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Back in 2004, Jennifer Hudson made her national television debut as a fan-favorite contestant on American Idol Season 3. Unfortunately, she didn’t win the season — but she didn’t need to. Hudson went on to become an Egot-winning sensation in music, theater, and film/TV. Here’s what Hudson did with Disney before her big break.

Jennifer Hudson | Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Before ‘American Idol,’ Jennifer Hudson worked on a Disney cruise ship

Hudson auditioned for American Idol in 2004 at the age of 21. Not long before that, she worked as a performer on a Disney cruise ship. Hudson once shared the details of her pre-Idol gig in an interview with W magazine, revealing that she played “Calliope the muse in Hercules: The Muse-ical,” as well as “the ‘Circle of Life’ soloist.”

“So yes, that was the last time I was on stage doing theater. And in that show, I narrated the show,...

Take a look at "Tomb Raider" actress Alicia Vikander in the March 2023 issue of "W" magazine (Korea), photographed by Hyungsik Kim:

Vikander trained as a dancer at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm and the School of American Ballet in New York. She began her professional acting career appearing in Swedish television series, gaining recognition for her role as 'Josefin Björn-Tegebrandt' in the TV drama "Andra Avenyn" (2008–10).

Vikander made her feature film debut in "Pure" (2010), winning the 'Guldbagge Award' for 'Best Actress'. In 2012 she portrayed 'Princess Ekaterina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya' in director Joe Wright's film adaptation of "Anna Karenina"... ...followed by the role of 'Queen Caroline Mathilde' in the Danish film "A Royal Affair", receiving a 'BAFTA Rising Star Award' nomination.

She then starred in the 2013 Swedish drama "Hotell" and the biopic "The Fifth Estate".

In 2014 and 2015, Vikander achieved global recognition and acclaim for her roles as activist...

Hollywood didn’t let rain and flash flooding warnings get in its way of heading to the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood Friday night for W magazine’s Best Performances party.

The penthouse was packed with A-listers and awards hopefuls. Austin Butler grabbed a Casamigos spicy cucumber jalapeno margarita at the bar for his girlfriend Kaia Gerber while “The White Lotus” star Lukas Gage danced wildly with “Hacks” breakout Megan Stalter. Daisy Edgar-Jones showed off some moves with Ella Hunt. Jessica Biel and Alison Brie squealed when they ran into each other.

Hosted by W’s Sara Moonves and Lynn Hirschberg, the annual gathering traditionally takes place the Friday before the Golden Globes, but it was pushed to SAG Awards weekend this time around. The evening also marked the festivities’ return to the Chateau after relocating to Gigi’s in 2022.

On the menu were mini-cheeseburgers and pigs-in-a-blanket.

Jeremy Pope appeared...

There will be no red carpet at Friday night’s NAACP Image Awards dinner and program in Downtown Los Angeles due to a powerful winter storm that is pummeling parts of Southern California, bringing with it heavy rain and flash flooding. Saturday night’s main event in Pasadena is scheduled to go on as planned.

Friday’s invite-only (and non-televised) awards dinner will go on as scheduled from L.A. Live Event Deck, a popular event venue located near Crypto.com Arena and the L.A. Convention Center, just without the celebratory step-and-repeat and the crush of photographers and press.

Los Angeles County is currently under a flash flood warning that remains in effect until 10 p.m. According to reports, one to three inches of rain have already fallen with another two to five inches possible in the affected area, including Burbank, Griffith Park, Universal City, North Hollywood, Pasadena, Hollywood,...

Image Source: Getty / Todd Williamson / Jesse Grant

Sometimes, love takes time. At least, it looks like it does in the new Andy Samberg-Jean Smart rom-com "42.6 Years." In the film, Samberg plays a young man who agrees to be cryogenically frozen to save his life. He wakes up 42.6 years later and is physically unchanged - but he's all alone. So he seeks out his ex-girlfriend, who did continue to get older, played by Smart. The movie is in the works at Amazon Studios. The Hollywood Reporter first reported on the movie. Amazon Studios did not immediately respond to Popsugar's request for comment.

According to THR, Samberg came up with the idea and cowrote the film with Seth Reiss, a writer on "Late Night With Seth Meyers." Reiss also cowrote the script for 2022's "The Menu," which became a box office success as it blended horror with social commentary. Reiss received a...

Actor Jessica Biel has come a long way from her 7th Heaven days. But in the beginning of her career, she wasn’t exactly getting the roles she was pining for.

Biel would soon theorize her looks was what stood in the way of a more fulfilling acting career.

How Jessica Biel got into acting Jessica Biel | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Biel was a model before she was a young star. At a very early age, she was already modeling in contests and learning how to perform. Her experiences doing so would prepare her for a life in movies and television.

“When I was 11, I was in a competition sponsored by the International Modeling and Talent Association,” she once said in an interview with W magazine. “You paid a certain amount of money and they taught you to walk a runway, present a comedic monologue, a dramatic monologue, a dance routine,...

Kendall Jenner stunned in fishnet stockings, a braless blazer, and thigh-high boots for her latest magazine cover. Pic credit: ©ImageCollect.com/Xavier Collin/ImagePressAgency

Kendall Jenner was smoking hot in a red ensemble as she bared some skin for her photo shoot with W magazine.

The 26-year-old starlet and member of the famed Kardashian clan got in touch with her sultry side as she rocked various stunning outfits, including one fire-engine-hued number that included fishnet stockings and thigh-high boots.

Sharing a few choice snaps from her session with the publication, Kendall kicked things off with her fiery attire, putting her modeling skills to work as she gave a fierce pose.

Showing off some leg as she tilted one foot out for a heeled boot prop, Kendall slayed in her matching attire, the shiny red boots hugging her skin all the way up to her thighs while pointed stiletto rods added...

Elle Fanning perfectly embodied Paris Hilton for a magazine shoot. Pic credit: ©ImageCollect.com/BillyBennight/Admedia

Elle Fanning is a woman of many talents, and now she can add being a Paris Hilton doppelgänger to the list.

The 24-year-old Maleficent and The Girl From Plainville actress, and younger sister to star Dakota Fanning, got in touch with her fun side as she perfectly embodied the hotel heiress’ Simple Life days.

Sharing snaps from her shoot for W magazine’s third annual TV portfolio, Elle had fans doing double takes as she dressed exactly as Paris did in the reality show, which also starred Paris’ longtime friend Nicole Richie.

Showing off her rail-thin frame, Elle sported hip-length blonde locks underneath a pink-and-white trucker hat.

Paris’ infamous opaque and angular shades from her time on the show covered Elle’s eyes while a simple chain necklace hung at her sternum.

Elle gripped...

When you think reliable narrator, Oliver Stone doesn’t exactly come to mind. Since his start as a director in the 1970s, the lightning-rod filmmaker, now 74, has leaned into fiction narratives with political points of view, from “Salvador,” “Wall Street,” and “W.” to Best Director Oscar-winners “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” His last Oscar nomination came in 1996, for “Nixon,” arguably his peak of high regard in Hollywood. It’s hard to recall that in 1992, controversial global smash “JFK” earned three Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

Times change, and Stone’s complex historic and global point of view is far more layered and nuanced than current American partisanship will accept. That’s why the Yale-grad-turned-Vietnam-vet has managed to alienate folks on every side of the political spectrum, including accusations of promulgating violence with “Natural Born Killers,” promoting a whistleblower in “Snowden,” and conducting friendly documentary interviews with dictators,...

To be a president is one of the most important jobs in the world. The position comes with a ton of pressure, power, and responsibility. Not only does a president serve an entire country, but they become a symbol of that country to other nations. With so much authority put into one person, a president is often a character portrayed in movies. Some movies are made with actors playing real presidents such as Josh Brolin as George W. Bush in W. (2008) or Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012). Other movies decide to take the route of an original character, a president of fiction.

Related: Argo and Other 9 Fantastic Political Thrillers, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

Fictional presidents are worth reflecting upon, as they show what the mind conceives as someone who could come upon the position for better or worse. It leaves more to the imagination,...

November can be a slow month for streaming services. Amazon, however, is entering into 2020’s penultimate month with some steam.

Amazon is really beefing up its TV library in November 2020. Both Community (which arrives on Nov. 8) and Scrubs (Nov. 14) will be added to Amazon Prime this month and in the process complete the streaming trifecta: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu. That’s pretty impressive stuff for both shows. And then on the film side of things, November 1 sees the arrival of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Twilight, and the Underworld franchise. Somebody didn’t tell Amazon Spooky Season was over and bless them for it.

As for the originals, Alex Rider is the most intriguing TV series here. That is based on the British spy novel series and premieres on Nov. 13 on IMDb TV (which is available to all Prime subscribers). That will be followed by Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on Nov.

Amazon Prime Video has a whole load of new content coming this November, and the best thing about the large haul is that all tastes are accounted for, so whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll have a lot of options. From Christmas flicks to action films to some classic sci-fi and horror, subscribers will find much to enjoy from what’s hitting Prime next month.

Take a look at the full list below and scroll down further for our runthrough of the highlights:

Released November 1

28 Days Later (2003)

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)

A Christmas Switch (2018)

(2018) (Hallmark Movies Now)

Arizona Whirlwind (1944)

Article 99 (1992)

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Boyz N’ The Hood (1991)

Breathless (1983)

Country Strong (2011)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Deja Vu (2006)

Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009)

Firewalker (1986)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)

Marrying Father Christmas (2018) (Hallmark...

All streaming services go through a down period after the excitement of Spooky Season, it’s only natural. Thankfully with its list of new releases for November 2020, Hulu is making the best out of a barren pop culture landscape.

For starters, Hulu is premiering one of its major 2020 reboots this month as Animaniacs arrives on Nov. 20. Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and the rest of the Warner gang are set to return for this long-awaited revival of the animated classic. That’s about it as far as original series go but Hulu is also premiering original movies Greta, about climate activist Greta Thunberg on Nov. 13; and Run, a horror film starring Sarah Paulson, on Nov. 20.

Still, despite all the Animaniacs, Gretas, and Sarah Paulsons, the biggest hits this month might just be on the library content side of things. November 1 sees the arrival of some major TV properties. For starters, racy British...

Now that we’re just over halfway through October, it’s time to look ahead to what’s arriving on Hulu across November. And the penultimate month of the year is set to deliver a humungous haul of new movies and TV shows. In particular, fresh off their Huluween celebrations, the streaming service is celebrating Christmas early with a load of holiday-related titles dropping on November 1st.

Various films with Christmas in the name land that day – including Christmas in Compton, The Dog Who Saved Christmas and Once Upon a Time at Christmas – as well as a bunch of festive Food Network shows. A few more arrive on the 15th as well. But even if you’re not in the mood for holiday cheer until December, there’s still plenty to enjoy from what’s coming to Hulu in November.

Check out the full list below:

Released November 1

Skins: Complete...

Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson felt the magic of Valentine’s Day.

On Friday, the pregnant Queen & Slim actress, 33, posted a holiday shout-out to her “baby daddy” husband, 41, writing that she looks forward to celebrating many more with him in years to come. Turner-Smith is expecting the couple’s first child.

“our 2nd valentine’s day and it’s even more magical than the first! here’s to a lifetime of them,” she captioned the Instagram post. “happy valentine’s day to the man who sees my soul and holds my heart...

Oliver Stone celebrates his 73rd birthday on September 15, 2019. The three-time Oscar winner has courted controversy with a series of technically ambitious, rabble rousing political dramas, chronicling the highs and lows of American history. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).

SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History

He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.

A decade before Christian Bale hypnotized “Vice” audiences with his portrayal of Vice President Dick Cheney, he almost played Cheney’s boss, President George W. Bush.

Some might say we have it backwards: “Vice” makes a strong case that Cheney, not Bush, was in charge. What’s beyond debate is how close Bale came to playing Bush in Oliver Stone’s 2008 film “W.”

Stone told MTV at the time of the film’s release that Bale spent months studying Bush’s mannerisms and vocal tics, but, as MTV put it, “ultimately backed out of the film at the last minute after he reportedly felt that the hair and makeup tests simply weren’t working.”

“Well frankly, Christian’s a very methodical actor,” Stone told MTV. “And he has to have the makeup thing work for him.”

Also Read: Meet the Man Who Made Millions Telling People They Could Lose Weight...

Chicago – When we first met photographer Dale Robinette (click here) he had just taken one of the most iconic movie photos of the last ten years. Well, his work as “Unit Still Photographer” goes on, and he recently contacted HollywoodChicago.com to share one of his on-set photos from “The Front Runner,” which opened in Chicago last week.

Campaign Swag Takes on a Touch of Irony in ‘The Front Runner’

Photo credit: Dale Robinette for Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions/Columbia Pictures

“The Front Runner” features Hugh Jackman as Senator Gary Hart, a shoo-in presidential candidate (Democratic) as the 1988 campaign began. When whispers began that the Senator was having an extramarital affair, he challenged the press to “Follow me around, I don’t care…” That scenario played out as the Miami Herald sent reporters and a photographer to stake out Hart’s Washington D.C. town home, and they discovered Donna Rice (Sara Paxton) was there.

In a wide-ranging press conference held during his first visit to Iran, Oliver Stone expressed appreciation for Iran’s extensive history and recent cinematic accomplishments, criticized American policy toward the Middle East, and voiced his wish that director Jafar Panahi would be allowed to attend the Cannes Film Festival to witness the premiere of his latest film.

Spending a week in Iran as a guest of the Fajr International Film Festival, Stone answered questions from a crowd of approximately 150 Iranian and a few foreign journalists in the Charsou complex in Tehran. He started out by saying that the early part of his visit took him to other Iranian cities, including Isfahan and he was impressed at the hospitality he had been shown and the “warmth” he felt from people of all walks of life. He said he had long been interested in Iran and its 2500-year history and was fortunate...

We’ve got questions, and you’ve (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, we’re lobbing queries left and right about shows including Outlander, The Mindy Project, Younger and Suits!

1 | Is there a funnier ringtone on TV than BoJack’s ironically chipper tune on BoJack Horseman?

More from TVLineAnother Law & Order: Organized Crime Fatality?! This Job Should Come With a Surgeon General's WarningIs Taylor Swift More Prolific Than Tyler Perry? Was Survivor Tribal One for the Books? John Wick Cameo on FBI? Did Svu Trial Satisfy? More TV Qs!Is New Ghosts Lingo Too Ribald? Who Was Mia at Curb Trial?...

The news must have had every paid up member of the Conservative Party choking on their breakfast cup of tea. In a thousand Home Counties bungalows, men called Jeremy or Brian must have reached for their writing paper and fountain pens to compose a strongly worded letter to the Telegraph. The reason behind their outrage was the actress Meryl Streep. Or to put it more precisely, not Meryl Streep herself. Jeremy and Brian probably quite like Meryl Streep. What they can’t tolerate is the idea of Meryl Streep, American as crippling medical bills, donning a wig, putting on an accent and playing Margaret Thatcher.

The Iron Lady opens in cinemas this week. Opinion on Thatcher as a person might be divided, but opinion on Streep’s portrayal of the woman who invented Mr Whippy icecream and kicked the Argies out of a sodden little pile of rock called the Falklands,...

Josh Brolin is still sore about the criticism his George W. Bush biopic W received from Republican pals who didn't even see the Oliver Stone film.

Many assumed the movie would simply bash the ex-u.S. President, a Republican, and stayed away - but Brolin insists the film wasn't what it seemed.

He says, "They want to criticise it because you think it's Oliver Stone, it's Josh Brolin, who people perceive as very, very left wing, which I'm not necessarily. They think it's gonna be heavy hitting; it's gonna be, like, a sledgehammer on George Bush and we didn't do that.

"We wanted to know the guy that never should have been president and probably should have run a baseball team - and been very happy doing it."

Brolin insists the Republican friends who did see the film were surprised by it: "They were like, 'It's kinda sad, isn't it?'"

The actor has heard that Bush himself saw the film - and liked it.

Appearing on late night U.S. chat show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, the actor revealed, "I heard that he saw it actually. Oliver went to China and talked to (Bill) Clinton and he said that Clinton had loaned W his DVD of it.

"I don't know if that's true or not, but I love him, like, two in the morning in this blue glow of sitting at home and, like, maybe tears coming down his face.

"He said, 'I liked it very much, I thought it was kinda sad in some parts, but I liked it.'"...

Best actress nominee Angelina Jolie said of the recognition she earned for "Changeling": "Working with Clint Eastwood was a reward in itself that will last me a lifetime. To receive a nomination from the Academy on top of that is a privilege beyond any expectation. It has been an exceptional year for acting, and I am honored to be in the company of these talented actors whose performances all deserve this recognition. I am also happy that 'Kung Fu Panda' also was noticed by the Academy and proud to be a part of a film my entire family loves so much."

*****

Nominated for his supporting role as county supervisor Dan White in the Harvey Milk biopic "Milk," Josh Brolin -- who also played President Bush in the 2008 release "W." -- said he was pleased to be recognized for his work on the "important" film. " 'W.' was probably the most difficult job in film that I've ever done because you carry his age from a young age through (his presidency). 'Milk' was different," he said. "When I read it, I was so emotional and taken with the story that I just wanted to do this story. It's a timely story, and as timely as it can be with Prop. 8. So obviously, it's an important movie and a very visceral film at that."...

Peter Sellers' portrayal of President Merkin Muffley in cult movie Dr. Strangelove has topped a new list of fictional and real-life U.S. leaders.

Sellers' famous role in the 1964 Stanley Kubrick film beat out Harrison Ford's James Marshall (Air Force One) and Kevin Kline's William H. Mitchell (Dave) in the CNN Inauguration Day countdown.

The only real-life leader to make the list is outgoing U.S. leader George W. Bush, as portrayed by Josh Brolin in W. He comes in at number 10.

The full list is:

1. Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley (Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb); 2. Harrison Ford as James Marshall (Air Force One); 3. Kevin Kline as William H. Mitchell (Dave); 4. John Travolta as Governor Jack Stanton (Primary Colors); 5. Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd (The American President)...

Actor Josh Brolin and his W co-star Jeffrey Wright will have charges relating to a Louisiana bar brawl last summer dropped after striking a deal with prosecutors.

The two stars joined director Oliver Stone, other castmembers and members of the film crew at the Stray Cat bar in Shreveport in July to celebrate the completion of shooting on the George W. Bush biopic.

But their night was cut short when a fight broke out at the venue, and Brolin and Wright were arrested and showered with pepper spray.

The pair was charged with interfering with a cop during the incident, in which Wright was also tasered.

However, following negotiations between the actors' attorney Blair Berk and the police, the charges will be dropped if they stay out of trouble until 11 March.

A settlement hearing was held on Tuesday, although Brolin was not in attendance.

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is leading the way at the 2009 London Critics' Circle Film Awards with six nominations.

Boyle gets two nods, for Best Director and British Director Of The Year. The India-set drama will compete in the British Film Title category and the movie's star Dev Patel is up for two awards including British Actor of The Year.

Bobby Sands drama Hunger, Mike Leigh's comedy Happy-Go-Lucky, and Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon have five nominations each.

Frost/Nixon is up for Film Of The Year alongside Brad Pitt fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Sean Penn drama Milk, Pixar animation Wall-E and Mickey Rourke's The Wrestler.

Kate Winslet also gets two nominations, in the Best Actress and Best British Actress categories, for her work in Revolutionary Road and The Reader, while the late Heath Ledger is leading competition for the Best Actor Prize. Also nominated in that category are Rourke (The Wrestler), Penn (Milk), Josh Brolin (W) and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon).

Dame Judi Dench will be handed the Dilys Powell Award For Outstanding Contribution To Cinema at the London ceremony which will take place on 4 February.

Casting Director: Sarah Finn Director: Oliver Stone Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, Richard Dreyfuss, Jeffrey Wright The Pitch: A look at the life of America's 43rd president, George W. Bush (Brolin), and the people who shaped his world."The great thing about casting," says casting director Sarah Finn, "is if you ask me how much time does it take to cast a film, the answer is always, 'As much time as I have.' If you give me a year, I can work for a year. And if you give me two weeks, then we'll figure it out." Casting Oliver Stone's biopic W., about the exiting President George W. Bush, fell between these two extremes, but definitely closer to the short end. Normally, Finn likes around 12 weeks to cast a project, but due to the film's subject, Stone wanted it out before the election in November, so...

The International Press Academy announced their nominees for the 13th Annual Satellite Awards and it is a mixed bag of snubs across the board and further proof the idea of separating Drama, Comedy and Musicals is just about the dumbest idea around as they are Really reaching by including Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist as a comedy or a musical. I would even say Happy-Go-Lucky and Vicky Cristina Barcelona don't fit the category. What was so funny about Poppy being attacked by her driving instructor? Where was the comedy in VCB? Gimme a break. it's going to be even worse when the Globes nominate something like High School Musical 3 and Mamma Mia! instantly giving them some kind of credibility. However, category distinction aside the absence of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from all categories makes me wonder if any of these people even saw all the films. Take for...

Arkansas police have charged a man with the murder of the news anchor who made a cameo appearance in Oliver Stone movie W.

Anne Pressly, 26, was found unconscious in her bed on 20 October with severe head and body wounds. She failed to recover from the horrific injuries and was declared dead at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Arkansas five days later.

Her murder came just a week after the release of Stone's George W. Bush biopic, in which she plays a news reporter.

Local authorities have now arrested 28-year-old Curtis Vance on suspicion of the slaying.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Terry Hastings confirmed Vance had been taken into custody on Wednesday night, after cops were alerted to his location following a late-night news conference, where he was revealed as the key suspect.

It had been feared Vance was armed with a pistol and "lots of extra ammunition", but he was found unarmed when cops swooped on his home in Little Rock.

Vance has been charged with capital murder based on "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work", the representative said. However, the authorities have refused to go into further detail about what led them to name Vance as their main suspect.

Josh Brolin is hoping to bring America's greatest speeches to the big screen with the help of stars like Matt Damon, Sean Penn and Pink.

The W star admits he has always been fascinated with the speeches of great Americans, from presidents to civil rights leaders, like Martin Luther King, Jr. - and now he's hoping to turn the star-studded readings into a motion picture event.

The People Speak is based on an idea from activists Anthony Arnove and Howard Zinn.

He explains, "Anthony and Howard created live performances of some of the speeches that have been taken out of people's history in the United States; some anonymous and some are famous from John Brown, which is the speech I perform, to Martin Luther King.

"We created something at the Majestic Theater in Boston and had Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, David Strathairn, Marisa Tomei and had 19 cameras film that. We did another one at the Malibu Performing Arts Center. I got Sean (Penn) to do that, Eddie Vedder, Taj Mahal, Pink, Benjamin Bratt, and Don Cheadle.

"I'm very proud of this. We have 96 hours of film that we're cutting together and I met with nine cable networks in New York and everybody is very excited about it."...

London -- In a country that loves a movie with political content, Oliver Stone's "W." is sure to ignite healthy debate when today's Italian premiere kicks off the nine-day Turin Film Festival.

The timing certainly couldn't be better, coming little more than two weeks after a U.S. presidential election that still has Europe buzzing.

But Barack Obama's election to the White House was arguably less surprising -- and certainly less controversial -- than this year's lineup, which is completely void of Italian films.

Arguably the country's third most prominent film festival, after Venice and Rome, the Northern Italian film jamboree will come to a close with "The Edge of Love," directed by John Maybury.

Under the watchful eye of filmmaker Nanni Moretti, now in his second year as artistic director, the festival has no Italian films because, according to Moretti, there simply weren't any titles that were up to snuff.

W star Josh Brolin has waded into the Proposition 8 row - he is furious at the decision to ban gay marriages in California.

Same-sex unions were legalised in the state in May, but the legislation was reversed early this month when the majority of voters backed the bill to reintroduce the ban.

And Brolin has revealed his anger at the ban - blasting those who voted in favour of Proposition 8.

He says, "Who gives a s***! Who cares!... Doesn't mean (gay and lesbian people) are going to stop kissing in the streets, just cause they can't get married. And that's the issue for the religious, that it's visible and it's always going to be visible, it ain't going to go away.

"Gay life is more mainstream, but at the same time, things like this happen and you go, 'You got to be kidding me!' especially in California... I think it's awful, but I understand it, everybody has their perspective."...

Actor Josh Brolin sparred with his liberal step-mother Barbra Streisand - when she protested his role in new George W. Bush biopic W.

The singer has been an outspoken opponent of Bush throughout his two terms in the White House.

And according to Brolin, Streisand freaked out when he told her he would be playing him in Oliver Stone's movie.

Brolin tells the Times of London, "She said, 'How much are you getting paid? I told her it was a very low fee. She said, 'Then why are you doing it?'"

But the actor insists the legendary star's snub didn't give him second thoughts.

He adds, "She was furious and would not talk to me. I kind of liked that one."...

Babe star James Cromwell is recovering in hospital after a bicycle crash in a California canyon on Sunday.

The 68-year-old actor broke his collarbone and suffered a partially deflated lung when he fell from his bike during a training ride in Los Angeles.

Cromwell's publicist Nancy Seltzer, who claims the actor is a "serious cyclist", insists he has been treated for his injuries and is likely to be released on Monday.

The star can currently be seen in movie theatres playing George Bush Sr. in Oliver Stone's Bush Jr. biopic W.

Oliver Stone has paid tribute to the murdered news anchor who made a cameo appearance in his latest movie W.

Anne Pressly, 26, was found unconscious in bed on 20 October with severe head and body wounds. She failed to recover from the horrific injuries and was declared dead at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Arkansas on Saturday 25 October.

Her as-yet-unsolved murder came just a week after the release of Stone's George W. Bush biopic, in which she plays a news reporter.

Stone says of the tragic journalist, "We found her to be a vibrant source of energy, life and kindness. In the time she had, she filled it with a big soul."...

Actor Richard Dreyfuss is preparing to return to the West End stage - four years after he was sensationally fired from musical The Producers.

The Jaws star has been coaxed back into theatre work by Kevin Spacey, who is the artistic director at London's Old Vic Theatre, to star in the venue's new play Complicit.

Dreyfuss' last experience in stage work ended in embarrassment following his dismissal from Mel Brooks' The Producers in 2004.

Theatre bosses at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane stated Dreyfuss was unable to "to fulfil the rigours of the role" due to a shoulder injury.

And the actor, who is currently garnering praise for his turn as Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone's W, can't wait to prove his worth to theatregoers.

He jokes, "I'm very excited to have a chance of not being fired before the opening."

And Oscar winner Spacey is glad to have a fellow Academy Award honoree on board for the project.

He says, "I'm thrilled that we are being given this opportunity to work together. It's great that he's coming to London and I think audiences are in for a real treat."

The play, in which Dreyfuss will play an award-winning reporter who battles the U.S. Supreme Court over his freedom of press beliefs, will kick-off in January 2009.

Hollywood actor Josh Brolin enjoys trading on the stock market - because it stops him gambling on horse races.

The W star admits the profits he's garnered from his Wall Street decisions have allowed him the freedom to pick and choose which films he makes.

And stock market trading gives him the same buzz as betting - without the odds stacked against him.

Brolin says, "I like to do it. It enables me to offset movies that I might otherwise have had to do for the money.

"Plus it stopped me gambling. I used to go to Vegas and play the horses, and then I realised how ridiculous that was. There is no winning in gambling, but there is on the stock market. Maybe it's not trillions of dollars. Maybe it's just five bucks for lunch. Who cares, it's all good."...

Actress Elizabeth Banks is hoping hit movies will afford her the chance to make her parents' lives easier - because she worries they'll freeze to death in Massachusetts every winter.

The W star admits she has had her fair share of financial struggles, but it's nothing compared to what her folks have put up with over the years.

She tells WENN, "I grew up in a working class town in Massachusetts, where it's freezing in the winter... My parents still struggle every day. I'm worried about them heating their houses this winter.

"The lowest point, which I didn't realise was low at the time, was when my mother said, 'Let's go to grammie's house and take baths tonight. That'll be fun.' It turns out we were going to grammie's because we didn't have hot water."...

Actor Josh Brolin feared he'd meet his death on the night he was arrested by police after a fight at a bar, because the situation had rapidly gotten out of hand.

The star was celebrating the completion of filming on George W. Bush biopic W with director Oliver Stone and members of the cast and crew when the incident occurred.

Brolin, his co-star Jeffrey Wright, and five crewmembers were arrested when they allegedly got involved in a fight between locals at the Stray Cat bar in Shreveport, Louisiana in July.

And Brolin admits he had other concerns on his mind than be scared of what was happening to them.

He says, "When it started escalating I thought, 'Is this the night when I get tasered and have a heart attack?'

"But I was more confused than scared. Confused and befuddled. I was looking around in total shock - or I was trying to; I had Mace in my eyes at the time."...

Latest: American news anchor and W movie actress Anne Pressly has died in hospital, five days after she was found beaten and stabbed at her Arkansas home.

Pressly, 26, was found unconscious in bed last week with severe head and body wounds. She failed to recover from the horrific injuries and was declared dead at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Arkansas on Saturday.

A statement released by her parents reads, "It was our hope, as was yours, that Anne would overcome the injuries inflicted upon her in the brutal attack at her home.

"We were with her in her last moments, and although our hearts are broken, we are at the same time comforted by our faith knowing that Anne is now with our heavenly father."

Pressly, who hosted a news show on ABC's Arkansas affiliate, Katv, plays a conservative broadcaster who supports President George W. Bush's Iraq campaign in Oliver Stone movie W.

Disney's theatrical matriculation of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" went deliriously well this weekend, as the telefilm-spawned sequel registered a genre-record $42 million in estimated opening grosses to top the domestic boxoffice.

Lionsgate's R-rated horror sequel "Saw V" also managed to cut into a meaty $30.5 million, roughly matching the bow of its bloody predecessor in the franchise that won't die and tying up second place on the frame.

The one-two boxoffice punch left a big mark on industry stats: The weekend's robust $135 million in industrywide grosses notched a whopping 32% improvement over the same weekend a year earlier, Nielsen Edi said. That made for the fifth straight frame of year-over-year weekend upticks.

Seasonal boxoffice is now pacing ahead of fall 2007 by 10%, while year-to-date grosses are tracking even with the same portion of last year.

Also this weekend, Warner Bros.' police drama "Pride and Glory" debuted as weakly as feared, with...

Actor Josh Brolin insists America's current economic crisis is good for him - because he's making big bucks from his sideline career as a stock broker.

While the real U.S. President, George W. Bush, loses sleep about the recent stock market crash, the actor who plays him in biopic W is loaded.

Brolin co-owns brokerage firm Market Probability LLC, and he insists business is good: "We're up 73 per cent this year at a time when everyone's down."

Canny Brolin is also an investor in a real estate company. He adds, "I've always made more money from those gigs than from acting."...

Rome -- Oliver Stone will be in attendance when the Italian premiere of his political satire "W." opens the 26th annual Turin Film Festival, organizers said Tuesday.

Stone will join Roman Polanski among the top-shelf directors in Turin, which will be headed for the second consecutive year by Italian auteur Nanni Moretti. As previously announced, Polanski will be the subject of a retrospective in Turin.

An American TV anchorwoman who appears in Oliver Stone's new biopic W is in a critical condition after she was beaten and stabbed at her Arkansas home.

Reporter Anne Pressly was found unconscious in bed on Monday, bleeding from head and body wounds, according to police officials.

Pressly was discovered by her mother who went to the home after Pressly failed to answer her daily wake-up call.

The 26-year-old acts as general assignment reporter at the station, and anchors the channel's Daybreak slot on ABC's Arkansas affiliate, KATV.

She also plays a conservative broadcaster who supports Bush's Iraq campaign in Stone's forthcoming movie, which stars Josh Brolin as the Republican President.

She is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Police spokeswoman Cassandra Davis has confirmed officials are investigating whether Pressly was deliberately targeted.

Davis tells the New York Post, "It is possible that it is something other than robbery... she was a public figure... on the news, in the media."...

Josh Brolin has hit back at claims he owes his success as an actor to his famous father James and step-mother Barbra Streisand.

The W star became accustomed to the limelight as the child of casting director Jane Agee and television/film actor James Brolin, who wed third wife Streisand in 1998.

But Brolin insists he's never taken advantage of his famous relatives - adamant his success is derived from his own talents.

He says, "My mother worked as an assistant casting director for Batman (the TV show) and that's where she met my father... There's this kind of mythology when you have a (famous) parent - he can't get me a job. If he owned a studio, maybe he could get me a job. It's a myth."...

Josh Brolin was under such pressure during his role as George W. Bush in a film of the U.S. president's life, he broke out in hives.

The No Country for Old Men star admits he became obsessed with learning Bush's mannerisms for his role in the Oliver Stone biopic W.

The stress of trying to mimic the president's accent caused the itchy skin condition, and infuriated his wife - movie star Diane Lane - because he would talk to himself in public.

Brolin tells USA Today newspaper, "My wife got so mad at me one time. We were on a plane from Hawaii, and I'm supposed to learn all these frat names. So I'm covered in spots, and the whole flight back, I'm trying to figure out these mnemonics for these 40 names.

"She was like, 'You have to stop. It looks weird, and it's not normal.' I was obsessed."...

Actor Josh Brolin turned down several big-money offers after his starring role in No Country For Old Men - because he wanted to play the part of George W Bush.

Brolin was flooded with requests to appear in blockbuster movies after he thrilled audiences in the Coen brothers classic earlier this year.

But he snubbed them all - because he was keen to play the outgoing U.S. president in Oliver Stone's biopic W.

Director Stone tells USA Today newspaper, "Josh is truly a theatre-born type actor. He doesn't look like it, feel like it. People think he's just the son of Jim Brolin.

"He's truly one of the best young American actors. He was offered big movies after No Country - I know a few of the stories - and he turned them down. Money galore. He turned them down for this (W), and he didn't get paid (much) for this.

"And he did it. And he did it knowing he was going to play somebody who is very unpopular. That is commitment."

Brolin also admits he has the luxury of not worrying about money - because he makes a fortune from his other business interests such as real estate.

He says, "I was making my money other ways, so I could say 'No', and the minute I started doing that, within six months, once I created a hole, it started to be filled with incredible opportunities. I mean, really incredible opportunities."...

Josh Brolin was stunned to be held by police after a fight at a bar - because he is convinced there was no brawl.

The actor was celebrating the completion of filming on George W. Bush biopic W with director Oliver Stone and members of the cast and crew when the incident occurred.

Brolin, his co-star Jeffrey Wright, and five crewmembers were arrested when they allegedly got involved in a fight between locals at the Stray Cat bar in Shreveport, Louisiana in July.

But the No Country for Old Men star insists they are innocent - and that police overreacted to the incident by spraying tear gas at the men.

He tells USA Today newspaper, "I've gotten into trouble in my life, for sure, but I've never seen anything like this. We'd just finished (filming) I think four hours before and had a couple of drinks.

"Jeffrey got into something with the bartender. Suddenly he told me, 'I think they're calling the cops'. I went to the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, he was being escorted out. All I wanted to know was where (they were) taking him.

"I met him outside. I remember thinking, 'Mace is bouncing off my eyeballs. This is unbelievable.' A lot of people got arrested for asking questions.

"There was no fight. I've spent a lot of time in Texas myself, a lot of time in the South. I've never seen anything this extreme. I've never seen it escalate so quickly."

Brolin and Wright are due in court in December on charges of interfering with police.

Actor Josh Brolin felt "insulted" when he was asked to play George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's new movie - because he is nothing like the U.S. president.

Brolin stars as the outgoing American leader in Stone's biopic W.

And he insists he was not flattered to be offered the part - but changed his mind when he read the script.

He tells USA Today newspaper, "When people approach you about roles, you understand why they would make the connection. But when (Stone) came to me about Bush, I couldn't understand it.

"I couldn't make any connection whatsoever. I was a little insulted. He said, 'There's something very Americana about you. There's something bucolic about you'."

And Brolin admits his own political opinions made him think twice about taking on the role.

He adds, "I had such a visceral reaction against it. But then I thought about it, and I had to get up and read the script. I read it one morning, and I thought it was amazing. I didn't love the story, but as a character, following a guy from 21 to 58 was an incredible challenge for an actor that I didn't think I could pull off."...

Oliver Stone has some great outtakes for the DVD release of his new George W. Bush biopic W - his lead Josh Brolin insisted his co-stars break up serious scenes by flipping off the director and grabbing their crotches.

Even British actress Thandie Newton, who plays Condoleezza Rice in the movie, tapped into her inner testosterone to play along with the boys.

Brolin explains, "It's my whole motif in this movie. Between each take, I would grab my balls and flip off the camera.

"By the end, the whole cabinet (co-stars) - Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright), (Paul) Wolfowitz (Dennis Boutsikaris), Condi (Newton) - was doing some great ball-grabbing. It broke up anything too serious."...