BuzzSugar

Weinstein Co. to Make Live-Action Fraggle Rock Movie

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:29:44 PDT

Guess what? It's time to "Dance your cares away/ Worry's for another day/ Let the music play/ Down at Fraggle Rock!" The Fraggles are back! According to Variety, the Weinsteins are teaming up with Lisa Henson of the Jim Henson Company to bring a live-action, half-human half-puppet Fraggle Rock extravaganza to the big screen. Check it out:

Just like the series, the film will be populated by a mix of human characters and Fraggle Rock puppets. . .Pic will take the core characters Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red outside of their home in Fraggle Rock, where they interact with humans, which they think are aliens. The show premiered on HBO in 1983, ran five seasons and was broadcast in more than 80 countries. It posted strong sales recently when the first three seasons were released on DVD.

Awww! I'm excited about this news for so many reasons, but first and foremost: Hooray for no CGI! It'll be so great to get some good old-fashioned puppets, just like we'll get with Jason Segel's Muppet project. Plus, I can't wait to see some Fraggle musical production numbers choreographed for the big screen - and hopefully accompanied by Gobo on his gourd guitar.

Want to take a sweet little trip down Memory Lane? After the jump, relive the adorableness that is the opening sequence to Fraggle Rock. You can enjoy when you

Source

Whoa! Project Runway Dumps Bravo for Lifetime

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:52:32 PDT

Without question, Project Runway is Bravo's biggest hit. So it's nothing short of shocking that come this Fall, the show's going to be airing on Lifetime instead.

Yup, the show that helped make Bravo a household name is jumping ship, with a new season set to begin airing in November on Lifetime. According to Lifetime's press release, the move is part of a deal that will give the show a home on Lifetime for the next five years.

A couple of curious things:

The press release talks about Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn moving along with the show, but there's nary a mention of Michael Kors or Nina Garcia.
The press release is all about the sixth season starting in November. What will happen to season five, which Bravo apparently has the rights to air? Will Bravo somehow squeeze in another season before the jump? Or could both Bravo and Lifetime's versions of the show air at the same time, as one writer speculates? Open auditions were already being held in New York over the weekend
Will this actually hold up? NBC has filed a lawsuit to try to stop the move, which the Lifetime statement acknowledges.

What a coup for Lifetime - and what a loss for Bravo! What do you make of the news? Do you care where the show airs, just as long as it's on? And would you be bummed if Kors and Garcia were done on Runway?

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Cannes Minireview: The Sapphires

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

The Sapphires has turned out to be one of the sleeper hits to emerge from Cannes, thanks to The Weinstein Company, which has already acquired rights to the film. I caught a screening of the funny film from Down Under during the festival, so read on to find out what I thought.

Who's behind it? Director Wayne Blair was behind the lens of the picture, which is based on a play by Tony Briggs. Briggs's mother and her family actually inspired the story. Chris O'Dowd of Bridesmaids fame is the leading man. The movie's four leading ladies all have varying degrees of fame in Australia: Jessica Mauboy is a musical star after a turn on Australian Idol, and Deborah Mailman was the first Aboriginal actress to win the country's prestigious Australian Film Institute award for best actress. Relative newcomers Miranda Tapsell and Shari Sebbens round out the cast.
What's it about? It's a story about a group of Aboriginal women who overcome significant obstacles in Australia to pursue their dreams of singing in 1968. When the ladies run into Dave (O'Dowd) at a local singing contest, he agrees to be their manager and help them get a gig touring Vietnam to entertain US troops. There are subplots about racism and Australia's "lost generation" (until the 1970s, the government stole light-skinned Aboriginal children to be raised by whites elsewhere). Mainly, though, there is a lot of singing, dancing, and '60s-era costumes.

To read what I thought, just read more

Cannes Minireview: Killing Them Softly

Molly Goodson — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:21:14 PDT

Brad Pitt's gritty new project, Killing Them Softly (formerly titled Cogan's Trade, and based on a book of the same name), made its debut to the press at the Cannes Film Festival this morning. Considering the early hour of the screening and just how violent and drug-fueled it is as a film, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it overall. Pitt is at his best playing the ruthless assassin, and James Gandolfini can, of course, carry a mob movie.

Who's behind it? Like Sapphires and Lawless, it's another The Weinstein Company film here at the festival. Writer-director Andrew Dominik brings together an excellent cast of men to tell his story, including Ray Liotta in addition to Pitt and Gandolfini. With that much testosterone on screen, there's not much room for the ladies. In fact, there's barely a female to be seen in the film at all. At the center, there are two bumbling thieves, played by Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn, who shine in their own deeply messed-up ways - often seen sweating and using drugs. Pitt, who we have seen playing a ruthless assassin before, does it again, this time with slicked-back hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he explains his preferred method of murder - "killing them softly," rather than listening to them plead.
What's it about? On paper, it's about a heist at a mob poker game gone wrong, but as both the director and Pitt spoke at the film's press conference after the screening, it's a much larger commentary on America's capitalist society. It's set in New Orleans against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis and election, with actual speeches from Barack Obama and Sarah Palin sprinkled throughout. As for the actual heist at stake, Frankie and Russell (McNairy and Mendelsohn) rob a poker game that was previously hit up as part of a scam put on by its own owner, Andrew (Liotta). Pitt's character, Jackie Cogan, is brought in by the larger mob bosses to assassinate the men. Wires are quickly crossed and it can be hard to tell who is working for whom, but with the crazy visuals and hilarious, sometimes unsettling, one-liners, it is a riveting watch. I, for one, was particularly amused by the scenes about Russell running a racket by stealing purebred dogs.
More important even than the story, however, is the feel of the film. It takes place and was shot in New Orleans, a city which Pitt is clearly comfortable in. It's not quite a love letter to the city - or to anything for that matter - like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but it still has that uniquely gritty and stylized New Orleans feel.

To read what I thought of the film at Cannes, just

What did I think? The performances, especially by Gandolfini, could start award-season buzz, depending on how and when Killing Them Softly is released stateside. While the film is not for the faint of heart, it's a thought-provoking watch. The humor and political commentary keep it from being a straightforward mob movie, therefore setting it apart from being the same story we've seen 100 times before. Plus, Pitt's swagger, Gandolfini's monologue expertise, and a pack of dogs are welcome at any movie for me. Watch out for the last line, though, it will stick with you.

Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Taylor Swift, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lopez, and Nominees Party With Weinstein Pre-Oscars!

Molly Goodson — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:55:18 PST

Hollywood was buzzing with pre-Oscars parties, and The Weinstein Company's bash was packed with A-listers. Good friends Taylor Swift and Emma Stone posed together inside the party, while hot Alexander Skarsgard was rolling solo. His True Blood costar Stephen Moyer was also without his lady, and Adrien Brody scoped the scene with Gerard Butler. Glee's Chord Overstreet, who was spotted out on a hockey date with Taylor last week, joined up with Dianna Agron and Jessica Szohr. Jennifer Lopez glowed on Marc Anthony's arm, and Rachel Zoe sported a dress from her collection, which showed off her baby bump. The King's Speech's Colin Firth is a favorite for today's best actor win, and he looked relaxed as he got a head start on the celebrating. Renée Zellweger and Bradley Cooper both stepped out for the soiree, and she sported a strapless dress that showed off her super toned arms. The red carpet is just hours away, so get ready for the big event by checking out all of Buzz's coverage and don't forget - we'll be LIVE on PopSugar starting at 3:30 p.m. PST/6:30 p.m. EST!

We'll be LIVE from the red carpet in just a few hours starting at 3:30 PST/6:30 EST, so watch here on PopSugar or follow us on Twitter for breaking news and photos.

Weinstein Company's Bully Documentary Receives "R" Rating

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:16:37 PST

It all comes down to six lil curse words. One of the biggest issues facing school children today is bullying, with some statistics showing that as many as half of all kids are bullied at one point during their school years. Following the tragic deaths of kids who just couldn't face the torture anymore, movie bigwig Harvey Weinstein is preparing to premiere Bully, a documentary about the consequences of bullying, later this month. The film has already earned accolades at various film festivals and 10-minute long standing ovations at screenings around the country.

So what's wrong? Because the film includes six four-letter words, it has earned an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America - meaning no one under the age of 17 is allowed to see it without adult supervision. That means no screenings at school assemblies and no groups of kids heading to the theater to see it on a Friday night. The onus will be placed on parents to take their kids to see it. The Weinstein Company is appealing the rating and petitions are currently circulating throughout the country.

Bully's Director Tells Us Why the Movie Should Be on Every Parent's Must-See List

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:46:25 PDT

Bully just may be the most important movie of the year. The documentary weaves together the stories of five families dealing with the long-term effects of school bullying - two that have recently lost their children to suicide and three that are experiencing it day in and day out. While the film has received significant media attention for receiving an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings board due to the inclusion of six curse words (it is now being distributed without a rating through many theater chains beginning today), it is the honest, heartfelt look at how 13 million kids are treated each year that should make it required viewing for every parent and school-aged child.

I spoke with the film's director, Lee Hirsch, about the bullying epidemic, the ratings controversy, and why even parents of kindergartners need to see Bully.

LilSugar: You've really started a national dialogue with this film - was that your goal?
Lee Hirsch: In a way, it was my goal. We were busy thinking, what could our movement look like, how could we do this, how do we engage, and how do we amplify? I don’t think I ever imagined that we would have this level of support and that we would grow to be this high. It just feels like just a wonderful blessing to have so much support.

I knew that there were so many people that had this narrative, and I remember when I was first talking about this film, I would say, "God, everybody has a story when it comes to bullying." But I didn’t really feel the way that I do now. Now I really feel like there are hundreds of thousands of people speaking out, [and] you start to see the impact of all these generations of people who’ve had this experience, who never really had a place to process them. It’s really exciting.

LS: With the R rating, Bully’s getting more attention than anyone probably ever expected. Why did you decide not to bleep out the six curse words and get the PG-13 rating? Was it worth fighting to keep them in there if it means that the film might not be seen by everybody who needs to see it?
LH: I think it’s worth fighting, because what we are saying is that this is a movie about what happens. It's what really happens when it comes to bullying. In this bullying and situations of bullying, language is critical. Language matters - it's a weapon. It's such a ridiculous argument that the MPAA says that they will allow one F word, but what if you see the film four times? It makes no sense! On the flip side, we are saying we are talking about bullying, we are talking about violence, we are talking about people being numb to violence, and so the MPAA has put a rule on that, they have stamped movies that have sexified and glorified violence all the time with a PG-13 and PG ratings. So I think the stamp matters - it matters for the people that are bullied.

LS: You spent a year in three Iowa schools. How did you convince the boards of education to let you film in their schools?
LH: We had rigorous conversations with the schools; it took many conversations and days of flying out there. We presented them honestly what we were trying to do with this movie - what our hopes were. We wanted to show what it looks like from the perspective of being able to just really see what goes on at a school. They were very brave. The school district is taking a lot of heat from this film, and at the same time, most school districts would never agree to this - they wouldn’t open their doors, wouldn’t admit they have a problem.

Keep reading to see what surprised Lee the most during filming and what parents of younger children can do to stop the bullying epidemic.

Link Time - First Poster For The Kennedys With Katie Holmes

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:30:46 PST

Katie Holmes channels Jackie in this poster for The Kennedys miniseries – Vulture
Find out which Michael Jackson song Glee will cover after Super Bowl! - TV Squad
Comics for Harry Potter fans - Moviefone
Lord Voldemort's aka Ralph Fiennes's best movies - Rotten Tomatoes
CBS officially cancels Medium – Zap2it
Harry Shum Jr. aka Mike Chang becomes a Glee regular! - PopWatch
Denis Leary to play Emma Stone's dad in Spider-Man - MTV Movies Blog
The 10 best-dressed artists of the past 100 years - Flavorwire
Weinstein fights ratings for Blue Valentine and The King's Speech - Screen Crave
Get an exclusive first look at Jessica Simpson's TV holiday special - PopSugar TV

Michelle Williams Celebrates Post-SAGs With The Artist Stars and Sofia Vergara

Allie Merriam — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:25:54 PST

There was a great deal for the Weinstein Company to celebrate after the SAG Awards in LA last night. They hosted a bash, along with Dewar's, at the Chateau Marmont honoring this year's crop of films, including The Iron Lady, The Artist, and My Week With Marilyn. The star of the latter film, Michelle Williams, took home a statue at the recent Golden Globe Awards, but yesterday, it was The Artist's Jean Dujardin who was onstage accepting an honor. Michelle attended the afterparty nonetheless, still decked out in her red Valentino gown. She made the rounds chatting up Bérénice Bejo, while another of the evening's winners, Modern Family's Sofia Vergara, had a moment with Jean. There was a lot more action going down at Harvey Weinstein's event - click through to see who else turned out, and make sure to check out all of our SAG Awards coverage.

Video: See The Artist Cast - Including Uggie the Dog - Celebrate Their Golden Globes Win at the Weinstein Afterparty

Lauren Bradshaw — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:04:08 PST

After taking Golden Globe honors for best picture - comedy or musical, and best actor, the stars of The Artist went to The Weinstein Company's afterparty to celebrate - and we were on the carpet to chat with them about their big win! See our footage from the event including Uggie, the canine star of the movie, in today's PopSugar Rush.