Organizers promise new tricks for Oscar ceremony

Oscar organizers on Monday warned nominees for the world's top film awards to keep on their toes during a more than three-hour ceremony later this month that will break with tradition.

The producers "are going to take some risks, many risks, some bold," Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said at the annual luncheon given by the academy for Oscar nominees.

Producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon are organizing their first Academy Awards telecast, set to take place on February 22 from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. But Mark and Condon have never produced the show before. They are best known for making musicals such as 2006 film "Dreamgirls."

Instead of hiring a comedian to host the Oscars, as has been typical of Oscars past, they brought in Australian actor and song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman, and they have axed the famous opening monologue hoping for more spontaneity.

In December when Jackman was announced as host, Mark told Reuters that he and Condon want the telecast "to be more of a party and a celebration," but he declined to disclose details.

On Monday, Ganis was no less coy at the luncheon for more than 100 nominees, including stars such as Sean Penn and Penelope Cruz who are nominated for best actor and supporting actress in "Milk" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" respectively.

Ganis would not tell them what to say or do if they were one of the lucky winners. He advised that acceptance speeches "be brief, be personal and, of course, be heartfelt." And he added this final warning when explaining Condon and Mark had a few tricks up their sleeve: "stay alert."

Oscar organizers could use some risk-taking to turn around declining viewership. The 2008 broadcast, hosted by comedian Jon Stewart, hit a record low of 32 million U.S. viewers compared to 39.9 million in 2007.

Still, the show remains annually the second-most watched program on U.S. television, and a crush of celebrities are expected to turn out, including Penn, Cruz, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep.

Along with those celebrities will be another group of actors who are no-less accomplished but not as well-known to average moviegoers. And on Monday, many of them talked about the nomination as a dream come true.

One was Viola Davis, nominated for supporting actress for her portrayal of the mother of a victimized son in "Doubt." She said she grew up poor but was always supported by her parents, family and friends as she strived to achieve her acting goals.

"This has been just pure joy for me," she said of the nomination. "I truly, truly feel like I wanted to find a way out of my life when I was younger -- poverty and living in a small town -- and didn't know if I could do it. And this is everything I could've hoped for."

Gary Collins arrested, suspected of DUI

Authorities say they arrested actor and TV host Gary Collins on suspicion of drunken driving.

According to an arrest report, deputies in the coastal county of Santa Barbara pulled Collins over Saturday evening after noticing him driving a motor home erratically. The 70-year-old was arrested by the California Highway Patrol after failing a field sobriety test. He was later released on $25,000 bail.

The arrest comes roughly 13 months after Collins pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and served a four-day jail sentence in a suburb of Los Angeles. He was placed on two years of informal probation, and records show he was admonished about the dangers of drunken driving.

Records also indicate he was convicted of DUI in 2004 in Malibu. They did not indicate whether he has an attorney. - AP

Will Kate and Sawyer be an item again on Lost?

If you thought the tortured tropical romance between Sawyer and Kate was over, you might be surprised by a future episode of "Lost," according to Evangeline Lilly, who stars as Kate on the ABC thriller.

"There is a reunion of sorts" awaiting the pair, says Lilly. Never mind that Kate seems to have escaped that mystical island while Sawyer, the handsome rogue played by Josh Holloway, was staying put.

Lilly calls their future encounter "very laced and complicated and simple." But she's careful not to spill any further details.

"I never know what I can and can't say," she explains.

Now in its fifth season, "Lost" airs Wednesdays. - AP

Narnia franchise continues voyage

The Narnia series of films will continue after 20th Century Fox stepped in to produce the third of CS Lewis's books, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Fox replaces Disney, which bowed out in December citing "budgetary considerations and other logistics".

The second film in the series, Prince Caspian, made $420m (£295m) compared with the $745m (£523m) made by 2005's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The next movie is due to be released in 2010, Fox said.

The Narnia movies, which have won an Oscar for make-up, cost Disney and co-producers Walden Media an estimated $180m to $200m (£126m to £140m) to produce, and both films went on to become top DVD sellers.

No information has been released about the production costs for the new film which sees the Pevensie children take another member of the family - cousin Eustace - into Narnia.

Panda director 'for He-Man movie'

Kung Fu Panda director John Stevenson is to direct Masters of the Universe, a live-action version of the hit 1980s cartoon He-Man, according to reports.

Action film producer Joel Silver will work on the film with Warner Brothers and toy company Mattel, Variety said.

The hero was previously turned into a film in 1987 with Dolph Lungdren as He-Man and Frost/Nixon star Frank Langella as the villainous Skeletor.

He-Man tells of a prince who transforms into a warrior to defend his planet.

The cartoon, also made in partnership with Mattel, was known for the image of blond-haired Prince Adam on top of a mountain uttering the magic words, "by the power of Grayskull, I have the power," and turning into the heroic He-Man.

He-Man and his allies, Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms and Orko defended their planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, who tried week after week to conquer Castle Grayskull, which gave He-Man his powers.

It is thought the script to the new film will feature more gritty fantasy and re-imagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon magical world called Eternia.

There, a being called Skeletor raises a technological army and is bent on eradicating all traces of magic.

The 1987 film flopped at the box office and was nominated for a Razzie, the mock awards given to the worst movies of the year.

It is the latest toy to have been given a big-screen outing, following the success of Transformers.

A Transformers sequel is due for release this summer and GI Joe and Hot Wheels films are also to hit cinemas.

Stevenson received an Oscar nomination for Kung Fu Panda, which he co-directed with Mark Osborne.

Potter's injured stuntman named

Harry Potter's stunt-double, who was seriously injured on the set of the latest film, has been named.

David Holmes, 25, was hurt at Leavesden Studios, near Watford, Hertfordshire, where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is in pre-production.

Mr Holmes, from Romford, Essex, was taken to Watford General Hospital on Wednesday with a back injury. He has since been moved to another hospital.

His family said they were helping each other "through this difficult time."

A statement released by the family said: "We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

"We are trusting in the expertise of the medical staff who are caring for David."

An investigation was opened by the Health and Safety Executive after the accident.

"Kung Fu Panda" sweeps Annie Awards

"Kung Fu Panda" pulled out all its martial arts moves at the 36th annual Annie Awards, where it was named best animated feature.

The DreamWorks Animation feature dominated Friday's awards ceremony at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, presented by ASIFA-Hollywood, the Los Angeles chapter of the International Animated Film Society.

"Panda" won the top prize over such other nominees as the critical favorites "WALL-E" and "Waltz With Bashir" and swept the feature film categories with 10 trophies, topping Pixar's "Ratatouille" run last year, when it earned nine Annies, including best feature.

Additionally, DWA's "Secrets of the Furious Five," a 24-minute short that appears on the "Panda" DVD, took four awards in the TV production/shortform categories, and Activision's "Kung Fu Panda" game won the award for best video game.

Since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences set up its best animated feature category in 2001, the Annie winner has gone on to score the animation Oscar every year except for two years ago, when the Annies opted for "Cars" but the Academy chose "Happy Feet."

Rounding out the top prize recipients, Aardman Animations' "Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death" was named best animated short subject.

ShadowMachine's "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" was honored as best animated TV production, while Nickelodeon's "Avatar: The Last Airbender" won the prize for best TV production produced for children.

"Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs," from the Curiosity Co. and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, was victorious in the home entertainment category, and Duck Studios' "Heart" ad for United Airlines was the TV commercial prize winner.

The "Panda" awards parade to the winner's podium continued throughout the evening. It included a directing award for John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, writing honors for Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, animated effects for Le-Ming Lawrence Lee, character animation for James Baxter and storyboarding for Jen Yuh Nelson.

Dustin Hoffman, who plays kung fu master Shifu in "Panda," earned the award for voice acting in a feature film.

Nico Marlet took home two awards for character design, for "Panda" and "Secrets." Tang Heng also was a double winner for production design on both projects. And Hans Zimmer and John Powell also were recognized twice, for "Panda's" music and the "Secrets" score, where they were joined by Henry Jackman.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE51109D20090202

Rapper DMX sentenced to 90 days in jail

A judge in Arizona sentenced rapper DMX to 90 days in jail on Friday on drug, theft and animal cruelty charges.

The 38-year-old rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, has been in custody since December.

Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller gave Simmons no credit for time served and placed him on 18 months of supervised probation.

The rapper turned actor, whose hit albums include "Year of the Dog ... Again" and "It's Dark and Hell is Hot," has been in legal trouble during the past year in Arizona, where he keeps a home near Phoenix.

In May, he was arrested on drug and animal cruelty charges after sheriff's deputies raided his home. Authorities found dog carcasses and malnourished pit bulls.

He also was charged with assuming someone's identity and giving false information during a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a suspected attempt to avoid paying the bill.

Simmons had pleaded guilty to the charges to settle three criminal cases against him and agreed not to own animals or possess firearms.

"After several run-ins with the law, Mr. Simmons is finally being held accountable for his actions. We will continue to prosecute aggressively all cases involving cruelty to animals," county attorney Andrew Thomas said in a statement.

Simmons' attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE50T66L20090131

De Niro's restaurants to pay $2.5 million in tip case

Actor Robert De Niro's Nobu restaurant chain will settle a lawsuit over tips with waiters and staff at three of his New York establishments for $2.5 million, according to court papers filed on Friday.

The settlement comes after two waiters sued in 2007 on behalf of hundreds of workers at three of the exclusive Japanese restaurants. They said they were forced to share tips with management and the chain failed to pay overtime.

Nobu, which De Niro partly owns with chef Nobu Matsuhisa and others, opened in New York's Tribeca area in 1994. It has since expanded to 16 places around the globe.

The settlement covers Nobu, Nobu 57 and Nobu Next Door, all in New York. Current employees and ex-employees who worked there between August 2001 and August 2008 will receive an average of $3,300 each, court papers said.

De Niro's spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Carolyn Richmond, a lawyer for Nobu, said Nobu has a reputation for treating employees well and was looking forward to putting the litigation behind it.

"These are very uncertain economic times and if this class action lawsuit trend continues over procedural nuances concerning the definition of tip pools, New York City will suffer the needless loss of thousands of jobs and small businesses," she said.

Several lawsuits in the past two years have accused New York restaurants, including some owned by celebrities, of wage violations and unfair labor practices.

Among those named in suits were U.S. pop star Justin Timberlake's Southern Hospitality BBQ restaurant, Jay Z's 40/40 Club and Jean Georges owned by French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

"Top Chef" TV show judge Tom Colicchio's Craftbar in New York was sued in December.

Last year Vongerichten agreed to pay $1.75 million after eight waiters filed suit on behalf of all staff at Jean Georges and four of his other New York restaurants.

A hearing to approve the Nobu settlement is set for February 6.

http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE50U00E20090131

NBC takes record $206 million in Super Bowl ads

NBC Sports scored a major victory with its record $206 million in ad revenue from Sunday's Super Bowl game.

For the full day, including the pre- and postgame shows, the network division brought in $261 million, also a record.

The figures are especially significant in light of the advertising economy's decline in the months since NBC Sports completed its coverage of the Beijing Olympics in the summer.

NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker and NBC Sports & Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol hailed the sales efforts under NBC Sports ad sales chief Seth Winter. NBC reported selling 85 percent of its Super Bowl inventory by Labor Day, which is also noteworthy considering that it had to sell ad time for the Beijing Olympics during that period as well.

"This is an extraordinary story for NBC against the backdrop of this economy," Zucker said in a statement released over the weekend.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter