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10 Tragic Celebrity Deaths of 2009

2009-12-31T15:05:47Z

In addition to the classic film stars who passed away in 2009, we lost many actors and filmmakers years before their time. Some passed away after suffering illnesses, others left us too soon and very unexpectedly.

Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009) - Michael Jackson's life was surrounded in controversy, as was death at the age of 50. After months of rehearsal and on the verge of performing live for the first time in years, Jackson died after his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered Propofol and two other sedatives to help him sleep.

Each year the Library of Congress selects 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant films to be preserved for all time, and Jackson didn't live long enough to see Thriller named to the 2009 National Film Registry. Thriller changed music videos forever, and was so popular it was also released theatrically. Read On...

Actors and Filmmakers We Lost in 2009 _{(Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)}

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10 Tragic Celebrity Deaths of 2009 originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 15:05:47.
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2010 Movies Poster Preview

2009-12-31T11:01:04Z

Not only have studios started slowly releasing photos from their upcoming movies, they've also started putting out teaser and theatrical posters for their 2010 films. And since it's a slow news week (I'm not complaining), these new posters get front page treatment:

_{(Photo &copy Columbia Pictures)}

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2010 Movies Poster Preview originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 11:01:04.

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Peter Jackson's a Knight

2009-12-30T17:24:29Z

Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) has been awarded one of New Zealand's highest honors. Jackson was named to New Zealand's New Year Honors 2010 list and appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This means from now on we can add 'Sir' in front of Peter Jackson's name, though it's likely the humble man will never request we address him as such. Read On...

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_{(Photo &copy Richard Chavez)}

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Peter Jackson's a Knight originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 17:24:29.

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New Photos from 2010 Movies - Part 1

2009-12-30T11:13:36Z

It's a slow week for casting news and there are no new films opening in wide release this Friday, but that doesn't mean there's nothing worth reporting on. With 2010 just days away (seriously, where did 2009 go?), studios are starting to release details on their upcoming movies and it's looking like 2010 could be a pretty incredible year at the box office. I'll have the breakdown on 2010's big comedy and action films soon, but in the meantime here's a batch of new photos from some of the movies hitting theaters in the next 12 months:

Cemetery Junction Photos - Ralph Fiennes/Ricky Gervais
Clash of the Titans Photos - Sam Worthington/Gemma Arterton
Cop Out First Photo - Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan
Daybreakers Photos - Ethan Hawke/Willem Dafoe
Dear John Photos - Channing Tatum/Amanda Seyfried
Edge of Darkness Photos - Mel Gibson/Shawn Roberts
Extraordinary Measures Photos - Brendan Fraser/Harrison Ford
Flipped First Photo - Madeline Carroll/Callan McAuliffe
Furry Vengeance First Photo - Brendan Fraser/Brooke Shields
Grown Ups Photos - Adam Sandler/Kevin James
Jonah Hex First Photo - Josh Brolin
Kick-Ass Photos - Nicolas Cage/Aaron Johnson
Leap Year Photos - Amy Adams/Matthew Goode
Morning Glory First Photo - Rachel McAdams/Harrison Ford
Remember Me Photos - Robert Pattinson/Emilie de Ravin
Repo Men Photos - Jude Law/Forest Whitaker
Salt Photos - Angelina Jolie
She's Out of My League First Photo - Jay Baruchel/Alice Eve
Shutter Island Photos - Leonardo DiCaprio/Mark Ruffalo
Step Up 3D Photos - Rick Malambri/Sharni Vinson
Takers Photos - Paul Walker/Hayden Christensen
The Bounty Hunter First Photo - Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler
The Roommate First Photo - Minka Kelly/Leighton Meester
Youth in Revolt Photos - Michael Cera/Portia Doubleday

_{(Photo &copy Columbia Pictures)}

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New Photos from 2010 Movies - Part 1 originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 11:13:36.

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Bryce Dallas Howard on The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

2009-12-29T08:00:59Z

Actress-turned-director Jodie Markell brings the previously unproduced screenplay by Tennessee Williams, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, to the big screen with Bryce Dallas Howard (Terminator Salvation) as an heiress with attitude to match her wealth. Howard plays Fisher Willow, the latest in long line of memorable Williams heroines, in this 1920s tale set in Memphis, Tennessee. Read On...

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_{(Photo &copy Paladin)}

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Bryce Dallas Howard on The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 08:00:59.

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Oscar Ballots Mailed

2009-12-28T22:34:20Z

Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences need to keep an eye on their mailboxes. The Academy has mailed out ballots to all 5,777 voting members of the Academy, with members expected to get their completed ballots back to the Academy's accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCooper, by 5 p.m. on January 23, 2010. No excuses - no late ballots are accepted. Any ballots received after the deadline won't be included in the count.

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards, to be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin from It's Complicated, will be announced on February 2, 2010 bright and early at 5:30 a.m. PST. The 2010 Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 7th at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

In case you're wondering, 274 feature films are eligible in the Best Picture category. And yes, this gets front page coverage because it's a slow news day...

_{(Photo by Greg Harbaugh / &copy A.M.P.A.S.)}

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Oscar Ballots Mailed originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 22:34:20.

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Top 10 Action Movies of 2009

2009-12-28T08:00:57Z

2008 brought us an amazing amount of superhero films led by one of the best reviewed films of the genre - The Dark Knight. While 2009 had fewer comic book-inspired movies, it didn't suffer from a lack of action films. 2009 saw the re-invigoration of a classic action/sci-fi franchise, a revolutionary 3-D event, and a lower-budget action film from an unknown director wow audiences worldwide.

Here are my choices for the best of the action genre (and it's purely a coincidence that Zoe Saldana stars in my top two favorite action movies). And, of course, your picks may be completely different than mine:

Top 10 Action Movies of 2009

_{(Photo &copy Paramount Pictures)}

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Top 10 Action Movies of 2009 originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 08:00:57.

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Box Office Report - Avatar Beats Sherlock Holmes

2009-12-27T17:37:36Z

Powered by Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, the last weekend of December 2010 turned out to be a record-breaker at the box office. The estimated take was $278 million domestically, moving it into first place on the charts, besting the record previously held by The Dark Knight's opening weekend in July 2008.

Although Sherlock Holmes finished second to Avatar (which only dropped about 3% from its opening weekend), it did so while setting a new Christmas record. Sherlock Holmes took in $24.9 on Christmas Day, trampling the previous record of $14.4 million set by Marley and Me last year.

Top 10 Films for the Weekend Ending December 27, 2009 (Estimates)
1) Avatar - $75,000,000
2) Sherlock Holmes - $65,400,000
3) Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - $50,000,000 ($77 million since opening Wednesday)
4) It's Complicated - $22,100,000
5) Up in the Air - $11,800,000
6) The Blind Side - $11,700,000
7) The Princess and the Frog - $8,600,000
8) Nine - $5,500,000
9) Did You Hear About the Morgans? - $5,000,000
10) Invictus - $4,000,000

_{(Photo &copy 20th Century Fox)}

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Box Office Report - Avatar Beats Sherlock Holmes originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 17:37:36.

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Kevin Smith on Cop Out Title Change

2009-12-27T16:35:39Z

So, Kevin Smith's no stranger to controversial film titles. His Zack and Miri Make a Porno caused a stir, though the title made perfect sense and explained exactly what the film was about. It's not like he threw the word 'porno' in there to help sell the film. If anything, the use of 'porno' in the title kept some outlets from promoting the film. Silly, but true.

Hot off the porno mini-uproar, Smith's set to launch another comedy in theaters - but not with the original title intact. Smith, at the urging of Warner Bros, changed the title of the cop comedy (which he didn't write) from A Couple of Dicks (as in detectives) to Cop Out. Both titles are cute plays on words, but one is eye-catching while the other kind of reminds me of something Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito would sign up to star in. Read On...

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_{(Photo &copy Warner Bros Pictures)}

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Kevin Smith on Cop Out Title Change originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 16:35:39.

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Brittany Murphy Funeral Held on Christmas Eve

2009-12-26T10:25:42Z

Friends and family members gathered at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles on Thurday, December 24th for the funeral of actress Brittany Murphy. The private service was attended by Murphy's celebrity friends as well as her husband, screenwriter Simon Monjack. According to the Associated Press, Monjack delivered a eulogy in which he called Brittany his best friend and soul mate.

Murphy collapsed in the bathroom of her LA home last Sunday and was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shortly thereafter. An autopsy was performed on Monday, with the coroner's office stating the results are currently inconclusive. The coroner's office is waiting for the results of toxicology tests before determining the actual official cause of death.

"A bright light that lit the world is forever dimmed, but will live on in the hearts of those that Brittany touched," said her family in a statement issued to the press. "Brittany was an incredibly loving and passionate person and an artist to her core."

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_{(Photo &copy Richard Chavez)}

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Brittany Murphy Funeral Held on Christmas Eve originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 at 10:25:42.

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