plus 4, Filmmaker: Movie about balloon dad could clear him - Troy Record

Filmmaker: Movie about balloon dad could clear him - Troy Record
AVATAR WINS TWO GOLDEN GLOBES - BEST DRAMATIC MOVIE, BEST DIRECTOR - SanFranciscoSentinel.com
Stars roll out for Golden Globes - Earthtimes
Movie star attends RSN Renal Teen Prom - News-Medical.Net
Denzel Washington: ‘I Never Set Out to Be a Movie Star’ - Pbpulse

Filmmaker: Movie about balloon dad could clear him - Troy Record

Posted: 18 Jan 2010 10:31 PM PST

By John Rogers
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Once Richard Heene admitted in court that he wrongly sent authorities on a wild goose chase across Colorado to save the son he thought was aloft in a runaway balloon, friends and supporters seemed to take off just about as fast as that balloon.

All except for one: Steven C. Barber, a 48-year-old filmmaker who says he still believes Heene really thought his son was in the balloon as it spun wildly through the skies on Oct. 15. He plans to prove it, Barber says, when he releases the documentary "Balloon Boy: Guilty Until Proven Innocent" later this year.

Barber has known Heene for more than 10 years and says he has dozens of hours of film of the backyard inventor pursuing one science project after another. He compiled much of that footage, the filmmaker says, in an effort to help Heene land a TV reality show chronicling his science adventures.

What Heene was trying to do with the balloon, Barber says, was solve the world's traffic problems by creating a cheap, lighter-than-air vehicle that would allow people to float over congested freeways.

Although the idea may sound far-fetched to some, even ridiculous to others, Barber says, Heene is a "mad genius" with a penchant for exploring offbeat scientific theories.

"He's a freakin' genius, a really smart guy - and he's a good guy," Barber, an intense ball of energy, says of Heene as he sits in front of his laptop computer in the breakfast nook of his cluttered beachfront apartment in the heart of Los Angeles' bohemian Venice community.

It is there that Barber is culling through a decade's worth of interviews with Heene, including footage he says he traveled to Colorado to shoot of the balloon before its Oct. 15 launch and footage taken afterward to get Heene's side of the story. He wasn't there on the actual day of the balloon debacle.

He's willing to show only one brief snippet of film, however, taken before the launch, when the balloon was still in pieces on the floor of Heene's Fort Collins, Colo., home and he was explaining how he planned to put it together. Barber said he filmed that segment for one of the many TV show pitches he helped put together for Heene over the years.

"I was out here for years trying to help him get TV shows," he says. "I've gotten him lots of pitches."

Barber declined to show the footage he took after the balloon returned to earth, saying he worries that if any of it is described or Heene is quoted it will only make it harder for him while he's in jail.

Barber, whose previous films include the World War II-era documentary "Return to Tarawa: The Leon Cooper Story," acknowledges he is announcing his plans for "Balloon Boy" just as he is beginning to promote another movie. His documentary, "Unbeaten," on a 267-mile wheelchair race through Alaska, is in theaters in Los Angeles and New York this week in an effort to get consideration for an Oscar at the 2011 Academy Awards.

Although he acknowledges the "Balloon Boy" publicity can't hurt "Unbeaten," Barber says, he's really pursuing the project because he owes it to his friend to try to right a wrong. He adds that he doubts he'll make any money on the venture, claiming investors lost a total of $200,000 on his last two films.

The only documentary filmmakers who profit, he says, are Ken Burns and Michael Moore.

Barber is also adamant that he didn't pay Heene for any of the footage he recorded, either before or after the misadventure. Doing so would violate the terms of Heene's probation and possibly land him in jail for considerably longer than the 90 days he is now doing after pleading guilty to falsely influencing authorities.

Heene sent those authorities racing across Colorado, as millions watched on TV, when he called 911 and said he believed his son was in the balloon.

Barber says he is certain Heene believed what he told authorities was true, and that as Heene himself has said since, he only admitted in court to lying to protect his Japanese-born wife, Mayumi, because he feared she might be deported. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Authorities still aren't buying that explanation.

"The bottom line is he entered his plea in court and was advised fully by the judge and the evidence was pretty overwhelming," Linda Jensen, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden declined to discuss Heene, saying through a spokeswoman that he was tired of talking about him. Last week, however, he said the evidence was "overwhelming" that Heene and his wife were guilty of concocting the Balloon Boy scenario so Heene could realize his dream of landing a reality TV series.

Heene's phone has been disconnected, a family spokesman couldn't be located and his lawyer declined to discuss the documentary or Heene's guilty plea.

"I'm not his booking agent, I'm not his entertainment lawyer. You'd have to talk to Richard directly on that and he's in the Larimer County Jail," Heene's criminal lawyer, David A. Lane, said this week.

Which for the time being leaves pretty much just Barber to speak up for him.

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AVATAR WINS TWO GOLDEN GLOBES - BEST DRAMATIC MOVIE, BEST DIRECTOR - SanFranciscoSentinel.com

Posted: 17 Jan 2010 10:18 PM PST

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AVATAR WINS TWO GOLDEN GLOBES - BEST DRAMATIC MOVIE, BEST DIRECTOR

17 January 2010

CNN

James Cameron carried home two Golden Globes on Sunday night for his 3-D blockbuster, "Avatar."

"Avatar," which has sold $1.6 billion in tickets worldwide in just a month, was chosen best movie drama, while Cameron won for best movie director.

"We have the best job in the world," Cameron said.

Many of the winners and presenters at the 67th Golden Globes wore red and yellow ribbons, a reminder of Tuesday's devastating earthquake in Haiti.

"It does feel strange to dress up and play fantasy, but I'm glad we are talking about it," actress Kyra Sedgwick told CNN on the red carpet.

Globe producers included several appeals in the awards broadcast for viewers to donate to Haitian relief efforts.

As "Crazy Heart" star Jeff Bridges accepted the best actor in a movie drama award — the first Golden Globe of his career — he joked about his lack of awards.

"Wow, you're really screwing up my under-appreciated status here," Bridges said.

The best actress in a movie drama went to Sandra Bullock for her work in "The Blind Side."

Robert Downey Jr. won the Globe for best actor in a movie comedy or musical for his role in "Sherlock Holmes."

Downey joked that he didn't have an acceptance speech because his wife told him Matt Damon would win the category for "The Informant!"

"The Hangover," a comedy about misadventures in Las Vegas, won the Golden Globe for best comedy or musical movie.

Former boxing champ Mike Tyson, who played himself in the film, stood onstage as a movie director Todd Phillips accepted the award.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a movie for "Inglourious Basterds."

The role of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa — the villain in Quentin Tarantino's film — required Waltz to speak four languages fluently.

The Golden Globe for best TV drama was awarded to AMC's "Mad Men" for the third straight year.

Alec Baldwin repeated his Emmy success at the Globes, winning the best actor in a TV comedy or musical series award.

Meryl Streep took home her seventh Golden Globe, one for best actress in a comedy or musical movie, for "Julie & Julia."

Streep, referring to last week's earthquake in Haiti, said it was hard for her to put on her "happy movie self, in face of everything I am aware of in the real world."

Streep had two chances to win the category, because she was also nominated for "It's Complicated."

Kevin Bacon won the Golden Globe for best actor in a made-for-TV miniseries or movie for his acting in HBO's "Taking Chance." It was his first Globe.

Bacon, in a CNN interview before the show, asked fans to donate to the Haitian relief through his personal Web site.

"Honestly, I've never seen anything like it," Bacon said. "The images are so devastating. I am hopeful and inspired by the way most people are coming together and rallying around it."

The Globe for best actress in a made-for-TV miniseries or movie went to Drew Barrymore for HBO's "Gray Gardens." It was her first Globe win after three nominations.

Chloe Sevigny, who plays the second wife in HBO's "Big Love," took the best supporting actress Globe for a made-for-TV miniseries or movie.

"Up in the Air," which was up for Globes in six categories, won the best screenplay award.

Showtime's "Dexter" grabbed Golden Globes for best actor — Michael C. Hall — and best supporting actor — John Lithgow — in a TV series, miniseries or movie.

The best actress in a TV drama series went to Julianna Margulies for her work in "The Good Wife" on CBS.

Comedian Mo'Nique won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a movie for her role as an abusive mother in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

"I'm shaking when I tell y'all I'm in the midst of my dream," Mo'Nique said.

Toni Collette won the best actress in a TV comedy or musical TV series for Showtime's "United States of Tara." It was Collette's first Globe win, though she has been nominated four times.

The Disney-Pixar blockbuster "Up" won the Golden Globe for best animated movie. Pixar has won the category every year since it was started four years ago.

"Up" was also honored for best original movie score, which was composed by Michael Giacchino.

The award for best original song for a movie went to T Bone Burnett's "The Weary Kind," the theme for "Crazy Heart."

The Golden Globe for best foreign language film was given to Germany's "The White Ribbon." Film legend Sophia Loren presented the award.

On the red carpet, the earthquake in Haiti and rain over Los Angeles dampened the Golden Globes Sunday evening.

Dresses were as glamorous as ever, but the talk was less about the competition and more about the relief efforts under way in Haiti.

"It does feel strange to dress up and play fantasy, but I'm glad we are talking about it," said Kyra Sedgwick, nominated for a fifth time as best actress in a TV drama for "The Closer."

British comic Ricky Gervais, who is hosting the 67th Golden Globes show, said "someone much more important than me" will address the Haiti tragedy during the NBC telecast.

Actress Olivia Wilde, who was already involved in supporting an orphanage and three schools in Haiti, said her Golden Globe dress and several others will be auctioned off with "100 percent of the money going to a local program in Haiti."

"It's my way of turning all this fashion madness into something positive," Wilde said.

George Clooney, up for a best actor award for his film "Up in the Air," will host a telethon on Friday to raise money for the devastated island nation. "Up in the Air" has six Golden Globe nominated, the most of any other movie.

The Golden Globes, produced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is the opening act in the 2010 awards season.

Umbrellas were out as a rare rain fell Sunday evening. The first section of the red carpet leading into the Beverly Hilton Hotel was not covered.

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Stars roll out for Golden Globes - Earthtimes

Posted: 17 Jan 2010 04:27 PM PST

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Movie star attends RSN Renal Teen Prom - News-Medical.Net

Posted: 19 Jan 2010 12:25 AM PST

For one precious night, movie star Jack Black helped more than 250 teens forget about dialysis and renal disease and enjoy a right of passage most kids take for granted—the prom.

"I spent all my teenage years on dialysis. It's so important for these kids to get together, because they can feel so isolated"

Sandra Soto of Las Vegas drove daughter Rebecca, 19, a three-time kidney transplantee, over 270 miles to attend her first prom, held at Notre Dame High School. "It was so exciting watching her get ready and put on makeup and a fancy dress," she said through tears. "Just seeing her face when Jack Black appeared was amazing. We appreciate life so much more because of what she's been through."

Maria Curiel, 19, was part of the crowd that erupted into cheers and fist pumps Sunday evening when Black arrived in a mask and surprised them with photos, personal autographs and an a cappella concert at the 11th annual Renal Teen Prom, presented by the Renal Support Network (RSN) of Glendale, CA.

Curiel, of Los Angeles, says the prom is a chance to experience normal teen life. "It's fun to go to a real prom with other people who understand what I'm going through," she said. "I missed a lot of high school because of dialysis." Curiel—attending her 4th renal prom—was eager to share news of her recent kidney transplant.

The teens—hailing from across California and the southwest—had their makeup done, danced to a DJ, ate renal-friendly food, and partook in limo rides and a photo booth—all at no cost. Even the dresses, ties and rides to the prom were donated by volunteers.

Lori Hartwell, founder and president of RSN, created the Renal Teen Prom in 2000 because she missed her own prom due to chronic kidney disease. "I spent all my teenage years on dialysis. It's so important for these kids to get together, because they can feel so isolated," she said. "Being with hundreds of kids who have gone through something similar makes them happy and creates friendships that last a lifetime."

Source: Renal Support Network

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Denzel Washington: ‘I Never Set Out to Be a Movie Star’ - Pbpulse

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 09:02 AM PST

Denzel Washington takes a dangerous journey in the post-apocalyptic Book of Eli, playing a fierce loner who fights his way across America to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving mankind.

Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf found out why Washington connected with the spiritual side of the epic adventure as he takes a new look at his own life.

Keeping it all in the family.
"My son, who is a very spiritual young man and also a co-producer, said, 'Dad, you gotta really think about this one.' Two other films he convinced me to do were awful, but that was balanced when he steered me to Training Day and American Gangster. I guess he was a little less spiritual then. Anyway, I read the script and realized it had some resonance for me. I wanted to ramp up the biblical themes, but there is no sermon. It's about a man finding a new way to live in the midst of chaos and carnage."

Denzel Washington: 'I Try To Send A Good Message'

Connecting with his own spiritual side.
"My father was a Pentecostal minister for 50 years. We would say prayers for everything and end with, 'Amen, God is love.' I thought 'God is love' was like one word, 'Godislove.' I didn't really realize what it meant. I'm still learning. But the fundamental message is in the Bible, which I've read three times from front to back, along with some of the Koran and the Torah. If you don't practice love, you're missing the point. I believe in love thy neighbor."

Photos: Top 12 Spiritual Celebs

OK, he still swings a mean machete in the movie.
"I do some damage with that thing. It was huge. I also had to get into martial arts and I worked with one of the grand masters of the world, Danny Inosanto, who went head to head with Bruce Lee in Game of Death. At one point they were talking about just keeping my moves in silhouette. I was like, 'You better make sure the audience knows it's me because I'm working hard.'

A personal awakening.
"I'm sitting around in my big house with all this stuff asking myself, 'What do you want? You got everything. What do you want, Denzel?' And it hit me like a brick. I thought, 'I want wisdom and understanding.' I was talking to a buddy of mine who runs the Boys and Girls Clubs in the town where I grew up — he's also a pastor — and he said, 'Denzel, go back to Proverbs, Chapter 4.' I told my wife and she said, 'Yeah, my father lived by that.' Basically, it's saying that wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom and understanding even though it costs all your possessions. I thought, 'That's a life's work right there.'"

Heading back to his roots.
"I never set out to be a movie star. I remember when I was an actor in New York after growing up in Harlem, I was just hoping to $300 a week. When I achieved that I thought I was on top of the world. Now, I'm starting rehearsals to head back to Broadway in August Wilson's Fences with Viola Davis, which opens this spring. I can't wait. I couldn't go to sleep for a few nights just thinking about getting ready to start. And I'm looking forward to giving my wife Pauletta a chance to get back on stage too. She sort of gave up her acting career to raise the kids and now that they're out of the house she can do what she wants."

See photos of Hollywood Stars on Broadway

He can handle the bridge-and-tunnel crowd.
"Some nights you get nothing from the audience except maybe some cell phones ringing. And other nights it's the best because people stand up and cheer. That's the great thing about theater: you never know. But there's a collective energy. There's a thousand people in there and they all come from different places and have had different kinds of days. So you just play the part over and over and then, finally, it's like reading the Bible. Suddenly you go, 'Oh, that's what that line meant.'"

Leaving every character at the stage door.
"I'm not a leading man. I'm an actor. You get a part and you interpret the part. But the characters I play don't touch me after I'm finished. I just shake them off. Maybe when you step into other people's shoes a little piece of them stays with you because you've sort of lived their lives. But I don't take it home with me."

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