Pinewood Design

A taster of Empire’s exclusive, star-studded shoots paying tribute to some of the most iconic moments in movies of the last 20 years.

Keira Knightley & James McAvoy
Atonement (2007)

Photographed by Adrian Green at Big Sky Media, London, UK, on March 12, 2009.

Mel Gibson
Braveheart (1995)

Photographed by Sarah Dunn at 5th And Sunset Studios, Los Angeles, USA, on March 27, 2009.

Matt Damon
The Bourne Series (from 2002)

Photographed by Keith Bernstein at the WP Rugby High Performance Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, on March 25, 2009.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint The Harry Potter series (from 2001)

Photographed by Matt Holyoak at Leavesden Studios,
Herfortshire, UK, on March 20, 2009

Michael Sheen
The Queen (2006)

Photographed by Sarah Dunn at Grovenor House, London, UK, March 29, 2009.

Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Photographed by Sarah Dunn at Foto Theme,
London, UK, February 17, 2009.

Christian Bale
American Psycho (2000)

Photographed by Sarah Dunn at 5th And Sunset Studios, Los Angeles, USA, on March 16, 2009

Tom Cruise
Minority Report (2002)

Photographed by Robert Gallagher at 5th And Sunset Studios, Los Angeles, USA, on March 28, 2009.

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: 20th anniversary, Christian Bale, Empire magazine, Harry Potter, Matt Damon, Minority Report, Psycho, The Bourne, Tom Cruise

 
KING of pop MICHAEL JACKSON died last night after a massive heart attack.

He collapsed and stopped breathing after an injection of a powerful painkiller named Demerol.

Jacko, 50, was said to be addicted to the drug – similar to morphine – and it is feared he took an overdose.

Paramedics who raced to his Los Angeles home after an emergency call found he had no pulse. And frantic attempts to revive him failed.

The Thriller star, who had been fighting skin cancer, was due to start a series of comeback concerts in London next month.

Instead, millions of shocked fans around the globe are today mourning a legend.

Emergency … paramedics’ monitor shows Jacko – a ‘50 year old male’ – was ‘not breathing at all’ when the 911 call was received

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: dead, heart attack, Jacko, Michael Jackson

BB house for little monsters

HERE’S the first glimpse of the new Big Brother house – and it looks like bosses were inspired by the space cadets preparing to move in.

Big’s in space … all mod cons, including crates

Curved beams with fluorescent lights and futuristic wallpaper mirror designs from a 60s sci-fi movie.

But space is what’s missing this year – the producers have given the BB10 wannabes the smallest pad yet.

Astro turf … shrunken lawn and smoking shack

Gone are the comfy sofas, leaving housemates just a handful of wooden crates to perch on. 

Uncomfortable 

And the smoking area – last year a sit-in giant ashtray – has been replaced with what looks like a bus shelter.

The rest of the garden has also been pruned, leaving the contestants fighting it out for the �100,000 prize little room to sunbathe or exercise.

A show insider said: “This house is going to make housemates really uncomfortable as Big Brother plays more mind games than ever.

“Not only is there less space but there’s hardly any furniture and everything is painted stark white. It’s really minimalist and modern. There’s a kind of space-age feel.”

Big Brother 10 kicks off at 9pm this Thursday on Channel 4.

New BB logo’s a real dab hand

BIG Brother has revealed its logo for this summer’s series – featuring what looks like a thumbprint.
The iconic eye gets a makeover each year and has previously featured shattered glass and stars.

It is always seen by housemates as a clue to tasks the Channel 4 show’s bosses have in store.

Ha! brilliant! Bit of an eye sore though…
I have to say 70% of contestants are crazy, but this’ll send them bonkers!!!

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: 2009, BB10, Big Brother, C4, Channel 4, glimpse, house, logo

Norway has emerged as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Russian capital, Moscow.

Singer and violinist Alexander Rybak, 23, smashed the record for the most points awarded during the competition.

Iceland came second in the vote, followed by Azerbaijan which took the third place.

The UK’s Jade Ewen, singing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song, ended in fifth position – a marked improvement on last year’s finish at the foot of the table.

For the first time, voting in the final was split between televoting and panels of musical experts, which was supposed to reduce the incidence of predictable and neighbourly votes.

A total of 42 countries voted on the 25 songs, with Norway scoring a record 387 points.

Alexander Rybak, who was born in the former Soviet Union, is a well-known musician in Norway.

A classically-trained violinist and pianist, he wrote his country’s winning entry, Fairytale.

The previous biggest points haul was scored by Finland’s Lordi with Hard Rock Hallelujah in Greece in 2006.

No country suffered the indignity of receiving “nul points” this year but Finland finished in last place.

Denmark’s entry – Brinck singing Believe Again – was written by Boyzone’s Ronan Keating and was performed in the Irish singer’s style.

Germany’s act featured US cabaret artist Dita von Teese, who used to be married to rock star Marilyn Manson.

Her costume was slightly more demure than her outfit at the dress rehearsal after she was reportedly told to cover up by the European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, because it was unsuitable for a family audience.

Graham Norton was making his debut as commentator for the BBC, replacing Sir Terry Wogan, who bowed out last year.

‘Greatest talents’

Speaking in the Russian capital, Norton revealed that he had spoken to his predecessor, who commentated on every Eurovision final from 1980.

“Terry rang me to wish me good luck,” said the TV presenter. “He advised me to resist having a drink until the fifth song,” he added.

Jade Ewen was chosen to represent the UK through a TV talent contest, with the winning song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Diane Warren.

Her fifth place was a highlight for the UK, which has had a dismal record in recent years, with 2008’s entry, Andy Abraham, finishing last with 14 points.

It was the second time in five years the UK had finished at the bottom, with Jemini’s 2003 effort famously scoring “nul points”.

Germany’s Alex Swings Oscar Sings! act was joined by burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, who was ordered to cover up for the family audience.

The UK’s entry Jade Ewen was accompanied by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote the song. She ended a dismal spell for the UK by finishing fifth.

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: Alexander Rybak, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Azerbaijan, Eurovision, Fairytale, Jade Ewen, Moscow, Norway, pianist, RUSSIAN, Singer, UK, violinist, Winner

This was pretty popular in Russian blogs lately, so we post it here.

So what you see is what to be said an entry level test leaked from Russian army. Here is the translation: “Six questions that help to identify any hidden psychological diseases young soldier might. If the soldier can’t see the number in one of the 6 circles on the test picture, the he likely might having:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Can’t see circle 1: High agression, proneness to conflict, the recommendation is to add more physical excercise and cold showers.

Can’t see circle 2: Possible low than average intellectual abilities, can’t serve with sophisticated equipment.

Can’t see circle 3: Possible debauchery, soldier should get increased daily ration, should get more physical activity tasks, should not be connected to food supplies, etc.

Can’t see circle 4: Possible inclination to violence, can be assigend as a leader to his unit, as he can preserve discipline.

Can’t see circle 5: Possible latent homosexuality. Can be light uncontrolled accesses of attraction to the same sex.

Can’t see circle 6: Possible schizophreanic tendency. Required additional inspection.

Every soldier should be tested before assignment, according to the order #2299.”

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: Army, gay, homosexuality, psychological diseases, RUSSIAN, Test

YouTube is blocking all premium music videos to UK users after failing to reach a new licensing agreement with the Performing Right Society (PRS).

Premium music videos will not be accessible to UK YouTube users

Thousands of videos will be unavailable to YouTube users from later on Monday.

Patrick Walker, YouTube’s director of video partnerships, told BBC News that the move was “regrettable”.

Steve Porter, head of the PRS, said he was “outraged… shocked and disappointed” by YouTube’s decision.

In a statement, Mr Porter said the move “punishes British consumers and the songwriters whose interests we protect and represent”.

The PRS has asked YouTube to reconsider its decision as a “matter of urgency”.

The body, which represents music publishers, added: “Google has told us they are taking this step because they wish to pay significantly less than at present to the writers of the music on which their service relies, despite the massive increase in YouTube viewing.

“This action has been taken without any consultation with PRS for Music and in the middle of negotiations between the two parties.”

Mr Walker told BBC News the PRS was seeking a rise in fees “many, many factors” higher than the previous agreement.

He said: “We feel we are so far apart that we have to remove content while we continue to negotiate with the PRS.”

“We are making the message public because it will be noticeable to users on the site.”

Videos will begin to be blocked from 1800 GMT with the majority of them made inaccessible over the next two days.

YouTube pays a licence to the PRS which covers the streaming of music videos from three of the four major music labels and many independent labels.

Stream online

While deals with individual record labels cover the use of the visual element and sound recording in a music video, firms that want to stream online also have to have a separate deal with music publishers which covers the music and lyrics.

In the UK, the PRS acts as a collecting society on behalf of member publishers for licensing fees relating to use of music.

YouTube stressed that it continued to have “strong partnerships” with three of the four largest record labels in the world.

Mr Walker said the PRS was asking for a “prohibitive” rise in the cost of a new license.

While not specifying the rate the PRS was seeking, he said: “It has to be a rate than can drive a business model. We are in the business for the long run and we want to drive the use of online video.

“The rate they are applying would mean we would lose significant amounts of money on every stream of a music video. It is not a reasonable rate to ask.”

New deal

YouTube has also complained of a lack of transparency by the PRS, saying the organisation would not specify exactly which artists would be covered by any new deal.

“That’s like asking a consumer to buy a blank CD without knowing what musicians are on it,” a statement from YouTube UK says on its official blog.

YouTube is the world’s most popular online video site but has been under increased pressure to generate more revenue since its purchase by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006.

“We are not willing to do this [new licensing deal] at any cost,” said Mr Walker.

He said the issue was an industry-wide one and not just related to YouTube.

“By setting rates that don’t allow new business models to flourish, nobody wins.”

Services such as Pandora.com, MySpace UK and Imeem have also had issues securing licence deals in the UK in the last 12 months.

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: fee, licence, MUSIC & VIDEO, Performing Right Society, PRS, UK, youtube

Amazing opening!!! That was beyond AWSOME!!!!!! I

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: 2009, Academy Awards, Hugh Jackman, Opening

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: 2009, Amanda Seyfried, Beyoncé, Hugh Jackman, Musicals are Back, Oscars, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron

Oscars 2009: Slumdog Millionaire, Best Film 

What a night for Danny Boyle and crew. Wow. I’ve slightly lost count but I think that’s eight Oscars out of a possible nine for Slumdog Millionaire.

Producer Christian Colson does the speechifying honours for this one, thanking the usual all and sundry, with the cast and crew all on stage with him (pictured) - including someone’s kid, a child of maybe 10.

A huge result tonight for British cinema, with Kate Winslet’s victory added to the runaway success of Slumdog. 

Oscars 2009: Sean Penn takes Best Actor

What an opening line to his acceptance speech – “You commie homo-loving sons of guns“, says Sean Penn, taking the award for his portrayal of gay-rights activist and politician Harvey Milk in Milk.

He also gets another couple of good lines in – first he acknowledges that he sometimes “makes it hard for you to appreciate me“, a reference to his sporadic assaults on paparazzi.

Then he becomes the first winner this year to go overtly political in his speech, slating anti-gay marriage campaigners.

He comes across pretty well, to be honest. Rather assumed he’d be an unbearable luvvie. But he seems all right.

Oscars 2009: Kate Winslet takes Best Actress

She’s got it! After what felt like an eternity of former winners telling us how great all the nominees are, they open the envelope and – yes, it’s Kate Winslet.

And her speech is pretty sensible. She didn’t have a complete meltdown, anyway. She is panting like she’s just run three miles to get to the stage, but most of the words she’s saying are at least coherent and strung together in grammatically accurate sentences.

Called all her fellow nominees “goddesses”, which was a little over the top, but had quite a good line when she said “I don’t think any of us can even believe we’re in a category with Meryl Streep“. Streep in the audience doing a good magnanimous-in-defeat face.

Oscars 2009: Danny Boyle takes Best Director

Told you. Well, that’s been coming. Best Director award goes to Danny Boyle (pictured) for Slumdog Millionaire, which – weirdly, for a low-budget film set in Mumbai and only partly in English – felt inevitable.

He comes bouncing on stage, explaining that he promised his kids when they were young that if he ever won an Oscar he would accept it in the spirit of Tigger out of Winnie The Pooh. Rather sweet.

Then he becomes the first winner this year to go overtly political in his speech, slating anti-gay marriage campaigners.

He comes across pretty well, to be honest. Rather assumed he’d be an unbearable luvvie. But he seems all right.

Here are the winners, as they are announced, at the 81st Academy Awards, which are being held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on 22 February.

Best supporting actress: Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Also nominated: Amy Adams – Doubt; Viola Davis – Doubt; Taraji P Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best original screenplay: Milk
Also nominated: Happy-Go-Lucky; Wall-E; In Bruges; Frozen River

Best adapted screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Doubt; Frost/Nixon; The Reader

Best animated feature film: Wall-E
Also nominated: Bolt; Kung Fu Panda

Best animated short film: La Maison en Petits Cubes
Also nominated: Lavatory – Lovestory; Oktapodi; Presto; This Way Up

Art direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Also nominated: Changeling; The Dark Knight; The Duchess; Revolutionary Road

Costume design: The Duchess
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Australia; Milk; Revolutionary Road

Make-up: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Also nominated: The Dark Knight; Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Changeling; The Dark Knight; The Reader

Best live action short film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Also nominated: Auf der Strecke (On The Line); Manon on the Asphalt; New Boy; The Pig

Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Also nominated: Josh Brolin – Milk; Robert Downey Jr – Tropic Thunder; Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt; Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Best documentary feature: Man on Wire
Also nominated: The Betrayal; Encounters at the End of the World; The Garden; Trouble The Water

Best documentary short subject: Smile Pinki
Also nominated: The Conscience of Nhem En; The Final Inch; The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306

Visual effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Also nominated: The Dark Knight; Iron Man

Sound editing: The Dark Knight
Also nominated: Iron Man; Wanted; Slumdog Millionaire; Wall-E

Sound mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; The Dark Knight; Wanted; Wall-E

Film editing:Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; The Dark Knight; Frost/Nixon; Milk

Best original score: Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Defiance; Milk; Slumdog Millionaire; Wall-E

Best original song: Jai Ho – Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: Down To Earth – Wall-E; O Saya – Slumdog Millionaire

Best foreign language film: Departures – Japan
Also nominated: Revanche – Austria; The Class – France; The Baader Meinhof Complex – Germany; Waltz With Bashir – Israel

Best director: Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: Stephen Daldry – The Reader; David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon; Gus Van Sant – Milk

Best actress: Kate Winslet – The Reader
Also nominated: Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married; Angelina Jolie – Changeling; Melissa Leo – Frozen River; Meryl Streep – Doubt

Best actor: Sean Penn – Milk
Also nominated: Richard Jenkins – The Visitor; Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon; Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Also nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Reader

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: 2009, Danny Boyle, Harvey Milk, Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Mickey Rourke, Oscars, Penelope Cruz, quotes, winners

SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER. THESE ARE THE VOYAGES OF THE STAR SHIP ENTERPRISE. ITS FIVE-YEAR MISSION: TO EXPLORE STRANGE NEW WORLDS; TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE AND NEW CIVILIZATIONS; TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE.

After 5 television series – The Original Series (1966 – 1969), The next Generation (1987 – 1994), Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999), Voyager (1995 – 2001) and Enterprise (2001 – 2005), and no less then 10 feature films – The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country, Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis, we will finally be able to return to the fantastic science fiction world of Star Trek this spring, with the release of the 11th motion picture, simply named Star Trek. When you think you have seen it all, Star Trek will, all in tradition of many other sequel films at this moment, bring us back all the way before the beginning.

In the 23rd Century, Earth is a member of the United Federation of Planets, a peaceful alliance of democratic worlds that runs a Starfleet of space vessels to patrol the final frontier of space. Young cadet James T. Kirk enrolls at Starfleet Academy, unknowingly starting a dangerous and exciting career that will bring him in deep space, and eventually will lead to meeting that person from a complete unknown civilization that will become his soul mate: Spock. Together they will embark in a battle against the Romulans from the future who are interfering with history and time.

Star Trek is in no way a remake of any of the previously released films. Star Trek: The Motion Picture starts where the series left off. And Captain James T. Kirk is promoted to Admiral and Chief of Starfleet Operations. The 2009 movie Star Trek goes way back in history. It even goes further back than the first aired television episode The Man Trap. How ever, this doesn’t mean we won’t see original characters back in this 11th episode of the Star Trek movie series. Thanks to the ingenious time paradox story, we will be encountering the original Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy who was responsible for giving life to the very first Spock back in 1966, and Captain Pike, played by Bruce Greenwood, who was the very first commander of the Star Ship Enterprise.

Full synopsis of this latest Star Trek adventure is still an unexplored area, but if we can believe the history of the legendary series and films, and the released trailer, it promises to be a new fantastic adventure for the real ‘Trekkie’, a new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time.  Star Trek introduces the original characters of James Kirk, Spock, Doctor McCoy, Scotty, Uhura and Hikaru Sulu. Directed by J. J. Abrams, and starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy, will open in theaters in May 2009.

written by Pinewood Design \\ tags: 2009, Movie, Star Trek