| KC gets a Ray of Sunshine | | Posted Sunday, February 04, 2007 2:52:51 PM by Blog57 Team | | Forty-six years after she burst onto the cinema scene with "The World of Suzie Wong" and "Flower Drum Song," actress Nancy Kwan says she doesn't even think about packing it in. "I don't believe in retirement," the Hong Kong-born actress said in a recent phone interview. "That's when your problems begin. People don't know what to do with themselves. They haven't prepared for retirement. "I hope I'm working until the day I die. If work is a pleasure, why not?" Kwan, 65, will be in Kansas City on Friday for the first showing ever of her latest film, "Ray of Sunshine." The coming-of-age drama made by Kwan and her writer/director husband, Norbert Meisel, screens at 7:15 that night at the Glenwood Arts Theatre in Overland Park. The film begins a regular commercial run at the theater on Saturday.... | |
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| | | The best films of 2006 | | Posted Thursday, December 28, 2006 12:55:39 PM by Blog57 Team | | The year in movies presented numerous offerings that attempted, in simplest terms, something different. Here are my picks for the 10 best films of 2006. Some don't open in San Diego County until 2007 but opened elsewhere for 2006 Oscar consideration and were screened for local critics.1) "Letters From Iwo Jima" The follow-up to "Flags of Our Fathers," Clint Eastwood's second film dealing with the pivotal World War II battle tells the story of the Japanese soldiers awaiting invasion by American forces. Facing almost certain doom, the soldiers prepare for a desperate defense. Using letters from these soldiers only recently discovered, "Letters From Iwo Jima" is a harrowing, fascinating account of men under duress during war, willing to give ultimate sacrifice in the name of honor.... | |
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| | | Films, Parks Boost Disney Profit | | Posted Monday, November 13, 2006 10:56:19 PM by Blog57 Team | | LOS ANGELES - Profit at media conglomerate The Walt Disney Co. soared 89 percent in the fourth quarter, reflecting strong performance of its movies worldwide, increased attendance at its theme parks and higher revenue from its ESPN cable channel. The Burbank-based company reported net income of $782 million, or 36 cents per share, for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with $379 million, or 19 cents per share, in the same period last year. Revenue increased to $8.784 billion, from $7.734 billion in the same period last year. The results beat analysts' expectations of 34 cents per share on revenue of $8.694 billion. Profit rose at its studio, theme parks and media networks divisions, which include the ABC network, but remained flat at its consumer products unit as the company increased its investment in video games.... | |
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| | | Saw Iii A Rip Tootin 343 Million | | Posted Wednesday, November 01, 2006 2:56:45 AM by Blog57 Team | | Taking in an estimated $34.3 million, Saw III helped build a huge box office over the weekend -- $89.3 million for the top 12 films -- some 2.4 percent more than the comparable weekend a year ago, when Saw II opened with $31.7 million. Meanwhile Martin Scorsese's The Departed continued to show strong legs as it remained in second place for the third straight week with $9.1 million to lift its total after four weeks to $91.1 million. Disney's The Prestige was close behind in third place with about $9.6 million. Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers continued to disappoint in its second week as it slipped to fourth place with $6.35 million. The film, which reportedly cost $90 million to produce -- and received much critical praise -- has earned only $19.9 million after ten days in release. On the other hand, Sony's animated Open Season continued to exceed expectations, earning $5.5 million in its fifth weekend to bring its gross to about $76.7 million.... | |
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| | | DreamWorks CEO Animates Crowd | | Posted Tuesday, October 31, 2006 1:01:34 PM by Blog57 Team | | Humor that talks up to children rather than at them — this is the vision that Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, proposed for DreamWorks and described to students and faculty yesterday in a full Statler Auditorium. The stage was set like a fireside chat for “A Conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg: The Future of Computer Animation." Jeffrey Katzenberg; Mahesh Ramasubrama-nian M.S. '00, DreamWorks' head developer of special effects; and Prof. Don Greenberg '55 Ph.D. '68, computer graphics, seated themselves in three large armchairs to discuss creativity, challenges and innovation in the world of computer animation and beyond. Not just dreamers: Terra Alpaugh / Sun Staff, Jeffrey Katzenberg (far left), CEO of DreamWorks Animation. Katzenberg, true to his role as a leader of the entertainment industry, opened with a delightful crowd-pleaser: an exclusive seven-minute segment from DreamWorks' upcoming movie Shrek the Third.... | |
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| | | Postal Service Previews 2007 Commemorative Stamp Program | | Posted Friday, October 27, 2006 7:01:03 PM by Blog57 Team | | Marvel Comics, the art of Disney, Ella Fitzgerald, the settlement of Jamestown, Jimmy Stewart, Mendez v. Westminster, vintage mahogany speedboats, lighthouses and those stunning polar lights are just a sampling of diverse icons in the U.S. Postal Service's 2007 commemorative stamp program lineup. "Once again, the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee has delivered a powerful stamp program that reflects the American experience and highlights our values, heroes, history, achievements and natural wonders in an artistic collection of colorful postage stamps," said Postmaster General John E. Potter. With Love and Kisses To give card and letter writers a jump start on their Valentine's Day correspondence, the 2007 Love stamp, With Love and Kisses, will be issued in mid-January. The stamp, which evokes images of sweet and ardent affection, features a Hershey's Kisses chocolate and a red heart that form mirror images of each other (See below for extensive information on each stamp.... | |
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| | | 'The Prestige' Conjures Up A $14M Weekend | | Posted Monday, October 23, 2006 6:57:30 PM by Blog57 Team | | The magic act "The Prestige" debuted as the weekend's No. 1 movie with $14.8 million, outperforming Clint Eastwood's World War II saga, which opened at No. 3 with $10.2 million. Holding strong in second place was Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," which took in $13.7 million and raised its three-week total to $77.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Sony's horror sequel "The Grudge 2," tumbled to fifth-place with $7.7 million, lifting its 10-day total to $31.4 million. Box-office analysts had viewed the weekend as a three-way race among well-reviewed films: Disney's "The Prestige," starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians in a blood feud; Paramount's "Flags of Our Fathers," dramatizing the Iwo Jima invasion; and the Warner Bros.... | |
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| | | Pooh can't bear it as Disney cuts the fat | | Posted Thursday, October 19, 2006 2:55:01 PM by Blog57 Team | | Walt Disney says it is limiting the calorie, fat and sugar it will allow in packaged foods it markets to children using the faces of Mickey Mouse, Winnie-the-Pooh and other characters. The move comes amid increasing media attention on the growing number of obese and overweight children in the US and Australia. It also follows the expiration of a decade-long exclusive deal Disney had to promote its films in McDonald's Happy Meals. Disney said in a statement on Monday that it had outlined guidelines for the foods it will allow to carry one of its licenses. For instance, added sugar will not exceed 10 per cent of calories for main and side dishes and 25 per cent of calories for snacks. Total fat will not exceed 30 per cent of calories for savoury dishes and 35 per cent for snacks.... | |
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| | | Barnyard : Animal magic and mishaps | | Posted Sunday, October 15, 2006 2:55:48 PM by Blog57 Team | | NICKELODEONS BARNYARD HAS GOT TO be one of the strangest digitally animated films about animals ever, but its weirdness plays a huge part in making the incredibly juvenile joke-fest a unique curiosity. The farm beasts in the movie are secretly human-like, in that they think, act and have fun like people when theyre not looking. Dogs play cards, cows have mini-concerts, and chickens throw darts at a board with a picture of KFCs Colonel Sanders, among other things. The nocturnal parties of the secretly bipedal beasties show peaceful coexistence between their different species, which is a pretty solid community behind their farmer-owners back. The offbeat animal designs in Barnyard incorporate a mix of cute and repulsive characters, many of them resulting in a rubbery, sheen-less look.... | |
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| | | Botswana: Disney Channel to Be Launched | | Posted Wednesday, October 11, 2006 2:54:58 PM by Blog57 Team | | The Disney Channel, which officially hit sub-Saharan African TV screens on September 25 with the all-time classic movie, Lady and the Tramp, will be officially welcomed into Botswana at a fun-filled event at Gaborone Sun tomorrow, Saturday, October 7. As the result of a multi-year deal between MultiChoice and Disney, the leading kids TV brand, Disney Channel, will be available to over 1.3 million MultiChoice DStv subscribers across the continent. The young and young at heart will find Disney Channel on DStv channel 82, for 16 hours a day, seven days a week. .... | |
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