'Ang Babae sa Septic Tank' is Philippines' entry to the Oscars Best Foreign Language Film Category next year

By Jamie Ortega, Photo Courtesy of Star Cinema

After bagging five major awards at the 7th Cinemalaya Awards Night and grossing 20 million pesos in its first five days of nationwide screening, the critically-acclaimed Indie-comedy Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank is now attempting to make it in the international film festival circuit.

The movie is the country's official entry to the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film Category next year. The selection committee of the Film Academy Of The Philippines was in charge of choosing which film to send to the Oscars.

Directed by Marlon Rivera and starring Eugene Domingo, JM De Guzman, Kean Cipriano and Cai Cortez, Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank is a mockumentary that chronicles a day in a life of three ambitious, passionate and misguided filmmakers who are dead set on producing an internationally-acclaimed indie film. The movie, which satirically depicts the present situation of our local indie film industry, was also recently nominated for the Young Cinema Award in the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Happy Feet 2 - Official Teaser Trailer [HD]

By Gig Patta

Warner Brothers Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures released the theatrical trailer for the upcoming animation “Happy Feet 2” on Yahoo! Movies.

The film stars Elijah Wood, Pink, Robin Williams, Sofia Vergara and Hank Azaria.

Here is the synopsis provided on Yahoo! Movies:

Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreophobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven—a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces. Erik learns of his father’s “guts and grit” as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures—from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals—to put things right.

The animation is directed by George Miller (“Happy Feet,” “Mad Max”). The screenplay is written by Miller, Warren Coleman (“Happy Feet”), Gary Eck (“The Nation,” “You Can’t Stop the Murders”) and Paul Livingston (“Good News Week”).

The film will be released in 2D and 3D on November 18th later this year.

Angry Birds The Movie

David Maisel, the former chairman of Marvel Studios and the executive producer of "Iron Man", "Thor", and "Captain America: The First Avenger", is planning to adapt the popular mobile game "Angry Birds" into a feature length film, according to a report by Variety website.

The project is currently in the planning stages with Maisel in talks with screenwriters, directors and Rovio; the company behind the game who hopes to follow in the steps of animation studio; Pixar.

"There has been so much chatter about an "Angry Birds" movie, but it's now real," Maisel told Variety. "The process is starting now."

Maisel added, "People are interacting with these characters six inches from them each time they play, and that creates an emotional connection. This is not an American thing. It's not even a Finnish thing. It's a global thing that's something I've never seen before. It will be exciting to expand within Hollywood."

The "Angry Birds" game which has been downloaded more than 250 million times since its launch in 2009, allows players to use a slingshot to help a flock of animated birds destroy a group of evil pigs who steal their eggs.

Winklevoss Twins Give Up on Facebook Case

By pefohorh

The Harvard University classmates of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are ending the legal battle made famous by the Hollywood movie "The Social Network."
In a one-paragraph court filing Wednesday, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss said they would accept a settlement that was worth $65 million when agreed upon in 2008.

The twins had sought to undo the settlement of $20 million cash and $45 million in stock.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the twins, saying they had been represented by a squadron of Silicon Valley lawyers and their father, a noted business professor.
The twins said Wednesday they would forgo a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Their stock is now worth more than $100 million.

Andrew Garfield as the new Peter Parker in Spiderman

The film, which is now in production and is being shot entirely in 3D, will be released on July 3, 2012. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field.

The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the Marvel Entertainment production for Columbia Pictures. The executive producers are Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, and Michael Grillo.

Apparently, not all good things come in threes —sometimes, they’ve just got to make room for more. Such was the success of the franchise, and its makers’ eagerness to do a reboot and join the fray of other successful movies that have benefited from the resurgence of 3D, that Sony just had to announce a release date for a new “Spider-Man” movie without even having a title, a director (Raimi had left amid rumors of creative differences with the studio after the third installment), and a new star at that.

But things move fast in the land of big bucks. Soon after, a comprehensive worldwide casting search was launched to find a replacement for its three-time Peter Parker, Tobey Maguire who, let’s face it, would be just too old to be putting on that tight suit and be swinging about from city skyscrapers.

Just this July 1, Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced that they have found their new lead—a relatively unknown British heartthrob, Andrew Garfield. It seems the 3D screening date of July 3, 2010 would be realistic.

Andrew who?

It had been one of the most eagerly anticipated casting announcements, launching speculation frenzy participated in by bloggers, pop culture spectators and everyday fans who have all considered every conceivable online rumor.

Garfield has not really registered with pop culture pundits to replace Maguire —the list, at various points, has even included Logan Lerman (star of “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief”) and even Robert Pattinson of “Twilight” fame. Some even put their two cents’ worth and suggested Zac Efron.

But as for the fans, if the studio is insisting on casting a new Peter Parker, it better not be a wuss —at least that’s the concession they are hoping for.

But other fans may have hit it on the head, preferring an unknown to play the lead since the reboot the studio is embarking on is happening not even 10 years out of the franchise’s last installment.

Enter Andrew Garfield, whose acting career has spanned all of five years. But within that short time, he’s already received a Best Actor BAFTA in 2008 for playing a young ex-con in John Crowley’s “Boy A.”

Garfield most recently worked with director David Fincer in the upcoming “The Social Network.” Prior to that, he starred in Spike Jonze’s robot love story “I’m Here” that premiered in Sundance this year. He’ll also be seen opposite Keira Knightly and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go” due out late this year.

His other screen credits include Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus,” Robert Redford’s “Lions for Lambs” and Revolution Films’ “Red Riding Trilogy – 1974.”

Furthering the franchise:

Considered one of the most successful franchises in film history, the the “Spider-Man” movies have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office. The studio hopes to keep the dough rolling in with its sights targeted on the new audience raring to see the red-and-blue suited web-slinging superhero in 3D.

On casting Garfield, director Marc Webb said, “Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”

Producer Avi Arad added, “I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.”

Well, the big brasses have made their call. And the superhero’s loyalists will just have to wait, because only July 2012 will tell if this franchise’s future will indeed continue its swinging success.

Peter Parker is no more in 'Ultimate Spider-Man'

This image provided by Marvel Comics shows a panel from "Ultimate Comics Spider-Man" No. 160, available in comic book shops on Wednesday, June 22, 2011. In the issue, written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Mark Bagley, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, will be felled by one of his biggest foes, and die as the series concludes its nearly 11-year run. But fans of Spidey need not worry too much because Ultimate Spider-Man is a separate imprint from Marvel's ongoing adventures of "Amazing Spider-Man" who is still alive, slinging webs and crawling on walls. (AP Photo/Marvel Comics)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The lights are going out for Peter Parker, the high school student bitten by a radioactive spider whose wall-crawling and web-slinging antics have made him a touchstone of Marvel Comics' universe of heroes and villains.

The publisher said Tuesday that Parker's alter ego, Spider-Man, will finally succumb to one of his most pernicious foes in the final issue of "Ultimate Comics Spider-Man" due out Wednesday.
Fans of Spider-Man need not worry much, though, because the Ultimates imprint is separate from Marvel's bigger universe. Whatever fate may befall Ultimate Spider-Man won't count in the pages of the other series, including Amazing Spider-Man.

The death, while dramatic, is not entirely unexpected. In November, Marvel said that the Ultimate Spider-Man was going to face an uncertain fate in the latest storyline by writer Brian Michael Bendis fittingly titled "The Death of Spider-Man," an eight-issue arc that saw the return of original series artist Mark Bagley. Bendis and Bagley had worked together on the series for 111 issues.

Bendis told The Associated Press that in issue No. 160 Parker fights valiantly but will pass on, heroically, in a pitched fight. To whom? (SPOILER BELOW)
"He will pass heroically, but he will die at the hands of the Green Goblin," Bendis said, recalling his nearly 11 years writing the title, which debuted in October 2000.

The death is real and in Marvel's Ultimate Comics imprint, death is not something taken lightly. Characters in that universe are dead and gone, never to return. The roll of the deceased already includes Magneto, Wasp and Wolverine, among others.

"Ten years ago, Brian Bendis and Mark Millar changed the way people saw super heroes with the birth of the Ultimate Universe. With 'Death of Spider-Man' the two have done it again, creating a story just as big, and something that would really resonate with fans," said Mark Paniccia, Marvel senior editor. "But Peter's death doesn't signal the end of their larger plan — it's the start of one of the most ambitious stories you've ever read in comics."

Bendis said that Parker's death won't be in vain and hinted that the Ultimate Spider-Man may not be gone forever. But what exactly is to come, that's something he's not willing to share, at least not yet.

He likened the death to that of Parker's Uncle Ben, whose demise catapulted Peter into being a superhero and crime fighter, and called it an emotionally ripping decision to end Parker's life.
"I won't lie to you, it's embarrassing to say this out loud . tears were rolling down my face, I was very emotional in writing it," Bendis told AP. "This is a character that I have stayed with the entire time, that I have been almost solely responsible for. It represents such a great deal of my life."

Axel Alonso, Marvel's editor-in-chief, said there's never been a Marvel Universe without a Spider-Man, so killing the character is a big step.

"We've never seen a world without Spider-Man, a world without Peter Parker, so his death is a significant event for the Ultimate Comics universe and we're going to see how quickly it changes everything," he said, adding that the fallout from Parker's death will play out in the upcoming "Ultimate Comics Fallout" as the company retools its Ultimate universe.

How Steven Spielberg got Megan Fox fired

Steven Spielberg demanded Megan Fox was fired from the Transformers franchise after she compared the director to Hitler.

The Hollywood beauty played Mikaela Banes in the first two movies in the popular series, but was replaced by British model Rosie Huntingdon-Whitley for the latest instalment Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It has now been claimed Steven was furious after Megan criticised director Michael Bay during an interview, claiming the filmmaker "wants to be like Hitler on his sets".

Michael has now revealed Steven – who is a producer on the movie - told him to cut the actress from the next Transformers film, which also stars Shia LaBeouf.

"You know the Hitler thing. Steven (Spielberg) said fire her right now," Michael explained.
Michael insists he was not upset by Megan’s comments.

Megan, 25, claimed at the time that it was her decision to leave the franchise as she wanted a new challenge.

Shia recently claimed Megan didn’t like being viewed as a sex symbol and felt uncomfortable with her role in Transformers.

“Michael films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality,” he explained. “And I think [Megan] never got comfortable with it. This is a girl who was taken from complete obscurity and placed in a sex-driven role in front of the whole world and told she was the sexiest woman in America. And she had a hard time accepting it."

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is released in cinemas across Europe later this month.
© Cover Media

Snow White 2012

With comic book superheroes getting dibs on their very own big-screen treatment, why do fairytales have to settle for the back seat? This time around, fairytale refuses to be neglected yet again, and is bent on making a comeback tackling its ever-popular tale; Snow White, which has two upcoming movies to offer along the ride. Originally titled "Kinder- und Hausmärchen", Snow White is a 1857 German folk tale from the Brothers Grimm, which sees an emotionally abused, neglected child who still manages to hold together her sanity and good nature, despite being robbed of her birthright from her evil stepmother who repeatedly tries to kill her. In spite of all the unpleasantness, Snow White is a pretty awesome tale that has been remade or re-imagined countless of times, including the well-known Disney animated version in 1937 which we have all grown to love. Now let's run through some of the Snow White movies that have, and will be adapted after the fairytale in the near future.

1. "Happily Ever After" (1993)
"Happily Ever After" is an unofficial sequel to Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", which was produced in 1988 and released in 1993. It featured low budget animation and a typical high fantasy/adventure setting, though with surprising twists. The story this time around, sees the Evil Queen's brother attack Snow White in the form of a dragon and take Snow White's Prince to the Realm of Doom. Instead of dwarfs, we're also introduced to the seven 'dwarfellas'. The movie is a complete reverse from the well-known old Snow White tale where Snow White gets saved by the Prince. In this feminist-like movie, Snow White embarks on a quest to rescue the Prince with the aid of the 'dwarfellas'.

2. "Snow White: The Fairest of Them All" (2001)
In this adaptation, Snow White's mother dies during childbirth, leaving baby Snow White and father John for dead on an icy field, who then receives a visit from one of Satan's representatives, granting him three wishes; nourishment for Snow White, a kingdom in which to raise his family and also a Queen by his side. Miranda Richardson as the Evil Queen is beautiful and compelling as ever, but this adaptation undercuts her fine performance with a terrible back-story in which she is originally a hag who is turned into a beauty by her well-meaning spirit of a brother. Kristin Kreuk (Snow White) looks the part, but doesn't act it as well as expected. The film is a great example of a classic story, one that is so perfect in its original form that there is really no room for improvement. Caroline Thompson known for the screenplays of "A Nightmare before Christmas", "Corpse Bride" and "City of Ember" directed the film.

3. "Sydney White" (2007)
"Sydney White" is modern retelling of Snow White set against students in their freshman year of college through the Greek fraternity/sorority system. Sydney White is a re-imagined version of Snow White, in the movie there is no evil Queen but instead a popularity-obsessed evil college mate, and instead of the seven dwarfs there are seven geeks with whom Sydney is friends with. Interestingly, a college networking system that rates "who is the fairest of them all" among the female students of the college replaces the famed magic mirror. The movie stars Amanda Bynes as Sydney White and Sara Paxton as Rachael Witch; the arch-nemesis of Sydney. The movie took a different approach to the story and is quite a diversion into reality from the fairytale world.

4. "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012)
This upcoming movie is also a twist to the well-known fairytale, but only on a very small scale. Starring "Twilight's" mono-expression faced Kristen Stewart as the fairest of them all, in this version, the Huntsman is played by Chris Hemsworth from "Thor", and is ordered by the Evil Queen to take Snow White (Stewart) into the woods to be killed, but instead takes pity on her and trains her to fight the Queen. In a role that was first offered to Viggo Mortensen and Hugh Jackman, audiences are excited for Chris Hemsworth to be back on the screen after the highly successful comic book adaptation for which he played the God of Thunder, Thor. Eventhough the pairing of Hemsworth with Stewart may be cringe-worthy; we hope the movie turns out to be a big-hit next year especially with Oscar winner Charlize Theron playing the Evil Queen.

5. "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White" (2012)
For probably what would be the closes adaptation to the original fairytale, "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White" puts a rebellious Snow White who bands with the dwarfs to overturn the Evil Queen who killed her father and destroyed the kingdom. Tarsem Singh ("The Fall") directs with Julia Roberts starring as the Queen, Lily Collins ("Priest") as Snow White and Armie Hammer ("The Social Network") as Prince Andrew Alcott. Director Tarsem who is famed for his artistic movies, informs audiences to expect the strange visual aesthetics of his fairytale, which will feature monotonous buildings contrasted by colourful costumes in what promises to be the most anticipated movie next year.

YAHOO.COM

Jurassic Park 4

In 2007, Steven Spielberg announced his plan for 4th installment of Jurrasic Park but the project was shelved. Will it finally push through this year?

Now, rumors about famed director Steven Spielberg planning to give life to the extinct vertebrates on the big screen for the fourth time are getting louder.

According to reports, Spielberg is in talks with “Poseidon” writer Mark Protosevich about a possible fourth installment to the “Jurassic Park” franchise. However, Universal Pictures says nobody has been attached to the project as of yet, and that it’s still just an idea at this point, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The first three installments of Jurassic Park have accumulated more than $2 billion gross receipts worldwide, a sign that the franchise is very much alive and deserves a continuation.

www.starmometer.com

Buhay na buhay ang internet (Lola Techie 'Like' TV Commercial)

Lola Techie, a technology-oriented grandma who uses Facebook and other social networking sites, and plays online games, has a new Bayan DSL infomercial. Anyone who's fond of watching TV would notice her ad, "Buhay na buhay ang internet," where she doesn't say anything except 'like'.

Here's Lola Techie's video:

Subject: I Love You - First international film of Jericho Rosales

Subject: I Love You is an action-packed romantic drama, based on the destructive ‘I Love You’ (LOVE BUG) computer virus, which spread around the globe at the turn of the millennium, shutting down computer systems at the Pentagon, Parliament and the CIA. Combining romance, drama, action and international intrigue.

Subject: I Love You is ultimately the story of a young man, Victor, who will do anything to reconnect with the only woman he’s ever loved – even if that means entangling himself in an international criminal investigation.

Also included in the cast are Briana Evigan, Dean Cain, Dante Basco, Kristin Bauer, Tirso Cruz III, Gary Valenciano, and Joel Torre.

Directed by Francis dela Torre.

This movie will be World Premiering at the Newport Beach Film Festival. April 30th 2011.

Watch the trailer below:

Pinoy GLEE?

Rachel Ann Go as Queena Flores (Glee's Quinn Fabray)

Sarah Geronimo as Rachel Borromeo (Glee's Rachel Berry)

Glee getting a Pinoy franchise? Sue Sylvester does not approve! hahaha...

Remember when news broke out that Rayver Cruz and Shaina Magdayao were going to be the Edward and Bella of the Philippines? Fans were outraged and even petitioned against it. Turns out it was a hoax.

It's happening all over again—this time with our new favorite TV series, Glee! If you were to cast your own Rachel Berry or Quinn Fabray, who would you pick?

In my opinion....Oh my god! NOOOOOOO! I am outraged. Dont do it!!!! You will make Glee look bad... ugh I hate it when they have to copy American shows or movies! They should be more original and make their own. Kasi naman all they make are dramas which targets only the middle aged people. They should create shows that are for teenager. And by that, I mean they should CREATE not COPY!!!!

Alice in Wonderland Quotes

At first, Alice in Wonderland quotes sound quite mundane. However, if you search them carefully for inner-meaning, you will find these quotes rich in truisms and life's great philosophies. Find your philosophical statement in these Alice in Wonderland quotes.

Alice
What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?

Rabbit
Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!

Alice
Curiouser and curiouser!

Alice
I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!

Eaglet
Speak English! I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and I don't believe you do either!

Alice
I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself you see.

The Duchess
If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.

Alice
If it had grown up, it would have made a dreadfully ugly child; but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think.

The Cat
We're all mad here.

The Hatter
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

The Hatter
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at.

The Queen
Off with her head!

The Duchess
Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.

The Duchess
Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves.
The Mock Turtle
We called him Tortoise because he taught us.

The Mock Turtle
Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with, and then the different branches of arithmetic -- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.

The Mock Turtle
Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense.

The King
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

Alice
I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.

The Queen
Sentence first -- verdict afterwards.

Alice
You're nothing but a pack of cards!

Alice
But then, shall I never get any older than I am now? That'll be a comfort, one way -- never to be an old woman -- but then -- always to have lessons to learn!

Alice
A cat may look at a king. I've read that in some book, but I don't remember where.

Alice
I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down: but I can't quite follow it as you say it.

The Duchess
That's nothing to what I could say if I chose.

The Queen
Now, I give you fair warning, either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice!

Alice
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

Alice
It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.

Doorknob
Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.
Mad Hatter
No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow.

Alice
Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is -- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!

Alice
It was much pleasanter at home, when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits.

Alice
Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin; but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever say in my life!

The Duchess
There's a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral of that is -- The more there is of mine, the less there is of yours.

The Mock Turtle
What is the use of repeating all that stuff, if you don't explain it as you go on? It's by far the most confusing thing I ever heard!

The Mock Turtle
Ah! Then yours wasn't a really good school. Now at ours they had at the end of the bill. French, music, and washing -- extra.

Alice
Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin.