Dom DeLuise Dead at 75

Dom DeLuise, who brought his unique comedic gifts to many films passed away Monday evening in his sleep, according to his son's publicist. He was 75.
DeLuise appeared in several Mel Brooks films, including Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie. Later, he was a frequent co-star of Burt Reynolds, appearing in films like The End, Smokey and the Bandit II and The Cannonball Run.
Reynolds released a statement to EntertainmentTonight Tuesday morning. "I was thinking the other day about this," Reynolds said. "As you get older you think about this more and more, I was dreading this moment. Dom always made everyone feel better when he was around. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss him very much."
DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933. In the 1960s he had bit parts in a handful of movies, including Fail Safe (1964), but became well known as a regular on The Entertainers and a Dean Martin variety show. He had his own summer replacement show in 1968 and was a regular on Glen Campbell'sGoodtime Hour in 1971-72.
DeLuise made his directorial debut in 1973 with Hot Stuff.
Later in his career, DeLuise supplied his vocal talents to animated films such as An American Tail andAll Dogs Go to Heaven.
Dom DeLuise was married to Carol Arthur, and was the father of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise.

Are Big Studio Mergers Coming?

Right up front we'll admit that for the moment this is nothing more than an intriguing headline driven by high-power speculation, yet it wouldn't be unheard of if some of the big studios were to soon engage in mergers.
It's a theory that veteran investor Mario Gabelli told Barron's magazine recently. Gabelli, it seems, expects a wave of consolidation in the industry over the next few months.
Gabelli told Barron's magazine that he expects Paramount Pictures to soon merge with Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures or another studio as a way to cut costs.
"Today there are seven or eight motion-picture studios. A round of consolidation will occur in the next six to 12 months because of the costs of financing, prints and advertising, the benefits of globalization and such," said Gabelli. "We hear talk of something going on."
It seems perhaps counter-intuitive with some of the current tentpoles seemingly making money hand over fist, plus record annual profits for studios. But if you stop to consider the enormous up-front risks, preposterously high marketing budgets (sometimes as costly as the films themselves), empowerment of independent filmmakers thanks to advancing technology, and lost revenue due to challenges from other forms of media, such a move might make sense from a corporate perspective.
Moreover, with vertical integration and corporate ownership of major studios (Universal Studios owned by GE, Warner Bros Pictures owned by Time Warner, etc.) — and the current economic downturn — corporate owned studios are being left with dwindling advertising budgets.
Quite frankly, this doesn't sound like a good thing to us. Many believe that corporate ownership of the studios has stifled overall creativity as continued emphasis is placed on the reworking of owned properties and FX-driven "event films," which nonetheless offer several irresistible lures for corporate management, including increased profitability from marketing and merchandising tie-ins.
Somewhere along the way, the studios seem to have largely forgotten that at the end of the day, it's all about the story.

The 20 Sexiest Male Vampires of All Time

Here's a list that makes me scratch my head, frankly. The website Guide To Beauty Schools has compiled a list of who they believe to be the 20 hottest male vampires ever.
Before we get to that, let me describe the problem I have with this. Vampires shouldn't be hot for hot's sake with poofy hair and eye makeup. They should be wretched, evil things, with embers for eyes and the smell of rotting fish for breath. They should scare the living daylights out of you and make you want to run and hide someplace, not head together down to the dance club, after which you follow up with a night of spooning and talking about your "feelings."
They should have a presence that is both majestic and chilling. As described in Bram Stoker's novel, "Dracula":
How he came there, I know not, but I heard his voice raised in a tone of imperious command, and looking towards the sound, saw him stand in the roadway. As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back further still. Just then a heavy cloud passed across the face of the moon, so that we were again in darkness.
Now, no one will deny that vampires offer plenty of metaphors for sex, this we've known for years. For example, listen with your Freudian ear to the language in which Dr. Seward describes the driving of a stake into Lucy's breast by her finance in Stoker's novel:
The thing in the coffin writhed; and a hideous, blood-curdly screech came from the opened red lips. The body shook and quivered and twisted in wild contortions; the sharp white teeth champed together till the lips were cut, and the mouth was smeared with a crimson foam.
But a metaphor for sex is different from a sexy vampire, and so we present to you the below list with the following caveat: we think this whole trend of "sexy" vampires is total crap!
James Marsters as Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight
Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman in True Blood
Antonio Banderas as Armand in Interview with a Vampire
David Boreanaz as Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Keifer Sutherland as David in The Lost Boys
Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview with a Vampire
Jason Dohring as Josef Kostan in Moonlight
Wesley Snipes as Blade in Blade
Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton in True Blood
Gerard Butler as Dracula in Dracula 2000
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaires
Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt in Interview with a Vampire
Alex O’Loughlin as Mich St. John in Moonlight
Jason Patric as Michael from The Lost Boys
Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen from Twilight
Aidan Turner as Mitchell in Being Human
Ethan Hawke as Edward in Daybreakers
Paul Wesley as Stefan in The Vampire Diaries
Stuart Townsend as Lestat in Queen of the Damned
Hey Hollywood: Can we please have real vampires back again?

Warner Bros. Celebrates Success

Warner Home Video Canada held its quarterly press event in Toronto on Thursday, January 14. The Oscar-themed event, staged at the Capitol Theatre, was appropriate given that award season is upon us. And because release dates for Warner Home Video titles are the same in Canada as in the U.S., we were more than happy to make the trip.
In the spirit of the event, president John Grant was escorted to the stage by shade-wearing security. He started by saying that "2009 was an amazing year", referencing the record theatrical box office enjoyed by the industry worldwide.
Warner, he continued, pulled in $4 billion in box office, thanks to having nine films hit number 1, and eight earning more than $100 million. "The state of the industry is very healthy."
Manager of publicity Dyan Eaton took over at that point, introducing a series of clips of memorable Oscar moments, including David Niven and the streaker, Marlon Brando's rejection, Jack Palance's one-armed push-ups, and Halle Berry's cry-fest.
Eaton was then joined on stage by Chris Lewchuk, senior publicist, who was wearing a bald cap and was completely covered in gold paint. Lewchuk was much more animated than the traditional Oscar as he walked media through Warner Bros. upcoming releases.
One significant new packaging option from Warner Bros. is the new Blu-ray Combo Pack, which includes DVD, Blu-ray and digital copy editions of a film in one package. Lewchuk said the new SKU was so audiences could "decide how and where they want to watch."
Chuck: The Complete Second Season was released on January 5 and should already be on rotation in your home.
New Warner Bros. films coming soon to DVD and Blu-ray include Whiteout (January 19), starring Kate Beckinsale as a U.S. Marshall stationed in Antarctica, The Invention of Lying (January 19), starring Ricky Gervais — who will be hosting the Golden Globes this weekend — and Jennifer Garner, and The Final Destination in 3D (January 5) includes both 2D and 3D versions.
Films being released on Blu-ray for the first time include: Fame (January 26), The Green Berets (January 5) and Mystic River (February 2).
Some of the best series from Britain continue to find their way to North America courtesy of Warner Bros.
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials, releasing on February 2 on DVD and Blu-ray, includes the four specials that round out David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor: "The Next Doctor", "Planet of the Dead", "The Waters of Mars", and the two-part "The End of Time".
The seventh season of MI-5 — known as Spooks in Jolly Old England — comes out on January 26.
Series 11 and Series 12 of Top Gear, which is more fun with motor vehicles than you can possible imagine, landed on DVD on January 12.
Also coming from Warner Bros. in 2010, but not yet dated, are films such as The Informant! and Where the Wild Things Are, and Halo Legends, an anthology of eight short animated films, each created by a different studio, set in the Halo universe, popularized by the video games.

Are Hollywood Celebrities Being Murdered? Randy Quaid Thinks So.

Either a shadowy group responsible for murdering Hollywood celebrities is out to kill actor Randy Quaid and his wife, or the celebrity couple are suffering from paranoia-fueled delusions triggered by substance-abuse. Or perhaps something else altogether.
Most believe it's the latter two. And by most, we mean everyone except Dog the Bounty Hunter (and we seriously doubt he believes their story, either—more on that in a bit).
The older brother of actor Dennis Quaid was arrested last Thursday in Vancouver by several Canada Border Service Agency officials and police officers on outstanding warrants from the United States. Randy Quaid's 47 year-old wife, Evi, was arrested, too.
The couple appeared to be living out of a 10 year-old Toyota.
The couple reportedly failed to show up for a court hearing in Santa Barbara, Calif., on allegations they were squatting in the guest house of a Montecito home they once owned in the 1990s. Evi was also charged with resisting arrest.
After their arrest the Quaids made an appearance before the Immigration and Refugee Board for a detention hearing on Friday where they filed for refugee status. Quaid alleges that a shadowy group he calls 'Star Whackers' is responsible for killing a number of his Hollywood friends, and is now after he and his wife.
Quaid cited the deaths of Dark Knight star Heath Ledger and David Carradine of Kung Fu and the Kill Billfranchise as examples.
In a handwritten note, shown to media by their Vancouver-based lawyer, Brian Tsuji, the couple said: "Yes we are requesting asylum from Hollywood 'STAR WHACKERS.'"
When the issue was raised about his reported problems with substance abuse, 66 year-old Randy Quaid denied the couple had drug or alcohol problems.
Evi Quaid told reporters that "Hollywood is murdering its movie stars for ad sales."
A secret group of international assassins targeting celebrities, you say? Hollywood studios offing its stars to raise ticket revenue? Or how about disgruntled moviegoers?
If all this sounds a bit whacked to you, it gets better. The couple's verbal plea has piqued curiosity about who, or what, 'star whackers' refers to. And the plea may allow the couple to stay in B.C. as refugee claimants.
Which might just be the point.
Meanwhile, a private investigator told Sun Media that the conspiracy theory Evi Quaid hopes will allow her and Randy to claim refugee status in Canada is fictitious.
"Evi believes the ‘union mob’ is out to destroy them, and that they're going to kill Randy and herself and make it look like a murder-suicide," said Becky Altringer by phone from La Verne, Calif.
"There is nobody out to kill Randy or Evi," Altringer went on. "The only one trying to hurt Randy and Evi is Evi, she is really mentally ill."
"Heath Ledger, Chris Penn, David Carradine all died of different things," she added, "they all died of self-inflicted (matters)."
Yep, no need to employ a P.I. to figure that one out.
According to Altringer, she was hired by the Quaids last year to investigate the alleged conspiracy, but ended up quitting and filing a restraining order against the couple, who ran up a $19,000 bill. She said she gave them a place to stay but eventually evicted them over Evi’s behavior.
So the plot thickens.
Asked whether he really wanted refugee status, Randy Quaid stated that "Canada is a very protective nation." If the couple is allowed to access the refugee system, the process will take a minimum of one to two years. During that period, they will have access to Canadian benefits, including work permits, medical care and welfare.
Still, experts doubt the couple's claim for refugee status will be approved. Criminality is typically not an open door to Canada's refugee process.
If unable to discredit the California charges and prove fear of prosecution back home, their time in Canada will be brief, and the likelihood is that the couple will be escorted from the hearing room directly to the back of an immigration truck, where they will face a one one-way trip to the U.S. border and the waiting arms of American law enforcement officials (or the 'star whackers', whomever gets there first, we reckon).
Quaid and his wife also claimed that they chose Vancouver as their destination to talk to an agent about jump-starting Quaid's acting career.
Duane Chapman has wasted no time inserting himself into this sordid saga. After threatening to hunt down Quaid and "do an intervention, Doggy style" (sorry, "Dog style"), the star of A&E's Dog the Bounty Hunter now claims he wants to hear Quaid's 'star whackers' story.
"That is the first time I heard about it," Chapman said. "Something is wrong here and we need to find out … Something is up and we need to get to the bottom of it."
It's unlikely Chapman really believes this story about assassins targeting Hollywood celebrities, either. Anything for ratings, we suppose.
If Dog really wants to pull off a ratings coup, he should consider traveling to Pakistan to hunt down Bin Laden…with Randy Quaid riding shotgun (certainly a better way to jump start Quaid's career than a guest-stint on Smallville).

‘Star Trek’ Actor Walter Koenig’s Son, Andrew, Vanishes in Vancouver

Andrew Koenig, the son of Star Trek veteran Walter Koenig, hasn't been heard from since before February 16, when he was supposed to board a flight from Vancouver back to the United States, but never showed up. He was reported missing in Vancouver on February 18.
Koenig is a California resident, who was visiting friends in South Vancouver, reports the Vancouver Sun.
A number of celebrities, including Sarah Silverman, Alyssa Milano, Dave Holmes and others — along with many fans — have been blogging and tweeting about Andrew's disappearance. The Twitter hash tag is: #andrewkoenigmissing
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Raymond Payette of the Vancouver Police Department at 604-717-2534.
Koenig's family said he was despondent and they were concerned about his well-being. The 41 year-old is described as caucasian, 5’5” tall, 135 lbs., with long, brown shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.
The actor once lived in Vancouver, and police said he liked walking in Stanley Park.
Koenig is perhaps best known for his role as "Boner" on the popular '80s sitcom Growing Pains. He is the brother-in-law of Jimmy Pardo.

We’ve never had the privilege

Esquire Magazine, the self-described publication about ‘Beautiful Women, Men’s Fashion, Best Music and Drink Recipes,’ has declared that R&B singer Rihanna is the ‘Sexiest Woman Alive.’
We’ve never had the privilege of meeting Ms. R. and wouldn’t presume to comment on her personality but we will admit that her well cultivated image as an attractive singer is appealing. Quite what she looks like after a day weeding is another matter.
In general, however, we reckon these kinds of polls are nonsense. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Nonetheless, we can’t let this one go by without offering a nod to some of the women in film and TV whom we think should challenge Rihanna for her new title.
Strangely, our five suggestions don’t appear anywhere in Esquire list of runner’s up.
Anne Hathaway: If you share the name of Shakespeare’s wife you’ve got to have something. Hathaway’s star has risen rapidly since she played the unhappy wife of a gay sheep herder in Brokeback Mountainand with good reason: She has considerable smarts to go with her slender frame and bright eyes. Fanboys are eagerly anticipating her appearance as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises. Her costume is more conservative than Halle Berry’s (as we might expect from Chris Nolan) but she’ll doubtless have audiences purring when the movie debuts next year. She can leave hair on our office couch any day.
Scarlett Johansson: Men all over the world today are having palpatations after seeing Black Widow throw back her hair in the trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers. There’s a reason why Johansson got the part and you don’t need to have seen those dodgy pictures that someone might have pilfered from her phone to recognise it. Scandinavian beauty + tight-fitting ass-kicking catsuit = surefire box office appeal.
Archie Panjabi has been sultry and a bit scary in The Good Wife.Amanda Tapping: She’s tall, charming, intelligent, attractive and successful. That’s not all. She also somehow finds time to appear in and direct episodes ofSanctuary, raise a family, run a foundation for disadvantaged children (Sanctuary for Kids) and generate awareness of other good causes, such as Once Upon a Cureand Waterkeepers. Now that’s what we call sexy.
Archie Panjabi: One of the hottest women currently on television, Panjabi is also a superb actress. She has deservedly won critical acclaim and an Emmy for her performance as Kalinda in The Good Wifeand you’d be hard pressed to find a better performer in Postman Pat. Bend it Like Beckham boosted her profile. Since then he’s disappeared and she hasn’t.

From Inside Job to Movie Theaters, the Middle Class Rip-Off Continues

If you watched filmmaker Charles Ferguson’s 2010 documentary Inside Job— about the origins and hubris surrounding the recent global financial meltdown — then odds are you felt angry, cheated…and more than a little bit disgusted by a society that is increasingly putting more and more wealth in the hands of the rich, whilst at the same time ripping off the Middle Class. That same Middle Class that were largely responsible for the creation of said wealth in North America to begin with.
Odds are that unless you’re independently wealthy, you or someone you love has felt the economic crunch of the past few years, and if you’re like many, you get a bit testy when those more fortunate than yourself are perceived as trying to rip you off.
Case in point: movie theaters. Today, just as in the Great Depression, people often go to movies to escape the realities of their every day lives for a couple of hours. A night at the movies offers reasonably inexpensive (I stress the word reasonably here) entertainment, an evening out, and a chance to socialize with friends and family away from work or home. So it’s more than a little annoying to learn that some theater chains aren’t providing the service for which customers are paying.
The Boston Globe recently discovered that a host of theaters have been projecting films with images that are dark and lack color saturation. Research into this situation uncovered a number of theater chains using projectors that require a special lens when showing 3D movies. Yet when a 2D movie was being projected, the special lens was not being removed and replaced with the conventional lens, resulting in a reduction of light by as much as 85%.
Why the difficulty in performing a simple lens change when projecting a 2D film in stead of a 3D film?
Here’s what the paper had to say:
The uniting factor is a fleet of 4K digital projectors made by Sony — or, rather, the 3-D lenses that many theater managers have made a practice of leaving on the projectors when playing a 2-D film. Though the issue is widespread, affecting screenings at AMC, National Amusements, and Regal cinemas, executives at all these major movie theater chains, and at the corporate offices of the projector’s manufacturer, have refused to directly acknowledge or comment on how and why it’s happening. Asked where his company stands on the matter, Dan Huerta, vice president of sight and sound for AMC, the second-biggest chain in the US, said only that “We don’t really have any official or unofficial policy to not change the lens.’’
Sounds like a non-denial, denial…or a distinct lack of interest in charging moviegoers the appropriate ticket price for the appropriate movie format.
A Boston area projectionist explained to the paper that for 3D showings a special lens is installed in front of a Sony digital projector that rapidly alternates the two polarized images needed for the 3D effect to work.
“When you’re running a 2-D film, that polarization device has to be taken out of the image path. If they’re not doing that, it’s crazy, because you’ve got a big polarizer that absorbs 50 percent of the light.’’
As if we needed any more reasons to deride this whole 3D fad.

Apple, Disney and Pixar Innovator Steve Jobs Dies, Aged 56

Apple has announced the death of Steve Jobs at the age of 56. His passing comes one day after the company heralded the launch of it’s follow-up to the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S.
Although Jobs, who was born in 1955, is probably associated in the public consciousness primarily with his innovative work with Apple and its products, he also has historic ties to Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios.
Jobs acquired The Graphics Group from Lucasfilm in 1986. The company would go on to become Pixar, probably the most respected computer animation studio in the world. Under Jobs’ ownership, the company moved into animated films when that looked like being more profitable that the production of hardware like the high-end Pixar Image Computer.
Like many of Jobs’ decisions, that proved to be a wise one. Thanks to a partnership with Disney, it resulted in such Pixar hits as Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, WALL-E,Cars and Toy Story 3. The association with Disney started before the Pixar days, though, as Jobs explained in an interview with Animation Magazine.
“Our relationship with Disney started in 1986 or 7, the first year we were a company,” Jobs is quoted as saying. “When Disney ran into some rough times and hired Michael Eisner to turn the company around, there was talk of shutting animation down. Roy Disney decided that the way out of this was to automate some of the animation, so it could be more affordable, and so they could get some new capabilities. So Roy had a team do a worldwide search for technology which could help their 2-D cel animation process, and guess who they picked? Pixar. Roy was the first person from Disney ever to visit Pixar. We did a deal with them to create all the graphics that became a 2-D paint system called CAPS [Computer Animation Production System].”
Disney subsequently bought Pixar in 2006 in a deal reportedly worth $7.4 billion. Jobs thereafter became a major shareholder on Disney’s Board of Directors.
Steve Jobs influence over media extended not only to his work on Apple’s computing products and his involvement with Disney and Pixar. Apple’s iTunes download service, together with the app revolution driven by the introduction of iOS devices such as the iPad, are helping to revolutionize the delivery of digital and conventional broadcast entertainment (see here).
Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple in August presumably because of his failing health. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant in 2009.
Everyone at CinemaSpy extends their condolences to Steve Jobs’ family. His influence will be greatly missed in the technology and entertainment industries.

What did Omotola do? Tell me!!!

“What did Omotola do? Tell me!!!” … “I know you are just like her and I am not surprised” two friends yelled at each other recently. I was shocked as I tried to referee a disturbing argument over what Omotola wore to Grammy Awards. I am used to argument on celebrities but this one was exceptional. I also asked myself “what has Omotola done that people criticized her so much about what she wore to Grammy Awards.
“Can you believe what people are saying about a woman who has contributed so much to entertainment in Africa?” One of them asked the other one said a presenter on radio told the other one “I bet you don’t know fashion. How can she dress like that to Grammy?”
The argument ranged on until the two friends started abusing themselves. Na wah o! Abeg them dey sell pure water for mall of America?
Gist merchants told me that the mistake Omotola made can still be over looked but she walked into a trap.
“Medicine” (That’s what I call him); my friend who works with a leading PR firm in Lagos reiterated that point. Going to the Grammy would have been a boost for her career especially now that there is rivalry between her and some people in Nollywood.
That mistake was over blown by her competitors who used every form to trash her presence at the Grammy.
“Niyi, Don’t forget that some people are envious of her and they used every means to write rubbish about her just because she is ahead of them. Many of them want to be in her shoes"
"They said she has a big tummy and so what? This is a woman that has four beautiful children and she is looking so lovely. Forget the burgling tummy"
Yes, Medicine would not agree less that the recent outburst of Omotola's appearance at Grammy Awards would affect her style rating and some PR jobs might just swing another way because of the comments.
"What about the laying of hands? I mean on the backside"...Well, lets say it s..t happens sometimes. Another person said most of the people saying what he considered ' rubbish' at Omotola are people who would gladly do it if they had the opportunity. Most guys felt bad that someone would comfortably 'lay his hand' on her booty. Do you how many guys that would do anything just to have Omotola's attention?
See me see trouble o!My friend decided to ask me a mischievous question, "Niyi if you have the opportunity, will you 'lay hands' on that booty or not?" Leave my answer out of it.lol
I checked out my archive and saw that I snapped the photo of a young man who came to Mania magazine launch the other day in Lagos. The young man 'seriously' (look at his face in the first photo) lay his hand on his babes 'bakaasi'...If you your partner have it,then carry go!!!
I have no choice than to agree with 'Medicine' that Omo Sexy's competitors have been waiting for that small mistake to 'humble' her. They really used it but gistmaster bet, Mattew Ekehinde, her pilot husband was not too worried about the whole saga. I just read they celebrated 15 years of the marriage yesterday. If Omotola and her husband throw a party then it would be a way of saying no matter what, we are still rock solid like Olumo Rock.

KIMBERLY ELISE TIED IN A BIND

Hollywood star Kimberly Elise arrived at the Kotoka International airport on Friday to commence work on Leila Djansi’s blockbuster in the making Ties That Bind. The multi million dollar movie which Leila describes as her biggest project yet stars Nollywoods Omotola Ekeinde, British Ghanian Ama K Abebrese, Hollywood star Randal Batinkoff and Ebbe Bassey. Other billed stars include John Dumelo, David Dontoh, Prince David Osei and a host of other cameo appearances.
Ties that Bind is the story of Adobea, Buki and Theres, three women from different walks of life bound together by a similar pain; the loss of a child. In a destined meeting, in a small village in Kroboland, the women journey together to redemption, love, life and forgiveness as they renovate a dilapidated clinic for the villagers.
Kimberly Elise Trammel is a box office success story who usually stars alongside Denzel Washington; John Q, Manchurian Candidate, Great Debaters and has also played alongside the Tv Mogul Oprah Winfrey in the movie Beloved. Probably best known for her two movies “set it off” and Tyler Perrys Diary of a Mad Black woman, Kimberly Elise replaces Nia Long in the movie.
The movies director said returning the role to Kimberly Elise who was the first choice for the role of Theresa Harper is the best decision she has ever made. Asked whether she will eventually work with Nia, she responded in the affirmative saying she thought it best to bring Kimberly for Ties That Bind and work with Nia on another project which shoots in December. She quickly added that Nia Long was never officially on the project since both parties were still working out dates and schedules after the initial acceptance.
“I was surprised to see press releases of Nia Long all over the place. My publicist was upset but we let it ride. Sorry to disappoint Nia’s fans but a more suited actress has the role and we are very happy with that. We could still have made Nia happen but many reasons influenced our decision including the issue of some online character who went all out to spread negative vibes. Kimberly Elise is the best choice I have ever made for a movie role and I a very excited and honored to work with such a legend.”
Kimberly Elise is best described as one of the best actresses to come out of Hollywood and this is proven by the many accolades she has won to include Most Outstanding Actress at the just ended NAACP awards for the movie “For Colored Girls”.
This is to wishing the production the best of luck. Nigeriafilms.com promises exclusive first hand photos of the film next week. Watch this space.

Conrad Murray Collected Vials Before 911 Call

One of Michael Jackson's bodyguards had barely stepped into the singer's bedroom when he heard a scream. "Daddy!" Jackson's young daughter cried.
A few feet away, the singer lay motionless in his bed, eyes slightly open. His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was trying to revive him when he saw that Jackson's eldest children were watching.
"Don't let them see their dad like this," Murray said, the first of many orders that bodyguard Alberto Alvarez testified Thursday that he heeded in the moments before paramedics arrived at Jackson's home in June 2009.
What happened next -- after Alvarez said he ushered Jackson's eldest son and daughter from the room -- is one of the key pieces of prosecutors' involuntary manslaughter case against Murray.
According to Alvarez, Murray scooped up vials of medicine from Jackson's nightstand and told the bodyguard to put them away. "He said, `Here, put these in a bag,"' Alvarez said.
Alvarez complied. He placed an IV bag into another bag, and then Murray told him to call 911, Alvarez said
On the third day of the trial, prosecutors tried to show that Murray, who has pleaded not guilty, delayed calling authorities and that he was intent on concealing signs that he had been giving the singer doses of the anesthetic propofol.
Alvarez said he thought Murray might be preparing to take the items to the hospital, but didn't question him.
The bags never made it to the hospital, and prosecutors claim Murray repeatedly lied to emergency personnel and did not tell them he had been giving Jackson doses of the drug as a sleep aid.
If convicted, Murray, 58, could face up to four years in prison and lose his medical license.
Defense attorney Ed Chernoff questioned whether there was enough time for Alvarez to shield Jackson's children, survey the room and stow away the drugs in the brief period that phone records show he was in the home before calling emergency responders.
The bodyguard insisted there was, telling the attorney, "I'm very efficient, sir."
Chernoff was not convinced, questioning whether 30 seconds was enough time for the dramatic sequence to play out. Alvarez assured him it was.
The defense attorney also challenged Alvarez's recollection, asking whether the collection of the vials happened after paramedics had come and whisked Jackson to a nearby hospital. Alvarez denied it happened after he called 911.
Chernoff questioned why Alvarez didn't tell authorities about Murray's commands to bag up the medication immediately after Jackson died, but instead waited until two months after the singer's death. The bodyguard said he didn't realize its significance until seeing a news report in late June in which he recognized one of the bags detectives were carrying out of Jackson's mansion.
The burly Alvarez became emotional as the 911 call was played for jurors. Jackson's mother, Katherine, appeared distraught and her son, Randy, huddled next to her and put his arm around her. She did not attend the afternoon proceedings,
"Was that difficult to hear?" prosecutor David Walgren asked.
"It is," Alvarez replied.
After hanging up with dispatchers, Alvarez said he performed chest compressions on Jackson while Murray gave the singer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The doctor remarked it was his first time performing the procedure.
"'I have to,"' Alvarez recalled Murray telling him, "`because he's my friend."'
Alvarez recalled seeing Murray at the hospital where Jackson was taken and sitting next to the emergency room.
"`I wanted him to make it,"' Alvarez quoted Murray as saying. "`I wanted him to make it."'
Alvarez's testimony allowed Walgren to present jurors directly with a bottle of propofol that they've heard much about throughout the previous two days of the trial.
Jurors intently looked at the bottle, which appeared to still contain some liquid.
When he entered the bedroom, Alvarez said, he saw Jackson's eyes were open and was surprised to see the singer was wearing a condom catheter, a medical device that allows one to urinate without having to get up.
Alvarez testified that Murray only told him Jackson had a "bad reaction." Jackson's personal assistant, who testified Wednesday, said Murray told him the same thing.
Alvarez said it was a stunning scene, a far cry from the night before when the bodyguard stood backstage at Staples Center, sneaking peeks of Jackson performing during what would be his final rehearsal.
"He was very happy," Alvarez testified. "I do recall he was in very good spirits."
In another effort to cast doubt on the bodyguard's testimony, Chernoff asked whether Alvarez, another bodyguard, Faheem Muhammad, and Jackson's assistant, Michael Amir Williams, colluded before being interviewed by detectives two months after Jackson's death.
The three men, who were among the first to interact with Murray after Jackson stopped breathing, have denied the accusation.
Jackson's personal chef, Kai Chase, testified Thursday about seeing a panicked Murray come into the kitchen the day of Jackson's death and telling her to summon security and send up Jackson's eldest son Prince. The chef said she sent the boy upstairs, but didn't call security.
Five to 10 minutes after Chase said she saw Murray in the kitchen, the doctor called Williams, who dispatched security to Jackson's bedroom.
On Friday, jurors are expected to hear from a pair of paramedics who were dispatched to Jackson's mansion and tried resuscitation efforts.
The medics believed Jackson was already dead by the time they arrived, but Murray insisted the performer be taken to a hospital for additional resuscitation efforts.
Walgren asked whether anything good had happened to Alvarez as a result of his experience in Jackson's bedroom.
"No sir," Alvarez responded.
Media outlets offered him up to $500,000 for interviews, but Alvarez said he always refused. "It's caused a lot of financial problems," he said, starting to choke up. "I went from a great salary to hardly anything."