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David Gordon Green's Manglehorn - a drama featuring a promising performance from Al Pacino - is heading to the Venice Film Festival and will screen in competition. It joins Alejandro Gonzelez Inarritu's Birdman at the 71th Venice Biennale, organizers announced on Thursday.

Al Pacino in 'Manglehorn'

Manglehorn tells the story of a locksmith in a small town in Texas, who never managed to get over the love of his life. Gordon Green has good form heading into this - he directed the excellent Prince Avalanche (2013) and drama Joe (2013), the latter of which made everyone remember how good an actor Nicolas Cage actually is. It was tipped up as a possible Oscar winner by Almost Sideways back in March.

Continue reading: Oscar Tipped Al Pacino Movie 'Manglehorn' Set For Venice Film Festival

Few actors impart an intensity and dedication to the process of characterization as relentlessly as Daniel Day-Lewis. The 57 year-old occupies a position in the acting world that accumulates esteem akin to the likes of legendary Hollywood ‘method’, a calibre of which includes the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Harvey Kietel. These are the great actors who immerse themselves in roles to dizzying extents, adopting accents, traits and idiosyncrasies for the entirety of the shooting schedule, both in front of the camera, on set and even amongst friends and family.

Daniel Day-Lewis Has Won More Best Actor Oscars Than Any One Else

Continue reading: Why Daniel Day-Lewis Deserves His Knighthood

Keanu Reeves as Neo, Tom Hanks as Forest Gump - sometimes in Hollywood an actor plays a role so perfectly you would have thought it was written specially for them. Well more often than not, it wasn’t. Actually some of our favorite movies could have ended up looking very different if another actor hadn’t of passed up a leading role first.

Will Smith could have been Neo in 'The Matrix'.

1. Will Smith: Neo, 'The Matrix'

Continue reading: Pacino As Han Solo?! Actors Who Turned Down Brilliant Roles And Probably Regretted It

Cosmo Allegretti, the talented puppeteer behind Captain Kangaroo's friends on the CBS show of the same name, has passed away aged 68 after falling ill with emphysema. His attorney and friend John Munzel confirmed that Allegretti had suffered with the respiratory disease and had died on 26th July, in a statement on Wednesday (7th August).

Watch A Clip Of Cosmo Allegretti's Puppetry On Captain Kangaroo:

The Associated Press reports that the puppet and voice actor died in Arizona where he had a New River home in addition to a Hampton Bays residence in New York. He was briefly married during the 1950s to Carol Lawrence, a Broadway actress who would go on to appear on TV series such as Saved by the Bell and Sex and the City.

Continue reading: Cosmo Allegretti: The Man Behind 'Captain Kangaroo' Puppets Dies Aged 86

Cosmo Allegretti, the puppeteer who made his name on the children's show Captain Kangaroo, died on July 26. The sad news was confirmed by his friend, attorney John Munzel, who made the announcement on Wednesday 7 August.

Bill Cosby hosted a segment of Captain Kangaroo, the show Allegretti worked on.

The puppeteer died of emphysema, at the age of 86.

Continue reading: Captain Kangaroo Puppeteer Cosmo Allegretti Dies Aged 86

Al Pacino stars alongside Helen Mirren as Phil Spector – the infamous American record producer and songwriter – in David Mamet’s controversial new drama for HBO. The TV movie surrounds the shooting of Lana Clarkson, in which Mirren plays the defence lawyer enamoured and convinced by her client’s tribulations.

Pacino signing autographs for his loving fans

“The luxury in today’s world is that you have all this footage on the characters you play,” says Pacino as he explains he method of preparing for the role to The Telegraph. “I would sit for hours just looking at Phil talking about things, mainly during and after the first trial.” For Pacino, though, simply mimicking what he saw on screen wasn’t good enough.

Continue reading: Al Pacino As Phil Spector - "I Would Sit For Hours Just Looking At Phil Talking About Things"

Al Pacino brought his one man show to London this weekend (June 1-2); a Q&A session that allowed fans to get up close and personal with the acting great and question him on his enduring career on screen. One question that stuck out though was not about his most famous roles, but the roles he turned down, including a number of cinematic classics.

Previously, Pacino's love-in with his fans has travelled to New York and Sydney, but his show in London has arguably been the most hyped show, with tickets for An Evening With Pacino selling for up to £250. For that price fans were eager to grill the Oscar-winner extensively, with Emma Freud, the host for the night, asking him what great films he turned down. Cue gasps from the audience as Pacino confirmed that he turned down the lead roles in Pretty Woman and Die Hard.

"I gave that boy a career!" Pacino joked about Bruce Willis' role in the spectacular action film, before adding, "You know who else I gave a career to? Harrison Ford in Star Wars - that role was mine for the taking but I couldn't understand the script."

Continue reading: Al Pacino Turned Down Offers For Die Hard, Pretty Woman & (Gasp) Han Solo In Star Wars

One of the biggest things connected to the upcoming sequel of Despicable Me was the planned appearance of Hollywood legend Al Pacino, however this little cinematic treat has been since cancelled by the star. According to Deadline, Pacino walked out on the film only two months before the expected before the expected premier due to creative differences with the film's makers.

Pacino was cast to provide the voice of the film’s villain, Eduardo, almost as soon as the film was announced, but now it appears things have taken a turn for the worse for producers Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. Deadline have since announced that Benjamin Bratt has been drafted in to taken care of the voice of Eduardo, with the news being revealed just over two hours after Pacino's departure was announced.

Al Pacino, pictured during his one-man show, has left Despicable Me 2.

Continue reading: Al Pacino Walks Out Of Despicable Me 2, Just Months Before The Film Is Due To Premiere

Tom Hanks has been nominated for a Tony Award for his role as late tabloid reporter Mike McAlary in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy. The play, written by Ephron before she died last June, follows McAlary's life and career as he goes from ambitious reporter to Pulitzer Prize winning columnist. The play took six nominations in the announcement this week, including the big one - Best Play.

"She [Ephron] was nominated for a few other things throughout her career, but I think that because she was at heart perhaps the most quintessential of all New Yorkers," Hanks told the Wall Street Journal after the announcement "...to have this happen in the town that she viewed as her celestial home, that she would have probably been cowed into silence. Which would have been rare for Nora."

Hanks is one of the most decorated actors in the world, having won two Oscars for Best Actor for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump and Emmy Awards for his television series' Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Though the latter awards were for producing credits, Hanks still holds the statuettes and a Tony Award win would see him complete the 'grand slam' of awards. One man to have already achieved the same feat is Al Pacino, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992 for Scent of a Woman. He went on to win Tonys for Does A Tiger Wear A Necklace? and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, later winning an Emmy for his role in the HBO movie You Don't Know Jack. Jeremy Irons, Liza Minnelli, Christopher Plummer, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and Geoffrey Rush are others to have won an Oscar, Emmy and Tony award. Whoopi Goldberg has all three awards, PLUS a Grammy award.

Continue reading: Tony Awards: Can Tom Hanks Complete Grand Slam Of Major Awards?

William Friedkin’s career rose to pretty heady heights in the 1970s, with the highly revered French Connection, followed by The Exorcist – one of the most successful horror movies of the era (though Friedkin himself refuses to classify the movie as ‘horror’). However, his career plummeted quite dramatically, with the critical and financial failure of 1977’s ‘Sorcerer,’ which only recouped around half of its then-staggering $22 million production budget. In a new book from the director, he reveals in brutally honest account of his own successes and failures.

In the book, Friedkin also describes the struggles that he had with some of the best known actors with whom he worked throughout his career. Having clashed with the star of his controversial movie, Cruising – Al Pacino – he tells The Wrap that he never really got a chance to make amends with the actor. “I have not seen him a lot. We never moved in the same circles. I wanted Richard Gere for the role. Having seen the film at special screenings, I've come to realize he is still pretty damn effective in it, but he gave me a rough time for reasons other than the normal actor-director relationship. He wasn't on time and often didn't know what we were doing on a particular day.”

And it wasn’t just Pacino that gets a pasting from Friedkin. There’s not much love lost between him and Gene Hackman either: “I had a strained relationship with Gene. The important thing is he gave a damn good performance even though we had a rocky time of it.” Friedman also revealed in the interview that a new BluRay version of The Exorcist will be released this year, with an hour and a half of new extras. 

Continue reading: William Friedkin Book Reveals Struggles With Al Pacino, Gene Hackman

Ever fancied a night with Al Pacino? Of course you have. And now that dream can come true (as long as you’re savvy enough to snap up a ticket), because the movie legend is bringing a one-man show to London’s iconic Palladium theatre in June. According to The Mirror, the show will be entitled 'A Night With Pacino' (no need for first names when you’re as famous as Pacino) and will include an interview with the 72 year old about his life and his illustrious career in Hollywood.

He’ll be talking about his time working off-Broadway in the 1960s, right up to the present day and audience members will also get a chance to partake in a question & answer session. The event takes place on Sunday June 2, 2013. Details for the show are not yet available on the theatre’s website. Pacino himself has commented on the special one-off event, saying “I am really looking forward to coming to London… I have always felt at home there. I consider it an honour to be appearing at the Palladium and I will be glad to be back on the boards in your great city.”

Al Pacino has been nominated for an Academy Award no fewer than eight times. He finally landed his very own statuette in 1992, for his performance in Scent of a Woman. 

Continue reading: A Night With Al Pacino: Hollywood Film Legend Brings One-Man Show To London Palladium

Al Pacino is bringing his acclaimed one-man show to London's West End this summer, performing at the London Palladium on June 2, 2013. 'A Night With Al Pacino' will feature an on-stage interview with the actor about his career in the movie business, followed by a question and answer session with the no-doubt sold out audience.

The 72-year-old, nominated for 8 Oscars in his career, is still best known for his portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, though was peerless between 1973 and 1990 when he made such classics as Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, Bobby Deerfield, And Justice for All, and, of course, Serpico. With stunning turns were to come after his golden era, in the likes of Dick Tracy, Glengarry Glen Ross, Carlito's Way, Donnie Brasco and Heat, he finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor that he was long overdue for The Scent of a Woman in 1992. 

"I am really looking forward to coming to London," said in a statement announcing the UK show, "I have always felt at home there. I consider it an honour to be appearing at the Palladium and I will be glad to be back on the boards in your great city."

Continue reading: Al Pacino Bringing One-Man Show To London's West End

It’s been a good return on the reviews front for Al Pacino’s turn as the hugely successful and controversial music producer Phil Spector, in the eponymous HBO film about the temperamental figure.

The big haired big tempered producer has produced everyone from The Beatles to The Righteous Brothers and, erm, Starsailor in his time (no, us either). However he was convicted of second-degree murder in 2009, for shooting actress Lana Clarkson in his California home in 2003. He’s currently serving a prison sentence of 19 years to life. Pacino is playing the part of Spector in the HBO biopic, and it has to be said he’s going down very well indeed. Also starring Helen Mirren, the New York Post said of it “Mirren and Pacino are fantastic, and Tambor rightfully underplays the larger-than-life Cutler, who rivals Spector himself.”

Entertainment Weekly says, meanwhile, “The film co-stars an on-form Helen Mirren as Linda Kenney Baden, one of Spector's real-life defense attorneys.... Pacino too is excellent.” The Hollywood Reporter meanwhile references Spector’s recent jail time, by saying “Even though the movie is loaded with enough to satisfy those who believe Spector did it, as Mirren’s role is written and Pacino’s performance hints at, the film seems eager to suggest Spector was found guilty mostly of being a freak.” It continues to add “That have-it-both-ways storytelling doesn’t make Phil Spector a great legal movie, but it allows two exceptional actors and a talented writer a chance to play with reality.” The television premiere for this is on March 24^th.

Continue reading: Al Pacino's Phil Spector Role Gets Rave Reviews Ahead Of HBO Premiere

Thank god for James Franco, huh? Everyone's favourite actor-turned-student-turned-performance-artist had two films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday evening (January 19, 2013), though one of them caused more of a stir than the other. Franco is co-director of Interior. Leather Bar, a movie purporting to be a re-creation of "40 minutes of hardcore gay sex that director William Friedkin cut out of his controversial 1980 movie Cruising," reports Hollywood.com.

The original film starred Al Pacino who goes undercover in the New York leather scene to resolve a number of grisly murders. Had Friedkin kept in the gay scenes, the movie would have almost certainly been rated X and not reached an extensive audience. With "oral sex, masturbation, and erect penises galore," it seems Interior, Leather Bar is going to be pretty hard to screen too.

Though not as controversial as 'Interior..', James Franco's other Sundance effort still contained plenty of pornography. The actor serves as co-producer of Christina Voros' Kink, a straightforward documentary about the porn website Kink.com. The film explores how the multi-million dollar company goes about managing the world's largest collection of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism.) 

Continue reading: Sundance 2013: James Franco Brings The Leather-Clad, X-Rated Gay Scenes

In intriguing news, Al Pacino and Brian De Palma are to hook up again for the third time to appear in the film Happy Family, the film based on the real-life story of the late American football coach Joe Paterno, whose successful reign at Penn State was undone after it became public that he’d been aware of defensive co-ordinator Jerry Sanduvsky molesting children, and had done little to stop it for fear of tarnishing their legacy.

A dark story, it was one made for the team of Pacino and De Palma, who – you should know – teamed up most famously in the gritty gangster film Scarface in the 1970’s. They pair also teamed up for the critically acclaimed Carlito’s Way, which gives plenty of cause for excitement ahead of this new project. Pacino’s name first became linked to the project last year, though was never officially confirmed; however Deadline is now reporting that Wallstreet producer Edward R. Pressman has optioned the bestselling book Paterno by Joe Posnansk, based on the subject, and it’s Pressman who has spilt the beans.

“Happy Valley reunites the Scarface and Carlito’s Way team of De Palma and Pacino for the third time and I can’t think of a better duo to tell this story of a complex, intensely righteous man who was brought down by his own tragic flaw,” said the producer. Having racked up the most wins in college football history, Paterno was a man with nationwide love and respect, that is until allegations about Sanduvsky got out, and the full extent of the cover up was revealed. Sacked from his role at Penn State, Paterno lived the last years of his life with a huge cloud of sadness hanging over him before his death in January last year, aged 85. Sanduvsky was found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse against young boys.

Continue reading: Al Pacino And Brian De Palma To Resurrect Scarface Partnership For Joe Paterno Film Happy Valley

Al Pacino can certainly be described as a method actor when it comes to getting under the skin of the characters he is about to portray.

However, despite taking on the role of former record producer and convicted killer Phil Spector for an HBO movie, Pacino decided against visiting the man in prison. Instead, he opted for watching video tapes of the man in order to get into character. Reason being that, according to Pacino, the man he would be portraying – the Spector before conviction - would not be the same man that he would be visiting in prison.

His decision didn’t make much of a difference, however, as it turned out that the actor had already met Spector about 20 years prior. A friend showed Pacino a photograph, in which he was standing next to the producer, dated a couple of decades back. The actor said he had no memory of the event. The film, entitled Phil Spector, is set to debut sometime in March and is going to focus on Spector’s relationship with his lawyer Linda Baden. In the flick, Baden will be played by Helen Miren. All in all, with such a star-studded cast, this might be one to watch out for in 2013.