Ed Burns is a filmmaker, so it’s not surprising that he likes to see his work on the 40-foot screen of a movie theater. But for his eighth independent film, “Purple Violets,” Burns is forsaking the silver screen in favor of flat panels and iPods. Burns, an actor-writer-director-producer whose credits include “The Brothers McMullen” and “Sidewalks […]

As “Entourage,” television’s fictionalized Hollywood chronicle, wrapped its season last month, the agent extraordinaire Ari Gold saw his client’s dream movie about the Medellín drug cartel hammered by the audience and would-be buyers at the Cannes Film Festival. Maybe Mr. Gold was working the wrong market. 
At the American Film Market, which begins here on Wednesday, […]

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment worldwide president and Blu-ray Disc proponent Bob Chapek on Tuesday blasted the rival HD DVD camp for prolonging the format war when it is clear that Blu-ray is the odds-on favorite. 
“Blu-ray’s competition’s attempts to sell less than the best will inevitably be trumped by what we stated from the very […]

WHATEVER happened to Tom Cruise? Yes, I know there was somebody impersonating him in London last week at the premiere of Robert Redford’s new film Lions for Lambs - a chubby, cheesy, eager-to-please labrador puppy, eternal student type, with a bad haircut. That’s not the real Tom Cruise.
The real Tom Cruise is the broody, […]

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MySpace begins airing its first original scripted production today. “Roommates” is a faux reality series designed to mimic the success the company had with “Prom Queen.”

Unlike Michael Eisner’s “Prom Queen,” which debuted on MySpace but was not exclusive, MySpaceTV is co-producing “Roommates,” airing it exclusively and will retain creative control to respond to plot suggestions […]

While much has been made of the competition between the two emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to establish themselves as regional and international film hubs, the rest of the Persian Gulf has stepped up its own cinematic activities.

The likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait all have hefty coin at their disposal with the […]

Naomi Watts will star and Martin Campbell is in negotiations to direct Universal’s new version of “The Birds.”

Steve Buscemi and Daniel Bruehl (“Good Bye, Lenin”) have joined the cast of “John Rabe,” Florian Gallenberger’s true story about a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese lives during the Nanjing massacre carried out by Japanese […]

The new CBS drama series Cane centers on the Duque family, the Cuban-American owners of a sugar and rum business.  Created by Cynthia Cidre,  the show features many elements of her personal experience and unique writing trademarks, such as her father’s experience in the sugar industry and her inclusion of adopted characters in large Cuban-American […]

Heads up, Oscar watchers.  I’ve just seen the movie that has, to my mind, the best shot at WINNING Best Pic.  I’m not, nor would I ever say it WILL win but it has the right stuff TO win.  Longer review coming but I’ll say this much: you won’t see another movie like it.   Hopefully […]