Canadian networks plan joint Haiti fundraiser

Canada's television networks are collaborating on a television special this Friday to raise money for earthquake relief in Haiti.

Canada for Haiti, a one-hour program examining Canada's close relationship with Haiti, will be broadcast on CBC, CTV and Global at 7 p.m. ET.

The program will be shown just before the Hope for Haiti Now telethon being hosted by George Clooney and featuring many of Hollywood's biggest stars.

CBC, CTV, Global Television, MTV, MuchMusic and the National Geographic Channel all plan to simulcast Hope for Haiti Now in Canada.

The Canada for Haiti special will give Canadians a chance to donate to a group of Canadian organizations doing work in Haiti. The groups featured include:

-Canadian Red Cross Society.
-Care Canada.
-Free the Children.
-Oxfam Canada.
-Oxfam Quebec.
-Plan Canada.
-Save the Children Canada.
-UNICEF Canada.
-World Vision Canada.

The program will be hosted by CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos of The Hour, Global's Cheryl Hickey of ET Canadaand CTV's Ben Mulroney of etalk.

In the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, Clooney is working with Haitian-American hip-hop star Wyclef Jean in New York City and CNN broadcaster Anderson Cooper in Haiti to focus on the aftermath of the earthquake that hit the Caribbean nation a week ago.

The telethon will feature musical performances by Bono, Sting, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and others in an effort to galvanize charitable giving for the Haitian relief effort.

Jay-Z, Muse, Gorillaz to headline Coachella

NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z will bring his Empire State of Mind to the West Coast for Coachella this year.

The Brooklyn-born rapper will headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which kicks off on April 16 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif.

Rock acts Muse and Gorillaz are set to headline on April 17 and 18, respectively. The three-day festival — with more than 130 acts — also includes Thom Yorke, David Guetta, MGMT, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend and Wale.

Three-day weekend passes are priced at $269, plus surcharges. Tickets go on sale Friday.

Springsteen, Jay-Z, Urban join Haiti telethon

NEW YORK – The music world's top stars are signing on for Friday's "Hope for Haiti" telethon.

Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban and Alicia Keys are just a few of the performers who will be featured, according to MTV Networks, an integral partner in the two-hour event.

Haiti was devastated and thousands of its citizens killed when an earthquake hit the Caribbean nation last week.

"Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" will be an international event. Haitian native Wyclef Jean will anchor the show from New York, while George Clooney will do so from Los Angeles. CNN's Anderson Cooper will report from Haiti.

London has also been added to the lineup, and that's where Jay-Z will perform, along with Bono, The Edge and Rihanna in a special joint performance. Coldplay is also to perform from London.

In New York, Springsteen will perform, along with Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Jean and Sting. In Los Angeles, Swift is to perform, and Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow plan a collaboration. Also performing in Los Angeles is Timberlake, Dave Matthews, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder.

People can purchase the night's performances for 99 cents each through iTunes starting Saturday. A statement released Tuesday says all proceeds will go to Haiti relief.

The "Hope for Haiti" benefit will be broadcast from New York, Los Angeles, London and Haiti. It will be televised on all the major networks at 8 p.m. EST, as well as MTV, VH1, CMT, BET, PBS, CNN, Bravo, and a host of other networks. In addition, the telethon will be streamed live on Web sites including YouTube, MySpace and AOL.

The funds raised from the telethon will be donated to several relief organizations, including UNICEF, Oxfam America and Partners in Health.

...Marc Webb to direct next 'Spider-Man'.

LOS ANGELES – Marc Webb has caught the job of "Spider-Man" director.

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced Tuesday that the "(500) Days of Summer" director will helm the next "Spider-Man" film following the departure of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire, the director and star who worked on the previous three Spidey films. The fourth installment is set for a 2012 release and will focus on a younger version of the superhero.

Webb said in a statement he was not taking over the series from Raimi but instead wanted the "opportunity for ideas, stories and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas and creative voice to 'Spider-Man.'" Webb previously directed music videos, including Green Day's "21 Guns" and The All-American Rejects' "Move Along."

Fox developing U.S. version of "Torchwood"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Fox is developing a version of the hit British sci-fi series "Torchwood."

A more straight-faced spin-off of "Doctor Who," "Torchwood" is about a covert group that investigates and fights alien activity. The title is an anagram of "Doctor Who."

Two seasons aired domestically on BBC America as well as last year's well reviewed stand-alone miniseries, "Children of Earth," which broke all ratings records for the network.

Unlike U.S. adaptations that have gone awry, "Torchwood" fans can take comfort that the original producing team is on board, led by series creator Russell Davies who is writing the script. The U.S. version will contain a global story line compared to the more localized sensibility of the BBC version.

Also, some of the current cast -- most likely John Barrowman, who plays the immortal Capt. Jack Harkness -- might star if the script leads to a pilot order.

Is 'Avatar' on its way to becoming this season's 'Slumdog Millionaire'?

Last year at this time, "Slumdog Millionaire" was such a prohibitive favorite that at some point all the other contenders seemed to take the rest of the season off.

This year hasn't been nearly as predictable, nor as uniform. Favorites have had a shakier hold on their categories, and no movie has spread as widely across ballots as "Slumdog" did. Which has gotten pundits (at least until recently) excited about the prospect of a left-field phenomenon.

But as the award season moves from confusion to clarity — as it began to do when “Avatar” won best film and best director prizes at the Golden Globes on Sunday night — it also risks veering into certainty. It increasingly looks like this year won’t have a “Crash” or a “Departed,” which each made late, post-Globes surges to win best picture at the Oscars. Much of awards season thrives on suspense, so that’s not exactly a good thing.

Pundits do note a few areas could see drama. By handing best actress prizes to both Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock, the Globes cleared up nothing on that two-woman race; until SAG chooses between them this weekend, it’s almost impossible to handicap a winner. Kathryn Bigelow remains a strong candidate to take the best director prize away from ex-husband James Cameron, especially if the Directors Guild endorses her with its top honors Jan. 30.

This year there’s also a full week between the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Globes announcements and the deadline for academy nomination ballots, which means that the HFPA could stir the pot by getting “The Hangover” back on voters’ minds and into that 10th best picture slot. Which, given that it could mean Mike Tyson holding court at Kodak Theatre, may or may not be a good thing.

But those are dramas of an underwhelming sort. For all the shrugging and upturned palms this year coming out of the New Hampshire primary of awards season, the Toronto International Film Festival, the surprises are fast dwindling.

Oscar prospects for Jeff Bridges (best actor), Christoph Waltz and Mo'nique (best supporting actor and actress), “Inglourious Basterds” (original screenplay) and "Up in the Air" (adapted screenplay) are pretty much sure bets. And "Avatar" is looking and more and more steely in the best picture category. There appear to be few opportunities for Jets-like upsets and in turn few great awards-season subplots.

Then again, as counterintuitive as it may seem, “Avatar” represents a comeback story of its own. Sure, it’s not exactly “Slumdog” — Fox gave its director just a little bit more leeway (and money) than Warner Bros. did Danny Boyle. And the movie didn’t require a last-minute bailout from another studio to see the light of day.

But given that James Cameron disappeared for more than a decade with barely a playful hint as to his professional life outside an “Entourage” storyline, there’s something oddly left field about his candidacy too. And given initial skepticism about whether his movie would be a commercial and awards-season smash — let alone match the insanely high bar of “Titanic” — the 3-D film’s success lends it a distinctly "Slumdog"-ish, beat-the-odds quality.

“At the time of ‘Titanic,’ when we won the Golden Globe and we were on our way to being No. 1, I’m thinking ‘Enjoy this ride; it’s never going to happen again,’ ” Cameron said backstage at the Globes on Sunday night. “With ‘Avatar,’ we thought it was a shameless engine of commerce. We’re not going to try to impress the critics. And here we are again.” Given the growing inevitability of this race, that’s true in more ways than one.

Folk singer Kate McGarrigle dies

Canadian folk and roots music singer Kate McGarrigle, best known for her work with her sister, Anna, as the McGarrigle Sisters, has died at age 63.

McGarrigle, born in Montreal, died Monday night. Cause of death is not yet known.

The mother of musicians Rufus and Martha Wainwright through her previous marriage with American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, McGarrigle is a music industry icon in her own right.

The McGarrigle sisters recorded 10 albums in French and English, and their songs have been covered by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg and Emmylou Harris.

In 1983, McGarrigle was made a member of the Order of Canada.

Reports that McGarrigle was critically ill surfaced over the weekend after her son, Rufus, cancelled his tour of Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to begin in February, to be with her.

McGarrigle and her sister were born in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Que., and learned to play piano at the urging of their father. They took lessons from nuns at a nearby convent.

They continued to pursue music despite the reservations of their father, performing in clubs while attending university in Montreal in the 1960s – with Kate studying engineering and Anna pursuing painting.

"He would have hated the idea of us becoming professional musicians because he thought professional musicians were bums, people that wandered from town to town," Anna McGarrigle told The Canadian Press in 2005 after winning a lifetime acheivement award from the ASCAP, the respected American songwriting association.

Debut album warmly received

They debuted with the album Kate & Anna McGarrigle in 1976. It was named album of the year by Melody Maker and the No. 2 record of the year by the New York Times.

Their repertoire includes songs such as:

Heart Like a Wheel.
Goin' Back to Harlan.
Complainte pour Ste. Catherine.
Love Over and Over.
Heartbeats Accelerating.
Talk to Me of Mendocino.
On My Way to Town.

'Paranormal Activity 2' rushing to theaters with 'Saw VI' director

A sequel to "Paranormal Activity" will be in theaters by Halloween.

Showing that Paramount intends to rake every dollar out of "Paranormal Activity" that it can, the studio has hired screenwriter Michael R. Perry and director Kevin Greutert to bring "Paranormal Activity 2" to theaters. And not only is it coming, it's coming quick. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio intends to have the sequel face off against the next "Saw" this Halloween weekend.

While Oren Peli won't be directing the he told the trade "These guys get it, an the fans won't be disappointed."

Peli, who is producing alongside original partner Jason Blum, is putting a lot of confidence in Greutert, who edited the first five "Saw" movies and directed the sixth. Perry, is a longtime TV writer ("The Guardian") who made waves on 2009's Black List (a competition where agents and execs select their favorite spec scripts).

No word on whether "Paranormal Activity 2" will be the film's actual title or what the storyline will be, but don't expect a massive increase in budget. Peli has kept busy with "Area 51" which Paramount will release later this year.

The last time a phenomenon like "Paranormal" rushed out a sequel was a decade ago when "Book of Shadows: The Blair Witch Project 2" was a massive disappointment without the original filmmakers involved. Peli and Blum appear to be involved to make sure that scenario doesn't repeat itself.