James Franco Speaks out on Oscars Stint Criticism

James Franco after a month of criticism of his stint as Oscar host is finally speaking out.  Franco appeared as a guest on David Letterman (airing Friday)  According to Hollywood Reporter.com Franco is quoted as telling Letterman in the interview, ""Maybe I had low energy. I honestly played those lines as well as I could."  Letterman told Franco, "I was so bad that they talked for a while about shutting down the motion picture industry."  Franco then quipped back, "At least they didn't say you were stoned. People said I was under the influence. I've thought about it. I think I know why. I love her, but Anne Hathaway is so energetic, I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway."

 

Mickey Rooney's Abuse and Loss of Prized Oscar

Last Friday, it was reported a court appointed beloved veteran actor Mickey Rooney a permanent conservator to oversee his affairs in light of abuse from his stepson and stepdaughter. 

Details of the abuse emerged from court documents, Rooney claimed Aber deprived him of medication and food and confiscated his passport and other identification cards. Augustine told the court $400,000 had disappeared from Rooney's bank account and the star is so financially strapped that he frequently wears the same clothes and has only one pair of shoes. He stated that Rooney told him he was unable to buy his wife, Jan, flowers on Valentine's Day because "I have no money."

Mickey Rooney also blasted his stepson for allegedly taking his honorary Oscar statuette and selling it off for his own financial gain.  Rooney claims Aber took a number of his personal items -- including the star's honorary Academy Award, which he received in 1983 in recognition of his 50 years in the movie industry.

If the allegations of Aber selling his Oscar are true, it would make any transaction involving the Oscar illegal under the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences post 1950 recipient agreement.  This agreement prohibits the sale of any Academy Award received after 1950 by recipients heirs, or other.  This would be in addition to any other laws broken such as theft.  There is no word from the Academy or law enforcement as to any investigation in the matter at this time.

Theater Owners Upset Over Studios Video On Demand Plan

LAS VEGAS  CinemaCon, the annual convention of theater owners left them feeling blindsided, and furious Thursday that four Hollywood studios didn't brief them on plans to launch a new premium VOD service on DirecTV late next month, followed swiftly by Comcast and VUDU. Exhibitors could respond by changing how they book films and play trailers.

Whole Story at Hollywood Reporter.com

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/theater-owners-fuming-studios-vod-173560

Natalie Portman's Black Swan Scandal

The ballerina who doubled for Natalie Portman caused an upheaval when she claimed Portman did only five percent of the dancing in the film.  Sarah Lane who performs with the American Ballet Theater, became upset when she noticed that she was only credited as a "hand model" and 'stunt double".  Lane is claiming she was told to keep quiet about how much of the movie she participated in. 

The filmmakers behind Black Swan are refuting the dancer’s allegation that she performed almost all of the ballet attributed to Natalie Portman.  Fox Searchlight and filmmakers released a joint statement: “We were fortunate to have Sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did.”“However, Natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film.”

Megan Angelo of the Business Insider summed it up best, "So anyone who wants to take a hard second look at Portman's performance -- and to slow-mo search for Lane's contributions -- is nothing but good for "Black Swan."

Kevin Smith to Auction Props - Memorabilia

Kevin Smith plans to hold an auction next month at the Pasadena Convention Center with the proceeds going tol help Smith with the distribution of his new movie, "Red State."

Some of the high profile items to be auctioned are Bluntman costume from "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and Bartleby's angel wings, and torso armor from "Dogma."

Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Rolls Auction

In 1989, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was cruising around Beverly Hills in her Rolls Royce when a motorcycle cop stopped her.  A chase ensued, followed by a slap, after which the much-married Hungarian bombshell enjoyed the hospitality of the Beverly Hills Jail. Florida’s DC Foeller will offer the 1979 Rolls Corniche, still registered to Zsa Zsa, at its classic car auction on March 19-20. It comes with her mug shot.
With just 48,000 miles, the car also has its original pink slip, and comes with a variety of photographs featuring Zsa Zsa in the car.

Read more at PRWeb.

Marilyn Monroe's Last Photo Shoot on the Block

Weeks before her death in 1962, Marilyn Monroe posed for photographer Bert Stern, who produced over 2,500 images. Despite the wealth of that material, only one printed copy of this contact sheet exists. There are nine images on it, one of them marked with an “X” indicating Monroe’s negative opinion of the shot. Carrying an estimate of $14,000-$18,000, the sheet will come to auction later this week at Swann Galleries.
Also highlighted in the sale are albums by 19^th century photographer Linnaeus Tripe (est. $35,000-$45,000) and Adam Clark Vroman (1856-1916) (est. $30,000-$40,000), as well as photographs by Ansel Adams, Edward Clark Weston, and Edward Curtis.

Read more at Swann Galleries.