Roy Edward Disney passes away at 79

Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose powerful behind-the-scenes influence on The Walt Disney Co. led to the departure of former chief Michael Eisner, has died. He was 79.

The company announced that Disney died Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif., after a yearlong bout with stomach cancer.

Disney biographer remembers Roy E. Disney

By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 47 mins ago

LOS ANGELES — The scene was Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando Valley. Patty and Roy E. Disney were preparing for a flight to New York to help promote a book about Roy's father who found the money to realize the dreams of his brother, Walt Disney. Patty and Roy were seated in the right front row. They were holding hands as the plane, which Roy owned, trundled down the runway to prepare for the flight.

They still held hands as the plane climbed over Burbank and began the flight east. They finally loosened their grips over the mountains and Roy commented to a fellow traveler, "We always hold hands at the takeoff. So far we've never had a problem."

It was 1998 and we were on our way to New York to tout the book I had written about Roy O. Disney, older brother of Walt Disney. We would also visit where both Disneys were born in Illinois, and Kansas City, Mo., where they lived before their arrival to Los Angeles.

Roy Edward Disney, who died Wednesday at age 79, had been an ideal source about his father and Uncle Walt, whose biography I had also written. He recalled that his father was ambivalent about whether his son should join the studio.

"I think he was apprehensive about that if I did get involved in doing things for Walt, that he would not treat me as well as he did other people," Roy told me, adding "Of course he treated everybody pretty rough.

"I have always said he was very, very fair to me, If I did crappy work, he told me so. If he liked what I did, he told me that too."

Young Roy tried out on the studio's "True Life Adventures" nature film series and suggested two scripts to Walt but got no reply. Then he clicked on the idea for "An Otter in the Family." He made four more "True Life Adventures" before Walt died.

Roy found cooperative co-workers in far-off locations, but the studio workers were not as understanding. They concocted derogatory terms for the son of the boss. It would be a long time before they would recognize his contributions.

Roy Edward's work required long periods in the wilds, but he was able to court Patricia Dailly, New Orleans-born daughter of newsman Pete Dailly. On one of his flights back to L.A. from Utah, Roy was greeted by his mother and Patricia. His mother said to her son, "Well, aren't you going to kiss her?" He did.

When Roy started on a trip back to Utah, he mused, "I've got to go back and propose to the girl." But out of his shyness he didn't. Instead, when he got to Salt Lake City, Roy wrote a five-page letter to Patty. At the end he suggested, "By the way, I think we ought to think about getting married." She sent a telegram: "Hell yes!"

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Millions doller is seeking by Michael Jacksons' estate administrators

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY (AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The administrators of Michael Jackson's estate and a cadre of attorneys are seeking millions for managing the King of Pop's affairs after death, court documents filed Tuesday show.

It's unclear how much exactly will be paid out.

The administrators of Jackson's estate, attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, are seeking five percent of money the estate has earned so far.

The administrators and attorneys have not been paid since Jackson's death on June 25, the filings state.

The estate may have earned $100 million or more

with the sale of rights to the concert film "This Is It," new music releases and merchandising agreements.

But Jackson's estate also faces significant debt and a lawsuit cites at least 10 lawsuits that are still pending. They include suits over the rights to "Thriller," Jackson's iconic song and music video directed by John Landis, and lawsuits filed by former associates.

The filings state that a detailed accounting of the estate's earnings is not ready, but attorneys have filed some financial records for the judge to review.

Many experts believe that Jackson's estate earnings could eclipse those of another famous, and profitable,

music icon — Elvis Presley.

Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'

"Unlike the typical estate, the operation of Michael Jackson's estate is more akin to the operation of a multimillion dollar business enterprise," attorney Jeryll S. Cohen wrote in a filing.

She wrote that many of the attorneys working the case have spent up to 14 hours a day on the case, and that not approving the fees soon will create a financial hardship.

Branca is asking the five percent be paid to his firm. The filing states he is not asking for a personal fee for administration of the estate.

Payments would also go to a variety of firms, including one representing the interests of Jackson's children.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff has scheduled a hearing for Jan. 4 to decide how much can be paid out.

Underdog, Reitman now an Oscar favorite

NEW YORK (AP) -- Two years ago, director Jason Reitman's "Juno" was the consummate Oscar underdog. An independent film without A-list stars, it went on to earn four Oscar nominations, winning best screenplay for Diablo Cody.

Reitman's new, widely feted film, "Up in the Air," won't have the luxury of a sneak attack. It solidified its status as an Academy Awards favorite Tuesday, when it was nominated for six Golden Globes, the most of any film.

Reitman has said he was concerned the expectations surrounding "Up in the Air" — starring George Clooney

as a frequent flier who fires people for a living — might detract from the joy of its success. When he watched the Globes announcements — while fittingly jet-lagged from a recent flight from Los Angeles to New York — he seemed to be taking to the new role.

"Whatever my fears were about having anticipation, there's nothing as exciting as watching live TV and not knowing if your name is going to be called out," said the 32-year-old Reitman, who was nominated for best director and best screenplay with co-writer Sheldon Turner. "It's an overwhelming rush."

One of Reitman's first phone calls was to his father, Ivan Reitman, the well-regarded director of hit comedies such as "Stripes" and "Ghostbusters." He's also a producer of "Up in the Air," an of-the-moment recession tale, adapted from Walter Kirn's novel.

UNDERDOG MOVIE TRAILER

"It's great to be the producer of this kind of movie and sort of share in its success and the goodwill that comes with it," Ivan Reitman said. "But as a parent it's kind of this remarkable emotional moment that's kind of hard to describe."

Aside from best film (drama), "Up in the Air" also earned a nomination for Clooney as best actor (drama) and nominations for best supporting actress for Vera

Farmiga (who plays Clooney's mirror-image romantic interest) and Anna Kendrick (who plays Clooney's colleague).

"Up in the Air" is generally considered a likely candidate for a best picture Oscar nomination as well as for other categories. It has received excellent reviews, landed on many critics' Top 10 lists and won four National Board of Review awards, including best film. It has clearly reverberated in hard times.

But it will have stiff competition. Another critical darling, the Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker," has been building steam, picking up awards. Before it

received three Golden Globe nominations Tuesday, it was picked as the best film of the year by the New York Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Critics Association.

James Cameron's new sci-fi movie, "Avatar," also may be a strong contender. Its Oscar prospects are less clear because it's a relatively late arrival, screening for critics for the first time last week. But early reviews have largely been glowing, and it will surely be a much larger hit at the box office.

"Avatar" earned only two Globe nominations Tuesday, for best picture (drama) and best director for

Cameron, but the Globes have never been a good prognosticator of effects-heavy films since they don't have technical categories like the Oscars do.

Cameron, nevertheless, weighed in on Twitter: "Sorry Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but It's Complicated did not have a better script than Avatar."

Jason Reitman has long been an avid Twitter user. Responding to a congratulatory tweet from Cody, he wrote: "THANK YOU! But not the same without you!"

In an interview last month, Reitman said: "It's funny, I grew up always thinking I'd love to have movies that were always part of the conversation, not realizing

that being part of the conversation diminishes the possible joy from the moment it happens. When I got nominated for `Juno,' it was SUCH a surprise. ... There was nothing on the road to the Oscars that made me think, 'Oh, I'm going to get nominated for an Oscar.'"

That, though, isn't the case for "Up in the Air."

———
Associated Press writer John Rogers in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Golden Globes nominated 'Glee,' 'Modern Family' for TV series

No one can lay a glove on the Golden Globes. It's the award show that has survived so many crazy incidents and outrageous behavior over the years -- remember the time a Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. member was suspended for selling a photo of Tom Selleck to a tabloid? -- that it has developed an an almost absolute immunity to criticism.

Showbiz journalists have penned detailed exposes, columnists (me included) have mocked the HFPA's picks, TV critics have panned the show, but nothing, not even the infamous choice of Pia Zadora as new female star of the year, has been able to stop the Globes from motoring along as one of Hollywood's most unlikely institutions.

I suspect the Globes owe their robust health less to their value as an award season barometer than to the fact that everyone in Hollywood, even the eye-rolling studio executives who privately ridicule the group's tiny cadre of obscure international journalists, enjoys the idea of having an award show that is as raucous and silly as the Academy Awards is stuffy and tame. The Globes are Hollywood's ultimate guilty pleasure. If the Oscars are as earnest as an Ed Zwick movie, the Globes are as daffy and unpredictable as a Sacha Baron Cohen comedy.

They are also refreshingly populist, which surely has earned the Globes a big dose of goodwill from the studios, which have been complaining for years about the Oscars' fondness for dark, dreary dramas that barely make a dent at the box office. No one will accuse the Globes of dreariness. In fact, the Globes' nominations are clearly weighted toward pop appeal, with a separate (but equal) category for best musical or comedy, for its best picture and best actor and actress awards.That's why this year's nominations have far more in common with the Joe Beer Can tastes of the multiplexes than what we'll see on Feb. 2nd, when the Oscar nominations arrive. While "Up in the Air" and "The Hurt Locker" continued to roll up nominations, the Globes made room for far more populist films. Its best musical or comedy film category was dominated by nominations for such broad comedies as "The Hangover," "Julie & Julia" and "It's Complicated," which, with the possible exception of "The Hangover," are long-shots for Oscar best picturedom. In fact, if we were giving out odds, "It's Complicated," a frothy comedy from Nancy Meyers, would be a 900-1 shot for an Oscar best picture nod.

The Globes best actor in a musical or comedy category is also weighted toward mainstream entertainment, with Robert Downey Jr. (from "Sherlock Holmes") and Matt Damon (from "The Informant!") getting nominations, while Sandra Bullock, the kind of actress who rarely gets any love from the academy, earned a Globes nomination for both of her 2009 hits, a best musical or comedy actress nod for "The Proposal" and a best dramatic actress nod for "The Blind Side." (The odds of Bullock getting an Oscar nomination for "The Proposal": 9,000-1.)

Of course, big movie stars -- especially big movie stars who are willing to show up for the Globes TV broadcast -- seem to cast a potent hypnotic spell over the 83 international journalists who make up the HFPA. The bigger the star, the bigger the whopper when it comes to unlikely nominations. In 2005, Nicole Kidman earned a best dramatic actress nod for "Birth," a little-seen drama that ended up making a grand total of $5 million. In 2006, Leonardo Di Caprio landed two best dramatic actor nominations, one for "The Departed," one for "Blood Diamond." In 2007, Angelina Jolie -- who seems to have a Globes nomination wrapped up from the minute the cameras start rolling on one of her movies -- scored a nomination for "A Mighty Heart," a forgettable political drama that was a mighty flop.

This year the stars are equally dominant. As you scan the nominations, some of the choices, notably Damon for "The Informant!," Julia Roberts for best musical or comedy actress in the blink-and-you-missed-it "Duplicity" and Tobey Maguire for best dramatic actor in "Brothers," seem geared far more for the value of their appearance on the Globes broadcast than any appreciation for their bravura acting. (The odds of Maguire earning a best actor Oscar this year: 90,000-1.) 

Speaking of odds, the easiest odds to lay are that the Globes will lavish attention on a film bankrolled by Harvey Weinstein, who over the years has earned the reputation of being a beneficent Medici-style patron to the HFPA. Every year, some Weinstein Co. production scores with the Globes, even though it is largely ignored by most critics groups and Oscar voters. In 2006, the Globes gave a best drama nomination to "Bobby," a wooden, now-forgotten drama that was released by Weinstein. In 2007, the Globes mysteriously expanded the best drama category to seven pictures, perhaps to make room for "The Great Debaters," another Weinstein production.

This year the Globes is giving the love to "Nine." Even though the Weinstein-produced film has been getting a woefully lukewarm reception at early screenings, it managed to earn five nominations, including a host of acting nods (just as the Weinstein's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" did last year). Unfortunately, according to early screening-goers, the film is too distant and chilly to be populist entertainment.

That goes against the grain, since the Globes have little interest in dark or depressing navel-gazing, which is probably why the gloomiest of this year's awards contenders -- "The Road," "The Lovely Bones" and "Bright Star" -- were films that came away empty-handed, at least in terms of major nominations. Give the Globes credit for consistency. Despite all of their members' oddball behavior, from the cat fights at cocktail parties to an incident in which an HFPA member grabbed Brendan Fraser's bottom, the Golden Globes know how to put on a star-friendly show. Call it lightweight or call it giddy fun, but in Hollywood, that's what they call entertainment.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

Award winner INVICTUS Top of the Movie Week

MOVIEmeter:  Up 275% in popularity this week.

Director:                    Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):      Anthony Peckham (screenplay) John Carlin (book)

Release Date:           11 December 2009 (USA)

Plot:                            Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the
                                    apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup

Awards:                     Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations.

INVICTUS TRAILER

From director Clint Eastwood, 'Invictus' tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africas rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africas underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

The poem 'INVICTUS' by William Ernest Henley, from which Nelson Mandela drew strength while in prison.

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

Movie Review:
This magnificent political biography also happens to be a very good movie. Not a great movie, but a great and important story, well told and even better acted by its two leads. Lessons in history and leadership should all be so charismatic.The movie has rhythms and totems unfamiliar to American audiences, notwithstanding its trio of American superstars: Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon on screen and Clint Eastwood behind the camera. It’s also perhaps overlong at 2 1/4 hours.Freeman easily inhabits the iconic Nelson Mandela: twinkling eyes, ready smile, quiet dignity, rolling vocal intonations. For an African-American born and raised in Jim Crow era Tennessee, playing one of the two greatest black leaders of the 20th Century (the other being Dr. Martin Luther King), is a career accomplishment of the highest order.

Damon muscled up impressively, amply filling out his rugby shirt. With lightened hair and chiseled head, he looks every centimeter the Afrikaner ideal. Playing the good-guy hero comes naturally to this All American superstar, though he impresses more than usual here by playing a good-old-boy rugby star, complete with an apparently accurate Afrikaans accent.

Bottom line: American audiences can count on the surefire satisfaction of a happy ending to a consequential story delivered by familiar stars shining brightly.

In the rest of the world, especially the British Commonwealth and other rugby playing nations, Invictus will play like a modern and secular Greatest Story Ever Told. Hallelujah.

Grizz Chapman Star of '30 Rock' needs kidney transplant

LOS ANGELES — "30 Rock" star Actor Grizz Chapman of said Monday he needs a kidney transplant and wants to raise awareness of the dangers of high blood pressure, which led to his condition.

Chapman said he is receiving dialysis treatments and will continue to play Grizzwald the NBC sitcom. He and Kevin Brown, as the character Dot Com, appear as the two-man entourage for a hapless comedian played by Tracy Morgan.

Chapman, 35, is married and has two children. He is scheduled to appear on "The Dr. Oz Show" Tuesday to discuss his health.

Chapman said Monday he was diagnosed a decade ago with high blood pressure and learned two years ago that he was suffering from kidney disease. He gets dialysis treatments three times a week.

The actor said he will have the organ transplant when a match is found and he's at an acceptable weight.

"I'm a little nervous about the process, but I'm definitely willing and able," Chapman said from New York.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

Courtney Love loses her daughters' legal guardianship

Courtney Love loses custody of Frances Bean Cobain: court

Courtney Love has lost legal guardianship of Frances Bean Cobain, her daughter with the late Kurt Cobain, according to reports

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Beleaguered US rocker Courtney Love has reportedly lost legal guardianship custody of her 17-year-old daughter Frances Bean, child of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, according to court documents.

A Los Angeles judge passed custody of the17-year-old Frances has been put in the care of her grandmother and aunt -- Cobain's mother and sister -- according to the documents published on the TMZ.com celebrity website.

Reasons for the custody battle are unknown, but it isn't the first time Love, 45, has experienced such problems -- Bean was taken under the care of her grandmother in 2003 after Love was arrested for possession of drugs without a prescription.



Love has had a long history of debt, arrests over drugs and parole violations since Cobain committed suicide in 1994 at the age of 27, near the height of the grunge-rock band's success.

Love has not released an official statement on the ruling, but TMZ reports that her lawyer, Keith Fink, told the website: ""Courtney wants to say she loves her daughter and she's the most important thing in her life."

The temporary guardianship was established on Friday, TMZ reported. Love was not present at the hearing. The new guardians are relatives of Frances's father, but allegedly do not have power over the trust established for Frances after the Nirvana frontman's death.

Watch  a Video Report on the event




"Life is about choices," she said in a statement in 2005. "And I've chosen to move forward with my life in a healthy and positive way."

The best way to get Love's (frequently unhinged) comments on a matter used to be by monitoring her Twitter account. Alas, that account was closed this autumn, after Love was sued for libel for calling a fashion designer a "nasty lying hosebag thief".

We must now rely on infrequent postings to the singer's Facebook group. At the time of writing, Love's last post was: "oh jesus, i once got an ex ex boyfriend or whatever you w ant to calthat creep a hooker and i guess it must have been thru this chick, i didnt do the getting: however. it was a bday present arent i just the libertine!" We are not sure what this means.

Great Music Content On Demand with Exclusive Shakira Partnership

Comcast is launching a great HD VOD collection showcasing music videos, biographical footage and live performances from Shakira, thanks to an exclusive partnership with the Colombian singer (note: the MSO also recently launched a similar exclusive HD VOD collection featuring singer, Taylor Swift.

“On Demand allows another way for me to connect with my fans,” said Shakira. “My American fans can now see me and hear my music whenever they like."

Content that will be available in the collection, according to Comcast, includes the music videos for "Underneath Your Clothes," "Whenever, Wherever," and "Hips Don't Lie." Viewers will have the option of watching the collection in its entirety without stopping or having to hit play, the MSO says. According to Comcast, music is one of the most popular programming categories on its VOD service, generating 50 to 60 million views each month (out of a total of 350 million views per month). Other musical artists recently featured on Comcast On Demand include Green Day, U2, Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, Foo Fighters, ZZ Top and Mariah Carey.

This exclusive collection is available to Comcast customers through the On Demand menu by selecting “Top Picks” then “Shakira.”

"One of today's hottest stars Shakira is capping a phenomenal year of exclusive Comcast On Demand music events that also featured U2, Green Day, Taylor Swift and others," said Derek Harrar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video and Entertainment Services for Comcast. "The great news is that we built momentum with the music industry this year so 2010 will be even better."

Music continues to be one of the most popular categories of On Demand programming with 50-60 million views every month. Comcast offers everything from music videos to live performances across a wide range of music genres giving customers an immersive music experience. Recent artists featured On Demand include Taylor Swift, Green Day, U2, Foo Fighters and ZZ Top.

Enjoy Shakiras' Objection (Tango) With Lyrics on Screen & Video

Jennifer Hudson is going to celebrate her first emotional Cristmas.

Jennifer Hudson gets her first holiday special to-be-emotional
the Academy Award-winning singer and actress travels to Chicago to relive childhood Christmases.She said I'll Be Home for Christmas" special featuring duets with Michael Bublé in November. The special will air Monday

Jennifer Hudson doesn't wait for December to roll around to start celebrating the Christmas season. No, she goes way early.

"It's officially the holiday season come November 1st," Hudson says. "All my life, I started celebrating and playing my Christmas music and looking for my Christmas movies the day after Halloween. That's my thing. I like to get into the spirit."

This year, Hudson is in the holiday programming mix with "Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas," airing Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

The special was shot a month ago in her hometown, Chicago. It includes Michael Bublé, who sings with Hudson.

"I had the best time doing it," she says. "It was like a dream for me. It was like being in my own holiday film in a way."

The idea for the special came from her management team. She then set out to select the songs.

"I must say that was the hardest thing," Hudson said. "I went online and I looked up Christmas songs. That was a hard thing to do."

What she came up with was "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song" and "O Holy Night" alone, and "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "Let It Snow" with Bublé.

The Christmas special is the latest in an incredible roller-coaster ride for Hudson. She became a national name in 2004 as a finalist on "American Idol." In 2006, she made her acting debut in "Dreamgirls," a role for which she won an Academy Award. She picked up a Grammy in 2008 for her debut CD.

Later in 2008, her world was rocked when her mother, brother and nephew were shot to death. These days, home for Hudson is a gated community in Florida, where, with her family, she's trying to get used to warm Christmases. In August, she gave birth to a boy, David Daniel Otunga Jr. Dad is pro wrestler David Otunga.

And I am Telling You (Clive Grammy Party) by Jennifer Hudson:

"I was just sitting here taking pictures of my baby with his little Santa Claus hat," she says.

Growing up, Hudson says she loved going to nursing homes to sing Christmas songs for seniors. Now she gets the Christmas list of a less-fortunate child and buys everything on it.

"I was thinking of going to my neighbors and singing Christmas carols," Hudson says, laughing. "Hello, Jennifer Hudson is at your door."

As for the special, Hudson hopes it will become part of the holidays for viewers, the way others have for her.

"The only thing I can hope for, " she says, "and I don't know how realistic it is, but I would love for it to become someone else's tradition to watch my holiday special."

Catherine Zeta-Jones' 40th b'day gift from Michael Douglas

Catherine Zeta-Jones' 40th b'day gift from Michael Douglas: puppy!

London, December 12 : Michael Douglas gifted his wife/actress Catherine Zeta-Jones a new pooch on her 40th birthday.

'The Mask of Zorro' actress, who recently shifted to New York from Bermuda with her family, was sad after she left her pets
behind.

However, Douglas brought her a new pet on 25 September, the same day the actor celebrated his 65th birthday.

"I've a bit of my own zoo, I left four of my Labradors there (in Bermuda)," the Daily Express quoted Zeta-Jones, as saying.

She added: "But my husband actually, for my birthday, I was desperate for a little Coton De Tulear dog. He's the sweetest little thing, he's only six months old."

Zeta-Jones is presently performing in Broadway play 'A Little Night Music,' while Douglas is filming 'Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps' in Manhattan.