PR-Inside.com Entertainment News

Members of the U.S. National Federation of the Blind (NFB) are planning to protest the release of JULIANNE MOORE’s new movie BLINDNESS - because the film portrays the blind as "monsters".
The movie, a big-screen adaptation of Jose Saramago’s 1995 book of the same name, is about a small town which is thrown into social chaos when the residents are hit by a sudden epidemic and go blind.
But the plot has angered the NFB’s 50,000 members and the organisation’s leaders have called for a boycott of the movie when it hits U.S. cinemas on Friday (03Oct08).
Marc Maurer, president of the NFB, says, "The movie portrays blind people as monsters and I believe it to be a lie.
"The NFB condemns and deplores this film, which will do substantial harm to the blind of America and the world. Blind people in this film are portrayed as incompetent, filthy, vicious, and depraved. They are unable to do even the simplest things like dressing, bathing, and finding the bathroom.
"The truth is that blind people regularly do all of the same things that sighted people do." The NFB’s planned boycott action has "saddened" bosses at Miramax, the studio behind the film.
In a statement, they say director Fernando Meirelles "worked diligently to preserve the intent and resonance of the acclaimed book, that is a courageous parable about the triumph of the human spirit when civilisation breaks down".

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

30 ROCK creator TINA FEY looks set to cash in on her recent Emmy triumph she’s reportedly been offered a whopping $6 million (£3.24 million) to publish her first book.
The comedienne/writer picked up top honours for the hit TV show at the Primetime Emmy Awards last month (Sep08), including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress.
Her big win ignited a bidding war among publishers, and now they are all vying for Fey to sign on the dotted line to seal a deal to release a tome, according to the New York Post.
However, the book will not be a memoir - the publication claims it’s been pitched as "non-fiction humour, more in the style of author, screenwriter and film director Nora Ephron".

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Actor SHIA LaBEOUF is nursing a new injury after an accident on the set of the new TRANSFORMERS movie which reportedly left him needing stitches above the eye.
The star has been working with a mangled hand since he was involved in a Hollywood car crash in July (08).
His injury had to be written into the plot for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to prevent a hold up in filming, but according to website TMZ.com, shooting has suffered another setback after LaBeouf was injured by a prop.
However, production was only briefly disrupted - TMZ claims the 22 year old had the cut stitched up and returned to work straight afterwards.
A representative for LaBeouf has issued a stern "no comment" on the alleged accident.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

LATEST: American rockers THE HOLD STEADY cancelled their U.K. tour because lead guitarist TAD KUBLER is suffering from pancreatitis.
The band pulled the plug on the tour, which was due to kick off on Monday (29Sep08), at the last minute and without explanation.
Now bandmembers have confirmed Kubler is battling the illness, but they have vowed to rescheduled all their missed gigs - with new dates to be announced shortly.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Teen star DEMI LOVATO was so badly bullied at school, her parents decided she should be home-tutored instead.
The 16-year-old admits she endured years of teasing from her peers, and puts it down to the fact that she was working as an actress from a young age.
She tells U.S. talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres, "I never really understood why (I was being bullied) until looking back, I had a different lifestyle than everyone else." And the actress insists that she wants to tell her story to aid other youngsters in dealing with the pressures of school life.
She adds, "I want to help with bullying. Because there are girls who can’t just up and home-school and focus on their career." Lovato has also faced more bullying in the last few months - she recently revealed she has been the target of hate mail by jealous female fans obsessed with her Disney co-stars The Jonas Brothers.
Lovato was rumoured to be dating Joe Jonas, her co-star in new Disney music Camp Rock - claims they have both denied.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE rocker JOSH HOMME is taking his bandmates to live in the California desert - so they can build enough tension to create "fresh" music.
The group will soon begin recording tracks for their next album at frontman Homme’s Joshua Tree studio - and the singer has big ideas on how to draw the energy needed from the band for the record.
He tells NME magazine, "We’re going to take a minute to give Queens a breath then come back next year; that’s what it takes to keep it fresh.
"We’re going to record it live, we may move out there for a few months. That way you build up anxiety and desperateness to record - so when you do it, it’s like a fireball."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Rapper LIL SCRAPPY has broken his silence about his July (08) arrest in Georgia, insisting he was only trying to defend his sister from her abusive boyfriend.
The star, real name Darryl Kevin Richardson, was detained at DeKalb County Jail on 18 July after being stabbed by his sibling’s beau following a heated argument.
But speaking out for the first time about the incident, Lil Scrappy claims he was provoked because his sister’s boyfriend had attempted to hit her.
And he has no regrets about his actions, despite later being charged with counts including felony use of a weapon and marijuana possession following his arrest.
He says, "Her boyfriend, her baby daddy, was putting his hands on her. I had to go over there and see what the problem was. He tried to buck, I put my hands on him. … He stabbed me in the chest.
"He just messed with the wrong sister. I feel like any brother would’ve did that s**t. I ain’t no Superman. Any brother in the world would’ve did that s**t. I beat the s**t outta that motherf**ker."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Rock icon LITTLE RICHARD recently underwent an emergency heart procedure after falling ill ahead of a hip replacement operation.
The 75-year-old began suffering chest pains on 9 September (08) as he prepared to go under the knife in Los Angeles for the planned surgery prompting doctors to cancel the hip replacement and perform an angioplasty, to widen a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel.
A friend tells the National Enquirer that the star - real name Richard Wayne Penniman - was too scared to go through with the hip surgery, and flew home to Tennessee.
The pal says, "Richard’s been in poor health for a while. He can barely walk, often uses a wheelchair and uses an oxygen tank to help his breathing.
"The morning of surgery, Richard began suffering chest pains and the hip surgery had to be cancelled. Instead of doctors working on his hip, he had angioplasty." A representative for the star confirmed Richard’s health scare, and revealed the hip surgery has been rescheduled for November (08).

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Cult rockers PHISH are reforming next year (09) for a string of gigs in Hampton, Virginia.
Just weeks after the band performed for the first time in four years at the wedding of their longterm road manager Brad Sands, the group has announced three concerts at the Hampton Coliseum on 6, 7 and 8 March 2009.
According to Relix.com, more dates are expected to be announced in the future.
The intimate venue was used when Phish returned from a hiatus in 2002 and was the setting for the band’s breakup in 2004.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Actress LIV TYLER fought back tears on the set of THE STRANGERS, because filming the horror scenes was "really emotional".
The Armageddon star plays the lead in the 2008 psychological thriller and admits that filming the horrific scenes was far from fun.
She says, "It was a really very intimate and small experience for all of us, and it was just really emotional for everybody. There wasn’t one scene where we weren’t going through that. There wasn’t ever a light day.
"So it was literally like that, and for the crew that’s emotional as well.
There were times when we’d shoot different things and I’d come outside and my poor hair and make-up people would be there either with tears in their eyes or shock on their face." And even when she was off-duty, Tyler still felt teary as she watched other actors film their scenes.
She adds, "It was emotional to even stand there and listen to it all the time. It’s not so great that way."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY’s ex-wife HEATHER MILLS has denied she plans to move to a Caribbean island owned by British tycoon RICHARD BRANSON - branding the rumour "totally made up".
Last month (Sep08) the former glamour model was alleged to be setting up home on Branson’s exclusive Necker Island - in a bid to escape the press intrusion in her native Britain.
But Mills insists that the story is not true and lists it alongside a string of other recent false rumours.
She says, "Wouldn’t that (moving to Necker Island) have been lovely? Where was my daughter supposed to have gone to school? That’s totally made up.
"They also made up that I was going to write a novel about a rock star and a model, and that I was selling my (East Sussex, England) house. I’ve just spent a year having it renovated and so it is not on the market." Mills and McCartney finalised their divorce in May (08). They have a four-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

JAMES BOND star DANIEL CRAIG found himself the centre of attention at a recent New York baptism celebration - when he wandered into the party’s venue after hearing the sound of bagpipes.
The actor, who is currently in the Big Apple promoting new 007 film Quantum of Solace, stumbled upon the event when he entered Nichols restaurant in East Hampton on Saturday (27Sep08), according to the New York Post’s gossip column PageSix.
A source tells the publication, "He walked in and ended up holding the baby and posing for photos.
"He loves the Hamptons and has been spending a lot of time out there."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Singer KATIE MELUA has vowed never to walk down the aisle - because she doesn’t believe in marriage.
The Georgia-born star split from her longtime boyfriend, Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard, in 2005 and was last year (07) linked to female photographer Lara Bloom.
And the Closest Thing To Crazy hitmaker insists that even if she finds a new love, she will never wed.
She says, "I don’t believe in marriage at all. I think it was invented for money and convenience. I’d like to believe in monogamy. But if I have children I am never going to read them stories about finding Prince Charming because they will grow up feeling disappointed."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

BATMAN’s sidekick ROBIN has landed his own TV show.
The Graysons will explore Robin’s alter-ego Dick ‘DJ’ Grayson before he paired up with the caped crusader.
The show is being made by Warner Bros. and director McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision - and will appear on U.S. network The CW.
Robin was most recently played on the big screen by Chris O’Donnell in 1997’s Batman & Robin, although he was famously portrayed in the 1960s TV series by Burt Ward.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Production in India’s Bollywood film and TV industry has ground to a halt after thousands of technicians and actors walked out in a strike over pay and conditions.
Unions representing film employees in Mumbai claim that many of their members have gone without pay for several months and are threatening indefinite strike action.
Dinesh Chaturvedi, of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, which represents 147,000 members over 22 unions, insists that current working conditions in Bollywood cannot continue.
He says, "Employees sometimes work for as long as 30 hours at a stretch.
There have been serious health issues and even accidents. We have been writing to producers but it got us nowhere." Those on strike range from dancers and carpenters to lighting technicians, camera operators and script writers.
However, Sushma Shiromanee, from the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association, is adamant that employers will not give in to the unions’ demands - and criticises the strike action for threatening other people’s livelihoods.
She says, "There is no shooting at all today, but there is no panic here. The biggest problem is with the TV producers. This is not only harming producers, but daily wage workers, too, who aren’t earning anything because of it. They should have sat down with us to talk about this. We can wait for six months if necessary."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

ANNE HATHAWAY is detoxing and cleansing herself following her split from RAFFAELLO FOLLIERI - she’s quit smoking, drinking and eating meat.
The actress turned to her favourite vices after splitting with the Italian businessman in June (08), and then learning of his arrest on counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering.
Hathaway, currently promoting new movie Rachel Getting Married, says, "I’ve quit smoking. I was a secret smoker for a while. I haven’t ever really been a smoker, but on this film I started smoking very heavily. I quit for a while, but It was a stressful summer and I started again. But I’ve just quit and I feel really good about it." And it’s not just cigarettes she has kicked: "While I was quitting smoking, I thought this would be a good time to make some changes, so I’ve quit drinking, and I quit meat and fish…. and fun. I’m kind of doing this vaguely vegan thing. And I feel really good. I have more energy and my skin looks better."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

BETTE DAVIS’ prediction that actress ROSANNA ARQUETTE would be unlucky in love if she enjoyed career success has been proven correct - 30 years after the prophecy, the star is a triple divorcee.
Veteran entertainer Davis gave the Pulp Fiction star some words of advice back in 1978, when Arquette was just 19 years old.
And after three failed marriages, she is ready to concede that Davis was correct.
Arquette tells the New York Post, "She told me that you can’t have both a love life and a career in pictures at the same time, and it has proven to be true - she was right." The actress, now 49, wed first husband Anthony Greco in July 1979, but divorced the following year (80). She then married James Newton Howard but split from him in 1987 after one year together. Her third marriage to John Sidel also ended in divorce - they parted ways after six years and have one child, 14 year old Zoe.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

ANNE HATHAWAY was left red-faced on U.S. TV on Tuesday night (30Sep08) as talk show host DAVID LETTERMAN grilled her about her headline-making split from RAFFAELLO FOLLIERI.
The actress used her appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman to blast tabloid myths about her relationship with the businessman, who is awaiting sentencing on 14 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering.
He is accused of posing as the Vatican’s representative in America, and duping investors into believing the church would sell him property at a discount.
Hathaway told the presenter she had split with Follieri some time before his arrest, contrary to reports she ditched him when she discovered he was in trouble.
She said, "We were over. The relationship was absolutely done. I was on a flight from Australia when I found out." But she was left cringing and laughing uncomfortably for much of the chat as Letterman poked fun at her.
At one point he asked, "Was there ever stuff missing from your purse?" When she turned to his sidekick Paul Schaffer for help, he asked her, "Did a man ever introduce him to yourself as the Pope?" But Hathaway showed she was ready to joke about the split, telling Letterman, "I don’t want to go into the specifics of it, but you do have to give me credit. As far as relationships crashing and burning go… come on. I did pretty great. I mean… scorch that earth. I’m an all or nothing girl." And she insists she is moving on without Follieri: "I’m promoting my movies and living my life. I got to keep my dog - that’s the really important thing.
I’m in a good place."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)