By Alex Dobuzinskis – Reuters

Harry Potter fans will soon be able to kick back with a glass of butterbeer after riding the Hippogriff through Hogwarts grounds.

It’s not magic but the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a 20-acre (8-hectare) theme park due to open this spring in Florida, Universal Orlando said on Tuesday.

Visitors will be able to sip the non-alcoholic “butterbeer” and “pumpkin juice” at the Hog’s Head pub, go shopping and tour a huge replica of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just like the one where Harry Potter learned his magic.

Other attractions will include the Dragon Challenge, a twin high-speed roller coaster, and the Flight of the Hippogriff, a coaster for families that will roll along the grounds of Hogwarts.

Within Hogwarts, Universal plans to install state-of-the-art technology to bring the characters Harry, Hermione, Ron — and their friends and enemies — to life.

“Harry Potter” began as a book series by British author J.K. Rowling that has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and inspired a series of six films that have grossed more than $5.3 billion worldwide at box offices.

The series clearly has wide appeal, said Mark Woodbury, president of the creative group at Universal Orlando Resort.

“We had a pretty good idea of that, but once we started to really get into it you realize how huge these stories have become around the world,” he said.

Universal is operating the park under a licensing contract with Warner Bros, a division of Time Warner Inc and the movie studio behind the “Harry Potter” franchise. Universal Orlando Resort is owned by the Blackstone Group and NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.

By Alex Dobuzinskis – Reuters

 A Warner Bros executive guiding “Harry Potter’s” box office magic will be taking control of Superman as well, the Hollywood studio said on Wednesday in a shake-up of its DC Comics brand.

In its reorganization of DC Comics, Warner Bros changed the division’s name to DC Entertainment Inc and named movie executive Diane Nelson as president of the unit, with the goal of using DC’s characters across film, television, video games and consumer products, Warner Bros said.

Nelson manages the studio’s “Harry Potter” movie franchise. This year’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has made more than $917 million at worldwide box offices since its July release. Nelson will continue her role with “Harry Potter.”

Warner Bros is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

The Spike TV Scream Awards are dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films, has just announced the nominees for the 4th annual award show.

Here are your Categories

The Ultimate Scream

Best Horror Movie

Best Science Fiction Movie

Best Fantasy Movie

Best TV Show

Best Horror Actress

Best Horror Actor

Best Fantasy Actress

Best Fantasy Actor

Best Science Fiction Actress

Best Science Fiction Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Breakout Performance-Female

Breakout Performance-Male

Best Cameo

Best Ensemble

Best Director

Best Foreign Movie

Best Sequel

Best F/X

Scream Song of the Year

Best Comic Book Artist

Best Villain

Best Superhero

Best Scream-Play

Most Memorable Mutilation

Fight-to-the-Death Scene of the Year

Holy S***! Scene of the Year

Best Comic Book

Best Comic Book Writer

Best Comic Book Movie

 Cast your vote on the Spike TV website

By Neil Nagraj – DailyNews.com

In a move to make selection of the Oscar for Best Picture more egalitarian, the Academy Awards are making an historic change to the voting process.

Instead of selecting one nominee on the final ballot, Academy members will be asked to rank all 10 of the Best Picture nominees, Variety.com reports.

The change was made to offset inherent risks now that the number of nominees has been upped from 5 to 10, a decision that was announced in June.

“There are certain mathematical dangers with more nominees,” the Academy’s executive director, Bruce Davis, told TheWrap.com. “You could really get a fragmentation to the point where a picture with 18 or 20 percent of the vote could win, and the board didn’t want that to happen.

“I know people have been wondering about it, and even worrying about it,” says Davis. “At some point we’ll do a mailing, probably in the fall membership quarterly, to make it clear what’s coming up.”

The 5,800 Academy members have yet to receive a formal announcement of the voting new system.

According to Variety, the new system will help films that receive many number two and three rankings – making it possible for a film to win even if it does not get the most number one votes.

In fact, a film will only emerge the winner based on number one rankings alone if it earns that distinction in 50 percent of the votes.

The Academy already uses the ranking system to determine nominees and has used it for Best Picture in the past, when there were more also more nods.

“The system has long been used in the round of voting which determines the nominees in most categories, but it has not been used on the final ballot for best picture since 1945,” the Academy said Monday as quoted by Variety. “With 10 nominees, the preferential system is one that best allows the collective judgment of all voting members to be most accurately represented.”

The organization hopes the new rules, combined with expanding the nominees to 10, will open the playing field.

When the move to 10 Best Picture candidates was announced, then-Academy president Sid Ganis said the change “may make it more interesting and less cloistered,” Variety reports.

The Academy hopes winners will represent “the picture that has the most support from the entire membership.”

By NAT WORDEN – Wall Street Journal

Walt Disney Co. agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc., the creator of Spider-Man and thousands of other characters, for about $4 billion.

The deal marks one of the largest acquisitions in Disney’s history and the first big media deal since companies began hoarding cash last fall during the global financial crisis.

The move fits with Disney’s stated strategy of driving revenue from popular content over time across multiple platforms. It also gives the company a boost with young male audiences, where Marvel’s characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor are particularly popular. Disney has shown more strength with females from its properties like Hannah Montana.

Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce said Disney is paying a steep valuation for Marvel but he views the deal as a “good long-term strategic move” for the company. “This is another sign that confidence is returning to the marketplace,” he said.

Marvel has long-term production and distribution deals in place with Disney competitors, including Sony Corp.’s Sony Entertainment, News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox Films and Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, which complicate the company’s strategic position. News Corp. is the parent of Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

In many cases, it will take years before Disney can garner anything more than licensing fees from some key Marvel characters, but Disney Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs said those revenue are attractive and the company will have the option to produce and distribute Marvel’s content on its own when those deals expire.

“Marvel is worth more inside Disney than outside Disney,” Mr. Staggs said.

Marvel Chief Executive Ike Perlmutter, who will continue to oversee the Marvel properties, called Disney “the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses.”

The comic book maker has been boosting awareness of its characters by continuing to branch out into animated television series and live-action films. However, the company in the spring pushed back its film schedule through 2012 as it looked to build anticipation for its coming slate of films.

Sofia Vergara

from AceShowBiz.com

Javier Bardem and Joaquin Phoenix are vying for Best Actor of the Year title, while Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes and Penelope Cruz will battle it out for the actress kudo.

The honorees for ALMA Awards 2009′s special achievement in motion picture category have been unraveled by the National Council of

Eva Mendes

La Raza. On Tuesday, August 25 at a news conference at Beso Restaurant, NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia and Executive Producer Eva Longoria revealed that there will be 11 actors and 8 actresses competing for Best Actor and Best Actress.

Among those vying for Best Actor of the Year title are “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” leading man Javier Bardem, “Two Lovers” star Joaquin Phoenix and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” actor Ramon Rodriguez. Meanwhile, the actresses receiving nominations include Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes, Michelle Rodriguez, Penelope Cruz and Rosario Dawson.

Beside the performers in motion pictures, a number of film crew also get a shot at winning Behind the Scenes honor. “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” director Kenny Ortega, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” helmer Guillermo del Toro, “Twilight” make-up artist Jeanne Van Phue and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” cinematographer Claudio Miranda are among them.

The larger number of nominees for each category is part of the significant format change for this year’s ALMA Awards. “If you like the ALMA Awards, you will love this year’s show because we’re bringing you more of what you love most, unique musical pairings and the best Latino entertainment,” Murguia shared on the changes.

The 2009 ALMA Awards will be taped on September 17 at the Royce Hall Auditorium at UCLA and aired on ABC Television Network the next day, September 18 from 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. ET/PT. Eva Longoria will co-host with George Lopez. To give special honors to Salma Hayek and Oscar De La Hoya, and special tribute to the late Ricardo Montalban, ALMA also honors the best in television, music and sports television.

Zoe Saldana

2009 ALMA Awards’ Special Achievement Honorees for Year in Film:
Best Actor of the Year:

Alfred Molina, “The Pink Panther 2″

Cheech Marin, “Race to Witch Mountain”

Freddy Rodriguez, “Nothing Like the Holidays”

Oscar Nunez, “The Proposal”

Clifton Collins Jr., “Star Trek” and “Crank: High Voltage”

Efren Ramirez, “Crank: High Voltage”

Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Joaquin Phoenix, “Two Lovers”

John Leguizamo, “Nothing Like the Holidays”

Luis Guzman, “The Taking of Pelham 123″

Ramon Rodriguez, “Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen”

Best Actress of the Year:

Elisabeth Pena, “Nothing Like the Holidays”

Sofia Vergara, “Madea Goes to Jail”

Cameron Diaz, “My Sister’s Keeper”

Eva Mendes, “The Women” and “The Spirit”

Michelle Rodriguez, “Fast and Furious”

Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Rosario Dawson, “Seven Pounds”

Zoe Saldana, “Star Trek”

Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos

By Liz Shackleton – ScreenDaily.com

The Mumbai Film Festival (Oct 29-Nov 5), organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), has announced that it will present lifetime achievement awards to Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos and Indian actor-director Shashi Kapoor.

Angelopoulos will be presented with the international lifetime achievement award at the festival’s closing ceremony on Nov 5. Kapoor, a legend of Indian cinema with credits such as Deewar and Namak Halaal, will receive the Indian lifetime achievement award at the Oct 29 opening. The festival will also screen a selection of both Angelopoulos’ and Kapoor’s films.

The festival also announced that the five-member international jury will include US scriptwriter and director Paul Schrader and Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.

In addition to the international competition for first feature films, the festival’s major programmes include World Cinema, Indian Showcase, short film competition Dimensions Mumbai and Retrospectives. Prizes in the competition section include the Golden Gateway India trophy, which comes with a cash award of $100,000, and the Silver Gateway India award with $50,000. 

Indian actor-director Shashi Kapoor

“The 11th MMF will showcase the best in contemporary Indian cinema even while it takes a look back at cinema down the ages,” said MAMI chairman Shyam Benegal. “We also want to encourage young film talent and will have a forum for that.”

The festival will also feature a jury of 32 college students, dubbed “Mumbai Young Critics”, who will vote for the film which will receive the Mumbai Young Critics Award and the Silver Gateway of India.

Fun Republic’s 4-screen multiplex in Andheri will be the central venue of the festival, while screenings will also take place at Metro Big Cinema and other theatres.

Founded in 1997, MAMI is an independent body of film professionals including Benegal, Yash Chopra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Karan Johar and Reliance Big Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna.

HollywoodReporter.com

The 20th annual AFI Latin American Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 23 to Oct. 12 at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Md., will kick off with the Mexican feature, “I’m Going to Explode” (Voy a explotar), directed by Gerardo Naranjo.

The fest, showing films from Spain and Portugal as well as Latin America, will screen more than 30 films.

The Brazilian/US co-production “Beyond Ipanema: Brazilian Waves in Global Music” (Beyond Ipanema: Ondas brasileiras na musica global), which had its world premiere in July at MoMA’s annual Premiere Brazil! will be the Centerpiece Presentation, screening on Oct. 2.

The fest’s Closing Night film on Oct. 9 is Berlin Panorama selection “Just Walking” (Solo quiero caminar), a co-production of Spain and Mexico.

There will be a free community screening of selected episodes from “Latin Music USA,” a four-part miniseries set to air on PBS later this fall on Sept. 27.

Check out the 20th annual AFI Latin American Film Festival website HERE!

From FilmJunk.com

An old classic that’s getting another chance to shine on the big screen, and miraculously, in this case we’re not talking about a remake. Victor Fleming’s 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz turns 70 this year, and as a way of celebrating the event, Warner Home Video, NCM Fathom, and Turner Classic Movies are bringing it back to theatres next month. It will be a special one-night only screening of the remastered film in high-definition, along with a retrospective featurette called “To Oz! The Making of a Classic”.

Limited Edition @ Amazon!

This screening will take place at select theatres across the U.S. (449 in all) on Wed. September 23rd, starting at 7 pm. To find a screening near you, check out the Fathom Events website. The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition also hits DVD and Blu-ray the following Tuesday (Sept. 29th).

From HollywoodReporter.com

Over three evenings from Sept. 9-11, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a program about motion picture formats titled “Behind the Motion Picture Canvas: Film Formats through the 21st Century.”

The program willl include screenings of “Manhattan” on Sept. 10 and “The Black Stallion” on Sept. 11 at the Sameul Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Academy Science and Technology Council member Rob Hummel will host each evening.

Filmmakers will discuss how film formats shape creative decisions, the technical constraints and the artistic opportunities that accompany the choice of format. The program also will examine the role that emerging technology has played in the evolution of film formats, and how the technical choices made by Thomas Edison and William Dickson at the dawn of the film era continue to influence movies today.

Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” was filmed in Panavision with Eastman B&W negative. It was released in 35mm Anamorphic (CinemaScope) with Eastman Kodak B&W prints, with prints by Technicolor. This screening will premiere a newly struck print from the Academy Film Archive.

Carroll Ballard’s “The Black Stallion” was filmed in 35mm with Eastman Color negative, composed for 1.85. It was released in Eastman Color prints composed 1.85 with prints by Technicolor. This screening also will premiere a newly struck print from the Academy Film Archive.