MARK WAHLBERG is just THE OTHER GUY

Mark Wahlberg, the Academy Award®-nominated actor known for his tough-guy action movie roles, in a comedy opposite Will Ferrell? This can only happen in Columbia Pictures' new action-comedy The Other Guys.

“I’ve been looking to do a comedy for a long time,” says Wahlberg. “I just wanted to make sure I was in the right hands. There were comedic elements to certain performances that I’ve done, but to do a full-blown comedy I wanted to make sure I was protected and who better to work with than the funniest guys in movies in my opinion, Will and [director] Adam [McKay.] They invited me to dinner and said they wanted to do a movie. I was like, ‘You got to be kidding me.’ I said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want.’”

Ferrell added, “We – Adam and I – are such big fans of Mark’s. We always thought he would be great in a comedy, playing a character that maybe is similar in some ways to the role he had in The Departed, but to utilize that intensity he has and play it for laughs.”

In the film, 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 (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) who never make the headlines. 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?

“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.”

Wahlberg describes the pure pleasure and problems keeping professional while working with Ferrell. “The biggest concern for me was just looking at Will’s face,” says Wahlberg. “He’s just so funny that every once in a while I’d burst out laughing. Finally I’d look just to the left of him or just to the right of him and still appear as if I’m looking at him and reacting to what he’s doing, just to keep from laughing.”

Ferrell adds, “It’s so funny to get to know someone like Mark, who has this reputation as a tough guy. He’s actually a sweetheart and was dying to kind of do comedy like this. He wasn’t thrown by anything.”

“Mark is not only a great actor. He’s also a family man and also the guy who could kick anyone’s ass in the room, but also a jovial, lighthearted guy who in no way wants to kick anyone’s ass,” says McKay. “It was very interesting watching him interact with Will, who, of course, is famous for his insane temper and grotesque ego.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, The Other Guys is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Find us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

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DUE DATE character posters

Warner Bros. releases the character posters of its upcoming blockbuster comedy “Due Date” starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as two unlikely companions who are thrown together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous.

The individual posters feature Downey as Peter, Galifianakis as Ethan, the Dog and curiously...the Can (that contains the ashes of Ethan's father).

In the film, Downey plays Peter Highman, an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan—on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.

Directed by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”), “Due Date” also stars Michelle Monaghan (“Made of Honor”), Oscar® nominee Juliette Lewis (“Cape Fear,” “Whip It”) and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”).

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Due Date” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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tracking the origins of Facebook in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Columbia Pictures brings to the screen The Social Network, the controversial and acclaimed film detailing the Harvard dorm room origins of social media megasite Facebook -- the most revolutionary social phenomenon of the new century -- which is valued today at a staggering $16 billion.

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history. But for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

What follows is a drama rife with both creation and destruction; one that purposefully avoids a singular POV, but instead, by tracking dueling narratives, mirrors the clashing truths and constantly morphing social relationships that define our time.

Drawn from multiple sources, the film moves from the halls of Harvard to the cubicles of Palo Alto as it captures the visceral thrill of the heady early days of a culture-changing phenomenon in the making -- and the way it both pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart.

In the midst of the chaos are Mark Zuckerberg, the brilliant Harvard student who conceived a website that seemed to redefine our social fabric overnight; Eduardo Saverin, once Zuckerberg’s close friend, who provided the seed money for the fledgling company; Napster founder Sean Parker who brought Facebook to Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists; and the Winklevoss twins, the Harvard classmates who asserted that Zuckerberg stole their idea and then sued him for ownership of it.

Each has his own narrative, his own version of the Facebook story – but they add up to more than the sum of their parts in what becomes a multi-level portrait of 21st Century success – both the youthful fantasy of it and its finite realities as well.

Directed by the Oscar-nominated David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) as Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake (Shrek The Third) as Sean Parker, who became Facebook's founding president; and Andrew Garfield (Lions for Lambs, Spider-Man 2012) as Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg over money.

The film is written by Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men) based on the novel The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook -- A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich.

Opening soon across the Philippines, The Social Network is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

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RYAN KWANTEN joins the PURE ONES

Popularly known as the amorous Jason Stockhouse in the HBO original hit series True Blood, Ryan Kwanten now provides the voice of wayward owl, Kludd, in Warner Bros.’ fantasy 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, 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.

Emerging as a rival sibling, Kludd envies Soren’s natural talent for flight and finds his enthusiasm for their dad’s tales of the Guardians tiresome. “When Kludd is taken by the Pure Ones, he quickly becomes enamored by the idea that he can be a great soldier for them, that he can be the more important brother now,” producer Deborah Snyder says. “He embraces their ways because he likes the attention, which starts him on this dark path. But Soren still wants to believe in Kludd’s salvation, that he can bring Kludd back around.”

“Kludd is sort of a tortured individual,” Kwanten comments. “He’s the oldest sibling, but he doesn’t have the natural abilities of his younger brother; he feels like he’s not living up to expectations. When he’s approached by the Pure Ones’ queen, Nyra, who praises him just for being a tyto owl, he’s vulnerable and easily manipulated into joining their efforts.”

Ryan Kwanten can currently be seen starring in the acclaimed series True Blood, based on the books by Sookie Stackhouse, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

He spent his hiatus from the popular Golden Globe-nominated show working on feature films, playing a police officer in the modern-day revenge western Red Hill, which debuted at this year’s Berlin Film Festival to rave reviews, and crafting the title role of secret agent and part-time superhero Griff the Invisible. He is currently in production on the film The Knights of Badassdom, alongside Steve Zahn. His other film credits include Don’t Fade Away; the title role in American Brown, which received the Audience Award for Best Film at the Montreal Film Festival; Liquid Bridge, nominated for Best Picture at the Australian Film Festival; and James Wan’s Dead Silence.

Kwanten appeared in numerous films and television shows while earning his business degree at Sydney University , gaining international notoriety when he joined the cast of his native homeland’s long-running popular Australian series Home and Away. Among his other credits are the critically acclaimed series “Summerland” and the ESPN original movie The Junction Boys.

An accomplished athlete, Kwanten qualified for the world Biathlon in Sweden in 2006 and Italy in 2007 after winning the Los Angeles Biathlon series two years running.

Opening across the Philippines on Friday, Sept. 24 in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and regular format, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS movie review

the story of The Legend of the Guardians talks about how Soren became a hero and one of the Guardians of the sacred tree in Ga'Hoole. based on Kathryn Lasky book, we follow the epic journey of Soren.

dreamer as he be, his brother Kludd resists this and gets into practicality and being realistic. one day as they were practicing to fly, they fell on the ground and ended up kidnapped by the Pure Ones. then they knew that the legends are true and the Pure Ones have something planned to destroy the Guardians.

Kludd, jealous of his brother who is a positive-dreamer, joined the Pure Ones and even kidnapped their own sister to be with the Pure Ones. kidnapped owlets gets "moonblinked" and before they knew it, they are following the orders of the evil owls to take over the whole owl kingdom. and that's what Soren's mission is - to save the innocent from the dark plans of the Pure Ones.

the road might not be easy for Soren to get to the sacred tree of Ga'Hoole. however, he found new friends that helped him to rescue his brother and the other owlets. this epic journey may not be too successful for Soren to save Kludd but he is able to stop the plans of the Pure Ones.

this story inspires all those who will watch it to bring an open-mind, believe in dreams and to have a strong will for sacrifice. this also opens the curios mind of why owls get moonblinked and the variety of owls in the cast.

CGI is well-crafted and best to see in 3D for effects. kids and adults will love the cute owlets and will be able to tell the differences in the different species of owls. a good scientific and literary piece for the whole family.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole takes flight in cinemas starting September 24. distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, a Warner Bros Entertainment company.

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BLAKE LIVELY in THE TOWN

From playing the socialite Serena in the hit series Gossip Girl, Blake Lively does a turnaround as she portrays the blue-collar working girl Krista, in Warner Bros.’ new U.S. No. 1 hit thriller The Town.

Indeed, Lively is interested in lives that are worlds apart from hers. "I love this character because of the challenge," she says. "She was written to be a 37-year-old, OxyContin-addicted, drug-muling mother from Boston. It was a character that they didn't want to read me for because I was 21 and had been acting for a few years but hadn't proven myself much."

In the film, Krista is the ex-childhood sweetheart of Ben Affleck’s character, Doug -- the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who wants to leave town and turn a new leaf. “All Krista wants is for Doug to love her and take her away from there,” Lively says. “She’s grown up around these tough guys who are doing everything wrong, but they were her only role models. Now she’s a single mom who does what she has to do to get by.”

Lively adds that Krista’s mix of street smarts and fragility was what drew her to the role. “She has layers of darkness and vulnerability and toughness and desperation. Krista could easily appear to be not very redeemable, but I was chomping at the bit to play her because I knew she could be portrayed in a way that made her a sympathetic character, and you could understand her behavior.”

Producer Basil Iwanyk says, “Blake brought a perfect combination of pathos, sexiness, sadness and aggression to Krista.”

“When I met Blake,” Affleck recalls, “I said, ‘Here’s something you don’t hear much in Hollywood: we’re really looking for someone older and less attractive,’” smiles the actor who also directs the film. “But she was incredible. She spent time with people in Charlestown and really invested herself in understanding the character and the depths to which Krista goes to survive.”

“In many ways, Krista is her own worst enemy,” Lively confirms. “And she’s pretty good at dragging Doug down, too, without realizing that’s what she’s doing. When another woman comes into the picture, Krista isn’t even aware of her, but she feels Doug pulling away and she’s fighting against the waves so hard.”

Blake Lively also spent time in Charlestown, picking up both the accent and the attitude of the Townie women. Contrary to the popular stereotype, it’s not just about dropping your Rs. “It’s fairly nuanced, so the accent can be pretty hard to get,” Affleck says. Nevertheless, he recommended that his cast to do more listening than learning, so to speak.

“I spent some time hanging out with them,” Lively relates, “but instead of asking questions or trying to imitate their accent, I ended up just being silent and taking it in. I realized that if I was talking, I wouldn’t be listening. I also watched how they connect with one another and how their speech changes, depending on who they’re talking to. It was interesting to watch how some of them balanced their sexuality with being tough, like, ‘Don’t mess with me.’”

Lively will next be seen in the much-anticipated action adventure Green Lantern, in which she stars opposite Ryan Reynolds under the direction of Martin Campbell. The film is slated to open in June 2011.

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 6, The Town is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Theater Down South brings an award-winning musical made by Stephen Sondheim entitled A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. this is inspired by the collection of Roman playwright Plautus entitled Forum, it has garnered around 8 Tony Awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize and several Grammy Awards.

this musical started in 1962 and still enjoying the stage with 2 revivals to date. and Theater Down South made sure that it plays on the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim to praise his beautiful work.

the show is directed by veteran stage actor Michael Williams (who is also the company’s Artistic Director) and will be running at the Insular Life Theater, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang on October 2, 3, 8, 9, 24 and 30. Tickets will be available beginning August 1 at all Ticketworld outlets and from www.ticketworld.com.ph.

here's an excerpt from the Broadway version entitled, Everybody Ought to have a Maid:

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