Movie Awards Round-up

It was a night of celebrations on Sunday, reports Reuters as the vampire movie “Twilight” swept the board at the MTV Movie Awards in LA. It came away with five awards including best movie and best kiss.

The late Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Villian however one of the surprises of the evening was that “Slumdog Millionaire” walked away empty-handed, having been nominated in six categories.

The highlight of the evening was the much-talked about stunt that saw Sasha Baron Cohen’s character “Bruno” landing in Eminem’s lap. It was later revealed that this stunt had been wholly scripted and Eminem was in on the gag from the start.

Check out the full article on Reuters
http://uk.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUKN3141592220090601?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

…and you can see the full winners list here: http://uk.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUKTRE5500KT20090601

Kevin Spacey to Star in Indie Comedy Father of Invention

Empire reports that Kevin Spacey is set to star in the indie comedy Father of Invention, as a bankrupt ex-billionaire.

The plot sees Spacey play a once humble inventor who turned egomaniac when his creations finally took off. But he loses everything when one of his inventions goes horribly awry, and after eight years in federal prison, he is released, homeless, penniless but determined to rebuild his fortune.

View the full story at http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=24504.

Anne Hathaway to Play Judy Garland in Film and on Stage

Reuters reports that Movie kingpin Harvey Weinstein has signed Oscar-nominated Anne Hathaway to play singer Judy Garland in both film and stage adaptations of the biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland.

In a statement, Weinstein called Hathaway “brilliantly talented” and said “she will be a true class act in this challenging role.”

Garland, of course, is the legendary movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age who portrayed Dorothy in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, starred opposite Mickey Rooney in the “Andy Hardy” films and was twice Oscar-nominated for roles in A Star is Born and Judgment at Nuremberg.

She also enjoyed a long singing career and scored a No. 1 Grammy-winning album with “Judy at Carnegie Hall” from her 1961 concert at the famous Manhattan venue.

Garland was married five times, including to producer Vincente Minelli with whom she had daughter Liza Minelli. She died at age 47 due to an accidental drug overdose after years of battling addiction problems.

Hathaway, 26, is one of Hollywood’s rising stars who got her first big break in 2001 Disney movie The Princess Diaries, and more recently starred in movies like Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada.

This past year, she was nominated for a best actress Oscar playing an addict who returns home for her sister’s wedding, in Rachel Getting Married. At the Oscars, she sang part of a song with host Hugh Jackman, wowing the crowd that, for the most part, knew her only for her acting.

Original story – http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE52M70D20090323

New Film and Movie Search Engine

We’ve created a custom Google search to help people search for film and movie news and information.  You can use it at http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=018436150521358100921:fft8th8lcok&hl=en.

You can also get the code to add it to your web page or you can add to your iGoogle page.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions about the websites we should add to it, or would like to volunteer to contribute.

We’ve also incorporated the search into a Google Gadget, that has five feeds, three of which are changable, to bring you the latest film news and release information.  You can preview the Gadget and use the search on our Film Search page.

Contacting Us
There are a number of ways you can contact us.  As well as using the contact form on our website, you can email info@ownafilmcompany.com or text us on +44 7624 80 81 82. Just make sure you start your text with the keyword FILMS.

Social Networking for the Entertainment Industry from ACTORSandCREW

There are a number of social networks out there, like MySpace and Facebook, but while those huge social networking sites are valuable, they have the disadvantage of being open to everyone. For actors and crew members, it’s great to have a profile on a large social networking site, but the chances are good that those sites won’t facilitate connections with other people in the business. For that, you need a highly targeted site that is specifically designed to link talented actors, DPs, costume designers, and others with those who are doing the hiring.

If you’re an actor or a crew member, how do you tell the great social networking sites from those that are ho-hum? First, ensure that the site is a networking and employment site that serves film, television, and theater professionals worldwide. Second, make sure its search engine is designed in such a way as to increase the types and number of collaborations for the people who use it.

The third criterion is probably the most important, and differentiates the best from the rest. You must be able to upload high-quality video, audio, and photography, as well as documents. The quality must be better than that offered by, for example YouTube or GoogleVideo. When that’s the case, the playback quality has HD clarity and can display at a large size – making you look and sound your best.

Lastly, the site should have direct access to industry job databases and the inside scoop on film production companies, film festivals, casting calls, and so forth. Generalized social networking may be the hallmark of Web 2.0, but in this niche, a networking site is also a vehicle for actors, crew members, and producers to find one another.

Established in 2005, ACTORSandCREW is the DBA for Broadsword Communications, Inc. The company has thousands of members in more than 80 countries, and throughout the US. Their website is http://www.actorsandcrew.com.

Watch the Worlds Largest Film Premiere Online

“The Age of Stupid” will be launched on March 15th in a solar cinema tent in the park in Leicester Square, and simultaneously at more than 60 other venues, including The Eden Project and a kids-only event in Fulham. As an INclusive, rather than EXclusive, premiere, the public can buy tickets (£10) to their local cinema and watch the green carpet arrivals and post-film Q&A live by satellite link-up from London. The whole event – but not the complete film, obviously – will also stream live on the internet and in Second Life.

All the Leicester Square venues have sold out, including the solar powered tent, but you can still watch the film simultaneously at other venues, along with the the green carpet arrivals and post-film Q&A live by satellite link-up from London.  If you can’t make it to one of the other venues, you can watch everything, except the film, live online at www.ageofstupid.net/premiere_webstream or in Second Life at www.oneclimate.net/stupid_premiere.

With a capacity of over 16,000, the Guinness Book of Records will hopefully soon confirm The Age of Stupid as the largest ever film premiere. The event is supported by the UK FIlm Council.

See Age of Stupid Press Release for more information.

Written by Tracey, OwnAFilmCompany.com

Final Harry Potter Film to be Released on 15th July 2011

According to Hollywood Reporter, the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, will be released on 15th July 2011.

There are only seven books in the Harry Potter series, but the seventh has been split into two films because of it’s length.  So far
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix have been released.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is due to be released this year.

Go to http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3iaeb1c24de37000ac20fef32401fdbe0a for the orginal story.

Written by Tracey, OwnAFilmCompany.com

Great Night for Brits at The Oscars

British film took home a total of 11 Oscars last night, with Slumdog Millionaire winning and incredible 8 awards, and Kate Winslet finally getting that best leading actress oscar.

Slumdog Millionaire won:

• Achievement in cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle)
• Achievement in directing (Danny Boyle)
• Achievement in film editing (Chris Dickens)
• Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) (A.R. Rahman)
• Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) (“Jai Ho” Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar)
• Best motion picture of the year
• Achievement in sound mixing (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty)
• Adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy)

The Duchess took Achievement in costume design (Michael O’Connor) and Man on Wire took Best documentary feature, bringing Britains total to 11.

See www.oscars.org for a full list of results.

Tracey – OwnAFilmCompany.com

Good News For The British Film Industry

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) – Cinema admissions hit 162 million in 2007, up four percent on 2006 and reversing a two-year decline, the UK Film Council said on Monday.

Box office receipts were also up, rising eight percent to 821 million pounds versus 762 million in 2006.

According to the council, British films accounted for 29 percent of the total UK box office, up from 19 percent in 2006, and were led by “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, the biggest film of the year earning over 49 million pounds.

Full article at http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL2181926620080721

Tracey – OwnAFilmCompany.com