Forsberg Nashville bound
The Nashville Predators have won the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes.
The intense trade winds surrounding the veteran centreman were abutted on Thursday, when Forsberg was dealt prior to the Flyers' game against the Toronto Maple Leafs for promising youngsters Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent and a first- and a third-round draft pick.
Forsberg is expected in the Preadators' lineup tomorrow night in St. Louis against the Blues.
Forsberg will become an unrestricted free agent July 1. The 33-year-old Swedish superstar was playing out the final months of a two-year US$11.5-million contract.
The former MVP, who's been slowed this season by a chronically troubled right foot, had 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points in 40 games for the Flyers.
Upshall, 23, a left-winger from Fort McMurray, Alta., had two goals and an assist in 14 games for the Predators. Parent, 19, a six-foot-two defenceman from Prince Albert, Sask., was the Predators' first round pick from the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Forsberg had a meeting with Flyers chairman Ed Snider on Sunday to discuss his future, but declined to comment the next day about the specifics of the meeting and refused to say whether he asked to be traded.
He had said that he didn't want to address his future until he solved the issue with his right foot.
The foot injury kept him out 16 games this season, but since returning from an all-star break Forsberg has three goals and nine assists in nine games.
On Monday night, Forsberg scored the go-ahead goal in the third period of the Flyers' 6-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
The NHL trading deadline is Feb. 27.
How an indie studio goosed Gosling's Oscar drive
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It takes guts to chase after an Oscar. It also takes serious money, luck, and insider experience. Fail to land a nomination, and that cash doesn't magically come back.
The stakes are precariously high, especially for a small indie distributor. ThinkFilm distribution and marketing president Mark Urman knew he was in for a wild ride when he decided to pursue a best actor Oscar nomination for "Half Nelson" star Ryan Gosling. Here's how he landed the awards season's most surprising nomination.
The Oscar question was first raised, as it often is these days, during the seductive tap-dance surrounding ThinkFilm's acquisition of "Half Nelson" at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2006.
"Half Nelson" concerns the touching relationship between a gifted inner-city high school teacher (Gosling) and a student (Shareeka Epps) who discovers the teacher's crack addiction. While it played well at Sundance, and the first reviews were strong, Urman told the rookie filmmakers, writer-director Ryan Fleck and co-writer and producer Anna Boden, that any talk of Oscar was "hideously premature." After all, the movie cost less than $1 million. "The likelihood of a low-budget American independent film making it to that pantheon was slim. I didn't rule it out. But if it didn't penetrate to a higher consciousness of the public, then it wasn't worth it to p--- in the wind," Urman recalls.
Urman, a veteran Oscar marketer who'd played a role in winning campaigns for Lionsgate's "Gods and Monsters" and "Affliction," knew that acting nominations for breakthrough newcomer performances are doable. "We all generalize that the Academy is one giant brain," he says. "But there are trends. There is a steady affection for the discovery, like Julie Christie in 'Darling.' The Academy has always enjoyed making an investment in a career."
In 2006, Sony Pictures Classics nabbed Amy Adams a supporting actress nomination for the micro-indie "Junebug." But Adams won a special jury prize for her performance from the Sundance dramatic jury. It was a bitter blow for Urman when "Half Nelson" won nothing on closing night in Park City.
In order to gain the necessary traction, the distributor opened "Half Nelson" in August -- well before the customary fall Oscar launch platform at the Toronto International Film Festival. "The only way to do it was not to go out in the fall," Urman says. "We had to go out ahead of the pack. And by August, people were fed up with summer fun."
The critics gave Urman reason for hope, including Oscar mentions in USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. One critic threw down the gauntlet, as Urman recalls, hoping that Gosling would get the support he deserved. "That was a terrifying moment," Urman says. "It was a personal challenge. I would be the person who lost Ryan Gosling his Oscar nomination."
At the start of the fall season, Urman checked out the competition for best actor. Who was Gosling up against? The actor's lucky break: The field was weaker than usual. In a normal year, there are twice as many strong best actor candidates as best actress possibilities, often as many as 15. For 2006, Urman counted just nine, including Gosling, aiming for five slots. And as the possible contenders were shot down, that number got even smaller. Falling by the wayside were George Clooney in "The Good German" and Derek Luke in "Catch a Fire," examples of how "you can't build a campaign on visible failure and a rapid exit," Urman says. Even though "Half Nelson" was limping along at the box office in only three runs, "you can build a campaign on a promise, but not a failed promise."
Another lucky stroke for ThinkFilm came in October, when the company received a healthy infusion of cash when it sold to David Bergstein and Ron Tudor's film financing and production company Capco Group for about $25 million. Having a cushion of extra money on hand made it a lot easier for Urman, who works closely with ThinkFilm CEO Jeff Sackman, to reach for the Oscar ring.
Suddenly, ThinkFilm had a different set of ambitions as it set about attracting filmmakers. "We needed to prove to the industry that we're real," Urman says. "A lot of actors make indie movies for prestige, not just money, to prove their chops. What better way to communicate our efficacy as a desirable home for these films than by landing an Oscar nomination for a low-budget movie about a crack addict?"
So he did what any smart company would do in this situation. He turned for counsel to publicity firm 42West's Cynthia Swartz, who won her chops at Harvey Weinstein's knee and helped pushed "Crash" to last year's surprise best picture win. ThinkFilm followed a similar strategy. It sent out DVDs early, in October, to every branch in the Academy, 5,800 strong. Another 2,000 went to the SAG nominating committee. About 200 went to critics' groups, and 90 went to the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.
Sure enough, the movie wound up on many critics' 10-best lists, and while "The Last King of Scotland's" Forest Whitaker kept winning best actor prizes, Gosling was often a first runner-up.
ThinkFilm also spent a lot of time on the Internet, especially on blogs like Oscarwatch.com, which were asking whether ThinkFilm would cough up the dough for a real Gosling Oscar run.
"Half Nelson" hummed along on the crest of its year-end plaudits. At the box-office, it grossed more than $2 million, playing best in major cities, but never widening to more than 85 screens.
Then came Urman's worst fear. No Golden Globe nomination for Gosling, even with slots divided between the Globes' comedy and drama best actor categories. "I took antacids for days," Urman says.
It didn't help that while other stars were campaigning vigorously, Gosling refused to do television interviews. Urman sent Gosling to the Gotham Awards, where the film was named best feature; to the National Board of Review, where the actor was hailed for his breakthrough performance; to the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, where he presented the best first film award to Fleck; and to the AFI Awards lunch in Los Angeles.
Gosling also agreed to do a Screen Actors Guild Q&A. And his eventual SAG Award nomination proved crucial because "it influenced the Oscars," Urman says. A return engagement in Los Angeles for "Half Nelson" gave the distributor an excuse to take out ads in the L.A. Times. The trade ad campaign -- "never ostentatious," Urman says -- stressed three images from the film, showing Gosling as beautiful, sad and isolated. "The campaign was not about a crack addict," Urman says, "or a failure of liberal ideals. It was all about an explosive brilliant young talent."
On January 23, Oscar nominations morning, Gosling was on the best actor list. On the down side, ThinkFilm did not land nominations for Epps or the "Half Nelson" screenplay. Still, Urman was on cloud nine. "It was surreal," he says. "It was what we'd been working toward for so long. I couldn't allow myself to feel complacent. I became superstitious. When it happened, I realized what would have happened if it hadn't happened. All that money and my ass on the line."
One month later, just as interest is peaking in the Oscar race, the movie is coming out on DVD. That's real money in the bank. As for Gosling: He's now a member of the Oscar club. And on February 24, chances are real good he'll win an Independent Independent Spirit Award. "That's home," Urman says. "That will be a good a day for us."
Nicolas Cage set to win holiday box office race
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Between Valentine's Day and the Presidents Day holiday weekend, Hollywood is throwing a lot of product at moviegoers, hoping that some will stick.
The studios might have gotten it right this time, scheduling five new wide releases that target five different audiences.
After a cold streak with films such as "The Weather Man" and "The Wicker Man," Nicolas Cage is poised to take pole position with the Marvel Comics adaptation "Ghost Rider."
The long-gestating film is set for a huge start along the lines of writer-director Mark Steven Johnson's previous Marvel outing "Daredevil," which opened to $45 million during the 2003 Presidents Day weekend.
Cage plays a former motorcycle stuntman who, in order to secure the safety of his true love ( Eva Mendes), makes a deal with the devil. Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott and Peter Fonda co-star in the PG-13 film, which Sony opens on Friday.
It's possible that three of the other new wide releases could edge into the $20 million range for the four-day frame.
Bringing much-needed family product to the marketplace is Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia" from "Narnia" producer Walden Media. Directed by Gabor Csupo (writer-producer of "The Rugrats Movie" and "The Wild Thornberries Movie"), "Terabithia" is based on the 1978 Newbery Award-winning children's book from Katherine Paterson. The PG film stars Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb as friends who create an imaginary land to escape their problems. Zooey Deschanel also stars.
The movie looks as if it will open in the $16 million-$19 million range for the four days, but with strong word-of-mouth expected, it could get a bump Monday, which could put it in the $20 million-plus category.
The weekend's other potential $20 million earners opened Wednesday to capitalize on Valentine's Day.
Lionsgate is expected to continue its Tyler Perry hot streak after it launched "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" on Wednesday to $4.5 million. "Daddy" marks the first Perry feature that doesn't star the writer-director-producer; the PG-13 film features Gabrielle Union as a successful attorney who falls for blue collar single father Idris Elba. "Daddy" should gross $20 million for the four-day frame.
Warner Bros. opened "Music and Lyrics" to $4.1 million. The PG-13 romantic comedy stars Hugh Grant as a washed-up '80s pop star who must come up with a hit song in a matter of days and turns to his plant lady ( Drew Barrymore) for help. "Music," attracting primarily females, is likely to gross in the high-teen millions, but could edge into $20 million territory.
"Breach" is not expected to match the numbers of the other new films. The spy drama, which stars Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe and Laura Linney, tells the true story of a Russian mole within the CIA (Cooper). Drawing a relatively older audience, the Universal Pictures film is looking to bow in the $7 million-$9 million range.
Murphy's run for Oscar sparks applause
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eddie Murphy has been loved, hated and ignored but now he is back with Hollywood heavyweights rallying around him for his career-redefining turn in "Dreamgirls," a role that may win him an Oscar.
Murphy, 45, is one of the biggest wildcards in show business, making his best supporting actor Oscar run one of the most controversial Academy Awards stories this year.
After 25 years of mostly comic roles, Murphy took the leap into drama with "Dreamgirls" as thwarted cocaine-sniffing soul singer James "Thunder" Early, earning him the Oscar nomination as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild wins.
With the Oscars just 11 days away, Murphy's comic roots are back on display with "Norbit," a film scorned by critics but which topped the weekend box office with $33.7 million.
Some detractors say "Norbit" will hurt his Oscar chances by showing that Murphy rarely strays from the formulaic comedies that made him rich. Critical bloggers have even launched what has come to be known as the "Stop Eddie Murphy" movement.
Jeffrey Wells, author of the "Hollywood-Elsewhere" Web site, slammed Murphy's "Dreamgirls" performance as just a reprisal of his famous James Brown impersonation from the "Saturday Night Live" television comedy show.
"It may be too late and it may be a futile notion, but it's time for all good people to rise up and band together in order to stop Eddie Murphy from winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar," wrote Wells.
Wells said Murphy encapsulates everything "smug, arrogant, closed-off and reactionary about today's Hollywood elite."
The criticism has drawn rare expressions of support for an Oscar nominee from top Hollywood executives.
DreamWorks Animation SKG chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has been friendly with Murphy for over 25 years, dismissed suggestions Murphy was disliked or difficult.
"People trash people out of envy and self interest. Eddie Murphy has been in this business for over 25 years. The question is why now are some people anonymously blogging lies about him and trying to hurt him?" Katzenberg told Reuters.
FAME CAME EARLY
Murphy soared to fame in the 1980s while working on "Saturday Night Live," and starred in films like "Beverly Hills Cop" and "48 Hours," making him one of the first black global box office stars. A few flops in the 1990s, however, saw his career cool.
Murphy had by then earned a reputation for being difficult, and egotistical, a perception he has not shaken despite a rebound with family comedies like "Daddy Day Care."
Just as he was mounting a comeback, Murphy was embroiled in scandal in 1997 after he was pulled over by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car. Murphy claimed he was simply being a Good Samaritan. The incident became tabloid fodder, but did not hurt his box office appeal.
"Anytime anyone's ready to count him out, he bounces back. He's been laughing all the way to the bank for years as people have disparaged his movies. Some performers are immune to criticism and he may be one of them," said Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian for the "Entertainment Tonight" television show.
Both Katzenberg and "Dreamgirls" director Bill Condon say Murphy was nervous about taking on the "Dreamgirls" role.
"He was a little insecure about doing the part, but having achieved such great results I believe he'll do others (dramas)," said Katzenberg.
Both Katzenberg and Condon said Murphy's performance was even more impressive since his marriage to Nicole Mitchell Murphy was ending at the time.
"My heart went out to him, but it did not translate into any kind of difficulties. It was just complete vulnerability. I love working with him because he's so gifted," said Condon.
Hasty crowns Johansson as woman of year
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Not quite the Oscar, but Scarlett Johansson still was all smiles Thursday about being crowned the Harvard Hasty Pudding woman of the year. And happy to participate in the rambunctious roasting that goes along with the honor.
She participated in a mock SAT exam, and endured a lampooning of her famous unclad Vanity Fair cover pose. But the blonde actress kept mum when asked to make an analogy between director Woody Allen, in whose films she has appeared, and fashion designer Issac Mizrahi, who groped her breast on the red carpet at the Golden Globes last year.
She was gleeful, though, in accepting the award.
"Thank you so much for this fabulous golden pot. It's been such a wonderful day. This is the closest I'll ever get to a Harvard degree for sure," Johansson said. "It's a real honor and I can't wait till later tonight when we party."
Before the roast, Johansson led a parade through Harvard Square, sitting in the back of a silver Bentley convertible, flanked by Harvard students in drag.
Johansson, 22, has appeared in films including "Lost in Translation," "The Girl with a Pearl Earring," "Match Point," and "The Black Dahlia."
Ben Stiller is to be crowned Harvard's Hasty Pudding Man of the Year on Feb. 23.
The awards are given to performers who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment" by Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation's oldest undergraduate drama troupe.
Last year's honorees were Halle Berry and Richard Gere.
New Rush album out in May
Rush has announced its 18th studio album, "Snakes & Arrows," will hit stores May 1.
Billboard.com reports that the album will be preceded by the single, "Far Cry," hitting North American radio outlets in mid-March.
According to drummer Neil Peart in a previous Billboard article, the lyrics of the album are inspired by his motorcycle trip through the U.S., chronicled in his book "Roadshow: Landscape With Drums."
"Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me," Peart said in the article.
"You try to put your own way of seeing the world into some kind of congruence with other peoples, and that's difficult for me," he admits. "I mean, I see the world in what I think to be a perfectly obvious and rational way, but when you go out into it and see the way other people think and behave, and express themselves on church signs, you realize, 'Well, I'm not really part of this club.'"
Rush is set to tour the album, but dates have yet to be announced.