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17 articles from 2008

3 September 2008 12:04 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Jackie Chan is not upset he was only featured for a few minutes in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics - because he was honoured just to be involved with the games.

The actor sang with a host of other singers at the end of both ceremonies last month, while the spotlight was instead cast on other stars such as retired Chinese gymnast Li Ning and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

But Chan insists he was happy to play any part at all in promoting the sporting event.

He says, "I don't question my role. When the Beijing Organizing Committee beckons, I'm there."

The Rush Hour star has said he had to wait more than 10 hours before his performance at the closing ceremony, but has no regrets about agreeing to participate.

He added: "No one asked, 'Why are we stuck in this situation?' We just felt very honoured and very happy that we participated in the Beijing Olympics."

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1 September 2008 6:22 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Jewish filmmakers Brett Ratner and Roman Polanski have teamed up to visit the concentration camp where the exiled director's mother was killed during World War II.

Ratner thought he was just joining his friend for a road trip through Poland and was shocked when Polanski suggested they visit Auschwitz.

The Rush Hour filmmaker says, "Little did I know Roman was going to take me to Auschwitz on an incursion through his Jewish history. Roman's mother perished at Auschwitz."

Ratner's photojournal of his trip to the grim former concentration camp with his friend features in the current issue of Heeb magazine, which Ratner guest edits.

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1 September 2008 3:00 AM, PDT | From FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news

Already working on a "God of War" film, Rush Hour director Brett Ratner is dreaming of making gamers' dreams come true with a "Guitar Hero" film. MTV Multiplayer caught up with the X-Men and Rush Hour director to discuss his Best Director nomination he earned for the Miley Cyrus video "7 ...

Adam Sweeney

29 August 2008 6:06 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Brett Ratner has voiced his desire to make a film based around Activision's hit video game Guitar Hero. Speaking to MTV, the Rush Hour director admitted that his plans had been met with some resistance by the game's developer. "I love Guitar Hero and I think it's a part of pop culture," he said. "I would love to do a Guitar Hero movie, if Activision would ever let me. I'm trying to convince them, but why would you have (more)

By Simon Reynolds

27 August 2008 11:00 AM, PDT | From ifc.com | See recent IFC news

By Aaron Hillis

38-year-old New York actor Ken Leung ("Rush Hour," "Saw," "The Squid and the Whale") may have only gigged on a single episode of "The Sopranos" (as Junior Soprano's violent protégé in a psychiatric hospital), but it was enough to inspire producers to write him into another TV pop phenomenon, "Lost." As brooding spiritualist Miles Straume, one of the elusive strangers to parachute onto the island, Leung brings to the role both quiet menace and caustic wisecracks.

Leung can also be seen in writer/director David Kaplan's rotoscope-animated indie "Year of the Fish," a contemporary retelling of the Cinderella fairytale set in a seedy massage parlor and the streets of Chinatown. Leung costars as Johnny, an accordion player who may also be the Prince Charming to disillusioned immigrant Ye Xian (An Nguyen). Notoriously shy, Leung graciously offered up a phone interview from Hawaii while preparing to shoot

Aaron Hillis

13 August 2008 11:38 AM, PDT | From firstshowing.net | See recent FirstShowing.net news

Our favorite Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand director Brett Ratner is behind the remake of an obscure 1980 horror film called Mother's Day directed by Charles Kaufman, according to Shock Till You Drop. Thankfully, Ratner isn't directing the film. Instead, Darren Lynn Bousman (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Saw II-iv) seems to be up for the role, though no paperwork has actually been signed. As for Ratner, he'll be involved in purely a producing capacity as apparently he's quite a fan of the original film. For the script, that rests with Franck Khalfoun of P2; that's not exactly encouraging, as P2 was a mess and Mother's Day doesn't seem any better. I know we're all tired of remakes, but bear with me on this one. Sadly, I haven't seen the original movie, though it's said to have quite the cult following. Basically, the story surrounds two bad-intentioned nutjobs (brothers

Kevin Powers

25 July 2008 9:33 AM, PDT | From ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news

The guys over at Slash Film were looking over the press release they got from MGM about the Robocop reboot - when they noticed an interesting little sidebar about a certain well-respected director who will be taking on the monumental task of bringing one of video games most popular anti-heroes of the last decade to the big screen.

And who would this well-respected director be?

Brett Ratner.

That’s right folks, Brett Ratner, the “auteur” behind such big-budget far as X-Men: The Last Stand and the inexplicably popular Rush Hour trilogy (It’s so sad that I can call it that,) seems to have been tapped by the powers that be over at MGM to bring über popular video game God Of War to the big screen. From the Robocop press release:

“[Writer] David Self’s credits include 13 Days and Road To Perdition. He wrote God of War for Universal, to

Kofi Outlaw

15 July 2008 11:59 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Moviemaker Brett Ratner is set to reteam with Rush Hour star Chris Tucker to take the story of Frank Sinatra's valet to the big screen.

Ratner will direct and produce the film adaptation of George Jacobs' memoir Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra, according to Internet reports.

Tucker is slated to play Jacobs, who revealed details about Sinatra's romances with Marilyn Monroe and pin-up Jeanne Carmen in his expose.

According to the valet, who became a Sinatra confidante during the crooner's Rat Pack years, the late singer was so grateful for his valet's services he set him up with an apartment in the same secret Hollywood building his boss used as a safehouse for himself and his girlfriends.

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19 June 2008 3:09 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Martial arts star Jackie Chan was met with an icy reception when he arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday, with protestors chanting for the star to "get out".

The Rush Hour actor flew to the capital Taipei to attend a charity event - but his trip was marred by locals who were still angry at Chan's comments about their country's presidential election four years ago.

Chan riled supporters of then-Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian by describing the election as "the biggest joke in the world".

Chen was voted into office with a narrow victory over rival Annette Lu in 2004, after they were both shot on the eve of the election. They suffered only minor injuries, but Chen's opponents claimed the shooting was staged to help him win the sympathy vote.

And Taiwanese locals are still enraged by Chan's comments four years on.

One woman says, "Jackie Chan insulted Taiwanese people and denied the value of our democracy."

But Chan insists he meant no harm to the locals - citing his family history to prove there were no hard feelings.

At a press conference later on Wednesday, he said, "My affection for Taiwan... is witnessed by everyone. My wife is Taiwanese and I am the son-in-law of Taiwan. I am half Taiwanese."

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30 May 2008 4:00 AM, PDT | From buddytv.com | See recent BuddyTV news

Coming off the highly-successful Iron Man film, Robert Downey, Jr. is very much in demand.  In fact, an offer recently surfaced for him to play none other than the ultimate Playboy Hugh Hefner himself in a biographical movie set to film as soon as a script is developed.

The Chicago Sun-Times report that Hugh Hefner was impressed by Downey’s work on Iron Man, and would like to sign Downey on to play Hefner in a biographical movie entitled “Playboy.”

Moreover, reports say that the setting of the film will be in Chicago, where the real life Playboy had its roots.  The 82-year-old founder also grew up in Galewood and began the magazine there before he moved it to California.  Hefner, who early in his college years began writing and working for magazines, launched the Playboy magazine in 1953, with its first issue in December of that year.  The issue had Marilyn Monroe on the cover,

BuddyTV

25 May 2008 3:47 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Filmmaker Brett Ratner is planning to make a string of video-game inspired movies, after signing a deal with developer Activision.

The Rush Hour director's new company, Brett Ratner Brands, has created commercials for new Activision game Guitar Hero, which aired on U.S. TV during the finale of reality TV hit American Idol on Wednesday.

And he is hoping to use his relationship with the company to take a slew of computer games to Hollywood.

Ratner tells industry publication Variety, "The games business is much more exciting than the movie business right now. I will be doing movies that come from videogames, (now) I have access to the Activision brain."

Activision is the company behind the Quake, Doom and Call of Duty video game series.

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23 May 2008 10:31 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Movie action man Jackie Chan is planning to make a film about last week's (ends16May08) devastating Chinese earthquake, which left almost 60,000 dead and more than five million homeless.

The 7.9-magnitude quake stunned the world and now Chan wants to do everything he can to help the shellshocked survivors - and that involves making a film about their plight.

The Rush Hour star, who is an icon in China, is planning a meeting with the country's leading studio bosses and film financiers to discuss his movie plans.

He says, "There are so many touching stories (and) through this movie, we will be able to show the whole world what happened. This will also be another way to raise money."

Chan also plans to raise money through benefits for the victims and their families.

He tells America's People magazine, "I can spend six years doing a movie, but I can plan an event in 72 hours. An event we're doing on June 1 in Hong Kong will include more than 100 artists from Asia."

Chan has already visited hospitals, schools and the ruins of streets of houses in the areas worst hit by the earthquake, and he has already donated more than $1 million (GBP500,000) to the relief effort.

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20 May 2008 4:35 AM, PDT | From PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news

The Jolie-Pitts left their brood at home Monday night for a leisurely dinner on the Cotes d'Azur with Clint Eastwood and Mick Jagger. Brad Pitt, 44, and Angelina Jolie, 32, joined their celebrity pals and about eight other guests – including Rush Hour director Brett Ratner – for an evening of bouillabaisse, grilled langouste (warm-water lobster) and white wine. The group arrived at Restaurant Tetou in Golfe-Juan – about three miles from Cannes – at around 8:30 p.m. Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, 64, was the first to leave, and the whole party broke up around midnight. "Angelina and Brad are adorable," a waitress tells People. "They are so in love.

Nancy Wilson and Peter Mikelbank

6 May 2008 9:09 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Teen comedy Superbad is leading the nominations for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards after picking up five nods, including Best Movie.

The high-school comedy, directed by Greg Mottola, also scooped nominations for the film's stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, who will compete in the Breakthrough Performance category along with their co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Hill is also up for Best Comedic Performance.

But Superbad will be going up against Oscar-winning Juno - which Cera also stars in - for the Best Movie prize, while the actor is also recognised for his efforts in the teen pregnancy film with a nomination for Best Male Performance.

Meanwhile, the big-screen adaptation of Transformers is nominated for three gongs: Best Movie, Best Male Performance for Shia LaBeouf and Breakthrough Performance for Megan Fox. And Enchanted star Amy Adams also received a trio of nods for the Disney film - Best Female Performance, Best Comedic Performance and Best Kiss for her smooch with Patrick Dempsey.

The winners for the 17th Annual MTV Movie Awards will be unveiled on 1 June at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Best Movie:

Superbad

Juno

I Am Legend

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Transformers

Best Comedic Performance:

Amy Adams - Enchanted

Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Jonah Hill - Superbad

Seth Rogen - Knocked Up

Adam Sandler - I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry

Best Male Performance:

Michael Cera - Juno

Matt Damon - The Bourne Ultimatum

Shia LaBeouf - Transformers

Will Smith - I Am Legend

Denzel Washington - American Gangster

Best Female Performance:

Amy Adams - Enchanted

Jessica Biel - I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry

Katherine Heigl - Knocked Up

Keira Knightley - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Ellen Page - Juno

Breakthrough Performance:

Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray

Chris Brown - This Christmas

Michael Cera - Superbad

Zac Efron - Hairspray

Megan Fox - Transformers

Jonah Hill - Superbad

Christopher Mintz-Plasse - Superbad

Seth Rogen - Knocked Up

Best Fight:

Alien vs. Predator - Alien vs. Predator: Survival of the Fittest

Hayden Christensen vs. Jamie Bell - Jumper

Matt Damon vs. Joey Ansah - The Bourne Ultimatum

Sean Faris vs. Cam Gigandet - Never Back Down

Tobey Maguire vs. James Franco - Spider-Man 3

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan vs. Sun Ming Ming - Rush Hour 3

Best Villain:

Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Topher Grace - Spider-Man 3

Angelina Jolie - Beowulf

Denzel Washington - American Gangster

Best Kiss:

Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey - Enchanted

Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman - Step Up 2 the Streets

Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer - Disturbia

Ellen Page and Michael Cera - Juno

Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Best Summer Movie So Far:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Sex and the City: The Movie

Speed Racer

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Iron Man.

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5 May 2008 5:20 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Director Brett Ratner ran into trouble when producing his contribution for forthcoming movie New York, I Love You - because authorities in the city enforced strict rules about filming in the famous Central Park.

The film is made up of six-minute segments, all telling different stories about New York and filmed by different directors - including actresses Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, who both make their directorial debuts.

Ratner - who has directed blockbusters including the Rush Hour film trilogy and X-Men: The Last Stand - opted to produce his segment for the film in the city's famous green space.

But he admits the short, which required actress Olivia Thirlby to swing from a tree in the park, nearly didn't get made because of overzealous authorities.

He tells the New York Daily News, "You can do what you want in Central Park, unless you're doing it for a film. Then, you can't touch anything. Olivia weighs about 80 pounds, but we weren't allowed to have her hanging from a tree.

"We had to buy a dead tree from a prop house and bring it to Central Park. We also couldn't walk on the grass, so we had to get a crane to stand the tree up on concrete, then put grass and mulch around it, so it looked real. It was insane."

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13 March 2008 8:05 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Action star Jackie Chan has paid tribute to his late parents by opening a science education centre at an Australian cancer research clinic.

The Rush Hour star's father Charlie, who lived Down Under for more than 40 years, died in a Hong Kong hospital on 26 February after battling prostate cancer. He was 93.

After laying his dad to rest beside his mother Lee Lee Chan in Canberra on Saturday, the actor and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd officially opened the Jackie Chan Science Centre at the Australian National University on Sunday.

Chan said, "My father passed away last week. So it is about time I did something for Canberra to remember my parents. I really thank you Australia and Canberra for taking care of my parents for 46 years."

Although officials at the Australian National University refused to disclose how much Chan donated to cancer research, a spokesman confirmed the monetary gift was "substantial".

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8 March 2008 6:41 AM, PST | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Action hero Jackie Chan flew to Australia on Saturday to attend his father's funeral - six years after the death of his mother.

The Rush Hour star's father Charlie died in a Hong Kong hospital on 26 February after battling with prostate cancer. He was 93.

Chan brought his father's body to Canberra, Australia - where his parents had lived together - so he could be laid to rest beside his mother Lee Lee Chan, who died in 2002.

Hundreds of mourners including the U.S. ambassador and Chinese deputy envoy attended the funeral - messages of support were read out from former U.S. vice president Al Gore and film director Quentin Tarantino.

The movie star and his son Jason led mourners from the service carrying a large photo of his father before traveling to the cemetery, where roses and fishing mementoes were placed alongside the casket.

He said, "It's a hard day. I loved my father so much because he did so much for me when I was young. We had a very poor family and he left Hong Kong to support himself. He was just the greatest father for me."

The stunt man's father lived in Australia for more than 40 years - but spent most of his final years in Hong Kong with his actor son following the death of his wife.

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17 articles from 2008