Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand

Three cheers for ... someone!!! The writer's have voted, and this strike is officially over. Everyone is expected to be back at work immediately (and that means you, Mr. Writer, even though you've enjoyed watching The Biggest Loser: Couples in your pajamas eating peanut butter and ice cream). My only question: So, does Nikki Finke get to go to sleep now? An official WGA announcement went like this:

"On Tuesday, members of the Writers Guilds East and West voted by a 92.5% margin to lift the restraining order that was invoked on November 5th. The strike is over.

Writing can resume immediately. If you were employed when the strike began, you should plan to report to work on Wednesday. If you're not employed at an office or other work site, call or e-mail your employer that you are resuming work. If you have been told not to report to work or resume your services, we recommend that you still notify your employer in writing of your availability to do so. Questions concerning return-to-work issues should be directed to the WGAW legal department at 323.782.4521 or the WGAE's assistant executive director Ann Toback at 212-767-7823."

More after the jump ..

Continue reading BREAKING: The Writer's Strike is Officially Over!

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I was quite sceptical about seeing Sweeney Todd, as I couldn’t quite comprehend how a gruesome story about a serial killer could also be a musical. I was drawn to the cinema though, out of curiosity and the knowledge that the film had the winning combination of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, who in my opinion, never fail to impress. Although Tim Burton is not new to musicals with The Nightmare Before Christmas amongst his film titles, I had trouble imagining actors of the calibre of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter singing. However, I was very relieved to find that the majority of the cast could actually carry a tune. The music itself, that is consistent all the way through the film is not amazing or memorable in the slightest, but it certainly doesn’t take anything away from the film’s disturbing brilliance. (more…)

Technorati tags: chokingonpopcorn movie Reviews Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

EUGENE, Ore., Feb. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Attendees can expect a special treat next week when they visit the Game Developers Conference Expo -- the first public showing of InstantAction.com. Announced earlier this year, InstantAction is a new platform, developed by GarageGames, for playing 3D action games within any of the popular web browsers.

BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Silverstar Holdings, Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSTR), a leading international publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 ended December 31, 2007. The company also reaffirmed its outlook for the full fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Celebrities and Controversy, DIY/Filmmaking, Cinematical Indie, War

As I type this, I can look out my window and watch the snow continue to fall. It's not the blizzard it was this morning, but it's definitely a winter wonderland out there, and it has been for a while. Apparently, however, the same can't be said for Russia. While Toronto is having a rare and surprising season full of the white stuff, Mother Nature in Russia has been slacking off, which has put a huge wrench into the production of Morfii.

The film, to be helmed by Aleksei Balabanov, is an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel (penned by the late Sergei Bodrov Jr.), which detailed the "civil war that raged after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution." They need lots of snow for the feature, but the winter has been mild and made a mess out of the project. Well, really, it's just a cherry to the production's problems. (Coincidentally, Bodrov Jr. died in an avalanche while working on a film in 2002.)

Continue reading 'Morfii' Gets Cursed with Bad Luck

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DETROIT, Feb. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Geoffrey Stanton, composer-in-residence at Marygrove College, will present "Stanton and Friends," an annual concert of chamber music and electronics on Friday, March 28, 2008, in the Sacred Heart Chapel on Marygrove's campus, 8425 West McNichols Road, Detroit. The 7:30 p.m. concert is free and open to the public.

Filed under: Drama, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Newsstand

Most of you have probably already heard about this by now, but there's a movie-loving blogger who has decided to anonymously put up a new blog chronicling her last 90 days on Earth. Terminal disease? Nope -- she's committing suicide, she says. The lady is already down to Day 84 and every blog post she puts up elicits hundreds of comments from the fascinated, the concerned, the sarcastic, and the sadistic who are urging her on. No one knows if this lady is in the business of blogging or movies professionally, but movies appear to be a primary preoccupation of hers and she recently blogged about suicide attempts in movies such as The Royal Tenenbaums and Empire Records. She also gives a perfunctory reason for her suicide that, many have already noticed, is suspicious -- it's cribbed directly from Fight Club, and says that "our generation has no great depression, no great war." Her great depression is her life, I guess?

My sense is that the whole thing is a total put-on, even to the point that I don't feel bad about throwing attention to the site, since I don't feel like there's a real person at risk here. I could be totally wrong, but we're talking about a lady who just blogged about a guy who asked her out for Valentine's Day and quipped -- "I just hope he's not looking for anything long-term." Come on, give me a break. People on the verge of suicide are rarely so cogent or so full of humor. She also put up a nice pic of the Hollywood sign, near her anonymous location, and wrote "On my way back from Starbucks. I can say with absolute certainty that caffeine is probably the one thing that is keeping me going for the remaining 87 days." Uh-huh. That, and the book deal she's hoping to turn this into. And that's not an original thought on my part -- it's the conclusion at least one colleague has already reached.

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COMMACK, N.Y., Feb. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- TitleMatch Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Protocall Technologies Incorporated (OTCBB:PCLI) and innovator of burn-on-demand services for retailers, today announced a partnership with Verbatim Americas, a business unit of Japan's Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, to utilize newly developed Verbatim AquaAce optical media with the TitleMatch DVD On-Demand service.

COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, LLC has acquired six theaters of AGT Enterprises, Inc. and Star-Cinema, LLC. Transaction terms were not disclosed.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Double Eagle Holdings, Ltd. (OTCBB:DEGH) is pleased to announce a partnership with Imperial Boogie for its portfolio company, Zatso, LLC. Pursuant to the agreement, Imperial Boogie (iB) (http://www.ImperialBoogie.net) will represent Zatso ahead of the University of Oklahoma limited test release in Norman, OK. Some of Imperial Boogie's previous clients include Cooley Nutraceuticals, Inc. (FixStrips.com), LG Electronics, AIGA, Qualcomm, Bausch & Lomb, CSC, General Atomics, RJ Reynolds and BFG Communications.