'Ocean's
Eleven' voted greatest ever remake; Hollywood Celebrity
News, Pro Wrestling Connection - 29th February 2012
Readers,
we're hear to tell you that the 'Rock N Roll Wrestling
Connection' is back, with a bit of casino fun and
games thrown into the mix, both in Australia and in
the USA.
'Ocean's
Eleven' has been chosen as the best movie remake of
all time in a recent poll.
Australia
casino king James Packer, is probably going to be
pleased to hear that land based casino themed movies
are in vogue, since he's looking to open or take over
his own Sydney, Australia casino soon. Obviously,
JP won't be hoping for a casino robbery - to state
the obvious. Vegas casino and hotel tycoon Steve Wynn
would have caught the 'Ocean's Eleven' news no doubt.
Not sure if Kevin Nash (once upon a time known as
Vinnie Vegas) did. Nash, also a former leading member
of the nWo is currently off the WWE wrestling roster,
following a feud with Triple H.
The
movie, which is based on an original 1960 film, hit
screens in 2001 and went on to gross over 450 million
dollars worldwide.
It
sees Clooney lead an all-star cast of Brad Pitt, Matt
Damon and Julia Roberts in an attempted casino robbery
in Las Vegas.
Danny
Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three
Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.
Clooney
has been dating former WWE wrestler - diva Stacey
Keibler for over 6 months and they attended the Oscars
together.
Leading
man Clooney was up for a Best Actor and Best Adapted
Screenplay at the Academy Awards.
And despite losing out on the Best Actor accolade,
Clooney's girlfriend Stacy Keibler made sure he went
home with an Oscar of his own as her dress appeared
to have been inspired by the statuette.
Attending
her first Academy Awards on Clooney's arm, Keibler
looked stunning in a gold Grecian-style Marchesa creation.
Ocean's
Eleven (2001)
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
Writers: George Clayton Johnson (1960 story), Jack
Golden Russell (1960 story)
Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts
Top
10 Best Remakes...
1.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
2. The Mummy (1999)
3. King Kong (2005)
4. The Italian Job (2003)
5. Cape Fear (1991)
6. The Parent Trap (1998)
7. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
8. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
9. Scarface (1983)
10. Alfie (2004)
Top
10 Worst Remakes
1.
Arthur (2011)
2. The Wicker Man (2006)
3. Fame (2009)
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
5. Clash of the Titans (2010)
6. Planet of the Apes (2001)
7. Piranha 3-D (2010)
8. House of Wax (2005)
9. Freaky Friday (2003)
10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis arm wrestle...
Hollywood
tough guys and action heroes Sylvester Stallone and
Bruce Willis challenged each other to an arm wrestle
during a recent night out.
The
actors were enjoying a meal with their respective
wives when they started arguing about who was in better
shape.
Stallone,
65, challenged 56-year-old Willis to an arm wrestling
match and the pair then swept aside glasses, cutlery
and plates to lock arms and start their fight.
Diners
at nearby tables were initially stunned but as as
they recognised the wrestler like actors they started
cheering and Willis and Stallone grunted, groaned
and wheezed for several minutes.
However,
the men's wives were not impressed and asked them
to "break it up", which they duly listened
to.
It's
understood that soon after their meal, Stallone went
into hospital to have an operation on his shoulder,
although it is not thought to have any link to his
night out with Willis.
A
Media Man agency spokesperson said "We suspect
this may be another elaborate publicity stunt by Team
Stallone, although we can't prove it. Stallone fans
will recall that only a week ago Stallone was photographed
in a hospital bed alongside long time mate Arnold
Schwarzenegger, both nursing the same injury, and
Arnold took a photo for the world to see. Well, as
least the cast of Expendables 2 is doing well, and
it seems that they sure as heck know how to promote
a movie".
Action
movie fans take note however that in the filming of
the original Expendables WWE wrestling legend "Stone
Cold" Steve Austin did break the neck of Stallone
for real, or so the story goes.
Wrestling
Legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper In Fancypants
Movie...
Fancypants
is a 2011 film directed by Joshua Russell and starring
Patrick Gleason, Roddy Piper, and Robert Carradine.
Featuring Nick Turturro, Richard Kind, and introducing
Jackson Dunn.
It
is a comedy/drama about a professional wrestler who
is afraid of conflict in real life. He is nearing
the end of his career and finds out he has one fan
left in an 8-year old boy, who hides a secret that
will change Leo's life forever. The film was shot
entirely on location in Chicago.
The
film won Best Feature at the 2011 Sunscreen Film Festival
in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was an official selection
at the 2011 Seattle True Independent Film Festival.
Roddy
Piper is also rumoured to be one of the house-mates
in upcoming WWE reality TV show, 'Legends House'.
Four Canadians indicted on US gambling charges; Online
Casino Royale or Ocean's Eleven...
US
authorities seized the gambling website Bodog on Tuesday
and announced the indictment of four Canadians on
charges of illegal sports betting and money laundering,
including founder Calvin Ayre.
The
federal grand jury indictment of Ayre, James Philip,
David Ferguson, Derrick Maloney and the Bodog Entertainment
Group was unsealed in Baltimore, Maryland, and is
the latest blow by US prosecutors against online gambling.
"Sports
betting is illegal in Maryland, and federal law prohibits
bookmakers from flouting that law simply because they
are located outside the country," US Attorney
Rod Rosenstein said in a statement.
"Many
of the harms that underlie gambling prohibitions are
exacerbated when the enterprises operate over the
Internet without regulation," Rosenstein said.
US
law prohibits US financial institutions from knowingly
accepting payments for online gambling made through
credit cards, electronic transfers and checks, but
bills have been introduced in the US Congress to ease
the restrictions.
In
April, 11 people were charged with bank fraud, money
laundering and other offenses in a crackdown on the
three largest online poker companies -- Absolute Poker,
PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
A
spokeswoman for the US Attorney's Office told the
press that none of the four accused Canadians is in
custody but warrants have been issued for their arrests
and the United States would seek their extradition.
The
indictment accuses Bodog and the defendants of conducting
an illegal online sports gambling business and conspiring
to commit money laundering between June 2005 and January
2012.
"The
defendants and their conspirators allegedly moved
funds from Bodog's accounts located in Switzerland,
England, Malta, Canada and elsewhere to pay winnings
to gamblers, and to pay media brokers and advertisers
located in the United States," the US Attorney's
Office said.
"The
conspirators directed payment processors to send at
least $100 million by wire and by check to gamblers
located in Maryland and elsewhere," it said.
Internal
Revenue Service special agent Eric Hylton said "laundering
money from illegal activity such as illegal Internet
gambling is a crime.
"Regardless
of how the money changes hands -- via cash, check,
wire transfers or credit cards -- and regardless of
where the money is stored -- in a United States financial
institution or an offshore bank -- we will trace the
funds," Hylton said.
In
an affidavit supporting a seizure warrant for the
Bodog.com website domain name, a former employee of
Bodog was quoted as saying the gambling operation
has hundreds of employees in Canada and Costa Rica.
A
visitor to Bodog.com is met with a message reading
"This domain name has been seized" and pictures
of the official seals of the Department of Justice
and Department of Homeland Security.
In
a statement on his website, Ayre, who is described
by Forbes magazine as a "former billionaire,"
said the Bodog.com domain name has been dormant for
some time.
"Not
sure what to say," Ayre said. "The brand
left the market last year and the domain in question
has been dormant globally for longer than that."
Ayre,
50, who launched Bodog.com in 1994 and operates several
other gaming websites, also said he was a victim of
"abuse of the US criminal justice system for
the commercial gain of large US corporations.
"It
is clear that the online gaming industry is legal
under international law," he said. "It is
also clear that the rule of law was not allowed to
slow down a rush to try to win the war of public opinion."
The
gambling charges are punishable by up to five years
in prison while a conviction for money laundering
conspiracy can bring 20 years behind bars.
The Four Horsemen Including Ric Flair To Be Inducted
Into WWE Hall Of Fame 2012; Jim Ross Tweets - 27th
Feb 2012...
Ross
on Ric Flair’s Birthday: Happy Birthday to Ric
Flair. Naitch called me this past week to catch up.
He’s got a great opportunity with Coca Cola’s
energy drink along with his state lottery work. I
went on You Tube and checked out Ric’s TV commercials
for the lotteries he promotes and they were hilarious.
Some
of my fondest memories in the business involve Ric
Flair and I’m so blessed to have been able to
broadcast not only many Ric Flair bout but @ShawnMichaels
bouts over the years, too as they are widely considered
the two, best, all around pro wrestlers ever. That’s
a debate that will rage on until the end of time but
no one can intelligently say that Naitch and HBK aren’t
on an abbreviated list of the best ever.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Continues His
Journey Towards WrestleMania Match With John Cena...
Never
before, never again, reads the tagline for this WrestleMania
match of the decade (if not century).
One
one side of the ring is wrestler, turned Hollywood
movie megastar, Johnson, and on the other side, wrestler
- rapper (and occasional actor, John Cena).
In
old school terms, there is a lot of "heat"
between the two, or at least that's what the WWE storyline
would have you believe.
WWE
head honcho Vince McMahon is set to make a financial
killing with this with live tickets, PPV (including
Australia's Foxtel - Main Event), merchandising, advertising
and god knows what else.
Fruity
pebbles are set to collide as Mr 'You Can't See Me'
Cena wrestles with "The Most Electrifying Man
In Sports Entertainment" with a lot of 'Boots
To Asses" thrown in there.
WrestleMania
is a bit of a triple headliner this year with CM Punk
("The Best In The World" VS Chris Jericho
("The best in the world at everything I do",
then there's Daniel Bryan VS Sheamus, and how can
forget The Undertaker VS Triple H, as Hunter attempts
to end The Undertakers's WrestleMania winning streak
inside a 'Hell In A Cell' cage match.
All
up the show is pretty loaded and may actually produce
one or two matches of the year, but time will tell.
Before you ask, no Brock Lesnar as he's still under
contract to the UFC, even though he's retired from
MMA. UFC are set to invade Sydney's AllPhones Arena
on the 3rd March 2012.
The
live WWE RAW tour will hit Sydney, Australia on Friday
31st August 2012. And if they tour Perth, WA they
will likely perform at Crown Perth (formally known
as Burswood Casino or Burswood Entertainment Complex).
Something
tells us that Austin will be leaving his Broken Skull
Ranch in Texas to catch WrestleMania lose up, and
so should you.
Oh,
if you didn't hear already, The Rock stars in Journey
2: The Mysterious Island, which is currently breaking
box office records in Australia, the US, and in most
other parts of the world.
Keep
checking Street Corner and the Media Man blog network
for more on these developing news stories and more.
One
last thing... kids, don't try this at home or anywhere
else. Leave it to the professionals.
News
Marvel
Entertainment Movies: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers,
The Wolverine and Ghost Rider - February 2012
Hollywood
is continuing its lover affair with superhero themes,
movie revamps and the like, and Australian fans are
lapping it up with the superhero jackpot bonanza.
This
year we're looking at a bush tucker bag of sequels,
prequels, remakes... you name it. The Hollywood studios
will be pumping out their best efforts in order to
make as much money as they can muster, and who can
blame them.
Entertainment
kingpin Marvel Entertainment are going to be spinning
out their “The Amazing Spider-Man”, hitting
us hard with "The Avengers", "Ghost
Rider" is about to ride into "Sin City"
Sydney, Australia, and then there's Australia's favorite
son, Hugh Jackman back in "The Wolverine".
The
Warner Bros. - DC Comics tag-team is going to attempt
to combat that Marvel onslaught with the next instalment
of Batman - "The Dark Knight Rises", but
most tipsters are picking Marvel to win the movie
superhero fight over DC Comics this year, but time
will tell.
Here’s
a peek at some of this year’s coming attractions...(US
dates)
Nicolas
Cage provides a winter warm-up with “Ghost Rider:
Spirit of Vengeance” (Feb. 17), returning as
the bounty hunter from hell on a mission to rescue
a child from the devil.
“The
Avengers” (May 4), teaming Robert Downey Jr.
as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans
as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible
Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy
Renner as Hawkeye.
Next
is “The Amazing Spider-Man” (July 3), with
Andrew Garfield taking over as Peter Parker in director
Marc Webb’s new take on how a mutant spider bite
turns a teen into a web-slinging hero.
Christian
Bale returns as Batman in “The Dark Knight Rises”
(July 20), director Christopher Nolan’s third
and final tale of the well to do vigilante with all
the cool gadgets. Anne Hathaway joins the cast as
Catwoman.
After
the late Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning
performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,”
Nolan went with a lesser-known villain: This time,
it’s Bane (Tom Hardy), known to comic-book fans
as the brute who breaks Batman’s back and puts
him in a wheelchair.
The
Avengers are assembling...
Disney
released more stills from its superhero superteam
movie reving up fans who are eagerly awaiting the
answers to the age-old question, who would win in
a fight between The Incredible Hulk and The Mighty
Thor.
The
first image shows Captain America (Chris Evans) in
full updated costume and shield, flanked by Avengers
teammates Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow
(Scarlett Joahnsson), the three heroes walking as
if they mean business. The second still is slightly
less dramatic, simply showing Thor (Chris Hemsworth)
gripping a conference room chair, pondering heavy
thoughts next to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark
Gregg).
"When
you walk out of your trailer and you bump into Chris
Hemsworth with the cape on and you see Downey in the
Iron Man suit and that’s when you really get
excited and you start geeking out a bit,” Evans
told The News last year from the film's New Mexico
set.
Fans
are already starting to geek out, more than two months
before the film's May 4 (U.S) release date.
The
Marvel Studios movie, which is directed by fanboy
favorite Joss Whedon, unites three franchises (Iron
Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk) within an
even bigger franchise that’s expected to be one
of the biggest box office hits of all time.
Avengers
News cont...
Marvel
Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures
“Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super
hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel
super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor,
Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an
unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety
and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international
peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself
in need of a team to pull the world back from the
brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment
effort begins.
Starring
Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris
Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel
L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay
by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers”
is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series
“The Avengers,” first published in 1963
and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself
for an exciting event movie, packed with action and
spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s
The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.
Marvel
Release Dates Updated (U.S)
In
addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel
Studios will release a slate of films based on the
Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3"
on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November
15, 2013.
Andrew Garfield as Spiderman Featured in an Avengers
(English, 2012) Cameo...
Mumbai,
Feb 13, 2012 - A few days ago we reported the rampant
Internet rumor that Andrew Garfield’s Spiderman
would be featured in an Avengers cameo. All of this
was built off a statement made by actress Jenny Agutter
who has a small role in the Whedon production. Well,
we’ve stumbled across another source who confirms
Spider mans cameo in Avengers.
“This
will be similar to how Wolverine made a quick cameo
in X-Men: First Class and Sony’s going to make
sure to promote their new Spiderman movie any way
they can. Andrew (Garfield) isn’t a widely known
actor so they want to get his face on everything,
including The Avengers even if it’s for a couple
seconds.”
This
is an absolute multiple bonanza for the superhero
fans.
Starring
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris
Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom
Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel
L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon,
“Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on
the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The
Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics
institution ever since.
“Marvel’s
The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios
in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is
being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin
Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee,
Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher,
Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed
by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
The
movie is to release in India on 27th April, 2011.
The Wolverine Gets Release Date...
It
is official, a sequel to that 2009 X-Men Origins:
Wolverine movie will be coming to a theatre near you
on or around July 26th 2013 (depends if your in the
U.S, Australia or elsewhere). After months of production
delays, including replacing Darren Aranofsky as director,
that cigar smoking, 'bub' saying, furry Canadian Logan
will once again rip things up. The film sequel is
running with the title: The Wolverine and will take
Logan to Japan where he finds a forbidden romance
and the Silver Samurai to deal with. Hugh Jackman
has already praised the script as being "one
of the best we've ever had." This is good news
for those fans and critics who felt the first Wolverine
movie offering could have been better. We trust that
director James Mangold and Hugh Jackman deliver on
this to keep both Marvel hardcore and casual fans
happy. What the critics will think is anyone's guess,
but as a few stars have noted - movies are made for
fans (not critics).
'Ghost Rider' movie controversy; Red hot back story...
The
new "Ghost Rider" movie's ticket sales are
not very strong, but the controversy raging in the
comic-book community is like a mega fireball.
The
story begins back in 1972, when the flaming motercyclist
was created at Marvel Comics by writer Mike Friedrich,
editor Roy Thomas and artist Mike Ploog. Comics creators
in those days - and often today - don't own anything
they create for the major publishing houses, because
of a contract called "work for hire." But
when the first "Ghost Rider" movie came
out in 2007, Friedrich sued Marvel for partial ownership
of the character on a technicality - which would result
in a windfall from the movie.
He
desperately needed the money. Friedrich, now 69, is
unemployed, broke and suffering from liver problems.
He has been getting through the days by selling autographed
"Ghost Rider" items at conventions as a
paid guest, which according to documents amounted
to a total of $17,000.
But
ownership of trademark and copyright isn't something
that comics publishers take lightly. Both of the major
comic publishers (ala Marvel and DC Comics) make more
income from licensing their library of characters
than they do selling comic books. Here's the thing:
According to U.S. law, failure to defend a trademark
can lead to losing it.
So
Marvel - and parent company Disney - went after the
lawsuit, including a countersuit demanding the $17,000.
They were victorious. In December, the court threw
out Friedrich's suit and ordered him to pay Marvel.
Also, his future income was constrained, in that he
can sign and sell only "Ghost Rider" material
that he buys retail.
The
creative and fan community responded with fury. Blogs
across the Internet excoriated Marvel, or started
petitions for the $17,000 to be forgiven. Steve Niles,
creator of "30 Days of Night," led a charge
on Twitter and set up a Facebook page for contributions
(www.steveniles.com/gary.html). Creators such as Gail
Simone ("Batgirl") and Jill Thompson ("Scary
Godmother") tweeted encouragement. Longtime creators'-rights
champion Neal Adams was one of many who auctioned
original art, with proceeds going to Friedrich.
As
you might expect, there were calls to boycott the
new film, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance."
That might have contributed to the film's disappointing
third-place finish on its opening weekend in the U.S,
with $22 million at the U.S box office.
If
the movie did well, it would still be overshadowed
by the back story - comics creators and fans rising
up like a tidal wave to help one of their own.
What
a red hot and real superhero story.
Check
out the "Support Gary Friedrich" Facebook
page (www.facebook.com/supportgaryfriedrich) for more.
Marvel Comics and Movies Alive And Well At Bwin.Party
Digital Entertainment...
Marvel
superhero fans - great news... more superhero themed
online games rumoured to be soon hitting PartyCasino.
Stay tuned to the Media
Man network for more on that.
If
it sounds like 2012 is going to be a pretty good year
for superhero movies, both on an entertainment front
(for fans) and business angle (for studios etc), that's
because it is. Enjoy brigadiers, and as Marvel living
legend Stan Lee would say - Excelsior!
