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An exciting new episode of Wheeler Dealers World Tour is set to air on Discovery. The episode, titled “Ford XR8-Australia,” sees Mike and Elvis immersed in the ultimate Australian automotive rivalry. In this episode, Mike and Elvis dive into the passionate world of Australian car enthusiasts. They explore the iconic rivalry between two renowned automotive […]

Wheeler Dealers World Tour: Ford XR8-Australia...

Netflix dropped the trailer for anime series “Pacific Rim: The Black” Friday, revealing an animated world that has been overrun by Kaiju.

Based on filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s blockbuster “Pacific Rim” movie franchise, “Pacific Rim: The Black” continues the epic battles between monsters and robots, this time through the eyes of two teens in Australia.

Per Netflix, “There was a time when Kaiju rose from the Pacific Rim only to encounter gigantic robots, Jaegers, built to fight them back. That time has passed. Now, Australia has been overrun by Kaiju, forcing the evacuation of an entire continent. Left behind, teenage siblings Taylor and Hayley embark on a desperate search for their missing parents, teaching themselves to pilot a battered, long-abandoned Jaeger to help in their quest and give them even the slightest hope of surviving.”

Watch the trailer for “Pacific Rim: The Black” via the video above.

Co-created by...

Film industry stalwart John Cronin has joined the likes of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Russell Boyd and producers Jill Robb and Patricia Lovell in being named The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers’ National Cinema Pioneer of the Year.

Designed to recognise extraordinary achievements and contributions to the cinema industry, the 2020 award was presented in a ceremony in Adelaide on Sunday evening.

Cronin, who retired in 2017 after a more than 50 year career, tells If he is “delighted” to have received the honour, having been nominated twice previously.

“When I lost the last time, I began to think that I probably wouldn’t get nominated again,” he says.

“My wife, who passed away in July, always used to ask me why other people got awards and I didn’t, so I’m glad my friends got together to make this happen.

“It’s good that I’m able to put it on a bookcase in my living room,...

It still might be a little while before we’re able to go back to the movies again. Thankfully, with its list of new releases for February 2021, Amazon Prime is bringing the theater home. The movies are the real appeal this month.

Amazon’s offerings are highlighted by two original films of note. The first is Bliss, which premieres on Feb. 5. This will star Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek as a couple experiencing some intimacy issues. Presumably this is all just a tune up for when Wilson dons a mustache in Disney+’s Loki later in May. The other film is the sci-fi rom-com The Map of Tiny Perfect Things on Feb. 12.

Other library movies include Antz, Moulin Rouge, The Prestige, The Village, and Dazed and Confused, all of which arrive on Feb. 1. Sonic the Hedgehog is set to arrive later on Feb. 18.

Amazon is premiering only one new original series this month.

Oscar winner Nicole Kidman cools off by posing for "Interview" magazine, photographed by Yu Tsai:

Kidman's breakthrough film role was in the 1989 thriller "Dead Calm", followed by performances in "Days of Thunder" (1990), "Far and Away" (1992) and "Batman Forever" (1995).

Other films include "Moulin Rouge!" (2001) earning her a 'Golden Globe Award' for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Kidman's performance as 'Virginia Woolf' in "The Hours" (2002) earned her an 'Academy Award' for Best Actress...

...the 'BAFTA Award' for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the 'Golden Globe' Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and the 'Silver Bear' for Best Actress at the 'Berlin International Film Festival'.

Kidman's other notable films include "To Die For" (1995), for which she won her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999), "The Others...

The international total for Gerard Butler actioner Greenland is $43.1m.

Greenland’ adds $5m for $43m total

New openings in China, Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia provided a boost to Gerard Butler actioner Greenland, which grossed an estimated $4.83m from 11,009 locations at the weekend. The international total for the STX-backed film is $43.1m.

Greenland opened in third place in China with an estimated $3.4m from 9,187 cinemas – behind Daniel Wu Crime drama Caught In Time (with $30m) and local war epic Sacrifice (with $5m), a chart veteran that has reached a total of $156m. Greenland was the weekend’s top imported film at the China box office.

Julia Swain’s documentary “Lady Cameraman,” about to be shown at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, celebrates female cinematographers – including Rachel Morrison, Reed Morano, Mandy Walker and Natasha Braier – and their success stories, including Morrison’s work on blockbuster “Black Panther.”

“ ‘Black Panther’ smashed the ceiling in terms of women hopefully being able to shoot much bigger films in the future,” Swain tells Variety. “Now, a woman has shot a Marvel movie and that’s something that can happen again – same thing with seeing Rachel getting nominated for an Oscar [as the first female cinematographer ever for ‘Mudbound’]. When it comes to commercials or television, they don’t let you shoot something unless you have already shot it, which is an interesting Catch-22 situation. It speaks to the general attitude that hopefully will change, because women have this immense determination to go and figure out how to do things. They can be trusted with money.”

Shot by Swain and Teodora Totoiu,...

It seems like Zack Snyder‘s “Justice League” is not an isolated incident, and it could even inspire other films to become extended mini-series, as Baz Luhrmann is reportedly pulling a similar stunt with his 2008 movie “Australia” and release it as a limited series on Hulu.

Read More: Hallelujah! Zack Snyder Confirms ‘Justice League’ Mini-Series And Shares The First Trailer

New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan tweeted the report on Saturday, saying “So I’m hearing that Baz Luhrmann is re-editing his 2008 movie Australia as a 2021 limited series for Hulu….

Continue reading Is Baz Luhrmann Pulling An Extended Snydercut For ’Australia’ On Hulu? at The Playlist.

Brian Walsh.

Belying fears that Foxtel would cut back on local commissions following the Federal Government’s media reforms, the pay TV platform expects to have three Australian dramas in production next year.

Two are intended to be returning series: a fresh take on the crime genre to replace Wentworth, the other a family drama to fill the gap left by A Place to Call Home.

Brian Walsh, who heads the Foxtel Originals division that was created in a restructure in August orchestrated by group CEO Patrick Delany, today reaffirmed the company’s commitment to drama, factual and lifestyle programming after the government halved the obligation on pay drama channels to invest 10 per cent of their annual revenues on local content.

“The new quota system will provide some confidence to the production sector but by no means does it indicate that that is the limit to which we are investing in local production,...

Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming musical drama “Elvis” has added several prominent Australian actors to its cast. Richard Roxburgh, Helen Thomson, David Wenham, and Dacre Montgomery have joined an ensemble that includes the previously announced Tom Hanks, Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge.

Roxburgh, who worked with Luhrmann on “Moulin Rouge!,” will portray Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley. Rufus Sewell, who was initially cast in the role, had to drop out when production was delayed due to coronavirus. Thomson, an award-winning theater actress who also appeared in “Top of the Lake: China Girl,” plays Elvis’s mother, Gladys Presley. She replaces Maggie Gyllenhaal, who was originally signed to play the role, but had to leave the project due to other commitments when shooting was put on hold last spring.

Wenham plays Hank Snow and Montgomery (“Stranger Things”), plays TV director Steve Binder. Also joining the cast are Natasha Bassett, Xavier Samuel (“Adore”), Leon Ford,...

A pitch session for Australia Uncovered at this year’s Australian International Documentary Conference (Aidc).

Sbs plans to continue Australia Uncovered, its strand of prime-time single documentaries exploring diversity and equality in contemporary Australia, into 2022.

The broadcaster called for new proposals today, with the strand to include eight single documentaries ranging from one hour to feature length.

Filmmakers are encouraged to be creative in their approach to style, form and construct. As per the announcement, all submissions must have “something compelling to say about Australia today” and align with the broadcaster’s charter.

Sbs first announced Australia Uncovered in October 2019, with a variety of projects currently underway to air next year. These include Sascha Ettinger Epstein’s The Department, which goes behind the scenes of Nsw’s child protection services; Northern Pictures’ Strong Female Lead, which explores women in power, and Mint Pictures and Jumping Dog Productions’ The Bowraville Murders,...

‘Lego Masters’ Hamish Blake and Ryan McNaught.

With ITV Studios Australia’s The Voice moving to the Seven Network next year, that has freed up a chunk of money and gaps in the schedule for the Nine Network, which is investing in new reality brands.

At its virtual Upfront today the broadcaster revealed it’s bringing back Warner Bros. Television’s Celebrity Apprentice Australia after six years and it has commissioned Endemol Shine Australia’s Beauty and the Geek, a format which ran for six seasons on the Seven Network until 2014.

Among the other new shows, in-house concept Beach House Escape will follow 10 talented individuals as they compete to give an old home on the beachfront a complete makeover; the production company is yet to be determined.

Based on a Discovery US format, Celebrity Iou Australia will see A-listers work to a tight deadline to transform living spaces, production company to be appointed.

Sir Ronald Harwood, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of the 2002 film “The Pianist,” has died. He was 85.

He died Tuesday of natural causes, his agent Judy Daish said in a statement to BBC. “His wife Natasha died in 2013 and Sir Ronald is survived by their children Antony, Deborah and Alexandra,” Daish said.

Harwood was born in South Africa and went on to become one of Britain’s greatest playwrights. He is perhaps best known for his play “The Dresser,” which follows the assistant of an aging actor and is based on Harwood’s own time as a dresser. The play debuted on West End in 1980 and then on Broadway in 1981.

“The Dresser” was then adapted into a 1983 film, for which Harwood wrote the screenplay. Star Tom Courtenay, who portrayed the dresser, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama. The story was also adapted for TV and radio.

Harwood wrote...

Sir Ronald Harwood, an Oscar-winning screenwriter and playwright, died on Tuesday of natural causes, his agent told BBC on Wednesday. He was 85.

The British writer won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” in 2003. Harwood was nominated in the same category for Peter Yates’ “The Dresser” in 1983 and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” in 2007.

Harwood was highly regarded as one of Britain’s most successful post-war dramatic scribes. Two of his plays, “The Dresser” and “Quartet,” were adapted from stage plays to the big screen. His other screenwriting credits include Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia,” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, Polanski’s 2005 adaptation of “Oliver Twist,” “Being Julia” starring Annette Bening, “Love in the Time of Cholera” and more.

Some of this written stage plays include “Taking Tea With Stalin,” “Taking Sides,” “Ivanov,” “The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold” and many others.

The writer...

Ronald Harwood, a South African screenwriter most known for The Pianist has died. The Oscar-winning writer was 85.

Harwood, who also wrote The Dresser and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, died Tuesday of natural causes in his Sussex home.

The writer was born in South Africa in 1934. His first credit was for 1961’s Playdate. Throughout the sixties he went on to write a number for a number of titles including TV series ITV Television Playhouse, Knock on Any Door and ITV Play of the Week.

As his career progressed he went on write films, ranging from the 1966 film Arrivederci, Baby! to the 1981 picture Evita Peron. In 1983 Harwood wrote the screenplay for The Dresser, which follows a personal assistant’s struggle to help a veteran actor get through a difficult performance of King Lear. The film, which starred Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay, received five nominations in 1984 included a nod for best Harwood’s screenplay.

(L-r) Carolyn Johnson, Eve Spence and Amin Palangi.

Intrigued by people who choose to live off the grid in shacks, Eve Spence had the idea of writing a feature centred around one such community, overlaid with the arrival of asylum seekers from Iran.

Recognising she needed help with the Iranian angle, she reached out to filmmaker Amin Palangi, whose debut feature documentary, Love Marriage in Kabul, won the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival, initially as a consultant.

That progressed to the duo collaborating on the screenplay of Common Ground and they decided take that a step further and co-direct. They brought in experienced producer Carolyn Johnson, whose credits include Bentley Dean and Martin Butler’s Tanna and Benjamin Gilmour’s Son of a Lion.

The saga of Kayla, a young surfer whose life in a coastal hideaway is disrupted by the arrival of Omid and Babak, asylum seekers who...

Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman poses for "Vanity Fair" magazine:

Kidman started her acting career in Australia with the 1983 films "Bush Christmas" and "BMX" Bandits. 

Her breakthrough came in 1989 with the thriller "Dead Calm" and the television miniseries "Bangkok Hilton". In 1990, she co-starred in the racing film "Days of Thunder", followed by roles in "Far and Away" (1992), "Batman Forever" (1995), "To Die For" (1995) and "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999).

She then received two consecutive nominations for the 'Academy Award' for 'Best Actress' in "Moulin Rouge!" (2001) and "The Hours" (2002), winning for "The Hours".

Kidman has since starred in "The Others" (2001), "Cold Mountain" (2003), "Dogville" (2003), "Birth" (2004), "Australia" (2008), "The Paperboy" (2012), "Stoker" (2013), "Paddington" (2014), "The Beguiled" (2017), "Boy Erased" and "Destroyer" (2018.

In 2012, Kidman received her first 'Primetime Emmy Award' nomination for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie' for her role in the HBO film "Hemingway & Gellhorn"...

...and returned to television in 2017, co-producing and starring in the HBO...

Following on from a July where they added a large number of horror titles to their catalogue, Hulu have now made available even more great outings from the genre. As with all the major streaming players, keeping subscribers happy with new content during this Covid-19 year has been crucial, especially given the new competitors that have sprung up in recent months, further splintering film rights. Hulu are usually pretty reliable in terms of diversity, though, and have added some particularly strong horror titles for August.

Among the highlights for new movies is the original 1988 Child’s Play, which introduced the murderous Chucky to the world in a film that arguably remains the high-point of the franchise. A reasonably realistic setting, a convincing child performance and some excellent effects work make Child’s Play a classic of the period and more than worth a rewatch. And with the Chucky series on the way,...

Hulu is out with its list of everything new arriving in August and everything leaving at the end of the month.

Highlights include “Ordinary Love,” a 2019 movie about how a couple endures a breast cancer diagnosis, and “Peanut Butter Falcon,” Shia Labeouf’s 2019 movie about a young man with Down syndrome who runs away from a nursing home to attend the wrestling school of his idol, the Salt Water Redneck.

Hulu Originals to look out for next month include Season 3 of “Find Me in Paris” and the Hulu Original premiere of “The Binge.”

Leaving at the end of the month are 2007’s “3:10 to Yuma,” 1973’s “Charlotte’s Web,” 1988’s “Rain Man,” and “The X-Files.”

Also Read: 'The Crown' Season 5 Won't Premiere Until 2022

Aug. 1

Monchhichi: Complete Season 1B (Cartoon Network)

The Pier (El Embarcadero): Complete Seasons 1 & 2 (BetaFilm)

UniKitty: Complete Season 2B (Cartoon Network)

71 (2015)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

A Good Woman...

We’re only just over halfway through July, but let’s hop ahead a couple of weeks into the future and take a look at what’s coming to Hulu in August. Next month will see the streaming service add an enormous list of movies and TV shows, with numerous classics amongst them, and everyone from horror to action to romance fans and even family audiences should be pleased with what’s coming.

The first day of the month, for example, brings the opening installments in two major horror franchises that kicked off in the late 80s – 1987’s Hellraiser and 1988’s Child’s Play. Sticking with the 80s, August 1st likewise sees 1986’s Top Gun added to the library, too. Not to mention 1981’s My Bloody Valentine.

For you romance lovers out there, meanwhile, Australia and Four Weddings and A Funeral drop the same day, and family audiences can enjoy Cats & Dogs,...

Sneak Peek Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman in "Vanity Fair" magazine:

Kidman started her acting career in Australia with the 1983 films "Bush Christmas" and "BMX" Bandits. 

Her breakthrough came in 1989 with the thriller "Dead Calm" and the television miniseries "Bangkok Hilton". In 1990, she co-starred in the racing film "Days of Thunder", followed by roles in "Far and Away" (1992), "Batman Forever" (1995), "To Die For" (1995) and "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999).

She then received two consecutive nominations for the 'Academy Award' for 'Best Actress' in "Moulin Rouge!" (2001) and "The Hours" (2002), winning for "The Hours".

Kidman has since starred in "The Others" (2001), "Cold Mountain" (2003), "Dogville" (2003), "Birth" (2004), "Australia" (2008), "The Paperboy" (2012), "Stoker" (2013), "Paddington" (2014), "The Beguiled" (2017), "Boy Erased" and "Destroyer" (2018.

In 2012, Kidman received her first 'Primetime Emmy Award' nomination for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie' for her role in the HBO film "Hemingway & Gellhorn"...

...and returned to television in 2017, co-producing and starring in the...

New York-based sales company Visit Films has acquired worldwide rights for Mexican feature “Summer White,” world premiering in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition on Sunday Jan. 26. Visit will also be screening the film at Berlinale’s European Film, Market.

Now a key North American sales company for Latin American films, Visit’s catalog includes other major Sundance titles such as Lucía Garibaldi’s World Cinema Directing Award-winner “The Sharks,” World Cinema Jury Prize-winners “The Queen of Fear” from Valeria Bertuccelli and Fabiana Tiscornia and “Time Share” from Sebastián Hofmann, and Cristián Jiménez and Alicia Scherson’s “Family Life.”

From debut director Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson, “Summer White” features newcomer Adrián Rossi as 13-year-old Rodrigo, a lonesome teenager living on the outskirts of Mexico City who has an unhealthily close relationship with his mother Valeria, played by Mexican Academy Ariel Award-nominated actress Sophie Alexander-Katz (“The Darkest Days of Us”).

When Valeria...

Clark Kirby and friend at Warner Bros. Movie World.

Settling into the role of CEO at Village Roadshow Ltd, Clark Kirby is energised about the potential for growth in multiple sectors including theme parks, exhibition and TV production.

“It’s an exciting year ahead,” says Kirby after succeeding Graham Burke, who stepped down at the end of December after 63 years with the company founded by Clark’s grandfather Roc Kirby but remains on the board.

“We have wonderful people working for our businesses who have an incredible amount of new ideas. A big part of my job is to create an environment for those ideas to flourish.”

It has been a smooth transition for Kirby, who continues to run the theme parks division, the biggest generator of revenues and profits. Kirby had worked closely with all the divisional CEOs for the past eight years and he spoke with Burke several times every day.

Jennifer Kent’s thriller The Nightingale has taken home a trio of prizes at the 2019 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in Sydney.

Kent’s period piece won Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best Film, making Kent, who also produced, the first woman to receive awards across all three categories for the same film in the same year. The film’s female lead, Aisling Franciosi, received the Best Lead Actress prize.

The Nightingale follows a young Irish convict who chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family.

Bong Joon Ho’s lauded Cannes winner Parasite scored the Aacta Award for Best Asian Film. The award was presented to the South Korean film’s producer Kwak Sin-ae by Simu Liu, star of Marvel Comics’ upcoming film Shang-Chi and the Legend Of The Ten Rings,...

Jacob Elordi is finally addressing those Zendaya dating rumors. In a recent interview with GQ Australia, the 22-year-old actor denied the rumors, saying Zendaya is like his "sister." "Zendaya is an amazing creative, you know? She's super dope to work with. She's an incredible artist and a very caring person to all of us," Jacob said about his Euphoria costar. "But we're all really close. There is not one weak link in that show. We've spent so much time together and everyone is just so cool to work with."

Jacob and Zendaya star in the HBO series as Nate Jacobs and Rue Bennett, respectively. Ever since August, the two have been at the center of romance rumors. The pair were first spotted vacationing together in Greece, and two months later, they were reportedly seen on a movie date in Los Angeles. More recently, they spent Thanksgiving together in Sydney, Australia,...

Exclusive: British drama producer Slim Film + Television has teamed with Luther creator Neil Cross’ New Zealand-based production company on an adaptation of Stacy Gregg’s Pony Club Secrets books.

Slim Film + Television, run by former Kudos Managing Director Simon Crawford Collins, has partnered with Libertine Pictures, which is behind Rose McIver-fronted feature Daffodils, on 13-part series Mystic for the BBC’s Cbbc, Australia’s Seven and New Zealand’s Tvnz.

The environmental thriller, which will start filming in New Zealand in January 2020, is a character-driven thriller for a family audience. The drama follows a group of horse-mad teenagers who are regulars at their local stables on the fictional peninsula of Kauri Point, New Zealand. New girl, Issie, is struggling to make friends having recently moved out to the quiet, backwater town from London but an unexpected interest in horses, a surprising bond with unbroken pony, Blaze, and an enigmatic stallion,...

Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson.

Ludo Studio were the big winners at last night’s Screen Producers Australia (Spa) Awards in Melbourne, taking home four gongs, including the major prize of the night: Screen Production Business of the Year.

The Brisbane company, co-founded by Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson, also walked away with Animated Series Production of the Year for its pre-school phenomenon Bluey, Online Series Production of the Year for Robbie Hood with co-production partner Since 1788 Productions and Screen Business Export Award for Bluey, in recognition of its Disney sale – it will be the first Australian series to stream on Disney+.

The latter award was jointly shared with Porchlight Films’ Animal Kingdom, with the Us remake now in its fourth season for TNT.

“This industry has been very kind to us,” said Pearson on accepting the major award, which recognises Ludo’s growth over the past five years, and...

Minister Paul Fletcher addresses the Screen Forever conference.Â

While Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher is keeping mum as to whether the government plans to adjust the screen industry’s regulatory framework, in his address to the Screen Forever conference on Tuesday he emphasised government has a role to play in supporting the industry to capture global opportunities.

“Your sector is undergoing profound change – but it is a change which brings exciting new opportunities to supply content into a voracious global market,â€. the Minister told delegates.

“It important that our regulatory and funding arrangements work to support your sector to capture these opportunities.â€.

The Screen Forever keynote marked Fletcher’s most significant public address to the screen production sector since starting in the industry portfolio in May.

The minister noted in his speech the immense industry upheaval brought on by new digital players like Netflix and Amazon,...

Hugh Jackman insists he can't win when it comes to rumours about his sexuality - because he isn't gay, but doesn't want fans to think there's anything shameful about same sex couples.

The Australia star has been dismissing the reports for years - and simply wishes they'd go away.

He addresses the ongoing saga in the upcoming issue of Parade magazine, stating, "I’d be happy to go and deny it, because I’m not (gay). But, by denying it, I’m saying there is something shameful about it, and there isn’t anything shameful."

The married father of two adopted kids only hears the rumours about his sexuality when he's in America: "The questions about sexuality I find more here in America than anywhere else, because it’s a big hang-up and defines what people think about themselves and others. It’s not a big issue in Australia."...

Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep snubbed moviemaker Baz Luhrmann and Hugh Jackman when the Australia duo asked the ladies to perform at the Oscars.

Luhrmann approached the divas and asked them to participate in the big musical production number he staged at the 2009 Oscars, according to website GoldDerby.com, but they both turned him down.

Sources tell the website Streep was asked to stand up from her seat in the audience and "belt out a few bars" of Mamma Mia! while Streisand was reportedly asked to appear onstage to sing Somewhere from West Side Story.

Streep declined the offer immediately, but Luhrmann even went to Streisand's home in Malibu, California in a bid to woo the singer/actress.

The source explains, "She dropped out at the last moment."

Luhrmann declined to comment about the report.

Actors Hugh Jackman and Robert Pattinson enjoyed a night off from promoting their respective films in Japan recently - by engaging in a spot of karaoke.

Jackman is in Tokyo to debut his latest movie, Australia, while Pattinson has been promoting Twilight in the country.

And the pair joined forces for a night of sing-a-long fun during a break in their hectic schedules.

Jackman's representative says, "Hugh was there celebrating completion of his promo tour for Australia with director Baz Luhrmann and friends. About 1am, the cast of Twilight came in and they all joined in."...

Baz Luhrmann's World War II epic Australia has become the the country's second highest grossing film of all time - despite the picture receiving a string of negative reviews.

The Moulin Rouge director spent four years and $130 million (£87.6 million) on the homage to his homeland - which stars Aussie actors Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

But the high profile stars and huge budget failed to impress film experts - who gave the movie a lukewarm reception upon its release last November.

However, the negative press failed to discourage consumers heading to theatres across Australia - putting it just behind Crocodile Dundee as the country's second biggest earning movie, taking in A$36,786,730 (U.S.$23,528,302/£16,596,280).

Twentieth Century Fox representative Marc Wooldridge says, "The on-going box office success of Australia has been outstanding, and a unique testament to the way the film has been embraced by this country."

Australia has grossed almost $200 million (£142 million) worldwide to date.

Fun-loving Oscars host Hugh Jackman has given pal Nicole Kidman a pass at the Academy Awards - he won't be poking fun at her. The actor, who teamed up with Kidman in Australia, insists the actress can rest assured she won't be facing any embarrassment at the Oscars - because he knows she'll be mortified if he picks on her.

He explains, "Nic is notoriously shy... At the (2004) Tonys, Nicole was sitting in the front row, and she looked up at me and mouthed, 'Don't you dare!'"

But Jackman insists other stars should be prepared to take the stage at the Oscars - and play along with his pranks.

The star, who famously performed pelvic thrusts on a red-faced Sarah Jessica Parker when he hosted the Tony Awards, tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "I do love things going off script. I hope there'll be some spontaneity. If people know what to expect, then your party's dead."...

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman has hit back at reports she is unhappy with her performance in new movie Australia - insisting her comments have been misinterpreted by the media.

The star appears opposite Hugh Jackman in the Baz Luhrmann epic, which opened last month to mixed reviews.

Kidman was recently quoted as saying that she "can't look at this movie and be proud of what I've done", adding that she couldn't "connect to it emotionally".

But the actress is adamant her comments, in an interview with Sydney radio station 2day FM, were taken out of context - because she was actually referring to her whole body of work, claiming she can never bear to watch herself onscreen.

A representative for Kidman tells Australian newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald, "It is quite ridiculous for anyone to believe the reports if they listened to the actual interview. It's hard to believe some of the world's media have fallen for it."...

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman knew her performance in Baz Luhrmann epic Australia would be savaged by critics, because she isn't proud of the work herself.

The star appears opposite Hugh Jackman as British aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley in the movie, but Kidman admits she feels no pride for her work - because she "couldn't connect emotionally" to her character.

And she was so appalled by her own acting when she saw the film in full at its November premiere in Sydney, she and husband Keith Urban took the first plane out of the country so she didn't have to face the criticism.

Speaking recently on Sydney radio station 2day FM, she said, "I can't look at this movie and be proud of what I've done.

"I sat there (at the premiere) and I looked at Keith and went 'Am I any good in this movie?' But I thought Brandon Walters (an 11-year-old Aboriginal boy) and Hugh Jackman were wonderful. It's just impossible for me to connect to it emotionally at all.

"We ran because I didn't want to read anything. I didn't want to know."...

Jim Carrey's comedy Yes Man is still sitting atop the U.K. box office - scooping $3.3 million (GBP2.2 million) in its second weekend.

The film, based on British author Danny Wallace's novel, follows Carrey's character as he challenges himself to say "yes" to everything for an entire year.

Adam Sandler's family fantasy-comedy Bedtime Stories made its debut at number two, taking $2.79 million (GBP1.86 million), while Animated movie Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa shot back up a place from four to three after making $2.49 million (GBP1.66 million).

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman's epic Australia fell to fourth with $2.26 million (GBP1.51 million) in revenue, while vampire love story Twilight rounds out the top five with $2 million (GBP1.37 million).

Hugh Jackman keeps to a strict diet of protein and vegetables and exercises six times a week in a bid to maintain his muscular physique.

The Australia star, who was voted People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in November, works hard to keep himself fit - and restricts his food intake to ensure he keeps his body in shape.

Jackman says, "I get up at 4am and eat egg whites, then every three hours after that. I have a combination of protein or steamed vegetables and brown rice. Then after midday, no rice or carbohydrates. It's just vegetables and meat or fish.

"I'm not going to live this way for the rest of my life. I do have treats, I love dark chocolate, beer and red wine. I love going out for dinner and do cheat sometimes."

And the star is just as tough with his exercise regime as he is with his diet.

He adds, "I train for an hour and a half a day, five days a week - weights, treadmill, rowing, everything. Then I do what my trainer calls 'a play session' on the sixth, which previously would have killed me in itself."...

As 2008 comes to a close, early estimates indicate that the MPAA companies' year at the overseas boxoffice will come close to 2007's all-time record of $9.4 billion.

This year's Christmas week, the busiest moviegoing season of the year, saw the industry maintain its overseas clout as big boxoffice numbers poured in. And with school holidays continuing for another week in most international markets, movies have a chance to pick up more coin before 2008 fades away.

Paramount/DreamWorks Animation's "Madagasgar: Escape 2 Africa" and Fox's "Australia" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" led the holiday charge, with the Central Park Zoo escapees caroling to $36 million from 5,650 screens in 41 countries to lift the pic's foreign gross to $283 million.

"Madagascar 2," which began its slow rollout at the end of October in Russia (where it has grossed $40.6 million to date), depended mostly on holdovers to maintain its leadership of the international market. Italy provided...

Baz Luhrmann has hit out at critics who rubbished his epic Australia - insisting his films always attract negative reviews because they don't fit Hollywood's movie mould.

The moviemaker spent four years and $130 million (GBP87.6 million) on the homage to his homeland - which stars Aussie stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as lovers during World War II.

But the film was panned by some critics - with several even calling Luhrmann "the black hole of cinema".

And the film hasn't fared too well following its U.S. release - taking only $39 million (GBP26 million) since its Thanksgiving weekend opening on 28 November.

But Luhrmann isn't fazed by the bad press, because he has had great feedback from film fans.

He tells the Hollywood Reporter, "A lot of reviewers like Australia. And we're making people cry; I know because they write to us.

"But there are those that don't get it. A lot of the film scientists don't get it. And it's not just that they don't get it, but they hate it and they hate me, and they think I'm the black hole of cinema. They say, 'He shouldn't have made it, and he should die'.

"This is not (simply) a romantic comedy for 40-year-old women or action movies for 17-year-old boys, and that's not Ok with some people. It's not Ok for people to come eat at the same table of cinema. But you look at movies like Gone With the Wind and Old Hollywood classics, and they don't fit in any box."...

Director Baz Luhrmann will never work with Nicole Kidman again - because too many life-changing events occur when they team up.

The pair first collaborated on 2001's Moulin Rouge! as Kidman's marriage to Tom Cruise was coming to an end. The Hollywood actor filed for divorce in February 2001 - just three months before the movie's world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Lurhmann's father also died during the production.

And during their second project together - new movie Australia - Kidman found out she was pregnant with daughter Sunday Rose by husband Keith Urban after previously fearing she was unable to conceive.

And Lurhmann admits their time together is so emotional, they have agreed not to put themselves through the stress again.

He says, "On Moulin Rouge! she was breaking up with Tom Cruise, and my father died on the first day of filming. The six weeks before we finished filming Australia, we were doing a scene where her character has to say she can't have children and she goes, 'Bazzy, Bazzy I've got to see you,' and we sit down under a tree and she tells me she's pregnant and she burst into tears and I did too, because I knew that was what she wanted more than anything else.

"We both said we can't make another movie together because there are only so many life-transforming events we can go through."...

Keanu Reeves' sci-fi thriller The Day The Earth Stood Still has rocketed to the top of the U.S. box office chart, taking an impressive $31 million (GBP20 million) in its opening weekend.

Reeves' performance as an alien who comes to earth - in a remake of the 1951 cult classic - helped the movie destroy any competition.

Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn's holiday comedy Four Christmases came in second with $13.3 million (GBP6.7 million).

Twilight finished third with $8 million (GBP5.3 million), taking it's total to $150 million (GBP100 million).

Disney animation Bolt came in fourth with $7.5 million (GBP5 million), and epic Australia rounded out of the top five with $4.2 million (GBP2.8 million).

The Baz Luhrmann movie has taken a disappointing $38 million (GBP25 million) in three weeks of release.

Christmas movie Nothing Like the Holidays - starring Debra Messing and John Leguizamo - entered the box office chart in a disappointing seventh place, taking just $3.5 million (GBP2.3 million) over the weekend.

And the hosting honor goes to … Hugh Jackman. People's reigning Sexiest Man Alive has been chosen to host the 81st annual Academy Awards ceremony, to take place Feb. 22 The Australia star, 40, who'll be hosting the Oscars for the first time, was selected "because we want the ceremony to be fun," says Laurence Mark, producer of the telecast. "He can hold the screen and he can hold a stage. It doesn't hurt that he looks amazing in a tuxedo and he's the Sexiest Man Alive." Jackman won an Emmy in 2005 for hosting the 59th annual Tony Awards in 2004. He was also nominated as host of the Tonys in 2005. ABC will broadcast the Oscar ceremony live from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 22.

Doubt, Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were the top movies at the announcement of this year's Golden Globe nominations, each receiving five nods apiece.

Casting Directors: Ronna Kress and Nikki Barrett Director: Baz Luhrmann Writers: Baz Luhrmann and Stuart Beattie Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown The Pitch: During World War II, an English aristocrat (Kidman) inherits a massive ranch and teams up with a rough-hewn drover (Jackman) to protect her new property from a takeover plot.Baz Luhrmann tackles everything in large-scale, unorthodox fashion. After completing his "red curtain" trilogy — Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge! — he decided to go back to his cultural roots with the epic Australia, which follows an Englishwoman who teams with an Aussie cattle driver to save her inheritance, just as World War II comes knocking Down Under. He turned to Australian casting director Nikki Barrett (Candy, The Proposition, Babe: Pig in the City) and American CD Ronna Kress to populate the film, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Kress is accustomed to Luhrmann's scale,...

Gus Van Sant's Sean Penn-starring movie Milk and Brad Pitt's new film The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button will lead the way at the 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards - after landing eight nominations each.

The two movies will go head-to-head in The Best Picture category; their stars will fight for the Best Actor awards; and directors Van Sant and David Fincher will battle over the Best Director prize when the awards are handed out by the Broadcast Film Critics Association on 8 January.

Christopher Nolan's 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight had to settle for six nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director; as did Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and new release, Doubt.

The main nominees - announced in New York on Tuesday (9Dec08) by actress Rosie Perez - are as follows:

Best Picture:

Changeling

Milk

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Doubt

Slumdog Millionaire

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Wall-e

The Wrestler

Best Actor:

Sean Penn

Brad Pitt

Clint Eastwood

Richard Jenkins

Frank Langella

Mickey Rourke

Best Actress:

Kate Beckinsale

Cate Blanchett

Angelina Jolie

Meryl Streep

Anne Hathaway

Melissa Leo

Best Supporting Actor:

James Franco

Josh Brolin

Heath Ledger

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Robert Downey Jr.

Best Supporting Actress:

Penelope Cruz

Vera Farmiga

Taraji P. Henson

Marisa Tomei

Kate Winslet

Best Director:

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight

Ron Howard for Frost Nixon

Gus Van Sant for Milk

Best Acting Ensemble:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Doubt

Milk

Rachel Getting Married

Best Animated Feature:

Bolt

Wall-e

Kung Fu Panda

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Waltz With Bashir

Best Young Actor and Actress:

Dakota Fanning for The Secret Life of Bees

David Kross for The Reader

Dev Petal for Slumdog Millionaire

Brandon Walters for Australia.

Festive comedy Four Christmases is still the big gift at the U.S. box office after scoring a second week on top.

The Warner Bros. comedy, starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, claimed an estimated $18.2 million (GBP12.1 million) in its second weekend to keep vampire love story Twilight and animated hit Bolt in second and third places respectively.

Epic Australia and new Bond film Quantum of Solace round out the new top five.

The only new releases in the top 10 are Punisher: War Zone and Beyonce Knowles' new movie Cadillac Records, at eight and nine respectively.

Actress Nicole Kidman is embracing her 40s - because she is braver now than she has ever been.

The Oscar winner faced a tough time as she took on her role in Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia - in which she had to live and shoot in the harsh conditions of the Aussie outback.

But the 41-year-old is adamant being a mature woman helped her cope with the extreme conditions - insisting she gains more courage with age.

She tells Britain's The Independent newspaper, "The older I get, the more I feel like I'm on a roller-coaster when I do a film... I'm much more brave, and kind of throw myself into it and try not to worry if I fall flat on my face.

"It's easy to become frightened of making a fool of yourself, particularly if, like mine, your nature is a bit reticent and shy to begin with. But I'm getting over it."...

Hugh Jackman's adopted son Oscar's big film debut has been left on the cutting room floor.

The movie star admits he "gave in" to the eight year old's demands to be a part of dad's new movie Australia, but his scenes have been cut.

Jackman says, "I finally relented and I said, 'Alright mate, you can be in the movie,' and there's this one scene that he's in that took four days to shoot... and he got paid for it.

"I saw the film for the first time not long ago (and) he's not even in it. He got cut.

"There's a huge wide shot and I'm all prepared (to say), 'Oh, there you are! Aw, baby, you were great."

Jackman is convinced his son will never want to act in another movie: "After four days, he came up to me and goes, 'Dad, you have the most boring job in the world. I never wanna do it again.'"...

Australia actress Nicole Kidman has ruined her co-star Hugh Jackman's hunky image - after revealing he fainted on the first day of shooting the Baz Luhrmann epic.

Kidman stars opposite the X-Men actor in the World War II blockbuster set in the Aussie outback.

In November, the pale actress admitted she had to be rushed to hospital after fainting on horseback while filming her scenes in the blistering heat.

And the Oscar winner confesses she wasn't the only one to struggle with the scorching temperatures - Jackman collapsed just hours after the cameras started rolling.

She tells Britain's The Independent newspaper, "Obviously, I'm very fair-skinned and that's not where I'm at ease (the outback). I remember sitting on a horse and thinking, 'Gosh, this is what you feel like before you faint,' and then I fainted.

"Hugh fainted too on the first day. He keeled over on his horse at a 45-degree angle."...

The awards season has been kicked off as International Press Academy announces its nominees for the 13th Annual Satellite Awards on Sunday, November 30. Through the 22 categories for feature film, it is revealed that "Frost/Nixon", "Milk", "The Dark Knight", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Revolutionary Road", "Australia" and "Quantum of Solace" are among the strong contenders for the coveted awards since each of them receives multiple nods.

Competing for the Best Drama Film category are The Reader", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Revolutionary Road", "Frost/Nixon", "Milk" and "Frozen River". Meanwhile, "Happy-Go-Lucky", "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist", "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", "Tropic Thunder", "In Bruges" and "Choke" are listed as the contenders for Best Comedy or Musical Film.

The nominations also see actresses, like Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Kat Dennings and Debra Messing, and actors, such as Mickey Rourke, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Ricky Gervais, Michael Cera and Mark Ruffalo, in the performers categories.