SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012
Bale, Affleck to play brothers on film
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hristian Bale and Casey Affleck are officially on board to star as brothers in the Rust Belt drama film “Out of the Furnace,” Relativity Media said Thursday. They will be joined by Zoe Saldana (“Avatar”), who will play Bale’s love interest, and Sam Shepard, who will play the two leads’ uncle. In the film, Affleck is lured into a dangerous crime ring after his brother (Bale) is sent to prison. The film is set in an economically depressed section of the northeastern United States and will be directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”). Cooper also wrote the screenplay. For Bale, who hangs up Batman’s cape and cowl in thissummer’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” the role represents a chance to play the kind of gritty character that won him an Oscar for “The Fighter.” For Affleck, it is an opportunity to turn the page on the critically lambasted faux-documentary “I’m Still Here” and remind audiences of the prodigious talent he demonstrated in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” Production on “Out of the Furnace” is set to begin in Braddock, Pa., later this month. Relativity Media will release the film theatrically in the U.S. Red Granite, the Los Angeles-based film production, finance and international sales company, has acquired foreign rights and will handle international sales. The film will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Killoran’s Appian Way, along with Scott Free’s Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, and Michael Costigan. Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh is also a producer. Bale and Affleck were both represented by WME in the deals. Saldana and Shepard were both represented by ICM in the deals.
Vedder postpones tour, has nerve damage in arm
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ddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has postponed his 15-city US solo tour because of nerve damage in his right arm. The damage stems from a back injury he suffered earlier this year. Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis says Vedder worked aggressively with doctors and physical therapists for the last eight weeks to repair the damage, but he is not well
enough to play. Curtis says the singer is frustrated, but remains positive that he will be better this summer. The tour dates will be rescheduled for November and December, except for the Jazz Fest performance. Tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates, and refunds will be available upon request through the point-ofpurchase.
Sinise cancels gigs
after car accident
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SI:NY” star Gary Sinise has pulled out of several musical concerts with his band, and other appearances, after being injured in a car accident last week, his spokeswoman said on Thursday. Staci Wolfe gave no details of Sinise’s injuries but said he was a passenger in a car involved in an accident and was recovering at home under his doctor’s supervision. Sinise, who plays Detective Mac Taylor in the pop-
ular TV crime series, canceled one concert with his Lt. Dan Band last weekend, postponed one gig in California next week, and the band’s website said an April 20 performance at a film festival in Florida also has been canceled. Sinise, 57 plays bass guitar in the cover band which was formed in 2004 and performs mostly at charity gigs in support of U.S. soldiers and veterans groups. Wolfe said Sinise hoped to reschedule the events at a later date.
Birkin cancels
Morocco gig for health reasons
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orocco’s Mawazine music festival announced Thursday that singer and actress Jane Birkin has cancelled her scheduled appearance in May for health reasons. “It is with regret that the Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival informs that the Jane Birkin concert initially scheduled for May 22 in Rabat is cancelled due to the artist’s health,” the festival said in a statement. The 11th edition of the Mawazine festival, the country’s largest that features prominent Arab and Western artists, will be held in Rabat from May 18 to 26. American music stars Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey are among those expected to perform “We have been informed today that Jane Birkin has been admitted to a hospital in France and we regret her absence at Mawazine,” the festival’s artistic director Aziz Daki said Thursday. Birkin, 65, who holds British and French citizenship, became famous largely through her creative and personal relationship with French music star Serge Gainsbourg, performing his hit “Je T’Aime... Moi Non Plus”.