Bluesman David 'Honeyboy' Edwards dies

Blues singer-guitarist David "Honeyboy" Edwards, who traveled and carried out using the legendary Robert Manley and recorded superbly in the own right across eight decades, died August. 29 in Chicago. He was 96. Charged as "all of the the truly amazing Mississippi Delta bluesmen," Edwards had continued to be active, and made an appearance on some dates of the Manley 100th birthday commemorative tour mounted captured. But failing health forced him to announce his retirement in This summer. He was created June 28, 1915, in Shaw, Miss., and was referred to as "Honey" from childhood. His sharecropping parents were both guitarists. He started the existence of the itinerant music performer at age 17, when he hoboed with Large Joe Williams. After many years playing in Memphis, Edwards met Robert Manley in Greenwood, Miss., in 1937. He traveled using the blues titan before the evening Manley was fatally poisoned in August 1938 in a Greenwood juke joint. Edwards was recorded by Alan Lomax for that Library of Congress in 1942. He soon became a member of harmonica virtuoso Little Walter Jacobs, and also the two traveled to Chicago together in 1945. He'd recover towards the south for quite some time, recording in Houston and (for Mike Phillips at Sun) in Memphis. After cutting some sides for Chess Records that went unreleased for many years, Edwards settled in Chicago permanently in 1956. Carrying out regularly within the Windy City's clubs, he are making money in the '60s blues boom, recording for Milestone, Adelphi, Testament, Trix and Folkways in 1969 he made an appearance on Fleetwood Mac's super session "Blues Jam in Chicago." Handled by Earwig Records owner Michael Frank, Edwards recorded several highly recognized albums for that Chicago blues label in the late 1980s on. Edwards was awarded with a Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1996. His autobiography "The Planet Don't Owe Me Nothin'" was released in 1997. He received a National Heritage Fellowship Award in the National Endowment for that Arts in 2002. He won a 2007 Grammy Award for "Last from the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen - Reside in Dallas," a collaboration using the late Pinetop Perkins, Robert Junior. Lockwood and Henry Townshend, in addition to a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award this year. A type of Zelig from the blues, Edwards was frequently questioned about his connection to Manley along with other legendary entertainers, and reminisced in a number of documentaries, including their own feature "Honeyboy" (2004). Younger crowd made an appearance in Mike Kasdan's 2007 comedy "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

The Hunger Games Preview: The Lady Who Targeted With Fire

Jennifer Lawrence introduced a suspenseful, heavily forested preview from the Hunger Games before MTV’s Video Music Honours inside a pre-recorded segment from New York, in which the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s bestseller continues to be shot. And talking about being shot: Within the clip, Lawrence takes goal having a fiery arrow and artfully dodges some woodsy danger. Indeed, she’s the brand new goddess from the search. Watch following the jump. Have More: 2011 VMA, Music ‘The Hunger Games’ Preview [MTV]

The Help Reigns Again Over Storm-Soaked Weekend

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Help remained Hollywoods top draw with $14.3 million on a slow late-summer weekend whose business was even more sluggish as many East Coast theaters closed to ride out the storm there. Irene was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday, but the weekend already was a lost cause for many theaters in its path. Studio executives estimate that about 1,000 theaters shut down for at least part of the weekend and that business may have been off 15 to 20 percent because of the storm. It was a wild weekend, said Dave Hollis, head of distribution at Disney, which released DreamWorks Pictures The Help. 'All things considered, to kind of come out with business down only 15 to 20 percent is something to be pretty thankful for. The Help has been the No. 1 film for two-straight weekends. The acclaimed adaptation of Kathryn Stocketts novel about black Southern maids sharing stories about white employers amid the civil-rights movement raised its domestic total to $96.6 million and should cross the $100 million mark Tuesday. Late August often is a dumping ground for movies with slim commercial prospects, and Irene cut even further into receipts for the weekends three new wide releases. Zoe Saldanas action tale Colombiana, released by Sony, opened in second-place with $10.3 million. Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes horror story Dont Be Afraid of the Dark, a FilmDistrict release, debuted in third with $8.7 million. Paul Rudds comedy Our Idiot Brother, distributed by the Weinstein Co., premiered at No. 5 with $6.6 million. Colombiana features Avatar star Saldana as an assassin out for revenge against the drug lords responsible for her parents deaths. Dont Be Afraid of the Dark, produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pans Labyrinth, is a remake of the 1970s TV movie about a household terrorized by tiny, savage creatures. Our Idiot Brother stars Rudd as a happy-go-lucky guy doing time with his three sisters after serving a short prison sentence. Business was strong Friday night for Dont Be Afraid of the Dark in the New York City area, but as the storm crept closer Saturday, theaters either closed or became ghost towns, said Bob Berney, FilmDistricts head of distribution. Berney said he stopped by a theater complex in suburban Westchester County Saturday night and only about 25 people had turned out for 7:30 p.m. shows. It was just dead, Berney said. They were open but no one was there, whereas in Manhattan, I think all the theaters were closed. Studios base their weekend reports on actual revenues for Friday and Saturday and estimates for business on Sunday. But this weekends numbers were more of a shot in the dark. Some theaters did not report their weekend grosses, and it was uncertain how many cinemas might remain closed Sunday or how big an audience might turn up in the wake of the storm. I think everybody is trying to lean toward conservative estimates, said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony, who said Colombiana managed to beat the studios projections of an $8 million opening weekend despite the weather. Overall business plunged, with domestic revenues totaling $88 million, down 23 percent from the same weekend last year, when Takers led with $20.5 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. Its not like this was destined to be a blockbuster weekend, anyway, said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. But going to the movies is not a top priority when youre concerned about severe weather. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. The Help, $14.3 million. 2. Colombiana, $10.3 million. 3. Dont Be Afraid of the Dark, $8.7 million. 4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, $8.65 million. 5. Our Idiot Brother, $6.6 million. 6. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, $5.7 million. 7. The Smurfs, $4.8 million. 8. Conan the Barbarian, $3.1 million. 9. Fright Night, $3 million. 10. Crazy, Stupid, Love, $2.9 million. Copyright 2011 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

German B.O. buoyed by three dimensional, local comedy

BERLIN -- The German box office accomplished its second-greatest half-year revenue ever as three dimensional game titles striking local fare produced stellar ticket sales within the first six several weeks of 2011. Teutonic theater operators saw total revenue climb 2.5% to Euros452.8 million ($652.5 million) -- the greatest box office result since 2002, based on the German Federal Film Board (FFA). Admissions increased 2.2% to 61.5 million from The month of january to June, 1.3 million a lot more than within the first 1 / 2 of 2010. Pirates from the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," that has made a lot more than $63 million in Germany, and Til Schweiger's family comedy "Kokowaah," having a total $43.5 million, brought the very best earners at that time, then the kind of "Hangover 2" ($42.4 million), "Fast Five" ($26.9 million), "The King's Speech" ($23.six million) and "Black Swan" ($22 million). While there have been substantially more three dimensional releases within the first half of the season, their share of the market was lower in comparison with similar period this year, that was still seeing lots of holdover business from "Avatar." Theaters offered 12.a million three dimensional movie tickets, lower from 12.8 million this year. The share of admissions for three dimensional films fell from 21.7% within the first 1 / 2 of 2010 to 19.8% this season. Simultaneously, distribs folded out 19 stereoscopic game titles, comprising a 7.3% share of total releases. Which was up from only seven three dimensional releases (3%) this year. An overall total quantity of 262 films saw release within the first six several weeks of the season in comparison with 237 this year. The share of the market of German films also rose slightly to twenty.4%. Local productions attracted an overall total of 12.4 million moviegoers in comparison with 12 million within the first 1 / 2 of 2010. The typical price of admission in Germany rose slightly to $10.60. FFA topper Peter Dinges stated the very first-have figures demonstrated a "positive trend" following a spotty first half this year. Dinges added he had high anticipation for that other half of the season. Additionally towards the boffo performances of "Harry Potter and also the Deathly Hallows: Part II," "The Smurfs" and "Rise from the Planet from the Apes," major box office money is anticipated from such approaching releases as "The 3 Musketeers," "Wicki and also the Treasure from the Gods," "The Adventures of Tintin," "Anonymous" and "Happy Ft 2." Contact Erectile dysfunction Meza at staff@variety.com

Former Baywatch Babe Nicole Eggert Welcomes Daughter

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- From the beach to the nursery! Nicole Eggert, a former Baywatch star, welcomed a baby girl in late July, her rep confirmed to Us Weekly. The 39-year-old actress, who got her start on the 80s sitcom Charles in Charge, took to her Facebook page to express her love for her new bundle of joy, writing, So much love in my life. So blessed. Adding, This precious AND she lets me sleep?!! The new baby, whose name has yet to be released, joins big sister Dilyn, 12. Last year, Nicole participated in VH1s Celebrity Fit Club in an effort to shed extra weight. She lost 15 pounds.Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Conan' & 'Fright Night' Flatline For Friday

FRIDAY PM UPDATE: Anecdotal reviews reaching me all over say this moviegoing weekendredefines the terms "soft" and "flat". As you studio professional explained, "It appears just like a ghosttown in theaters." Rarely have I seen such utter confusion in the United States box office consequently, particularly with believe it or not than four wide-release studio films opening today.All of my sources were built with a different 5 Best list all day long -- there wasn't a consensus until tonight that DreamWorks' holdover The Assistance (which needs none) is Friday's No. 1 movie. The issue could be that the new releases -- Dimension/Weinstein Co'sSpy Kids 4D, Nu Image/Millenium/Lionsgate's Conan The Barbarian, and DreamWorks/Disney's Fright Evening are bunched together behind another holdover, Rise From The Planet From The Apes. Also, it appears like Focus Features' romance Eventually is opening strong thinking about its middling release.Full analysis and delicate amounts coming. 1. The Assistance (DreamWorks/Disney) Week 2 1/2 [] Friday $5.8M (-23%), Believed Weekend $20M 2. Rise From The Planet From The Apes (Fox) Week 3 [3,471 Runs] Friday $4.7M, Believed Weekend, Believed Cume $17M 3. Spy Kids 4D (Dimension/Weinstein) NEW [3,295 Runs] Friday $4.5M, Believed Weekend $12M 4. Conan The Barbarian (Nu Image/Millenium/Lionsgate) NEW [3,015 Runs] Friday $4.1M, Believed Weekend $11M 5.Fright Evening (DreamWorks/Disney) NEW [3,114 Runs] Friday $3.5M, Believed Weekend $8M

Chris Evans loses his shirt in Puncture trailer

Chris Evans with no shirt on? No, he hasn't just popped out of a supersoldier container to fight the Red Skull, but he's practising his cross examination in court-room thriller Puncture.He is about as full of drugs as Cap though, as he plays a lawyer who also happens to be a high-functioning addict. Based on a true story, his character battles a pharmaceutical cover-up.If that doesn't sound all that exciting, this is made by the same people who gave us the Jason Statham kick-heavy action flick Blitz. Perhaps that explains the slight overkill on the music in the trailer?Puncture opens in US cinemas on 23 September 2011 with a UK release date still to be confirmed.

Bassweight

is a feature length documentary that offers an unparalleled insight into the subterranean world of Dubstep. Charting the genre's growth from obscure origins in south London to global recognition today, the film features in-depth interviews with many of the DJ's, producers and promoters who have been instrumental in Dubstep's ongoing evolution. Skream, Benga, Kode9 and Mary Anne Hobbs are just some of the key players who have contributed, reflecting on the movement they've helped shape; a movement that has come to define the importance of underground music in the 21st Century. This highly stylised film travels from Dubstep's birthplace in Croydon to Europe, Brazil and Japan, demonstrating just how huge an impact this initially indigenous scene has made at an international level.

The Smurfs 2 looking for a summer time 2013 release

Following the unpredicted success from the Smurfs (that has made a lot more than $242m world-wide since opening), The new sony have because of the go-ahead to some follow up and slated a release date for August 2013.The small blue males even outperformed the small eco-friendly males of Cowboys & Aliens as well as bested the Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman body-swap comedy, The Modification-Up, in the box office.Obviously then, it's only natural the filmmakers are wanting to turn out a follow-up title to make certain children drag their parents back for additional. It's coming on 2 August 2013, almost exactly 2 yrs following the original, more specifically.The Smurfs director Raja Gosnell and producer Jordan Kerner apparently began to operate about the follow up a few several weeks ago, however it has been confirmed like a large, blue reality.Mums and fathers everywhere are in possession of only 2 yrs to organize themselves for the following instalment...

Billy Crystal talks Monsters, Inc. prequel

Billy Crystal has been working so hard on the prequel to Monsters, Inc. that it's brought out the animal in him - he's become a little hoarse. (Thank you, we're here all week)."I spent five-and-a-half hours today for our fourth session on Monsters Inc. 2," he told an audience at a 20th anniversary screening of City Slickers. "That's why I'm a little hoarse."Seriously though, the 63-year-old actor said he was really enjoying working with John Goodman again:"We're having a blast together. It's really a great script, it's really funny."The prequel film is called Monsters University and sees Crystal and Goodman return to the roles of Michael 'Mike' Wazowski and P. 'Sulley' Sullivan."The Pixar people are geniuses. It's 10 years since the first movie. Yeah, it's crazy. And it's a prequel. They're in college. It's how they met, it's how Michael and Sully meet, and plan to become scarers at Monsters, Inc. So this movie ends where the other one starts," Crystal revealed."It's college pranks with monsters. And I wear a retainer. Mike has a retainer."

Exclusive Coriolanus Footage Revealed

.... to individuals lucky lieges at Large ScreenSome of team Empire have previously seen Coriolanus. You realize, the film Coriolanus, directed by and starring Rob Fiennes, instead of some school production we had sometime, somewhere, a very long time ago. You want to make that obvious because Fiennes's Coriolanus is really a world from Mr. Jenkins' budget-restricted interpretation from the Shakespearean tragedy while using class of three and 4B ten years or two ago. In Fiennes's world, will still be Italia, and it is still good old bad old Coriolanus, but it is also the current day, therefore the sandal-putting on hack-and-slash setting continues to be changed with Rob and Gerard (Butler, that's) squaring up in deserted urban landscapes packing machine guns and knives as lengthy as the arm. Photos have been seen online here along with the last problem of Empire, but actual footage is not easily available -- before Giant Screen reached wrap their eyes three exclusive clips today. Inside them, we have seen how Fiennes has had Shakespeare's original words, in free verse, and set them right into a modern context. Spoken clearly and thankfully gradually, there's lots of breathing space for individuals not every educate yourself on Billy's canon to get what is happening. Within the first scene i was proven, the Roman individuals are rising up, clamoring for bloodstream, after which Caius Martius (before he's because of the appealing Coriolanus nickname, natch) brings about the riot troops and provides them an ear-bashing they'll always remember. Then there is a jaw-shedding scene that saw Ralph's superbly-shaven bonce covered in bloodstream, tearing through Gerard Butler's military before facing served by him, mano-a-mano, guns lower, knives in hands. Think Modern Warfare: Shakespearean Edition plus you've got a remarkably simplistic interpretation of the items we had. Seriously, So simplistic. But nonetheless, we'll wager two dollars individuals will say it, so here i am, getting into there first.... The ultimate snippet was Caius Martius returning home to some hero's welcome, getting an authoritative pat about the mind from his mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) along with a hug about the lips from his wife Virgilia (Jessica Chastain). It's, for want of the better word, tense. Oh, and good. Gleam poster which has been launched today through the Daily Telegraph, which we thought we'd add in to the mix for your approval, so take a look below and let's our opinion. Coriolanus is going to be in movie theaters come The month of january 20 2012.

Cha Cha From Grease Dead At 63

La, Calif. -- Grease has lost another star. Annette Charles, who performed Cha Cha DiGregorio in 1978s Grease has died, Access Hollywood has confirmed. Annettes mother, Mary Cardona, told Access that her daughter died on Wednesday, after being put in the hospital for roughly per month. The actress-switched-professor, who had been also fighting cancer, was initially put in the hospital for pneumonia. Annette, who notoriously danced with Travolta Qantas Video within the classic movie musical and told the films Pink Ladies, They call me Cha Cha because Im the very best dancer at St. Bernadettes, seemed to be an address professor at California Condition College Northridge, in Northridge, Calif., following her career about the giant screen. In May, Shaun Conaway, who co-starred in Grease with Annette as Kenickie, died at age 60 after investing days inside a coma and battling with addiction issues recently. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kevin, Michael Goetz take 'Scenic Route'

KillenBrothers Kevin Goetz and Michael Goetz have been tapped to direct the indie drama "Scenic Route," written by "The Beaver" scribe Kyle Killen. Story follows two old college pals who get stranded in the desert and begin to clash emotionally and physically while coming to grips with the fact they might not be rescued. Anonymous Content is producing with Paul Jensen and Brion Hambel of Best Medicine Prods. Killen, whose script for "The Beaver" topped the Black List in 2008, recently created and exec produced last year's Fox series "Lone Star." He's currently writing and exec producing the drama "Awake," which NBC just ordered for midseason. Kevin Goetz started in market research before going on to produce the 2001 Showtime telepic "Wild Iris," which starred Laura Linney, Gena Rowlands and Emile Hirsch. He most recently exec produced the Charisma Carpenter-starrer "Deadly Sibling Rivalry." The Goetz brothers also co-wrote the Dennis Hopper indie "Tycus." WME and Anonymous Content rep Killen and the Goetzes. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

Laurence Fishburne looking for 'Man of Steel'

FishburneLaurence Fishburne continues to be cast as Daily Planet editor Perry Whitened in Warner Bros.' "Guy of Steel" opposite Henry Cavill and Can Be. Studio had no comment but Fishburne's repetition confirmed the casting Tuesday. Pic is shooting this summer time in Chicago and Vancouver with Zack Snyder pointing. Cavill will have Superman, also known as Clark Kent, with Adams as Lois Lane. Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Michael Shannon will also be starring. The Perry Whitened character first made an appearance in early nineteen forties Superman comics like a tough but fair-minded boss rich in standards. Warner Bros. has set June 14, 2013 for that bow of "Guy of Steel." David Goyer composed the script and developed the storyline with Christopher Nolan, that has stored plot particulars under systems. Charles Roven will produce together with Emma Thomas, Nolan and Deborah Snyder. Thomas Tull will professional produce for Legendary and Lloyd Phillips will even professional produce. Word of Fishburne's casting was initially reported Tuesday by EW.com. Fishburne starred previously three seasons of "CSI: Crime Scene Analysis" and will also be seen next in Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion" for Warner Bros. He's repped by Paradigm. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com