Oliver Stone...honored with Director's Award! San Francisco International Film Festival!



Academy Award-Winner - Oliver Stone - is getting a nod from the long-running San Francisco International Film Festival.

Stone - who helmed blockbuster hits such as "Wall Street" and "JFK" - will be honored with a prestigious Festival Founder's Directing Award.

In honor of the occasion, the film society is slated to screen clips of Stone's work on April 27th in the bay area during the course of this year's Festival (which runs April 21st to May 5th).

Mr. Stone is expected to be appear in person on the night of the award celebrations (April 28th) for an on-stage interview which is expected to sell-out to capacity.

Former honorees have been highly-ranked in their craft, as well, and include notables such as Akira Kurosawa, Francis Ford Coppola, Spike Lee, Werner Hertzog, Milos Forman, Warren Beatty, and Clint Eastwood (to name a few).

Founded in 1957, the International Film Festival is the longest-running one of its kind in the Americas, and held each spring over a two-week period.

The highly-respected fest showcases upwards of 200 films each year and usually attracts an annual audience of 80,000 film-goers.

According to their Mission Statement, San Francisco's International Film Festival is deeply rooted in the best and finest traditions of the appreciation of film - both as an art form - and as a meaningful agent for social change.

SFIFF features ground-breaking narrative feature films, live action and animated shorts, television and theatrical documentaries, experimental work and a variety of new digital media.

In addition, there is usually a smart lineup of industry panels and seminars, awards events, onstage tributes, retrospectives and the highly acclaimed Schools at the Festival program (which brings about 4,200 students in grades 1-12 into the festivities).

The offerings are screened at eight venues in the Bay Area.

In spite of its remarkable reach and scope, the much-anticipated Fest manages to remain intimate in many respects, while maintaining widespread appeal across the board in the community-at-large.

In sum, the fest combines a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, hard-hitting documentaries, digital media work and star-studded gala events - that ultimately - educate, enlighten, and inspire.

See 'ya there!

http://www.thetattler.biz



Charlie Sheen pot-boiler!

Leslie Caron...to attend book signing @ Egyptian Screening! Dec. 18th!

Legendary actress (and renowned film beauty) Leslie Caron is slated to appear at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday December 18th in Hollywood.

On that celebrated occasion, Ms. Caron will attend a screening of the classic feature film - "An American in Paris" - which won an Oscar in 1952.

The dazzling film great will sign copies of her autobiography:

"Thank Heaven: A Memoir"

Leslie Claire Margaret Caron was born on July 1st in 1931 and is primarily known as a screen actress and celebrated dancer.

Over the past few decades, Caron has appeared in approximately forty-five flicks.

Ms. Caron is best known for the musicals such as - "An American in Paris" (1951), Lili (1953), the comedy Daddy Long Legs (1955), and Gigi, a signature role (1958).

In addition, the respected performer also graced the screen in a handful of "straight roles" in non-musical projects such as Fanny (1961), The L-Shaped Room (1962), and Father Goose (1964).

The respected actress has been blessed with a dedicated fan base who have courted her every move.

Ms. Caron has also been recognized by her peers in the industry, who bestowed upon her two Oscars for performances which fell in the prestigeous category of "Best Actress".

During the course of her stellar career on the boards, Ms. Caron has two-stepped with a posse of dance legends, such as Gene Kelley, Fred Astaire, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and ballet great Rudolph Nureyev.

See 'ya at the screening on the weekend, eh?

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Michael Douglas..."Money Never Sleeps" premieres! Actor upbeat & in good spirits!

In spite of the recent announcement that he has been battling cancer - and the respected actor has been attending frenzied red-carpet premieres to promote his new flick - "Money Never Sleeps" (the sequel to Wall Street) - Michael Douglas (starring) has been pretty low-key about the season ahead at press junkets this past few days.

"Tennis has never been better, college football just started and it's been a great weekend of college football," he joked to a National magazine, off the cuff.

No bluesy moments for the A-list star who has - not only been optimistic and upbeat about his chances for survival - but straightforward about the fact he is undergoing intensive radiation and chemotherapy. 

Although the treatment has left Douglas exhausted on some days - and he has a difficult time speaking, eating and swallowing - he has kept a stiff upper lip and refused to be a downer to his circle of supportive friends.

"I've got a Monday-night game coming up with the Jets, so sports looks really good. And to top it off, we have a picture that's rocking," he said.

"So, what's not to like?"

The film - which features Charlie Sheen in a cameo role - opens in wide release on Sept. 24th.

The much-anticipated follow-up pic also stars Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan,.

Oliver Stone helmed the intense drama which picks up where "Wall Street" left off.

Douglas plays a trader who is released from prison trying to heal wounds with his estranged daughter.

A review will follow.

http://www.thetattler.biz/

The Oscars...Farrah Fawcett Memorial snub! Shame...

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences omitted the name of Farrah Fawcett from the touching Memorial at the 82nd Annual Oscar Ceremonies on Sunday March 7th, I assumed that an oversight was the cause of the grievous error.

However, when Ryan O'Neil - and a handful of friends, family and fellow actors - expressed their dismay on the Academy's failure to include Farrah, I sat up and took notice.

In the wake of the uproar that followed, I was quite shocked to learn that Fawcett's name (and image) were not left out of the memorial by accident, but due to the deliberate (thoughtless) actions of the powers-that-be at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

When cornered on the controversy, a spokesperson for the prestigious organization argued that Ms. Fawcett was more commonly-known as a TV actress - and that for good reason - she was a likely candidate for inclusion at the Annual Emmy Awards instead.

Huh?

What  nonesense!

To validate their ludicrous dumba** position, officials noted that Gene Barry didn't make it into Academy Heaven either (on the same grounds).

When a reporter astutely noted that Michael Jackson was included in the tasteful memorial, an official quickly defended the Academy's position,  with an even flimsier excuse.

"Michael was in a recent film that was successful," he asserted for the record.

While I don't begrudge Jackson his well-deserved nod, the aforementioned excuse for inclusion (in view of the Fawcett fiasco) is hollow; after all, the Jackson project was pieced together after his death and was a documentary (not a feature film he was hired to act and/or perform in).

Because Ms. Fawcett was one of the most successful actresses in the business in recent years (and a highly respected performer in Hollywood circles who performed in three major areas of the entertainment field such as TV, feature film and the stage ) the Academy should be ashamed for its shocking disrespectful actions.

In my humble opinion, Ms. Fawcett's stature in the "acting profession" entitles her to mention - in any and all memorials - no matter what the specific medium.

Get a grip on reality, and show a little compassion next time, you shameless Academy losers!

Candidate for inclusion in Grammy Memorial?

http://www.thetattler.biz

Hugh Jackman...he said what about sex & Americans?

Jackman he-man persona revs up fans!

In response to persistent rumors about his sexuality, Hugh Jackman was inclined to go on record this past week and note in so many eloquent words, that he is not - aw! - gay!

Actually, it is what the buffed heart-throb didn't say, that may have raised a spectre of doubt in a handful of die-hard homoerotically-inspired male fans.

Jackman didn't say he wasn't bisexual!

Oh boy, now the rumor mills will start churning out the dirt, eh?

Yeah, I think like a sneak, I know.

I've heard so much double-talk from Bill Clinton over the years, that I am inclined to be on-the-ready to dissect chest hairs, if necessary.

The debonair leading man (who just recently hosted one the highest-rated Academy Awards shows in recent years) was careful not to ruffle any peacock feathers, though.

On the heels of his public "non-outing", the Australian star was quick to follow-up with a statement sure to keep him out of hot water with gays activists (pansies, too) around the globe.

"There is nothing shameful about it (homosexuality)."

Did he ever give it the old "college try" in the locker-room shower, I wonder?

Hugh (married with children) wasn't a shrinking violet when it came to the subject of the American psyche as it pertained to animal passions (sex).

"The questions about sexuality I find more here in America than anywhere else, because its a big hang-up and defines what people think about themselves and others."

"Its not a big issue in Australia," he added as he swaggered off into the sunset.

What a stud, eh?

Ever been in the sack with a Daddy?

http://www.julianayrs.com