“Denzel Washington movie call takes job fair tone - Morning Journal” plus 4 more

Denzel Washington movie call takes job fair tone - Morning Journal
Not-so-political rally near Texas Capitol _ this one's for new Robert ... - MetroMix
CIBRIAN VOWS TO WORK WITH EX WIFE FOR SAKE OF SONS - PR Inside
Unity Studios gets construction going in Allen Park - Detroit Free Press
Review: Yoostar is a movie-studio-in-a-box - Forbes

Denzel Washington movie call takes job fair tone - Morning Journal

Posted: 27 Aug 2009 10:18 PM PDT

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Not-so-political rally near Texas Capitol _ this one's for new Robert ... - MetroMix

Posted: 27 Aug 2009 10:37 AM PDT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A political rally being staged near the Texas Capitol had nothing to do with real Republicans or Democrats.

A stretch of Congress Avenue was closed to traffic Thursday as part of filming for the Robert Rodriguez action movie "Machete," featuring Robert De Niro.

One scene included a red, white and blue decorated stage with a banner saying "Vote for Senator McLaughlin." De Niro, in a suit, red tie and cowboy hat, appeared to be giving a campaign speech.

Rodriguez previously said the movie will also feature Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan and Cheech Marin. It is based on the "fake" trailer in the 2007 movie "Grindhouse."

Several of Rodriguez's productions including the "Spy Kids" movies were filmed in Texas. His Troublemaker Studios is located in Austin.

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CIBRIAN VOWS TO WORK WITH EX WIFE FOR SAKE OF SONS - PR Inside

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 12:34 AM PDT

2009-08-28 09:36:05 -

EDDIE CIBRIAN is determined his divorce from estranged wife BRANDI GLANVILLE will be amicable - insisting the pair will "work together" for the sake of their two sons.
The hunky actor filed for divorce from his wife on Monday (24Aug09) after the pair separated following rumours he started an affair with his Northern Lights co-star LeAnn Rimes during filming in March (09).
Despite refuting the claims, Rimes subsequently split from her husband Dean Sheremet and has been spotted on numerous dates with Cibrian in recent weeks.
But despite the media furore surrounding the relationship, Cibrian insists he will never discuss his private life with the press, and wants to concentrate on being a "devoted dad".
In a statement, he says, "From the outset I have made a conscious decision to try and keep this matter private and not discuss it in the press.
"While my wife and I are dissolving our marriage, we will work together to parent our two children. I love my boys very much. I want only the best for them and am committed to being a devoted father.
"I will continue to be respectful and sensitive to this issue by not doing interviews about this ongoing private matter. I wish everyone would do the same." Cibrian and Glanville have two boys - Mason, six, and two-year-old Jake.

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Unity Studios gets construction going in Allen Park - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 12:27 AM PDT

The Michigan film incentives' promise of creating permanent jobs took a step forward Thursday when the Unity Studios project became the first of several announced production facilities to start construction.

During a kick-off party at the site of a soon-to-be-converted vacant commercial building in Allen Park, Hollywood production executive Jimmy Lifton said his project would become a permanent part of the metro Detroit economy.

"We will be here 25 and 50 and 100 years from now," he said.

Even after the launch Thursday, which was accompanied by a festival atmosphere, a band, and hundreds of onlookers, it remained unclear how soon Unity Studios would produce the thousands of jobs promised.

When first announced last April, Lifton said that work would start within a few weeks and employ thousands of metro Detroiters, many of them laid-off auto workers. Those few weeks stretched into months.

Despite the delays, Lifton said Thursday that his plans for large employment and a major facility remain on track. He said the first phase of construction would include four sound stages, pre- and post-production facilities, and a trade school, the Lifton Institute for Media Skills.

"It's the same number, it's the same vision, it's the same plan. The only thing that's changed is we're starting later in the year," Lifton said.

Asked about efforts by some Michigan legislators to trim back the state's biggest-in-the-nation incentives for filmmakers, he urged lawmakers to keep them intact.

"It's a beautiful and exciting tool to jump-start the industry," Lifton said. "And it does work, but you can't put it out there and take it back. You have to give it a little time."

"We have made a commitment to this city to get people to work. and that's what we're doing," he said.

The incentives have generated dozens of movie and television projects for the state, notably Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino." But it remains unclear how many permanent jobs have been or will be created by the film industry in the state.

As the ceremony began and a few hundred onlookers applauded, Allen Park Mayor Gary Burtka proclaimed his city Hollywood 48101. "We've been waiting for this day for a long time," Burtka said.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano told the crowd that the studio project was "a win for the region" and was especially welcome given the problems of the auto industry.

Contact JOHN GALLAGHER: 313-222-5173 or Gallagher@freepress.com.

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Review: Yoostar is a movie-studio-in-a-box - Forbes

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:07 AM PDT

If you've ever wanted to battle "The Terminator," talk smack as "The Godfather" or get in the shower with a "Psycho," now you can - without having to move to Hollywood.

The new Yoostar system, a sort of do-it-yourself film studio, allows wannabe A-listers to digitally insert themselves into famous movie scenes from the comfort of their own living rooms.

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Setting up the system is a snap. Just add computer.

Yoostar comes with a camera, remote control, green screen and software. The 2-megapixel mounted camera, which looks more like "WALL-E" than a traditional webcam, effectively captures crisp and clear moving images. The audio from the built-in microphone, however, often turns out muffled and distorted and doesn't always sync up with the sound from the clips.

The green screen is actually a 6-by-6-foot swath of neon fabric that stretches over a retractable frame and can easily be stored or transported in a nylon carrying case that comes with the system. The effect works best if used in a well-lit room with no shadows, but it seems hit or miss. Some scenes turn out seamless; others are a hot pixilated mess.

It's reminiscent of last year's "You're in the Movies," a lame Xbox 360 game that utilized the Xbox Live Vision camera to transport gamers into fake kitschy B-movies. Luckily, there's no meaningless game element with Yoostar, and the film scenes themselves are from a library of recognizable films from studios like MGM, Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros.

Movie lovers will be tickled with the wide variety of curated clips, ranging from older flicks including "Double Indemnity," "Spartacus" and "Casablanca" to contemporary classics such as "Animal House," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Forrest Gump" to less legendary fare like "Norbit," "Employee of the Month" and a few of the "Saw" films.

Once users have mastered their best Sylvester Stallone impersonation - yes, "Rocky" is in there, too - they can upload their performances to Yoostar's online portal, which features most social networking features one might expect. However, copyright restrictions mean Yoostar performances are limited in the places they can be posted. That means no YouTube.

At a hefty $169.95, Yoostar probably isn't worth the price - unless you really, really want to be in the movies.

The easy-to-use Yoostar software only comes with 14 scenes, which last between one to three minutes apiece. Yoostar promises that about 200 clips will be available for download at launch, costing between $1.99 to $3.99 each. They expect to have over 500 clips online by the end of the year, and the site is already taking requests. "Top Gun," anyone?