Thompson on Hollywood

Weekend Fires, Festival Watch, New Moon Pics, Battsek Talks

Weekend News:Two Los Angeles County firemen were killed in a vehicle crash as they fought the Station fire near Acton after a long weekend battling fierce blazes in the Angeles National Forest brought on by hot, dry Southland weather. The Mt. Wilson tower-cam continued recording Sunday as wildfires threatened the mountain's radio and TV towers. Thousands of area residents were evacuated and sought shelter at local schools as their homes were endangered.

By Anne Thompson
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August 31, 2009 6:12 AM
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Michael Sheen: New Man of a Thousand Faces

Michael Sheen is as driven as the soccer coach he plays in The Damned United, his sixth collaboration with writer Peter Morgan. In demand for a range of roles, the Welsh-born stage actor has conquered London and Broadway, smart movies and genre franchises.

By Anne Thompson
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August 28, 2009 6:32 AM
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Comic-Con: Twilight: New Moon Press Conference

About 600 people camped overnight to get into the Twilight: New Moon panel, which started at 1:45 PM in Hall H. Some came from as far away as the Philippines. But first there was a press conference at the Biltmore Hilton adjacent to the gigantic blocks long convention enter, which at 9 Thursday morning was already a sea of jostling people.

By Anne Thompson
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July 23, 2009 6:17 AM
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Risky Business: Comic-Con Comes of Age

Post-Twilight, Comic-Con comes of age. And yet, it can be risky to chase after that fan buzz. Memorable duds in Hall H include The Spirit and Zathura. When a movie isn't working, the fans sniff it out. But when it does--300 and Superman Returns are vivid examples--they turn up to see the movie in droves. How it plays in theaters is another matter. Watchmen was a hit in Hall H last year--but the good buzz didn't guarantee a wide appeal commercial movie.

By Anne Thompson
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July 21, 2009 6:45 AM
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#SDCC: Pattinson Will Do Comic-Con Twilight: New Moon Press Conference

While Twilight star Rob Pattinson will not do backstage press interviews at Comic-Con this week for New Moon, he and co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will participate in an off-site press conference in San Diego early Thursday morning. That's how Summit is handling huge demand for the film's stars, who will also attend a Hall H panel later Thursday afternoon at the San Diego Convention Center. Fans are expected to line up overnight to gain entrance to that panel.

By Anne Thompson
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July 20, 2009 6:56 AM
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#SDCC Comic-Con Separates Top Draws Avatar and Twilight: New Moon

Last year, I remember a few diehard fanboys mocking me when I flagged Twilight as a big deal at Comic-Con. The power of Twilight fans became clear as thousands of girls screamed their lungs out for emerging star Rob Pattinson. Helping to avert certain traffic gridlock, Comic-Con organizers pushed apart back-to-back Thursday panels for Twilight: New Moon and James Cameron's Avatar, by far the most anticipated two panels of the Con. Many were concerned that the threatened tsunami of fans surging toward Hall H Thursday morning (many of them female, in this very male-dominated universe) would make it tough to also cover Disney's 11 AM 3-D panel (Zemeckis's A Christmas Carol, Burton's Alice in Wonderland) and James Cameron's Avatar on the same day. Now New Moon is at 1:45 pm and Avatar is at 3:00 pm. Covering media may have a tough time getting into New Moon without some kind of press pass.

By Anne Thompson
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July 10, 2009 5:59 AM
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Daily Links: Twilight's Pattinson Lands Vanity Fair, Baldwin Gets Political, Last Wayne Film

First GQ and EW, now Vanity Fair. If you were the editor of a major magazine, I think you'd want Twilight star Rob Pattinson for your cover, too. He's booked for Vanity Fair in the fall, around the November release of New Moon. On Twitter, Pattinson fans track his every move and flick of an eyelash, from Rome to New York. Bruno is a fan too. He fantasizes about almost landing on Pattinson at the MTV Movie Awards, below.

By Anne Thompson
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July 8, 2009 8:13 AM
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Weekend Read: More Public Enemies, Embattled Auteurs, New Moon Spoof

As I head off for an unplugged holiday weekend--to a pal's Idyllwild hideaway with no wifi (thanks Lili)--here are some weekend links.

By Anne Thompson
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July 3, 2009 5:08 AM
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MTV Movie Awards: Twilight, Bruno vs. Eminem

The MTV Movie Awards, hosted by Andy Samberg, were the usual lackluster, pseudo-hip, mainstream youth alternative to the Oscars--and huge Hollywood marketing opportunity. Summer movies from Paramount (Star Trek, Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra) and Warner Bros. (The Hangover) got promoed, but the big winner of the night was Summit Entertainment, which colluded with MTV and ardent fans to make the awards show a Twilight lovefest, with five wins.

By Anne Thompson
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June 1, 2009 7:48 AM
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New Moon: Shirtless Pattinson Set Pics

Shock Till You Drop has a gallery of New Moon set pictures from Italy. Some of them feature Kristen Stewart and a shirtless Rob Pattinson. No, they are not official. Enjoy them while you can.