Wesley Snipes ordered to prison for tax evasion

Wesley Snipeshas been ordered to surrender at a federal prison in the US state of Pennsylvania to begin a three-year sentence for tax evasion.

The star of the Blade films was ordered to report to a prison in the town of Lewis Run on 9 December.

Snipes asked a judge last week to let him remain free on bail while he appeals to the US Supreme Court to overturn his conviction.

The actor, 48, was convicted in 2008 for failing to file tax returns.

Snipes appealed to a court in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia after being found guilty by a jury in Florida. But the court upheld the conviction and sentence.

The actor's lawyers then argued last month that Snipes had a legal right to remain on bail while they prepared a fresh appeal.

Snipes's lawyers also said at hearing in the town of Ocala in Florida last month that jurors should be interviewed about whether they had perjured themselves by stating during jury selection that they did not have preconceived opinions about the actor.

His lawyer, Daniel Meachum, said he had received e-mails from multiple jurors, who claimed others in the jury believed the actor was guilty before the trial began.

At the time of his conviction in April 2008, prosecutors said Snipes had earned more than $37m (£24m) in gross income between 1999 and 2004, but had not filed tax returns or paid any federal taxes.

Source

Firth is new Oscar nominee favourite

ActorColin Firthsparked a fresh Oscars buzz on Sunday when he was awarded the Best Actor prize by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for his role in The King's Speech.

The star is a frontrunner for an Academy Award nomination after critics handed him a trophy for his portrayal of monarch King George VI.

The Social Network was also praised by L.A. Film experts and went home with the Best Film and Best Screenplay honours. The Best Director award was tied between The Social Network's David Fincher and Carlos filmmaker Olivier Assayas.

Other winners included Mother star Kim Hye-ja, who won the Best Actress prize, while the Best Supporting Actor and Actress were given to Niels Arestrup for his role in A Prophet and Jacki Weaver for her turn in Animal Kingdom. Toy Story 3 won the Best Animation prize while the documentary honour went to Last Train Home.

Source

Hugh Jackman injured in Oprah TV show

Movie starHugh Jackmanwas slightly injured on Tuesday while performing a stunt during the taping of an Oprah Winfrey show at the Sydney Opera House.

Live television showed Jackman sliding down a cable from the top of the Sydney Opera House towards a giant outdoor stage, but he failed to stop, crashing into the stage's light rigging and hurting his face.

"That was so much fun, until the end,"joked Jackman, famed for his tough Wolverine role.

Jackman, later sporting a small bandage under his eye, told Winfrey that the excitement of sliding down the cable caused him to brake too late.

"I came down waving to everyone, looking over Sydney Harbour, saw my dad, the kids and you (Winfrey), went to pull the brake and then boing,"he said.

Entertainment reporters at the scene said Jackman was hit in the eye. Television showed Jackman holding some ice on his face and taking a swig of red wine. It was reported that Jackman suffered a black eye.

But Jackman was well enough to give Winfrey a lesson on eating Vegemite, a black yeast breakfast spread many Australians love. He spread some onto a biscuit and offered it to the TV chat show queen.

"I like it,"declared Winfrey, before eating some more and washing it down with a glass of one of Australia's best and most expensive wines, the Penfold's Grange.

Source

King's Speech leads Golden Globe nominations

The King's Speech leads the nominations for next year's Golden Globe Awards, with seven nods in key categories, including best film drama.

Colin Firth, who plays King George VI, is up for best actor andHelena Bonham Carterhas been nominated for best supporting actress.

The Fighter and The Social Network are up for six awards and Glee received the most nominations for a TV show.

Dark thriller Black Swan - set in the ballet world - and sci-fi blockbuster Inception also picked up nods in the best film category.

Firth, who has just been presented with the best actor prize by the New York Film Critics Circle, goes up against Jesse Eisenberg, James Franco, Ryan Gosling and Mark Wahlberg for the best actor in a drama award.

The Fighter, which stars Wahlberg, earned three other acting nominations in the supporting categories for Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo.

The movie's director David O Russell will also compete in the best director category.

The Social Network's Andrew Garfield is up for best supporting actor and David Fincher has also landed a directing nomination.

Natalie Portmanhas received a nod for her role in Black Swan, along withHalle Berry,Nicole Kidman,Jennifer LawrenceandMichelle Williams.

Films up for best picture for musical or comedy include Tim Burton's 3D movie Alice in Wonderland, Burlesque, The Kids Are All Right, Red and The Tourist.

Johnny Depphas landed two nominations in the best actor in a comedy or musical category, for Alice In Wonderland and The Tourist.

Paul Giamatti,Jake GyllenhaalandKevin Spaceycomplete the list.

In the actress category, Annette Bening and Julienne Moore are both up for The Kids Are All Right.

The ceremony on 16 January will be hosted by comedianRicky Gervais.

Source

Oscars 2011: best song contenders unveiled

A total of 41 songs are in contention for the best original song category at the 2011 Oscars, it has been announced.

Three of them come from Burlesque, starringCherandChristina Aguilera, which had its UK premiere this week.

Tracks performed byGwyneth Paltrow,Janet Jacksonand Alanis Morissette also feature on the longlist.

The eligible songs will be whittled down to a list of no more than five by the time the Academy Award nominations are announced on 25 January.

The 2011 Oscars will be held on 27 February at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Paltrow - who previously had a singing role in 2000 film Duets - features on two eligible tracks taken from her country music drama, Country Strong.

One of them, Me and Tennessee, which Paltrow sings with country star Tim McGraw - was written by her husband, Coldplay star Chris Martin.

Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

Last year's best song award went to The Weary Kind, from the Jeff Bridges music drama Crazy Heart.

Source

Clooney joins Bullock in 'Gravity'

George Clooneyhas joinedSandra Bullockin the cast of Alfonso Cuaron's science fiction drama Gravity, reports Deadline.

The project revolves around a female astronaut (Sandra Bullock) trying to make it to Earth after a disaster in space. Clooney will play her colleague.

Clooney will replaceRobert Downey Jr. as the leader of a space station that gets decimated by debris from an exploded asteroid. Clooney and Bullock's characters are the sole survivors of the mission and must find a way to return home.

The initial pairing for the Alfonso Cuaron-directed project was to have been Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey Jr. Then came a protracted series of reversals that saw Jolie leave and come back, while actresses Marion Cotillard, Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively and Natalie Portman were involved with the movie to varying degrees, all within the last eight months.

Downey stuck with the project throughout the various casting changes but in mid-November, just as things looked set with Bullock, he bailed.

Gravity will begin production next April or May after Bullock has completed Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close and Clooney finds time away from his next directorial effort The Ides Of March.

Source