WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012
lifestyle M U S I C
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M O V I E S
Taylor Swift releasing new album ‘Red’
File photo shows Taylor Swift performs on stage at the Burswood Dome during the opening night of her ‘Speak Now’ Australian tour in Perth, Australia. — AP
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ulti-platinum superstar Taylor Swift is releasing her fourth studio album called “Red” on Oct 22. She announced the upcoming worldwide release during a live web chat from Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday before a living room full of fans. She said she named it “Red” because of all the different emotions she explores on the album. “They’re all pretty much about the kind of tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships that I’ve experienced in the last two years,” she said of the album, which was two years in the making. “All those emotions spanning from intense love, intense frustration, jealousy, confusion, all of that, in my mind all those emotions are red. There’s nothing in between. There’s nothing beige about any of those feelings,” she added. The album will have 16 songs, including the title track. It also features collaborations with other artists, producers and songwriters, unlike 2010”s “Speak Now” album written entirely on her own. Swift confirmed that there is a duet with British singer Ed Sheeran on the album and revealed that they wrote it while sitting on a trampoline. Wearing a red and white striped dress, red earrings and red lipstick, the Grammy-winning singer took questions from the live audience and online. Fans joined in from places such as New York, Alabama, Ohio, Sweden, Brazil and England, and Montreal, Canada. Swift played the first single from the album during the web chat. It’s called “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” She sarcastically described it as “really touching and sensitive,” saying “it’s a really romantic song that’s to my lovely ex-boyfriend.” As the tune played over a speaker, she chair-danced and mouthed the words along with her fans. The song is available now at iTunes and can be downloaded at all digital outlets starting from yesterday. Swift says she has spent the past few months working on a follow-up to her incredibly successful “Speak Now World Tour” that sold out stadiums and arenas in 19 countries. She plans to release those details at a later date. Her last album, “Speak Now,” sold more than 1 million copies in its first week out. She has sold more than 22 million albums and 50 million singles throughout her career. Swift is known for hits including “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story.” — AP
US actress Jessica Biel poses during a photocall on August 13, 2012 in Berlin to promote their new film ‘Total Recall’. The movie will premiere in German cinemas on August 23, 2012. — AFP
Pattinson returns to spotlight on
‘The Daily Show’ R
obert Pattinson has decided to come back - to the spotlight, that is. The 26year-old actor has been out of sight since learning last month that his girlfriend and “Twilight” co-star Kristen Stewart had an affair with a married movie director. A tabloid printed photos of the illicit dalliance, breaking the hearts of “Twilight” fans worldwide and prompting Stewart and the director to issue public apologies to their loved ones. But Pattinson couldn’t lay low forever - he has a film to promote. So on Monday, he was in New York for round of media appearances, including a chat with Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show ” and the premiere of “Cosmopolis,” a thriller based on a Don DeLillo novel. On the red carpet, an upbeat Pattison wasn’t asked directly about the cheating scandal - media were limited on the number of questions they could ask - but he talked at one point about the movie’s steamy scenes.”I feel a little uncomfortable doing that. But I mean, some of the scenes in this were like complicated acting scenes - it’s a very strange experience,” he said with a smile. Work obligations often force celebrities out of hiding after challenging personal situations, but choosing how and where to make a comeback is often a carefully calculated move. “There’s no one show that’s the right answer for everyone,” said veteran publicist Howard Bragman, now vice chairman of Reputation.com. “The right answer is the one where you think you’re going to get the most
Broadway’s ‘Once’ recoups its investment
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he Tony Award-winning musical “Once” has proved to be a song at the box office: It has recouped its $5.5 million investment in less than six months. Producers announced on Monday that the show has turned profitable after just 21 weeks, or “faster than any Tony Award-winning best musical in more than a decade.” The musical starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti is based on the 2006 film about an unlikely romance between a Czech flower seller and an Irish street musician in Dublin.
Like the film, the musical features songs by Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, including “Falling Slowly.” It won eight Tonys and last week earned an average ticket price of $124.27. Made for about $150,000, the original film earned $20 million. A national tour of the musical will launch in the summer of 2013. The musical was an off-Broadway hit and doesn’t suffer a bit from moving to a 1,000-seat Broadway theater. Traditionally, only about 3 in 10 Broadway shows recoup. — AP
‘Bourne’ bests Batman to top N America box office
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he Bourne Legacy,” the latest installment in the popular action series, dethroned the new Batman film to take the top spot in the North American box office, industry figures showed Monday. The fourth Bourne thriller-starring Jeremy Renner as a secret agent threatened by his employers and not Matt Damon as Jason Bourne-raked in $38.1 million in its opening weekend, movie tracker Exhibitor Relations said. Another new release, the political spoof “The Campaign” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, brought in $26.6 million-good enough for second place in the weekend rankings. “The Dark Knight Rises,” the final installment of the Batman trilogy directed by
Christopher Nolan, fell to third place with $19 million, after topping the chart each week since it opened last month. The film, starring Christian Bale, has already pulled in nearly $389.6 million in domestic box office sales, despite the mass shooting at an opening night screening in Colorado that left 12 dead and 58 wounded. A new romantic comedy starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, “Hope Springs,” about a married couple trying to get back their spark, came in fourth place with $14.7 million. In fifth place, science-fiction action remake “Total Recall,” with $8.01 million in ticket sales, narrowly beat out teen comedy “Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” at $8 million. —AFP
respect, the fairest hearing and the best presentation - and potentially where you’ve had the best relationships in the past.” When Pattinson chatted with Stewart in 2010, the comedian invited him to return, saying, “You are making me cooler.” For his appearance Monday on “The Daily Show,” Stewart joked in the show opener that a lot of people might be tuning in for the first time. A graphic went up on the bottom of the screen during a segment on Republican Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential pick, Paul Ryan, welcoming ‘Twilight Fans’ and alerting them that they were watching a show ‘mostly
dealing with politics and media.’” When Pattinson did take the stage, Stewart asked, ‘What have you been up to?’ and handed him ice cream. “We’re just a couple o’ gals talkin’...tell me everything.” Pattinson seemed uncomfortable but goodnatured. “My biggest problem in life is I’m cheap and I didn’t hire a publicist,” joked the actor about navigating this highly-publicized time. (For the record, he really doesn’t have a publicist.) Stewart brought the conversation back to ice cream. “The last time I had a bad breakup, Ben & Jerry got me through some of the tougher times. So I thought you and I
‘Odd Life of Timothy Green’:
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry Review
In this theater image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Steve Kazee (left) and Cristin Milioti are shown in a scene from ‘Once,’ in New York.—AP
Actor Robert Pattinson attends the premiere of ‘Cosmopolis’ at the Museum of Modern Art on Monday in New York. —AP
could talk about, ‘Boy, you are better off. Kick her to the curb. Whatever!” he said as Pattinson laughed. Pattinson rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, will appear on “Good Morning America” today and then give an interview to MTV tomorrow. Other celebrities eschew Hollywood’s glare completely during times of crisis. Sylvester Stallone skipped some promotions for his latest film, “The Expendables 2,” after his son’s unexpected death last month. Stallone attended the film’s Paris premiere last week and “Good Morning America” was scheduled to air a taped interview with him yesterday. Demi Moore also avoided interviews about her directorial contributions to “Five” when rumors simmered about thenhusband Ashton Kutcher’s infidelity. John Travolta hasn’t given any probing interviews since his image was rocked by accusations of sexual impropriety with massage therapists, but the actor very publicly kissed wife Kelly Preston at the premiere of his latest film, “Savages,” last month and has appeared at other Hollywood functions. Bragman said, “the real secret is being prepared.” “Every actor has the right to talk about what he wants to talk about and not talk about something he doesn’t want to talk about... You have to handle (such questions) with dignity and class and respect for the journalist doing their job,” he said, adding, “Don’t expect Robert on ‘The Daily Show’ or ‘Good Morning America’ to bare his soul.” — AP
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wonderful formula for emotionally engaging family movies is attributed to Walt Disney. He reportedly told his movie teams that for every laugh there must be a tear. That balance is why classics from “Bambi” to Disney-Pixar’s “ Toy Story 3” endure. They celebrate the family members and friends who make life grand while acknowledging our fears that we may lose them and be left alone in the world. “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is Disney’s formula flawlessly executed. It’s perfectly fitting that a story about a boy who emerges from the earth of a childless couple’s garden should have a perfect balance of sunshine and rain. Cindy and Jim Green, played by Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton, have done their best to remain cheerful while struggling for years with infertility. Their plight is echoed by their make-believe hometown of Stanleyville, where a stifling drought drags on and the main industry, the pencil factory, faces declining demand and layoffs. They playfully put the kid issue behind them, scribbling down all the attributes they wanted in their dream child, sealing them in a wooden box, and burying it in their vegetable patch. That night a drenching downpour arrives-exclusively over the Green household. Awakened by a late-night knock on the door, they discover a mud-caked, delightful boy (CJ Adams) who affectionately calls them Mom and Dad. The moment is beyond wonderful. Their wish has come true, with Timothy embodying every virtue they imagined, even if some of them, like his fearless honesty, lead to unforeseen complications. The screenplay easily could have tumbled into a treacle pit, but writer/ director Peter
Jennifer Garner (from left) CJ Adams and Joel Edgerton star in ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green.’ — MCT Hedges (“Dan in Real Life,” “About a Boy,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”) knows how to keep the story’s hokum grounded in relatable reality. Jim has a high-friction relationship with his own dad (David Morse). Cindy’s sister (Rosemarie DeWitt) is a textbook underminer, and her boss at the local pencil museum (Dianne Weist) is a colossal grump. Hedges allows himself enough suspension of disbelief to finesse Timothy’s introduction to the couple’s family and close friends, and his instant registration at the middle school. Timothy is a bit different, in all good ways, making friends with an artistic girl at school who is a budding rebel outcast. He sets a standard of kindness and decency that’s
rather hard for his often-bewildered parents to live up to. And his remarkable background poses some weird challenges: When he’s unwell does he go to the hospital or the greenhouse? The film unfolds over the course of a year in which every character affected by Timothy grows as a result. Like time-lapse photography of an opening flower bud, the film gives us birth, love, learning and loss in accelerated fashion. It’s a peculiar fable that touches universal emotions-a blooming miracle. The odd life of Timothy Green 3 stars Rating: PG — MCT