Mickeys

The new romantic drama Dear John unexpectedly ended the seven-week reign of Avatar at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, pulling in large numbers of young female moviegoers.

Dear John

Dear John grossed an estimated $32.4m in the three-day period since opening Friday, said distributor Screen Gems, the low-budget division of Sony Corp.

It had hoped for an opening of about $20m on a weekend when many Americans forsake movies to watch the Super Bowl, traditionally the year’s most-watched television broadcast. The football championship starts around 23:25 GMT in Miami.

Dear John stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Siegfried as lovers whose romance is curtailed by the September 11 attacks. It is directed by Swedish film maker Lasse Hallstrom and based on The Notebook, a novel by Nicholas Sparks.

Audiences for the film were 84% female and two-thirds were under the age of 21, Sony said.

The last romantic comedy to hit theatres was the widely panned Leap Year about a month ago. The Lovely Bones, another box office disappointment, also has made a play for young women after failing to get any traction during the annual movie awards season.

Avatar earned $23.6m in its eighth weekend, taking its total to $630.1m. James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster surpassed the $601m haul of his 1997 release Titanic last Tuesday to become the biggest movie of all time in the United States and Canada.

The data are not adjusted for ticket-price inflation or for the higher cost of 3D engagements. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.

John Travolta’s latest box office offering, From Paris With Love, was the actor’s worst start in almost a decade. The crime thriller opened at No 3 with $8.1m, falling short of modest industry expectations.

Travolta’s previous worst opening was the $4.5m start for Lucky Numbers in October 2000. Travolta was in theatres last November with Old Dogs, which opened at ticket sales of $17m.

From Paris With Love is distributed by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. French filmmaker Pierre Morel directed it.

Many critics ripped both new releases.

Also new to the top 10 was Crazy Heart, which expanded nationally after seven weekends in limited release on the heels of its three Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

The picture earned $3.65m, jumping six places to No 8. Jeff Bridges, its star, is considered the favourite to take home the best actor Oscar on March 7 for his role as a washed-up country music singer and songwriter. It was released by Fox Searchlight, the art-house unit of 20th Century Fox.

Avatar and The Hurt Locker, now out on DVD, led the Oscar field with nine nominations each.

taken from News24

The burned body of an aspiring Playboy model has been found in a rubbish bin.

Picture of Paula Sladweski featured on the model website ExploreTalent.com

Paula Sladewski – who appeared in the video Playboy: The Ultimate Playmate Search – was so badly burned officials had to use dental records to identify her.

The LA-based model had been visiting Florida during a holiday with her boyfriend who reported her missing.

On New Year’s Eve she went to a Lady Gaga concert in Miami and spent the weekend visiting nightclubs and bars.

Reports claimed she became separated from her boyfriend in the early hours of Sunday morning. Her charred remains were discovered on Sunday night.

A passer-by had alerted the authorities after seeing a bin on fire in a Miami street.

Ms Sladewski’s stepfather Richard Watkins told the Miami Herald his stepdaughter was an aspiring model who saw the profession as her dream.

Playboy: The Ultimate Playmate Search was released in 2003 and featured a string of women aspiring to be models for the brand.

A cause of death has not been established. Police are investigating.

taken from SkyNews

Rockers in the US are looking forward to a day of celebrations with the annual Rock and Roll Day falling on what would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday.

Elvis, pictured in the 1960s. His fans are as steadfast as ever

The king of rock’n'roll was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Vernon and Gladys Presley in 1935; he had a twin brother, Jessie Gaaron, who was stillborn.

Elvis went on to become the best-selling solo artist of all time, with worldwide sales of around one billion records.

His premature death in 1977 at the age of just 42 left fans distraught, with so many thousands flocking to pay their respects outside his Gracelands home in Memphis that President Carter took the decision to call in the National Guard.

Graceland is to play host to today’s anniversary party, with Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie and her mother, Priscilla – Elvis’ former wife – attending a birthday cake-cutting ceremony at which Memphis officials are due to announce Elvis Presley Day.

More than 300 fans from the UK are in Memphis for the celebrations but, says Todd Slaughter of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain, they are facing one or two problems.

“They’ve got the same weather out there as we have here,” he told Sky News Online.

“So we’re not sure what’s going on.

“The plan was to go to Gracelands and from there to Tupelo but that’s been cancelled because of the bad weather.

Elvis with Todd Slaughter, at Elvis' final concert

“What’ll they do if all else fails? Have a drink I expect – they’re British after all!”

Todd, who runs the fan club, has been taking fans to see Elvis since 1972.

“I thought all that would finish when he died but it’s still going strong. We take anything up to 1,000 people out. They’re ordinary fans – mums, dads, children and they’re just straightforward people who love Elvis.”

Todd himself met Elvis on three times, the first when he was with fellow Elvis fan, Radio Luxembourg DJ Tony Prince.

“Nothing prepared me for meeting him.

“The amazing thing was you didn’t realise he was there. You’d be in the room and he wasn’t there and then suddenly he was, but there was no fanfare, no build up…he was just there, he just appeared.

“He wasn’t a public speaker – some stars get their kicks from all the attention wherever they are, but he wasn’t like that. He was very shy.

“I would think the stage was where he got his release, when he was performing.”

taken from SkyNews

It’s the show that made cartoons cool for adults and now The Simpsons is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The Simpsons

Back in January 1990, the show made the switch from inserts on the Tracy Ullman TV show to a primetime series in its own right.

At the time, few outside of the U.S. had heard of Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa but now they and the show itself are part of a global phenomenon.

Since then it’s spawned a few hit singles, truckloads of memorabilia and even a movie.

But 20 years ago, creator Matt Groening “had no idea” the series about the dysfunctional family from Springfield would ever last this long.

“I think we lucked out at the very beginning,” he tells me.

“We made some shows that were good and then we kept on doing it. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for it to end.”

Over the years, the show’s become just as famous for its superstar cameos as its subversive storyline.

Simpsons creator Matt Groening

Everyone from Tony Blair to Paul McCartney have appeared as their cartoon selves.

But so far not one America president has said yes to the offer of a cameo.

However there’s a new man in Washington DC and maybe it’s time for change.

“We didn’t ask Obama yet,” says Simpsons producer Al Jean.

“But every predecessor before that, we asked. The closest we got was President Reagan.”

“He wrote a nice letter saying no.”

Sky1 and Sky1 HD are marking the anniversary with a series of special programmes and exclusive episodes, starting on Monday 11 January at 7pm.

taken from SkyNews

Happy New Year to all!

We at Mickeys wish you and your family a wonderful 2010, full of prosperity and happiness!

May all your dreams and wishes come true this year!

Hope to see you all around!

1. Friends Most of us lived vicariously through the Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel and Ross. We adored Phoebe's creative talents (including that Smelly Cat song), and could relate to Monica's obsessive compulsive behaviour. These six made even the most mundane everyday events seem hilarious, and 52.5 million viewers kept coming back for more. In fact, the final episode of the series was the most most-watched telecast in six years – a record which has still not been surpassed. (NBC)

2. Survivor: Palau The closest competition to "Friends" viewers, "Survivor" has a strong global following with 51.7 million people tuning in to watch. Of all the locations, Palau proved to be the most popular. During its two-hour closer, audiences expected tough white-water rafting guide Kelly Wiglesworth to triumph over scheming corporate trainer Richard Hatch for the show's $1 million (R7.3 million) prize – and then were stunned to discover that in this new TV genre called "reality," sometimes the villain wins. (fanpop)

3. Joe Millionaire Why tell contestants the truth when fooling them is so much more fun? With women vying for the attention of fake millionaire Evan Marriott, millions watched the season finale to see which bachelorette he would choose and, more important, how she would react when she learned the truth about his identity. Marriott's relationship with winner Zora Andrich didn't last and, once the show's twist played out, neither did "Joe Millionaire." (FOX)

4. ER "ER" explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room. The drama series is the most Emmy-nominated series in the history of television with 122 nominations and 22 wins. (NBC)

5. American Idol While South Africa's Idols is really popular, it still doesn't garner the same attention that its American counterpart does. The "American Idol" sixth-season premier marked the pinnacle of the show's popularity with 38.1 million viewers. The episode opened a season that Jordin Sparks would go on to win. (FOX)

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New York – Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw picked up the top acting awards as British TV productions won five International Emmys on Monday on a night that saw Brazil get its first ever.

Walters, 59, who recently has appeared on the big screen in the Harry Potter films and opposite Meryl Streep in the musical Mamma Mia!, was chosen best actress for A Short Stay in Switzerland.

In the BBC drama based on a true story, Walters portrays a British doctor with an incurable neurological disease who seeks assisted suicide in a Zurich clinic.

Whishaw, 29, who recently played poet John Keats in director Jane Campion’s romantic costume drama Bright Star, got the best actor award for the five part BBC thriller Criminal Justice. He starred as a young man who is accused of murdering a woman after a drunken and drug-filled night on the town, though he is unable to remember what happened.

The winners were selected from among 41 nominees from 17 countries competing in 10 categories for International Emmys, honouring excellence in TV programming produced outside the US.

Brazil took home its first-ever International Emmy for India: A Love Story in the telenovela category. The TV Globo production shot on location at the Taj Mahal and other scenic Indian locales focuses on the forbidden love affair between young Indians from different castes.

Denmark’s The Protectors about a special unit within the Danish Security and Intelligence Service was chosen the best drama series, while Japan’s Hoshi Shinichi’s Short Shorts was selected as best comedy.

The Netherlands won the non-scripted entertainment category for the second straight year – this time for The Phone in which the first person to pick up a hidden phone ringing in a public place gets plunged into a spy movie scenario.

The TV movie/mini-series award went to Germany’s three part The Wolves of Berlin, which tells the story of a youth gang that comes together amid the devastation of post-war Berlin in 1948 up through the fall of the Wall in 1989.

Other British winners included Dustbin Baby (children and young people) about an adopted teenager determined to find where she came from; The Mona Lisa Curse (arts programming) with critic Robert Hughes reflecting on his likes and dislikes in contemporary art; and The Ascent of Money (documentary) in which economic historian Niall Ferguson looks at the financial background behind great powers, wars and revolutions.

Frost, 70, was honoured for a career dating back to the early 1960s when he hosted the groundbreaking satirical programme That Was The Week That Was that lampooned the political establishment.

He later turned to producing and hosting more serious interview-based shows, interviewing newsmakers and celebrities alike, including former US President Richard Nixon as depicted in the stage play and Oscar-nominated film Frost/Nixon. He now hosts the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who is German-born, presented the honorary International Emmy Directorate Award to Markus Schachter for his outstanding leadership of Germany’s ZDF television network.

taken from News24

Spec-Savers South Africa Sub Tropical Thicket Rehabilitation Project

As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (Environment) Programme, Spec-Savers South Africa will provide funding to plant a minimum of 4000 trees & spekboom per month for a three-year period and as part of the sub tropical thicket rehabilitation project in the Baviaanskloof, Eastern Cape in partnership with the Wilderness Foundation of South Africa. The project is being implemented by the Wilderness Foundation, and through this sponsorship Spec-Savers is playing our small part in combating global climate change.  We realize that as South Africans we have to play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions as we are the 12th biggest contributor in the world with our carbon contribution of 1.6 % or 437, 037 metric tons per annum.  So, with every purchase of Climate Eyes lenses; variable tint lenses that protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun and automatically adjust to variable light conditions; Spec-Savers in association with the Wilderness Foundation will plant a Spekboom tree.

read the full story at Health24

Los Angeles – Michael Jackson’s This Is It comes too late in the year to be considered for a documentary Oscar, but the film about the late King of Pop’s preparations for a series of comeback concerts could qualify for other Hollywood honours, including the Academy Award for best picture.

The film, which opened around the globe on Tuesday and Wednesday, has already earned rousing praise from fans and critics, who say it restores Jackson’s reputation as a world-class entertainer.

Director Kenny Ortega, a long-time Jackson collaborator who was overseeing his London concert comeback, crafted the nearly two-hour film from more than 100 hours of footage recorded during rehearsals for the London shows, which were to have begun in July. Jackson died June 25 at age 50.

“What we did here was focus on telling a good story and creating a film for the fans really enabling them to understand what Michael Jackson had dreamed for them,” Ortega said on Wednesday.

He added it was his hope “the audience for this film will grow and that as many people come to see it as possible because I think that it’s a wonderful story about a brilliant man. … Awards, Oscars, that’s all great wishful thinking.”

It may be more than wishful, said Steven Gaydos, executive editor of the Hollywood trade paper Variety and a self-described cynic. With the Academy Awards best-picture slate expanded to 10 films this year rather than the traditional five, This Is It could find itself among the contenders, he said.

To qualify, the film must complete a seven-day run in Los Angeles County and filmmakers would need to “submit the proper paperwork”, said Leslie Unger, spokesperson for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars. The movie could also be considered in other categories, she said, including sound and film editing.

Sony, which paid $60m for the global film rights, plans to keep This Is It in theatres for just over two weeks. The studio did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment about whether it planned to submit the film in any of the Oscar categories.

Ortega, a veteran director, producer and choreographer who counts TV’s High School Musical among his credits, could also find himself in contention for a best-director nod, Gaydos said.

“He did a masterful job putting this whole thing together,” he said. “It was so powerful and interesting, so creative and well done, I think he should be considered… Kenny just won over all these critics like me with Michael Jackson that anything interesting could go on with this guy.”

After completing a week long run, This Is It could also be eligible for Golden Globe awards consideration if it’s submitted before the deadline on November 6, said Michael Russell, a spokesperson for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the annual ceremony.

Ortega said an Oscar nod would be a fitting recognition of Jackson’s last work.

“He deserves one,” he said. “Come on people.”

taken from News24

Michael Jackson’s film has been given the thumbs up by fans lucky enough to get into the first screenings.

The show that never was!

Sky News was in Los Angeles for the first public screening of the film This Is It at one of 16 world premieres happening simultaneously.

The movie is mostly constructed from filmed rehearsal footage, shot in the last few months of Jackson’s life while he prepared for his London O2 gigs.

But surprisingly, the most revealing moments come from the backstage scenes that fill the time in between.

Jackson is seen mingling with the performers, instructing them on how to work the crowds, and pushing their patience with his insistence on playing through The Way You Make Me Feel countless times until he hears it the way he wants it.

Other scenes reveal a childlike streak of devilish humour, as Jackson relishes taking a ride on the cherry picker for Beat It, and laughing when he messes up the arrangement on Black Or White, before stating: “And that’s why we have rehearsals.”

There is also footage of Jackson inserted into an old black and white movie as a precursor to Smooth Criminal, and a brand new film for Thriller – which was going to be shown in 3D at the show, with fans all being given special glasses just for that sequence.

If anything, its fault is that it runs slightly too long.

Jackson’s live vocals on most tracks prove he was back on form, but other sequences rely on overdubbed music, which when coupled with the poor quality of some shots serves to add very little.

The gushing rainforest scenes to accompany the Earth Song are about the only points that may prompt some people to run towards the cinema screen and “do a Jarvis Cocker” (the Pulp frontman famously attempting to interrupt the same song at the Brit awards as Jackson took a Christ-like pose).

Aside from looking his usual lean self, there is little here to suggest what would happen.

At best some of Jackson’s dancing is spellbinding, at worst it is only what you would expect from a 50-year-old man.

This Is It holds its own as a document of an icon’s final stand. It will not answer any questions about Jackson’s death, but it does leave you asking a new one.

If this was just the rehearsals, just how exciting would those O2 concerts have been?

taken from SkyNews

Los Angeles – Two doctors and the lawyer-boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith are due in court to hear what government witnesses have to say about their alleged roles in supplying drugs that killed the celebrity model.

A preliminary hearing for Howard K Stern, Dr Sandeep Kapoor and Dr Khristine Eroshevich is scheduled for Tuesday before a judge who will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to order them to stand trial.

All three have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to illegally provide Smith with controlled substances. The hearing is expected to take two weeks with a parade of witnesses including attorney general investigators, pharmacists, acquaintances of Smith and experts on the interaction of various drugs.

Attorney Adam Braun, who represents Eroshevich, said the evidence disclosed at the hearing may be surprising, but the outcome of the proceeding before Superior Court Judge Robert Perry is predictable.

“Preliminary hearings represent the lowest possible hurdle for a prosecutor to clear and are virtually impossible for a prosecutor to lose,” he said. “If the prosecutors in this case somehow can’t make it past the preliminary hearing, they should be laid off.”

Braun said he was unlikely to call any witnesses of his own.

“Given the general futility of the exercise, Dr Eroshevich will listen intently to the prosecutors’ allegations and reserve her defence for maximum surprise at trial,” he said.

The case will start with testimony from state attorney general investigators who probed the case for more than two years before a decision was made to bring charges.

Smith died of a drug overdose on February 8 2007, in a Florida hotel room. Prosecutors call Stern an aid and abettor of the two doctors and allege that he obtained prescriptions for Smith under false names.

Search warrant affidavits suggest Stern put his name on prescriptions for opiates that were given to Smith, and claim 44 different medications were prescribed for Smith under a number of other names, including Stern’s.

Stern is named in all 11 counts of the complaint. The doctors each face six counts, including conspiracy, and if convicted could be sentenced to as much as five years, eight months in prison. It was not clear what sentence Stern might face if convicted.

Smith’s death was the subject of huge media attention as was her life. Last week, The Associated Press reported exclusively on newly released files that showed the FBI investigated a never-substantiated report that Smith plotted to kill her tycoon husband’s son as they battled for his father’s fortune.

Smith’s FBI records say the agency investigated Smith in 2000 and 2001 in a murder-for-hire plot targeting E Pierce Marshall, who was at the centre of a long legal fight to keep the starlet, model and one-time stripper from collecting his father’s oil wealth, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The younger Marshall died three years ago of natural causes.

Smith was 26 when she wed the 89-year-old J Howard Marshall II, owner of Great Northern Oil Co. They met while she was a topless dancer at a Texas strip club.

The battle over the money remains unresolved with Stern, Smith’s mother, and another boyfriend all fighting over an estate that ultimately may go to Smith’s daughter, now three.

taken from News24