X17 Industry Wrap
The Vatican Gives Avatar A Thumbs Down
The Pope isn't among James Cameron's millions of fans. The official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano calls the box office hit without "genuine emotions" and calls the plot simplistic and futuristic: "So much stupefying, enchanting technology, but few genuine emotions."
Vatican Radio called it "rather harmless," but said: "We doubt that this is an heir to those sci-fi masterpieces that — for reasons other than special effects — have marked cinema history."
Despite the church's criticism, the film has made over $1.1 billion so far at the box office. The critiques came after a red carpet premiere for the film in Rome.
Writers' Guild Noms AnnouncedBox office blockbusters were among the nominees for the WGA Awards announced yesterday. The Hangover and Avatar are up for Best Screenplay along with The Hurt Locker, the Coen brothers' A Serious Man, and surprise nom, 500 Days of Summer.
High-profile films like Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, Disney feature Up, and Tom Ford's A Single Man were all ineligible because they didn't meet the WGA's Minimum Basic Agreement for movies filmed abroad.
The awards will be presented in simultaneous ceremonies in New York and in Los Angeles on February 20.
Jerry Seinfeld Returns To TV With The Marriage RefJerry Seinfeld will executive produce and appear as a panelist on his new show The Marriage Ref -- a primetime "game show" featuring fighting marriage couples fighting out their issues on NBC.
Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Eva Longoria, and Larry David are a few of the celebs confirmed to appear as celebrity panelists who will help decide which of the spouses wins.
The show debuts February 28.
Looking sweet as honey (or, in Renee Zellweger's case, a bit more like she's bitten into something sour), stars dressed in bee black and yellow turned out for the premiere of the new DreamWorks animated movie in Westwood Sunday night. With all the buzz about Seinfeld's first animation appearance, will this movie live up to it's expectations, or will it bee just so-so?
With America's most Dirty Famous celebrity now behind bars, it seemed like everyone in Cannes had an opinion about the incarcerated heiress. From Jason Statham exclaiming "fantastic" to Dita Von Teese saying "bless her," and Harvey Weinstein snickering when we suggested a Jailbird Paris movie, Paris was definitely on the top of everyone's (French) tongue!
We couldn't help but wonder whose child we happened to spot by Jerry Seinfeld's side - after all, as the comedian was quick to point out, it sure wasn't his! Predictably enough, the whole scene was perfectly innocent; the kid belonged to one of the friends leaving with Jerry after a pleasant lunch. Still, we can't blame the kid for wanting to have his shot snapped with a celebrity like Jerry - or even just one with his slick silver Porsche!
