Classic Christmas cartoon. MGM 1939.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8stkqssLYc
Peace on Earth is a one-reel 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon short directed by Hugh Harman, about a post-apocalyptic world populated only by animals.
Two young squirrels ask their grandfather on Christmas Eve who the "men" are in the lyric "Peace on Earth, good will to men." The grandfather squirrel then tells them a rotoscoped history of the human race, focusing on the neverending wars men waged. Ultimately the wars do end, with the deaths of the last men on Earth, two soldiers shooting each other. Afterwards, the surviving animals discover a copy of the Bible in the ruins of a church. Inspired by the book's teachings, they decide to rebuild a society dedicated to peace and nonviolence (using the helmets of soldiers to construct houses). The cartoon features an original song written to the tune of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". According to Hugh Harman's obituary in the New York Times and Ben Mankiewicz, host of Cartoon Alley, the cartoon was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. However, it is not listed in the official Nobel Prize nomination database. Mankiewicz also claimed that the cartoon was the first about a serious subject by a major studio. In 1994, it was voted #40 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. It was also nominated for the 1939 Academy Award for Short Subjects (Cartoons).
Showing posts with label MGM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MGM. Show all posts
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
MGM film studio headed for bankruptcy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/oct/30/mgm-film-studio-rescued-bankruptcy
MGM film studio headed for bankruptcy
Studio famous for Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain faces bankruptcy after creditors vote for reorganisation under deal with Spyglass
Edward Helmore in New York
The Guardian, Saturday 30 October 2010
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the legendary film studio famous for classic movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and Singin' in the Rain, is set to file for bankruptcy within days. The move comes after creditors approved a plan to restructure its $4bn (£2.5bn) debt under the protection of insolvency courts and place the company under new management.
Resolution of the long-running saga of the studio's finances came after creditors rejected an aggressive takeover bid by corporate raider Carl Icahn. A reorganisation will require MGM to declare a chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to renegotiate its mountain of borrowing.
Icahn, who holds as much as $800m of MGM debt, had been campaigning for Lions Gate Entertainment to take over the firm. Yesterday Lions Gate sued Icahn claiming he was planning to buy a stake in the company and was offering to buy debt from other MGM creditors in an effort to gain control of the studio's fate himself.
Spyglass Entertainment, a small production company half-owned by private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, is now set to take over the company.
Under the new management, MGM is expected to make just four to six movies a year, most with modest budgets of $50m. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, founders of Spyglass, have said they aim to be ruthless about costs, outsource distributing films to theatres and focus on the TV business and online services .
But the plan is considered a gamble. MGM faces bankruptcy in part because the DVD and film catalogue business attached to its 4,100-title film library no longer generates enough to service the firm's debt.
A plan earlier this year to bring in director Ridley Scott to serve as creative head along with his brother, Tony Scott, was seen as incoherent and was rejected.
But Spyglass's budget movie plan is considered risky by Hollywood veterans who warn against trying to run a studio on the cheap.
"Part of MGM's problem has always been that many of its owners are financial players more focused on the short term," Clark Hallren, a consultant and former banker for MGM, told the LA Times. "Being in the entertainment industry is typically a long-term play because of the nature of distribution and massive amounts of capital needed."
Joe Roth, ex-head of Walt Disney Studios, said MGM's rescuers had to be bold. "You either compete head-on or not at all," he said. "By making half-efforts, you never get the right product or talent."
MGM film studio headed for bankruptcy
Studio famous for Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain faces bankruptcy after creditors vote for reorganisation under deal with Spyglass
Edward Helmore in New York
The Guardian, Saturday 30 October 2010
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the legendary film studio famous for classic movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and Singin' in the Rain, is set to file for bankruptcy within days. The move comes after creditors approved a plan to restructure its $4bn (£2.5bn) debt under the protection of insolvency courts and place the company under new management.
Resolution of the long-running saga of the studio's finances came after creditors rejected an aggressive takeover bid by corporate raider Carl Icahn. A reorganisation will require MGM to declare a chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to renegotiate its mountain of borrowing.
Icahn, who holds as much as $800m of MGM debt, had been campaigning for Lions Gate Entertainment to take over the firm. Yesterday Lions Gate sued Icahn claiming he was planning to buy a stake in the company and was offering to buy debt from other MGM creditors in an effort to gain control of the studio's fate himself.
Spyglass Entertainment, a small production company half-owned by private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, is now set to take over the company.
Under the new management, MGM is expected to make just four to six movies a year, most with modest budgets of $50m. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, founders of Spyglass, have said they aim to be ruthless about costs, outsource distributing films to theatres and focus on the TV business and online services .
But the plan is considered a gamble. MGM faces bankruptcy in part because the DVD and film catalogue business attached to its 4,100-title film library no longer generates enough to service the firm's debt.
A plan earlier this year to bring in director Ridley Scott to serve as creative head along with his brother, Tony Scott, was seen as incoherent and was rejected.
But Spyglass's budget movie plan is considered risky by Hollywood veterans who warn against trying to run a studio on the cheap.
"Part of MGM's problem has always been that many of its owners are financial players more focused on the short term," Clark Hallren, a consultant and former banker for MGM, told the LA Times. "Being in the entertainment industry is typically a long-term play because of the nature of distribution and massive amounts of capital needed."
Joe Roth, ex-head of Walt Disney Studios, said MGM's rescuers had to be bold. "You either compete head-on or not at all," he said. "By making half-efforts, you never get the right product or talent."
Friday, October 8, 2010
Las Vegas hotel guests left with severe burns from 'death ray'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315978/Las-Vegas-hotel-death-ray-leaves-guests-severe-burns.html
Las Vegas hotel guests left with severe burns from 'death ray' caused by building's design
29th September 2010
Guests at a new hotel in Las Vegas have complained of receiving severe burns from a 'death ray' of sunlight caused by the unique design of the building.
Due to the concave shape of the Vdara hotel, the strong Nevada sun reflects off its all-glass front and directly onto sections of the swimming pool area below.
The result has left some guests with burns from the powerful rays and even plastic bags have been recorded as melting in the heat.
Chicago attorney Bill Pintas felt the power of the dangerous ray first hand last week.
'It felt like I had a chemical burn. I couldn't imagine why my head was burning,' he said.
'Within 30 seconds, the back of my legs were burning. My first though was, 'Jesus, they destroyed the ozone layer!'
Gordon Absher, a spokesman for MGM Resorts, which owns the Vdara hotel, said they was aware of the issue and designers were working with resort staff to come up with a solution.
In fact it is claimed that the designers foresaw the issue with the reflecting sun but thought they had solved it by installing a high-tech film on the south-facing panes of glass.
However, Mr Absher, conceded it had not been enough and some of the guests had suffered as a result.
The Las Vegas Review Journal quotes one hotel employee as saying the building's design causes the sunshine to be diverted 'like a magnifying glass that shines down' over a space of about 10 by 15 feet as the poolside.
And as the Earth rotates, the spot moves across the pool area. The 'death ray' can increase temperatures by around 20 degrees.
While the designers work on fixing the problem, the hotel is looking at getting some larger, and crucially, thicker umbrellas to provide better shade for guests.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Investors Fret Over Dubai Debts
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/27/briefing-americas-open-markets-equities-dubai-debt.html
Investors Fret Over Dubai Debts, But Stocks Fight Back
Steve Schaefer, 11.27.09
Wall Street halves huge opening losses sparked by worry over possible Dubai World default.
A day after Thanksgiving Wall Streeters were hardly thankful after waking up to news of a massive debt crisis in Dubai, but the major indexes managed to trim their sizable opening losses ahead of the 1 p.m. close in New York.
On Wednesday, the government of Dubai said it wanted to delay payment on billions in debt issued by the Dubai World conglomerate and by Friday fears reached a fever pitch over the potential exposure of global banks to the nation's outstanding $80 billion in debt.
The news fueled a major sell-off in various assets around the world, hardly the type of good-cheer investors were hoping for in a shortened session in New York the day after Thanksgiving. U.S. stocks started the day tremendously lower as the situation in Dubai echoed the overblown debt bubble that brought our own financial system to its knees and dragged the economy into recession.
Shortly after the opening bell the Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 200 points with all 30 of its components in the red, but the blue-chip index trimmed its loss to just 92 points, and was trading at 10,373 less than an hour before noon. The S&P 500 was down 12 points at 1,099, and the Nasdaq fell 21 points to 2,155.
Worries over Dubai's debt were hammering virtually all asset classes, but commodities were off their worst levels of the session nearing midday. Crude oil was still down nearly $3 a barrel at $75.02 and gold prices down $16.60 to $1,172 an ounce. Early on investors fled for the perceived safety of the dollar -- the euro was off morning lows but still down at $1.4986 from over $1.50 Thursday -- and U.S. Treasuries with prices inching higher and yields dipping.
The banking sector bears watching as investors debate which firms have the most exposure to Dubai World. U.S. banks were scuffling in early trading, but European banks trading here seemed to be getting the worst of it. Compared to losses of less than 2% for Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank shares traded in New York were down more than 5% and American depositary receipts of Barclays slumped 6.5%.
MGM Mirage was hurting, even after the casino operator said it does not expect Dubai World's restructuring will impact their partnership on CityCenter in Las Vegas. Even so, shares were down 5.2% Friday
The news out of Dubai drew virtually all the attention off the retail sector on Black Friday, in a year when many chains are putting just as much focus on "Cyber Monday." Sears Holdings and Kmart are among the companies allowing online layaway.
Thomson Reuters contributed to this report.
Investors Fret Over Dubai Debts, But Stocks Fight Back
Steve Schaefer, 11.27.09
Wall Street halves huge opening losses sparked by worry over possible Dubai World default.
A day after Thanksgiving Wall Streeters were hardly thankful after waking up to news of a massive debt crisis in Dubai, but the major indexes managed to trim their sizable opening losses ahead of the 1 p.m. close in New York.
On Wednesday, the government of Dubai said it wanted to delay payment on billions in debt issued by the Dubai World conglomerate and by Friday fears reached a fever pitch over the potential exposure of global banks to the nation's outstanding $80 billion in debt.
The news fueled a major sell-off in various assets around the world, hardly the type of good-cheer investors were hoping for in a shortened session in New York the day after Thanksgiving. U.S. stocks started the day tremendously lower as the situation in Dubai echoed the overblown debt bubble that brought our own financial system to its knees and dragged the economy into recession.
Shortly after the opening bell the Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 200 points with all 30 of its components in the red, but the blue-chip index trimmed its loss to just 92 points, and was trading at 10,373 less than an hour before noon. The S&P 500 was down 12 points at 1,099, and the Nasdaq fell 21 points to 2,155.
Worries over Dubai's debt were hammering virtually all asset classes, but commodities were off their worst levels of the session nearing midday. Crude oil was still down nearly $3 a barrel at $75.02 and gold prices down $16.60 to $1,172 an ounce. Early on investors fled for the perceived safety of the dollar -- the euro was off morning lows but still down at $1.4986 from over $1.50 Thursday -- and U.S. Treasuries with prices inching higher and yields dipping.
The banking sector bears watching as investors debate which firms have the most exposure to Dubai World. U.S. banks were scuffling in early trading, but European banks trading here seemed to be getting the worst of it. Compared to losses of less than 2% for Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank shares traded in New York were down more than 5% and American depositary receipts of Barclays slumped 6.5%.
MGM Mirage was hurting, even after the casino operator said it does not expect Dubai World's restructuring will impact their partnership on CityCenter in Las Vegas. Even so, shares were down 5.2% Friday
The news out of Dubai drew virtually all the attention off the retail sector on Black Friday, in a year when many chains are putting just as much focus on "Cyber Monday." Sears Holdings and Kmart are among the companies allowing online layaway.
Thomson Reuters contributed to this report.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Coolest Las Vegas Concert of the Summer 2009
Def Leppard, Poison & Cheap TrickMemorial Day Weekend
Saturday 09/05/09 at 8:00 PM
MGM Grand Garden Arena
For More Info:
http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/405101/?c=adb-lasvegas-defleppard-b
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Las Vegas Project Weighs Bankruptcy
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123811086468552891.html
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
MARCH 27, 2009
Las Vegas Project Weighs Bankruptcy
Woes at Massive City Center Project, MGM Mirage's Centerpiece on the Strip, Rattle Casino Industry
By JEFFREY MCCRACKEN
And Tamara AudiCity Center, the $8.6 billion Las Vegas development owned by MGM Mirage and DubaiWorld, is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing that could bring the massive project to a halt, according to people familiar with the situation.
MGM Mirage and investment partner Dubai World appear unlikely to make a $220 million payment due Friday on City Center -- a massive resort and casino project under construction on 67 acres. City Center has hired Dewey & LeBoeuf to prepare itself for a possible bankruptcy filing, and the firm's Martin Bienenstock, a noted bankruptcy attorney, is handling the work, according to people familiar with matter. The law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is working for MGM Mirage on a range of legal issues, according to these people.
A filing could come this weekend, depending on talks among MGM Mirage, its lenders and Dubai World, these people said. There is a possibility that any filing for court-protection could be averted if the talks lead to an agreement.
Dubai World, a conglomerate owned by the government of Dubai, has sued MGM Mirage for breach of contract and blamed it for cost overruns. It also signaled it won't provide its half of Friday's payment. MGM Mirage, meanwhile, is struggling to persuade its reluctant lenders to allow it to solely fund the project. While talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World were ongoing Thursday night, there "may be no choice" but for City Center to file bankruptcy "if Dubai World doesn't fund," said a person close to MGM Mirage.
The casino company faces a cash crunch as it tries to meet obligations on more than $13 billion in debt. The company narrowly averted defaulting on loans last week and warned that it could default by mid-May.
City Center's troubles could spill out across Las Vegas. The project is a stark example of how excesses spawned during a lengthy gambling boom are coming back to haunt the casino industry. The project is so large that thousands of workers depend on it for jobs. At the same time, it has the rest of the city's casino industry on edge. If it gets built, it would add thousands of high-end hotel rooms that would cannibalize business from the city's gambling tables and hotels.
Missing Friday's payment would start the clock ticking on City Center's future. Work could grind to a halt within days, idling 8,500 construction jobs, said a person familiar with the talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World. A delayed opening would also risk the jobs of 12,000 workers who are to staff the complex.
A shutdown of City Center "would be devastating to the southern Nevada economy," said Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 22,000 construction workers.
Las Vegas, a city known for its elaborate multibillion-dollar resorts, is already reeling. Echelon, a $4.8 billion resort project on the Las Vegas Strip, was shuttered last year after its parent, Boyd Gaming Corp., and partner Morgans Hotel Group struggled to finance the project. A Las Vegas Sands Corp. condo tower sits unfinished after the casino operator decided to concentrate on finishing other projects. Several projects were canceled before work even started.
Las Vegas has suffered as tourism revenue has declined for more than a year. Unemployment hovers near 10%, and hotel-room occupancy rates have fallen to below 90% -- unusual for a town used to operating at near capacity.
City Center's over-the-top extravagance was conceived in a very different economic climate. When the project was unveiled in 2004, Las Vegas was at the height of a luxury-driven tourism boom. Gourmet restaurants were over-booked, room rates were skyrocketing and pricey shows were sold out. City Center was envisioned as the crown jewel.
MGM Mirage, controlled by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, saw City Center as the next step in the evolution of both the company and Las Vegas.
The project, with two sleek condo towers, a 4,000-room resort casino, two smaller luxury hotels, a monorail, $40 million in public art and its own fire station, was envisioned as a "city within a city." MGM Mirage executives saw it as nothing less than a reinvention of Las Vegas.
Shortly after the project was launched, MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Murren said, "City Center represents what we feel is a significant new direction for our city and our company."
Even under bankruptcy-court protection, construction could continue or be restarted once the two sides agree on how to fund the project. Neither company is likely to walk away. MGM Mirage has $1 billion in cash invested in the project, in addition to the land contribution. Dubai World has $4.3 billion invested.
While Las Vegas is worried about the impact on employment of a City Center delay, there is sentiment in the casino industry that any delay at City Center could help other casinos -- including those owned by MGM Mirage -- keep from losing even more visitors.
It is not clear what impact a City Center Chapter 11 filing would have on MGM Mirage's other finances.
MGM Mirage's lenders have become concerned enough about the situation that they have hired the law firm of Mayer Brown LLP as bankruptcy counsel, according to people familiar with the matter.
Bank of America and Deutsche Bank are the agent banks for MGM Mirage, said these people. MGM Mirage's lenders will not let the casino giant make the City Center payment Friday unless Dubai World makes its payment, according to people familiar with the matter.
MGM Mirage earnings are projected by Wall Street analysts to tumble to $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion this year, meaning to be in line with loan covenants it needs to reduce its debt to between $9 billion and $12 billion.
Write to Jeffrey McCracken at jeff.mccracken@wsj.com
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
MARCH 27, 2009
Las Vegas Project Weighs Bankruptcy
Woes at Massive City Center Project, MGM Mirage's Centerpiece on the Strip, Rattle Casino Industry
By JEFFREY MCCRACKEN
And Tamara AudiCity Center, the $8.6 billion Las Vegas development owned by MGM Mirage and DubaiWorld, is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing that could bring the massive project to a halt, according to people familiar with the situation.
MGM Mirage and investment partner Dubai World appear unlikely to make a $220 million payment due Friday on City Center -- a massive resort and casino project under construction on 67 acres. City Center has hired Dewey & LeBoeuf to prepare itself for a possible bankruptcy filing, and the firm's Martin Bienenstock, a noted bankruptcy attorney, is handling the work, according to people familiar with matter. The law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is working for MGM Mirage on a range of legal issues, according to these people.
A filing could come this weekend, depending on talks among MGM Mirage, its lenders and Dubai World, these people said. There is a possibility that any filing for court-protection could be averted if the talks lead to an agreement.
Dubai World, a conglomerate owned by the government of Dubai, has sued MGM Mirage for breach of contract and blamed it for cost overruns. It also signaled it won't provide its half of Friday's payment. MGM Mirage, meanwhile, is struggling to persuade its reluctant lenders to allow it to solely fund the project. While talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World were ongoing Thursday night, there "may be no choice" but for City Center to file bankruptcy "if Dubai World doesn't fund," said a person close to MGM Mirage.
The casino company faces a cash crunch as it tries to meet obligations on more than $13 billion in debt. The company narrowly averted defaulting on loans last week and warned that it could default by mid-May.
City Center's troubles could spill out across Las Vegas. The project is a stark example of how excesses spawned during a lengthy gambling boom are coming back to haunt the casino industry. The project is so large that thousands of workers depend on it for jobs. At the same time, it has the rest of the city's casino industry on edge. If it gets built, it would add thousands of high-end hotel rooms that would cannibalize business from the city's gambling tables and hotels.
Missing Friday's payment would start the clock ticking on City Center's future. Work could grind to a halt within days, idling 8,500 construction jobs, said a person familiar with the talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World. A delayed opening would also risk the jobs of 12,000 workers who are to staff the complex.
A shutdown of City Center "would be devastating to the southern Nevada economy," said Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 22,000 construction workers.
Las Vegas, a city known for its elaborate multibillion-dollar resorts, is already reeling. Echelon, a $4.8 billion resort project on the Las Vegas Strip, was shuttered last year after its parent, Boyd Gaming Corp., and partner Morgans Hotel Group struggled to finance the project. A Las Vegas Sands Corp. condo tower sits unfinished after the casino operator decided to concentrate on finishing other projects. Several projects were canceled before work even started.
Las Vegas has suffered as tourism revenue has declined for more than a year. Unemployment hovers near 10%, and hotel-room occupancy rates have fallen to below 90% -- unusual for a town used to operating at near capacity.
City Center's over-the-top extravagance was conceived in a very different economic climate. When the project was unveiled in 2004, Las Vegas was at the height of a luxury-driven tourism boom. Gourmet restaurants were over-booked, room rates were skyrocketing and pricey shows were sold out. City Center was envisioned as the crown jewel.
MGM Mirage, controlled by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, saw City Center as the next step in the evolution of both the company and Las Vegas.
The project, with two sleek condo towers, a 4,000-room resort casino, two smaller luxury hotels, a monorail, $40 million in public art and its own fire station, was envisioned as a "city within a city." MGM Mirage executives saw it as nothing less than a reinvention of Las Vegas.
Shortly after the project was launched, MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Murren said, "City Center represents what we feel is a significant new direction for our city and our company."
Even under bankruptcy-court protection, construction could continue or be restarted once the two sides agree on how to fund the project. Neither company is likely to walk away. MGM Mirage has $1 billion in cash invested in the project, in addition to the land contribution. Dubai World has $4.3 billion invested.
While Las Vegas is worried about the impact on employment of a City Center delay, there is sentiment in the casino industry that any delay at City Center could help other casinos -- including those owned by MGM Mirage -- keep from losing even more visitors.
It is not clear what impact a City Center Chapter 11 filing would have on MGM Mirage's other finances.
MGM Mirage's lenders have become concerned enough about the situation that they have hired the law firm of Mayer Brown LLP as bankruptcy counsel, according to people familiar with the matter.
Bank of America and Deutsche Bank are the agent banks for MGM Mirage, said these people. MGM Mirage's lenders will not let the casino giant make the City Center payment Friday unless Dubai World makes its payment, according to people familiar with the matter.
MGM Mirage earnings are projected by Wall Street analysts to tumble to $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion this year, meaning to be in line with loan covenants it needs to reduce its debt to between $9 billion and $12 billion.
Write to Jeffrey McCracken at jeff.mccracken@wsj.com
MGM gets its 'Stooges'
http://www.variety.com/VR1118001643.html
Wed., Mar. 25, 2009
MGM gets its 'Stooges'
Penn, Carrey, Del Toro part of studio's plan
By MICHAEL FLEMING
MGM and the Farrelly brothers are closing in on their cast for "The Three Stooges."
Studio has set Sean Penn to play Larry, and negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly, with the actor already making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome "Curly" Howard.
The studio is zeroing in on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.
The film is not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts.
The quest by the Peter and Bobby Farrelly to harness the project spans more than a decade and three studios. They first tried at Columbia, again at Warner Bros., and finally at MGM, where Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman Mary Parent championed the cause and bought the WB-owned scripts and made a deal with Stooges rights holders C3.
Production will begin in early fall for a release sometime in 2010. The Farrellys, who wrote the script, are producing with their Conundrum partner Bradley Thomas, and Charlie Wessler.
C3 Entertainment principals Earl and Robert Benjamin will be executive producers.
Project will get underway after Penn completes the Asger Leth-directed Universal/Imagine Entertainment drama "Cartel." He hasn't done a comedy since the 1989 laffer "We're No Angels."
The Farrellys have long had their eyes on Del Toro to play Moe. Del Toro, who's coming off "Che," showed comic chops in the Guy Ritchie-directed "Snatch."
The surprise is the emergence of Carrey to play Curly. Howard established the character as a seminal physical comedian, from the first time he appeared in the first Stooges short in 1934 until he suffered a stroke on the set in 1946.
Wed., Mar. 25, 2009
MGM gets its 'Stooges'
Penn, Carrey, Del Toro part of studio's plan
By MICHAEL FLEMING
MGM and the Farrelly brothers are closing in on their cast for "The Three Stooges."
Studio has set Sean Penn to play Larry, and negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly, with the actor already making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome "Curly" Howard.
The studio is zeroing in on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.
The film is not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts.
The quest by the Peter and Bobby Farrelly to harness the project spans more than a decade and three studios. They first tried at Columbia, again at Warner Bros., and finally at MGM, where Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman Mary Parent championed the cause and bought the WB-owned scripts and made a deal with Stooges rights holders C3.
Production will begin in early fall for a release sometime in 2010. The Farrellys, who wrote the script, are producing with their Conundrum partner Bradley Thomas, and Charlie Wessler.
C3 Entertainment principals Earl and Robert Benjamin will be executive producers.
Project will get underway after Penn completes the Asger Leth-directed Universal/Imagine Entertainment drama "Cartel." He hasn't done a comedy since the 1989 laffer "We're No Angels."
The Farrellys have long had their eyes on Del Toro to play Moe. Del Toro, who's coming off "Che," showed comic chops in the Guy Ritchie-directed "Snatch."
The surprise is the emergence of Carrey to play Curly. Howard established the character as a seminal physical comedian, from the first time he appeared in the first Stooges short in 1934 until he suffered a stroke on the set in 1946.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Del Toro a Hobbit-Forming Director
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=c4fe9cef-bd34-436a-9144-ae73e4ba1c69
Del Toro a Hobbit-Forming Director
by Natalie Finn
1-28-5
After delving into Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, MiddleEarth shouldn't feel like that much of a descent for Guillermo del Toro.
The Academy Award-nominated writer-director is reportedly in talks to helm back-to-back epics adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which, after various delays, are finally going forward with Peter Jackson set to produce for New Line Cinema and MGM.
A rep for New Line had no comment on the purported negotiations, but del Toro's name has been on a short list of auteurs who could do the fantastical source material justice ever since the studios announced Jackson was back on board.
"I’ve heard some rumblings, but nothing official," del Toro told Entertainment Weekly last month when asked if he'd been approached for the job. "I don’t want to think about it because it’s such an eventuality. It’s the only Tolkien book I read...I read it and I loved it. So it would be a privilege."
The fate of the Lord of the Rings prequel remained in doubt for several years while Jackson, who struck box office gold with his Oscar-winning Rings trilogy, tangled with New Line over royalties.
Lucky for Bilbo Baggins fans, the two sides settled up last month and are ready to proceed with plans for two Hobbit films, which they're planning to shoot one after the other with a budget estimated at $150 million per picture.
Jackson, who has been busy adapting the bestselling novel The Lovely Bones for the big screen and has signed on to share directing duties with Steven Spielberg on a series of Tintin movies, had to pass on helming The Hobbit himself.
Principal photography is tentatively scheduled to begin next year with an eye on respective release dates in 2010 and 2011, but no screenwriters have been hired yet thanks to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, now in its 13th week.
Del Toro, who earned an Oscar nod for his original screenplay for Pan's Labyrinth, and Jackson, who shared adapted-screenplay honors in 2004 with wife Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, will oversee the writing process, whenever it comes to pass.
Tolkien fans, at least, have been largely positive about the idea of del Toro handling their beloved dwarves and elves, although some are concerned that he might cast a dark shadow over the production.
"Well, all I can say is I certainly can think of directors that I would not want to see touch TH with a 10-foot pole, and del Toro is NOT one of them," wrote the Watcher on LOTR supersite the One Ring. "I do agree with some others here that I fear he alone might make a very dark and disturbing version, but with P.J. on board and New Line basically really needing this film to work, I think it might be pulled off."
"I have hoped that P.J. and del Toro would be working together, it was only a pipe dream," mused Ari-Anna on the One Ring."And it will either be phenomenal or a bust. I am hoping for the first."
At least he didn't come up in an old discussion of "nightmare" Hobbit directors. Those shunned included George Lucas, M. Night Shyamalan, Spike Lee (they probably didn't have to worry there), Sam Raimi, Alfonso Cuarón, Michael Bay, Tim Burton and David Lynch (again, nothing to lose sleep over).
Before making an international splash with Pan's Labyrinth, a horror-tinged fantasy about a young girl seeking respite from her tyrannical stepfather in 1930s-era Spain, del Toro was responsible for the sci-fi thriller Mimic, the vampire-action sequel Blade II and the hit adaptation of the comic book Hellboy.
The 43-year-old filmmaker, who was mentioned frequently last year alongside Babel director Alejandro González Iñárritu and scribe Guillermo Arriaga as one of the Mexican-born masters of cinema taking Hollywood by storm, is currently in postproduction on Hellboy II: The Golden Army and recently executive produced the Spanish-language horror film The Orphanage.
Del Toro a Hobbit-Forming Director
by Natalie Finn
1-28-5
After delving into Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, MiddleEarth shouldn't feel like that much of a descent for Guillermo del Toro.
The Academy Award-nominated writer-director is reportedly in talks to helm back-to-back epics adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which, after various delays, are finally going forward with Peter Jackson set to produce for New Line Cinema and MGM.
A rep for New Line had no comment on the purported negotiations, but del Toro's name has been on a short list of auteurs who could do the fantastical source material justice ever since the studios announced Jackson was back on board.
"I’ve heard some rumblings, but nothing official," del Toro told Entertainment Weekly last month when asked if he'd been approached for the job. "I don’t want to think about it because it’s such an eventuality. It’s the only Tolkien book I read...I read it and I loved it. So it would be a privilege."
The fate of the Lord of the Rings prequel remained in doubt for several years while Jackson, who struck box office gold with his Oscar-winning Rings trilogy, tangled with New Line over royalties.
Lucky for Bilbo Baggins fans, the two sides settled up last month and are ready to proceed with plans for two Hobbit films, which they're planning to shoot one after the other with a budget estimated at $150 million per picture.
Jackson, who has been busy adapting the bestselling novel The Lovely Bones for the big screen and has signed on to share directing duties with Steven Spielberg on a series of Tintin movies, had to pass on helming The Hobbit himself.
Principal photography is tentatively scheduled to begin next year with an eye on respective release dates in 2010 and 2011, but no screenwriters have been hired yet thanks to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, now in its 13th week.
Del Toro, who earned an Oscar nod for his original screenplay for Pan's Labyrinth, and Jackson, who shared adapted-screenplay honors in 2004 with wife Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, will oversee the writing process, whenever it comes to pass.
Tolkien fans, at least, have been largely positive about the idea of del Toro handling their beloved dwarves and elves, although some are concerned that he might cast a dark shadow over the production.
"Well, all I can say is I certainly can think of directors that I would not want to see touch TH with a 10-foot pole, and del Toro is NOT one of them," wrote the Watcher on LOTR supersite the One Ring. "I do agree with some others here that I fear he alone might make a very dark and disturbing version, but with P.J. on board and New Line basically really needing this film to work, I think it might be pulled off."
"I have hoped that P.J. and del Toro would be working together, it was only a pipe dream," mused Ari-Anna on the One Ring."And it will either be phenomenal or a bust. I am hoping for the first."
At least he didn't come up in an old discussion of "nightmare" Hobbit directors. Those shunned included George Lucas, M. Night Shyamalan, Spike Lee (they probably didn't have to worry there), Sam Raimi, Alfonso Cuarón, Michael Bay, Tim Burton and David Lynch (again, nothing to lose sleep over).
Before making an international splash with Pan's Labyrinth, a horror-tinged fantasy about a young girl seeking respite from her tyrannical stepfather in 1930s-era Spain, del Toro was responsible for the sci-fi thriller Mimic, the vampire-action sequel Blade II and the hit adaptation of the comic book Hellboy.
The 43-year-old filmmaker, who was mentioned frequently last year alongside Babel director Alejandro González Iñárritu and scribe Guillermo Arriaga as one of the Mexican-born masters of cinema taking Hollywood by storm, is currently in postproduction on Hellboy II: The Golden Army and recently executive produced the Spanish-language horror film The Orphanage.
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