The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
- Tyler Perry is Hollywood's highest paid man
- Clooney's ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis gets naked for PETA
- For Michelle Yeoh, 'The Lady' is role of lifetime
| Tyler Perry is Hollywood's highest paid man Posted: 13 Sep 2011 10:50 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: Actor Tyler Perry, who has his own film and TV studio in Atlanta, ranks atop the list of Hollywood's highest paid men, in a new ranking from Forbes.com that includes director Steven Spielberg and singer Elton John. Perry topped the list by making $130 million from May 2010 to May 2011, financial website Forbes.com reported on Monday. The actor, writer, director and producer had his Hollywood breakthrough with 2005 film "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which he created as a stage play. He dressed in drag to portray tough-talking family matriarch Madea, a crowd-pleasing role. That movie led to a number of sequels, and most recently Perry has seen success producing the television show "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," which runs on TBS. Holding the No. 2 position on the Forbes list with $113 million is producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He is behind the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and had a hit with the latest movie in the series, which came out this year and earned over $1 billion at global box offices. Steven Spielberg ranks at No. 3 with $107 million, Forbes said. The last film directed by Spielberg was released in 2008, but he has kept himself busy on a number of projects since then where he was the producer or executive producer, including action flicks "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Cowboys & Aliens" and the upcoming science fiction TV show "Terra Nova." "Rocket Man" singer Elton John, whose most recent tour grossed over $200 million, takes the No. 4 spot on the list with $100 million in earnings, Forbes said. TV personality and music executive Simon Cowell, whose "The X Factor" singing contest is about to make its U.S. debut, ranked No. 5 with $90 million, Forbes said. Writer James Patterson, author of "The Women's Murder Club" series of novels and such titles as "I, Alex Cross," ranks at No. 6 on the Forbes list with $84 million. Rounding out the top 10 on the entertainment world list are: Phil McGraw, the TV psychologist and Oprah Winfrey protege from the show "Dr. Phil," with earnings of $80 million; actor Leonardo DiCaprio with $77 million; radio shock jock Howard Stern with $76 million; and pro golfer Tiger Woods with $75 million. DiCaprio and Perry were the only actors on the list, and Forbes.com noted that Perry earned most of his money from producing and directing projects instead of appearing on-camera. |
| Clooney's ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis gets naked for PETA Posted: 13 Sep 2011 10:47 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: George Clooney's ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis is the latest celebrity to strip down for animal rights group PETA, unveiling her campaign and her naked body in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. Shoppers on ritzy Rodeo Drive got an eyeful of Canalis as she posed next to her nude, black-and-white campaign portrait for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The Italian TV host, who split from A-list actor Clooney earlier this year, has long been against the use of fur. Her campaign will be shown prominently in Milan, where designers are still known to use fur in their collections. "This is a thing which I personally believe and trust in, so nobody told me to do it. Since I was a little kid, I was against fur, I never wore fur in my life," she told Reuters. Canalis, 33, joins a long list of Hollywood celebrities who bared it all for PETA's anti-fur campaign, including Charlize Theron and Pamela Anderson. The Italian beauty said she was moved to work on the campaign after hearing of the immense cruelty suffered by animals in the fur trade. "If you know what happens all around the world, everyday, like, 50,000 - more than that - animals are killed, bludgeoned, drowned, electrocuted, skinned alive, just for vanity. That's enough I think," said Canalis. The model is stepping away from her famous ex-boyfriend's spotlight and into her own, with an upcoming stint on U.S. reality TV show "Dancing With The Stars." Canalis is training hard with dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy, in preparation for the live show, which premieres on ABC on September 19. "At the beginning, I thought, this is a very famous TV program in United States (and) I'm very happy they asked me to do it. But now, I'm realizing that it's a lot of work because me and Val, we are working tough everyday, six hours, it's like an athlete training, so I was not really used to doing it," said Canalis. "But I'm so excited to do it." Canalis will be featured in PETA's fall "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign, which will be appearing in advertisements and on billboards worldwide. |
| For Michelle Yeoh, 'The Lady' is role of lifetime Posted: 13 Sep 2011 09:58 PM PDT TORONTO: For action star Michelle Yeoh, one of Asia's best known actresses, the chance to play Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi posed perhaps the biggest challenge in her nearly three-decade career, and that is exactly what she wanted. Taking the lead role in ''The Lady'', which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival Monday, meant the responsibility of playing one of the world's most revered pro-democracy figures, who is still fighting for reform in her native Myanmar. But it also meant finding the humanity behind Suu Kyi's iconic image, and capturing the highs and lows of the love affair that helped sustain her through years of detention. ''I knew that this was not just the role of a lifetime, but an incredible story that really needed to be told,'' Yeoh said at a press conference in Toronto Monday. ''I lived and breathed her for the past four years. Every day. Every night. I learned Burmese. I slept with her. I woke up with her. Because it was necessary ... (to) allow you to come into her world.'' Directed by France's Luc Besson, also known for action films like ''La Femme Nikita'' and ''The Fifth Element'', ''The Lady'' follows Suu Kyi starting in 1988 when she returned to Myanmar, formerly Burma, to care for her ailing mother. But as the daughter of slain independence hero General Aung San, the charismatic Oxford graduate soon became the figurehead for the country's fight against the military dictatorship. While Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the 1990 election by a landslide, the military nullified the results and refused to hand over power. Suu Kyi spent 15 years in detention under house arrest for spearheading the campaign. Covering events up to 2007, ''The Lady'' centers on one of the lesser known aspects of the 66 year-old Suu Kyi's life: her marriage to British academic Michael Aris and their two kids. Aris, an Oxford professor, never wavered in supporting Suu Kyi's decision to stay in Myanmar, raising their children and playing a key behind-the-scenes role in campaigning for her Nobel Peace Prize. But this choice, which meant years of separation, exacted a huge personal toll on them both. The relationship took an even more tragic turn when Aris was diagnosed with cancer and denied a visa to visit Suu Kyi a final time. He died in 1999. ''The story was just so moving, because we know more about the political side and the problems they had, but we don't know about this incredible love story, this soulmate that she had who did everything possible to ensure her safety,'' said Yeoh. ''When you love someone you don't try to change them. And I think he knew what she was about.'' TURNING POINT FOR YEOH The role marks a huge shift from Yeoh's early career as a star of Hong Kong action films alongside Jackie Chan, when the former Miss Malaysia famously performed many of her own stunts. She came to the attention of Western audiences as a Bond girl in 1997 movie ''Tomorrow Never Dies'', as well as films like director Ang Lee's ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''. For ''The Lady'', Yeoh dove into research about Suu Kyi and even managed to visit her briefly in Myanmar during the production. Initially so in awe she could barely speak, Yeoh said Suu Kyi quickly put her at ease. ''We never spoke about the film. I think it was conscious, on my part, on both our parts, because in no way would we want to put her in danger in case they turn around and say 'how could you be giving information like that?','' Yeoh said. The film received a standing ovation and cheers at its gala premiere in Toronto Monday, where Yeoh mixed with fans and Suu Kyi supporters on the red carpet. But early reviews of the movie have been less than positive. The Hollywood Reporter said it was a ''well-intentioned but pedestrian retelling of a stirring true story'', while the Guardian said the film ''says so little about its subject, it would struggle to pass muster as a TV biopic.'' Suu Kyi was released in November 2010 when her latest stint of house arrest expired after elections widely criticized as a sham, since the army made sure it dominated parliament. With Western countries insisting embargoes against the Myanmar government remain in place until an estimated 2,100 political prisoners are released, cast members said they hope the movie will raise awareness. ''There's so much else going on in the world and the Burmese struggle is in danger of being forgotten. So I hope this film will just bring it up into the spotlight a little more,'' said British actor David Thewlis, who portrays Aris. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan