ROBERT PATTINSON STARS IN FAME COMIC BOOK SERIES
Millions know English actor Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, the vampire with a conscience in the films Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the fantasy/romance movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s famous book series.
But there’s more to Pattinson than fake fangs, faraway looks and tousled hair. Pattinson is an accomplished musician, a former model and an actor who’s played both a wizard at Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School and the artist Salvador Dali.
Bluewater Productions in May will ship FAME: Robert Pattinson to comic book shops and retailers across the country. This 32-page comic will trace Pattinson’s career from his first performance in Tess of the D’Urbervilles at London’s Barnes Theatre to his star turn in the Twilight movies.
Writer Kim Sherman said that she is eager to introduce fans to the many sides of Pattinson.
“I love having the ability to introduce high-profile people to readers through an unexpected medium that is both written and visual,” Sherman said. “These biography comics are designed to illustrate interesting tidbits to fans about their favorite figureheads, and inspire them to learn more. I chose to conceptualize A-lister Robert Pattinson from a unique perspective, immersing the reader into the life of the talented actor beyond his most famous role.”
Count interior artist Nathaniel Ooten as one reader who’s gained a new appreciation for Pattinson’s career since reading Sherman’s script.
“Working on this book has opened an entirely new level of Rob Pattinson for me,” Ooten said. “Before starting, I was only aware of the ‘teenage vampire’ Pattinson. After reading the script, studying the subject and listening to his music, I not only became very interested in Pattinson’s future work, but also discovered a new appreciation for this ‘teenage vampire.’”
Bluewater president Darren G. Davis said that he expects Pattinson’s biography to be as popular among Twilight fans as was the comic biography of writer Meyer, which Bluewater published in November of 2009. That particular biography has sold out of several printings.
“Twilight fans want to know everything about the talented people who have brought them the story of Edward and Bella,” Davis said. “I’m pleased to be able to bring them Robert Pattinson’s story. It’s our hope that even the most devoted fans will discover a fact or two that takes them completely by surprise.”
FAME: Robert Pattinson is part of Bluewater’s much-publicized, and popular, line of biographical comics. The FAME series will also include comic biographies of Lady GaGa, 50 Cent, Tiger Woods and David Beckham. Bluewater Productions also publishes biographies of influential political figures such as Al Gore, Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama. Many of these comics, too, have sold out several printings.
Grammy nomination great surprise as group of montrealers set up Antler Films
Montreal Producer Sach Baylin-Stern and director Ben Steiger Levine received a nomination at the 2010 Grammys for Best Short Form Music Video, titled “Mr. Hurricane”, played and interpreted by Montreal based trip-hop duo Beast (Verve Forecast).
They are up against some of the biggest names in the industry - Coldplay (Capitol), Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records), as well as Depeche Mode (Capitol).
The future will be very interesting as Executive Producer Sach Baylin-Stern, and associates Jeremie Saindon and Christophe Collette strive to set up Antler Films.
Antler is a collective of reputed filmmakers and artists (Ben Steiger Levine, Jeremie Saindon, Christophe Collette, Joshua Sherrett, Thibaut Duverneix, Dave Pawsey, The Sanchez Brothers, Greg Kaufman).
This grouping of such young and accomplished artists is particularly exciting - each person having unique skills. Antler’s team has specialists in film/video production, cinematography, 3d visual effects, motion design, and conceptual/fashion photography. They constitute a body of talent that is particularly open to exploring new ideas and methodologies. This young roster’s body of work is comprised of hundreds of music video’s (including Beast, Chromeo, Sam Roberts, The Stills, We Are Wolves, The Most Serene Republic, Dumas, Plants and Animals, Hey Rosetta), several dozen films, short, interactive, and feature length, (including 300, Sin City), and advertising for countless clients local and international (though Antler will not produce advertising).
With talent, patience, and support, this production company is set to make an impact.
THE NUMERO GROUP SET TO RELEASE FIRST FILM, CELESTIAL NAVIGATIONS, THIS SPRING
|
A COLLECTION OF WORK BY REKNOWNED PUBLIC TELEVISION FILMMAKER AL JARNOW TO INCLUDE 45 FILMS, ONE DOCUMENTARY AND A 60 PAGE BOOK.Jamie Hector is Moving Mountains
As you may know, Moving Mountains Inc. is a Brooklyn based 501c3 Non Profit Organization founded by Jamie Hector, a well respected actor best known for his roles on HBO’s The Wire and NBC’s HEROES. Jamie was born and raised in Brooklyn and wanted to create opportunities that specifically target urban youths interested in the performing arts and to provide creative development and a platform for them to showcase their talents. His original goal was to create a theater company where youths could strengthen and showcase their talents while instilling in them, life skills that build character. However, because of the growing number of participants from the surrounding boroughs, Moving Mountain has blossomed into a more diversified organization with a theater company, a film division, music division, and a dance and personal development component that focuses on individual needs, be it academic, health, etc. Another New “Venture” for Bif Bang Pow!
Manufacturer and Cartoon Network Enterprises Announce a New Line of Action Figures,
Bobble Heads, and Vehicles Based on the Adult Swim Series, The Venture Bros.
Bif Bang Pow! and Cartoon Network Enterprises, the licensing and merchandising arm of Adult Swim, blast off for action with today’s partnership announcement that will bring to market a brand-new line of toys based on the popular animated series The Venture Bros. One of the most highly sought after product lines from Adult Swim’s library, The Venture Bros. collection from Big Bang Pow! will feature an array of articulated action figures, bobble heads, and vehicles, each embodying that distinctive action-comedy mix that has become synonymous with the series.
First to be released from the line is a series of 7-inch scale resin bobble heads targeted for spring 2010. Action figures are scheduled to hit the market in the summer of 2010. These fully-articulated figures will include the series most popular and recognizable characters including Dr. Venture, The Monarch, Brock Samson, Hank & Dean Venture and more. Several exclusives are also in the works. More detailed information about the products will be made available in the coming weeks.
Islands video directed by Derrick “Pinky” Beckles of TV Carnage with Michael Cera tripping on acid is pretty great.
Also, if you’re in New York, come celebrate with Nick and Pinky at the video’s release party.
THE GODFATHER AND THE GODFATHER PART II ON BLU-RAY street date 02/02/10
THE COPPOLA RESTORATION
Arriving February 2, 2010, The Godfather® and The Godfather® Part II are Latest Films in Paramount’s Prestigious “Sapphire Series”
Director Francis Ford Coppola’s Best Picture Academy Award® winners and cinematic masterpieces THE GODFATHER® and THE GODFATHER® Part II will arrive on February 2, 2010 in sparkling high definition individually on Blu-ray for the first time as part of Paramount Home Entertainment’s exclusive “Sapphire Series”. Having recently undergone a meticulous restoration overseen by the director himself, the films have been returned to their original glory through an extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology, which required more than a year to complete.
Two of the most influential films in modern cinema history, THE GODFATHER® and THE GODFATHER® Part II each will be presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, English Mono, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital along with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Both Blu-ray discs also include the original, provocative director’s commentary.
The Hip Hop Project: Coming to DVD January 5, 2010
Winner Urbanworld Vibe, Zurich & Spaghetti Junction
Film Festivals - Audience Award
Winner Savannah, Harlem International, Heartland &
Turks and Caicos Film Festivals - Best Documentary
Synopsis: From Executive Producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, The Hip Hop Project is the compelling story o Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager who inspired a group of New York City teens to transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery.
Kazi challenges these young people to write music about real issues affecting their lives as they strive to overcome daunting obstacles to produce a collaborative album. Russell Simmons, hip hop mogul and long-time supporter of the project, partners with Bruce Willis to donate a recording studio to the Hip Hop Project. After four years of collaboration, the group produces a powerful and thought-provoking CD filled with moving personal narratives and sharp social commentary. In contrast to all of the negative attention focused on hip hop and rap music, this is a story of hope, healing and the realization of dreams.
Watch the Trailer: http://www.hiphopproject.com/thehiphopproject.html
Famous - Goddess Girl (Full Movie + Full Soundtrack)
Here’s all 8 scenes from Goddess Girl: The Movie + The Soundtrack as one video. The 8-week viral campaign was very successful but there was a demand for all 8 scenes to be packaged as one file so here it is. I’ve also zipped all 8 songs from the soundtrack into one download. Thanks for all the support thus far with the project! Please visit www.goddessgirlmovie.com for more info! Lots more to come from Famous in 2010 and happy holidays to you and yours!
Hater’s Eulogy
The Declaration
Time To Decide
Fresh Cut
Goddess Girl feat. Luu Breeze & Oh!
How It’s Gotta Be feat. Kim Davis
Canadian Photographer and Grammy Award Winning Fugee PRAS reveal Somali truth through art in Toronto, Dec 20th
Canadian Filmmaker/photographer, Azad Mardukhi along with Grammy award winning artist and former Fugees’ Musician Pras are debuting a mixed media art exhibit in Toronto. The exhibit is a collection of photographs embellished with paint that reveal the countries’ social and standard of living issues and use “LOVE” to translate their message.
The two artists had traveled to Somalia in April to shoot a documentary on the Somali Pirates, but were compelled to tell audiences of the nation’s desperation and poor living conditions that Piracy is merely the bi-product of.
Azad Mardukhi will unveil his exhibit along with his documentary partner Pras at a fundraiser opening gala in Toronto on Sunday December 20th. Procedes are going to the non-profit Edna Hospital in Somalia founded by former WHO employee and Somaliland minister, Edna Adan Ismail.
Leading Futurist Predicts Technology that Many Canadians Say they Want to Avoid
Almost half of Canadians (48%) said they believe that artificial intelligence will become a reality in less than 20 years, according to an informal survey conducted by Warner Home Entertainment Canada.
“Within 10 years, we’ll have computers that are as powerful as the human brain,” says author and futurist Robert J. Sawyer, who is among the world’s leading Sci-fi thinkers and one of only seven writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the world’s top Science Fiction awards for best novel of the year. “And within 30 years, we’ll have computers that will behave indistinguishably from human beings in terms of creativity and intelligence. They will, for all intents and purposes, be conscious.”
Other survey highlights include:
- A majority of Canadians said the technology they cannot live without were their computers and cell phones, respectively.
- Television and iPod technologies were considered the most disposable.
- The majority of respondents identified the television (37.1%) with iPod being the second most popular choice (32.3%) as technology that will be obsolete in the next 20 years.
- Flying cars, artificial intelligence and chips embedded in human bodies were the most common responses when asked what the next biggest technology would be.
- Although the majority (38.5%) of respondents said that they would want to be trapped at Skynet’s headquarters with their spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend, Bill Gates (20.5%) received more than twice the votes as US President Barack Obama (6.8%) and Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt (0.9%) (Skynet is the computer software-based defense system in Terminator Salvation that gains self-awareness, perceives humans as a threat and retaliates against humanity.)
- Among the responses to the question of which technology Canadians would never want to see created, the most common were robots with artificial intelligence and microchip implants for humans
- 63.2% of respondents said that they do not believe that man will ever go to war with machines
TWO TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE - Coming to DVD December 1st
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Run-DMC’s Debut
Synopsis: October 30, 2002 - Legendary hip-hop DJ Jason Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay, is gunned down in his Queens studio. Security tapes of the incident mysteriously disappear, the five witnesses are uncooperative and no one is talking…until now. 2 TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE documents the investigation of the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay, RUN DMC’s groundbreaking DJ and producer, deftly revealing the history of hip-hop and mainstream rap along the way. Exclusive, candid interviews with Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, RUN-DMC and more offer insight into Jam Master Jay’s life - including information that could finally help police solve the murder that shook the music world to its core.
Free Saigon MP3 From Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet
Saigon is featured in the “Kick Ass Slasher Film of the Year” Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet. The DVD, out on Amazon.com and www.bloodnightmovie.com last Friday, includes a track written by Saigon himself. 
TAQWACORE: The Birth of Muslim Punk Rock
In 2003, a white Muslim convert named Michael Muhammed Knight wrote a novel called THE TAQWACORES about a fictional music scene that managed to be both hardcore punk and Muslim at the same time. The book was an underground best-seller, and more importantly, struck a nerve with disenfranchised young Muslims everywhere. Soon after, actual “Taqwacore” bands began to form all over North America. This documentary film joins Michael and bands like The Secret Trial Five and The Kominas on their first tour / pilgrimage across the U.S.A., as they challenge Muslims and non-Muslims alike with audacious anthems like Sharia Law in the U.S.A. and Mohammed was a Punk Rocker. Their spiritual odyssey leads them to Pakistan, and their rocky attempt to bring punk to the streets of Lahore. Produced by EyeSteelFilm (Up the Yangtze, RIP!: A Remix Manifesto). Released By EyeSteelFilm / KinoSmith. 80 minutes.
Hellraiser Takes Home Best of Show at the First-Ever Reaper Awards
The boxed set of Hellraiser won the top honor at the first-ever Reaper Awards, earning Best of Show as well as Best Packaging and Best Re-mastering for Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Best Slasher
Mr. Belding Is Back In The Building Star Of “Saved By The Bell” Finds New Home On Innovative Web Show
America’s most beloved high school principal is back in the classroom—but this time, his classroom is on the internet. Dennis Haskins, who played Mr. Belding on the long running television show “Saved By The Bell”, stars in the new web comedy “Acting School Academy” (http://www.actingschoolacademy.com). Haskins plays Marty DeWitt, an out of touch guru, in this dark and hilarious satire on life at a Los Angeles acting school.
Haskins signed onto the project in 2008, after reading the script and meeting with the show’s producers Mo Darwiche and M. Ian Smith. “He nailed the character immediately,” says series writer Kris Sharma. “And he really enjoyed getting to play a fun, flamboyant role. And, of course, has excellent comic timing.”
The eight episode web series is off to a strong start, receiving over 300,000 views on Youtube and hundreds of Facebook fans in its first week. Fans have responded to the show’s irreverent style and a “character universe” that goes far beyond a normal web show.
Friday Night Laughs with BROTHERS Premiere on FOX 8/7c! And here’s the free mixtape
BROTHERS’ stars Michael Strahan and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell have joined forces with hip-hop DJ Belal to bring old school back withThe Legendary DJ Belal Presents The Real Hip Hop Party Mix Vol.1. The mixtape features legendary hip-hop artists like Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, KRS-One, MC Lyte and A Tribe Called Quest. Click below for the free download!
http://www.zshare.net/audio/660722886e01e1a4/
ROM and AGO unveil two star-studded exhibitions
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) launched two complementary and dynamic exhibitions this fall, featuring images that epitomize glamour and that have helped define the public personas of some of the world’s most influential people.
September 26 marked the simultaneous opening of two iconic photography exhibitions – the ROM’s Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008, presented by the Bay, featuring classic images from Vanity Fair magazine’s early years and contemporary images after its 1983 re-launch, and the AGO’s Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937, showcasing photographs by one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
Visitors to either exhibition can retain their ticket stubs for presentation at the other venue to receive 20% off the cost of admission. A reciprocal members’ weekend will also be offered on October 17 and 18, allowing ROM and AGO members free admission to the other attraction.
The ROM and AGO will also host a panel discussion focusing on the culture of celebrity and photographic portraiture on Monday, November 9. Facing the Lens, Seeing the Light: Observations on Portrait Photography will be moderated by Sophie Hackett, assistant curator of Photography at the AGO and Francisco Alvarez, managing director of the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM, and will include photographer Nigel Dickson, gallerist Jane Corkin and Dr.Lilly Koltun of the Portrait Gallery of Canada.
The AGO exhibition Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937 and the ROM exhibition Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 will run from September 26, 2009 to January 3, 2010.
Freida Pinto, Karen David Featured at FILMI’s 2nd Annual Music Video Night
The 10th Annual FILMI South Asian Film Festival (FSAFF) will be presenting Canadian premieres of “I Promise You” by Vancouver pop vocalist Dal Hothi, starring “Slumdog Millionaire” actress Freida Pinto ; and “Magic Carpet Ride” by Etobicoke raised actress/singer Karen David, star of last Summer’s “Scorpion King 2” Hollywood blockbuster which had its Canadian premiere at FILMI 2008.
Well known Canadian music personality Raoul Juneja (a.k.a. Deejay Ra) returns to program FILMI’s 2nd annual music video night. FILMI is currently the longest running South Asian film festival in North America, and the first to introduce a music video segment, to celebrate South Asian artists from across Canada and around the world. FILMI’s debut music video night at their 2008 festival screened Bollywood themed music videos featuring rap legend Snoop Dogg and actress Natalie Portman among many others.
Also screening at FILMI will be “Wanna Be Loved” by Toronto rap sensation Imaan Faith featuring Akon protege Colby O’Donis, best known for his appearance on Lady Gaga’s Grammy-nominated “Just Dance” single ; and “One Voice” by Montreal R&B group The Bilz, released to raise awareness and support for the award-winning War Child Canada charity.
Additional Canadian premieres at FILMI include “Nine Parts” by UK fusion band Trickbaby, starring Bollywood heartthrob Abhishek Bachchan ; and “Electro Jugni” by producer Diamond “Swami” Duggal, whose industry credits include spending a year in Switzerland recording with Shania Twain on her multi-platinum “Up!” album.
The vision of the FILMI South Asian Film Festival is to promote, discover, introduce and celebrate cinematic endeavours by talented South Asian filmmakers, actors and musicians, and to highlight works with South Asian themes that can be brought to a mainstream audience.
FILMI Music Video Night
7:00 PM – Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Toronto NFB Mediatheque, 150 John Street
Hosted by Deejay Ra, featuring artist and director Q&A’s
2010 most riveting crime drama “Pimp 24/7″
