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"World of Cinema" is courtesy of Darius Kadivar
Video: Rita Hayworth v.s. Madonna
Gina Lollobrigida announces her engagement to her long-term partner, Spanish businessman Javier Rigau
George Clooney named No. 1 man's man
Iran topnotch actor Entezami honored at UNESCO in Paris TEHRAN, Sept. 29 (Mehr News Agency) – Flocks of France-based Iranians attended a ceremony at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Sept. 28 to praise Ezzatollah Entezami, the titan of stage and screen of their homeland.
Iranian journalist and film critic Hushang Golmakani, who centered his book "Master Actor" on Entezami, delivered a speech at the event the Iranian Ambassador to France Ali Ahani and Iranian envoy at the UNESCO Ahmad Jalali also attended. "Entezami is the most acclaimed actor in Iranian cinema since he lives his roles rather than playing," Golmakani said. He called the actor one of the symbols in the history of Iran's cinema, theater, and culture. The 82-year-old Entezami also gave a brief account of his career, saying "I have acted in 44 feature-length movies over 65 years." Entezami considered the ceremony as the glorification of Iranian culture and identity. Iranian director Dariush Mehrjuii was to deliver a speech at the event, but he was busy with making a new film and failed to attend the ceremony.
Mel Gibson's favorite IceCream and Mashty Brothers Moral Philosophy: The Musical passes an unexpected milestone The show that proved the critics wrong achieves a world record
run
Les Miserables - The world's longest-running musical ... Les Misérables.
Photograph: AP When it opened some critics hated it. An all-singing version of Victor Hugo's sprawling, multi-plotted novel set in post-Napoleonic France which combines themes of social commentary, moral philosophy and the nature of love. How daft was that? This weekend Les Misérables will prove the doubters wrong and set a benchmark when it becomes the world's longest-running musical. Apart from the 21 years it has been running in London, a further 56 professional companies have opened it in 38 countries and 223 cities. With more than 38,000 professional performances worldwide, an astonishing - and estimated - 54 million people have seen it.
Hollywood actors Shiva Rose McDermott and husband Dylan
Shiva Rose and husband Dylan McDermott are two rising personalities
in Hollywood. Shiva is the Star of Jay Jonroy's romantic film Comedy
David and Layla where she portrays a kurdish girl who falls in love
with a NY Jewish TV producer. See Review :
Other movies being shown in the event's premiere section include the new film from Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan, The Prestige, Mira Nair's The Namesake and Lasse Hallstrom's The Hoax, starring Richard Gere. Italian star Monica Bellucci appears in two films making their debut in Rome, N (Napoleon and me) and The Stone Council. The festival runs until 21 October. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6046788.stm
Dynasty star treated for cancer
Reza Parsa is a Swedish filmmaker
Reza Parsa is a Swedish filmmaker of Iranian origin, born in 1968 in Tehran. He moved with his family to Gothenburg when he was 12. At the age of 22 he was admitted to the 4-year directing program at the legendary National Film School of Denmark (1991-95) and directed the most award winning (11 awards) graduation film, Never (Grænsen), in the history of the school. To date Reza Parsa has won more than 30 national and international awards, including the Ingmar Bergman Award, the American Student Academy Award (Student Oscar) and prizes in Cannes film festival, Brasilia, Seattle, Chicago and San Sebastian. Before the Storm Parsa's first feature film, is a suspense thriller which has achieved great critical success and has been sold to 35 countries worldwide, incl. USA. Reza Parsa and his screenwriter Johan Bergman Lindfors, both based in Sweden, are now preparing Parsa’s next feature film. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0663711/
Iranian Cinema :"Everybody Asleep" at Italian religious film festival
TEHRAN, Sept. 26 (Mehr News Agency) -- Director Fereidun Hassanpur's "When Everybody Was Asleep" is scheduled to be screened at the Religion Today Film Festival in Italy, producer Fereshteh Ta'erpur announced on Tuesday. The 9th edition of the event will be held from October 11 to 14 in Trento. Ta'erpur, Hassanpur, and leading actress Golab Adineh have also been invited to the event. Ta'erpur once expressed hope that Iranian officials would keep their word and support spiritual films intended for children and young adults. "I won't let the film be publicly screened in the country except in the way it deserves," she said. Starring Mohammadreza Forutan, Ghazal Shakeri, and Golab Adineh, the movie won the Best Film award in the Spiritual Films section of the 24th Fajr International Film Festival here last January. The film tells the story of an aged woman named Bibi Salimeh, who finally gets her turn to go on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. However, Bibi Salimeh is informed just before her departure that she has been banned from traveling due to her senility.
Adrian Pasdar Hero
Adrian Pasdar ( son of Dr. Homayoun Pasdar and a German mother Rosmarie ) is cast as Nahan Petrelli in upcoming season of Heroes on NBC.
Ben-Hur rides again in Paris show
The performance will feature the scenes made famous by the Oscar-winning movie - a battle at sea, a gladiatorial contest and a live chariot race.Some 60,000 spectators are expected for each of the production's five nights. "There are scenes that are absolutely breathtaking," said Jean-Christophe Giletta of Stade de France Productions, which is staging the show. "Ben-Hur is universal, it's international, everyone knows what it is. But no one had dared to put it on up to now."
Head above water: Elizabeth Taylor swims with the sharks Married eight times, undoubtedly Elizabeth Taylor has tangled with a few predators in her time. So perhaps it should come as no surprise to see the 74-year-old actress looking comfortable in a shark cage. Seemingly oblivious to her ever-deteriorating health, the wheelchair-bound star donned a mask and snorkel, and plunged feet first into the Pacific Ocean for a shark-viewing excursion. Later describing the experience as the "most exciting thing" she has ever done, Miss Taylor allowed herself to be barricaded into a 10ft by 6ft Plexiglas cage which was lowered below surface level. Wearing a baggy white t-shirt over an all-in-one swimming costume, she maintained a modicum of glamour with perfectly manicured red nails and several sparkly bangles. After spitting into her mask - to prevent the plastic eye area from misting up - she enthusiastically clambered into the cage, albeit with the help of two aides. From here the double Oscar winner tried the snorkel on for size before tentatively dipping her head into the water and looking for her first shark. Having paddled around for thirty minutes, a clearly exhausted - but happy - Miss Taylor came up for fresh air. In a departure from her usual lady-like elegance, she emerged dripping wet, with her dark hair slicked down in a rather unflattering side parting. After being helped back on board the Kainani boat, she towelled herself down and slipped on a kaftan-style nightdress over navy blue slipper socks. It is not known whether Miss Taylor actually went nose to nose with any Sandbar sharks or Galapagos during the two-hour, £52 fish trip. However, the adventure signifies a remarkable return to health for the actress. For the past few years she has remained a reclusive figure, largely holed up in her Hollywood mansion. As well as incurable congestive heart failure, near-fatal viral pneumonia and osteoporosis, she has had three hip replacements and a life-saving operation in 1997 to remove a benign brain tumour.Earlier this year her bloated, below-par appearance prompted speculation that was suffering with Alzheimer's disease and on death's door. But three months ago, she went on an American chat show to dispel the rumours. And she recently wrote to US gossip columnist Liz Smith, claiming: "For someone who has been in bed with a bad back, I have done all the things I've dreamed of. I did get into that shark cage. It was the most exciting thing I've done in my life."
Iranian actress-turned-director Karimi to head jury at Reykjavik filmfest
TEHRAN, Sept. 20 (Mehr News Agency) -- Iranian actress-turned-director Niki Karimi has been selected as the head of the jury for the 3rd Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF), which will be held from September 28 to October 8 in the Icelandic capital. Karimi first became popular in Iran for her role in Behruz Afkhami's hit film "Bride" in 1990. She then appeared in several movies of Iranian filmmakers Dariush Mehrjuii and Ebrahim Hatamikia. She made her directorial debut with the short film "To Have or to Have Not". Later she made her first feature-length film "One Night" in 2005. Karimi's second movie "A Few Days Later" debuted in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 31st Toronto International Film Festival (September 7-16). The movie tells the story of Shahrzad (played by Karimi herself), a young woman who has to make some serious decisions about her life. Launched in 2004, RIFF holds a unique position among international film festivals in many respects. Apart from the film screenings, the visitors will get a chance to catch the cream of recent festival films, to see dozens of amazing flicks from the world's youngest and most talented directors, to meet foreign film pioneers, to see the shimmering northern lights, to enjoy a glacier trip, and to attend informative seminars and symposiums. RIFF is more than a simple assortment of films. RIFF offers movie
buffs everything they could ever ask of a festival and offers a top-notch
program, including a category supervised by world-renowned programmer
Dimitri Eipides, who has become a household name at the Toronto Film
Festival. The program includes a mixture of movies from Argentina,
Chile, France, Canada, the USA, Iran, China, Japan, Iceland, and other
countries; a special category dedicated to human rights in cooperation
with UNIFEM and UNICEF in Iceland, and a "cult-classic"
movie marathon, complete with midnight snacks and breakfast. RIFF
organizers aim to make the festival a fountain of knowledge for Icelandic
film culture and film studies.
HOLLYWOOD SEX VAMP AND ELECTRONIC GENIUS: Hedy Lamarr
Patrick Monahan Irish Iranian Stand Up Comedian
Patrick started off on the glamorous Irish/Iranian/Geordie stand-up circuit where he developed his chatty & friendly, story telling style. Now a regular on the UK comedy circuit, playing venues such as the Comedy Store, Jongleurs, The Glee club to name just a few, Patrick has also performed in Europe and on the International comedy scene, including shows in France (Paris 'Hotel Du Nordi' & The Alps), Monaco, Germany (Berlin), Belgium (Brussels & Antwerp), United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Doha & Abu Dhabi) and Bahrain. Patrick regularly performs in most comedy clubs across England from
Newcastle to Devon, as well as in Scotland, Ireland, Wales & Jersey.
He has also done a host of University network shows for Avalon, Paramount
and Off The Kerb Events. As well as a regular TV & studio warm
up - on shows such as 'Friday Night Jonathan Ross', 'The IT Crowd',
'The Lenny Henry Show', 'Davina', 'Open House with Gloria Hunerford',
as well as a regular MC at selected venues on the comedy circuit.
He's also appeared as a contributor to nine out of twelve episodes
of Channel Five's 'That's so Last Week'. He has also appeared on BBC's
Destination Unknown', 'Malai Monologues' and as a panel member on
the comedy quiz show 'Sudoko Street Challenge'. An original writer
and clever improviser skilled in audience interaction, Patrick's versatility,
likeability and engaging stage presence has popular appeal, be it,
stand-up, comedy character, host, presenter! "He moves around
the stage like a boxer working a ring, covering all angles and staying
light on his feet. He is a walking advert for world harmony. Hearts
will be broken, socks will be laughed off."
Tami Stronach grown Up Child Star of the EverEnding Story
Tamara Stronach (born in Tehran, Iran July 31, 1972) is a dancer and choreographer, and has worked as an actress. Stronach was born in Tehran, Iran to Scottish and Israeli parents.[1] Her father, David Stronach, is a renowned archeologist of ruins of Ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) and a professor at UC Berkeley. Her family fled during the Iranian Revolution. Stronach provided an impressive acting debut in her famous role as
"The Childlike Empress" in The Neverending Story (1984),
a film adaptation of the noveI Die Unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending
Story) by Michael Ende. She has not since had many known acting roles;
she has recently explained that her parents preferred that she not
further pursue acting to avoid the possible dangers many child actors
in both movie and television sometimes encounter. She has nevertheless
since acted in Chambre at La Ma Ma, and she has further studied acting
with Laura Esterman. She also released a single LP around the same
time as The Neverending Story entitled Tami Stronach - Fairy Queen.
The songs on the album are called Fairy Queen, and Riding On a Rainbow. Since the days of her childhood role, she has become a member of a well-respected dance troupe, the Neta Dance Company, joining them in 1996. She has also performed on her own and choreographed well-accepted work: the majority of reviews (both in her own dancing and in her creations on stage) are positive, praising her understanding of the human soul and her ability to convey with subtlety, simplicity, and acuity. Examples of this include both "The Maid and the Marmalade" and "Contain yourself, darling." While her own work has typically been performed in New York City, she has begun more recently to take this abroad, such as with a tour of Australia due for 2006.
Robin Hood 'did not exist' claims Academic (BBC)
Robin Hood 'did not exist' Professor Stephen Knight has amassed a library of books and videos and lectures on two university courses about the noble outlaw who famously robbed the rich to give to the poor. But his conclusion shoots a poison arrow through the belief in a real-life Robin - with a band of merry men - who fell for Maid Marion. Instead he claims the Robin Hood "myth" is reinvented when people feel they are being oppressed by their own version of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The 62-year-old Cardiff University lecturer said: "If there was a Mr R Hood with an address in Sheffield, Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire, what would that mean? "The obsession with identifying the 'real Robin Hood' is futile and misguided. The name Robin Hood existed - Hood is not an uncommon name - but it's more likely the name gave rise to the character. "He represents resistance to local oppression - freedom and liberty in whatever shape you need it to take." "The reality of the myth is that people believe in those values and might be guided by them." The professor's book, Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography, describes how the core elements of the outlaw myth - links with nature, hostility to oppressive authority, youthfulness, fun and games - have been interpreted over six centuries. "The genuine Robin Hood is a world-wide figure of myth - he represents a utopian vision of liberty which tends to thrive especially in illiberal contexts like the late 17th Century, the early 19th Century and most recently, the 1980s." He said his students study 15th Century texts, 17th Century ballards and film interperations of the story, right up to modern television series which depicted a feminist Robin listening attentively to an assertive Maid Marion. But whether he existed or not, Robin would never have worn tights as depicted by Errol Flyn in the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood, said the professor. He said that image was based on the Victorian stage plays where Robin's part would have been played by a woman, and she would have worn tights to show off her legs.
CINEMA: IRANIAN FILM IN VENICE, A METAPHOR OF POWER
Venice, 8 Sept. (AKI) - (by Ahmad Rafat) - 'Do you have another apple?'
is an Iranian film presented at the 63rd Venice film festival and
a very interesting metaphor. The first movie by Bayram Fazli, which
isl out of competition, focuses on the passivity of populations in
developing countries. Filmed in Iranian Azerbaijan, it is loosely
based on a traditional Iranian tale. The adventures of Hassan Kachal
(Hassan the bald) take place today though they have no time frame.
Hassan, who is ugly and appears stupid but is in fact very smart,
represents all the people who live in a regime, the filmmaker told
Adnkronos International (AKI). Though Fazli refuses to answer questions of a political nature, probably fearing retaliatory acts once he returns home, the film reminds the viewer of the theocratic system which has been governing Iran for the past 27 years. The story told by Fazli could not but give a place of honour to women, a major force driving Iranian civil society towards change today. Indeed a wise and courageous woman (the beautiful Leola Mousawi) will contribute to the beginning of a slow but significant change in the life of the protagonist (interpreted by actor Zabih Afshar). Fazeli's movie abandons the Persian neo-realism of Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf and moves towards a new and interesting style.
Mel Gibson, Sussan Deyhim and Reza Derakhshani
OLDIES BUT GOLDIES :
Dame Helen Mirren portrays the Queen Elisabeth II (BBC)
The actress is already being tipped for an Oscar for her performance, which deals with the aftermath of Diana, Princess of Wales's death in 1997. Stephen Frears' film suggests the Queen considered abdication as she struggled to cope with the public's grief. Dame Helen, 61, won an Emmy award this week for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in a Channel 4 mini-series. 'Devastated' The Queen, which is British-made, is competing for the main honour at the festival, the Golden Lion. Dramatic scenes include supposed events behind the scenes with the Royal Family and the newly-elected Tony Blair, played by Michael Sheen. Prince Charles, Prince Phillip, the late Queen Mother and Cherie Blair are also played by actors. It suggests that there was a difference of opinion between the Queen and prime minster about how to react to Diana's death and public reaction to it, in a crisis which threatened the position of the monarchy. Dame Helen has said the film's "magical script" attracted her to playing the role, but added she would be "devastated if the Queen feels that I've betrayed her in my portrayal of her".
Phaser shots (Q&A) from Shatner & Nimoy
Shatner: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. I have been reading
that for 20 years. Shatner : Alexander the Great.
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