Thompson on Hollywood

Immersed in Movies: Revisiting Hollywood's Silent Golden Age with The Artist

Features

By Bill Desowitz
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November 23, 2011 4:22 PM
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Third Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival Sets 2012 Dates: How to Join Up

Festivals

Los Angeles culture lovers: the third installment of the Hollywood Fringe Festival has set its dates for 2012. From June 14-24, Hollywood will get an "explosion of theatre performances, solo artists, dancers, experimental art, comedy, films, and cabaret" from this non-profit fest. An opening night gala, awards ceremony and after party are all part of the fest, which is open and non-curated. More information on how to be involved and key dates are below:

By Sophia Savage
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November 16, 2011 11:44 AM
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Weekly Wrap: Weekend Preview, News from AFM, Festivals, Awards Buzz, Media Watch & More

Tower Heist

BOX OFFICE, REVIEWS, TRAILERS

Weekend Preview: Ratner’s Tower Heist Will Steal Indie Films’ Thunder

Watch: Reynolds, Washington and Farmiga in Safe House Trailer

Spielberg’s Adventures of Tintin Triumphs Overseas Before US Opening

Weekend Box Office: Puss In Boots Overshadows In Time, Rum Diary

By TOH!
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November 5, 2011 6:27 PM
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AFI FEST Conversations and Presentations: Young Hollywood Roundtable, 3D Bootcamp, Haywire, Summits

AFI FEST 2011's slate of conversations, presentations and digital alliances includes a Young Hollywood Roundtable (Kirsten Dunst, Armie Hammer, Evan Rachel Wood, Anton Yelchin), Two Visions of the West and the inevitable 3D Bootcamp, Film Technology Summit, Future of Film Summit, plus a Secret Screening (reportedly Steven Soderbergh's Haywire). There are interactive festival media platforms via MUBI, GetGlue and BuzzMod as well. Details on each below:

By Anne Thompson
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November 3, 2011 8:27 AM
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Five Star Day Premieres on Facebook and Theaters Day-and-Date

As indie filmmakers continue to try new ways to get their films out--with or without conventional distribution-- Five Star Day, an astrology-themed feature that overemphasizes the significance of place and time, premiered Wednesday November 2 day-and-date in movie theaters and Facebook. Gravitas Ventures and Breaking Glass Pictures claim that it's the first film to open simultaneously on both silver and laptop screens. At the same time that the film is available on Facebook -- $7 gets you access to the film for 48 hours--it will continue to roll out in theaters across the country.

By Maggie Lange
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November 3, 2011 7:30 AM
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Media Watch: Justin Timberlake Tackles Myspace, Kindle's Lending Library, News Corp. Profit Dip

Life imitates art: musician/actor Justin Timberlake, who played a media mogul in Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network, is set to revive the hulking mess of MySpace. He purchased an ownership share in the social media site in June of 2011 and just recently acquired an office and a staff of six to help him with the revamp. Timberlake wants to turn the website into a hub for musicians, entertainers, and fans to explore new content and connect over their favorite music.

By Maggie Lange
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November 3, 2011 4:37 AM
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AFM IN THE WORKS: Edgerton, Kidman, Dujardin, Del Toro, Cotillard, Watts, Wright, Wahlberg, Ibsen

News

Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, James Frecheville (Animal Kingdom) and Xavier Samuel are on board to star in Anne Fontaine's (Coco Before Chanel) The Grandmothers, adapted from the 2003 novella by Nobel Prize-winner Doris Lessing by-- it's getting better--Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons). In the story, two childhood friends/neighbors (Watts, Wright) each fall in love with the other's son, to the disgust of their wives. Sounds bizarre (and a bit like Toronto title The Oranges). Amazon sheds more light on it:

By Sophia Savage
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November 3, 2011 1:04 AM
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AFM News Briefs: Seyfried as Lovelace, Farrell & Rapace's Violent Spree, Lautner Gets Van Sant

- Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard are now in talks to star as porn star Linda Lovelace and her pornographer husband, Chuck Traynor, in Lovelace, an adaptation of Eric Danville’s book The Complete Linda Lovelace, from Howl directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. W. Merritt Johnson (TV's In Treatment, Temple Grandin) and Andy Bellin (Trust) wrote the adaptation. After Lovelace and Traynor’s notorious Deep Throat became a porn classic, she left her husband and accused him of forcing her into pornography and prostitution.

By Sophia Savage
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November 2, 2011 5:47 AM
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Mindy Kaling Makes Impertinent and Incisive Digs at Hollywood

In an interview with NPR, The Office's Mindy Kaling, who writes and produces the TV comedy as well as starring as "perpetual teenager" Kelly Kapoor, displayed her unique and subtle understanding of the absurd logic of American pop culture. Among other brash statements, she hails the art of the diet: "We always think of a diet with a big groan. But I think diets are fun. I think it is an American pastime for a lot of women."