Lindsay Lohan finishes shooting Labor Pains

It looks like Lindsay Lohan has become serious again about her career. She just finished shooting her upcoming movie, Labor Pains. One of the co-stars of Lindsay Lohan, Jay Thomas, praised her highly for her performance in the movie. He said that twenty two year old Lindsay Lohan ‘could not have been any better to work with.’ Thomas said that Lindsay Lohan is perfect and she is really a good actress.

However, Lindsay Lohan is always news. Even there is no news about her, there has to be rumors. Wherever she goes, the paparazzi follow her and her manager has to handle them.

"Her manager would go out to the paparazzi," Thomas remembers. "It was like the Balkan Wars. It was the Serbs and the Bosnians, and every now and then, they would meet under the white flag. And the manager would say, 'OK, We're going to tell you when she's going to come out, but only take pictures while she walks across the street, and don't take a picture of her when she's smoking.'

No surprise, but the overzealous shutterbugs took plenty of shots of Lohan puffin' away.

Labor Pains is a movie about a woman who pretends to be pregnant in order to avoid retain her job. After her friends and family comes to know about her pregnancy, everyone gives her special treatment. She then tries to keep up with the lie for nine months.

Britney Spears divorce settlement: Whant's next for Kevin Federline?

Kevin Federline and Britney Spears’ divorce and their two years custody battle had been under constant media watch. Finally, the show came to an end with Britney Spears settling the custody battle for their kids on July 26th. Now, Kevin receives $20000 per month for the kids and Spears extended her visitation rights. Earlier, Kevin said that he was very surprised that his wife did not fight harder for their kids. British magazine Closer reported that Kevin loved his sons but he did not expect sole custody. He wanted to be a co-parent. He did not expect his wife not to fight for custody.

Now, after everything is settled, the thirty year old dancer, rapper and fashion model, has become silent about the whole issue. He does not want to discuss about his divorce settlement. Hollyscoop reports:

When asked if his responsibilities to his children have become overwhelming, he said, “It is what it is. I don’t know how to explain that, I am who I am, I love where I am at.”

In regards to the constant media scrutiny surrounding his life, he said, "I don’t know, I just don’t pay attention to it I guess. I don’t watch TV, no Internet, its pretty awesome actually, gives me a lot more time to spend with my family and my friends.”

When asked about his future plans, Kevin said that he does not want to give away anything but he is getting many offers. Now days, Kevin has become an avid golfer.

Related article:

Hollyscoop

Mark Wahlberg is going to marry his long time girl-friend next summer

After living Rhea Darham for seven years, actor, producer, Mark Wahlberg is ready to take the next step. The thirty seven year old actor, has been living with this famous model since 2001. The couple has two children: Durham—Ella Rae, and Michael. They are expecting their third child. Rhea and Mark will marry next summer after the birth of their third child. Recently, the thirty seven year old actor appeared in the San Diego Comic-Con to promote his upcoming movie Max Payne which is a video game adaptation. He received a cordial welcome from his female fans. eNews 20.com reports:

“We continue to grow in our relationship,” Wahlberg told People Thursday at San Diego's Comic-Con International. “I think we have a much better chance at succeeding and staying together.”

He is prepared to make the next step and is ready to give up that kind on wild life style that inspired “Entourage.” But the experience helped him discover something about himself and find his way as husband and father.

The thirty seven year old actor started his career as a singer in the famous boy band New Kids on the Block. He then started his own hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He started his movie career in 1993 with TV movie The Substitute.

Timbaland is planning to release Shock Value 2 with Madonna, Rihanna and others

Famous singer, rapper, and record producer Timbaland is planning to release a sequel of his 2007 hit album Shock Value. Titled Shock Value 2, already he recorded few songs for the album but no release dates has been fixed yet. However, Timbaland told MTV that he is not going to include same people in his album. MTV reports:

"It be hot for the world," he boasted of the 2007 album. "I really do focus groups. I get reports, readouts. I'm not gonna talk about it. If you ask for documentation, I got it. I'm a businessman and at the same time a CEO. But I looked at the charts: I went platinum in 16 different countries. Africa? Double platinum. Ireland? Double platinum. New Zealand? Triple platinum. London? Platinum. London is the hardest place to go platinum. France? Platinum. They don't like nobody unless you French, but they like me."

Timbaland said that he did a song with Madonna which he did not put on her album. He saved it for himself. In this album he is planning to work with ten artists including: Beyoncé, Jordin Sparks, Rihanna, Jonas Brothers and Madonna.

Ray Stevenson is Frank Castle a.k.a The Punisher in 'Pnisher: War Zone'

I first saw Ray Stevenson in King Arthur. He played the role of ‘Dagonet,’ one of the legendary knights of King Arthur. The first thing you will notice is his body and face. He is six feet four inches and with all the stubble gives him a rugged appearance. Recently, the actor played the role of ‘Punisher,’ one of the popular Marvel comics heroes. Scheduled to release in December, Punisher: War Zone is now in post production phase. In an interview with MTV, Ray Stevenson talks his character in the movie.

When asked about the interpretation of his character, Frank Castle a.k.a The Punisher, Ray said that Punisher is one such hero who does not pull his punches. To prepare for his character, Ray Stevenson went through all the issues of Punisher including the Max series. Frank Castle’s world is full of pain. He is not super hero but anti-hero. There is no light at the end of what he is doing. There is no glory in his work. When a person chose such path there is something heroically tragic. People would not want to be him but they will feel safe because he is there.

While talking about the movie Ray said that Punisher fans will like the movie because many of the lines were taken from the original comics of ‘The Punisher.’ In one of the scenes in the movie, the guy bleeds and tells Punisher “I will see you in Hell.” Frank replies, “I see you anywhere near hell I’ll kick your ass out.”

Related article:

MTV

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline settles their custody battle

Ex-American pop star, Britney Spears settled the court dispute with her husband over custody issues of her two sons: two year old Sean Preston and one year old Jayden James. Under the settlement agreement, Britney Spears will pay her ex $20,000 per month for child support and her visitation rights has been expanded.

The twenty six year old pop star was about to gain joint custody of her sons but lost it due to her meltdown in January. Under this new settlement if everything goes well then by the end of December he will get to spend half the time of the week with her boys.

Spears’ attorney, Laura Wasser, said that the singer was “at peace” with the agreement and she was happier about it because she is going to see her kids more.

Harold & Kumar are coming back again

All the Harold & Kumar fans outs there, hold your hearts, because the duo are coming back again to make you HIGH. Warner Bros. is now going to release a third installment of this comedy that gained cult following a in the USA. The cast and crew of the movie are remaining same so far. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg who wrote the first movie have joined again to pen the third installment for Mandate Pictures. Variety.com reports:

Greg Shapiro will return as producer.

Storyline is being kept under wraps.

Stars John Cho and Kal Penn are expected to reprise their roles as the ganja-loving duo because Mandate has options on the actors for the third installment.

The first two installments were distributed by New Line Cinema which has been acquired by Warner Bros. The first movie of this trilogy Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle was released in 2004. The movie collected $18million and generated $30 million in DVD sales. The sequel was also a commercial success.

Related article:

Variety

Jenna Dewan and Luke Goss in Magdalena

Remember Jenna Dewan from Step Up? Well, the actress is scheduled to be paired up with Luke Goss in a movie, Magdalena, jointly produced by Valhalla Motion Pictures, Platinum Studio and Top Cow Productions. Jenna Dewan will play the character of “Patience,” a female warrior, who is linked to Mary Magdalene. In the movie, Patience must accept her destiny and become a warrior to save the world from the evil. Fox Business reports:

Luke Goss is set to play Kristof, an agent sent by the ultra secret organization that has been the guardian of the lineage of Magdalena. Goss co-stars in the blockbuster film "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" from director Guillermo Del Torro and the upcoming science fiction thriller "Tekken" based on the popular video and arcade game. Goss was part of the multi-platinum-selling British band BROS. and wrote a bestselling autobiography on his experiences with the group.

Magdalena will be produced by Gale Anne Hurd and Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Gary Ventimigilia and Marc Silvestri and Randy Greenberg will be executive producers. The director of the movie has not been decided yet.

Related articles:

About.com

Christian Bale assaulted his mother and sister for passing offensive comments on his wife

News reports are saying that Christian Bale assaulted his mother and sister because they insulted his wife. British newspaper, Daily Male, reported that on 20^th July, at the Dorchester hotel in London, the actor’s sixty one year old mother passed offensive comments about the actor’s wife Sibi, a former model. The Sun reported that Bale “pushed and shoved” her sister during an argument. His sister was asking for money but the actor refused to give her. Chicago Sun Times reports:

Bale reluctantly agreed to meet with his mother and sister Sunday at London's Dorchester Hotel -- before the European premiere of "The Dark Knight'' -- but things rapidly went downhill when the "Batman'' star realized they were there to hit him up for money.

Since the separation of his parents, Christian Bale has been living with his father. It is said that his mother and sister was expecting financial assistance from their son. This started a nasty argument and turned into assault.

As an actor Bale is also short tempered but his anger is related to business and shooting. It is nothing personal.

Sienna Miller suing News International and Big Pictures photo agency

Actress, model, and fashion designer Sienna Miller is upset over publishing her nude pictures with actor Balthazar Getty. The actress is suing News International and Big Pictures Photo Agency for breach of privacy. The photos were taken by Big Pictures photo agency and caused serious sensation. Actress Getty is married with four children. After the photos were published, his wife left him and he referred the photos as “embarrassing.” SF Gate reports:

Miller is targeting News International, the company that owns the News of the World and The Sun, and Big Pictures in legal papers filed at London's High Court earlier this week.

The actress claims her privacy was breached after photos of the pair frolicking on a yacht off Italy's Amalfi coast earlier this month were published by the papers, just days after Getty denied he was romantically involved with Miller.

Miller’s lawyer Mark Thomson has refused to give any information.

Earlier, Miller also sued the The Sun and News of the World for publishing nude photos of the actress. It was said that those were nude scenes the actress was doing for a movie. She was awarded $80,000.

The Dark Knight could collect $400 million

It looks like The Dark Knight is going to be the most profitable movie of the summer in the USA. The collection is going to exceed $200 million. It cost $24.6 million to make the movie. Released on August 18^th, the movie collected $24.6 million on Monday in the USA and $182.9 million in four days. This is definitely a big achievement for any movie. e Flux Media reports:

Even though distributor Warner Bros. estimated that “The Dark Knight” would fall about 18% on Sunday and other studios said it would fall 20%, the movie slipped only 9%. With this impressive interest from the audience, “The Dark Knight” has many chances to become the summer’s highest-grossing film.

Dan Fellman, chief of domenstic distribution, Warner Brothers said that it was very likely that the movie would surpass Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The former collected $314.4 million and the later $312.6 million. Some analysts are speculating that The Dark Knight would collect $400 million. In the first week of its release, the movie collected $230 million and earned $43.6 million on Sunday. Warner Brothers is expecting that the movie will keep up its winning track for one more week.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Maria Bello's first action movie

Maria Bello is the new Evelyn in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. In the first two installments of The Mummy, Rachel Weisz played Evelyn Carnahan. Though known for playing dramatic roles, Maria enjoyed very much working in The Mummy franchise. Even Universal was not ready to take her in the first place but she ended up playing the other half of adventurer Rick O’Connell. In an interview she talks about her experience in the movie.

IESB: Yeah, exactly. This is not the kind of film, though, that one would expect somebody to actually offer you, given your track record. Did you have to prove to the studio and to Rob that you could do this? That you could pull this off?

MB: Do you know – do you know, Rob had a thing – had an idea in the beginning that he wanted me to do this movie. He wanted an American sensibility to it, and an older sort of sophistication. And he really wanted me to do this movie. ……………..

To prepare for her role in the movie, Maria had to do some physical training. While shooting the movie, she worked on wires but she enjoyed it very much. Maria felt like Peter Pan. She was quite easy with the shooting action sequences. Since her childhood, she wanted to become an action star where women do all the shooting and fighting. She got the offer for Mummy a month before her 40^th birthday. To read more of the interview visit the following link:

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5244&Itemid=99

Matthew McConaughey adorned OK magazine's cover with his baby boy and wife

Matthew McConaughey and his long time lady love, Camila Alves, welcomed their first baby boy on July 7^th. Recently, the thirty eight year old Texas born actor adorned the cover of OK magazine with his baby boy, Levi Alves McConaughey and Camila. The whole baby birth experience was quite natural for the couple and they got tribal during the birth. Fox News reports:

"We found a great rhythm," says McConaughey, 38. "Contractions started kicking in. I sat there with her, right between her legs. We got tribal on it, we danced to it! I was DJ-ing this Brazilian music."

Levi was born at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and weighed 7 lbs., 4 oz.

Matthew maintained a diary of his baby birth experience. He wanted to become a dad since he was ten years old and it felt very natural. Camila wanted a normal birth, so she did not take any painkillers. The couple was awake for straight forty hours. However, Matthew added that the whole process of child birth was “bloody, pukey, sweaty, and primeval.” For fifteen minutes, after the birth, Matthew hold the baby while doctors worked on the mother. He then cut the umbilical cord.

Related article:

OK

Hancock actor Will Smith take the top position on Forbes' List of best paid Hollywood actors

Will Smith, the rapper turned actor, made it to the top on Forbes’ List of highest paid Hollywood actors from June 2007 to June 2008. He earned $80 million in this period. Second place was acquired by Johnny Depp. He earned $72 million for his Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Will Smith is among those rare breed of actors who has 8 movies to his credits that earned $100 million. In total, male actors earned $487 million last year compared to $244.5 million by their female counter parts. For Will Smith’s heavy earning, male actors have taken the earning lead in Hollywood over females.

Let’s take a look at the other top earners:

• Third place was taken jointly by Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy each earning $55 million.
• Leonardo DiCaprio takes the fourth position with an earning of $45 million.
• Bruce Willis took the fifth position by dint of his resurrected John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard (2007).
• Comedy veteran Ben Stiller takes the sixth position earning $40 million.

Courtney Love sued by London & Co. over failing to pay its share of her money

Courtney Michelle Love, popularly known as Courtney Love, has been sued by a management firm London & Co. for failing to pay its share. Love partially sold her share of the the Nirvana publishing catalogue. A golden globe nominated actress, singer and wife of Nirvana vocal, Kurt Cobain, Love, sold a portion of the catalogue at $ 19.5 million last year.

London & Co., a business management and accounting firm, filed the case in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday. London & Co. was hired to provide business management services to Love and was supposed to be paid 5% of the revenues received by Love. Now, the firm is demanding $975,000 plus costs of the suit.

The firm said that Courtney Love made an oral agreement. However, it could not be determined when the deal went down. The news reporters could not contact with Courtney Love’s representative. Love’s attorney, Howard Weitzman, said that the he was aware that there is a problem going on between Londo & Co. and Courtney Love but he had not seen the lawsuit.

Related articles:

Reuters

The Economic Times

Photographers arrested near the house of Britney Spears

For parking in a restricted area, two paparazzi photographers, trying to take pictures of Britney Spears, were arrested by the police on June 21^st Monday.

Alexandre Passos and Eduardo Ravalha were loitering around Britney Spears’s studio city home. They were arrested after LA police received a call at 4 p.m. on Monday, saying that the photographers were seen loitering on the fire access road near the actress’s home. It was restricted for people and blocked by a chained fence. The police reported to the call swiftly because two weeks ago, police found out that the sign warning people to stay off the property were removed in that area.

First, the officers warned them that they were loitering on city-owned property and they should leave. Forty five minutes later, when the officers returned they found them in the same place and they arrested the photographers. Eduardo Ravalha’s Mercedes was impounded by police.

Related articles:

MTV.com

Los Angeles Times

Jennifer Connelly is the new brand ambassador of Revlon

Thirty seven year old Oscar winning actress, Jennifer Connelly, has been chosen the brand ambassador of Revlon, the famous cosmetic company. Jennifer will participate in a global marketing campaign that will start later this year. In addition, she would also attend various fund raising events of the company including ‘Revlon Run/Walk for Women’ which collects money for breast cancer research and awareness programs. The event organized by Revlon is held in Los Angeles and New York and major Hollywood celebrities attend the show. E Online reports:

"Revlon is one of the great iconic brands of today and I am thrilled to be part of a company that has done so much for women around the world," Connelly said in a statement.

Added company president and CEO David Kennedy: "[Connelly] is an accomplished wife, mother and actress and her successes complement the spirit of the Revlon brand."

Other big Hollywood actresses and models were also chosen as brand ambassadors of Revlon. Some of the names are: Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Lucy Liu, and Eva Mendes.

Some scenes and still pictures from The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

IESB.net has published seven scenes of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. You will also find thirty four still pictures from the movie. My net is very slow which is why I could not see any of the video clips. I also found an Olympic promotion trailer of the movie posted in Can Mag.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is the third installment in The Mummy series. This time, the adventure hungry O’Connells find themselves fighting the resurrected Han emperor and his deadly soldiers. Alex (Luke Ford), Rick O’Connell and Evelyn’s son, is all grown up now and became an archaeologist and adventurer like his mother and father. Alex goes to China and tricked into resurrecting a Han emperor who was double crossed by a sorcerer and cursed for eternity. Eventually, Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Eve (Maria Bello) joins him and stops the emperor from taking over the world.

Related articles:

IESB.net

The Dark Knight star Christian Bale arrested for assaulting his mother and sister

Christian Bale, the famous Batman in ‘The Dark Knight’ has been accused of assault by her sixty one year old mother, Jenny Bale and forty one old sister, Sharon. However, neither Bale, nor his wife, mother, and sister gave out any details of what happened. So far, this has been related to a long time family problem.

The event took place on July 20^th at the Dorchester Hotel in London, one day before the London premiere of The Dark Knight. Bale was arrested on July 22^nd , after his mother and daughter filed charges against him at the Belgravia police station. Bale left the back of the police station in a silver Mercedes. Bale told the police his side of the story and the police described it as a minor assault. He was bailed till September and was allowed to fly back to his home.

Bale attended the premiere of The Dark Knight on Monday night with Rachel Dawes and Sir Michael Cane. He even made a promotional appearance at the GMTV Monday morning show hours after the assault. According to spectators, the actor was in his usual serious mood in the show and looked just fine.

Related articles:

E Online

Telegraph.co.uk

China government has blocked the release of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is facing problems in China. China’s State Administration for Radio, Film and Television is not ready to give permission to release the film. However, a spokesman from the Universal Studio said that the studio is not expecting any problems to clear the movie for China and looks forward to the release of the movie where it was shot.

According to news reports, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor deals with a dead Han emperor and his resurrected terra cotta army. Ghosts are considered to be taboos in Chinese culture. Variety reports:

Bill Kong, whose Edko Film is Universal's distributor in Hong Kong and China, acknowledged the issues.

"It is too early for me to comment on this until the situation becomes clearer," he said.

Kong, who is Asia's leading producer and has political and industry connections in China, had previously submitted script drafts to China Film Co-production Corp.

The production cost of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a staggering $145 million, which makes it one of biggest franchises in the Hollywood cinema. The movie was jointly produced by Universal Pictures and Chinese government. The movie has been made following all the regulation of China Film Co-production Corp.

Related article:

Variety

Kung Fu Panda: A great movie to watch

I just finished watching Kung Fu Panda and the movie really deserves a THUMBS UP. Now, I understand all the hard works for four years. Releasing the movie would be like the big “Convocation Day” for Dream Works Animation. The movie was fun and the dialogues were awesome. I liked the scene where Grand Master Oogway talks to Po. It was beautiful message:

“Kung Fu No Kung Fu, noodles, no noodles, you worry about what it was and what it will be. There is a saying, yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. This is why it is called present.”

While watching the Kung Fu Panda and hearing Jack Black’s voice as Po the Panda, I could relate the actor with him. If you are familiar with Jack Black and his movies, then you will really get to feel his spirit and comedic energy in Po which makes the sweet fat Panda more cute and likeable.

The character of Po the Panda reminded me of another comedy martial art movie character; “Haru,” played by Chris Farley, in Beverly Hills Ninja. Like “Po,” “Haru” was also a fat slob and good for nothing sort of person. What makes characters like ‘Haru’ or ‘Po’ special are their “hearts,” which are clean and pure and free from all vices. ‘Gobei’ was far better and superior than ‘Haru’ but that does not make ‘Haru’ jealous, rather he always loves and adores ‘Gobei’ as his brother. On the contrary, ‘Gobei’ is a bit arrogant because he was the best student of the dojo. That same arrogance and haughtiness can be found in ‘Tigress,’ played by Angelina Jolie. ‘Tigress’ does not think that Po is the chosen warrior. She tells Po that he does not belong to the ‘Palace of Jade.’ Like ‘Haru,’ Po is also a great admirer of the five masters.

Now, let’s talk a bit about the fighting. The fighting scenes were like typical Chinese martial art movies but they were great to watch. May be because the creatures used to represent the characters in the movie. The characters of the creatures in general coincide with the characters in the story as well. For example, Tailung is a snow leopard. The way he growls and jumps and runs will remind you of a creature who is sneaky and opportunistic. The first scene where we see Tailung, is in the prison. He is bounded by chain. As the head of the prison, Commander Vachir, steps on his tale, Tailung does not react. As soon as Vachir leaves, he opens his eyes. It gives you the feeling of a creature who does surprise attacks on the enemy. The scene, where Master Shifu and Tailung meet with each other gives me the same impression. It was night, storm is appearing on the horizon of the ‘Valley of Peace,’ and Shifu closes his eyes and instantly there was a lightning and Shifu opens his eyes and we see Tailung and Shifu together. The strength, agility of a leopard, can be easily attributed to Tailung and the most fear evoking feature is the growl. As he jumps on his enemies, you hear the growl.

Panda is not ferorcious creature rather they look very cute and innocent and that is why Po the Panda, is very loveable and gullible. Tortoise is one of the longest living creatures on the planet and Grand Master Oogway represents the character of a sage with great knowledge and experience.

Po’s fighting style reminded me of the ‘Land lord of the Pig sty Alley’ in Kung Fu Hustle, played by Yuen Wah. Po was fat and his body fat deflects Tailung's attack. In Kung Fu Hustle, when the “Harpists” attacked the landlord, like ‘Po,’ the landlord’s body deflected the attack. In addition, the jumping up and reaching the sky and then falling in the ground with big explosion, all these effects reminded me of the last confrontation between ‘Sing’ and the ‘Beast’ in Kung Fu Hustle. Two of the fighting moves used by Tailung can also be found in Kung Fu Hustle. When Tailung fights with the prison guards the way he throws back the spears using his hands and legs is similar to that of ‘Dong Zhi Hua, the Donut maker’ in Kung Fu Hustle. In the confrontation scene between Tailung and Shifu, Tailung kicks a big chunk of stone which ‘Sing’ does to fight with the ‘Beast.’