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The Latest News from the Movie Biz

Ice Age’s Scrat to Become Tallest Ice Sculpture Ever!
Published on: October 26, 2009
WHAT:
To coincide with the release of the Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs Blu-ray disc and DVD, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Tallest Ice Sculpture at the opening of the ice skating rink, ICE at Santa Monica.

Fun Facts:
•    The Scrat Ice Sculpture will stand at 45 feet tall
•    Over 133,000 lbs. of ice will be used, gathered across 4 states
•    Months of preparation went into the logistics
•    Artists from Blue Sky Studios developed the look of the model
•    The current record for the Tallest Ice Sculpture is 40.28 feet and was achieved by Michel Amann (France) in Ski Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 20, 2006.

Additional Highlights:
•    World Figure Skating Champion Randy Gardner will perform to the “Walk the Dinosaur” song featured in the film
•    The one and only acorn-loving Scrat will demonstrate his own skating abilities
•    Skating for the entire family, including music and many more fun activities
•    ICE at Santa Monica is an 8000-square-foot outdoor ice rink in Downtown Santa Monica

WHO:
A team of 14 skilled sculptors from Ice Bulb LLC will build the world’s Tallest Ice Sculpture over a 4-day period on the ice rink at the ICE at Santa Monica. A Guinness World Records™ adjudicator will be present to oversee the attempt.

WHEN:
Tuesday, October 27, final Scrat sculpture to be unveiled at 4:00pm
•    Entrance is Free to the public
•    From October 27 through January 31, 2010, the ice rink will be open Sunday through Thursday, 10am to 10pm, and Friday and Saturday, 10am to midnight
•    Admission is $10 and includes rental skates
* Stand-ups and in-progress check-ins available beginning Saturday, October 24
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‘This Is It’ Director Talks About The Late King of Pop
Published on: October 26, 2009
By Shannon Nystedt
MovieSet.com

While at a promotional stop in Toronto, U.S. director and choreographer Kenny Ortega spoke with The Canadian Press about the late Michael Jackson and the film he didn’t want to make.

"… I just didn't feel that I was emotionally capable of going through it," said Ortega, who also directed the star-studded L.A. memorial that was held in Jackson's honor and broadcast around the world. "My first reaction was no, I can't, I won't be objective. I can't, I'm going through too much, it hurts too much, I'm too close, it's too soon. ... But then, in the end, it was going to be made, and if I wasn't going to do it, who was going to do it?...”

The film covers Jackson's rehearsals for a planned set of 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena, which were to begin last July 8. Michael Jackson's This Is It opens in select cities with midnight screenings late Tuesday before expanding to wide release on Wednesday for a two-week run.

Read the full interview here.
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Jocelin Donahue talks ‘The House of the Devil’
Published on: October 26, 2009
By Shannon Nystedt
MovieSet.com

If you’re nostalgic for 80’s horror, then keep an eye out for upcoming horror/thriller The House of the Devil. Written and directed by Ti West, The House of the Devil follows Samantha Hughes, a 1980’s collage student who takes a strange babysitting job for a family with no baby. Slowly but surly Samantha realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret; they plan to use her in a satanic ritual. Playing the role of Samantha is actress Jocelin Donahue (The Burrowers), who had the chance to talk to ShockTillYouDrop.com about the making of the movie and the films she used as homework for the role.

“…What a delight to have this come across my desk! I read a lot of horror film scripts because that's what's out there for skinny girls. [Laughs] This was so different and definitely something immediately that I knew I wanted to do, especially after meeting and talking to Ti. You could tell right away that he's a serious filmmaker and this really came from the heart. I just knew it was going to be something special and authentic. In terms of my role of Samantha, she's smart and innocent in a way that many modern female roles aren't. I'm really proud that I got to do that, play this kind of character in a movie I could show to my little cousin's. [Laughs] A lot of times you read scripts for horror films and think "OK, my parents can't watch me in this..."

Read the full interview here.
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Funny Man Ricky Gervais to Host Golden Globes
Published on: October 26, 2009
By Shannon Nystedt
MovieSet.com

For the first time since 1995 the Golden Globes have opted for an emcee, and have tapped funny man Ricky Gervais to fill the position. Not only with Gervais host the ceremony, but he could also end up a nominee for his recent comedy The Invention of Lying. Nominations for this year's Globes will be announced Dec. 15. The show will air live on NBC (in the east coast) Sunday, Jan. 17.

"…Not only is this the biggest Hollywood celebration of the industry which includes both film and TV, but also an environment where I feel I can get free reign as a host…"

Read the full article here.
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Make First Contact with ‘The Fourth Kind’ Featurette
Published on: October 25, 2009
By Shannon Nystedt
MovieSet.com

Check out The Fourth Kind Featurette to learn the scale of measurement for extraterrestrial encounters. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, The Fourth Kind stars Milla Jovovich and tells the fact-based story of an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years. Using never-before-seen archival footage that is integrated into the film, The Fourth Kind exposes the terrified revelations of multiple witnesses. Their accounts of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details, the validity of which is investigated throughout the film. You can catch The Fourth Kind in Theaters November 6th, 2009.

Watch the featurette here.
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