Oliver Stone drops out of Martin Luther King Jr. project.

WRLTHD Entertainment news

By Samantha Highfill 
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day right around the corner, Oliver Stone announced Friday that he is no longer on board to write and direct a biopic about the Civil Rights leader. Stone took to Twitter to explain that his rewrite of the script, which dealt with “issues of adultery, conflicts within the movement, and King’s spiritual transformation” was not well received by producers. It’s unclear how or if Stone’s leaving will affect Jamie Foxx, who was attached to star in the DreamWorks and Warner Bros production.
Warner Bros. declined to comment on the news.

CBS and Dick Clark Productions Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Television Agreement for the “Hollywood Film Awards”

By: Josh Abraham
CBS and dick clark productions announced today a multi-year broadcast television agreement for the HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS®, beginning in 2014. The event, founded by Carlos de Abreu, honors excellence in filmmaking and is traditionally seen as the official launch of the Hollywood awards season with some of the world’s biggest talent in attendance.

“The HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS is a star-filled, fun night full of surprises and the first stop out of the gatekicking off the film awards season,” said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS Entertainment. “Until now, the event was limited to only industry insiders. We’re proud to team up with dick clark productions and Carlos to develop this into an event for television and showcase it to millions of viewers across the country.”

“The HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS and Carlos de Abreu have done a great job over the past 17 years honoring the best of the best in Hollywood, creating one of the most stellar, star-studded events of the year,” said Allen Shapiro, CEO of dick clark productions.

“We look forward to building on our relationship with CBS with an awards show that recognizes the best in movie making, where talent are selected as honorees and not nominees,” said Mike Mahan, President of dick clark productions. “The show is full of unique moments, with presenters carefully selected to present awards to the year’s honorees, creating a night with an array of emotion, comedy and surprises.”

The first-ever HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS gala took place in October 1997 in the historic Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Kirk Douglas took home the inaugural “Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award.”

The HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS further builds upon CBS’s successful relationship with dick clark productions who, along with the Academy of Country Music, have partnered to broadcast and produce the “Academy of Country Music Awards” for the past 15 seasons. The awards broadcast, which showcases the biggest names and emerging talent in country music, has become a prestigious annual event, with last spring’s telecast achieving its highest ratings since 1998.

ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS
The Hollywood Film Awards®, founded in 1997, were created to celebrate Hollywood and launch the awardsseason. The recipients of the awards are selected by an Advisory Team for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released during the calendar year. In the last 10 years, a total of 96 Oscar® nominations and 34 Oscars® were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards. For additional information, visit www.hollywoodawards.com.

ABOUT DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS
dick clark productions (dcp) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised events. dcp produces perennial hits such as the “American Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “Hollywood Film Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” dcp also produces popular weekly television programming, including “So You Think You Can Dance,” and owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with more than 55 years of dcp’s award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendaryprogramming. In 2014, dcp will debut “The PEOPLE MAGAZINE Awards” on NBC and joint venture Keshet DCP will premiere the weekly television series “Rising Star” on ABC. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

PRESS CONTACTS:

For CBS:
Phil Gonzales, 818-655-1580, phil.gonzales@cbs.com

dick clark productions
Liz Morentin, 310-255-4602, lmorentin@dickclark.com

Tags: academy award, American Music Award, Carlos de Abreu, CBS Corporation, dick clark,Entertainment/Culture, Hollywood, Human Interest, Los Angeles County California, television, Television in the United States, the Hollywood Film Awards

The Man Who Named Pixar Quietly Retired Last Week

by Germain Lussier
We know so many of the names connected to the birth of Pixar: George Lucas, Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull, and John Lasseter, for starters. But the man who actually named the company is largely unknown. His name is Loren Carpenter, and he’s worked on virtually every Pixar film in some capacity, all the way from Toy Story to last year’s Monsters University. Carpenter, however, reportedly retired from the company last week at the age of 66.

Before actually being the first one to say “Pixar,” Carpenter wanted to call the company “Cinematrix,” but many people didn’t like that. Cartoon Brew pointed to the news of Carpenter’s retirement, and republished the story of Pixar’s naming from the book Droidmaker by Michael Rubin. Here’s a sliver, which comes late in a conversation some of the principals were having about a name for the company:

Loren thought for a moment.. It just sounds kind of…strange. What about pixar.”

“That’s good,” said Alvy.

Jim and Rodney didn’t stop eating, but their eyes registered consensus. Loren was mulling it over.

“Then it sounds a little more like ‘radar,’ and sort of astronomical, like ‘quasar’ or ‘pulsar,’” Loren added.

Did you know the story of the name “Pixar”?

33 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Disney Parks

Tanner Ringerud
BuzzFeed Staff

The Disney parks are even more magical than you think. You just have to know where to look.

1. There are tunnels under Disney World that allow employees and cast members to move between the different areas.

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The tunnels help costumed cast members avoid incongruities. That’s why you never see Tomorrowland cast members in Frontierland, and vice versa.

2. None of the shops in Disney World sell gum, which is why you never see any stuck to the rides or sidewalks.

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3. There are thousands of hidden Mickey Mouse heads throughout Disney World and the surrounding resorts.

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4. There is never a trash can more than 30 steps from where you are in Disney parks.

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Allegedly, Walt Disney himself went to other parks and watched how long people held on to trash before dropping it on the ground, and found that it was only 30 steps or so.

5. There’s actually a secret suite inside Cinderella’s castle. It cannot be booked, and is only used for promotional giveaways.

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6. Despite the fact that it’s illegal, several people attempt to spread the ashes of the deceased on Disney rides every year.

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7. Fourteen of the opening day attractions in the Magic Kingdom are still running.

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The 14 attractions are: “Country Bear Jamboree,” “Dumbo the Flying Elephant,” “Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Mad Tea Party,” “Peter Pan’s Flight,” “Prince Charming Regal Carrousel,” “Swiss Family Treehouse,” “The Hall of Presidents,” “The Haunted Mansion,” “Tomorrowland Speedway,” “Walt Disney World Railroad,” “Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room,” and “It’s a Small World.”

8. At one point, the parking lots at the Magic Kingdom were named after six of the seven dwarves. There was never a “Doc” lot because designers thought it would be confused for the ferry docks.

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The lots have since been updates, and are all names after popular Disney heroes and villains.

9. Devices called Smellitizers can be found all over Disney parks, and emit scents in certain areas to match the surroundings.

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You’ll notice the scent of baking cookies and vanilla around “Main Street, U.S.A.,” salty sea air in line for “Pirates of the Caribbean,” fresh citrus on “Soarin’,” and burning lumber near the scene depicting the fall of Rome on “Spaceship Earth.”

10. The colored concrete walkways in the Magic Kingdom seem to correspond to each section — but they’re actually colored because Kodak and Disney did a study and found that light reflecting off colored concrete creates more vivid photographs.

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11. The “Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” attraction replaced the “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” attraction, and you can see a painting or Mr. Toad handing the deed over to Mr. Owl in line for the ride.

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There’s also an image of Pooh posing with a character named Moley, who appeared in the “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” attraction as well.

12. In Frontierland, you can see a wooden leg labeled “Smith.”

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It’s a reference to Mary Poppins. In the movie, Bert says, “I knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith,” and Uncle Albert responds, “What’s the name of his other leg?”

13. If you look closely at the second-story windows near the “Hall of Presidents,” you’ll see two lanterns. They are referencing the line “One if by land, and two if by sea” from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride.”

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14. The brownish winding path in Liberty Square is meant to represent raw sewage that flowed down the streets of Colonial America, since indoor plumbing wasn’t yet invented.

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15. While most of the lawns at Disney parks are meticulously tended to, the lawn at “The Haunted Mansion” is left to grow out and die, to match the mood of the ride.

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16. Look for a wedding ring embedded in the concrete in line at “The Haunted Mansion.” It’s said that it belongs to the hanging bride you see in the stretching room and attic scenes on the ride.

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17. Toy Story characters used to drop to the ground when guests yelled, “Andy’s coming!” but the practice has been discontinued for safety reasons.

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18. It took an act of Congress to install the Presidential Seal in the “Hall of Presidents” attraction. There are only three seals: one in the Oval Office, one in the hall containing the Liberty Bell, and one in the “Hall of Presidents.”

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19. There’s a Galactic Communication Network phone in Tomorrowland that plays messages from around the galaxy.

Flickr: lorenjavier / Via subsonicradio.com

Some of the messages the phone plays:

“Earth’s Crust Pizza! We deliver anywhere in the solar system in less than two lightyears or your order is free. Can you hold please? Thanks for holding. I had to take that incoming call from Saturn, because they hardly ever give us a ring!”

“Hiya, babe, it’s your agent, Johnny Jupitor. You called? Anyway, I gotta call you right back. I’m in a meeting with my number one client— er, I mean, my number TWO client, Sonny Eclipse. You’re always number one in my book, baby. You know that. Let’s do lunch! Oooh, look at the time! Gotta fly!”

“This is Tomorrowland News Networks Corona Borealis with your local time and weather. As always, it’s going to be a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, and at the tone, the time will be now.”

20. The futuristic palm trees in Tomorrowland actually fold up at dusk, and unfold at dawn.

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21. Epcot was originally designed to be a model community and home to 20,000 residents. You can still see a diorama for Walt Disney’s vision on the “PeopleMover” ride.

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22. There is a secret basketball court for staff in the upper third of the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland.

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23. The World Showcase at Epcot may seem full, but there’s actually room for eight additional counties.

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24. The 1982 book Epcot Center: A Pictorial Souvenirlists Israel, Equatorial Africa, and Spain as potential pavilions.

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25. In the United Kingdom pavilion, the Rose and Crown got its name from the two most common words found in pub names in the United Kingdom.

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26. The massive castle structure behind the German pavilion at EPCOT was meant to house a boat ride that simulated a trip down the Rhine River.

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27. The aquarium in “The Seas” is so large that the “Spaceship Earth” sphere can fit inside it.

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28. You can see a dragon on the signs for Animal Kingdom, and a dragon’s head hanging above the front gates. They were there to represent a scrapped area called Beastly Kingdom, which was going to be dedicated to mythical animals.

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29. On the “Dinosaur” ride in Animal Kingdom, there are three pipes in the queuing area with chemical formulas printed on them. The formulas on the pipes are for ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

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The formula on the red pipe is for ketchup, the formula on the yellow pipe is for mustard, and the formula on the white pipe is for mayonnaise. The pipes are left over from the original McDonald’s sponsorship of the ride.

30. The 14-story “Tree of Life” in the middle of Animal Kingdom is actually an old oil rig.

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Engineers found that an oil rig’s ability to hold up against hurricane-strength winds made it ideal for the internal structure of the attractions.

31. The airplane in the Casablanca scene in “The Great Movie Ride” is actually the front half of the crashed airplane on the “Jungle Cruise” ride.

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32. If you look closely at the hieroglyphics in theIndiana Jones sections of the “The Great Movie Ride,” you’ll see Mickey and Donald, and C-3PO and R2-D2.

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33. The lobby and queuing area for the “Tower of Terror” ride are full of hidden Twilight Zonereferences, such as Burgess Meredith’s broken glasses and a book with alien script that has been translated to “To Serve Man.”

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