun. He's just forced to take more barbs than he can dish out. Anna Faris (from the Scary Movie series) flies even more under the radar as Monty's ex the only one that stands in his way of proclaiming his prowess second to none. Also making pitch-perfect appearances as malevolent employees are fringe-sters Luis Guzman Chi McBride Dane Cook and Andy Milonakis with Anchorman's David Koechner as the manager. Waiting is not the type of movie in which a separate director and writer is required--it's a package deal. That's because--and let's be honest here--a film set almost entirely in one location without a single stunt person or special effect doesn't need more than one voice. To this effect writer/director Rob McKittrick makes his first foray into each arena. Needless to say his directorial debut is almost a non-entity but that's more complementary than detrimental on a project like this. His stinging commentary on the other hand displays a comedic deftness that is worth keeping an eye on in the future especially if Waiting does any business at the box office.
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Because of Winn-Dixie Review
February 18, 2005 3:28am ESTIn this film based on the Newbery Award-winning children's book by Kate DiCamillo Opal (AnnaSophia Robb) is a lonely 10-year-old girl who has moved to a sluggish small town in Florida with her preacher father (Jeff Daniels). She has a tough time getting through to her dad: when he is not preaching the gospel he walks around in a haze haunted by the departure of Opal's mother many years before. But when Opal adopts Winn-Dixie named after the supermarket where she found the mutt things start to brighten up for the little girl. With her special companion by her side Opal ends up meeting some pretty interesting people in the town. They include Miss Franny (Eva Marie Saint) the local spinster librarian who spins great stories; Otis (Dave Matthews) the shy drifter working at Gertrude's Pet Shop; and Gloria (Cicely Tyson) an old blind lady living with ghosts from her past. Through Opal's sunny disposition and Winn-Dixie doggone tenaciousness they help the town find their joy and their sorrow. And at the same time they mend Opal's troubled relationship with her father. Collectively now awwww! All the players fit snugly in this warmhearted movie especially the talented young Robb who makes her feature film debut in Winn-Dixie. It's imperative to cast an adorable child and Robb doesn't disappoint keeping things genuinely fresh with the big eyes infectious smile and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm charm. Daniels too doesn't overplay it as the wounded preacher--aptly described by Opal as a turtle--who rarely sticks his head out of his shell. Veterans Eva Marie Saint and Cicely Tyson do what they can with their stereotypical parts as the kindly spinster storyteller and kindly old wise woman respectively. But it's singer-turned-actor Dave Matthews who stands out as the drifter with a troubled past but can "sing most anything " even charming the animals in the pet shop á la the Pied Piper. His poignant performance is up there in the sentiment department. Here we go with the children and the animals again. Wayne Wang (Maid in Manhattan The Joy Luck Club) is the latest director to take a stab at guiding those most unpredictable of actors. As he explains "Sometimes the going is slow. But then suddenly something magical happens that you couldn't possibly have planned or anticipated." It's true. There are definite moments of inspired sweetness especially between Opal and Winn-Dixie played by a Picardy Shepherd a rare breed of dog from France that has the look of a big old lovable mutt. And of course you can't go too wrong using heart-tugging material based on a beloved children's novel on par with Where the Red Fern Grows and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. That's also Because of Winn-Dixie main problem. Fans of the book will certainly love the film but overall it doesn't really offer anything new in this genre. It's the same general premise about the kid and a dog--or a horse a deer whichever animal works best--who can change the lives of those around them just from being pure of heart. Maybe it's the curmudgeon in me but Winn-Dixie just doesn't stand out among the plethora of films similar to it.
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Constantine Review
February 18, 2005 3:28am ESTHeaven. Hell. Us humans in the middle. It's all very complicated. But John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) seems to have a handle on it. Born with a gift he says no human should ever have he has the ability to see what he calls "half-breeds"--angels and demons that walk the earth in human skin (and apparently there are a lot of them). Of course the horror of it is too much to bear and Constantine tries to take his own life. But he fails. Now having been to hell and back again quite literally Constantine is marked as an attempted suicide with a temporary lease on life. He patrols the earthly border between heaven and hell acting as an exorcist of sorts. Of course the guy isn't doing it because he feels empathy for the human race or anything. It's for purely selfish reasons. He hopes that if he sends the devil's foot soldiers back to the depths he'll gain some kind of redemption a free get-out-of-jail card so to speak. Constantine's attitude changes however when a skeptical police detective Angela (Rachel Weisz) enlists his help in solving the mysterious death of her beloved twin sister. They end up uncovering a twisted master plan brewing between the demons and angels which could bring about a catastrophic series of otherworldly events. Perfect. John Constantine is a little like The Matrix's Neo--an ultra-cool but tormented man of little words with a sardonic fatalistic outlook on life who kicks a myriad of nasty-looking demons (instead of a myriad of nasty-looking machines) back from whence they came. Yes Reeves has done this before but that's because he's good at it. You can't blame him for sticking with something that works. Weisz also holds her own as the devoutly religious Angela who nonetheless has a hard time believing there are actual angels and demons running around among us. That is of course until she spends about 10 minutes with Constantine and sees just how real they are. As far as the rest of the humans in the film Shia LaBeouf (Holes) does a nice comical turn as Constantine's sidekick and protégé while Djimon Hounsou (In America) works his voodoo mojo as a witch doctor who has a long-standing if strained relationship with Constantine. The not-so-human counterparts are equally intriguing. Peter Stormare (Fargo) delivers a somewhat over-the-top but devilishly eccentric performance as Satan. Tilda Swinton (The Deep End) dons the wings of the arch-angel Gabriel to whom Constantine is always asking for a reprieve but who has got her own agenda. Based on the DC Comics/Vertigo comic-book Hellblazer Constantine is demonic eye candy. Obviously inspired by the many music videos he's helmed in the past director Francis Lawrence making his feature film debut paints a pretty dark and moody world with shadowy wet rat-infested (or cockroach-infested) corners that hide the horrific demon half-breeds as well as all other kinds of terrible baddies. Then when we get into Hades itself where the demons and seplavites--a sub-genre of the damned who are sightless mindless soul eaters--prowl it's an apocalyptic landscape. Lovely place. Unfortunately the script isn't nearly as stimulating. It must be an arduous task adapting a series of comic books so to his credit screenwriter Kevin Brodbin does do a nice job introducing us to Constantine and his world. But Brodbin seems to have incorporated too much. As the action escalates more and more plot points and characters are thrown in complicating matters. By the time the long-winded climax is over you're exhausted.
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Thunderbirds Review
July 30, 2004 6:02am ESTFor a few years in the '60s and '70s producer Gerry Anderson made "supermarionation" all the rage in the world of British children's television. His stop-motion puppets starred in a number of sci-fi adventure series most memorably Thunderbirds which followed the exploits of International Rescue -- a team comprised of ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy and his sons. Based out of their secret fortress on Treasure Island the Tracys (aided by lovely secret agent Lady Penelope) used their amazing rocket-powered vehicles to prevent disasters and save lives around the world. Now 40 years after Thunderbirds' TV debut Star Trek vet Jonathan Frakes has brought Anderson's characters to life on the big screen. Front and center is youngest son Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) who dreams of the day he too can pilot one of his family's fab ships and lead missions. But first he has to prove himself to his father Jeff (Bill Paxton). That opportunity comes sooner than either expects when mysterious villain The Hood (Ben Kingsley) strands Jeff and the older Tracy boys in space and attacks Treasure Island. With only his friends Tintin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) and Fermat (Soren Fulton) to help him Alan has to grow up quickly if he wants to save his family ... and the world! It would be easy to mock several of the performances in Thunderbirds-- to chide Paxton for his earnest seriousness as Tracy patriarch Jeff to dismiss Corbet's angst-tinged eagerness as Alan to roll your eyes at Kingsley's over-the-top mystical fierceness as The Hood and to wince at Fulton and Anthony Edwards' nerdy stuttering as science whizzes Fermat and his dad Brains. But actors are only as good as their script and the one Frakes has given his cast (courtesy of screenwriters William Osborne and Michael McCullers) is weak and clichéd at best filled with after-school-special-worthy lessons for Alan to learn. "You can't save everyone " Jeff tells his son somberly and even Tintin has a moral for her crush when he's feeling selfish and indulging in self-pity: "This is hard on all of us Alan." Talk about insight! What makes it even more frustrating is knowing that the actors are capable of much more even the kids: Both Corbet and Hudgens did well with supporting roles in Thirteen. Thunderbirds' only real bright spot is Sophia Myles as Lady Penelope. A cross between Reese Witherspoon's Elle in Legally Blonde and Jennifer Garner's Sydney on Alias Myles' Lady P doesn't let her pink couture wardrobe prevent her from coolly kicking ass when the situation demands it. Attended by her droll driver/man-of-all-trades Parker (Ron Cook) Lady Penelope is a fresh feisty heroine with all of the film's best lines -- and the coolest car to boot. Frakes cut his directorial teeth on episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and his first feature film was Star Trek: First Contact so he would seem like a natural choice to bring a cult sci-fi TV show to the big screen. Unfortunately while he does an admirable job re-creating (and improving on) the original Thunderbirds' mod sets cool ships and special effects (which are fine if a bit more TV-sized than summer blockbustery) Frakes can't seem to decide who his audience is. If he was aiming at grown-ups who remember the show fondly from their own childhood he should have embraced the source material's campiness (à la Starsky and Hutch) rather than restricting it to the Tracys' plastic Barbie-like furniture and Lady P's bouffant hairdo. If on the other hand Frakes was hoping to entertain today's kids he should have really reinvented the show for a 21st-century world (à la Stephen Hopkins'1998 Lost in Space) rather than clinging to the '60s references As it is he's stuck somewhere in the middle leaving adults bored during the kids-on-an-adventure bits and children mystified by the handful of jokes aimed at their parents.
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MTV Announces Nominations for Video Music Awards
July 23, 2002 1:29pm ESTEminem, Missy Elliott and P.O.D. scored six nominations each, leading the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards nomination list Monday. Eminem's "Without Me" nabbed a nomination for video of the year, male video, rap video, viewer's choice and editing, while Elliott's "One Minute Man" earned nominations in the hip-hop, direction, special effects, art direction, editing and cinematography categories. P.O.D.'s six nominations were split between two videos, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation," according to MTV.com. Elliot's nominations, however, are mostly on the technical side, leaving P.O.D.'s "Alive" and Eminem's "Without Me" to duke it out for best video, along with 'N Sync's "Gone," Linkin Park's "In the End," the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl" and Nas' "One Mic." Both Eminem and P.O.D. are also up for the viewer's choice award. Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever" and the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl" followed the list of multiple-nomination earners with four nods apiece. Taking three nods each were Britney Spears for "I'm a Slave 4 U," Linkin Park for "In the End," Pink for "Get the Party Started," Elton John for "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" and Ashanti for "Foolish." 'N Sync also earned three nominations, one for "Gone" and two for "Girlfriend" (with Nelly), as did Michelle Branch--two for "All You Wanted" and one for "Everywhere"--and Usher--one for "U Don't Have to Call" and two for "U Got It Bad." The 2002 MTV Video Music Awards will be held at Radio City Music Hall Aug. 29, to be hosted by Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon. To select nominees, MTV sent some 500 ballots to viewers, record label staffers, music journalists and video producers. Here is a complete list of nominations: Best Video of the Year Eminem, "Without Me" 'N SYNC, "Gone" Linkin Park, "In the End" P.O.D., "Alive" The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl" Nas, "One Mic" Best Male Video Eminem, "Without Me" Enrique Iglesias, "Hero" Craig David, "Walking Away" Usher, "U Got It Bad" Elton John, "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" Nelly, "#1" Best Female Video Britney Spears, "I'm a Slave 4 U" Pink, "Get the Party Started" Shakira, "Whenever, Wherever" Ashanti, "Foolish" Michelle Branch, "All You Wanted" Best Group Video 'N SYNC f/ Nelly, "Girlfriend (Remix)" No Doubt, "Hey Baby" Blink-182, "First Date" Linkin Park, "In the End" Dave Matthews Band, "Everyday" P.O.D., "Alive" Best Rap Video Eminem, "Without Me" Nas, "One Mic" DMX, "Who We Be" Ludacris, "Saturday (Oooh! Oooh!)" P. Diddy f/ The Bad Boy Family, "Bad Boy for Life" Best R&B Video Usher, "U Got It Bad" Ashanti, "Foolish" Aaliyah, "Rock the Boat" Alicia Keys, "A Woman's Worth" Mary J. Blige, "No More Drama" Best Hip-Hop Video Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott f/ Ludacris and Trina, "One Minute Man" Busta Rhymes f/ P. Diddy and Pharrell, "Pass the Courvoisier (Part II)" Jennifer Lopez f/ Ja Rule, "I'm Real (Remix)" Outkast f/ Killer Mike, "The Whole World" Ja Rule f/ Ashanti, "Always on Time" Fat Joe f/ Ashanti, "What's Luv" Best Dance Video Kylie Minogue, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Britney Spears, "I'm a Slave 4 U" Dirty Vegas, "Days Go By" Pink, "Get the Party Started" Shakira, "Whenever, Wherever" Best Rock Video Linkin Park, "In the End" Creed, "My Sacrifice" System of a Down, "Chop Suey!" Korn, "Here to Stay" P.O.D., "Youth of the Nation" Jimmy Eat World, "The Middle" Best Pop Video 'N SYNC f/ Nelly, "Girlfriend (Remix)" Pink, "Get the Party Started" Shakira, "Whenever, Wherever" Michelle Branch, "All You Wanted" No Doubt, "Hey Baby" Best New Artist in a Video Ashanti, "Foolish" John Mayer, "No Such Thing" Avril Lavigne, "Complicated" B2K, "Uh Huh" Puddle of Mudd, "Blurry" Best Video from a Film Chad Kroeger f/ Josey Scott, "Hero" (Spider-Man) Will Smith, "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" (Men in Black II) Ludacris f/ Nate Dogg, "Area Codes" (Rush Hour 2) Nelly, "#1" (Training Day) MTV2 Award Dashboard Confessional, "Screaming Infidelities" The Hives, "Hate to Say I Told You So" Norah Jones, "Don't Know Why" Musiq, "Half Crazy" Nappy Roots f/ Jazze Pha, "Awnaw" The Strokes, "Last Nite" Viewer's Choice Brandy, "What About Us" Enrique Iglesias, "Hero" Michelle Branch, "Everywhere" B2K, "Uh Huh" Eminem, "Without Me" P.O.D., "Alive" Breakthrough Video DMX, "Who We Be" The Crystal Method, "Name of the Game" Coldplay, "Trouble" The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl" Maxwell, "This Woman's Work" Cake, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" Professional Categories Best Direction in a Video Elton John (Director: David LaChapelle), "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" P.O.D. (Director: Francis Lawrence), "Alive" Eminem (Director: Joseph Kahn), "Without Me" Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott f/ Ludacris and Trina (Director: Dave Meyers), "One Minute Man" Red Hot Chili Peppers (Directors: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris), "By the Way" Best Choreography in a Video Britney Spears, "I'm a Slave 4 U" Kylie Minogue, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Usher, "U Don't Have to Call" Mary J. Blige, "Family Affair" Best Special Effects in a Video The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl" Will Smith, "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" P.O.D., "Alive" Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott f/ Ludacris and Trina, "One Minute Man" Best Art Direction in a Video Elton John, "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott f/ Ludacris and Trina, "One Minute Man" Quarashi, "Stick 'Em Up" Coldplay, "Trouble" Best Editing in a Video The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl" Eminem, "Without Me" System of a Down, "Chop Suey!" Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott f/ Ludacris and Trina, "One Minute Man" Best Cinematography in a Video Alicia Keys, "A Woman's Worth" Moby, "We Are All Made of Stars" Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott f/ Ludacris and Trina, "One Minute Man" Shakira, "Whenever, Wherever"
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News Roundup: Nov. 14
November 14, 2001 12:58pm ESTTop Story Twentieth Century Fox has set the domestic release of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones for Thursday, May 16, one day earlier than expected. "Around the world, many territories open on Thursdays," Bruce Snyder, Fox's president of domestic distribution, told Reuters. "And because Star Wars is such an international phenomenon, it seemed to make sense to go out on a standard date in as many places as possible." Many foreign markets, like Japan and South America, will have to wait until June or July to see the second prequel to George Lucas' franchise. Honored Alicia Keys leads this year's American Music Awards with five nominations, including best female artist, new artist and best album for the year, The Associated Press reports. Among other nominees are Janet Jackson's All For You (best R&B album of the year); Lenny Kravitz (best male artist) and Dave Matthews Band, 'N Sync, and U2 (best band, duo or group). The 29th annual American Music Awards will be broadcast live on ABC on Jan.9 from Los Angeles. Ailing R&B singer Usher has been forced to delay the start of his U.S. tour for three months after he underwent surgery on Monday in a Los Angeles hospital for a shoulder injury sustained during tour rehearsal, his publicist told AP on Tuesday. The tour, scheduled to kick off on Dec. 6 in Minneapolis, will now begin in April. In Court Record producer Phil Spector was ordered to pay $3 million to The Ronettes, the 1960s trio he discovered, managed, and allegedly cheated after the trio was paid next to nothing while Spector earned millions, AP reports. Justice Paula Omansky of the New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division ruled Tuesday that Spector violated his 1963 contract with the trio after keeping the rights to all Ronnettes recordings. Spector sold the recordings for use as background music in movies, videos and advertising. In General Michael Jackson is reportedly heading to Canada next year to co-direct a low-budget flick about an 8-year-old orphan boy called Home of the Angels, the Toronto Star reports. Jackson, who is also financing the film, has chosen former Canadian child star Bryan Michael Stoller to co-direct the picture. The CBS reality show Survivor doesn't seem to be pleasing many of its fans-it's no longer at the top of the ratings every week, Reuters reports. According to Nielsen Media Research reports, Survivor Africa averages between 20.7 million viewers per episode and 10.8 million among advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-olds. That is almost a 30 percent decrease from last spring's Survivor: The Australian Outback, which averaged 29.8 million total viewers and 16 million during its run. Dan Rather found himself working up a sweat on Monday after the American Airlines crash in Queens forced area airports to close and his flight from Texas to La Guardia airport was diverted to Philadelphia. Rather, who desperately wanted to get to New York to cover the story, slipped $100 to a Philadelphia cab driver to get him from the airport to the railroad station in a flash. "In the rear window you'll find sweat from the back of my head," Rather told the Philadelphia Enquirer about his speedy ride to the train station. CBS execs are pleased enough with the direction of The Ellen Show to pick it up for a full season, Reuters reports. Although its Sept. 24 premiere was low rated, the show did record ratings on Nov. 9th; its first airing since the Emmys. The episode averaged 6.9 million viewers and a 2.5 rating among 18- 49-year-olds, the sitcom's best showing in its regular time period. Jami Gertz will portray the late comedian Gilda Radner in ABC's upcoming biopic of the Saturday Night Live star tentatively titled It's Always Something: The Gilda Radner Story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Janet Brownell wrote the script for the film based on Radner's autobiography of the same name. Merv Griffin Entertainment and Winsome Entertainment, in association with Jaffe/ Braunstein Films Prods., will produce the film, which will begin shooting next January in Toronto. Fans of the ABC sudser General Hospital will be able to view the memorable 1981 wedding of its characters Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) on Nov. 16, People magazine reports. Although GH's favorite couple is now divorced, Geary's character will flash back to his wedding vows on his 20th anniversary date. In related news, the wedding, which the magazine says remains the most-watched soap event in history, will be shown in its entirety on the SoapNet cable channel on Nov. 23, when it airs a 12-hour Luke and Laura marathon including highlights of their two-decade relationship.
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News Roundup: Aug. 21
August 28, 2001 12:53pm ESTCanadian resident Michael Willis is being accused of criminal harassment and mischief after he allegedly called Dawson's Creek co-star Katie Holmes' father to discuss his engagement to the actress. The 36-year-old man is currently spending time at Royal Ottawa Hospital while his lawyer and prosecutors work out some technical matters in the case. He might face charges for making harassing calls to Holmes' family, the Canadian paper Toronto Sun reported Tuesday. However, Willis' lawyers claim he should not be held criminally responsible because of his mental health. Holmes's publicist could not be reached for comment. Holmes began production for the fifth season of Dawson's Creek last month in North Carolina. In Courts One of the men responsible for the success of NBC sitcom Friends isn't feeling so amicable toward the show's production company. Renowned TV director James Burrows--who directed the pilot episode of Friends in 1994--is suing Warner Bros. for $5 million, claiming that he was promised 5 percent of the sitcom's overall profits but failed to receive the sum. In his lawsuit, Burrows also claims that he was promised distribution fees for his work on Friends, but was never compensated as such, according to Inside.com. Warner Bros. spokespeople declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed last week in a Santa Monica Superior Court. Since directing the Friends pilot, Burrows, 60, has gone on to helm episodes of such shows as Cursed, Will & Grace, Dharma & Greg and 3rd Rock from the Sun. Births Country singer Shania Twain, married to producer and songwriter John (Mutt) Lange, gave birth to baby boy Eja on Aug. 12, her publicist confirmed, although did not give further details. Dave Matthews and wife Ashley are the proud parents of twin girls. Grace and Stella were born last week, reports ABC News. Deaths Bob Hewson, father of U2 singer Bono, died on Tuesday in Dublin following a long battle with cancer, according to Reuters. Hewson, a retired postal worker, was in his 70s. Awards The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, which honor the best in rap music and videos, were handed out on Monday night in Miami. Notable recipients included the duo OutKast (best group artist and best live performers), Eminem (best video for "Stan"), Jay-Z (best solo artist), Nelly (best new artist and best album for "Country Grammar") and Ja Rule (best single for "Put It On Me"). The show will air on UPN on Aug. 28, reports The Associated Press. According to ABC News, the fourth annual online music awards--which will be presented by Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine in New York in Sept.--will feature live appearances by Aerosmith and Pete Townshend, the latter receiving the pioneer award for his contributions to online music. In General The Italian, Latin American and U.K. rights to director Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now Redux have been picked up by Miramax Films, according to Variety. The film, which features extra footage of the Vietnam-war flick, has grossed $1.3 million here in the States. In a move to boost American movie-industry employment, the Screen Actors Guild (S.A.G.) is taking steps to discourage the practice of "runaway" productions, which are productions intentionally filmed in foreign countries that offer lower wage standards. The S.A.G. has approved a plan which will place a tariff on runaway productions, forcing studios to pay a fee to have their foreign-made films distributed in the U.S., according to Variety. The WB's latest attempt at cashing in on the reality-TV phenomenon has failed, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new fall series Lost in the U.S.A., which was slated to air on Sundays at 7 p.m. EST this fall, has already been given the ax by the network. Instead, reruns of Ripley's Believe It or Not will air in Lost's place. Grammy-winning group Boyz II Men, now officially at the end of its deal with Universal Music, is jumping ship and changing record labels. The group will begin recording their latest album in Sept. under the Arista label, according to Variety. Arista president, Antonio "L.A." Reid, is a longtime friend of the group, and co-wrote Boyz II Men's smash hit "The End of the Road." Fans of Frank Sinatra can now own the singer/actor's Beverly Hills mansion--if they can shell out $12.5 million. According to Reuters, the 14-room mansion, which was placed on the market on Monday, was home to Sinatra for 15 years, until his death in 1998, and was the site of Sinatra's massive 80th birthday bash which featured performances by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and others. The home features a gymnasium, swimming pool, two artificial waterfalls, maids' quarters, a kennel and a three-car garage.
