Reuters , LOS ANGELES: The Oscars are entering the world of virtual reality.
This year's Academy Awards telecast is taking a radical departure from past years. Producers of the February 27 show are abandoning the concept of a traditional set. Instead, they will rely on a series of "projections" to give the show a constantly changing look.
"Our design this year is actually going to reflect more content than you would usually expect of an awards show of this type," producer Don Mischer told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview with fellow producer Bruce Cohen in the Kodak Theater. "We're using our environment to take us to different places, different times, and it will change dramatically. The look will change from act to act."
Producers plan to take viewers on a trip through Hollywood history.
"We're doing six or seven scenic transitions during the show, but they are each sort of a different concept," Cohen explained. "In other words, one might be a scene from a film, one might be a more specific time in history, one might be a specific event, one might be a specific genre. The hope is that we briefly leave the Kodak in 2011 -- not literally, but metaphorically -- and take the audience, both in the room and on television, to a specific time and place."
Pressed for more detail, Cohen added, "This is the tenth anniversary of the best animated feature Oscar, so we go to an animated environment to present that Oscar -- actually two, animated feature and animated short -- but the reason we are there is to celebrate that this is the tenth anniversary of the best animated feature Oscar."
The transitions, Mischer explained, will not be long segments, but 30-45 second set-ups. "We are not going back to teach history, but to put the awards in context."
The design scheme grew out of the theme that the two producers devised once they began working on the show back in June. In an extensive review of past broadcasts, they were struck by the two-fold nature of the assignment. On the one hand, they have to come up with something new and different. On the other, they wanted to recognize the previous 82 years of Oscar history.
"Is there any way to approach the show where those two ideas are working together and not fighting each other with every single decision?" they asked themselves. The solution, they decided, was somehow to combine the old and the new.
To that end, they cast Anne Hathaway and James Franco -- two of the youngest hosts to ever front the Oscars -- as audience surrogates for the journey.
"Yes, they are famous, but they are on their way up," Cohen said of the two stars. "They are not untouchable, they are not unreachable. We hope they will offer a way in. So everyone come along, and we'll see through the eyes of these two up-and-coming stars."
The hosts' job, he said, will be "to take the audience on this journey of a show that will hopefully start in one place, and if it all goes according to plan, it will take you back to where we started at the end."
To realize that on stage visually, the producers have been working with production designer Steve Bass, who's previously worked with Mischer on such shows as the "62nd Primetime Emmy Awards" and "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial."
While the production has moved into the Kodak to set up the show, it's been using the daytime hours to hang the physical scenery on which the projections will be displayed, and then during the night another team has been programing the projections. Working throughout this weekend, the goal is to have the whole system up-and-running by Monday.
Oscar could be coronation for composer Desplat
AP, NEW YORK: In a film where sound is central, Alexandre Desplat's score to "The King's Speech" enters subtly.
A simple melody slinks in, a soft, demure line of hopeful piano notes, fittingly repetitive, like the stuttering speech of the film's main character, George VI (Colin Firth).
"You have to respect the silence," says Desplat, speaking from London where he's working on the score to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." "It's quite a challenge to be able to come in in such a delicate way that you're not noticed. I think great scores have to be noticed, but they're wrong when you hear the music come in."
The score, partly recorded with a vintage microphone of George VI's, has earned Desplat his fourth Academy Award nomination. He's regarded as the front-runner in the category ahead of the Feb. 27 Oscars.
A win would be something of a belated coronation for Desplat. Though it wasn't until 2003 that he broke through to Hollywood, the 49-year-old Frenchman has already established himself as one of the most sought after composers in movies.
His scores are remarkably varied, veering from grandly epic to minimalist and intimate, from 80-piece orchestras to lone whistling. He's worked with Stephen Frears, Roman Polanski, David Fincher, Wes Anderson and Jacques Audiard.
"The sound of the music and the images, to me, is something intangible and magical," says Desplat. "I try to sneak into the film with the music, so that it belongs to the film totally."
The son of a French father and Greek mother who met in the U.S. but raised him in France, Desplat was classically trained on piano from age 5. He also became proficient on the flute and trumpet.
He was a young cinephile. At age 6, he recalls being struck by Alex North's score to "Spartacus."
"I never dreamed of writing for concert or opera," says Desplat. "I always dreamed, if I was a composer, to write music for films."
He was particularly moved by scores by Nino Rota, Bernard Herrmann, fellow Frenchman Maurice Jarre ("Lawrence of Arabia") and John Williams, whose "Star Wars" score — its double album poured over — prompted a resolution in Desplat.
"I remember saying to my friends: `That's what I want to do,'" says Desplat.
He began scoring film and television around 1990, working mainly in France. Dialogue-heavy French films, Desplat says, didn't give him the room he craved. 2003's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" introduced him to Hollywood.
Jonathan Glazer's "Birth" (2004) bent yet more ears to Desplat, particularly its magnificent opening scene: An overhead shot of a jogger running through a snowy Central Park, who eventually collapses and dies. Paced by flute, Desplat's score is lush and stirring — somewhat like minimalist John Adams, a distinct influence on Desplat.
Anderson was blown away by the "Birth" score and sought out Desplat for his stop-motion animated "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Desplat's whimsical score has bluegrass influences and pieces like "Whack-Bat Majorette."
"Alexandre is a French movie star who happens to be one of the world's pre-eminent composers," Anderson said by e-mail. "I do not know if he can act. Also, I feel he may be the flute-playing equivalent of Jimi Hendrix, and he is a great whistler."
For Desplat, scoring a film is a deeply personal task. He holes himself away "like a monk" when writing, pushing himself into "a very obsessive trance." Watching footage from the film endlessly, inspiration can come from anything: the storyline, an actor's face, a camera angle, a lighting style.
"When I think I have found what the music should be, I can feel a vibration as I'm playing the music and watching at the same time," Desplat says. "If you change the music of `Vertigo,' I'm sure the vibration would go away."
For "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a film in which the main character ages backward, he created musical palindromes. In "New Moon," he reflected Bella's indecision between her two suitors (Edward and Jacob) by blending their themes.
Chris Weitz has worked with Desplat on three very different films: "New Moon," the fantasy epic "The Golden Compass" and the upcoming illegal immigrant drama "A Better Life." He convenes with Desplat at his Montparnasse apartment in Paris, which includes a studio.
"It's kind of sinfully fun," says Weitz. "You're sitting around, every once in a while a cat will wander in and take a seat on the couch. You sit around and talk about the day and life and eat biscuits and sip coffee."
"You get the sense that you're both trying to improve the movie, rather than just knocking around notes," says Weitz.
Desplat was particularly challenged in scoring the much-anticipated "The Tree of Life" (out in May), by the rarely active Terrence Malick. On Malick's wishes, Desplat composed the score without seeing any of the footage, providing music to the director for several years.
It's all an incredible load for any composer, especially one as dedicated as Desplat.
"It's a very, very lucky moment and I don't want to stop that moment," says Desplat. "It's what I dreamed to do, and I want to keep the dream going."
A simple melody slinks in, a soft, demure line of hopeful piano notes, fittingly repetitive, like the stuttering speech of the film's main character, George VI (Colin Firth).
"You have to respect the silence," says Desplat, speaking from London where he's working on the score to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." "It's quite a challenge to be able to come in in such a delicate way that you're not noticed. I think great scores have to be noticed, but they're wrong when you hear the music come in."
The score, partly recorded with a vintage microphone of George VI's, has earned Desplat his fourth Academy Award nomination. He's regarded as the front-runner in the category ahead of the Feb. 27 Oscars.
A win would be something of a belated coronation for Desplat. Though it wasn't until 2003 that he broke through to Hollywood, the 49-year-old Frenchman has already established himself as one of the most sought after composers in movies.
His scores are remarkably varied, veering from grandly epic to minimalist and intimate, from 80-piece orchestras to lone whistling. He's worked with Stephen Frears, Roman Polanski, David Fincher, Wes Anderson and Jacques Audiard.
"The sound of the music and the images, to me, is something intangible and magical," says Desplat. "I try to sneak into the film with the music, so that it belongs to the film totally."
The son of a French father and Greek mother who met in the U.S. but raised him in France, Desplat was classically trained on piano from age 5. He also became proficient on the flute and trumpet.
He was a young cinephile. At age 6, he recalls being struck by Alex North's score to "Spartacus."
"I never dreamed of writing for concert or opera," says Desplat. "I always dreamed, if I was a composer, to write music for films."
He was particularly moved by scores by Nino Rota, Bernard Herrmann, fellow Frenchman Maurice Jarre ("Lawrence of Arabia") and John Williams, whose "Star Wars" score — its double album poured over — prompted a resolution in Desplat.
"I remember saying to my friends: `That's what I want to do,'" says Desplat.
He began scoring film and television around 1990, working mainly in France. Dialogue-heavy French films, Desplat says, didn't give him the room he craved. 2003's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" introduced him to Hollywood.
Jonathan Glazer's "Birth" (2004) bent yet more ears to Desplat, particularly its magnificent opening scene: An overhead shot of a jogger running through a snowy Central Park, who eventually collapses and dies. Paced by flute, Desplat's score is lush and stirring — somewhat like minimalist John Adams, a distinct influence on Desplat.
Anderson was blown away by the "Birth" score and sought out Desplat for his stop-motion animated "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Desplat's whimsical score has bluegrass influences and pieces like "Whack-Bat Majorette."
"Alexandre is a French movie star who happens to be one of the world's pre-eminent composers," Anderson said by e-mail. "I do not know if he can act. Also, I feel he may be the flute-playing equivalent of Jimi Hendrix, and he is a great whistler."
For Desplat, scoring a film is a deeply personal task. He holes himself away "like a monk" when writing, pushing himself into "a very obsessive trance." Watching footage from the film endlessly, inspiration can come from anything: the storyline, an actor's face, a camera angle, a lighting style.
"When I think I have found what the music should be, I can feel a vibration as I'm playing the music and watching at the same time," Desplat says. "If you change the music of `Vertigo,' I'm sure the vibration would go away."
For "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a film in which the main character ages backward, he created musical palindromes. In "New Moon," he reflected Bella's indecision between her two suitors (Edward and Jacob) by blending their themes.
Chris Weitz has worked with Desplat on three very different films: "New Moon," the fantasy epic "The Golden Compass" and the upcoming illegal immigrant drama "A Better Life." He convenes with Desplat at his Montparnasse apartment in Paris, which includes a studio.
"It's kind of sinfully fun," says Weitz. "You're sitting around, every once in a while a cat will wander in and take a seat on the couch. You sit around and talk about the day and life and eat biscuits and sip coffee."
"You get the sense that you're both trying to improve the movie, rather than just knocking around notes," says Weitz.
Desplat was particularly challenged in scoring the much-anticipated "The Tree of Life" (out in May), by the rarely active Terrence Malick. On Malick's wishes, Desplat composed the score without seeing any of the footage, providing music to the director for several years.
It's all an incredible load for any composer, especially one as dedicated as Desplat.
"It's a very, very lucky moment and I don't want to stop that moment," says Desplat. "It's what I dreamed to do, and I want to keep the dream going."
Box Office Preview: 'Momma,' 'No. 4' vie for No. 1
AP, LOS ANGELES: Fox's "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," in which Martin Lawrence is back for a third time as Big Momma, will take on DreamWorks' suspense thriller "I Am Number Four" in a bid for No. 1 at the nation's theaters this President's Day weekend.
With a built-in fan base from the first two films in the hit franchise, look for these "Big Mommas" to weigh in with an opening weekend gross around $20 million. "Number Four" is also poised for a debut in the $20 million range, drawing the same younger audiences that drove director D.J. Caruso's previous two thrillers, "Eagle Eye" and "Disturbia," to solid first-place openings.
The weekend's third newcomer is Warner Bros.' "Unknown," starring Liam Neeson. At nearly 60, Neeson is still one of the most believable and appealing action stars working today. Given the solid street credentials he developed from his take-no-prisoners role in 2009's "Taken," "Unknown" should collect $17 million to $20 million.
Disney's G-rated "Gnomeo and Juliet" will take full advantage of its second weekend landing in a holiday frame. This scenario traditionally benefits family films and the resulting small weekend-over-weekend percentage drop could help this animated romance gross in the mid to high teens.
Leave it to Bieber to take fifth position with around $15 million after a spectacular near $30 million debut last weekend. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" will still have appeal to squeeze $15 million out of that tiny percentage of teen girl fans who have not yet seen their idol on the big screen.
This was to be the 15th straight weekend of a down box office vs. a year ago, when "Avatar" was toppling records. However, given the strong lineup and favorable comparisons to this time last year, the negative streak might finally come to an end.
With a built-in fan base from the first two films in the hit franchise, look for these "Big Mommas" to weigh in with an opening weekend gross around $20 million. "Number Four" is also poised for a debut in the $20 million range, drawing the same younger audiences that drove director D.J. Caruso's previous two thrillers, "Eagle Eye" and "Disturbia," to solid first-place openings.
The weekend's third newcomer is Warner Bros.' "Unknown," starring Liam Neeson. At nearly 60, Neeson is still one of the most believable and appealing action stars working today. Given the solid street credentials he developed from his take-no-prisoners role in 2009's "Taken," "Unknown" should collect $17 million to $20 million.
Disney's G-rated "Gnomeo and Juliet" will take full advantage of its second weekend landing in a holiday frame. This scenario traditionally benefits family films and the resulting small weekend-over-weekend percentage drop could help this animated romance gross in the mid to high teens.
Leave it to Bieber to take fifth position with around $15 million after a spectacular near $30 million debut last weekend. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" will still have appeal to squeeze $15 million out of that tiny percentage of teen girl fans who have not yet seen their idol on the big screen.
This was to be the 15th straight weekend of a down box office vs. a year ago, when "Avatar" was toppling records. However, given the strong lineup and favorable comparisons to this time last year, the negative streak might finally come to an end.
Diane Kruger takes action turn in "Unknown"
AP, BERLIN: Diane Kruger resisted the temptation to call in a stuntwoman for a challenging action scene in the thriller "Unknown."
Kruger stars alongside Liam Neeson in the movie, which screened out of competition Friday at the Berlin film festival.
She plays Gina, a taxi driver and illegal immigrant who saves Neeson's character from drowning after her cab skids off a bridge into a river.
Kruger says she "would have been very happy to let a very capable stunt lady take over from me."
But she says her character is "a pretty tough chick really — and I felt like it was important that the audience believed that it was me."
The actress says the experience introduced her to "a whole different layer of acting."
Kruger stars alongside Liam Neeson in the movie, which screened out of competition Friday at the Berlin film festival.
She plays Gina, a taxi driver and illegal immigrant who saves Neeson's character from drowning after her cab skids off a bridge into a river.
Kruger says she "would have been very happy to let a very capable stunt lady take over from me."
But she says her character is "a pretty tough chick really — and I felt like it was important that the audience believed that it was me."
The actress says the experience introduced her to "a whole different layer of acting."
Film lays bare Mexico's broken justice system
AP, MEXICO CITY: Antonio Zuniga was minding his own business, walking through his Mexico City neighborhood, when police arrested him on charges of murdering a young gang member he had never seen. He was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison, despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence.
The story might have ended there if it hadn't been for two determined lawyers armed with a video camera. They got the street vendor a retrial and, finally, acquittal by an appeals court thanks to the video they shot, which turned into a harrowing documentary that opens in Mexico on Friday in its first run in commercial theaters.
"Presumed Guilty," which premiered two years ago at the Belfast Film Festival, has been shown in more than a dozen international festivals and on U.S. public television. It even won the best documentary category at Mexico's own Morelia Film Festival in 2009.
But the film would have been almost forgotten in its home country if not for key members of Mexico's entertainment elite, who promoted its commercial release at a moment when botched cases and legal abuses are causing public outrage.
"Indifference and ignorance are the major illnesses we're experiencing," said Diego Luna, the Mexican actor and director who has used his Hollywood star power to promote the documentary. "We've learned to live with injustice and move on as if nothing were wrong."
"Presumed Guilty" offers a rare front-row look into Mexico's secretive court system, which places the burden of proof on defendants. Trials conducted largely on paper offer no chance for public scrutiny. Critics say this results in a system in which innocent are jailed and criminals go free.
Lawyers Roberto Hernandez and Layda Negrete won a retrial for Zuniga when they found that his original defense attorney lacked a valid license to practice law, and they got the judge's approval to film the proceedings.
The film shows that police had no physical evidence against Zuniga. Tests found no gunpowder residue on his hands.
And several witnesses saw Zuniga selling video games at his stand in a street market at the time of the 2005 slaying, miles (kilometers) away from the rough borough of Iztapalapa where the killing occurred. But their testimony was not allowed in court.
In one of the most powerful scenes, the key witness to the killing, the victim's cousin, acknowledges he never saw Zuniga fire a shot. He insists Zuniga was present along three members of a rival gang who confronted him and his cousin. But while he describes each of the three gang members physically, he is unable to describe Zuniga.
In fact, the teenage witness failed to mention Zuniga's presence at all in his initial testimony to police on the day of the killing.
But the judge, the same one who presided over the first trial, upheld the conviction.
"It was like being in a bizarre world where everything is upside down," said Zuniga, a 31-year-old who repairs video game consoles for a living and dabbles in rap and break dancing.
The 90-minute documentary also shows glimpses of Zuniga's life in prison, where he shared a tiny cell with 20 inmates and slept on a concrete floor under a cabinet with only a blanket.
Zuniga finally was acquitted by an appeals court in 2008 after his lawyers showed the panel of three judges the video of his retrial. He was released after nearly two years and four months in prison.
Hernandez and Negrete, husband-and-wife doctoral students at the University of California, Berkeley, have campaigned for judicial reform in Mexico for years. They conducted a survey of Mexico City prisoners in 2008 and found that 95 percent of those charged were convicted. They also found that 92 percent of the cases lacked physical evidence and were based on witnesses testimony.
Yet even efforts to repair the system have met with frustration.
Mexicans have been horrified by the case of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, who was gunned down in a Ciudad Juarez street in December while protesting the acquittal of a man accused of killing her daughter. Her daughter's alleged killer is the suspect in Escobedo's murder as well.
The judges acquitted the daughter's killer in a public hearing, the result of a 2008 legal reform meant to open the system. The judges said the new rules forced them to throw out evidence that might have been accepted under the old, closed system.
Hernandez and Negrete had trouble finding a Mexican distributor for their film, even with the buzz it created at film festivals and in the U.S., where it aired on public television's "P.O.V." documentary series last year.
So they turned to Alejandro Ramirez, CEO of Mexico's largest movie theater chain, Cinepolis, who had seen the documentary in Morelia. Even though his company doesn't usually distribute films, he decided to do it for the "Presumed Guilty," which will open in 130 theaters in six major cities.
Hernandez and Negrete say they want videotaping to be mandatory in all interrogations and trial proceedings in Mexico.
"The film will help people open their eyes and realize that their freedom is as fragile as someone pointing a finger at them on the street," Hernandez said.
___
Associated Press writer Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
"I would love for people to see it and do something to change this system," Zuniga said, "because being afraid of those who are supposed to make you feel safe is truly horrifying."
The story might have ended there if it hadn't been for two determined lawyers armed with a video camera. They got the street vendor a retrial and, finally, acquittal by an appeals court thanks to the video they shot, which turned into a harrowing documentary that opens in Mexico on Friday in its first run in commercial theaters.
"Presumed Guilty," which premiered two years ago at the Belfast Film Festival, has been shown in more than a dozen international festivals and on U.S. public television. It even won the best documentary category at Mexico's own Morelia Film Festival in 2009.
But the film would have been almost forgotten in its home country if not for key members of Mexico's entertainment elite, who promoted its commercial release at a moment when botched cases and legal abuses are causing public outrage.
"Indifference and ignorance are the major illnesses we're experiencing," said Diego Luna, the Mexican actor and director who has used his Hollywood star power to promote the documentary. "We've learned to live with injustice and move on as if nothing were wrong."
"Presumed Guilty" offers a rare front-row look into Mexico's secretive court system, which places the burden of proof on defendants. Trials conducted largely on paper offer no chance for public scrutiny. Critics say this results in a system in which innocent are jailed and criminals go free.
Lawyers Roberto Hernandez and Layda Negrete won a retrial for Zuniga when they found that his original defense attorney lacked a valid license to practice law, and they got the judge's approval to film the proceedings.
The film shows that police had no physical evidence against Zuniga. Tests found no gunpowder residue on his hands.
And several witnesses saw Zuniga selling video games at his stand in a street market at the time of the 2005 slaying, miles (kilometers) away from the rough borough of Iztapalapa where the killing occurred. But their testimony was not allowed in court.
In one of the most powerful scenes, the key witness to the killing, the victim's cousin, acknowledges he never saw Zuniga fire a shot. He insists Zuniga was present along three members of a rival gang who confronted him and his cousin. But while he describes each of the three gang members physically, he is unable to describe Zuniga.
In fact, the teenage witness failed to mention Zuniga's presence at all in his initial testimony to police on the day of the killing.
But the judge, the same one who presided over the first trial, upheld the conviction.
"It was like being in a bizarre world where everything is upside down," said Zuniga, a 31-year-old who repairs video game consoles for a living and dabbles in rap and break dancing.
The 90-minute documentary also shows glimpses of Zuniga's life in prison, where he shared a tiny cell with 20 inmates and slept on a concrete floor under a cabinet with only a blanket.
Zuniga finally was acquitted by an appeals court in 2008 after his lawyers showed the panel of three judges the video of his retrial. He was released after nearly two years and four months in prison.
Hernandez and Negrete, husband-and-wife doctoral students at the University of California, Berkeley, have campaigned for judicial reform in Mexico for years. They conducted a survey of Mexico City prisoners in 2008 and found that 95 percent of those charged were convicted. They also found that 92 percent of the cases lacked physical evidence and were based on witnesses testimony.
Yet even efforts to repair the system have met with frustration.
Mexicans have been horrified by the case of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, who was gunned down in a Ciudad Juarez street in December while protesting the acquittal of a man accused of killing her daughter. Her daughter's alleged killer is the suspect in Escobedo's murder as well.
The judges acquitted the daughter's killer in a public hearing, the result of a 2008 legal reform meant to open the system. The judges said the new rules forced them to throw out evidence that might have been accepted under the old, closed system.
Hernandez and Negrete had trouble finding a Mexican distributor for their film, even with the buzz it created at film festivals and in the U.S., where it aired on public television's "P.O.V." documentary series last year.
So they turned to Alejandro Ramirez, CEO of Mexico's largest movie theater chain, Cinepolis, who had seen the documentary in Morelia. Even though his company doesn't usually distribute films, he decided to do it for the "Presumed Guilty," which will open in 130 theaters in six major cities.
Hernandez and Negrete say they want videotaping to be mandatory in all interrogations and trial proceedings in Mexico.
"The film will help people open their eyes and realize that their freedom is as fragile as someone pointing a finger at them on the street," Hernandez said.
___
Associated Press writer Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
"I would love for people to see it and do something to change this system," Zuniga said, "because being afraid of those who are supposed to make you feel safe is truly horrifying."
Film explores centuries-old Albanian blood feuds
Reuters, BERLIN: "The Forgiveness of Blood" is a new film exploring centuries-old oral traditions that govern how some families in Albania settle their blood feuds to this day.
Modern clashes with medieval in U.S. director Joshua Marston's powerful movie, which has its premiere at the Berlin film festival on Friday.
It is the last of 16 competition films to be screened at the annual cinema showcase, and early critical reaction suggests it could be in the running for awards at the festival's closing ceremony on Saturday.
The Forgiveness of Blood centres on a family living in rural Albania which is drawn into a dispute with a nearby clan over access to land.
When the feud ends in murder, the aggrieved party imposes the harsh rules of the Kanun, a 15th century Balkan code that gives it the right to kill a male member of the offending family in retribution.
Rather than a simple eye-for-an-eye, other rules can be applied through the code which is not officially recognized in Albanian law, according to the filmmakers, but which has been imposed nonetheless.
At the center of the feud governed by adults' anger, pride, ignorance and intransigence is Nik, a 17-year-old who is no longer allowed to leave home for fear of being killed, his seven-year-old brother and Rudina, his 15-year-old sister.
Rudina is allowed out, and turns adversity into opportunity by finding extra sources of income as she seeks to support the family single-handed. But for Nik life becomes a nightmare, as opportunities for friendship, love and success pass him by.
"For me it's a story about a conflict between generations and a conflict between the old and the new," Marston told reporters in Berlin after a press screening.
FUTURE LOCKED IN PAST
The director, whose 2004 debut feature was the acclaimed "Maria Full of Grace," said the key image for him was of a 21st century boy sending text messages and playing video games in captivity in his home thanks to 15th century rules.
"He's a modern boy who's had his life disrupted by something completely old."
Marston traveled to Albania with Albanian scriptwriter and guide Andamion Murataj to research the Kanun, meeting families locked in such feuds and living in isolation.
One family was stuck in a blood feud for 15 years, the sons had never gone to school and did not dare venture further than their front yard.
The practice of Kanun virtually disappeared under Communism, which moved to stamp it out, but it has returned as Albania struggles to emerge as a modern and prosperous democracy.
Actor Refet Abazi, who plays the father on the run, said the film had an important message of the need for forgiveness.
"The Kanun still exists in Albania," he said, speaking through an interpreter. "It is somewhere in people's minds.
"The film must get us to think about the Kanun, how to deal with it and to ask questions. Nik belongs to a completely different generation ... and this is the generation that we must look at and the generation that must slowly forget the Kanun."
Marston said that the long seven-year gap between his two feature films had been partly the result of the financial crisis, which saw potential funding withdrawn and dissuaded producers from backing movies about tough subjects.
Modern clashes with medieval in U.S. director Joshua Marston's powerful movie, which has its premiere at the Berlin film festival on Friday.
It is the last of 16 competition films to be screened at the annual cinema showcase, and early critical reaction suggests it could be in the running for awards at the festival's closing ceremony on Saturday.
The Forgiveness of Blood centres on a family living in rural Albania which is drawn into a dispute with a nearby clan over access to land.
When the feud ends in murder, the aggrieved party imposes the harsh rules of the Kanun, a 15th century Balkan code that gives it the right to kill a male member of the offending family in retribution.
Rather than a simple eye-for-an-eye, other rules can be applied through the code which is not officially recognized in Albanian law, according to the filmmakers, but which has been imposed nonetheless.
At the center of the feud governed by adults' anger, pride, ignorance and intransigence is Nik, a 17-year-old who is no longer allowed to leave home for fear of being killed, his seven-year-old brother and Rudina, his 15-year-old sister.
Rudina is allowed out, and turns adversity into opportunity by finding extra sources of income as she seeks to support the family single-handed. But for Nik life becomes a nightmare, as opportunities for friendship, love and success pass him by.
"For me it's a story about a conflict between generations and a conflict between the old and the new," Marston told reporters in Berlin after a press screening.
FUTURE LOCKED IN PAST
The director, whose 2004 debut feature was the acclaimed "Maria Full of Grace," said the key image for him was of a 21st century boy sending text messages and playing video games in captivity in his home thanks to 15th century rules.
"He's a modern boy who's had his life disrupted by something completely old."
Marston traveled to Albania with Albanian scriptwriter and guide Andamion Murataj to research the Kanun, meeting families locked in such feuds and living in isolation.
One family was stuck in a blood feud for 15 years, the sons had never gone to school and did not dare venture further than their front yard.
The practice of Kanun virtually disappeared under Communism, which moved to stamp it out, but it has returned as Albania struggles to emerge as a modern and prosperous democracy.
Actor Refet Abazi, who plays the father on the run, said the film had an important message of the need for forgiveness.
"The Kanun still exists in Albania," he said, speaking through an interpreter. "It is somewhere in people's minds.
"The film must get us to think about the Kanun, how to deal with it and to ask questions. Nik belongs to a completely different generation ... and this is the generation that we must look at and the generation that must slowly forget the Kanun."
Marston said that the long seven-year gap between his two feature films had been partly the result of the financial crisis, which saw potential funding withdrawn and dissuaded producers from backing movies about tough subjects.
Susanne Bier brings "A Better World" to Hollywood
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: When Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier arrived in Hollywood some four years ago to direct her first big U.S. film, she was "excited and hopeful" it would give her career an international boost.
But her drama "Things We Lost in the Fire," starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro, flopped at box offices and Bier, whose previous Danish film "After the Wedding" earned an Oscar nomination for foreign language film, soon returned home.
Now, Bier is back in Hollywood and back at the Oscars, the world's top movie awards that will be given out on February 27, with her most recent film drama "In A Better World." But unlike "Things We Lost," her new movie has built a strong fan base and its tale of a young boy and the friend who protects him from bullying is more in keeping with who she is, as a filmmaker.
"Back home and in the rest of Europe, I'm seen as this very mainstream filmmaker, while over here, they see me as this art-house type," Bier said.
"In A Better World" will compete for the Oscar against Mexico drama "Biutiful," starring Javier Bardem, Canadian film "Incendies," Greek entry "Dogtooth" and "Outside the Law" ("Hors-la-loi") from Algeria.
Oscar pundits think "Biutiful," which is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and Bier's "In A Better World" have the upper hand. In a similar match-up at January's Golden Globe Awards, it was Bier who walked away with the statue.
"It's a very big deal," Bier said of the Oscar nomination and ceremony. "It's like the World Cup -- everyone watches."
OLD DOGME, NEW TRICKS
Her movie, which lands in theaters in major U.S. cities on April 1, revolves around the friendship between two young boys, one of whom is bullied at school.
He befriends a new kid in their small coastal town in which they live, and the new boy beats up the bully.
After witnessing his new friend's pacifist father also get routed by a loutish adult, the new boy is bent on revenge and he builds a bomb with potentially tragic results.
"I wanted to explore the relationships between parents and children and fragility of the idyllic Danish society," Bier said. "It's so easy for things to spin out of control, for violence to suddenly erupt, and it's so hard for people to act like decent human beings sometimes.
"I wanted to explore all those dark themes. But at the same time, I'm an optimist. It doesn't end so badly."
"In A Better World" marks Bier's fifth collaboration with writer Anders Thomas Jensen, who like Bier came out of the influential avant-garde "Dogme" movement championed by another Danish director, Lars von Trier.
In 1995, von Trier and his group issued their 'Dogme 95' set of rules for filmmaking that included no flashbacks, use of handheld cameras, natural lighting and everything shot on location with no props, no sets and no added music.
"In A Better World" has some Dogme elements. There are no flashbacks. It uses real locations, and handheld cameras for the most part, but Bier is quick to add she used artificial lighting and music throughout. She called it "sort of hybrid."
"I just couldn't work like that, although I tried," she said about Dogme. "It was too hard and limiting for me. But it was very educational, and I feel like I went to school and now I apply all those lessons to my films whenever I need to."
And with a possible Oscar waiting, it would seem that her "hybrid" blend of filmmaking is working pretty well.
But her drama "Things We Lost in the Fire," starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro, flopped at box offices and Bier, whose previous Danish film "After the Wedding" earned an Oscar nomination for foreign language film, soon returned home.
Now, Bier is back in Hollywood and back at the Oscars, the world's top movie awards that will be given out on February 27, with her most recent film drama "In A Better World." But unlike "Things We Lost," her new movie has built a strong fan base and its tale of a young boy and the friend who protects him from bullying is more in keeping with who she is, as a filmmaker.
"Back home and in the rest of Europe, I'm seen as this very mainstream filmmaker, while over here, they see me as this art-house type," Bier said.
"In A Better World" will compete for the Oscar against Mexico drama "Biutiful," starring Javier Bardem, Canadian film "Incendies," Greek entry "Dogtooth" and "Outside the Law" ("Hors-la-loi") from Algeria.
Oscar pundits think "Biutiful," which is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and Bier's "In A Better World" have the upper hand. In a similar match-up at January's Golden Globe Awards, it was Bier who walked away with the statue.
"It's a very big deal," Bier said of the Oscar nomination and ceremony. "It's like the World Cup -- everyone watches."
OLD DOGME, NEW TRICKS
Her movie, which lands in theaters in major U.S. cities on April 1, revolves around the friendship between two young boys, one of whom is bullied at school.
He befriends a new kid in their small coastal town in which they live, and the new boy beats up the bully.
After witnessing his new friend's pacifist father also get routed by a loutish adult, the new boy is bent on revenge and he builds a bomb with potentially tragic results.
"I wanted to explore the relationships between parents and children and fragility of the idyllic Danish society," Bier said. "It's so easy for things to spin out of control, for violence to suddenly erupt, and it's so hard for people to act like decent human beings sometimes.
"I wanted to explore all those dark themes. But at the same time, I'm an optimist. It doesn't end so badly."
"In A Better World" marks Bier's fifth collaboration with writer Anders Thomas Jensen, who like Bier came out of the influential avant-garde "Dogme" movement championed by another Danish director, Lars von Trier.
In 1995, von Trier and his group issued their 'Dogme 95' set of rules for filmmaking that included no flashbacks, use of handheld cameras, natural lighting and everything shot on location with no props, no sets and no added music.
"In A Better World" has some Dogme elements. There are no flashbacks. It uses real locations, and handheld cameras for the most part, but Bier is quick to add she used artificial lighting and music throughout. She called it "sort of hybrid."
"I just couldn't work like that, although I tried," she said about Dogme. "It was too hard and limiting for me. But it was very educational, and I feel like I went to school and now I apply all those lessons to my films whenever I need to."
And with a possible Oscar waiting, it would seem that her "hybrid" blend of filmmaking is working pretty well.
"Clash of the Titans" director boards new film
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: "Clash of the Titans" director Louis Leterrier has signed on to direct "Now You See Me," Summit Entertainment's heist movie.
The project is being produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci through their Paper Products banner.
"See Me," per Summit, pits a crack FBI squad in a game of cat and mouse against a super-team of the world's greatest illusionists, who pull off a series of bank heists during their performances, showering the profits on their audiences while staying one step ahead of the law.
Leterrier's "Clash of the Titans" survived a bad 3D conversion and went on to gross over $493 million worldwide. He also directed "The Incredible Hulk" and "Transporter 2."
The project is being produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci through their Paper Products banner.
"See Me," per Summit, pits a crack FBI squad in a game of cat and mouse against a super-team of the world's greatest illusionists, who pull off a series of bank heists during their performances, showering the profits on their audiences while staying one step ahead of the law.
Leterrier's "Clash of the Titans" survived a bad 3D conversion and went on to gross over $493 million worldwide. He also directed "The Incredible Hulk" and "Transporter 2."
Musician sues after "Twilight" tribute shutdown
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: An Ohio musician with ambitious plans to have his music heard by fans of "The Twilight Saga" is now suing the film's distributor, Summit Entertainment, for standing in his way.
Matthew Smith, who works under the moniker Matt Heart, created a song entitled "Eternal Knight" in 2002. This past November, Heart engaged in a bold marketing campaign to connect the song to new audiences.
He posted the song on YouTube and sold it via iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and other sites. Most audaciously, he says he negotiated to distribute and promote the song in various movie theaters for 28 weeks, hoping to reach an estimated 5 million viewers via an agreement with Screen Vision, which sells ads in theaters around the nation.
But Heart got into trouble when he commissioned a CD cover for "Eternal Knight" indicating it was inspired by the "Twilight Saga." The cover art shows a moon and uses a similar typeface to that of "Twilight's" movie poster.
The move caught the eye of Summit's legal department, which alerted YouTube, iTunes, Amazon and others to alleged infringement of its intellectual property. Heart's song was removed from those outlets.
Heart and Summit's legal counsel then e-mailed each other, with Summit lawyer Regan Pederson telling him that "YouTube's digital infrastructure does not differentiate between copyright infringement and trademark infringement," but that Summit was concerned about the trademark violation and had thus initiated a takedown.
Pederson wrote Heart that absent the "Twilight" mark, Heart could repost his music so long as there was no reference whatsoever to Summit's intellectual property.
Heart now claims in his lawsuit, filed yesterday, that Summit misrepresented its legal rights and that the song couldn't have infringed "Twilight" since it was written and copyrighted first. Never mind, it seems, that Heart may have done a bit of misrepresenting himself over how the work was inspired.
He's suing Summit for fraud, misrepresentation, infliction of emotional distress, tortious interference, and defamation for allegedly getting in the way of his contractual agreements on the song. He wants at least $75,000 in damages.
Matthew Smith, who works under the moniker Matt Heart, created a song entitled "Eternal Knight" in 2002. This past November, Heart engaged in a bold marketing campaign to connect the song to new audiences.
He posted the song on YouTube and sold it via iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and other sites. Most audaciously, he says he negotiated to distribute and promote the song in various movie theaters for 28 weeks, hoping to reach an estimated 5 million viewers via an agreement with Screen Vision, which sells ads in theaters around the nation.
But Heart got into trouble when he commissioned a CD cover for "Eternal Knight" indicating it was inspired by the "Twilight Saga." The cover art shows a moon and uses a similar typeface to that of "Twilight's" movie poster.
The move caught the eye of Summit's legal department, which alerted YouTube, iTunes, Amazon and others to alleged infringement of its intellectual property. Heart's song was removed from those outlets.
Heart and Summit's legal counsel then e-mailed each other, with Summit lawyer Regan Pederson telling him that "YouTube's digital infrastructure does not differentiate between copyright infringement and trademark infringement," but that Summit was concerned about the trademark violation and had thus initiated a takedown.
Pederson wrote Heart that absent the "Twilight" mark, Heart could repost his music so long as there was no reference whatsoever to Summit's intellectual property.
Heart now claims in his lawsuit, filed yesterday, that Summit misrepresented its legal rights and that the song couldn't have infringed "Twilight" since it was written and copyrighted first. Never mind, it seems, that Heart may have done a bit of misrepresenting himself over how the work was inspired.
He's suing Summit for fraud, misrepresentation, infliction of emotional distress, tortious interference, and defamation for allegedly getting in the way of his contractual agreements on the song. He wants at least $75,000 in damages.
Film review: "Now and Later"
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: The only believable parts of the clumsy drama "Now and Later" are the unsimulated sex scenes. Its hard-to-buy plot, bringing together an anti-materialist Afro-Latina and a WASP who's a lapsed investment banker, is a flimsy excuse for a series of political lectures badly disguised as dialogue, but mainly for the heavy-breathing sequences that cap the lessons. It opens February 18 in New York and a week later in Los Angeles as part of the series "Unrated: A Week of Sex in Cinema."
Writer-director Philippe Diaz ("The End of Poverty?") captures a docu feel in downtown L.A. locations, but otherwise the film is an ultra-schematic scenario alternating left-wing yak and conventional soft-core porn. Its sense of self-importance is clear from the theme-defining William Reich quote, on the deleterious effects of sexual repression, that opens the story. Later, "Research shows that lack of sex ..." begins one tantalizing morsel of postcoital chitchat.
Its two stiltingly played lead characters are meant to be a sort of living liberation manual: She's Professor Now, present in the moment, and he's Student Later, planning for the great American retirement. His ignorance is mind-boggling, her all-knowingness pure and true. Her given name is Angela (Shari Solanis), and she's an existentialist angel of free sex and social consciousness, with the added cred of being from a salt-of-the-earth family, among them victims of the Contras and, therefore U.S. imperialist policy.
Her temporary roomie, Bill (James Wortham), is awaiting the truck that will smuggle him out of the country, rather than go to jail for his role in banking-industry shenanigans. In the meantime, he gets to be turned on and enlightened in Angela's walkup apartment. Its rooftop access comes in handy for some al fresco action but also provides a nifty vantage point for looking down upon the socioeconomic disparities of the city. To paraphrase the title of a book by Deena Metzger, this might be called "The Woman Who Slept With Men to Take the Republican Out of Them."
Writer-director Philippe Diaz ("The End of Poverty?") captures a docu feel in downtown L.A. locations, but otherwise the film is an ultra-schematic scenario alternating left-wing yak and conventional soft-core porn. Its sense of self-importance is clear from the theme-defining William Reich quote, on the deleterious effects of sexual repression, that opens the story. Later, "Research shows that lack of sex ..." begins one tantalizing morsel of postcoital chitchat.
Its two stiltingly played lead characters are meant to be a sort of living liberation manual: She's Professor Now, present in the moment, and he's Student Later, planning for the great American retirement. His ignorance is mind-boggling, her all-knowingness pure and true. Her given name is Angela (Shari Solanis), and she's an existentialist angel of free sex and social consciousness, with the added cred of being from a salt-of-the-earth family, among them victims of the Contras and, therefore U.S. imperialist policy.
Her temporary roomie, Bill (James Wortham), is awaiting the truck that will smuggle him out of the country, rather than go to jail for his role in banking-industry shenanigans. In the meantime, he gets to be turned on and enlightened in Angela's walkup apartment. Its rooftop access comes in handy for some al fresco action but also provides a nifty vantage point for looking down upon the socioeconomic disparities of the city. To paraphrase the title of a book by Deena Metzger, this might be called "The Woman Who Slept With Men to Take the Republican Out of Them."
"Unknown" director says sequel a "possibility"
Reuters, BERLIN: Liam Neeson and January Jones didn't make the European premiere of Jaume Collet-Serra's thriller "Unknown," leaving it to Diane Kruger and Sebastian Koch to provide the star power for the film's Out of Competition bow at the Berlin International Film Festival.
But the city of Berlin itself is the real star of "Unknown," as Neeson's character barrels through the German capital desperately trying to find out who he is and the nature of the deadly conspiracy against him in Collet-Serra's fast-paced actioner.
And the local audience lapped it up.
The amnesia/mistaken identity/spy tale was greeted by whoops and applause at its festival press screening, with Berlin locals howling with approval as the Spanish helmer demolished some of their city's cherished landmarks. Pokes at German history and current tensions between Germans and recent immigrants were taken in stride.
"Unknown" opens wide in the U.S. this weekend before speeding across the globe. Speaking off the cuff at the packed press conference following the screening, Collet-Serra left the door open for a possible sequel to the film. "That's up for the audience to decide. It's a possibility," he said.
The director also spoke of his decision to move the story of "Unknown" from Paris to Berlin because the German city "at least for an American audience, isn't as familiar as Paris and thus better suits the film's themes of amnesia and lost identity," he said.
Berlin local Sebastian Koch, best-known stateside for his role in Oscar-winner "The Lives of Others," said it was a relief to be a German actor in a Hollywood movie and not be playing "the Nazi or the bad guy. It's taken a while but roles and the image of Germans in Hollywood is starting to change and I'm very pleased to see that."
Andrew Rona, who co-produced "Unknown" with Joel Silver, noted that Berlin's attitude to Hollywood has also changed, citing the generous public subsidies and top-end facilities at Studio Babelsberg that enticed the production to shoot here.
Diane Kruger added that she'd shot films in Berlin for three years running: "Unknown," "Mr. Nobody" and "Inglourious Basterds."
"I've been working in Germany more than I have since I left here 17 years ago," she said.
But while Collet-Serra also heaped praise on the city of Berlin for its help during the shoot of "Unknown," he couldn't resist one small dig at his German hosts.
"We had a lot of Germans on the crew, most of the crew was German and were excellent," he said. "The caterers were German too. Next time they're going to be Spanish."
But the city of Berlin itself is the real star of "Unknown," as Neeson's character barrels through the German capital desperately trying to find out who he is and the nature of the deadly conspiracy against him in Collet-Serra's fast-paced actioner.
And the local audience lapped it up.
The amnesia/mistaken identity/spy tale was greeted by whoops and applause at its festival press screening, with Berlin locals howling with approval as the Spanish helmer demolished some of their city's cherished landmarks. Pokes at German history and current tensions between Germans and recent immigrants were taken in stride.
"Unknown" opens wide in the U.S. this weekend before speeding across the globe. Speaking off the cuff at the packed press conference following the screening, Collet-Serra left the door open for a possible sequel to the film. "That's up for the audience to decide. It's a possibility," he said.
The director also spoke of his decision to move the story of "Unknown" from Paris to Berlin because the German city "at least for an American audience, isn't as familiar as Paris and thus better suits the film's themes of amnesia and lost identity," he said.
Berlin local Sebastian Koch, best-known stateside for his role in Oscar-winner "The Lives of Others," said it was a relief to be a German actor in a Hollywood movie and not be playing "the Nazi or the bad guy. It's taken a while but roles and the image of Germans in Hollywood is starting to change and I'm very pleased to see that."
Andrew Rona, who co-produced "Unknown" with Joel Silver, noted that Berlin's attitude to Hollywood has also changed, citing the generous public subsidies and top-end facilities at Studio Babelsberg that enticed the production to shoot here.
Diane Kruger added that she'd shot films in Berlin for three years running: "Unknown," "Mr. Nobody" and "Inglourious Basterds."
"I've been working in Germany more than I have since I left here 17 years ago," she said.
But while Collet-Serra also heaped praise on the city of Berlin for its help during the shoot of "Unknown," he couldn't resist one small dig at his German hosts.
"We had a lot of Germans on the crew, most of the crew was German and were excellent," he said. "The caterers were German too. Next time they're going to be Spanish."
Iranian drama is film to beat at Berlin festival
Reuters, BERLIN: Iranian drama "Nader and Simin: A Separation" is the title to beat as this year's Berlin film festival heads toward the closing ceremony on Saturday where the coveted Golden Bear for best picture is handed out.
A subtle and gripping examination of Iran's social divide, religious traditions and justice system, Asghar Farhadi's portrayal of the break-up of a marriage has won almost universal praise from critics at the annual cinema showcase.
What critics say and judges decide often differ, however, making it an unpredictable event often full of surprises.
In Nader and Simin, one family is pitted against another in a gripping legal tussle which Farhadi said underscored the gap between middle class "intellectuals" and poorer, traditional Iranians whose religious beliefs tended to be more entrenched.
"One (undercurrent in Iranian society) is the struggle between the classes -- between the poor, who are more traditional and religious, and the other class which wants to live according to modern rules," he said in Berlin.
"It's a somewhat hidden struggle between the old and new in our society. It will cost our society dear."
While many of the 16 films in the main competition line-up were seen as forgettable, it only takes one or two strong contenders to light up a festival like Berlin, and Nader and Simin provided that spark.
It also fits in neatly with what some German media have dubbed an "Iranian Berlinale," after the festival opened with calls for Iran to allow director Jafar Panahi to travel to Berlin and accept his invitation to sit on the jury.
EMPTY CHAIR
Panahi was sentenced to six years in jail and banned from making movies or traveling abroad for 20 years after being accused of inciting opposition protests in 2009 and making a film without permission.
His absence was marked with an empty chair alongside jury head Isabella Rossellini at the opening press conference.
Potential Golden Bear rivals are "The Forgiveness of Blood," about Albania's ancient blood feuds, "If Not Us, Who" about the rise of violent German leftist groups in the 60s, and Hungarian director Bela Tarr's strange and stark "The Turin Horse."
His self-declared last picture is a black-and-white portrayal of the seemingly endless repetition of daily life for a poor farmer and his daughter -- drawing water from a well, eating potatoes, stoking the fire, dressing and sleeping.
British actor Ralph Fiennes's directorial debut "Coriolanus," a bloody adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy set in modern times, won plenty of fans at the festival.
The Hollywood Reporter tipped Fiennes in the title role and Vanessa Redgrave as his mother Volumnia as possible best actor and actress winners respectively.
Acting honors could also go to Kevin Spacey as a banker facing a moral dilemma on the eve of the 2008 financial crash in "Margin Call," to the young cast of The Forgiveness of Blood or to the leads in If Not Us, Who, the trade newspaper added.
A subtle and gripping examination of Iran's social divide, religious traditions and justice system, Asghar Farhadi's portrayal of the break-up of a marriage has won almost universal praise from critics at the annual cinema showcase.
What critics say and judges decide often differ, however, making it an unpredictable event often full of surprises.
In Nader and Simin, one family is pitted against another in a gripping legal tussle which Farhadi said underscored the gap between middle class "intellectuals" and poorer, traditional Iranians whose religious beliefs tended to be more entrenched.
"One (undercurrent in Iranian society) is the struggle between the classes -- between the poor, who are more traditional and religious, and the other class which wants to live according to modern rules," he said in Berlin.
"It's a somewhat hidden struggle between the old and new in our society. It will cost our society dear."
While many of the 16 films in the main competition line-up were seen as forgettable, it only takes one or two strong contenders to light up a festival like Berlin, and Nader and Simin provided that spark.
It also fits in neatly with what some German media have dubbed an "Iranian Berlinale," after the festival opened with calls for Iran to allow director Jafar Panahi to travel to Berlin and accept his invitation to sit on the jury.
EMPTY CHAIR
Panahi was sentenced to six years in jail and banned from making movies or traveling abroad for 20 years after being accused of inciting opposition protests in 2009 and making a film without permission.
His absence was marked with an empty chair alongside jury head Isabella Rossellini at the opening press conference.
Potential Golden Bear rivals are "The Forgiveness of Blood," about Albania's ancient blood feuds, "If Not Us, Who" about the rise of violent German leftist groups in the 60s, and Hungarian director Bela Tarr's strange and stark "The Turin Horse."
His self-declared last picture is a black-and-white portrayal of the seemingly endless repetition of daily life for a poor farmer and his daughter -- drawing water from a well, eating potatoes, stoking the fire, dressing and sleeping.
British actor Ralph Fiennes's directorial debut "Coriolanus," a bloody adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy set in modern times, won plenty of fans at the festival.
The Hollywood Reporter tipped Fiennes in the title role and Vanessa Redgrave as his mother Volumnia as possible best actor and actress winners respectively.
Acting honors could also go to Kevin Spacey as a banker facing a moral dilemma on the eve of the 2008 financial crash in "Margin Call," to the young cast of The Forgiveness of Blood or to the leads in If Not Us, Who, the trade newspaper added.
Holy smokes Batman! Oscar voters go mainstream
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: If any of the frontrunners for the best film Oscar win the world's top movie award in nine days, the idea that voters are out of touch with mainstream movie fans may be over after two years of trying.
For that, Oscar owes a big "thank you" to Batman and Clint Eastwood. Or, to director Christopher Nolan and his 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight," and Eastwood with his feature "Gran Torino," neither of which was even nominated for the best film of 2008 despite being popular hits.
In each of the movie years 2009 and 2010, when Academy Award organizers doubled the number of best film nominees to 10 from five, the combined box office for the nominees was bigger than the total of all 15 contenders in the three years before.
The 10 nominees of 2010 have accounted for nearly $1.3 billion in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, and for 2009, it was $1.7 billion. In each of 2008, 2007 and 2006, it was $354 million, $357 million and $296 million, respectively.
"Popular movies and Academy voters have come together in this perfect storm of events, and it's nice to see that," said Paul Dergarabedian, head of box office tracker Hollywood.com.
In 2008, mainstream movie fans complained loudly that Oscar voters were out of touch. At that time, it seemed as if almost every nominee for best film came mostly from art houses or were specialty films, such as "The Reader" or "Milk."
That year, Nolan's "The Dark Knight" was a hit with critics and the No. 1 film at domestic box offices with $533 million. "Gran Torino" similarly was a 2008 smash hit. But neither was nominated for best movie, raising hackles from fans.
The best picture Oscar winner for 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire," took in $141 million. But of the other four nominees, only "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" could top $100 million.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME
The next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences raised the number of nominees to broaden the pool of contenders, and five films topped the magic $100 million, led by smash hit "Avatar" with $761 million. The list included "Up" at $293 million and "The Blind Side" at $256 million.
For 2010, four films -- "Toy Story 3," Nolan's "Inception," "True Grit," and "Black Swan" -- have crossed $100 million and "The King's Speech" ($96 million) will likely do so.
"The Social Network" ($97 million) is close and a sixth, "The Fighter" at $86 million, will easily top $90 million.
Dergarabedian reckons two factors were at work. One is the widening of the best film category, and the second is that no one movie dominated box offices through Hollywood's award season which, generally speaking, begins in November.
"That left opportunity for these films to become mainstream hits," Dergarabedian said.
The Academy and TV network ABC couldn't be happier because more popular films, traditionally, mean more TV viewers for the Academy Awards ceremony.
Indeed, last year's TV audience of 41 million was the highest in five years. Ironically, the biggest box office hit of that group of films, "Avatar" lost best movie to one of the lowest performers, war film "The Hurt Locker" ($17 million).
But in this second year of change, the frontrunner for best film, "The King's Speech," is both a critical and popular hit, as are "Social Network", "Inception", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", "The Fighter" and "Black Swan."
For that, Oscar owes a big "thank you" to Batman and Clint Eastwood. Or, to director Christopher Nolan and his 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight," and Eastwood with his feature "Gran Torino," neither of which was even nominated for the best film of 2008 despite being popular hits.
In each of the movie years 2009 and 2010, when Academy Award organizers doubled the number of best film nominees to 10 from five, the combined box office for the nominees was bigger than the total of all 15 contenders in the three years before.
The 10 nominees of 2010 have accounted for nearly $1.3 billion in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, and for 2009, it was $1.7 billion. In each of 2008, 2007 and 2006, it was $354 million, $357 million and $296 million, respectively.
"Popular movies and Academy voters have come together in this perfect storm of events, and it's nice to see that," said Paul Dergarabedian, head of box office tracker Hollywood.com.
In 2008, mainstream movie fans complained loudly that Oscar voters were out of touch. At that time, it seemed as if almost every nominee for best film came mostly from art houses or were specialty films, such as "The Reader" or "Milk."
That year, Nolan's "The Dark Knight" was a hit with critics and the No. 1 film at domestic box offices with $533 million. "Gran Torino" similarly was a 2008 smash hit. But neither was nominated for best movie, raising hackles from fans.
The best picture Oscar winner for 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire," took in $141 million. But of the other four nominees, only "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" could top $100 million.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME
The next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences raised the number of nominees to broaden the pool of contenders, and five films topped the magic $100 million, led by smash hit "Avatar" with $761 million. The list included "Up" at $293 million and "The Blind Side" at $256 million.
For 2010, four films -- "Toy Story 3," Nolan's "Inception," "True Grit," and "Black Swan" -- have crossed $100 million and "The King's Speech" ($96 million) will likely do so.
"The Social Network" ($97 million) is close and a sixth, "The Fighter" at $86 million, will easily top $90 million.
Dergarabedian reckons two factors were at work. One is the widening of the best film category, and the second is that no one movie dominated box offices through Hollywood's award season which, generally speaking, begins in November.
"That left opportunity for these films to become mainstream hits," Dergarabedian said.
The Academy and TV network ABC couldn't be happier because more popular films, traditionally, mean more TV viewers for the Academy Awards ceremony.
Indeed, last year's TV audience of 41 million was the highest in five years. Ironically, the biggest box office hit of that group of films, "Avatar" lost best movie to one of the lowest performers, war film "The Hurt Locker" ($17 million).
But in this second year of change, the frontrunner for best film, "The King's Speech," is both a critical and popular hit, as are "Social Network", "Inception", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", "The Fighter" and "Black Swan."
TV reporter speaks about speech problem at Grammys
AP, LOS ANGELES: A TV reporter who lapsed into gibberish during a live shot outside the Grammys said she was terrified when it happened and knew something was wrong as soon as she opened her mouth.
KCBS-TV reporter Serene Branson's incoherence Sunday fueled Internet speculation that she suffered an on-air stroke. But doctors at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she went to get a brain scan and blood work done, ruled it out. Doctors said she suffered a type of migraine that can mimic symptoms of a stroke.
Branson told CBS' "The Early Show" in an interview Friday that she was terrified, scared and confused, and didn't know what was going on.
"I knew something wasn't right as soon as I opened my mouth," she said. "I hadn't been feeling well a little bit before the live shot. I had a headache, my vision was very blurry. I knew something wasn't right, but I just thought I was tired. So when I opened my mouth, I thought, 'This is more than just being tired. Something is terribly wrong.' I wanted to say, 'Lady Antebellum swept the Grammys.' And I could think of the words, but I could not get them coming out properly."
Branson, who was diagnosed with migraine aura, said watching herself in the clip is "troubling."
Kerry Maller, a KCBS producer, told "The Early Show," "You could see in the tape she's trying to talk."
Maller, who was on-location with the veteran reporter, said, "After the live shot, she dropped the microphone and got very wobbly."
The station quickly cut away and Branson was swarmed by photographers and her field producer. She was examined by paramedics and recovered at home.
Branson recalled, "They sat me down immediately. I dropped the microphone. Right after that, my cheek went numb, my hand went numb, my right hand went numb and I started to cry. I was scared. I didn't know what had gone on and I was embarrassed and fearful.
"I was scared, nervous, confused, exhausted, and in an evening dress in the back of an ambulance."
She returned to the KCBS-TV newsroom on Thursday.
Most people with migraines don't have any warning. But about 20 to 30 percent experience sensations before or during a migraine attack.
"A migraine is not just a headache. It's a complicated brain event," said UCLA neurologist Dr. Andrew Charles, who examined Branson.
The most common sensations include seeing flashes of light or zigzag patterns. In Branson's case, she felt numbness on the right side of her face that affected her speech, Charles said.
"She was actually having the headache while she was having these other symptoms," he said.
Branson told doctors she has had migraines since a child but never suffered an episode like this before, Charles said.
Branson, a Los Angeles native and two-time Emmy nominee, worked at the CBS affiliate in Sacramento before joining KCBS. Prior to that, she was a reporter and anchor at TV stations in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.
A telephone message left with KCBS was not immediately returned Thursday.
KCBS-TV reporter Serene Branson's incoherence Sunday fueled Internet speculation that she suffered an on-air stroke. But doctors at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she went to get a brain scan and blood work done, ruled it out. Doctors said she suffered a type of migraine that can mimic symptoms of a stroke.
Branson told CBS' "The Early Show" in an interview Friday that she was terrified, scared and confused, and didn't know what was going on.
"I knew something wasn't right as soon as I opened my mouth," she said. "I hadn't been feeling well a little bit before the live shot. I had a headache, my vision was very blurry. I knew something wasn't right, but I just thought I was tired. So when I opened my mouth, I thought, 'This is more than just being tired. Something is terribly wrong.' I wanted to say, 'Lady Antebellum swept the Grammys.' And I could think of the words, but I could not get them coming out properly."
Branson, who was diagnosed with migraine aura, said watching herself in the clip is "troubling."
Kerry Maller, a KCBS producer, told "The Early Show," "You could see in the tape she's trying to talk."
Maller, who was on-location with the veteran reporter, said, "After the live shot, she dropped the microphone and got very wobbly."
The station quickly cut away and Branson was swarmed by photographers and her field producer. She was examined by paramedics and recovered at home.
Branson recalled, "They sat me down immediately. I dropped the microphone. Right after that, my cheek went numb, my hand went numb, my right hand went numb and I started to cry. I was scared. I didn't know what had gone on and I was embarrassed and fearful.
"I was scared, nervous, confused, exhausted, and in an evening dress in the back of an ambulance."
She returned to the KCBS-TV newsroom on Thursday.
Most people with migraines don't have any warning. But about 20 to 30 percent experience sensations before or during a migraine attack.
"A migraine is not just a headache. It's a complicated brain event," said UCLA neurologist Dr. Andrew Charles, who examined Branson.
The most common sensations include seeing flashes of light or zigzag patterns. In Branson's case, she felt numbness on the right side of her face that affected her speech, Charles said.
"She was actually having the headache while she was having these other symptoms," he said.
Branson told doctors she has had migraines since a child but never suffered an episode like this before, Charles said.
Branson, a Los Angeles native and two-time Emmy nominee, worked at the CBS affiliate in Sacramento before joining KCBS. Prior to that, she was a reporter and anchor at TV stations in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.
A telephone message left with KCBS was not immediately returned Thursday.
CBS News veteran Friedman leaving
AP, NEW YORK: Veteran news executive Paul Friedman is leaving CBS News as part of the division's management shake-up.
The 66-year-old Friedman is the division's executive vice president and was the top deputy to CBS News President Sean McManus. CBS announced earlier this month that McManus, who also served as CBS Sports president, was going back to sports full time as the division's chairman.
Jeff Fager, who is "60 Minutes" executive producer, was named CBS News chairman and hired David Rhodes from Bloomberg as his new right-hand man. Fager announced management changes in an internal memo to staff on Friday.
Fager also said that Barbara Fedida, the news division's top talent recruiter, would also be leaving.
The 66-year-old Friedman is the division's executive vice president and was the top deputy to CBS News President Sean McManus. CBS announced earlier this month that McManus, who also served as CBS Sports president, was going back to sports full time as the division's chairman.
Jeff Fager, who is "60 Minutes" executive producer, was named CBS News chairman and hired David Rhodes from Bloomberg as his new right-hand man. Fager announced management changes in an internal memo to staff on Friday.
Fager also said that Barbara Fedida, the news division's top talent recruiter, would also be leaving.
Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
AP, WASHINGTON: Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows:
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ABC's "This Week" — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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NBC's "Meet the Press" — Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
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CBS' "Face the Nation" — Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
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CNN's "State of the Union" — Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
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"Fox News Sunday" — Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.; Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
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ABC's "This Week" — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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NBC's "Meet the Press" — Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
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CBS' "Face the Nation" — Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
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CNN's "State of the Union" — Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
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"Fox News Sunday" — Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.; Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
Cable networks plan flood of royal wedding shows
AP, NEW YORK: Television viewers will be able to see hours on hours of programming tied to this spring's royal wedding before Prince William and Kate Middleton even approach Westminster Abbey for their big day.
A Lifetime movie, a show that brings wedding fanatics from the U.S. over to London and a TLC special on hoarders of royal memorabilia are all in the works. These run-up shows are in addition to the anticipated exhaustive coverage of the April 29 wedding itself by news programs.
"It's wedding fever here," said Perry Simon, general manager of BBC Worldwide Americas. "All wedding, all the time."
There's no surprise that the American offshoot of the British Broadcasting Corp. would try to own the story in the weeks leading up to the nuptials. BBC America has already aired two specials, "William & Kate: Modern Monarchy" and "Modern Monarchy: Here and There," and will air them again.
The network is also working to acquire up to a half dozen other specials, including ones on Princess Diana, another on her two sons and one on royal lineage.
BBC America's biggest push will be for "Royally Mad," a two-part series led by "So You Think You Can Dance" host Cat Deeley, which premieres April 12. The show finds four royal wedding fanatics who have never been out of the U.S. and takes them to London to visit people and places that play a part in the wedding story.
"We wanted to do a combination of programming that took an affectionate look at the wedding but could also have a sense of humor," Simon said. He wants to examine what the event means from both the American and British perspectives.
Simon was working in NBC's entertainment department when William's father, Prince Charles, married Diana in 1981 and remembered the attention paid to the event.
"It took us all by surprise," he said. "We thought there would be some interest, but we had no idea how much interest there would be. These kinds of events are once-in-a-generation. The royal family is unique."
In the week leading up to the wedding, the TLC network will air a series of programs. One special will tell the story of India Hicks, who was one of Princess Diana's bridesmaids. She tells stories about what that day was like.
The special on extreme collecting of royal memorabilia is another highlight of TLC's programming plans. Archived footage and interviews with the royal family will be rolled out in separate shows.
Lifetime, known for its signature romantic movies, has commissioned "William & Kate." The movie chronicles their courtship, from the moment they met and when a friendship turned into romance, with the unique difficulties that go into dating a member of the royal family. Nico Evers-Swindell and Camilla Luddington portray the couple in the movie, which doesn't have an air date yet but will be seen in April.
The tiny Wedding Central network, an offshoot of WE that is seen in only 3.5 million homes, has ordered a documentary it boldly calls "William & Kate: The Wedding of the Century." The special, the first piece of original programming the network has made, will talk to designers, cake makers, wedding planners and experts to hear their vision of the day.
A Lifetime movie, a show that brings wedding fanatics from the U.S. over to London and a TLC special on hoarders of royal memorabilia are all in the works. These run-up shows are in addition to the anticipated exhaustive coverage of the April 29 wedding itself by news programs.
"It's wedding fever here," said Perry Simon, general manager of BBC Worldwide Americas. "All wedding, all the time."
There's no surprise that the American offshoot of the British Broadcasting Corp. would try to own the story in the weeks leading up to the nuptials. BBC America has already aired two specials, "William & Kate: Modern Monarchy" and "Modern Monarchy: Here and There," and will air them again.
The network is also working to acquire up to a half dozen other specials, including ones on Princess Diana, another on her two sons and one on royal lineage.
BBC America's biggest push will be for "Royally Mad," a two-part series led by "So You Think You Can Dance" host Cat Deeley, which premieres April 12. The show finds four royal wedding fanatics who have never been out of the U.S. and takes them to London to visit people and places that play a part in the wedding story.
"We wanted to do a combination of programming that took an affectionate look at the wedding but could also have a sense of humor," Simon said. He wants to examine what the event means from both the American and British perspectives.
Simon was working in NBC's entertainment department when William's father, Prince Charles, married Diana in 1981 and remembered the attention paid to the event.
"It took us all by surprise," he said. "We thought there would be some interest, but we had no idea how much interest there would be. These kinds of events are once-in-a-generation. The royal family is unique."
In the week leading up to the wedding, the TLC network will air a series of programs. One special will tell the story of India Hicks, who was one of Princess Diana's bridesmaids. She tells stories about what that day was like.
The special on extreme collecting of royal memorabilia is another highlight of TLC's programming plans. Archived footage and interviews with the royal family will be rolled out in separate shows.
Lifetime, known for its signature romantic movies, has commissioned "William & Kate." The movie chronicles their courtship, from the moment they met and when a friendship turned into romance, with the unique difficulties that go into dating a member of the royal family. Nico Evers-Swindell and Camilla Luddington portray the couple in the movie, which doesn't have an air date yet but will be seen in April.
The tiny Wedding Central network, an offshoot of WE that is seen in only 3.5 million homes, has ordered a documentary it boldly calls "William & Kate: The Wedding of the Century." The special, the first piece of original programming the network has made, will talk to designers, cake makers, wedding planners and experts to hear their vision of the day.
Details of dramatic changes for Oscars telecast
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: The Oscars are entering the world of virtual reality.
This year's Academy Awards telecast is taking a radical departure from past years. Producers of the February 27 show are abandoning the concept of a traditional set. Instead, they will rely on a series of "projections" to give the show a constantly changing look.
"Our design this year is actually going to reflect more content than you would usually expect of an awards show of this type," producer Don Mischer told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview with fellow producer Bruce Cohen in the Kodak Theater. "We're using our environment to take us to different places, different times, and it will change dramatically. The look will change from act to act."
Producers plan to take viewers on a trip through Hollywood history.
"We're doing six or seven scenic transitions during the show, but they are each sort of a different concept," Cohen explained. "In other words, one might be a scene from a film, one might be a more specific time in history, one might be a specific event, one might be a specific genre. The hope is that we briefly leave the Kodak in 2011 -- not literally, but metaphorically -- and take the audience, both in the room and on television, to a specific time and place."
Pressed for more detail, Cohen added, "This is the tenth anniversary of the best animated feature Oscar, so we go to an animated environment to present that Oscar -- actually two, animated feature and animated short -- but the reason we are there is to celebrate that this is the tenth anniversary of the best animated feature Oscar."
The transitions, Mischer explained, will not be long segments, but 30-45 second set-ups. "We are not going back to teach history, but to put the awards in context."
The design scheme grew out of the theme that the two producers devised once they began working on the show back in June. In an extensive review of past broadcasts, they were struck by the two-fold nature of the assignment. On the one hand, they have to come up with something new and different. On the other, they wanted to recognize the previous 82 years of Oscar history.
"Is there any way to approach the show where those two ideas are working together and not fighting each other with every single decision?" they asked themselves. The solution, they decided, was somehow to combine the old and the new.
To that end, they cast Anne Hathaway and James Franco -- two of the youngest hosts to ever front the Oscars -- as audience surrogates for the journey.
"Yes, they are famous, but they are on their way up," Cohen said of the two stars. "They are not untouchable, they are not unreachable. We hope they will offer a way in. So everyone come along, and we'll see through the eyes of these two up-and-coming stars."
The hosts' job, he said, will be "to take the audience on this journey of a show that will hopefully start in one place, and if it all goes according to plan, it will take you back to where we started at the end."
To realize that on stage visually, the producers have been working with production designer Steve Bass, who's previously worked with Mischer on such shows as the "62nd Primetime Emmy Awards" and "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial."
While the production has moved into the Kodak to set up the show, it's been using the daytime hours to hang the physical scenery on which the projections will be displayed, and then during the night another team has been programing the projections. Working throughout this weekend, the goal is to have the whole system up-and-running by Monday.
This year's Academy Awards telecast is taking a radical departure from past years. Producers of the February 27 show are abandoning the concept of a traditional set. Instead, they will rely on a series of "projections" to give the show a constantly changing look.
"Our design this year is actually going to reflect more content than you would usually expect of an awards show of this type," producer Don Mischer told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview with fellow producer Bruce Cohen in the Kodak Theater. "We're using our environment to take us to different places, different times, and it will change dramatically. The look will change from act to act."
Producers plan to take viewers on a trip through Hollywood history.
"We're doing six or seven scenic transitions during the show, but they are each sort of a different concept," Cohen explained. "In other words, one might be a scene from a film, one might be a more specific time in history, one might be a specific event, one might be a specific genre. The hope is that we briefly leave the Kodak in 2011 -- not literally, but metaphorically -- and take the audience, both in the room and on television, to a specific time and place."
Pressed for more detail, Cohen added, "This is the tenth anniversary of the best animated feature Oscar, so we go to an animated environment to present that Oscar -- actually two, animated feature and animated short -- but the reason we are there is to celebrate that this is the tenth anniversary of the best animated feature Oscar."
The transitions, Mischer explained, will not be long segments, but 30-45 second set-ups. "We are not going back to teach history, but to put the awards in context."
The design scheme grew out of the theme that the two producers devised once they began working on the show back in June. In an extensive review of past broadcasts, they were struck by the two-fold nature of the assignment. On the one hand, they have to come up with something new and different. On the other, they wanted to recognize the previous 82 years of Oscar history.
"Is there any way to approach the show where those two ideas are working together and not fighting each other with every single decision?" they asked themselves. The solution, they decided, was somehow to combine the old and the new.
To that end, they cast Anne Hathaway and James Franco -- two of the youngest hosts to ever front the Oscars -- as audience surrogates for the journey.
"Yes, they are famous, but they are on their way up," Cohen said of the two stars. "They are not untouchable, they are not unreachable. We hope they will offer a way in. So everyone come along, and we'll see through the eyes of these two up-and-coming stars."
The hosts' job, he said, will be "to take the audience on this journey of a show that will hopefully start in one place, and if it all goes according to plan, it will take you back to where we started at the end."
To realize that on stage visually, the producers have been working with production designer Steve Bass, who's previously worked with Mischer on such shows as the "62nd Primetime Emmy Awards" and "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial."
While the production has moved into the Kodak to set up the show, it's been using the daytime hours to hang the physical scenery on which the projections will be displayed, and then during the night another team has been programing the projections. Working throughout this weekend, the goal is to have the whole system up-and-running by Monday.
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