Viral video a stealth promo for "Robot Chicken"

(MEYER, ROBOT, CHICKEN, WRITER, GREEN, EPISODE)

By Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A viral video billed as "Breckin Meyer Responds to Perez Hilton" plays like a parody of Hilton`s video statement about his recent run-in with the Black Eyed Peas in Toronto. But in fact it`s a stealth promo for an upcoming "Robot Chicken" DVD release.
Since being released Wednesday on FunnyOrDie.com (www.FunnyOrDie.com) and later on AdultSwim.com (www.AdultSwim.com), the clip of actor/writer Meyer, which features Zac Efron, has nabbed about 370,000 views.
It was written by "Robot Chicken" creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and head writer Tom Root to tease Adult Swim`s unusual marketing campaign for the DVD release of the animated series` extended "Star Wars Episode II" special.
Green and Senreich are donning skates to host an eight-city roller-rink tour across the U.S. The admission-free events will feature performances by hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes and appearances by "Robot Chicken" writers, producers and voice cast members, including Meyer, as well as guest bands.
Sponsored by Boost Mobile, Adult Swim`s "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" Roller Skating Tour kicks off August 1 in Los Angeles, with stops in Las Vegas, Denver, Kansas City, Mo., Indianapolis, Richmond, Va., Philadelphia and New York.
"Grab your friends, your couples skate partner and some kneepads," Green said. "We`re coming to your town! Or at least to a major market somewhat close to your town."
To heat things up, "Robot Chicken" will hold a preview party July 25 during Comic-Con in San Diego with a guest DJ. It`s open to the public.
"When Seth first pitched the idea of throwing roller-skating parties around the country, I rolled my eyes and laughed at him," Senreich said. "Now that we`re actually going to do it, I`m in awe of its absurdity and can`t wait to attend. It fits with the randomness of our `Robot Chicken` show."
The "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" DVD, which features 15 minutes of never-before-seen footage, will be released July 21. The final nine new episodes of the show`s fourth season begin July 26.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
Original article

O`Neal leads mourners at Farrah Fawcett funeral

(ANGELES, SERVICE, FAWCETT, CANCER, STEWART, CHURCH)

By Laura Isensee
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Ryan O`Neal led friends and family in a private funeral service on Tuesday for actress Farrah Fawcett, who died last week aged 62 after a long and public battle with cancer.
O`Neal, the long-time companion of the "Charlie`s Angels" star, was one of the pall-bearers and gave a reading at the service at Los Angeles Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Redmond O`Neal, the "Love Story" actor`s 24-year-old son with Fawcett, was allowed briefly out of jail where he is being held on drugs possession charges to attend the funeral service. Redmond also gave a bible reading, according to a program made available to the media.
Fellow "Charlie`s Angels" star Kate Jackson, former model Cheryl Tiegs and rocker Rod Stewart`s ex-wife Alana Stewart were also among the mourners. Fawcett`s Los Angeles cancer doctor, Dr. Lawrence Piro, delivered the eulogy with Stewart.
Fawcett`s coffin was taken into the church as a quartet of musicians played "Amazing Grace" and Irving Berlin love song "Always", according to the program.
Outside the downtown Los Angeles church, a few dozen fans watched as Fawcett`s casket was taken inside, covered with sprays of bright yellow flowers that seemed to reflect the sunny smile and golden hair that made Fawcett a worldwide star 30 years ago.
Fawcett died in a Los Angeles hospital on Thursday with O`Neal and Stewart at her side after a long struggle to beat anal and then liver cancer. A personal video diary chronicling her cancer treatments was broadcast on U.S. television in May.
Watching from the street, Karla Dishon, 47, told Reuters outside the church she had come to pay tribute to Fawcett -- a star whose hairstyle she had copied as a teenager like millions of others around the world.
"All the girls did -- wavy, pretty, surfer, California girl hair," Dishon said. "She is an icon and she is a very beautiful woman, and I think it`s too bad that we lost her so young."
Original article

Disney star Ashley Tisdale gets edgy on new album

(TISDALE, NEW, ALBUM, WANTED, WARNER, GUILTY, PLEASURE)

By Mikael Wood
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Ashley Tisdale knows it sounds silly, but her new album has a lot to do with the color of her hair.
"For the last few years everyone has thought of me as Sharpay," the 23-year-old singer/actor says, referring to her blonde-and-bubbly character in Disney`s smash "High School Musical" films.
"So after I`d finished all the promotion for `High School Musical 3` I dyed my hair back to its original color. I`d been a blonde for five years; Disney wanted us to be those characters. But the new songs I was working on felt edgier, sort of back to how I was before `High School Musical.` I wanted to show people a side of me they haven`t seen before."
Tisdale accomplishes that -- well, sort of -- on "Guilty Pleasure," due July 28 from Warner Bros. Like her 2007 debut, "Headstrong" (which, according to Nielsen SoundScan, has sold 471,000 copies in the United States), the new 14-track set offers plenty of catchy choruses and lyrics about boys.
But with songwriting and production credits from "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, among others, "Guilty Pleasure" is a more mature, guitar-driven outing than the dance-pop "Headstrong." In the opener, "Acting Out," she promises to "break these chains" over driving bubble-punk drums, while the lead single, "It`s Alright, It`s OK," could be the younger sister of Pink`s "So What."
"A lot of the songs on the album are about survival and staying strong," says Tisdale, who co-wrote four cuts. "I really wanted it to be a statement and a reflection of what I`ve been through over the past year and how I`ve grown up."
Warner Bros. senior VP of marketing David Grant says the first component of the label`s album rollout was revealing Tisdale`s new look with a relaunch of her Web site in March and the cover of Cosmopolitan`s April issue. "We wanted to create a conversation and then follow quickly with the music," he says.
According to Grant, "High School Musical" fans have aged along with Tisdale, and they still constitute a significant portion of her audience. "But she`s taken it beyond that, too," he says. For "Headstrong" the label targeted tweens; this time, "we`re definitely looking to teenage girls."
Social-networking technology plays a central role in the label`s plans to reach that demographic. Tisdale is an especially avid Twitterer, with more than 750,000 followers.
"She`s very protective of it in terms of it sounding authentic," according to Warner Bros. senior VP of new media Jeremy Welt. "There have been a couple of times where we`ve said to her, `Hey, why don`t you mention so-and-so?` and she`s told us, `I wouldn`t say that.`" (What would she say? One recent Tweet read, "Happy fathers day!!! Goin to dinner with my family and the most amazing dad ever! I love you daddy!")
Facebook and MySpace also figure into Warner`s new-media campaign, the latter particularly as an "important streaming partner," Welt says. MySpace is streaming two tracks from "Guilty Pleasure," and Grant expects the site to feature the entire album before release date.
In the realm of retail, Grant says Target and Wal-Mart will sell exclusive editions of the album with bonus material, while a direct-to-consumer version will feature six posters and two extra songs.
Once "Guilty Pleasure" is out, Tisdale says she hopes to tour the United States and Europe (where the set was released earlier this month). "This album is so important to me," she says. "I really want to support it as much as I can. You put your heart and soul into something and it makes you a little bit vulnerable. It is who I am -- hopefully people will like that."
(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)
Original article

BET Awards pay tribute to Michael Jackson

By Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The BET Awards kicked off on Sunday night with a musical tribute to Michael Jackson in which host Jamie Foxx did Jackson`s famous moonwalk and sung his hit song "Beat It" in a classic King of Pop costume -- red leather jacket and one white glove.
Oscar-winning actor and singer Foxx told the packed house in Los Angeles` Shrine Auditorium the awards program would honor Jackson, the music star who died suddenly last Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles home.
"We`re going to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us, and we shared him with everybody else," Foxx told the crowd.
"I`m going to moonwalk tonight -- going to moonwalk from here, all the way to there, for Michael Jackson," Foxx said, pointing across the stage.
He then performed the backwards shuffle dance step that Jackson made famous, but Foxx didn`t even come close to mastering the move. In fact, he tripped.
The awards given annually by the BET television network honor the best African American singers, actors, actresses and athletes. This year`s show was revamped at the last minute due to Jackson`s death, and many early performers and winners dedicated their awards to Jackson and his family.
A member of 1970s brother band the Jackson 5 and a global star, Jackson`s 1982 smash "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time and the superstar was a major influence on R&B, hip hop and many other forms of music.
"He is one of our heroes. As African Americans, we are not going to let everybody beat him up," music mogul and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs said of Jackson ahead of the show.
While the 50-year-old Jackson was loved by many, he lived a reclusive live in his final years, and in the 1990s he was twice accused of child molestation. One claim was settled out of court, and the second accusation resulted in a criminal trial. Jackson was acquitted of charges in the second case.
His death continues to be shrouded in questions of prescription drug use and, although an autopsy was performed, it will be four to six weeks before an official cause of death can be determined after toxicology tests are completed.
Family patriarch Joe Jackson told the CNN television network outside the show that there were still "a lot of concerns about what happened" in final hours of son`s life.
But inside the Shrine, the show focused on glorifying Jackson`s life. In fact, Foxx noted that as in New Orleans, where people celebrated a person`s life after his or her death, the BET Awards audience would be encouraged to party.
Early winners included Day 26 for best music group, basketball star LeBron James for best athlete, and Lil Wayne for best male hip hop artist.
(Reporting by Bob Tourtellott; editing by Todd Eastham)
Original article

Connery blasts BBC at Edinburgh film awards ceremony

By Ian MacKenzie
EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Actor Sean Connery lashed out at the BBC for its coverage of the awards ceremony at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) on Sunday when he handed out the prizes.
The EIFF award for the best new British feature film went to Moon, a "creepy, poignant and funny" sci-fi film directed by Duncan Jones. The film, which received a prize of 20,000 pounds, stars Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey.
Connery, a festival patron who gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of British secret agent James Bond, told a packed audience on the final day of the EIFF that the BBC had 300 technicians at the current Glastonbury pop and folk festival in southwest England.
"Not one (technician) at the Edinburgh International Film Festival," he said.
"It affects us all, it certainly affects me, and I think we should do something about it."
The BBC said in response: "BBC news outlets covered the Edinburgh International Film Festival on radio, TV and online. Obviously Glastonbury is a huge live music, arts and performance event and cannot be compared as like for like."
It said the BBC would cover the Edinburgh international arts festival and T in the Park pop concert later this summer.
In Moon, Rockwell`s character has almost ended his three-year solitary posting mining fuel for earth on the moon with thoughts of returning to the planet and his family.
But as his return date approaches, life on his self-contained world takes a startling turn. The jury praised Moon for its "singular vision and remarkably assured direction"
The award for best performance in a British feature film went to Katie Jarvis for her role as 15-year-old Mia in Fish Tank, "an intense and surprising story of love, lust and family."
Jarvis turned 18 last week and said this was her best birthday gift.
Easier With Practice, directed by American Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the best new international feature award featuring sex, love and loneliness over the phone.
Best documentary award was taken by Aliona Van der Horst of The Netherlands with a lament for cult Russian poet Boris Ryzhy, who committed suicide in 2001 aged 26.
American director and writer Cary Jojo Fukunaga won the new director award for Sin Nombre centered on Honduran teenager Sayra and her involvement with a dangerous gang member on the run.
The Edinburgh film festival, which opened on June 17, has as one of its major aims discovering and promoting new talent in the industry.  Continued...
Original article

Farrah Fawcett, 1970s sex symbol, dies aged 62

By Jill Serjeant
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie`s Angels" television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the reigning sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.
Fawcett, who first vaulted to stardom by an alluring poster of her in a red swimsuit, was diagnosed with anal cancer in late 2006. It spread to her liver in 2007, proving resistant to numerous medical treatments in Germany and California.
"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," Fawcett`s long time companion, actor Ryan O`Neal, said in a statement.
"Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."
Fawcett`s death in a Los Angeles hospital came just six weeks after the TV broadcast in May of a video diary she made chronicling her battle with cancer and her final months.
Called "Farrah`s Story," the documentary was effectively a self-penned obituary by the actress, who was bedridden and had lost her famous hair by the time it was shown.
O`Neal said she had wanted to tell her story on her own terms. Earlier this week, O`Neal said Fawcett had agreed to marry him before her death, but a marriage never took place, a spokesman for the actress and O`Neal said.
Fawcett, born February 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas, was an art student in college before she began modeling, appearing in shampoo ads.
She started guest-starring on TV in the late 1960s and appeared on the television hit "The Six Million Dollar Man" after marrying the show`s star, Lee Majors, in 1974. The couple divorced in the early 1980s.
ANGEL CULTURE
Fawcett`s career took off thanks to a poster of her posing flirtatiously with a brilliant smile in a red one-piece bathing suit. It sold millions of copies and led to her being cast in 1976 in "Charlie`s Angels," an action show about three beautiful, strong women private detectives.
As the tanned and glamorous Jill Munroe -- part of a trio that included Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson -- Fawcett was the hit show`s most talked-about star. She left "Charlie`s Angels" after only one season but lawsuit settlements brought her back to guest-star in subsequent years.
"Farrah had courage, she had strength and she had faith. And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels," Smith said in a statement.
Fawcett`s face appeared on T-shirts, posters and dolls. She came to epitomize the glamorous California lifestyle and inspired a worldwide craze for blown-out, feathered-back hair.
The New York Times once described that hair as "a work of art ... emblematic of women in the first stage of liberation -- strong, confident and joyous."  Continued...
Original article

Farrah Fawcett, 1970s sex symbol, dies aged 62

By Jill Serjeant
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie`s Angels" television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the reigning sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.
Fawcett, first vaulted to stardom by an alluring poster of her in a red swimsuit, was diagnosed with anal cancer in late 2006. It spread to her liver in 2007, proving resistant to numerous medical treatments in Germany and California.
"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," Fawcett`s long time companion, actor Ryan O`Neal, said in a statement.
"Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."
Fawcett`s death in a Los Angeles hospital came just six weeks after the TV broadcast in May of a video diary she made chronicling her battle with cancer and her final months.
Called "Farrah`s Story," the documentary was effectively a self-penned obituary by the actress, who was bedridden and had lost her famous hair by the time it was shown.
O`Neal said she had wanted to tell her story on her own terms.
Fawcett`s close friend Alana Stewart, ex-wife of rocker Rod Stewart, told Entertainment Tonight after leaving the hospital on Thursday; "I just lost my best friend. Her death was very peaceful."
Fawcett, born February 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas, was an art student in college before she began modeling, appearing in shampoo ads.
She started guest-starring on TV in the late 1960s and appeared on the television hit "The Six Million Dollar Man" after marrying the show`s star, Lee Majors, in 1974. The couple divorced in the early 1980s.
ANGEL CULTURE
Fawcett`s career took off thanks to a poster of her posing flirtatiously with a brilliant smile in a red one-piece bathing suit. It sold millions of copies and led to her being cast in 1976 in "Charlie`s Angels," an action show about three beautiful, strong women private detectives.
As the tanned and glamorous Jill Munroe -- part of a trio that included Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson -- Fawcett was the hit show`s most talked-about star. She left "Charlie`s Angels" after only one season but lawsuit settlements brought her back to guest-star in subsequent years.
Fawcett`s face appeared on T-shirts, posters and dolls. She came to epitomize the glamorous California lifestyle and inspired a worldwide craze for blown-out, feathered-back hair.
The New York Times once described that hair as "a work of art ... emblematic of women in the first stage of liberation -- strong, confident and joyous."  Continued...
Original article

Thai police will know how Carradine died in one month

Reuters Showbiz Week
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By Kittipong Soonprasert
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police said on Monday that the cause of U.S. actor David Carradine's death in a Bangkok hotel room would not be known until they had the results of the autopsy and toxicology tests in a month's time.
The police refused to give further details about their investigation into the 72-year-old actor's mysterious death, amid intense media speculation about causes ranging from suicide to murder via accidental autoerotic asphyxiation.
"We are still investigating but we will not make any assumptions about his death until we have gathered all the facts," the deputy Bangkok police chief, Lieutenant-General Amnoy Nimmino, told a news conference.
"We have to wait for the toxicology reports, the result of the autopsy and forensic evidence. We will know everything in one month."
Carradine, the star of U.S. 1970s show "Kung Fu," was filming the movie "Stretch" in the Thai capital when a maid found him dead in his suite at the plush Swissotel Nai Lert Park on June 4.
The police also refused to confirm the authenticity of a grainy photo published by a tabloid-style Thai newspaper, which said it was of Carradine's naked, hanging body.
Carradine's family said it was "profoundly disturbed" by the photo, printed on Saturday in the Thai Rath newspaper, and threatened legal action, the actor's brother, Keith Carradine, said in a statement issued by lawyer Mark Geragos.
"The family wants it understood that ... any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published," the statement said.
Thai Rath, the country's top-selling newspaper, is known for its lively coverage of crime and celebrities. It did not give a source for the photograph and the face could not been seen.
"I cannot say anything about this photograph," said Amnoy. "The media were not present at the crime scene and this picture was not leaked by the police."
Initial police reports said the actor had committed suicide, but relatives insisted Carradine would not take his own life.
Thai police and media then speculated that accidental autoerotic asphyxiation was a possible cause of death.
The Thai coroner has said it could be several weeks before the results of the toxicology tests and autopsy are known.
Carradine's family called on U.S. authorities on Saturday to help explain how he died, and a U.S. embassy official in Bangkok said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was discussing the case with Thai police.
Amnoy said the FBI was welcome to take part in the investigation, but only after Thai prosecutors had received a formal request from the U.S. government. Continued...
Source: Reuters

"Billy Elliot" dances away with 10 Tony Awards

By Michelle Nichols and Claudia ParsonsNEW YORK (Reuters) - "Billy Elliot The Musical" swept the top U.S. theater honors on Sunday, winning 10 Tony Awards for a Broadway season that defied a recession with record ticket sales.
"Billy Elliot" is based on Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry's 2000 film about a ballet dancing schoolboy in a mining town in northern England. Elton John, who suggested the film be adapted for theater, wrote the music for the production.
"We came here at a hard time economically, you opened your wallets and your hearts to us and we love you for it," said John, one of Britain's best-known musicians whose hit songs include "Candle in the Wind" and "Rocket Man."
"Billy Elliot" was named best musical and the three teenage actors who play the title role -- David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish -- were all named best actor in a musical, the first time three actors have shared the award.
"We want to say to all the kids out there who might want to dance, never give up," Kulish said.
Daldry, who won best musical director, said the boys were "three great gifts of Broadway" and that he was "blessed in the past 10 years of my life to be working on 'Billy Elliot.'" The show has also played in Britain and Australia.
Gregory Jbara won best featured actor in a musical for his role as Billy's father and the show also won best book of a musical and scenic, lighting, sound and choreography awards. It tied with "Next to Normal" for best orchestration.
Alice Ripley was named best actress in a musical for her role as a bipolar suburban housewife in "Next to Normal," which also picked up best original score, beating nominees including Elton John and Lee Hall for "Billy Elliot" and Dolly Parton for "9 to 5: The Musical."
"Billy Elliot" had matched the record number of Tony Award nominations set by "The Producers" in 2001, picking up 15 nods. "The Producers" went on to win a record 12 awards.
"Hair," the new production of the groundbreaking 1960s musical, won the Tony for best revival of a musical.
LIZA AND LANSBURY AMONG WINNERS
"God of Carnage" -- with an all-star cast of "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels -- picked up the most awards for a play, winning best play, director of a play, and best actress for Harden.
"God of Carnage" director Matthew Warchus beat himself -- he was also nominated for best director for "The Norman Conquests," a trilogy of comedies that came to Broadway from a sold-out run in London, which won the Tony best play revival.
Liza Minnelli won the best special theatrical event Tony for "Liza's at the Palace," which featured a musical tribute to the 1940's nightclub act of her godmother, Kay Thompson.
"This is exquisite," a breathless Minnelli said. "I thought my beautiful man over there was going to win," she added, referring to comedian Will Ferrell, who was nominated for "You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush." Continued...
Source: Reuters

Family upset over photos of Carradine's body

Reuters Showbiz Week
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The family of late actor David Carradine is "profoundly disturbed" by photos published in Thailand that are said to be of Carradine's naked body hanging in his Bangkok hotel room, according to family attorney Mark Geragos.
Geragos said a statement from the actor's brother, Keith Carradine, shows that the family will take legal action against people or media outlets that publish the photos "for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress."
The Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath published photos that show the body of Carradine, who died on June 3 in Bangkok where he was filming a new movie called "Stretch."
Mystery has surrounded his death following initial reports that he had committed suicide -- claims his family has denied repeatedly.
On Saturday, Geragos said Carradine's family had asked the FBI to look into the death.
The family has hired a forensics pathologist to examine the actor's body when it is returned to the United States.
Thai newspapers said the body left Bangkok on Saturday, which Geragos confirmed at the time. The body is expected to arrive in Los Angeles as early as Sunday.
A maid found Carradine hanging in the closet of his hotel suite at Bangkok's plush Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel.
With coroners awaiting results of toxicology tests, Thai media pointed to suicide or accidental autoerotic asphyxiation as possible causes of death.
Thai officials have said it could take several weeks before the results of an autopsy performed in Bangkok are released.
Carradine starred in the mid-1970s U.S. television show "Kung Fu" and the more recent "Kill Bill" movies,
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: Reuters

"Billy Elliot" early winner at Tony Awards

By Michelle Nichols and Claudia ParsonsNEW YORK (Reuters) - "Billy Elliot The Musical" was an early winner at the top U.S. theater honors on Sunday, picking up six behind-the-scenes Tony Awards for a Broadway season that defied recession with record ticket sales.
"Billy Elliot" is based on Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry's 2000 film about a ballet dancing schoolboy in a mining town in northern England. The show won 10 Drama Desk Awards and seven Outer Critics Circle Awards in the lead up to the Tonys.
"I have to thank Elton John. It was his idea to make this a musical in the first place," said Lee Hall, who won the Tony Award for best book of a musical. "He insisted we start with the music."
Hall and John, whose many hit songs include "Candle in the Wind" and "Rocket Man," are also nominated for best original score for "Billy Elliot."
Hundreds of people lined the street outside New York City's Radio City Hall, cheering nominees including singer Dolly Parton, comedian Will Ferrell, "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini and Oscar winners Liza Minnelli and Geoffrey Rush.
The Tony Awards were established in 1947 and are named for Antoinette Perry, whose nickname was Toni. Perry, who died in 1946, was an actress, stage director and philanthropist who was a founder of the American Theater Wing.
Around 750 people from the theater industry -- from actors, to directors to journalists -- vote for the Tony Awards.
The Broadway League says the 39 theaters in the famous district contribute $5.1 billion per year to the economy of New York, on top of ticket sales, and support 44,000 jobs.
During the 12-month Broadway season ending May 24, 43 shows opened -- the most in more than 25 years, said the Broadway League. There were 10 new musicals, eight new plays, four musical revivals, 16 play revivals and five special shows.
Broadway's paid attendance was 12.15 million tickets, down from 12.27 million the previous season, but gross takings rose $6 million, or 0.6 percent, to $943.3 million, beating the previous record set in the 2006/07 season of $938.5 million.
(Additional reporting by Carmen Perry)

Source: Reuters

Universal Pictures calls "Bruno" suit frivolous

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Movie studio Universal Pictures on Friday responded to a lawsuit filed earlier this week against its parent company and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen calling it "frivolous" and saying its claims were "baseless."
California resident Richelle Olson sued Cohen and Universal Pictures' parent NBC Universal, the media division of General Electric Co., in Los Angeles Superior Court over an encounter with Cohen when he was filming his movie "Bruno."
Olson claims Cohen showed up at a charity bingo event in 2007 as the flamboyant gay Austrian character Bruno and pushed her. Olson says she fell and was surrounded by cameramen who attacked her. Later, she says she fainted, hit her head causing bleeding to her brain, and must now use a wheelchair.
But in its statement, Universal said: "filmed footage of the full encounter, which took place more than two years ago, clearly shows that Ms. Olson was never touched or in any way assaulted by Sacha Baron Cohen or any member of the production and suffered no injury."
Universal said "we expect each of the defendants to be fully vindicated."
"Bruno," which lands in theaters in July, follows Cohen's 2006 surprise hit "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," which made more than $260 million at worldwide box offices.
That comedy featured the comic actor in the role of a naive and rude journalist from Kazakhstan named Borat, who has unscripted meetings with dumbstruck Americans.
"Borat" attracted several lawsuits from individuals Cohen encountered while shooting that film. Both Borat and Bruno are characters Cohen invented for his "Da Ali G Show," which aired on British and American television.
(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: Reuters

Hollywood to portray Kenya's "Pirate Whisperer"

By Alison Bevege
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - When agents for Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson came looking for Andrew Mwangura in Kenya, he could not meet them -- he was on the run.
The man they call the "Pirate Whisperer" was dodging both local authorities and well-connected criminals who were chasing him for exposing the international links of a wave of hijackings afflicting the busy international shipping routes off Somalia.
"I said I was in trouble, come back again when the coast is clear," Mwangura told Reuters in an interview at Mombasa port.
Tinseltown plans to make an action movie about the piracy scourge. Jackson is to play Mwangura -- the quiet 47-year-old founder of the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Program with seemingly unrivalled contacts with maritime groups, ships, ports and even pirates around east Africa.
Himself a former seaman, Mwangura breaks news time and time again on seizures and releases of ships by Somali pirates, revealing details of ransom payments in what has become a multimillion dollar business.
He is a hero to seamen, but a pain for the pirates' financiers, said to be sitting in Nairobi, Dubai and London, managing the business by calls to the gangs' satellite phones. There are strong suspicions that officials in the region could be involved, and Mwangura has not been shy of saying that.
FILM RIGHTS
Now Jackson and filmmaker Andras Hamori have secured the rights to his life story -- but getting a chance to sit down and talk scripts has been more difficult than expected.
Mwangura fell foul of the Kenyan government last year after the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks, was hijacked en route to Mombasa. Mwangura said the consignment was really for south Sudan -- and not Kenya, as officially claimed.
In October, on his way to a talk-show where he was due to speak to the relatives of the Russian and Ukrainian crew, Mwangura was arrested.
"They were waiting for me in Moscow and Kiev on camera. But I was taken to police headquarters for interrogation."
Mwangura spent nine days in jail. One frightening night, he said he was woken by security agents who wanted to take him out of the prison for reasons unknown.
"I think maybe they wanted to harm me," he said.
His cellmates joined hands to prevent the guards from taking him, and he was left in jail.
Mwangura was charged with making alarming statements to foreign media and for possessing $2 worth of marijuana. The government called him a frontman and spokesman for the pirates. Continued...
Source: Reuters