More of the same could be a good thing. Harrison Ford continues to age gracefully. Check out the early Indiana Jones trailer:

28 year-old Heath Ledger was found by a housekeeper naked in bed Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment. Police say there were sleeping pills by the bed.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine cause of death.

A large crowd of  gathered at the front of the building in upscale New York city, guarded by police.

Ledger was an award-winning actor, nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain.”

Ledger finished filming his role as the Joker this year in “The Dark Knight,” sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.”

He’s was also known for star roles in “A Knight’s Tale” and “The Patriot.”

Nominees for best documentary were released today. Normally, nominations are not announced until January.

• Autism: The Musical

• Body of War

• For the Bible Tells Me So

• Lake of Fire

• Nanking

• No End in Sight

• Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience

• Please Vote for Me

• The Price of Sugar

• A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman

• The Rape of Europa

• Sicko  (inset image)
  

• Taxi to the Dark Side

• War/Dance

• White Light/Black Rain

Normal Schedule of announcements:

News Flash — In a move to keep their jobs, several WGA signatory writers crossed their own picket line. Several writers from the Young and the Restless have gone “financial core” which involves giving up their membership. The rationale seems to involve the declining viability of the “soaps” where a protracted strike could result in permanent cancellations of the programs.

The 12,000 members of the Writer’s Guild of America will go on strike Monday morning in an action against the networks and studios. Although the strike is nearly a certainty, there is room for more talks.

The Writer’s Guild spokesperson emphasized they will negotiate with the companies through the weekend provided the companies will not insist that residuals for DVDs not increase. Effectively, the clock is ticking down with 48 hours to go. “We do not want to strike,” said WGA negotiating chairman John Bowman.

It now seems that talks are doubtful and the companies are not considering negotiation, based on Nick Counter’s statement, “We are very disappointed with their press conference and the action they took. Their press conference was full of falsehoods, misstatements and inaccuracies…”

All writing covered under WGA, which is the majority of  projects, would cease when a stirke begins. Only projects with final scripts would be able to proceed to development. Production companies have been on the clock for some time, racing to finalize scripts before the deadline.

Chris Pine Confirmed as Kirk in Star Trek Prequel

Best known as a “ganster” role in Smokin’ Aces, Christ Pine is confirmed as the lead in the Star Trek Prequel. There is a passing resemblence to William Shatner. 

Al Gore Shares in Nobel Peace Prize

Albert Gore, former US Vice President, is to share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, as a nod to his influential books and movie — a testament to his hard work and to the collective influence of both films and books.

Gore’s bestselling An Inconvenient Truth, also a movie, was not Gore’s first stab at educating the public on important environmental issues. In 1992 Gore’s title Earth in the Balance was published by Houghton Mifflin and in 2008 he will release The Path to Survival.  Read More…

Book Quickies

• Translations of English-language books represented 23.3% of all books published in China in 2007 so far.
 
• Derek Armstrong’s latest cross-genre comedic thriller, The Last Troubadour, surges in sales as the Tarot-community buys in. Armstrong is known for his “brilliance” for his “blend of comedy, paradody and adventure” with tarot-themes. (Booklist review).

• Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig bets on big demand with an initial print run of 1.5 million from SMP. We hope readers will “give a damn.”

August 1, 2007 • News & Reviews on Films & Books • 220,108 Subscribers

Our Top Summer Reads Picks!

Fall book titles arrive in only a few weeks, signaling an end to a vey hot summer! Here’s our top picks for a great beach read in these last few days of summer! From killers and thrillers to charmers and chucklers, our list is drawn from books we’ve reviewed and recommend! Read more…

SHE SAYS: MUST SEE!

Harry Potter is definitely going through puberty in this movie.  He is trying to understand himself more, his character is a bit darker and he explores his first kiss (a little disturbing to watch, I mean it’s still Harry Potter).  Read more…

HE SAYS:  See it for the sake of keeping up.

Read more… 

A Raven Black

EXCELLENT READ

A novel by Ann Cleeves

 The descriptions of life on the Shetlands and its bleak geography are graphic, even overwhelming, the writing and observations pithy.  Human emotions are recorded with intensity.  It’s a great read, and recommended. Read more…

 Stalin’s Ghost

MUST READ

A memoir by Carol D. O’Dell

Told in snippets and real-time journals, this is a book that will make almost any mother-loving reader cry. The style is immediate, chatty, and irresistable, the read fast and the book almost impossible to put down.  Read more… 

Banking on a strike?

Studios are apparently stockpiling movies and programming, accelerating production schedules in an attempt to have as much filming as possible completed by July 1 of next year. A widely expected actor and director action is expected in summer of 2008.  

What Happened to Spring?

With bookstore sales down  another 6% in April to $909 million—and sales declining every month from January of this year—the spring book season , traditionally one of the two hot seasons is in a freefall. Lack of good books, a decline of interest in reading, or economics?

Tax Coming to Online Book Sales?

“Bricks and mortar” retailers have long argued that online retailers have a tax advantage in selling books. Amazon recently hired a lobbyist to fight back as legislation seems certain. Read more… 

July 1, 2007 • News & Reviews on Films & Books • 219,112 Subscribers

 Live Free or Die Hard rejuvinates the creaking franchise with a strong $9 million first day at the box office, proving old dogs “die hard.” Live Free is in a race for number one spot with Disney and Pixar’s Ratatouille. Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End holds its own. Moore’s emotional “documentary” Sicko will round out the box office leaders… until Transformers lands on earth. Read More in box office…

SHE SAYS: Should have been called “When will this movie end”…

I think there is definite lack of tight storytelling these days and this movie was a great example of that…

HE SAYS:  Packed with visual treasures!

Ok, lets get real for a minute… This film is a visual treat from top to bottom, and full of laughs.

Read more… 

The Secret Ever Keeps

MUST READ

A novel by Art Tirrell

 Tirrell lures us in with the promise of adventure and thrills, and he plays the “summer read” adventure adeptly, yet it is the fragile relationship between a granddaughter and her dying billionaire grandfather that takes Secret from  “excellent read” to “must read.” Read more…

Stalin’s Ghost

EXCELLENT READ

A novel by Martin Cruz Smith

Arkady Renko, senior Moscow investigator, who first made an appearance in Gorky Park, is confronted by a multitude of sub-plots in this novel… An exciting read. Read more… 

What Happened to Spring?

With bookstore sales down  another 6% in April to $909 million—and sales declining every month from January of this year—the spring book season , traditionally one of the two hot seasons is in a freefall. Lack of good books, a decline of interest in reading, or economics?

Tax Coming to Online Book Sales?

“Bricks and mortar” retailers have long argued that online retailers have a tax advantage in selling books. Amazon recently hired a lobbyist to fight back as legislation seems certain. Read more…