OK Go has left EMI to go form their own independent label entitled Paracadute Recordings. This move allows them to have total control over their recent album, “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky.”

Below is the statement from EMI:

“OK Go, the band whose inventive internet campaigns and self-directed music videos have set records and won the band a GRAMMY® Award, and EMI Music’s Capitol Records, the band’s label since 2001, have agreed to part ways by mutual agreement. OK Go has formed their own independent label, Paracadute Recordings. They will take on all distribution and promotion functions for their latest album, Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky, which was released in January. ‘We’d like to thank the people at EMI Music who have worked so hard on our behalf,’ said OK Go singer Damian Kulash. EMI Music said: ‘We’ve really enjoyed our relationship with OK Go. They’ve always pushed creative boundaries and have broken new ground, particularly with their videos. We wish them the greatest success for the future.’”

Some discrepancy broke out between EMI and the band when EMI and Youtube decided to disable the embedding feature on their music videos online. Since the band has become known for their creative videos, this obviously hurt their publicity greatly. The band released the following statement in the New York Times stating, “When EMI disabled the embedding feature, views of our treadmill video dropped 90 percent, from about 10,000 per day to just over 1,000. Our last royalty statement from the label, which covered six months of streams, shows a whopping $27.77 credit to our account.”

Below their latest creative music video:

Get ready Twilight fans! The first trailer for “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” movie is going to premiere tomorrow at 6:00 am PST via satellite. The trailer that runs 90 seconds is being kept under secrecy until its debut, but we’ve found a 10 second clip of it. The full trailer can also be seen in previews before Robert Pattinson’s latest film “Remember Me,” which is currently in theaters.

“In THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.”

In a remarkably short time, Amanda Seyfried has played an amazing variety of roles, both on television and film. She’s appeared on soap operas, screen dramas, musicals, horror films, crime thrillers, and more, and at 25 seems to be picking up speed as she expands her repertoire, in roles great and small, but always with performances that distinguish her even if they don’t define her. In her latest film, Chloe, her eclecticism and talent is further put to the test: she plays the title character, a young prostitute who becomes involved with a married woman after the woman enlists her help to see if her husband is cheating.

Hollywood News sat down with Seyfried Tuesday afternoon in Beverly Hills, Calif. at the Chloe press day to discuss her participation in the film. In addition to talking about her collaboration with director Atom Egoyan, Seyfried explored the relationship she developed on and off screen with her costar, Julianne Moore, and reflected not only on what it is that Chloe seems to want, but what she herself wanted to reveal about the complicated, fascinating, and provocative character.

Check out the film’s theatrical trailer below. Chloe also stars Liam Neeson, and opens in limited release on March 26, 2010.

Amy Winehouse is going to remarry her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil in a quick ceremony in Las Vegas as soon as she can get clearance to come back to the U.S. The couple divorced and then reconciled a few months later and it looks like they’re ready to be back together again. A source stated, “They will definitely be getting married and have agreed on Las Vegas. Amy doesn’t want a traditional ceremony and wants it to be similar to their first wedding. She chose not to marry in Miami again because she thinks it could be a bad omen. She can’t stop talking to people about their future together.”

The couple are looking for a fresh start and hope to have a family together soon. Do you think this is a good move or another recipe for disaster?

The Wrap’s Josef Adalian says that the network has “all but decided to make the current season of the Keifer Sutherland thriller its last,” and adds that sources close to the series confirm “end of life conversations” have begun. Adalian goes so far as to say a formal announcement could arrive later this week.

Variety’s Michael Schneider ran a similar piece.

That’s not to say the “24″ franchise is completely dead in the water. In February, Billy Ray (“State of Play,” “Shattered Glass”) was hired to pen a feature-length script in hopes of transitioning Sutherland’s unbreakable hero, Jack Bauer, to the big screen. Reports say Ray’s initial treatment would send Bauer to Europe, which makes sense since the last two seasons have shifted the action from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. and New York City, respectively.

Stay tuned for more reports.

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed the actor’s death to local TV station KTLA.

Police are saying Haim died of an “accidental overdose.” He reportedly was with his mother at the time of his death, and was pronounced dead at Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank. More details to come as they emerge.

Can we all catch our collective breath now?

As if the world of film criticism isn’t in enough turmoil (Variety fired its veteran film critic Todd McCarthy this week), now comes word that New York-based critic Armond White was banned–and then reinstated–from attending an early press screening of director Noah Baumbach’s new Focus Features’ film, “Greenberg.”

White told the New York Press’s Jerry Portwood, “I was told this rescinded invite was ordered by director Noah Baumbach, producer Scott Rudin and their publicist [Leslee Dart].They objected to my previous reviews of ‘The Squid and the Whale’ and ‘Margot at the Wedding.’”

Dart, the head honcho at 42 West, explained to the Village Voice’s Michael Musto: “He was not banned from screenings. He will see the movie. He has RSVPd for Friday afternoon. I made a decision, not the filmmaker, that based on the horrible comments he’s made about Noah personally–like how his mother should have had an abortion and how he’s never met him, but he’s an asshole–I made a decision that he shouldn’t be one of the first critics to see the film.”

Studios and filmmakers can be notoriously thin-skinned when critics slam their films. Years ago, Rod Lurie, who is now a film director himself, described actor Danny DeVito in a review as “a testicle with arms” and was banned from press screenings by Warner Bros.

This dispute may have its roots in White’s professional relationship with Baumbach’s mother, Georgia Brown. As recounted by Vadim Rizov at The Independent Eye, Brown was a Village Voice film critic back in the ’80s and she and White never got along. White, Rizov said, once accused Brown of racism on “The Leonard Lopate Show” with “Brown demanding proof of said racism and White responding that it wasn’t his job to tell her about her sins.”

One thing we can all now agree on: a little controversy never hurts small movies or film critics. Now everyone will be waiting to read White’s review of “Greenberg” and if he slams the film, Baumbach can always say the critic has it in for him.

HollywoodNews.com stays on top of the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases so you know which films are worth your time and money. This week, we recommend:

‘Precious’

Talk about good timing. Days after Lee Daniels’ raw “Precious” won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Mo’Nique) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher), the heart wrenching drama arrives on DVD for those who couldn’t work up the courage to see it in theaters. (The film’s $47 million domestic take is solid, but not staggering.)

Mo’Nique riveted Academy members with her portrayal of Mary, the monstrous mother of title character Precious (Oscar nominee Gabby Sidibe, equally devastating). The two occupy an all-too-realistic urban environment pockmarked by poverty, illiteracy and, worst of all, incest. Precious’s father, seen in only in flashbacks, raped her multiple times, endowing her with two babies, to which Mary clings so the state will continue to provide welfare. But when Precious reaches her breaking point, a teacher (Paula Patton) and a social worker (Mariah Carey) dare to intervene.

A difficult sit, “Precious” earns its stripes with spectacular performances from fearless actors willing to embrace the pain and hurt in Fletcher’s script. He adapts the novel, “Push,” by street poet Sapphire, but turns it – with Daniels’ help – into a story we can relate to. And that might be the saddest part of all.

Lionsgate’s “Precious” DVD comes with an audio commentary track; featurettes on the adaptation and casting processes; conversations with Daniels and Sapphire; deleted scenes; Sidibe’s audition reel and more.

The movie – *** out of 4
The DVD – *** out of 4

There will be slaps on the back in the Academy’s board room and a feeling that all is right again in Oscarland.

What a pathetic joke. How delusional is that?

It is embarrassing enough that the Academy snubbed actress Farrah Fawcett when it remembered entertainment personalities who had died during the past year, but the Oscar show itself was so flawed, so boring, that I wonder how many of those people who endured the telecast will want to sit through another one?

First, it was outrageous that the Academy didn’t see fit to recognize Fawcett during the “in memoriam” portion of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards broadcast. This, mind you, after the 62-year-old actress had put together a modest but respectable film career despite huge odds with prominent roles in films like “The Apostle” with Robert Duvall, “Logan’s Run” with Michael York, and “Dr. T and the Women” with Richard Gere.

Across the Internet, people were fuming that Fawcett, who died last year after a very public and tragic struggle with cancer, would be ignored by the leading film organization in Hollywood. Film critic Roger Ebert was moved to Twitter: “No Farrah Fawcett in the tribute? Major fail.”

Academy spokesman Leslie Unger, in a statement reeking with arrogance, issued a statement that said: “Every year it’s an unfortunate reality that we can’t include everybody.”

Oh, but you can include Michael Jackson, a pop singer?!

Unger, whose Red Queen persona is on full display each year as she threatens reporters from around the world with banishment or even arrest if they break any of the Academy’s arcane rules, (I have been present backstage when she warns reporters that the LAPD will handcuff them and haul them off to jail if they open the door at the back of the press room where celebrities are escorted to media interviews), doesn’t like it when the Academy is questioned.

Arrogance and pettiness are never in short supply at the Academy, but the show itself this year exhibited another Academy trait: self-delusion. Is it only me or do the shows seem to be getting worse with each passing year. ABC turns over three-plus hours to the Academy to stage something this bad. And don’t get me started on how over-the-top bad Kathy Ireland was in the Oscar Red Carpet pre-show!

This year’s show was truly dreadful from the moment that Neil Patrick Harris began his song-and-dance routine (he proved he can’t sing) to the insipid tribute to horror pictures that seemed more a tribute to sci-fi films, to the embarrassing moment when they showed a side-portrait of Jennifer Jones during the “in memoriam” tribute for Jean Simmons!

The biggest letdown of the evening had to be for best picture. All awards season, we have been building to this climax. Would “The Hurt Locker,” a small, indie picture with no stars, beat “Avatar,” the biggest grossing film of all time? Then Tom Hanks rushed out and opened the envelope and announced that “The Hurt
Locker” won, but the show was quickly winding down so we have to go! Good night!

I propose that next year, the Academy Awards should announce the best picture at the beginning of the telecast, followed quickly by best actor, best actress, best director and the supporting roles.

Relegate best sound mixing and makeup to last!

And if you must put Neil Patrick Harris on, put him on when nobody is left to watch!

Simon Cowell has pledged his support for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to bring awareness to the campaign to get international recognition for animal welfare. WSPA hopes that Cowell’s lead will encourage others to come forward to their governments and express their love for animals. Cowell stated why animals mean so much to him saying, “The World Society for Protection of Animals struck a chord with me, as it’s a global charity that recognizes the needs of animals around the world. When I was growing up, we had pets, and I was taught early on that you have to respect animals. I don’t have pets now, simply because I travel too much to take on the responsibility. But owning pets has had an immensely positive impact on my life and I think animals deserve our protection.”

He is using his star power to ask the world to follow in his steps. He continued, “Right now, there are no international laws to protect animals and The World Society for the Protection of Animals is working to change that. They are calling on governments across the world to embrace a common agreement called the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. This would recognize that animals can suffer and feel pain and need proper protection.”

Executive Director of WSPA-US, Cecily West, commented, “WSPA is thrilled to have Mr. Cowell’s support for this critical campaign. By talking about what animals mean to him, he joins a growing community of animal welfarists. We believe his heartfelt video will inspire many other people to stop and think about how animals are treated here in the U.S., and around the world — and also understand that, by adding their signatures, they too can help put an end to animal suffering and cruelty.”

Cowell added that it is easy to sign up for the campaign. “All you have to do is add your name to the Declaration — I’m encouraging people to sign it and send it to a friend as well. The Universal Declaration will mean so much; it would help governments appreciate the important role that animals play in our lives and in the environment we live in, and so inspire better legislation to protect animals around the world. So please, go to www.AnimalsMatterToMe.org and add your own message of support today.”

Other celebrities that are already on board are Leona Lewis, Miranda Richardson, Brooke Shields, Kristin Davis, and Christina Applegate.

For more information visit WSPA.

When Let The Right One In was screened at film festivals in early 2008, it quickly built a reputation as a scary, satisfying vampire story that had a major advantage over its bloodsucking competition – namely, that it had substance, too. Upon its theatrical release, it continued to gain attention from genre fans and casual viewers alike, eventually becoming one of the few modern horror films that earned a spot among the classics, or at the very least was good enough to love unconditionally. All of which is why people were perhaps understandably suspicious, if not outraged, when Hammer Films announced that Cloverfield director Matt Reeves would be mounting a remake, to be entitled Let Me In.

On Friday, producer and Hammer Films executive Simon Oakes met in Beverly Hills with a small group of journalists to reassure fans that the ’08 original would not be impugned by Reeves’ 2010 reimagining. Speaking to reporters over a modest spread of bagels and coffee, Oakes revealed a few details about Let Me In, talked about what made Reeves right to direct it, and explained why and how they chose what elements from the first film (and its source material) would make it to the screen in theirs.

Hollywood News: Was there a sense that the public at large is not familiar with Let the Right One In, and that’s why it needed to be remade in an English-language version?

Simon Oakes: That’s a very good question, and the right one to ask. We saw [Let the Right One In] very early; I’m English, I’m European, and I see a lot of pictures coming out of Scandinavia, France and Germany as you can imagine. So we saw it very, very early on and we thought it was astonishing because it was a love story – Stand By Me meets The Exorcist – and we thought it was just special and wonderful. We never in a million years could have guessed it would get the critical acclaim that it did, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it was actually a hit movie. It did great grosses. But at the same time, the reality is 22-23 percent of its entire box office in the U.S. came from one theater. I was always of the view that this was a beautiful story, I knew the original book, which was a lot harder as you guys would know – a lot more risqué if you like, more controversial. But the story was so great, so beautiful, that it should be seen by a bigger audience. So I was always saying to myself, people in Manhattan have seen it, guys like you because it’s in your wheelhouse, in New York, in Chicago, in Chelsea, in Notting Hill, in London. But no one in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Bristol or Idaho or Pittsburgh have seen this film. It’s a story that needs to be seen by a wider audience. Then it came down to [the question], how do you achieve that? By paying homage to the original. Number one, get a very sensitive, smart director [and] we got it in Matt [Reeves]. Frankly, not to muck about the basic tenets of the story, which is important. More than anything else, stay true to the imagery and mystique and the mythology of the original, and set it in the right time as well, not update it in terms of its timing. Set it in that ’79-’81 era, whenever it was.

Hollywood News: So it’s still going to have the Rubik’s cube?

Oakes: Yes, exactly! The Rubik’s cube, which is great. And then, find kids who can stand up to and, I hate to say it, be as good as or better than the wonderful children that were in the original. And, you know, we did do that. It’s quite interesting; had we not done that, it would have been a very difficult thing. Could two kids pull it off with the sort of knowingness that those two children had, that sort of quiet knowingness that Oskar and Abby [Eli] had? Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee are absolutely amazing.

Hollywood News: It was interesting that you found a counterpoint in the Southwest setting in the U.S. to the desolate landscape in the first film. But there’s a quietness in the two leads, which is intriguing about Chloe because she’s known for being a little bolder on screen.

Oakes: Not when you see her in the film. If you think about her in Kick-Ass, of course you’d think that quite naturally. But she has the same stillness, the same quietness, the same control. When it comes to the setting, the outskirts of Stockholm, we thought about that town from nowhere; do you remember the scene in E.T. when suddenly this quiet environment has been shattered, when the government guys come in their suits and suddenly this small little house has got this huge white tunnel they’re all coming in? It’s the juxtaposition of the strangeness of that and the very ordinariness of the home environment that the kids lived in. We wanted to create the same idea, that within this very ordinary Southwest situation, extraordinary things are happening. This girl, this vampire, comes into this world and affects a kid and his daily life and relationship with his peers, or his bullies. We tried to find what that match would be; rather than just setting it in some snowy environment somewhere, we’ll try and place it in that juxtaposition.

Hollywood News: Can you talk about the provocative elements of the original and what adjustments you had to make in adapting it for this version?

Oakes: Without being so pretentious in English, for a start (laughs). But frankly not that much, to be honest with you. If you call it a faithful remake, I think that’s true to say that’s what it is. It’s not a reimagining; the same beats [are there], maybe the scares are a little bit more scary. We haven’t been able to ramp that up quite a lot, obviously, for budgetary reasons. We’ve played a little bit with some of the chronology, without giving too much away. Fundamentally, that’s what. High production values. Tomas Alfredson did a phenomenal job; I have actually no idea what his budget was in Sweden, but I can imagine what it was, so go figure. [We had a] longer shooting period, more coverage, more effects.

Hollywood News: Was there ever any thought to put back in some of the more challenging elements of the book?

Oakes: I think I know what you mean, and absolutely not. I think in the book, it’s very disturbing, the implications, and I think they should be left I the book, which is astonishing. John Ajvide Lindqvist is an amazing writer. I don’t know if you’ve read Handling the Undead, which is the book following this; he’s an original thinker. But I don’t think it actually lends anything to the movie. In fact, it detracts from it. I mean, I think there are implications and suggestions [in the film]; the famous line, “Will you go steady with me?” “I’m not a girl.” Well, that could mean a million things. What does she mean? Does she mean she’s not a girl, she’s a vampire? Does it mean she’s not a girl, she was a girl? Or was a boy? I think you leave ambiguity there. I think also, you don’t talk down and spoon feed the audience that is going to see this movie. You, in a sense, are the bellwether for fanboys and so forth and you’ve had a lot of inbound on this film. And I think to start with, a lot of people were sort of quite negative about this happening because they love the movie so much. Gradually, as Matt came onboard, and Kodi and Chloe, people started to move towards the middle and saying, you know what, this is good, this is great, let’s see what happens, let’s reserve judgment until we see the final product. I think that’s what’s happening now. There’s a bigger audience out there as well who will never see the picture anyway. So I’m not too worried about that.

Hollywood News: What made Matt Reeves the right director for Let Me In?

Oakes: Sometimes in the process of making movies and producing and financing movies, you can get what we call in England, “our knickers in a twist” by having 17 options and going round in circles, going back to the person you thought should do it first. We immediately fell in love with Matt and his take; he loved the original, so we felt that he was going to honor it, which is very important. Secondly, I think there’s something, and I don’t know if he’d like me saying this, quite autobiographical of his own life in the life of Owen, in some respect – where he came from, and his background and so forth. That was important. We didn’t go out to get multiple takes from people, because this movie did not need a “take,” if you know what I mean. It needed someone to say, I love this film, I want to remake this film now, and I want it to be seen by a bigger audience. And I know how I’m going to do it. I have a feel for the material. He’s astonishing. He has a fantastic intellect, a great imagination.

Hollywood News: His pedigree because of Cloverfield has that sort of found footage aesthetic. Was this an opportunity for him, or for you guys to give him a chance to do something different? Or do you find that the movie has an aesthetically-similar approach?

Oakes: It’s a very different aesthetic. At the end of the day, you could make this movie and never use the word “vampire.” You could say this is a love story between two kids. I think an understanding of genre helps, because there are obviously some big set piece/genre moments in it. You know that he’s got the chops to do it. But really, I think it’s because he’s a storyteller, he knows how to tell a story. If you think of Cloverfield and you think of the technical difficulty in maintaining the focus of story in a film like that, the way he shot it, that was brilliant – to be able to do that, to keep us there, to keep us watching and engaged. I think one of Matt’s great qualities is that he’s a genuinely great storyteller.

Hollywood News: When you guys were shooting the action violence and intense stuff, was Matt sort of free to do whatever he wanted or how choreographed was it?

Oakes: He could do what he wanted. I think it is a mistake to sort of manufacturer the scares and stuff. I think the story lends itself to the right type of action in the right type of scares. We have a picture that we are making this year called The Woman in Black, which is a famous novella, and then a play. It’s been on forever. Jane Goldman is writing it for us, who did Kick-Ass and so forth. And when you are dealing with someone like that, which is sort of a classic ghost story, and you’re dealing with the supernatural in a sense, you can sort of get away with more. You can get a better rating for your movie, because there is the suspension of disbelief. When you are dealing with a story like this, which although it is a vampire story, in part, It is so realistic there such a super realism about it. Then you are always going to have a problem with the rating because it just crosses the boundary. If that makes sense to you guys.

Hollywood News: Felicity, which Reeves worked on, was about young people in love, and Cloverfield was a thriller. It seems like this will combine the two.

Oakes: I guess I have to say truthfully, subliminally he must have tipped the boxes in my head and my colleagues. You know, but to be honest, we didn’t think about it in such a drilled out and rational way. I think he understands the audience for the movie and that sort of thing. I think he has a sort of a natural, understanding of what an audience would expect from this film and how to make it accessible to a wider audience.

Hollywood News: What is the audience that you are going for?

Oakes: As big as possible, I think. The fan boy base. The people that you guys interact with on a daily and weekly basis, they will all come and see this movie. They will all come with preconceptions – some good, some bad. Those that are there, anyway. I think this will be an R-rated picture. I’m thinking it’s a pretty young demographic, but we are only at the beginning stage of our marketing, because part of it is marketing it as a love story, a redemptive love story.

Hollywood News: Is there a chance that it might be done PG13 maybe?

Oakes: I don’t know. I mean, we are literally in the first week of post. There are some different rules in the states. The thing about you guys, clearly, is that you’re on the World Wide Web In this room right now. It’s amazing that they would give Kick-Ass a 12. It is unbelievable, where we have a 12-year-old girl using the C-word and cutting people’s heads off. How did that happen? Well, that’s England for you. I think in this country it slightly more difficult to get the rating that you would like to get, but we’ll get there.

The Goo Goo Dolls have announced that the title of their ninth studio album will be called “Something for the Rest of Us.” The album will be released by Warner Bros. and is set to hit the stores later this year. Fans will be able to hear the new songs live on their spring tour which begins April 6th in Augusta, GA and runs through mid-June. The band, which consists of singer/guitarist Johnny Rzeznik, bassist Robby Takac, and drummer Mike Malinin, will use this album to mark their 20th anniversary as a band. Special guests who will join them on their tour will be The Rocket Summer (April 10-May 18 / except May 4) and Vedura (May 19-June 12).

Ticket information can be found at googoodolls.com and the full list of dates are listed below:

Tue Apr 06 Augusta, GA First Tee Golf of Augusta
Thur Apr 08 Wilmington, NC Trask Coliseum
Sat Apr 10 Oswego, NY SUNY Campus Center
Sun Apr 11 Wilkes Barre, PA FM Kirby Center
Tues Apr 13 Hershey, PA Hershey Theatre
Thurs Apr 15 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Fri Apr 16 Potsdam, NY Cheel Arena
Sat Apr 17 Erie, PA Penn State Behrend
Tues Apr 20 Richmond, VA The National
Wed Apr 21 Norfolk, VA The Norva
Fri Apr 23 Greensboro, NC War Memorial Auditorium
Sat Apr 24 North Charleston, SC Performing Arts
Sun Apr 25 Jacksonville, FL Moran Theatre
Tues Apr 27 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
Sun May 2 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Tues May 4 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
Wed May 5 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace Theatre
Sun May 9 Columbus, OH Palace Theatre
Tues May 11 South Bend IN Morris Performing Arts Center
Wed May 12 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theatre
Fri May 14 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion
Sat May 15 Milwaukee WI Pabst Theatre
Sun May 16 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic

Photo courtesy of googoodolls.com

Heidi Montag has been the source of jokes over the past few months for her obsession with plastic surgery and for getting 10 surgeries in one day. Her plastic surgeon even denied doing more work on her despite her desire to continue to do more. Here she is with a new spoof video that features Montag making fun of herself in regards to this issue from Funny or Die. The video was directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, which shows a new side of his directing style.

“The Runaways” starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart has officially unveiled the official poster for the movie when it hits the theaters March 19. The flick directed by Floria Sigismondi got many people talking at its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The official poster features a still of the movie that has been highly advertised, yet adds the funky 70’s look. The new trailer features more of the film’s comedic moments as well as the meeting of the two stars.

Watch below:

News that Variety is laying off its longtime film critic Todd McCarthy is another sign of the rapid decline of print journalism.

In the last couple of years, dozens of film critics at magazines and newspapers both big and small have been given pink slips as the economy soured and publications began shedding salaried employees with 401-K’s and replaced them with freelancers, who earn only $30 to $50 per review–with no pension plans or health benefits for employers to worry about.

Also, in the Internet age, anyone with a blog and an interest in movies can dream of being the next Roger Ebert or Pauline Kael.

A pity.

The bloodbath continues.

It was one of the more interesting cinematography competitions in the 82 year history of the Oscars. The other nominees were Barry Ackroyd for “The Hurt Locker,” Christian Berger, AAC for The White Ribbon, Bruno Delbonnel, AFC for “Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince” and Robert Richardson, ASC for “Inglourious Basterds.”

It was the first time the five nominees were born and raised in different countries. Fiore was born in Marzi, Italy, a small town with a population of about 1,500. His family moved to Chicago when he was 11 years old. The ASC after his name indicates that he is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. ASC is an honorary organization with some 300 members by invitation based on their bodies of work.

Ackroyd was born and raised in Mancester, England. He has occasionally worked on U.S. films, but his main body of work was earned in his native land. Delbonnel was was born in Nancy, France. His family moved to Paris when he was 20. His body of work is a blend of U.S. and French films. The AFC after his name indicates that he is a member of the Association of French cinematographers.

Berger was born and raised in Innsbruck, Austria. The ACS after his name indicates that he is a member of the Austrian Society of Cinematgraphers. The White Ribbon and most other films in his body of work were produced in his native land.

Richardson was born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he spent his youth. He now lives in Los Angeles. This was his sixth Oscar nomination. Richardson took top honors in 1991 for JFK and in 2004 for The Aviator.

The morale is that cinematography is a global language. The genres of the five films nominated this year varied from pure fantasy to harsh reality. They ranged from independent features produced with very limited resources to a $300 million-plus budget blockbuster. Ackroyd shot “The Hurt Locker,” which won Oscars in the Best Picture and Best Director categories in Super 16 film format. Fiore had two digital cameras on a rack, while shooting in 3-D format on sound stages. Richardson, Berger and Delbonnel created their imagery in 35 mm film format, but with radically different visual grammars. The morale of this story is that without artful cinematographey movies would be radio.

Photos: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Lil Wayne has managed to avoid going to jail twice now with both dates being pushed back due to unforeseen circumstances (he needed dental work done and then a fire erupted in courthouse), but his luck is finally up. He has officially turned himself into authorities today to begin his year long sentence. MTV has stated that a riot almost broke out outside the Manhattan Criminal Court Building as he was going to enter.

The rapper will serve his sentence in city jails rather than a state prison. If he cooperates with the officials inside, he could get his sentence moved up to 8 months. He doesn’t plan to put a hold on his music and has told Billboard that he will “be still rapping in there, have a gang of raps ready when I come back home.”

Photo courtesy of lilwayne-online.com.

Sparklehorse singer Mark Linkous has committed suicide at age 47 after shooting himself in the heart in front of a friend’s house in Tennesee on Saturday. Police responded to a call at 1:20 pm and he was later declared dead at the scene. Linkous was nearly finished with the latest Sparklehorse album, and had already wrapped a project with producer Danger Mouse and director David Lynch entitled, “Dark Night of the Soul.” This project was slated to be released this coming summer and included contributions from a variety of artists including Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, Julian Casablancas, Frank Black, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson, Suzanne Vega, Scott Spillane, and now dead Vic Chesnutt.

This is not the first suicide attempt for Linkous, as he nearly died in 1996 after downing a variety of antidepressants that left him temporarily paralyzed. His family members quoted on his website saying, “It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you. – March 6, 2010″

Photo courtesy of Sparklehorse.com.

The stars on the red carpet of the 82nd Academy Awards were all crowned with platinum jewelry as the trending fashion this year. Platinum is the highest quality metal and its natural white color maximizes the brilliance of diamonds and colored gemstones, making them sparkle brighter. Below is a list of all the celebrities that chose platinum as the source to complement their gorgeous gowns.

- Charlize Theron: Platinum and diamond cluster earrings (17.25 carats), and a platinum and diamond bracelet by Harry Winston.

– Zoe Saldana: Platinum and diamond drop earrings (20 carats), and a platinum and amethyst ring (80 carats) by Lorraine Schwartz.

- Miley Cyrus: Platinum and ruby ring (10 carats), and platinum and diamond earrings with rubies by Lorraine Schwartz.

- Amanda Seyfried: Platinum and colored diamond bracelets (250 carats), platinum and colored diamond ring, and blackened platinum and diamond earrings by Lorraine Schwartz.

- Faith Hill: Blackened platinum and diamond bangles (180 carats) by Lorraine Schwartz, and black sapphire and black diamond earrings set in platinum by Ofira.

- Gabourey Sidibe: Blackened platinum and diamond earrings with sapphires, blackened platinum and black diamond bracelets, and a blackened platinum and diamond ring (over 180 carats total for all jewelry) by Lorraine Schwartz.

- Nicole Richie: Blackened platinum and diamond ring (110 carats), blackened platinum and diamond stud earrings, and a blackened platinum and diamond ring by Lorraine Schwartz.

- Penelope Cruz: Platinum and diamond drop earrings (18 carats), and three platinum and diamond bracelets (51 carats total) by Chopard.

- Kate Winslet: Platinum and yellow diamond pendant (19 carats total), platinum and yellow diamond drop earrings (10 carats), and three platinum and yellow diamond bracelets by Tiffany & Co.

- Julianne Moore: Five platinum and diamond bracelets by Bvlgari.

- Maggie Gyllenhaal: Platinum and diamond bracelet with emerald and sapphire by Fred Leighton.

- Vera Farmiga: Platinum and diamond ear clips with opal, and platinum and diamond hair clips by Fred Leighton.

- Sarah Jessica Parker: Two platinum and diamond bracelets by Fred Leighton.

- Demi Moore: Platinum and diamond bracelet, platinum and diamond bracelet with crystals, platinum and diamond ring with a pearl, and a platinum and diamond hair clip by Van Cleef & Arpels.

- Jennifer Lopez: Platinum and diamond clip earrings, and a platinum and diamond bracelet by Cartier.

- Hilary Swank (Vanity Fair party): Platinum and diamond earrings, platinum and diamond chain necklace, and a platinum and diamond cluster ring by Harry Winston.

- Tina Fey: Platinum and diamond earrings with onyx, and a platinum and diamond ring with black jade by Stephen Russell.

- Paula Patton: Platinum and diamond “Tambourine” cuff bracelet (14.86 carats), platinum and diamond wide cuff bracelet (17 carats) platinum and diamond tassel earrings (25 carats), and a platinum and diamond ring (8 carats) by Martin Katz.

- Helen Mirren: Platinum and diamond necklace (125 carats), platinum and diamond earrings (9 carats), and a platinum and diamond cuff by Chopard.

- Sigourney Weaver: Two platinum and diamond bracelets with rubies, platinum and diamond bracelet, and platinum and diamond earrings (8 carats each) by Neil Lane.

- Zoe Kravitz: Platinum and diamond ring, and two platinum and diamond bracelets by Fred Leighton.

- Elizabeth Banks: Blackened platinum and diamond headband, and a platinum and diamond ring (2 carats) by Fred Leighton.

- Meryl Streep: Platinum ring with diamonds and onyx by Fred Leighton.

- Anika Noni Rose: Platinum and diamond cluster earrings and ring, and a platinum and diamond line bracelet by Kwiat.

- Kathy Bates: Platinum and rough diamond necklace (61.48 carats), platinum and rough diamond earrings (56.59 carats), and three stacked platinum and rough diamond bangles (54 carats total) by Diamond In The Rough.

- Robert Downey Jr.: Platinum time piece by Harry Winston.

- Apolo Ohno (Vanity Fair party): Platinum cufflinks by Harry Winston.

Sir Elton John and David Furnish hosted the 18th Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party following the Oscars Award show and pulled in $3.7 million for the fight against AIDS. The party continues to be the leading fundraiser that takes place on Oscar night in Hollywood. The night consisted of a cocktail reception, dinner, a viewing of the 82nd Academy Awards, and then followed by a live auction and live performance by Grace Jones.

This year celebrities Allison Iraheta (American Idol), Apolo Ohno, Betty White, Chace Crawford, Cory Monteith (Glee), Jason Mraz, Jeremy Piven, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Groban, K.D. Lang, Kimora Lee, Lea Michele (Glee), Liam Hemsworth, Matthew Morrison (Glee), Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Serena Williams, Sharon & Kelly Osbourne, Simon Cowell, Slash, Tim Allen, and Victoria Beckham were all in attendance.

Some of the items that were auctioned off were a private tennis lesson given by Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, which sold for $70K and the costume Elton John wore during his performance with Lady Gaga for the Grammy Awards (sold for $30K). A 48″x48″ William Claxton Piece was sold for $90K and a watch from the Elton John Watch Collection was sold for $90K. The top seller was a 7-day stay for 10 people in Elton John;s home in Windsor or Nice along with dishes prepared by his personal chef which was sold for $140K.