In a memory

The late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in 'The Dark Knight' earned him an Oscar. I watch almost most of his Film and he's really a living talent, can't be replaced...An All Time Best Actor as for me.





BlogRankings.com

Check Out This: Oscar Winner List

Best Picture - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Actor In Leading Role - Sean Penn, MILK
Actress In Leading Role - Kate Winslet, THE READER
Directing - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Foreign Language Film - DEPARTURES
Music (Song) - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Music (Score) - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Film Editing - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Sound Mixing - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Sound Editing - THE DARK KNIGHT
Visual Effect - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Documentary Short - SMILE PINKI
Documentary Feature - MAN ON WIRE
Actor In Supporting Role - Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Short Film (Live Action) - SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Cinematography - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Makeup - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Costume Design - THE DUCHESS
Art Direction - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Short Film (Animated) - LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES
Animated Feature Film WALL-E
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Writing (Original Screenplay) - MILK
Actress In A Supporting Role - Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA





BlogRankings.com

'Slumdog' strikes it rich with 8 Oscar wins

The film's eight trophies -- including best picture, direction, adapted screenplay and cinematography -- cement the reputation of Fox Searchlight as a champion of work that Hollywood won't risk.

"Slumdog Millionaire" -- a love story that combines artistic ambition with broad commercial appeal -- won a leading eight Oscars on Sunday night, including the best picture trophy.

While the film's triumphs at the 81st annual Academy Awards marked an amazing outcome for a movie filled with subtitles, scenes of torture and a Bollywood dance sequence, the wins also cemented the reputation of distributor Fox Searchlight, which has become Hollywood's top advocate of the kind of daring works that movie studios have all but abandoned.

Director Danny Boyle's fictional account of a Mumbai orphan's surprising winning streak on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" also won Oscars for direction, adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing, original score, original song and sound mixing.

The wins for the film -- produced by a British company, co-financed by a French distributor and made by a largely Indian cast and crew -- dramatized the global compass reading of contemporary movie production, as other top Oscar winners showed.

The best supporting actress winner was Spain's Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"; Australian actor Heath Ledger was posthumously named best supporting actor for "The Dark Knight"; and British star Kate Winslet won best actress for "The Reader." The only acting winner with a U.S. birth certificate: Sean Penn, who played the title character in "Milk."

Host Hugh Jackman opened the broadcast with a song and dance routine about the economic recession, and though he didn't reference Hollywood cost-cutting specifically, belt-tightening was very much a part of the Oscar ceremony backdrop.

In a show business shakeup that has cost scores of film executives their jobs and left numerous movies in limbo, studios are scaling back not only on provocative dramas but also on the companies they established to produce and distribute them.

In the last year, Warner Bros. closed its two specialty film divisions, Warner Independent Pictures (the original distributor of "Slumdog Millionaire") and Picturehouse, while Paramount closed the doors of its Paramount Vantage unit. ThinkFilm, a leading distributor of nonfiction films, has vanished, and the Weinstein Co. has scaled way back.

At the same time, the big movie studios are steering clear of highbrow literary dramas, aiming their resources at mass-appeal works including family-friendly animation, superhero stories and established franchises such as James Bond and Harry Potter.

As others have ditched movies that require patient marketing to build grass-roots audience interest -- "Slumdog Millionaire" debuted in just 10 theaters last November and didn't reach its widest national release until last weekend -- Fox Searchlight has become Hollywood's unequaled home for films made outside the normal studio channels.

A tiny cog in Rupert Murdoch's global News Corp. media conglomerate, Fox Searchlight not only was able to steer "Slumdog Millionaire" to its multiple Oscar wins, but also turned it into a solid box-office hit, with domestic gross set to pass $100 million.

"It's a triumph for this kind of film," Boyle said backstage, minutes after he thanked Fox Searchlight from the lectern of the Kodak Theatre.

By far the most successful of the studio-owned specialty film divisions, Fox Searchlight had never before won the top Oscar, although it had best picture finalists three of the last four years with a varied slate of original, audience-pleasing works: 2007's "Juno," 2006's "Little Miss Sunshine" and 2004's "Sideways."

While the best picture prize will make a nice ornament for Fox Searchlight's lobby, the trophy also serves as a validation of the company's patient, disciplined approach to making and distributing movies from outside the studio system -- even as the company's peers are folding their tents.

Some of these companies were done in by profligate spending and steep overhead, which Fox Searchlight has consistently avoided. The company refuses to pay its actors more than $500,000 -- often a tiny fraction of their standard, multimillion-dollar salaries -- and carries a staff of about 75.

"I believe that size, in some ways, is the enemy of creativity," said Peter Chernin, News Corp.'s president and chief operating officer, who launched the Fox Searchlight division more than 15 years ago. "The less money you risk, the more risks you can take. It gives you a chance to take more shots."

Fox Searchlight was formed in 1994, and its early returns were unremarkable. But in the company's third year, the division released the hit British comedy "The Full Monty" (written by "Slumdog Millionaire's" Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy). Peter Rice, a Fox production executive, took over Fox Searchlight in early 2000, and the company and its core team -- marketing head Nancy Utley and distribution chief Steve Gilula -- flourished.

"They were there when I needed them, and they left me alone when I was doing fine," said Alexander Payne, director and co-writer of the wine-tasting comedy "Sideways."

Unlike bigger movie studios, which produce almost all of their movies, Fox Searchlight and other so-called independent distributors often buy completed movies at film festivals. Fox Searchlight has enjoyed an incredible run with its festival acquisitions, buying the teen comedy "Napoleon Dynamite" for $3 million (it grossed $44.5 million) and the beauty pageant comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" for $10.5 million (it grossed nearly $60 million).

When the British producers of "Slumdog Millionaire" first shopped the movie to American distributors nearly two years ago, Fox Searchlight refused to pay the $5 million asking price.

When the film came Fox Searchlight's way once again, Rice bought distribution rights from Warner Bros. for $2.5 million.

Filmmakers (and the company's competitors) say Fox Searchlight's real gift is marketing and publicity, creating a system where the movie -- rather than flashy, pricey advertisements -- is allowed to sell itself. One common tactic: dozens of free screenings around the country, weeks before a film hits theaters.

"We were in a different city every night," said Valerie Faris, who co-directed "Little Miss Sunshine" with husband Jonathan Dayton. "It was all about building up anticipation."

Fox Searchlight's handling of "Slumdog Millionaire" has been especially skillful. Though the film features scenes of a brutal police interrogation, abject poverty and child abuse, Fox Searchlight has positioned it as a feel-good romance.

"At first, you hear that it's in Hindi and that it's violent," said Bob Berney, the former head of Picturehouse. "And then you start hearing from moviegoers, 'It's changed my life.' That's better than any advertisement."

At a time when a lot of dramas -- not to mention movies with subtitles -- have struggled at the box office, "Slumdog Millionaire" has grossed $98 million in domestic theaters, and with the Oscar wins could soon pass "Juno" (total gross: $143.5 million) as Fox Searchlight's highest-grossing film.

"Fox Searchlight has established its supremacy by identifying the soul of their films," said Jason Reitman, the director of "Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking," another Fox Searchlight hit. "No other studio has been able to match their ability to find the accessibility point of such tricky subjects as middle-aged wine tasters, beauty pageants, teenage pregnancy and now the slums of India."

Times staff writer Chris Lee contributed to this article.

source: theenvelope.latimes.com

Red carpet glamour rules the night

Celebrities didn't skimp on the jewels and fabulous gowns.

Hollywood is the stuff of fairy tales, and at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, celebrities dressed the part. Recession may be reality, but the gowns and jewels were pure escapist fantasy. Because let's face it, if stars aren't glamorous, they aren't doing their job.

There was a magical-princess aura to many looks, in a palette of pales keeping with the spring season's trend for powdery colors. The best was Sarah Jessica Parker's silver embroidered, sea foam silk tulle Dior Haute Couture bustier gown, cinched at the waist, with an enormous ballerina skirt, followed by Penelope Cruz's 1950s vintage Pierre Balmain strapless ivory lace gown, hand-embroidered with gold bullion threads.

Miley Cyrus' ivory silk chiffon Zuhair Murad confection, with scalloped tiers and foil-like embroidery, was too much dress for a 16-year-old. Similarly, Marisa Tomei's dove gray, one-shoulder Versace gown with spiraling origami pleats was so ornate, you barely noticed her. Anne Hathaway looked like a mermaid in Giorgio Armani Prive's champagne-colored mermaid gown, covered in half-dollar-sized clear paillettes, but I wonder whether it crunched when she sat.

Taraji P. Henson, in a rippling cream chiffon Roberto Cavalli column, offset by a red Mary Norton clutch, was the evening's best dressed. I loved it when she lifted her skirt to show Ryan Seacrest her shoes and you could see her Spanx. That's reality.

Henson's 19th century diamond flower Fred Leighton necklace exemplified the statement-jewelry trend. Amy Adams also wore an impressive Leighton piece, a 1950s colored gem and diamond collar. Viola Davis fastened a 1950s Leighton clip brooch to the front of her fabulous gilded Reem Acra goddess gown.

Freida Pinto proudly showed off a diamond ring of East Indian provenance. Her one-sleeved, midnight-blue beaded lace John Galliano gown was an interesting choice. I liked the way the shape echoed that of a sari, but somehow it aged her, especially with her hair up.

Red dresses, the surest way to va-va-voom glamour, were also popular -- Adams in red Carolina Herrera with a sculptural pleated bodice and Heidi Klum in a red silk taffeta RM by Roland Mouret gown, slit high.

Kate Winslet wore a one-shouldered blue-gray Yves Saint Laurent gown (the silhouette was all over the fall runways in New York last week). But what I really loved was her hair -- a sculptural flip styled by Renato Campora (he explains his technique on the Image section blog All the Rage, latimes.com/alltherage).

Hairstyles looked more modern than ever, particularly Henson's sleek bob and Jessica Biel's easy 'do, the front pulled back and the rest tumbling loosely around her shoulders.

Brooks Brothers dressed the evening's "biggest littlest" stars, the children from "Slumdog Millionaire," in tiny tuxedos. Brad Pitt was in head-to-toe Tom Ford, and as usual, Giorgio Armani had quite a pack of fellas, including Sean Penn and Anil Kapoor. Burberry dressed Hugh Jackman in three different tuxes, and Dev Patel. I only wish Patel's Brooks Brothers bow tie had been bigger. It would have balanced out those cute ears.

It's been fun to watch Mickey Rourke do the red-carpet rounds because he actually takes risks, unlike so many stars. On Sunday night, he wore a Jean Paul Gaultier white wool tuxedo with a black vest and chained, zipped-up watch pockets. Around his neck was a photo pendant of his recently deceased pooch Loki. Gotta love it.

I'm all for self-expression, but Philip Seymour Hoffman's black knit cap made him look as if he were en route to a jewel heist. Lord knows he was in the right place.

source: theenvelope.latimes.com

Live from the Red Carpet at the Oscars

I'm on the Red Carpet at the Oscars, blogging away with my trusty BlackBerry (all times Central).

7:37: I'm back up in the press room after some major security checkpoints. But I'd be remiss if I didn't pass along one last Red Carpet note, as Steppenwolf veteran Michael Shannon, supporting actor nominee for "Revolutionary Road," stopped by to give a shout-out to the folks back home.

“All my friends are back at Red Orchid Theater on Wells Street having an Oscar party," he said."I just want to say hi to all them."

As he glanced around the mobs on the red carpet, he added: "This is pretty far away from Chicago."
7:12: Adding to the press blow-off list: James Franco, Gus Van Sant, Melissa Leo and DeKalb native Richard Jenkins.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick just blew by as well.

At this point the publicists are rushing the nominees into the theater, though Viola Davis made time to chat even though she was an early arriver. How long had she been on the red carpet?

"Hours," she said, then exhaled.

Daniel Craig didn't take questions but stopped to visit and sign autographs for two of the "Slumdog" kids, Tanay Chheda, 12, and Ashutosh Lobo-G, 15. The boys were thrilled.

Whose autographs had they collected?

"I got James Bond. I got Anne Hathaway," Tanay enthused.

"We got Anne Hathaway! Woh!" Ashutosh gushed.

When Meryl Streep saw the "Slumdog" boys, she exclaimed, "You're so wonderful! Oh my God!"

They got her autograph.

Before they left, I asked Tanay, "Who's the best James Bond?"

"Actually, all of them are really good, but Sean Connery is the best."

6:39: Sean Penn just walked pass literally two feet in front of us and didn't turn his head a millimeter as the press folks called out, "Sean! Sean!" Poor guy, getting pestered by reporters on a red carpet. What a nuisance.

Others who have blown by us: Seth Rogen, Zak Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Judd Apatow, though his wife Leslie Mann turned back to give us a friendly wave.

6:22: John Legend revealed to Osbourne that he'll be singing the "WALL-E" nominated song "Down to Earth," although he hasn't actually seen the movie. Osbourne informed him that it's worth seeing.

The song's original singer, Peter Gabriel, pulled out in protest of the song being shortened for a medley.

The veterans' club: Louis Gossett Jr. made the rounds, as did the ever-incredible Mickey Rooney, who was moving gingerly, but, hey, he's 88.

6:13: It took her almost an hour, but Virginia Madsen finally made it to us, looking fab as always, in red.

This was her first time back since her supporting actress nomination for "Sideways."

"That night was so amazing I didn't want to come back until more time had passed," she said.

Her next movie is "The Haunting in Connecticut," and she's also moved into producing; her first project is an adaptation of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" starring Julia Stiles.

And, no, she hasn't been back to Chicago recently but said to her native city: "I miss you. I miss Chicago."

5:55: I just asked Robin Swicord, nominated screenwriter of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, whether she'd prefer for the Oscar show to run in reverse order.

"I think everybody would like to see it go in reverse order," she laughed, "although there's something nice about building up. I think we'd be very sleepy by the time we got to the red carpet."

5:49 Things have definitely grown more chaotic. While Robert Osbourne has been talking to the likes of Glover (who came back), Anthony Hopkins, and Zak Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, many of the major nominees have been doing some TV show's interviews on a platform almost directly in front of us.

First came director Danny Boyle and what looked like the entire "Slumdog Millionaire" cast, followed by acting nominees Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and Taraji P. Henson.

Miley Cyrus stopped right in front of us but didn't take questions; she just wanted to show us her flowy dress that looks like it was assembled from large glittery moth wings.

The Soweto Gospel Choir also didn't take questions but did stop to serenade us with beautiful song. We'll take that over canned answers any day.

5:12: At 3:10 California time we have our first press bleachers blow-off: "Milk" star Emile Hirsch, who chatted with Robert Osbourne after Virginia Madsen, speed-racered right by us but posed for the photographers' bleachers.

Miley Cyrus returned to Osbourne to plug her Hannah Montana movie coming out in April. She's an optimist, as evidenced by this quote; "Let's hope we're here next year getting something for that."

5:00: "Hey, everybody, Danny Glover!"

So announced Robert Osbourne at 3 p.m. in Hollywood, thus derailing my efforts to get a who's-showing-up-first pool going in the press bleachers.

Osbourne asked if Glover wanted to talk to him. Silence followed.

"Everybody, Miley Cyrus has entered the arena!" Osbourne announced a few minutes later.

She didn't talk either.

Ah, finally, our first talker...Chicago's own Virginia Madsen, reflecting happily on her Oscar-nominated "Sideways" experience. Can't see her yet, but I'm counting on her to visit us print folks.



4:50: Red carpet host/interviewer Robert Osbourne just introduced himself and took a straw poll on fans' favorite best picture nominee.

"Slumdog Millionaire," cheers.

"Benjamin Button," cheers.

"Milk," cheers.

"The Reader, cheers.

"Frost/Nixon," a smattering of claps.

"You should see it," Osbourne told the crowd. "It's a great movie."

4:44: Screams are coming from the bleachers. Has our first carpet walker arrived?

Here they come, and it's a young couple being tracked by a video crew gesturing for the fans to cheer. They have no idea who these two are either.

Still waiting for the first actual star...

4:30: Here's the scene: The red carpet is an "L" shape, and the stars, when they arrive, walk down the long part of the "L," then turn right and head into the Kodak Theatre complex.

TV crews and fan bleachers flank the long part. I just saw Mario Lopez disappear into the corner. The print press bleachers is just past the right angle on the far side, followed by a phlanx of still photographers and the grand mall entrance.

I'm in the front row of the press print bleachers, which was a lucky draw, though by the time many of the nominees have survived the TV folks, they opt to bypass the pen-and-paper folks.

Star presenters have been asked to skip the carpet this year so their appearances will remain a surprise. Will that reduce the wattage out here? We'll see.

Three hours and 15 minutes before the show begins, I'm wondering who will be the first celeb to stroll this maroon-side-of-red carpet.

If I were in a pool for such a thing, I'd have Sally Kirkland.

source: chicagotribune.com

'The Love Guru' Sweeps 2009 Razzies

Golden Raspberry Award Foundation has announced the "winners" of their 29th Annual Razzie Awards on Saturday February 21, and "The Love Guru" came out in front of the pack, nabbing the most kudos on the night. Nominated for five categories, the Marco Schnabel-directed film landed three titles, including Worst Picture.

For the Worst Picture throphy, "Guru" won over "Disaster Movie", "Meet the Spartans", "The Happening", "The Hottie and the Nottie" and "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale". Aside from that award, the comedy movie also grabbed Worst Actor for its leading star Mike Myers and Worst Screenplay for both Myers and Graham Gordy.

Another multiple awards-recipient on the event was "The Hottie and the Nottie". The romantic comedy has been given two Worst titles, Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple. Both of the awards were earned by its leading actress Paris Hilton, but for the screen couple category, she was joined by Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore.
The "winners" of the Razzies were determined by mailing ballots to 657 voters living in the United States and 19 foreign countries. The winners of the Worst titles were announced a day before the gala ceremony of the 81st annual Academy Awards, which will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on Sunday, February 22.
Complete Winners List of the 29th Annual Razzie Awards:

• Worst Picture: "mThe Love
• Worst Actor: Mike Myers, "The Love Guru"
• Worst Actress: Paris Hilton, "The Hottie and the Nottie"
• Worst Supporting Actor: Pierce Brosnan," Mamma Mia!"
• Worst Supporting Actress: Paris Hilton, "Repo: The Genetic Opera"
• Worst Screen Couple: Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore, "The Hottie and the Nottie"
• Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
• Worst Director: Uwe Boll, "Tunnel Rats", In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale" and "Postal"
• Worst Screenplay: "The Love Guru" - Written by Mike Myers and Graham
• Gordy Worst Career Achievement (Special Category!): Uwe Boll (Germany's Answer to Ed Wood)

Oscar Result Leaked Out While The Vote Counting Process Still On!!

Los Angeles, Feb 20:

Could it be that the 2009 Oscar TV show is ruined suppose the results leaked? We honestly do not know how authentic this list of Academy Award winners but we do our due diligence and to make the information available to you, so you can determine.

A list of this year’s Oscar winners have been leaked on the web. The Academy Awards, the results are very guarded and if the leaked results showed in fact it would be a big blow to the Academy.

Oscar winners List has been Leaked in a document on the Internet.

The document which looks quite genuine, has apparently been scanned in, and has an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences letterhead and with the signature of Academy`s president, Sid Ganis.

The Famous News Website Says Like This “This is the final list of winners of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. As always, please treat this information with extreme care,”

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has been named the best film and its director Danny Boyle has won the best director award.

Kate Winslet has won best actress Oscar for ‘The Reader’

Mickey Rourke has bagged best actor award for ‘The Wrestler’.

Heath Ledger has been named best supporting actor for ‘The Dark Knight’

Amy Adams has won best supporting actress award for ‘Doubt’.

However, an Academy Awards representative has clarified that the list is a ‘complete fraud’ and has justified that the vote counting process is still on.

Source: www.moviegoal.com

Los Angeles, Feb 20:

Could it be that the 2009 Oscar TV show is ruined suppose the results leaked? We honestly do not know how authentic this list of Academy Award winners but we do our due diligence and to make the information available to you, so you can determine.

A list of this year’s Oscar winners have been leaked on the web. The Academy Awards, the results are very guarded and if the leaked results showed in fact it would be a big blow to the Academy.

Oscar winners List has been Leaked in a document on the Internet.

The document which looks quite genuine, has apparently been scanned in, and has an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences letterhead and with the signature of Academy`s president, Sid Ganis.

The Famous News Website Says Like This “This is the final list of winners of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. As always, please treat this information with extreme care,”

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has been named the best film and its director Danny Boyle has won the best director award.

Kate Winslet has won best actress Oscar for ‘The Reader’

Mickey Rourke has bagged best actor award for ‘The Wrestler’.

Heath Ledger has been named best supporting actor for ‘The Dark Knight’

Amy Adams has won best supporting actress award for ‘Doubt’.

However, an Academy Awards representative has clarified that the list is a ‘complete fraud’ and has justified that the vote counting process is still on.

The men of 'Shopaholic'

Surprisingly for a movie aimed at chick flick lovers, Confessions Of A Shopaholic's creative drive comes from some very distinguished Hollywood men. Producer Jerry Bruckhimer, known more for his brawny action movies, guides the rom-com with the help of Muriel's Wedding director PJ Hogan. And starring opposite Isla Fisher's Rebecca Bloomwood is rising Brit thesp Hugh Dancy.

Source: Simon Reynolds, www.digitalspy.co.uk

'TWILIGHT' FANS REJOICE! Summit Announces Movie Threequel 'Eclipse'

EXCLUSIVE: I've confirmed there's no director hired yet. And the two productions won't be back-to-back. But that hasn't stopped Summit Entertainment from newly scheduling its Twilight threequel for release on June 30, 2010, not long after its Twilight sequel New Moon set for November 20th this year now being helmed by Chris Weitz. Summit also officially changed the name of its vampire movie franchise based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling series of novels to The Twilight Saga. Here's how Summit descibes the plot of the threequel Eclipse:

"As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death."

Regarding The Twilight Saga, my sources tell me that director Catherine Hardwick's claim in her diary that she didn't want to helm New Moon isn't accurate because Summit decided not to hire her for New Moon. And I've also learned that Summit only had a deal with Stephenie Meyer for the first book, Twilight. So the start-up film studio had to make individual deals for the other books in Meyer's series, including the new 4th novel Breaking Dawn -- and the author got top-dollar, trust me. To date, Summit's low-cost blockbuster Twilight has earned $363 million in worldwide grosses -- almost evenly divided between domestic and international -- since its release on November 21st, 2008.

source: Nikki Finke, www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com

"Dark Knight" Breaks $1 Billion

"The Dark Knight" has become the fourth film to take in more than $1 billion in worldwide box office. Warner Bros. made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying that the combined domestic and international gross had totaled $1,001,082,160 to date -- about $533 million domestically and $567 million overseas.

source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Universal in talks for 'Battlestar' movie

THR's Borys Kit has the scoop, my comments below:

Just as the acclaimed Sci Fi Channel series "Battlestar Galactica" enters its final episodes, Universal has quietly entered into negotiations with Glen A. Larson to write and produce a big-screen version of the property he created.

"Battlestar," which originally aired on ABC in 1978, was produced in the wake of the success of "Star Wars," which caused a sci-fi revival in popular culture. The premise involved a human civilization living on a series of 12 planets that are decimated from an attack by intelligent robots known as Cylons. The survivors are led by a starship called Galactica in their attempt to find a mythic 13th planet named Earth.

The Sci Fi series, under the direction of executive producer Ronald Moore, took the premise and ran with it, incorporating the politics of war, religion, torture and destiny, becoming the channel's signature series.

Moore is not involved in the movie.

The movie effort would have no connection to the series and would relaunch the story in a new medium. However, staples such as the characters Adama, Starbuck, and Baltar will remain.

Larson was one of the biggest names in 1970s and '80s TV and creator of shows like "Switch" and "Magnum P.I." Universal had no comment.

Comment: This is, obviously, potentially huge news for fans of the original "Battlestar" that have objected to Moore's realistic and operatic re-imagining on Sci Fi Channel. Moore's post-9/11 take has wowed critics and created a legion of new fans, while the Larson camp has longed for a return to the lighter, adventures-in-space post-"Star Wars" spirit of the original. But would Larson opt to re-tell the apocalyptic origin story yet again? Or go with something entirely different?

source: THR.com