SNEAK PEEK: STONE

A convicted arsonist (Edward Norton) looks to manipulate a correctional officer (Robert De Niro) into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife (Milla Jovovich) in the lawman's path, in Overture Film’s new, critically acclaimed drama, Stone.

A thought-provoking film directed by John Curran (The Painted Veil) and written by Angus McLachlan (Junebug), Stone will be shown soon exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Trinoma, Glorietta 4 & Greenbelt 3).

In the film, as parole officer Jack Mabry counts the days toward a quiet retirement, he is asked to review the case of Gerald "Stone" Creeson, in prison for covering up the murder of his grandparents with a fire. Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to influence the older man’s decision have profound and unexpected effects on them both.

Stone skillfully weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film’s superb ensemble features Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil series) as Lucetta, Stone’s sexy, casually amoral wife, and Golden Globe® winner Frances Conroy (TV’s Six Feet Under) as Madylyn, Jack’s devout, long-suffering spouse.


Set against the quiet desperation of an economically ravaged community and the stifling brutality of a maximum security prison, this tale of passion, betrayal and corruption examines the fractured lives of two volatile men breaking from their troubled pasts to face uncertain futures.

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LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS in 3D!

Young owlet Soren embarks on a quest to follow his dreams…only to discover they’re real, in Warner Bros.’ new fantasy, family adventure in 3D, Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. Stepping into the legend that he’s faithfully followed through his father’s nest-time stories, he becomes a crucial part of the next chapter in the epic tales.

Now on a true hero’s journey of self-discovery, young Soren and his friends join their mentors in an action-packed battle against the evil Pure Ones to protect not only their freedom, but the very existence of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, who have sworn an oath to mend the broken, make strong the weak, and vanquish evil.

“Isn’t it every kid’s fantasy to become a character in his or her favorite story?” director Zack Snyder asks. “In our film, it’s a young owl who wants to find these legendary warrior owls that have been part of his personal mythology since he was born. And when the stories actually turn out to be true, it’s very powerful.”

In Legend of the Guardians, Snyder and the gifted creative team at Animal Logic sought to open a window into a world that hasn’t been seen before, with mythic environments and expansive terrains like nothing they’d ever imagined, and owls so wonderfully realized that you almost forget they’re not real.

“Zack brings a visual language to his movies that is distinctive, and so do we at Animal Logic, so the marriage between Zack’s vision and our vision was easy right from the get-go,” says the film’s producer, Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian.

Drawing from his experience on the Academy Award®-winning Happy Feet, Nalbandian assembled a crew of more than 500 digital professionals, including a team of computer animation specialists, to bring Legend of the Guardians from the page to the screen, with the added dimension of a 3D film.

“We don’t think about our movies as animated,” he continues, “we think of them as movies; Zack didn’t come on board to make an animated movie, he came to make a great action fantasy adventure, tracking a hero’s journey, which happened to be in an animated world. It was about creating a visual feast for audiences that would be unique.”

In addition to the challenge of taking on his first entirely computer-generated project, Snyder, whose previous work includes the epic action films 300 and Watchmen, found that his motivation for making this particular story hit close to home. “I know it sounds cliché,” the director admits, “but my kids are always saying to me, ‘Dad, when are you gonna make a movie we can see?’ And the chance to work with the animators at Animal Logic really appealed to me; there were moments in Happy Feet that I found artistically breathtaking. So when I saw their initial Guardians artwork, and then read the stories of Soren and his friends on this incredible quest, I looked at it as a perfect opportunity to bring my own sensibilities to a family film.”

“Both Zack and I loved the notion of this young boy—who just happens to be an owl in an owl world—learning to believe in himself and in something bigger than himself,” executive producer Deborah Snyder says. “He has to battle the odds, and in doing so, becomes the owl kingdom’s only hope for survival. We felt it was a story we would love to bring to the screen.”

“There’s real vigor in the story and a full spectrum of characters, from cute and cuddly to downright evil,” says star Geoffrey Rush. “Adding to that, the sophistication, the brilliance really, of the technique has truly been elevated in animated movies. I believed this could be a film that would be appreciated by both kids and their parents on many different levels.”

Stepping into the animation realm for the first time, Snyder enthuses, “Animation is filmmaking without limits. When I saw the potential of what the movie could be, and thought about the chance as a filmmaker to actually be able to create any shot I wanted…I couldn’t wait to see what we could do.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole will be presented in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and regular format and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg team up as THE OTHER GUYS

Not every cop can be a hero. It takes all kinds to fill a police force – you got your superstars, the guys who get the medals, your hot shots, glory boys, vets – and then… there are the other guys. Guys like Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) who never make the headlines, in Columbia Pictures’ new action-comedy “The Other Guys.”

But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into the city’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?

“Gamble and Hoitz are not necessarily what you think of when you think of the heroes of buddy cop movies,” says Ferrell. “Gamble is a forensic accountant, a desk cop, the guy who never leaves the office, who’s very much into his paperwork. Hoitz is more of the streetwise guy who’s jonesing to get out there and make a name for himself.”

“My character is obsessed with what he thinks is real crime: drug dealers, vice, murderers, and anything that's going on in the street,” says Wahlberg. “Will’s character’s whole attitude and approach to police work is paperwork. That’s all it basically comes down to – paperwork and white collar crime. But I’m stuck with him because of a mistake that I made.”

“Literally, around one in the morning that night after that first dinner, director Adam McKay sent out an e-mail describing a cop movie where Will is the guy who wants to do desk work and the opportunity arises for him to step up,” says co-writer Chris Henchy. “From that, we started talking about it and danced around the idea and went in and pitched it.”

Strangely enough, the comedic outline of the plot would be inspired by the current headlines – and Will’s character, though outrageously silly, is a new kind of cop and perhaps the future of law enforcement. “We like the idea of Will as a policeman, always on his computer, loving paperwork. He solves crimes from his desk, with a computer,” Henchy continues. “That’s how you catch the Bernie Madoffs of the world – it’s not hitting the streets, it’s following the paper trail.”

“Allen Gamble is a guy who loves – he actually relishes – paperwork,” says Ferrell. “Working on the computer and organization are police work for him. He’s an earnest, sweetheart type – a guy who plays it very close to the vest, a buttoned-down type of guy who shows up right on time for work and stays to the very last minute.”

Ferrell says that working with an actor like Wahlberg afforded the filmmakers the opportunity to work the comedy in a way that emphasizes his strengths. “Sometimes the comedy is conversational, and other times, it’s broad and crazy and out of control. Adam and I always feel like the best comedy is played straight – as real as possible. In fact, this might be the most real movie we’ve done tonally, which makes the situations that Allen and Terry get into so much funnier.”


Opening soon across the Philippines , The Other Guys is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to get the latest movie news, video clips, games and free downloads. Find us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

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UAAP CHEERDANCE COMPETITION 2010 LIVE STREAMING

UAAP Cheerdance Competition goes LIVE on September 12, 2010 @2pm-6pm at Araneta Coliseum. 8 member universities of the UAAP battle for championship for this year. Samsung sponsors this event.

TICKETS :
Tickets will be released a week before the competition starts and will be available at your own university ticket outlet or you can call ticket net for more details.

Patron - P300
Lower Box - P250
Upper Box A - P200
Upper Box B - P100
Gen Ad - P50

Adamson University (AdU) - Adamson Pep Squad
Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) - Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion
De La Salle University (DLSU) - DLSU Animo Squad
Far Eastern University (FEU) - FEU Cheering Squad
National University (NU) - NU Pep Squad
University of the East (UE) - UE Pep Squad
University of the Philippines (UP) - UP Pep Squad
University of Santo Tomas (UST) - UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe

below is the video of last year's champion, the FEU Cheering Squad:


here is the seat assignments for the Cheerdance:


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS:

UP PEP SQUAD - Champions! (Php 340, 000 cash prize and Samsung Champ each)
FEU CHEERING SQUAD - 1st Runner Up (Php 200,000 cash prize)
UST SALINGGAWI DANCE TROUPE - 2nd Runner Up (Php 140,000 cash prize)

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JAMES FRANCO stars in EAT PRAY LOVE

James Franco plays David, the young lover of Julia Roberts’ character, in Columbia Pictures’ new romance drama Eat Pray Love.

In the film, Liz Gilbert (Roberts) is a modern woman on a quest to marvel at and travel the world while rediscovering and reconnecting with her true inner self. At a crossroads after a divorce, Gilbert takes a year-long sabbatical from her job and uncharacteristically steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life. In her wondrous and exotic travels, she experiences the simple pleasure of eating in Italy, the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of love in Bali.

Eat Pray Love starts off in New York, where the reasons for Liz’s need to get away is explored and established through her relationships with two men: her ex-husband, Stephen (Billy Crudup), and her lover, David.

“Liz and Stephen is a couple that has fallen out of love – they have material blessings, but they want different things in life,” explains director Ryan Murphy. “They’re not meant to be together, but this does not make their time together any less valuable or worthwhile.

In turn, Franco’s character, David, adores Liz and rekindles her passions that she thinks have disappeared from her life. Producer Dede Gardner strongly believed that if you don’t like who she goes off with after walking away from her husband, the story isn’t going to work. “There was no one else in the world to play this part,” she says. “James is adorable and sexy, but also very cerebral, with an enormous beating heart and generous spirit.”

“When David and Liz meet, Liz is searching on a lot of levels,” says Franco. “She’s looking for a way to connect to someone romantically, but also some deeper, spiritual meaning in her life. Maybe it’s not a relationship that’s going to last, but it sets her off on her journey, so there are positive things that come out of it.”

Franco and Roberts had their challenges as they had to dive in very quickly to their chemistry as a couple. Says Franco, “The first scene we shot together we made out, and by the end of the day we broke up. It was very intense.”

Franco is best known for his starring role as Harry Osbourne in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. He was last seen starring opposite Sean Penn in Gus Van Sant’s Milk in which his performance earned an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in David Gordon Green’s comedy Pineapple Express where he starred opposite Seth Rogen.

Opening soon across the Philippines, Eat Pray Love is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to get the latest movie news, video clips, games and free downloads. Find us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

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KATHRYN LASKY interview for Legend of the Guardians

The beloved Guardians of Ga’Hoole books by award-winning author Kathryn Lasky are brought to the screen by acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) in Warner Bros.’ fantasy family adventure in 3D, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.

The film follows Soren (voice of Jim Sturgess), a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd (voice of Ryan Kwanten), scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences—causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones.

Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians—Soren’s only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.

A New York Times best-selling author, Lasky has written over 120 children's and young adult fiction and nonfiction books and sold over 11 million copies. She talks about her Ga’Hoole series of books in the following interview:

Question: How long did it take to write the first Guardians of Ga'Hoole book?

Kathryn Lasky: The first book took the longest because I was trying to really set the main characters and the whole future course of the series. So that was about four months of writing and editing.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series?

Lasky: Well, my first idea was to do a non fiction book about owls. My husband Christopher Knight, a former National Geographic photographer, and I had done several non fiction books together illustrated with his photos. But Chris said that it would be awfully hard doing a non fiction book what with owls shy, rare to the point of endangered and that the best pictures would be at night. So lighting would be difficult. It was his idea that I try a fantasy book. In the beginning I thought I would just do one book. But when I sent the proposal into Scholastic, Jean Feiwel, the editor in chief, called me up and said "This is not just one book. It's six". I was kind of shocked. I thought how on earth do I stretch this out to six? But now I am just starting book 13. So I guess I sort of figured it out.

Q: Did you hope, on some level, that your use of owls would enlighten readers to respect nature more?

Lasky: Maybe on some level. But I rarely write with a moral objective in mind. To me the most important thing is to tell a good story. If I can do that I think that enlightenment, respect of nature, etc. follows.

Q: How did you research the books? Did you consult with owl experts?

Lasky: I early on discovered the Owl Pages and it was enormously helpful. But I did a lot of research in libraries. I talked to some people at the Audubon Society. I live in Cambridge , Massachusetts and there are wonderful libraries there. So I used the Harvard libraries as well as the public ones.

Q: What is your favorite Guardians of Ga'Hoole book?

Lasky: That's like asking what is your favorite child. But I have to a admit that I enjoyed especially writing the legends trilogy, books 9, 10 and 11 - The First Collier, The Coming of Hoole and To Be a King where I delved back into the ancient history of the owl kingdoms.

Q: If you were an owl, what kind would you be? Or What owl are you most like?

Lasky: I don't know which of the owl characters I am most like but I have a special fondness for Barn owls and Spotted owls.

Q: Which Guardians of Ga'Hoole character are you most like?

Lasky: As is said I don't know which one I am most like. I think they all have elements of my own personality, except for Twilight. Twilight is absolutely modelled on Muhammed Ali who has always been right up there as one of my all time favorite heroes.

Q: Which books will be included in the Legend of the Guardians movie?

Lasky: The first movie, or what we hope will be the first of many, will include books 1 through 3. The movie is going to be CGI and they used a lot of the owls from the Harry Potter movies. It is the same movie company Warner Brothers and the same producer.

Opening soon across the Philippines, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole will be presented in 3D and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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CHARICE does the GLEEK sign

CHARICE Pempengco does the GLEEK sign! this was taken at the Glee Premiere Party.

photo courtesy of Zap2it.com

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