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As a longtime member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and a 10-time Cma Musician of the Year award winner, it’s safe to assume Mac McAnally knows the value of perseverance and the importance of motivation. It’s also abundantly clear in the inspirational title cut of his forthcoming album, Once in a Lifetime, that’s he’s embraced the notion of treating each day — and each experience — as a gift. The uplifting, anthemic tune, which features co-writer Drake White sharing vocal duties with McAnally, was inspired by...

“On day two of the coma, I started taking notes,” joked Kumail Nanjiani during a panel at this month’s Hamptons International Film Festival, when asked how he and wife Emily V. Gordon went from vigil-keeper and patient to co-screenwriters of the year’s second-highest-earning indie, “The Big Sick.”

Though the couple married in 2007 — months after their relationship endured the illness depicted onscreen — a half-decade passed before producer Judd Apatow encouraged comedian Nanjiani to write a film adaptation of their ordeal, which doubled as a terribly-timed introduction to his future in-laws. Screenwriter Gordon’s notes dramatically improved her husband’s first draft, and they proceeded to finish the script together, laboring over its development for the next three years, with guidance from producers Apatow and Barry Mendel and director Michael Showalter.

I culled through my and other staff interviews with Nanjiani, Gordon and Showalter, as well as transcripts from Variety...

The ‘Donnie Darko’ director imparts important Hollywood lessons.Richard Kelly on the set of ‘Southland Tales’

It only takes one movie to make you a notable filmmaker, as we’ve seen with Richard Kelly. His 2001 debut feature, Donnie Darko, is a “mainstream cult classic,” if the oxymoron may be allowed. Initially a flop, the sci-fi teen movie is now popular enough to warrant a new 4K restoration and re-release in honor of its 15th anniversary last year.

He has made two other features, neither of them so successful, and hasn’t directed anything in eight years. But that one movie is enough to make him an expert on the good and bad of Hollywood, and fortunately he hasn’t become a curmudgeon sitting on the wayside, so we can still look to his lessons learned and the six tips collected below as positive guidance.

Take Risks

Kelly’s first two movies (the second is Southbound Tales) are...

Do you have a script you’re dying to get produced? There are more than just acting gigs in Backstage’s casting listings; playwrights and screenwriters (and actors who write!) should keep their eyes peeled when browsing notices. Stay abreast of writing submission opportunities on Backstage.com by using the “Entertainment Jobs & Crew” filter on the right side of our casting calls page. After clicking to check a box in that filter, you have the option to filter any of the following: “Stage Staff & Tech,” “Film & TV Crew,” “Writers,” and “Gigs.” By leaving only “Writers” checked, our casting listings will include only information on writing contests, fellowships, and other exciting options. Below are five notices posted now in Backstage’s listings perfect for creators. Don’t have a play or film ready to go? Just write one! Read: “How to Become a (Successful) Playwright” Scriptapalooza FELLOWSHIPHow does a five-day retreat...

Join our movement! Just write your size on a piece of paper and strike a pose! You may be featured in People magazine or on People.com. Submit your photos by emailing them to shareyoursize@people.com, or by tagging #ShareYourSize on Twitter and Instagram. See the #ShareYourSize official rules.While women like Ashley Graham, Gina Rodriguez and Lena Dunham (to name a few) are making strides towards a greater acceptance for all body types, there's still a long way to go. So People is starting the #ShareYourSize campaign, in an effort to show that size is just a number...

James Franco: actor, academic and author. After writing an ode to his good friend and muse, Lana Del Rey, earlier this year for V Magazine, the 127 Hours star, 37, decided he wanted more for himself and his pal. Perhaps in a bit of foreshadowing, Franco ended that piece by writing, "I wanted to interview Lana for a book and she said, 'Just write around me; it's better if it's not my own words. It's almost better if you don't get me exactly, but try.'" Fast-forward and bam, Franco is co-writing Flip-Side: Real and Imaginary Conversations With Lana Del Rey with David Shields. The 100-page book will be released March 15, 2016, via Penguin Random House. Although he first agreed...

James Franco’s latest muse is none other than “Young and Beautiful” singer Lana Del Rey. The jack of all trades has helped pen a 100-page book entitled “Flip-Side: Real and Imaginary Conversations With Lana Del Rey.” In January, Franco wrote a tribute to Del Rey for V Magazine in which he said: “I wanted to interview Lana for a book and she said, ‘Just write around me; it’s better if it’s not my own words. It’s almost better if you don’t get me exactly, but try.'” The actor-writer-director enlisted the help of New York...

James Franco has been obsessed with Lana Del Rey for a while, and now his fascination has been taken to its logical conclusion: He's writing a book about her! Maybe also with her; it's hard to tell. The book's called Flip-Side: Real and Imaginary Conversations With Lana Del Rey, and it seems like a lengthier version of Franco's V magazine tribute from earlier this year. There, Franco revealed the singer refused to be interviewed for a book, telling him, "Just write around me; It's better if it's not my own words. It’s almost better if you don't get me exactly, but try." So either she changed her mind, or these will be entirely imaginary conversations, or truth is an illusion and only performance is real.

Legendary composer Ennio Morricone is set to do the score for Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight," marking his return to the genre after four decades away from a sound he made iconic in Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "A Fistful of Dollars"

Morricone has worked on such famous films as "The Untouchables," "The Thing," "The Mission," "In the Line of Fire," "Cinema Paradiso," "Days of Heaven," "Bugsy" "Disclosure" and "Casualties of War". He previously worked with Tarantino on "Inglorious Basterds" and "Django Unchained".

The revelation was just one of a number of reveals during the Hall H panel at Comic Con for the new Tarantino film. Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern and Jennifer Jason Leigh were all on hand to show off seven minutes of footage from the film and talk about the new film's presentation.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, musical artists like Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Toto, Hall and Oates, and dozens of others regularly popped up on each other's records, creating a golden era of smooth-music collaboration.

And 10 years ago (June 26th, 2005), an internet phenomenon was born. In 12 short but memorable episodes — first via the the short-film series Channel 101 and then online — Jd Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons, Lane Farnham and their friends redefined an era and coined a term for the sultry croonings of McDonald, Fagen, et al.

James Franco has revealed that he would love to make a movie with Lana Del Rey.

Writing for V Magazine, the actor said that the pair had previously discussed potential film plots.

Franco wrote: "She has this idea for a film. I want to do it because it's a little like Sunset Boulevard. A woman is alone in a big house in La. She doesn't want to go out. She starts to go crazy, and becomes paranoid because she feels like people are watching her. Even in her own house.

"It's like an awesome B-movie that lives in Lana's head. It's about her, and it's not about her. Just like her music."

Franco also explained that he has trouble persuading the star to sit down with him and talk about her ideas.

He said: "I wanted to interview Lana for a book and she said, 'Just write around me,...

With love for last year's cinema.

2015 has a lot to live up to. This past year delivered amazing films from fresh-voiced directors, a good number of them female for a change, and it also came through, unexpectedly, with a surprising spread of high quality empathetic and diverse Lgbt cinema. But even if you're stuck in multiplex-only towns, the mainstream also delivered with sneaky overachieving surprises in genres as oft-lazy as superheroes, horror, animation, giant monsters, and crime thrillers. When it came time to draw up my lists I had 30 pictures I really wanted to celebrate. Thirty!

So let's briefly sum up (alphabetically) the films that just missed the top 20

The Boxtrolls - Laika's boldly grotesque superbly-voiced Victorian fable.

Godzilla - Smartly reimagined not as reboot but myth returned. The paratroopers. Gah!

Edge of Tomorrow - Emily Blunt's 'full metal bitch' isn't easy to forget. Neither is the film's gleeful...

Almost a decade after their last movie, the memory loss romantic comedy 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are back together again for Blended.

The film is the third collaboration for the pair (and their second with Sandler's regular director Frank Coraci), and sees them play single parents who - after a disastrous blind date at Hooters - find themselves thrown together into a "blended" family for a holiday to South Africa.

Sandler and Barrymore's working relationship goes back to 1998's The Wedding Singer, a comedy that college pals Sandler and Coraci conceived as an antidote to the romantic comedies flooding the market at the time.

"We were talking about doing a romantic comedy, which was a different thing for us. We wanted to do something cool because as guys of about 29 we didn't run out to romantic comedies, but we wanted to make a cool one," Coraci told Digital Spy.

‘What is the topic of conversation, Jon?’ It’s midnight and my time with the author begins with a dry incredulity when I mention the witching hour at which I’m calling.

‘Why are you doing an interview at midnight? I can barely form a sentence at midnight… that sounds interesting…’

I admit it. I fudged my explanation, clearly omitting the fact that this was the only time we could work out. I didn’t expect his next question, which was ‘Do you drink?’ I do, but not much since I became a parent, ‘Well…that does happen I guess when you have kids, doesn’t it? You cut it out…’ he paused for just a moment, ‘or you have more of it.’

The Canyons is a film to drink to, not in the snarkful drinking game way but the arid burn of the sun-bleached Hollywood noir works better when...

There was some doubt Hans Zimmer might not return to score Batman vs. Superman. In fact, Zimmer was leading the charge telling Vulture, "Honestly, I'm just sort of grappling with that right now... Quite seriously, the thought right now is that no, I don't want to go and take what I did with Christopher Nolan and just plonk it into another movie. There isn't one good reason to do it, and there are so many good reasons not to do it." The biggest concern is clearly retreading the same territory he's already traveled on Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy saying, "I wouldn't want to put the ideas I used in the Chris Nolan Batman movies into a Superman movie. It just wouldn't feel right." Well, I guess he's comes to grips with the situation as he confirms with Digital Spy that he will return adding, "We've already had a couple of chats,...

William Friedkin: Why Sorcerer’s Spell Refuses to Die

By

Alex Simon

In the mid-1970s, there were few American filmmakers riding as high as William Friedkin. The French Connection swept the 1971 Academy Awards, nabbing Friedkin a Best Director statuette. The Exorcist, released two years later, broke box office records to become one of the top grossing films of all time. Boasting creative power and freedom that most directors could only dream about, Friedkin opted to film an updated version of French auteur Henri-Georges Clouzot’s classic The Wages of Fear (1953).

The result, 1977’s Sorcerer, became one of the most notorious box office bombs of the decade. Its dark, unrelenting tale of four desperate, disparate men (Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou) who undertake a suicide mission by driving truckloads of nitroglycerine across the rugged South American jungle wasn’t what the changing tide of audience tastes were buying then,...

It’s no secret that director Christopher Nolan only lets us know what he wants us to know while he’s making a movie. In the case of Interstellar we still don’t know too much more than it has wormholes and a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass “the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage”. Take that in for a moment if you have to.

Well it turns out Nolan’s go-to-composer, Hans Zimmer, didn’t even know that much before he began work on the film’s score. Speaking with British GQ (via Wdef), Zimmer said:

“All I will say is this: before I began, last January, Chris said to me, ‘Hans, I will write one page of text for you. And you will give me just one day. Just write whatever...

It seems Christopher Nolan has a knack of letting everyone -- the audience and his collaborators -- know only what he wants them to know when it comes to his movies before what he determines to be the right time. In the case of Interstellar we still don't know too much even though an old draft of the screenplay is floating around and the fact we know it's about wormholes and a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass, what the synopsis calls, the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage. Got thatc Well, that may or may not be more information than Nolan gave his Inception composer, Hans Zimmer, before he began work on the film's score. Speaking with British GQ (via Wdef), Zimmer said, "All I will say is this: before I began, last January,...

How top-secret is Christopher Nolan's upcoming sci-fi epic "Interstellar"? So secret in fact that many working on it aren't entirely sure what to expect.

Long time collaborator Hans Zimmer, who has worked with Nolan on all of his films since "Batman Begins," has one of the most integral jobs on the film - composing the film's score. He's one of the most crucial members of the crew.

Speaking with British GQ (via Wdef), Zimmer says even he wasn't allowed to see a copy of the script before beginning work on the project:

"All I will say is this: before I began, last January, Chris said to me, 'Hans, I will write one page of text for you. And you will give me just one day. Just write whatever comes to you from this one single page.'

It (the page) wasn't about the film... in a peculiar way, what Chris wrote down that day,...

Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception) is very secrative about his movies, sometimes even hiding the script from his actors. But there are crew members that are so integral to the creative process that they absolutely must know every detail of the film in order to work on it. One of those crew members is the composer, who takes a completed film and adds music to in order to control the tone of the scenes, tell audiences how to feel and to help transition between sequences. But now comes word from composer Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight Rises, 12 Years a Slave, Man of Steel) that Nolan expected him to create the score for Nolan's upcoming "Interstellar" sci-fi film without letting him see the script or telling him anything about the story. "Before I began, last January, Chris said to me, 'Hans, I will write one page of text for you.

Christopher Nolan is notorious for his secrecy about his film projects, and that goes double for his upcoming movie, "Interstellar." But you'd think Nolan would relent a bit when it comes to his collaborators, and at least let, say, the composer of the film's score know a little bit about the plot, right?

According to Hans Zimmer, who wrote the "Interstellar" score, the answer is no. In an interview with British GQ, Zimmer revealed that Nolan wouldn't let him see the script before he began working on the movie's music. In fact, Nolan told him almost nothing at all about the sci-fi flick.

"All I will say is this: before I began, last January, Chris said to me, 'Hans, I will write one page of text for you. And you will give me just one day. Just write whatever comes to you from this one single page,'" Zimmer said.

There’s a good chance you know somebody who thinks they’re a good poet. Some of them genuinely will be talented, imbued with the kind of playful wordsmanship required to make people entertained and intrigued enough to proclaim their poems Great Works, but there’s even more chance that these poetry chancers are from the same school of thought as Kristen Stewart.

In an interview with Marie Claire, Stewart presented her latest self-confessed genius with the kind of modesty that we’ve become more used to as a fixture of Shia Labeouf’s recent creative output.

”I like being able to hit on something, like, ‘There it is.” I don’t want to sound so f**king utterly pretentious but after I write something, I go, ‘Holy f**k, that’s crazy.”

So modesty isn’t part of her repertoire clearly, but is poetry? Are her words able to...

I could write this review without spoilers but I’m not going to because that’s no fun for me, so if you’re someone who’s reading this review to make up their mind about whether to read this comic or not, I’m not recommending this one – in fact, Damian Son of Batman might be the year’s worst Batman comic.

Ok, if you’re still reading I’m going to assume you’ve either read this issue or don’t mind spoilers (bless you), so here we go.

To quickly recap the major points of the first issue, Batman dies in an explosion set by the Joker and Robin is so distraught he goes on supervillain social media (really) to track down and kill a number of Batman’s rogues gallery. Except the final page reveal shows that Bruce Wayne is still alive! Whaa?! It turns out...

Heather Locklear is retaining her reputation as a show-booster.

She cemented it with the original "Melrose Place," which she helped make one of the 1990s' most buzzed-about series as Amanda Woodward, the well-tailored business shark and serial acquirer of other women's men. Locklear returns to weekly work when Season 3 of TNT's law drama "Franklin & Bash" starts Wednesday, June 19, but her return as Amanda on The CW's short-lived "Melrose" reboot reaffirmed to her that there are no guarantees.

"I think they should have brought some of the older characters back a little more, to introduce the new kids," Locklear reasons to Zap2it of having reunited with such other "Melrose" veterans as Thomas Calabro and Laura Leighton on the 2009-10 remake. "It's a little tougher just having a new cast and calling it the same thing. I think people get mad." 

The CW's "90210" update will have lasted five seasons when its two-hour series finale airs Monday,...

Zoe Kazan's screenwriting film debut, "Ruby Sparks," was, at times, misinterpreted. The term "manic pixie dream girl" would often appear in discussions surrounding the film -- which is fine -- but, unfortunately, it was usually in the wrong context, considering "Sparks" was the antithesis of that phrase. On that press tour, Kazan herself would remain coy when asked about any interpretations. On this press tour -- for "The Pretty One," currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival -- she's being a little more vocal.

All while not infecting me with bronchitis, I should add.

In "The Pretty One," Kazan plays twin sisters -- one an outgoing busybody, Audrey, and one a wallflower, Laurel. After Audrey's death, Laurel claims her identity. I met Kazan, who, yes, is recovering from bronchitis, at a busy Manhattan hotel lobby and she was nice enough to warn me about avoid possible handshakes, lest she...

Tracey Heggins, who portrayed Senna of the Amazonian Coven in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, has spoken up about what it was like for her to interact with Stephenie Meyer on the set of the film last year and as it turns out, she got an oh-so-great little writing tip direct from the Twilight queen! Speaking to BlackFilm.com, Heggins explained that she's a "closeted writer" herself and seized her first opportunity to speak to Meyer not about her character details and whatnot but rather about whether she had any suggestions for a would-be fellow author. View slideshow: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2' "She said, 'Just write,'" Tracey Heggins remembered. "Don ...

One of the things I’d missed about ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 2′ was the lack of the Amazon vampires’ presence since they were so vibrant in the books. In this interview with blackfilm.com , Tracey Heggins gives us some insight into Senna’s backstory and explains the Amazon vampires’ attachment to Renesmee. She also revealed a little-known fact about herself, which led to her excitement about meeting Stephenie Meyer, and shares her ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 2′ experience.

How was the premiere on Monday?

Tracey Heggins: It was such a blessing because Sunday night, we had gone to tent city and we connected with the fans and we gave out so many autographs and they gave us so much love. We went in on Monday feeling endowed and after we got that fan love, we felt we could come down the red carpet knowing that there’s a ton of people behind us wanting us to be successful; and they haven’t even seen the film yet. We started out the door with sheer confidence.

How much has your fan base grown since you were cast in the film?

Th: Literally, Brazil, South America. We they found out we were cast in the film, they were so loyal and ready to go. That was exciting. People from Brazil and South America were ready to support me and Judi (Shekoni).

How would you describe Senna ?

Th: Well, my character Senna was turned at a time when they wasn’t any modern technology and the last time she’d seen “modern” people, it devastated her community. That’s where you see her apprehensions and fears and cautiousness throughout the film. My back-story is that Zafrina has her friend Carlisle and it’s like, “Look Zafrina, what are you getting us into again?” We end falling in love with the Cullen and I end up personally helping these people I didn’t think I would like.

Senna and Zafrina also seem to have a liking to Edward and Bella’s daughter, Renesmee.

Th: That’s where I fell in love. Senna came out and fell in love with the baby. She’s such an amazing little vampire there. You would do anything to help fight for her life. She deserves to live.

How was shooting the battle sequence?

Th: When we shooting it, it was literally on a green screen. We just shot the fight sequences and to see it put together, it’s different from shooting it. There’s not a lot of upfront continuity in the beginning when you’re shooting that scene. You have no idea what it’s going to look like.

Is this the first time you have filmed behind a green screen?

Th: Yes. This is the first time I shot behind a green screen. This is the first time I did a stunt on a crane. With ‘Twilight,’ I did a lot of firsts. I am amazingly blessed to be a part of this.

Having met author Stephanie Meyer, what did you pick up from her?

Th: I love that you asked that question because I’m such a closeted writer and that was the first thing I asked her. “What tips do you have for closeted writers?” She said, “Just write.” “Don’t think about going to school to write. Read,” she also added. She mentioned that she went to school for literature and just read. She read all the greatest science fiction writers. Octavia Butler won an Hugo award. She wrote and Stephanie said to just read. That literally changed me as a writer. Everyone talks about great American literature and no one can define it, but if you were to or had to define it, it would be based on how many people you have touched by the writing. Stephanie has touched so many people and I think that’s great American literature at its finest. For me to get a tip of the trade and I’m obsessed with Robert Jordan, who wrote ‘The Will of Time.’ Hopefully, I can write a book and get it published. I love Stephanie Meyer. She’s so gracious and always takes that moment to talk.

Check out the full interview at blackfilm.com .

College is expensive and you suck at football. How are you going to pay for your tuition? What most people don't know is that there are tons of smaller, more obscure scholarships out there. And now, one of those scholarships involves the zombie apocalypse.

ScholarshipExperts.com is offering a $1,000 Zombie Apocalypse scholarship - and you don't actually need to survive the zombie apocalypse. Just write a super-short (250 words or less) essay in response to this writing prompt:

 

Imagine that your high school/college has been overrun with Zombies. Your math professor, the cafeteria ladies and even your best friend have all joined the walking dead. Use your brain to flesh out a plan to avoid the Zombies, including where you would hide and the top 5 things you would bring with you to stay alive.

Hurry - essays are due by December 31st.

Source: ScholarshipExperts.com via io9.com...

Remember “When Should You Give Up?” It was one of our most commented upon posts here at Filmmaker, an extended conversation about the practicalities as well as psychological ramifications of quitting. Quitting a specific project, that is, not filmmaking in general. The post was inspired by a post by author Edan Lepucki over at the Millions titled “Shutting the Drawer: What Happens When a Book Doesn’t Sell?” Lepucki wrote about how, when the novel she had been working on for so long didn’t sell, she simply packed it in and started working on another. No flogging it for years, exploring self-publishing, taking it directly to her fans. Just write something better.

I got a huge amount of feedback from that piece, both on the blog and personally. So I thought I should just report this happy postscript, at least as far as Lepucki is concerned. From The Millions:...

Because Looper is one of my most anticipated films of the summer, I wanted to clue you guys in on a fun interview with the film’s director Rian Johnson with the fine folks at ComingSoon. Looper is a trippy sci-fi action film that stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who’s a “looper,” a time-travelling assassin, who faces his future self (Bruce Willis). Bad things, presumably, happen.

If you’re interested in the germination of the project, how easy Bruce Willis was to cast, and Johnson comparing it to his other films (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), you’re in for a treat. I have the whole thing below, which of course, is all from Cs.

Update: We also have five new images from the film, courtesy of MovieWeb, in the gallery below, featuring other castmates Paul Dano, Piper Perabo and Jeff Daniels.

ComingSoon.net: The first time we talked about this movie...

This weekend, the clouds parted and Heaven’s shining rays of light shined down on our humble little planet, as Beyonce and Jay-z announced the birth of their first child, Blue Ivy Carter. Aww, Jay’s already released a song dedicated to his daughter. These people move fast! Now the real question: What sort of gift does one send to Blue Ivy and her famous parents? Well here are 20 humble options that just scream “It’s the money thought that counts.” 20. Baby Christian Louboutins Booties Like mother like daughter! There’s really only one way to behoof our new savior (sorry Suri!) than with her very own pair of mini-Louboutins, just like the ones Beyonce wears. And because these aren’t even real Cl’s (really, Christian, get on this stat), they’re only $26! If you’re one of their 742 assistants, this is the perfect affordable gift. Buy them here.

Daniel Craig is currently between Bonds, and heading up a Stieg Larsson adaptation. But, he tells Ryan Gilbey, he's itching to get back on her majesty's secret service

The surprise upon meeting Daniel Craig is his gentleness. It isn't that you expect him to be scarred and basted and bleeding, as he is throughout much of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, the two films in which he has played James Bond. (He is currently shooting a third, Skyfall, which will open next October, and is rumoured to have signed up for a further five.) But he goes beyond politeness: he's relaxed, even goofy, and quick to laugh, especially at himself. The blue eyes, which can seem glacial in his closeups as Bond, are warm and zesty. His features are as deeply etched as the grooves of a wood carving; the hair is sandy-coloured and fluffy. What else? There's the...

Anyone who doesn’t like the Fast and the Furious franchise — and you should probably know where you fall at this point — isn’t likely to find much of this next post to be interesting. But if you’re a fan of this series, then you should be happy to hear the report from Twitch that Jason Statham might be joining the series. Him jumping on makes sense for a few reasons; in addition to being a big action star, the proceedings are also being taken over to Europe this time around. Just write the English bloke with a tough personality, cast him, and you’ve got your character.

That’s not the biggest news, though. Twitch has also learned that Universal might be planning the back-to-back sequel approach for Fast Six and Fast Seven. With shooting taking place over most of 2012, Six would get its already-scheduled release date of May 24th,...

Update: 14-year Old Belinda Was The Lucky Winner! Congratulations, Belinda!

KidsPickFlicks is giving away movie tickets and other awesome prizes all summer long. Just write a review and you're entered for that week's drawing!

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July 14, 2011 -- Be one of the first to see Captain America: The First Avenger!

KidsPickFlicks is giving away a pair of movie tickets to an Los Angeles-area kid to see Captain America: The First Avenger the day before the movie opens nationwide.

To enter to win a pair of tickets to the 9 p.m. showing on Thursday, July 21st at the Arclight Hollywood, just write a review for Any movie in the KidsPickFlicks database. Quality of writing is not a factor, winner will be selected at random. You must be under 18. Parent or guardian must okay receiving the prize if the winner is younger than 13.

We've already had today's major television event (as covered by the lovely Courtney over here and thank god for that because I got a nauseous feeling every time I read about that case so I just didn't and would have been no good at talking about it) which is excellent because it means tonight's line up will be less disappointing. In the sense that you're all TV'ed and righteous indignation-ed out right? Especially after a long holiday weekend where you all (Canadians and Americans, anyway) ate more meat than was advisable, drank more than was wise, and were subjected to shit blowing up either willingly or unwillingly and mostly tonight you'd just like to head to bed early instead of watching tv, right? Because... yeah, there's no good reason to watch TV tonight. Sorry. Here's your Tuesday night TV.

8:00pm: "America's Got Talent" on NBC

"Cupcake Wars" on Food Network...

It's not every day that Joe Jonas gets to chat with Bono. So when the 21-year-old pop star met the U2 frontman, he made sure to take full advantage of the rare moment... "I met Bono like a year and a half ago and I asked him for advice—if you're going to meet Bono, you got to ask him for advice," Jonas says. "He was like, 'Just write music that is brutally honest...Look at us, we're a band and we have countries that are mad at us because we write stuff that's honest and gets people really mad.'" Not that Jonas is looking to piss off a nation or two. "Bono said, 'Take your relationships or whatever you're going through and just really try to make it a...

One of the most interesting parts of the McM Expo last weekend was the X-Men: First Class panel with two of the screenwriters, Zack Stentz & Ashley Miller (Thor, Fringe, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), where they answered questions from the audience, taking in a wide variety of topics surrounding the movie, X-Men, and the writing process, among other things.

And who better to talk about an X-Men movie than real-life superheroes? Well, screenwriters are superheroes as far as I’m concerned. How else do you explain Joss Whedon’s extraordinary storytelling abilities, unless the Alliance or the Rossum Corporation messed with his brain?

First off, we were treated to a new trailer, which was quite impressive. X-Men: First Class looks like it could be something special (as both of our reviewers have affirmed, here and here).

Then the writers began a long and fascinating discussion of the movie, their approach to writing it,...

Chicago – Writer/director Thomas McCarthy has helmed three motion pictures and already shot to the top of most lists of the best directors working today. He finds the truth in unusual situations like the trio of friends in “The Station Agent” or the unexpected romance of “The Visitor.” His new film features another spectacular script, carried by Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Burt Young, and newcomer Alex Shaffer. McCarthy, who you may also recognize from regular acting work including the last season of “The Wire,” sat down with us recently for a wonderful interview about writing an unlikable lead, casting non-actors, and some of the best advice we’ve ever heard for upcoming screenwriters.

Note: Early in the film, Paul Giamatti’s character does something questionable with Burt Young’s Leo. While it happens early and we kind of talk around Exactly what it is in this interview, there...

Find out how to get celebrity hair color, straight from the star colorist responsible for Oscar’s best hair hues!

The Feb. 27 Oscars gave us so many ideas for updos and romantic waves… but they also inspired us to mix up our color! Read on– we have the scoop on how to get star hair color from any salon!

Redken Creative Consultant for Color Tracey Cunningham used Redken color to get Michelle Williams, Jessica Biel and Marisa Tomei ready for Sunday’s red carpet. Looking to get hair color like Michelle’s cool baby blonde, Jessica’s sexy warm brunette, or Marisa’s elegant deep chestnut? Just write these exact formulas down, run to your salon, and hand them to your favorite colorist! (It’s okay if you don’t know what they mean– they will!)

Michelle Williams: Apply allover highlights with Redken Up to 7 De-Dusted Lightener (with a...

I came into this post with a mission: to go boldly where no 2010 end of year list had gone before.

Unfortunately, I kind of shot my wad on Tuesday, and Rowles loves nothing so much as a list, so he's pretty much taken everything else, leaving me the following possibilities:

The Top 5 Episodes of Top Chef: Just Desserts

The Top 5 Reasons Karen Gillan Should Teach Us To Be As Pretty As She Is

The Top 5 Times I Wound Up Completely Writer's Blocked Before Deciding to Just Write Another Fucking Post About Jersey Shore

The Top 5 Assholiest "I'm Getting Pretty Sick of Betty White" Comments

The Top 5 Sneakiest Ways I Scratched a Boob Itch This Year

The time I did it against my desk while feigning searching for a pen would really impress you.

Then, I realized that I exist for but few reasons 'round these parts: to exactly once every...

Episode Number: 6146 (November 15, 2010)

Guests: David Stern

Segments: Stephen murders Mr. Goodwrench, Tsa Scanners, Garfield and President Obama Dishonor Veterans

Videos: Monday, November 15, 2010

If you’ve never seen Stephen as Mr. Goodwrench, you can find a few of his ads over on YouTube – it’s a cringeworthy good time! And his murder confession reminded me of that time he killed a panda. ["In my defense, Jon, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious."] And does anyone remember when the Pontiac Aztec was cool for that five minutes? Yeah.

I felt horrible having to wait in line for close to 45 minutes to get through security, partially disrobe, and pull out my laptop just to be able to board the plane home from DC after the rally. And it looks like I flew just in time to avoid the insanity that’s going on today with the x-rays and pat downs. I can see why people are getting seriously cranky with the amount of...

A professional is skilled, proficient, competent and businesslike. Who wouldn’t want to emulate these qualities?

Professionalism should be that standard by which we work at all times, no matter the type of project, the size of the budget, or the people for whom we are working. What you do at every step, how you conduct your business and professional life, will determine your career.

Be a pro at what you do: return calls; be on time for meetings; be respectful of your filmmakers’ accomplishments; be considerate of their time; be knowledgeable, efficient, businesslike, and clear; be the person on the team who gets things done — even if it’s beyond your job description as a composer — and always be prepared for any situation. Then, create exceptional music.

The business of a film composer can be elusive. You might be so involved in your own world of creating beautiful music...

In order to succeed, Happy Town must be a fast-moving show. Other failed attempts by ABC to duplicate Lost (hello, FlashForward and V) have tanked in the ratings largely because they feature under-developed characters and boring, wayward plots.

On the flip side, consider the popularity of The Vampire Diaries and the way its handled its ever-evolving, answer-filled set of storylines.

The series premiere of Happy Town threw a lot at viewers and intrigued me to the point where I excitedly tuned in again last night. But something strange happened on "I Came to Haplin for the Waters" and it had nothing to do with the Magic Man.

It felt like the show couldn't fill an hour of television. Literally.

Multiple scenes and conversations just dragged on, as if the writers only had enough for a 45-minute show. First, there was the extraordinarily odd instance of Henley sneaking out to copy Mrs.

This being Famous Monsters of Filmland, one assumes that you, dear reader, are a classic horror fan. If that is indeed the case, then certainly you’ve heard of The Drunken Severed Head. One of the most entertaining, dedicated and spirited blogs out there (and there’s more than a few!), Tdsh – as it’s affectionately known – provides daily thoughts (from random observations to wonderfully insightful analysis), original content and commentary about everything classic horror, and was honored this month with a coveted Rondo Hatton Award for Best Blog of 2009.

Famous Monsters was lucky enough to chat with the creator and writer of The Drunken Severed Head, Max Cheney, to gather some insight into the origins and workings of Tdsh, as well as what motivates a fan to contribute to the classic horror community at large.

FM: Obviously, you’re very affected and influenced by your love of horror films,...

People look at me funny all the time (I got that out of the way for you, just to save space in the comments!), but never more so than when I express my general philosophy about spotting films: I want to write the least amount of music possible for the project.

Nowadays our up-front music budget seems to shrink with every new gig that hits our desk… so why would I take a wacky position like this? Why deny myself the (sometimes) glorious royalties that come from a wall-to-wall score? And doesn't "writing as little music as possible" sound, well, kinda of lazy?

My rationale, and more… after the jump.

It's simple, really: If my default position is not to score a scene, then including music becomes a conscious choice. In other words, I prefer to build in a decision point, right from the spotting session, in which there must be a argument for music.

Amid the final weeks of Oscar campaigning, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences' annual Nominees Luncheon represents something of a cease-fire.Not a complete cease-fire, of course: For the A-list actors and big-name directors who dominate the race, the gathering is one more opportunity to charm some of the key voters in the Academy -- albeit in a low-key way.And because the seating is intentionally democratic -- with stars sharing tables with sound mixers, feature directors seated next to creators of short films -- it's also a chance for all the nominees from different categories to introduce themselves to each other, free of the anxiety about who will ultimately win that takes over on Oscar night.On the way into the pre-lunch mingle at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, some of the name nominees stopped by for a brief interview session with the media.Asked who she was looking forward to meeting,...

Don’t you think it’s true that the best things in life are free?

Listen up, guys. If you want a woman like Jennifer Garner to love you, don’t be buying her expensive diamonds or furs. Three little words will suffice.

“All you have to do is acknowledge [V-Day] in some sweet way. Just write a quick note or pick flowers or pick the grass out of your backyard and show up with a sweet smile [and say] ‘I love you. I’m lucky to have you,” the 37-year-old Valentine’s Day star tells George Lopez on Lopez Tonight Feb. 11.

She adds, “Just make us feel wooed. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, just be sweet. That’s all. The money doesn’t hurt either but…be sweet.”

Which is exactly why Jen loves hubby of nearly five years, Ben Affleck, 37. He’s sweet, handsome…and the money doesn’t hurt.

There seem to be lots of people out there who feel they just need a push to put pen to paper and get that great screenplay written. If you're one of them, then stop being a lazy ass and start writing, damn you! It's not going to happen all by itself, is it!? Also, there's this Screenwriting Expo you might be interested in.

Coming up on October 17th at the Screenwriting Expo there will a horror writers panel discussion hosted by Jenelle Riley with Adam Green (pictured, Hatchet), Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project, Ti West (Cabin Fever 2), and Ryan Schifrin (S.P.O.O.K.S).

The Screenwriting Expo is the most thorough, in-depth, and intensive screenwriting education available in a brief immersion anywhere. Everything they teach in film school about the craft, and everything they don't tell you, is taught here. Guests will have a chance to hear and speak to producers,...

Ed McMahon, best known as the loyal Tonight Show sidekick of Johnny Carson and the host of Star Search, has died early Tuesday morning at age 86. McMahon has supporting roles in several movies, including the 1977 version of Fun With Dick And Jane, Full Moon High, Just Write, and most recently appeared in Jelly. McMahon has been suffering though a "multitude of health problems the last few months," and died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members. Say goodbye to Ed in the comments below.