Entertainments Latest News

George Carlin, the comedian who put free speech to the test in his comedy routine entitled: “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television” died on Sunday in Santa Monica, California.

He had a history of heart trouble and went to the St. John’s Health Center on Sunday afternoon due to chest pain and died later that evening.

His last performance was at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas the previous weekend. George Carlin was 71 years old.

It was his use of those “seven words” which led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity in 1978 that still stands today. Carlin had a tremendous amount of artistic credits including; 3 books, 14 HBO specials and 23 comedy albums.

“He was a genius and I will miss him dearly,” Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.

Nicole Kidman wed Keith Urban in 2006 and the couple is now expecting their first child. In a Vogue magazine interview, Nicole revealed her amazement at the sonogram image of her unborn child: “When I first saw the baby on the ultrasound, I started crying. I didn’t think I’d get to experience that in my lifetime.”

She added: “The whole experience is so primal. But I’m glad I’ve learned to let things flow. I’m now so much more capable of receiving love and giving it in a far different way. So to be given the blessing of a child at this stage of my life, you just say, ‘Wow, this was meant to be.’ “

Everybody loves a superhero, except when they need an attitude adjustment like the main character of the new movie “Hancock.”

Will Smith stars in the leading role portraying a superhero who doesn’t really seem like he is comfortable with all the power that he has at his beck and call. But underneath his sarcastic manner is a little secret.

The story takes place in Los Angeles and although Hancock saves lives with his heroics, the problem is that he always manages to leave chaos in his wake without regard. Co-starring Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron, the film opens worldwide on July 2nd.

Sir Sean Connery is set to return to the annual Edinburgh International Book Festival to unveil his long awaited autobiography: “Being a Scot” co-written with his film-maker friend Murray Grigor.

On the date of his appearance, August 25th, Sir Connery will celebrate his 78th birthday and will also salute the anniversary of the birth author Ian Fleming, creator of the “James Bond 007” character.

It was Connery’s portrayal of James Bond in 7 movies which propelled him to fame. 

Edinburgh is the UNESCO City of Literature and the festival of fresh perspectives runs from August 9-25 with more than 800 authors from 40 countries.

Katie Holmes moves from the big screen to New York’s theatre district on Broadway this autumn to star in a revival of Arthur Miller’s post-World War II play “All My Sons.”

Most recently seen in the film “Mad Money’” along with singer/actress Queen Latifah, Katie will get a chance to hone her stage acting skills. She also starred in the films “Batman Begins’”and “Thank You For Smoking.”

Katie plays the character of a woman who visits her former neighbours, the family of a missing pilot she once loved. Other members of the cast include; John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson.

In the new movie “What Just Happened?” that made its debut at the recent Cannes Film Fest, Robert DeNiro plays the character Ben, a movie producer who has his hands full as he juggles two ex-wives and their families, a bi-polar director and a ruthless studio boss demanding radical changes to his picture.

The satire based on the memoirs of veteran Hollywood producer Art Linson is directed by Barry Levinson and co-stars Bruce Willis and Sean Penn. This is an insider’s view of Hollywood and it’s not always pretty. Tip of the hat for a film that reveals what goes on behind the scenes in the process of making movies stripping away the glitz and showing the real life side of stardom.

“And When Did You Last See Your Father?” won the Waterstone, Volvo and Esquire Award for Non-Fiction and the JR Ackerley Prize for Autobiography 1993. This true portrait of the relationship between Blake Morrisonand his father, Dr. Arthur Morrison was first published as a book in 1993 and inspired the genre of confessional memoirs.

It became a bestseller and two editions have been released in 1998 and in 2006 with an afterword by the author. In addition to being translated into several languages (including Japanese and Arabic), it is now a movie entitled “When Did You Last See Your Father?” (see our review in the Fantasy Fixx section) starring Colin Firth.

“I used to think the world divided between those who have children and those who don’t; now I think it divides between those who’ve lost a parent and those whose parents are still alive.”–Blake Morrison, Author

“When Did You Last See Your Father” is a new film due to be released June 6th. Based on the award-winning book (see our review in the “Written Word” section).

The cast features Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson, Gina Mckee, Sarah Lancashire in an true-to-life drama that explores the dynamics of a father/son relationship. Directed by Anand Tucker, Blake Morrison’s memories are vividly brought to life.

Mark the date: February 6, 2010, Bob Marley’s 65th birthday has been chosen as the scheduled global release date for a new documentary film that will tell his story.

Bob Marley became an icon during his lifetime and 27 years after his death, his contributions as a songwriter -musician are still credited as the major factor that elevated the Reggae genre to international recognition.

According to the story in Billboard magazine, Ziggy Marley, the oldest son of the late singer is one of the executive producers but the title of the film has yet to be decided.

The latest word on the project is that Jonathan Demme has replaced Martin Scorsese as director of the Tuff Gong/Shangri-La Entertainment production with Fortissimo Films as the international sales agent.

Fans of Indiana Jones have been waiting a long time for this–19 years in fact. Although there have been rumors that the film doesn’t cut it, the previews have been dazzling.

The promotion for this movie has been totally awesome; online ticketing, trailers and the official Indiana Jones magazine goes on sale the same day the movie opens in the theaters on May 22nd.

Titan Magazines.com takes you behind the scenes of the movie and Steven Spielberg explains why it took 19 years to bring Indy back. If this movie doesn’t knock your socks off, it won’t be for lack of trying.