Survivors of the Hudson River crash are seen here being taken from the partially submerged aircraft by raft Thursday afternoon
No casualties and few serious injuries in emergency touchdown By Matthew B. Zeidman
NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 1/15/09 – In what was described by New York Gov. David Patterson as a miraculous landing, all 155 crew members and passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 were pulled from the wrecked jet that was forced into New York’s Hudson River Thursday afternoon.
The pilot of the Airbus A320, which had taken off from LaGuardia Airport at 3:26 p.m. bound for Charlotte, N.C., reported birds flying into two of the aircraft’s engines shortly after departure, a rep for the National Air Traffic Controllers Union told the Associated Press. He received orders to land at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, but was forced to touch down in the Hudson alongside midtown Manhattan.
The Coast Guard and commuter ferries assisted police, firefighters and Port Authority officials in bringing the survivors, many of whom waited on the partially submerged wing of the aircraft, to safety.
Emergency responders told AP one passenger’s legs were broken and others were treated for bruises and hypothermia. The air temperature was in the low 20s (F) at the time of the crash, and the water temperature was in the low 40s.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the anonymous pilot, later identified by AP as 29-year US Airways veteran Chelsey B. Sullenberger III, 58, for his “masterful” handling of the situation, including ensuring the post-crash evacuation of everyone on board the plane.
US Airways set up a toll-free hotline for concerned family members to check on the status of their relatives who were involved in the accident and arrange to reunite with them. That number is (800) 679-8215.
Crisis? What Crisis? Well, Wall Street, yet UI research links creativity, economic growth in Iowa
By Jeffrey Jolson
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 9/17/08 — You don’t have to live in NY, LA or Paris to have your creativity benefit your personal prosperity or that of your community. According to a new report, the farm belt can build minds as strong as their corn crops.
Even accounting for a bit of local boosterism in the following report, everyone has reason to be gladdened by the fact that no matter the locale, encouraging creative thought helps the economy in a time when the economy needs all the help it can get.
A new study by a University of Iowa economics professor suggests that Iowa counties with a higher concentration of people who are part of the so-called “creative class” have stronger prospects for economic growth.
The study, by professor John Solow in the Tippie College of Business, ranks all of Iowa’s 99 counties in a Creativity Index based on the one developed by economist Richard Florida. Perhaps not surprisingly, the top four counties are made up of Johnson and Story counties (home to the state’s two largest universities) and Polk and Linn counties (home to Iowa’s two largest metro areas and financial centers).
Most counties that scored on the lower half of the index, meanwhile, are rural and geographically isolated with small populations and an economic dependence on agriculture with the exception of Jefferson County. Jefferson County is the top ranking rural county in Iowa.
Richard Florida is the economist who has argued the U.S. economy is becoming a knowledge-based economy that will be driven by creative initiatives, and the people who will be most successful in that economy are people who work in creative professions. As a result, Florida argues those places that will fare best economically are the places that are most attractive to creative people.
Stefani’s reps have not confirmed the happy news, but grandpa Rossdale couldn’t contain his joy
By Stacey Silberman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/29/08 – There’s no doubt about it, pop star Gwen Stefani has a bun in the oven with rocker husband Gavin Rossdale, which will give little Kingston a sibling sometime soon, to share with his very hip mommy and daddy. Perhaps it will be a little girl this time for the femme singer.
“They and the whole family are delighted,” Douglas Rossdale told People. “And we are very much looking forward to another grandchild.”
Gavin’s dad did not elaborate as to when the baby is expected to pop out, but photographs have shown a little bitty bump on the slim singer’s belly, which may indicate that she’s at least three months along.
The 38-year-old singer turned clothing designer, married the former Bush front man and British-born Rossdale, 40, back in 2002, first in London and again in Los Angeles, with celebrations following both.
Spears is deposed for two long hours, answering pointed questions posed by Federline’s attorney
By Stacey Silberman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/22/08 – Tabloid pop star Britney Spears finally succumbed and followed the court’s order by appearing for her most recently scheduled deposition Monday in the bitter custody between herself and ex-husband Kevin Federline.
Spears, 26, arrived with adviser and companion Sam Lufti and entered into Mark Vincent Kaplan’s Century City Plaza office on Martin Luther King, Jr. day. The date was apparently chosen to accommodate many busy schedules so that the deposition can proceed as mandated by Los Angeles Commissioner Scott Gordon.
Despite the fact that Spears was 50-minutes late, attorneys still managed to squeeze two hours of questioning into the strained deposition, which will be used as evidence in the ex-couple’s April custody trial.
“Atonement” and “Sweeney Todd” take a backseat as the nominees for the Producers Guild of America awards are announced
By Jonathan Zipper
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/14/08 – Don’t expect a lot of writers at their awards dinner Feb. 2, but the Producers Guild of America announced its nominees for this year’s PGA prizes, considered a good Oscar indicator. “No Country for Old Men,” “Juno,” “There Will Be Blood,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” and “Michael Clayton” are up for the PGA’s best film of 2007.
The PGA Awards will be no country for Golden Globes winners either as producers chose to snub both Globe Award best picture winners “Atonement” (Drama) and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (Comedy/Musical). However, fresh off a win for director Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” continues its impressive awards season run.
Things quickly fell apart for the networks covering the Golden Globes Award live
By Alicia Hollinger
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/13/08 — Television coverage of the 2008 Golden Globes was as uncomfortable as the award press conference itself. As said on the TV Guide post-show about the winners’ announcements, “The only way to describe it was awkward. There was no way they could succeed and they didn’t.”
Winners were announced by the usually breathless on-air hosts of the TV entertainment shows. Film critic Leo Quinones said “After seeing the ad-libing from these announcers–writers, please come back to work!”
“The losers were the entertainment journalists who announced the awards,” said Andy Wallenstein of The Hollywood Reporter. “I found it nauseating and self-aggrandizing. They made it about themselves which was atrocious.”
Chris Harrison on the TV Guide channel said “The 65th Annual Golden Globes will go down in history as the show that never was. No show-stopping entrances that put rumors to rest, no chance for new stars to get their spotlight to shine, no gowns, no glitz, no glamour, no nothin’. It’s the year the Golden Globes went away.”
Gittleman gets two years probation and $3,000 fine for his role in the Cruise-Holmes wedding photo scheme that ended in suicide for conspirator Schmidt
By Stacey Silberman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/12/08 – Marc Lewis Gittleman thought he’d make some quick cash after getting his hands on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ Italian wedding pics as part of his job as a computer technician. Instead, he was arrested, convicted and sentenced this Thursday to two-years probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine for his misdeeds.
“I brought unimaginable shame upon myself and my family,” said Gittleman. “I’ll be working the rest of my life to make it right.” Gittleman also apologized to the court. Cruise did not attend the proceeding, but Gittleman reportedly sent a letter of apology through Cruise’s attorney.
According to court documents, Gittleman accessed the Cruise-Holmes wedding photos from a damaged hard drive that he was hired to service through his workplace. The wedding photographer unwittingly supplied the booty when he sought repair for his broken hard disc.
Gittleman pled guilty in September to interstate transportation of stolen property. Co-conspirator David Hans Schmidt also pled guilty to transmitting threatening communications with intent to extort. He committed suicide by hanging shortly thereafter. He was 47-years old and was known as a peddler of celebrity sex tapes, nude photos and other sordid materials. Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Art house films dominate the list of WGA nominees who will learn the winners on Feb. 9. The annual gala awards dinner has been cancelled, but may be revived after the strike.
By Alex Ben Block
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/10/2008 - Another Hollywood kudofest is a victim of the Writer’s Guild strike, but this time it is the writer’s guild’s own annual awards show that has been cancelled. The announcement was made on the same day nominations were released for the best written features of the year, with two movies that have been racking up awards and critical acclaim, the Coen Brother’s “No Country For Old Men” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood,” competing for best adapted screenplay.
Among the WGA nominees are the movies from all five of the Director’s Guild nominees for that guilds top directing honor. In each case the movie was written as well as directed by the nominees – Paul Thomas Anderson, the Coen brothers, Tony Gilroy, Sean Penn and Julian Schnabel.
Once again the field is dominated by art house fare with some exceptions. The biggest surprise is that Judd Apatow’s bawdy comedy “Knocked Up,” which has grossed close to $150 million is a nominee. It is by far the most commercially successful of the films nominated. Apatow was also nominated last year by the WGA for the screenplay of “40 Year Old Virgin,” along with Steve Carell.
The actress joins the cast of an independent film adaptation of Noel Coward’s play “Easy Virtue.”
By Jonathan Zipper
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/10/08 – Actress Jessica Biel has signed on to play the lead in a film version of playwright Noel Coward’s “Easy Virtue.”
Biel will star opposite Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas as a young, recently divorced American who visits the South of France only to end up hastily re-marrying a rich Englishman (Ben Barnes of “Stardust”).
Having transitioned smoothly from her early days on TV’s “7th Heaven,” Biel has become a household name. She just completed two major projects, “A Woman of No Importance” with Annette Bening and “Powder Blue” with Forest Whitaker.
Receiving a great deal of attention for her looks, Biel was previously named Esquire magazine’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” in 2005. Reports currently link her to music superstar Justin Timberlake.
“Virtue” starts filming on location in London next week, with Australian director Stephan Elliot (“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”) at the helm.
Directors Guild of America also fete Clayton and Diving Bell
By Jeffrey Jolson
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/8/08 — The Directors Guild of America Award nominations were announced today with kudos going out to gritty, independent films, at least in spirit if not in distribution. Paul Thomas Anderson is included for his take on a complex and greedy oil baron in “There Will Be Blood,” Sean Penn for his outdoor drama “Into the Wild” and the Coen Brothers for their gritty serial killer film “No Country for Old Men.”
Noms also went out to Julian Schnabel for his sub-titled P.O.V. story from the perspective of a paraplegic “Diving Bell and Butterfly” and Tony Gilroy for the legal drama “Michael Clayton.”
Other supposed Oscar frontrunners like “Juno” and “Atonement” received no nominations from the DGA, which is usually a keen Oscar predictor — at least in the Best Director category which translates into Best Picture more often than not. You don’t have to win the Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »
Broadcast Film Critics ‘Critics Choice Awards’ give stars another difficult choice even though it’s not being picketed
By Jeffrey Jolson
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/5/08 — The Broadcast Film Critics Choice Awards Monday Jan. 7 could very well join the Golden Globes as a causality of the ongoing Writers Strike. Though the BFCA show with VH1 is not being picketed, it might have its considerable star power dimmed. Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg on Friday passed along a Writers Guild request that stars not attend.
The awards show, the first of Awards Season, is not under union contract and the WGA cannot officially call for a boycott. Even so, the writers are at odds with VH1 parent Viacom and are looking for pressure points wherever they can be found.
At press time, with 48 hours to go before the BFCA show, no actors had formally bowed out. Non-attendance could be a symbolic gesture but it is a different circumstance than the Globes, which are a officially struck, union show under NBC & Dick Clark Productions. BFCA president Joey Berlin was not available for comment.
The BFCA Awards, repping the largest film critics group in the U.S. with 200 film reviewers from networks and individual stations, is one of the best attended of the Award seasons events. Last year attendees included Oscar nominees and A-listers like Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Forest Whitaker, Penelope Cruz, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, Eddie Murphy, Sacha Baron Cohen and a dozen others.
They are also one of the best barometers for the Oscars with a 90 percent accuracy factor.
The FBI is going digital with its warning and search system helping them to find their most wanted violent criminals, terrorists, child abductors and bank robbers
By Stacey Silberman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/30/07 – Gone may be the days of going incognito in the city — because big brother is not only watching but transmitting via electronic billboard. The FBI is going digital in its effort to capture America’s most wanted violent criminals and terrorists.
The FBI has joined forces with the Phoenix-based Clear Channel Outdoor to begin posting mug shots of criminals using electronic billboards to aid in capturing those on the most-wanted list.
