Michael Clarke Duncan Dead at 54

Best known for his roles in films like "The Green Mile" alongside Tom Hanks for which he recieved an Oscar nomination and "The Whole Nine Yards" co-starring with Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, Michael Clarke Duncan passed away at the age of 54. Having suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13th the actor had been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles since that time recieving treatments and never fully recoving from the massive heart attack to the gentle giant.

On July 13th his fiancee reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault, gave him cpr saving his life until paramedics arrived. Michael Duncan Clarke made his start in Hollywood as a bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and others. He had been a bodyguard for Notorious BIG prior to his murder before switching assignments leading him to quit as a bodyguard and pursue acting as a full-time profession.

After co-starring with Bruce Willis in "Armageddon", Willis recommended Michael Clarke Duncan for the role he will be best remembered as gentle giant John Coffey in "The Green Mile" co-starring Tom Hanks. Michael Clarke Duncan went on to co-star with Bruce Willis in other memorable films such as "Breakfast of Champions", "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Sin City".

According to statement released by publicist Joy Fehily “Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.” In recent times Michael Clarke Duncan had become a vegetarian in order to slim down and get healthier.

Michael Clarke Duncan also starred or co-starred in other films and TV shows such as "Daredevil", "Talledega Nights", "Kung Fu Panda", "School for Scoundrels", "Brother Bear" as well as TV shows to his credit such as "Two and a Half Men" alongside Charlie Sheen, “The Apprentice,” ‘’The Finder,”  and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” His earlier credits in TV and films included roles as a bodyguard or bouncer in such roles as “Bulworth,” ‘’A Night at the Roxbury” and “The Players Club.”

We here at Movie-Vault.com would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Omarosa Manigault and Michael Clarke Duncan's friends, family and loved ones. Feel free to discuss this at Movie-Vault's forums.

Cast Set for Luc Besson’s Malavita

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) July 18, 2012 – EuropaCorp and Relativity Media have announced final casting for all of the principal roles in their comedic actioner Malavita directed by Luc Besson (Taken, Transporter). Oscar®-Winner Robert De Niro (Limitless, Meet The Parents) will be joined by Oscar®-Nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (Dark Shadows, People Like Us), Oscar®-Winner Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men, Men in Black), Dianna Agron (Glee, I Am Number Four) and John D’Leo (The Wrestler, Wanderlust) in the film set to go into production this summer.  Malavita is the story of the Manzonis, a notorious mafia family who gets relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program. While they do their best to fit in, old habits die hard and they soon find themselves handling things the “family” way.The script is adapted by Besson from the book Badfellas by author Tonino Benacquista. Pre-production will begin in July with filming set for August at La Cité du Cinéma, where the brand new Studios de Paris are located. Additional shooting will take place in Normandy, France and New York. The film will bow in 2013 with Relativity handling US distribution as well as working with its foreign output partners on the film’s release in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Greece, Thailand and CIS. EuropaCorp will take on distribution in France and handle international sales.

Looking ahead, Relativity will release the edge-of-your seat thriller House at the End of the Street (in theatres September 21, 2012) and the hilarious comedy 21 and Over (in theatres March 15, 2013). Relativity is currently in post-production on Scott Cooper’s gritty dramatic thriller currently-titled Out of the Furnace and is production on the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling Safe Haven (in theatres February 8, 2013).

EuropaCorp is currently in production on Taken 2 which it will distribute in France and with its partners in Germany, Scandinavia and Russia. Fox will handle the distribution of the film in the US and throughout its international distribution organization. The company is also in production on Mobius directed by Éric Rochant and starring Oscar®-Winner Jean DuJardin, Cécile De France and Tim Roth.

Courtesy: Allied-THA

Nolan's Dark Knight Rises to Infamy

No one could have predicted the tragic events that unfolded only hours ago like a dream, the nightmare all too real in this world as any Christopher Nolan could have made up.  In the cool early morning of weeks end, not long after the midnight release of one of the most anticipated films in recent memory, a troubled man let loose his animosity with all the devastating details of a Hollywood movie no one would have imagined.  

What started as a time of celebration and excitement with the release of Nolan’s final installment in his three picture deal with Warner Bros. took a tragic twist of fate today, Friday July 20th, 2012 at 12:30am in a packed movie theater in Aurora Colorado when a man wearing a gas mask entered the theater, set off a smoke bomb and opened fire.  The details are still being pieced together but 12 people have been reported dead and many others injured, the story flooding traditional news outlets and social networks in an avalanche.  Headlines have been hijacked by the rush to figure it out, not knowing what to say, scattered sentiments filled with uncertainty, anger and sadness. Celebrities have responded, Hollywood has gone on record and even President Obama has offered heartfelt condolences.  It doesn’t seem real, it shouldn’t be.  Christopher Nolan’s troubled franchise comes to an end with The Dark Knight Rises, already in the record books for many accomplishments, now forever marred by art imitating life a little too close for all our sake.

It's impossible to distance the tragic events surrounding Christopher Nolan’s second film, The Dark Knight in 2008 when co-star Heath Ledger died with today's tragedy.  There is no way to know how much of a role Ledger's death factored into the films incredible success - earning over $1 billion dollars in world-wide box office receipts, or how it might have contributed to praise, condemnation and criticism.  Nolan's first film, Batman Begins was released to much interest and curiosity in 2005 and went on to establish a lasting connection with audiences, consistently earning high marks by review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.  People have embraced Nolan’s efforts to humanize the iconic anti-hero, to revisit his past in order to inform a more rewarding and substantive future.  Within Nolan’s most respected choices are his use of universal themes of personal triumph and development, showing characters coming to terms with loss and the impossibilities of right and wrong in the name of justice.  Nolan’sGotham City is frightening familiar, driven close to home in many ways, purposeful commentary that he could not know would become if not a mirror held up to show us our own troubled injustices then a reminder how life and art are intimately linked.  

In the wake of last night’s shooting, Warner Bros. has taken an active approach in down playing commercial concerns for more human ones, delaying the release of box office receipts and canceling press junkets, the Paris premiere and other events.  It’s hard to know what is going to happen moving forward.  The final film has been packaged with the second-widest release in history behind “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” with early figures already estimating that the film and the franchise will be the biggest commercial success in movie history.  For now it's too soon to celebrate anything, we just have to get through the days ahead.

Sources:

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/07/20/dark-knight-faces-another-tragedy/

http://www.eonline.com/news/331829/dark-knight-rises-tragedy-president-obama-celebs-react-to-colorado-shooting

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/07/dark_knight_rises_tragedy_is_t.html

http://wgna.com/mass-shooting-at-dark-night-premiere-in-colorado/

DISNEY LAUNCHES “THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN” SOCK DRIVE: Program to Collect New Socks for Needy Families Kicked Off on July 9th

Burbank, CA  (July 10, 2012) – The Walt Disney Studios announced today that they worked with Hanes, who is collaborating with the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM), to launch “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” Sock Drive on July 9, 2012, aimed at providing new socks for families in need across the U.S.

People are asked to take new pairs of socks to any of the community drop-off locations nationwide between July 9 and September 3, 2012. Besides the community locations, people may also drop off socks at Carmike and Marcus theaters in their communities. Hanes will be standing by to match donations up to 10,000 pairs of socks. AGRM will distribute the socks to the families they aid.

For more details about “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” Sock Drive, please visit the film’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OddLifeMovie...

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Academy Award®–nominated director/writer Peter Hedges (“Dan in Real Life,” What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”) brings enchantment to the screen with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” It’s the inspiring, magical story of a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.

Disney presents “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” with Ahmet Zappa, Scott Sanders and Jim Whitaker producing, story by Ahmet Zappa and screenplay by Peter Hedges. “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is slated for release on August 15, 2012.

ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION OF GOSPEL RESCUE MISSIONS

The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) is an association of more than 275 rescue missions across North America. Each year AGRM member ministries serve approximately 50 million meals, provide more than 20 million nights’ lodging, distribute more than 27 million pieces of clothing, bandage the wounds of hundreds of abuse victims, and graduate more than 18,000 homeless men and women from addiction-recovery programs into productive living. www.agrm.org

ABOUT HANES:

Hanes, America’s No. 1 Apparel Brand, is a leading brand of intimate apparel, underwear, sleepwear, socks and casual apparel.

courtesy: Allied - THA