Director Will Gluck brought his family along to the New York premiere of 'Annie', held at the Ziegfeld Theater, where the movie's eponymous heroine Quvenzhané Wallis also appeared.
Continue: Video - Quvenzhane Wallis Sparkles In Pink At 'Annie' NY Premiere - Part 2
In a small New York orphanage, a group of children are united in their hatred for their hatred for their foster mother. But when young Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) falls in front of a bus and is almost killed, she is saved at the last moment by a mysterious man - Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx). Stacks is a politician, who's campaign is helped dramatically by the news that he saved a young orphan's life. After contacting her as part of a publicity campaign, he decides to better his image by adopting her; along the way, both Annie and Stacks realise that they can each learn a thing or two from one another when it comes to love, friendship and family.
Continue: Annie Trailer
Finally, months after the first announcement, we get a glimpse of some "Annie" related goodness.
Calling all musical theater fans. Not only is the Annie movie officially coming to a screen near you soon, there’s also a trailer and everything. Just a heads up: there are two kinds of people – those who get emotional during Annie and those, who don’t have hearts. With that said, let Quvenzhane Wallis melt your heart in just the short time of the trailer.
A thirty-second teaser trailer and preliminary movie poster were released Wednesday, showing Wallis in the title role, as well as Jamie Foxx as Daddy Warbucks and Cameron Diaz as the villainous Mrs Hannigan. The new clip, released by Entertainment Tonight, looks ever so slightly campy, what with Cameron Diaz’s strangely accented line “You think you’re better than me?” and the iconic Tomorrow, sung by Wallis, dramatically playing in the background. It doesn’t look like the problem is with any of the actors though – Annie was just never meant to be condensed into a trailer.
Continue reading: First "Annie" Trailer, Starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Makes Its Way Online
Solomon Northup was a well-educated man from a successful family living in upstate New York with his wife and three children. He was categorised as a free black man and made money through various jobs including as an entertainer playing the violin. In 1841, he was tricked into going to Washington DC with two white men for work where he was instead kidnapped and sold to slavery despite there being laws to protect free African-Americans. He spent twelve years on a plantation in Louisiana serving the brutal and abusive owner Edwin Epps. Determined to live his life again as a free man, he befriended a Canadian carpenter working for Epps by the name of Samuel Bass, whose high-morals turned Solomon's life around forever.
This poignant historical biopic is based on the 1853 autobiography 'Twelve Years a Slave' by the real Solomon Northup. It has been adapted to screen by writer John Ridley ('U Turn', 'Red Tails') and the BAFTA nominated director Steve McQueen ('Hunger', 'Shame'). With themes of freedom, racial inequality and the cruelty of mankind, '12 Years A Slave' could be one of the more heart-wrenching movies to kick of the year on its UK cinematic release on January 24th 2014.
This could be McQueen's finest work yet.
Films - or should we say writers and directors - that dare to tackle the issue of slavery come rarely, and when they due, they face an increased level of scrutiny due to the sensitive subject matter. They are necessary though; teaching the world of the horrors it has faced will ensure they never happen again, or so they say.
Chiwetel Ejiofor could be in for the biggest role of his life
Django Unchained came and went, as Quentin Tarantino’s ability to satirize and trivialize some of history’s most controversial times slowly turns into a trilogy of movies. Mixed reviews and a cavalier use of the ‘N’ word meant people saw it as less of a history lesson and more of a taboo comedy, which is exactly what it was.
Continue reading: 12 Years A Slave: The Slavery Movie We've All Been Waiting For
Cameron Diaz might be an odd choice, but let's just go with it.
If an Annie movie, produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z and directed by Jay Z sounds a bit strange, wait till you hear this: Cameron Diaz has been cast as Miss Hannigan. According to Deadline, the actress has been selected to play the orphanage matron, who hates children, but loves boozing in a big screen adaptation of the comic strip turned musical. The actress has been showing a sassier (to put it mildly) side in films like Bad Teacher of late, but it’s still a bit difficult to picture her as the vitriolic Miss Hannigan.
Diaz is taking on a new challenge with her Annie role.
Diaz will reportedly partner up with Quvenzhane Wallis, who became the youngest Oscar nominee for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Quvenzhane will be portraying Annie, while the role of daddy Warbucks has been handed over to none other than Jamie Foxx. The Oscar-nominated actor is currently knee-deep in promotional efforts for his new movie White House Down, but will presumably begin shooting later this year, since the release date for the Annie movie is set for 2014.
Continue reading: "Annie" Movie To Feature Cameron Diaz As Grumpy Orphanage Headmistress
Cameron Diaz will be playing Miss Hannigan in a new film of the Broadway musical 'Annie'. Sandra Bullock has previously been linked to the role but Sony confirmed Diaz would be starring yesterday (26th June 2013).
Sony have confirmed Cameron Diaz will be starring in Will Smith and Jay Z's musical re-envisioning of the hit Broadway musical Annie. Diaz has landed the role of Miss Hannigan, the cruel manager of the orphanage Annie initially lives in. Sandra Bullock was previously linked to the role and was involved in talks with Annie producers. However, it has been confirmed Diaz has the part.
Annie, initially a comic strip, was turned into a musical, opened on Broadway in 1977. The musical was turned into a film just five years later (1982). Carol Burnett played Miss Hannigan in this version, although her performance was slated by critics (as was the film in general which is still considered one of the worst in film history).
Cameron Diaz at the 2013 Met Gala, New York
Continue reading: Cameron Diaz Is Miss Hannigan In Will Smith And Jay Z's 'Annie'
Sandra Bullock is in talks with producers of the upcoming Hollywood remake of ‘Annie,’ according to The Wrap. Rumours of Bullock’s involvement started circulating in March, although it is believed talks have since reopened with Sony and Overbrook Entertainment.
The musical, first shown on Broadway in 1977, was made into a film in 1982. Should the studio’s plans come into fruition, the actress would be playing Miss Hannigan: the abusive overseer of Annie’s orphanage. As such, Bullock will be competing with Carol Burnett’s performance.
This role would mark a change for the actress who has previously appeared as the heroine in the majority of her films including The Blind Side, The Proposal and All About Steve.
Continue reading: Sandra Bullock In Talks For Jay-z And Will Smith’S ‘Annie’
The Onion call Quvenzhane Wallis a "cu*t", but why?
The Onion have seemingly taken their shtick too far, but, considering it’s their unflinching, satirical take on the news that won them such a large audience in the first place, we’d be fools not to second guess their motives behind such an offensive tweet.
"Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis seems kind of a cunt, right? #oscars2013" came the tweet from the official Onion account. This is an online publication, which, if they’re to be believed, receives 40 million page views and roughly 7.5 million unique visitors per month – hallowed ground for any website. We can assume, then, that the people behind it, especially considering their brand, are smart, on-point and socially aware; social awareness is the cornerstone of their content. Now consider the worst thing that could happen when calling a 9-year-old girl a “c*nt”. Twitter outrage: obviously. A bunch of news stories about the onion: an obligatory consequence. Formal sanctions of any kind: not likely. See, with the anonymity involved – The Onion are yet to identify their writer – the very worst thing that can happen is increased exposure. Something any online content editor will tell you is no bad thing.
Continue reading: The Onion’s Quvenzhané Wallis Tweet – A PR Stunt?
The Onion has issued an apology to Quvenzhane Wallis following its offensive tweet.
Quvenzhane Wallis, the 9-year-old actress nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars on Sunday, has received a personal apology from Steve Hannah, the chief executive of satirical newspaper The Onion, after it tweeted an offensive post about the young star. Wallis was dubbed a "c*nt" in the offensive tweet, that caused a storm during the Academy Awards broadcast.
"On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhané Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars," Steve Hannah wrote on the publication's Facebook page. "It was crude and offensive-not to mention inconsistent with The Onion's commitment to parody and satire, however biting." The offending tweet - "Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c***, right?" - was deleted about an hour after it was posted, though plenty of users, including some celebrities, were up in arms. Wendell Pierce of HBO's The Wire demanded that the publication identify the author of the tweet. "Let him defend that abhorrent verbal attack of a child. You call it humor, I call it horrendous," he tweeted. Pierce later added, "It doesn't matter what the intent was, it was offensive and they should apologize to Quvenzhane."
The Onion's apology continued, "We have instituted new and tighter Twitter procedures to ensure that this kind of mistake does not occur again. In addition, we are taking immediate steps to discipline those individuals responsible. Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry." The tweet was posted during a night when Seth Macfarlane joked "it'll be 16 years" before Wallis would be too old for George Clooney.
Continue reading: The Onion Offer Apology To Quvenzhane Wallis Over Crude, Offensive, Tweet
The satirical publication The Onion have apologised for their offensive tweet about the young actress Quvenzhane Wallis
Rule number one: Don’t call a nine year-old a c*nt. We can only assume that this was the opening gambit of The Onion’s “new and tighter Twitter procedures” after they were forced to apologise for calling Quvenzhane Wallis a c*nt. Yes. That’s Quvenzhane Wallis, the nine year-old Oscar nominee. There’s a fine line between humour and insult, that’s for sure, but The Onion well and truly overstepped that line when they used the remark in a Tweet on Oscars night (February 24, 2013).
The satirical US publication issued a statement of apology, after deleting the offending tweet (but not before it had been re-tweeted several hundred times). The Onion’s CEO, Steve Hannah said “It was crude and offensive - not to mention inconsistent with The Onion's commitment to parody and satire, however biting,” The Telegraph reported. He added “Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry” and explained that those involved in writing and posting the Tweet would be reprimanded.
So far, Quvenzhane Wallis has not commented on the tweet. Wallis did not win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild but instead lost out to Jennifer Lawrence. If she had won, she would have been the youngest actress ever to take home the golden statuette.
Continue reading: No. 1: Don't Call A Nine Year Old A C*nt - The Onion Tightens Twitter Rules After Quvenzhane Wallis Insult
The Onion is normally very funny. We liked the story about Kim Jong Il being named The Sexiest Man Alive 2012, largely because a Chinese newspaper ran the story as though it were real. The reactions of its audience, be that misinterpreting as the Chinese did, or taking their stories in the comedic manner they're meant, is what makes The Onion worth having around. However, when they called 10 year old actress and Academy Award nominee Quvenzhane Wallis a c-word... well, that was a joke too far. Far too far.
Quvenzhane Wallis was nominated for 'Best Actress' at the Oscars aged just 9
Continue reading: The Onion Went Way Too Far Calling Quvenzhane Wallis A C-Word
Quvenzhane Wallis will take on the starring role in the upcoming remake of the musical Annie.
Quvenzhane Wallis will follow-up her Oscar nominated role in Beasts of the Southern Wild by taking on the lead role in the remake of the classic musical Annie, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced yesterday morning (Feb 24).
The young actress wowed audiences with her award-worthy performance as Hushpuppy in the Benh Zeitlin fantasy drama, and now the actress is reaping the benefits of her mature performance by signing up to her second post-BotSW role. Wallis will also star alongside Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in the upcoming Twelve Years a Slave, which follows the story of a New York man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South in the early 1800's.
Will Gluck, who directed Friends With Benefits, is already attached to directed the remake, which is being financed by Will Smith, Jay Z, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter and Tyran Smith. Will and Jada's daughter Willow Smith was initially rumoured to be taking on the lead role, but it seems the appeal of having an Oscar nominee star in the film was too much for Will, who will be appearing alongside his son Jaden in the upcoming After Earth.
Continue reading: Quvenzhane Wallis To Take On Title Role In The Upcoming Annie Remake
Poor Quvenzhane Wallis; first of all, Hollywood managed to convince her that she might be in with a chance of an Oscar for Best Actress, then The Onion call her a “c**t”. “Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c*nt, right? #Oscars2013” read the tweet from the spoof-news site.
We understand The Onion’s shtick; they’re a controversial sort-of-site, with designs on raising eyebrows with their brand of false news, however close to the bone that news may be. Still, considering they’re just doing what any other site does – trying to get visitors – they’re not that different at all, are they? And besides - she’s a 9-year-old girl. The tweet, of course, was met with a barrage of complaints from angry fans, not that The Onion weren’t looking for that kind of reaction. And look, they’re getting it right now. Wallis didn’t take the gong for Best Actress; big bad bully Jennifer Lawrence stole of from the young starlet for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.
Continue reading: The Onion Call 9-Year-Old Quvenzhane Wallis A “C**t”
Oscar-nominated Quvenzhané Wallis to star in Annie
Ahead of what could be the biggest night in Quvenzhané Wallis’ fledgling career, it has been announced that the young starlet will indeed star in Sony Picture’s upcoming version of Annie.
Wallis got the film world all aflutter with her incredibly mature performance in Beasts of The Southern Wild – a feel-good movie centred on climate change, which is nominated for Best Picture at tonight’s Oscars ceremony. The then-5-year-old Wallis has already made Oscars history with her nomination for best actress; she’s the youngest ever. A win is perhaps a stretch too far, with Emmanuelle Riva – incidentally the oldest ever nominee in that category – and Jennifer Lawrence leading the way for their parts in Amour and Silver Linings Playbook respectively. "With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star," President of production at Columbia Pictures Hannah Minghella said. "She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can't wait for audiences to further discover her." (via Yahoo).
Continue reading: Youngest Ever Oscar-Nominee Quvenzhané Wallis Secures Role In Annie
Quvenzhane Wallis talks to Marlee Martin and reveals who she'll thank if she has to give an Oscars speech
In a joint interview with Marlee Martin, Quvenzhane Wallis revealed who she would thank, if she found herself onstage accepting the Oscar for Best Actress, on Sunday evening (February 24, 2013). The nine year old has been nominated for her performance as the character Hushpuppy, in the movie The Beasts of the Southern Wild and if she is successful, she will become the youngest ever person to win the award.
Speaking alongside the actress who currently holds that title, Marlee Matlin, Wallis told The Hollywood Reporter that she would thank God, first and foremost and added “and thank you for who gave me this and thanks for all the people who were before me.” At that point, Matlin jokingly suggested that Quvenzhane should be remembering to thank her, too, to which Wallis nodded, and gestured, telling her “I’ll make sure.” Matlin, who won the Oscar for her performance in the 1986 movie Children of a Lesser God, was full of praise for Wallis. “In my eyes, you’re a winner,” she told the young actress and reminded her that even being nominated is a serious accolade and a huge achievement for one so young.
Quvenzhane Wallis is the long-shot for the award, according to the bookies. Still, if she won, at least she has some kind of a speech prepared, if she manages to remember it once she’s on stage. Matlin recalled that her heart was “beating out of my chest” when she collected her award, at the age of 21.
Continue reading: Actress Quvenzhane Wallis, 9, Reveals Who She Would Thank In Oscars Speech
A poll conducted by voters reveals that the American public have got Jennifer Lawrence pegged as the winner of the Best Actress Oscar, for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence has already bagged a Golden Globe, a Satellite Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, amongst others and the voters in Reuters’ poll seem pretty confident that she can repeat that success at next weekend’s Academy Awards.
With 15 per cent of the votes, Lawrence may have been the favourite but her heels were being well and truly snapped at by Jessica Chastain, star of Kathryn Bigelow’s political drama Zero Dark Thirty, with 11 per cent of the vote. Of course, awards shows are all about surprises and the statuette could well be awarded to one of the category outsiders, such as 85 year-old Emmanuelle Riva (Amour) and 9 year-old Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Naomi Watts is also nominated, for her role in the tsunami disaster movie the Impossible.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, 26 per cent of the 1,586 voters felt that Anne Hathaway was most likely to take home the prize, for her brief but powerful performance in Les Miserables.
Continue reading: Jennifer Lawrence To Win Best Actress Oscar? Poll Voters Seem To Think So...
Anyone keeping a close eye on the betting for the race for Best Picture at the Oscars will know it's been judged as wide-open for months. Last summer, the magical-drama Beasts of the Southern Wild was the bookies favourite following heavy praise at the film festivals and a buzz surrounding the performance of 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis'. The young actress has since snagged a nomination for Best Actress, though the movie looks unlikely to win the ultimate prize on February 24, 2013.
Upon its release, Les Miserables was fancied for the Oscar, though it may have to settle for a sole acting prize for Anne Hathaway. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln has always been in the mix - a classic Oscars movie with a career best performance from Academy favourite Daniel Day-Lewis. Spielberg's epic strengthened in the market following the Oscars snubbing of Ben Affleck for Best Director. Why would they reward a movie without even acknowledging the efforts of its director? According to the Hollywood Reporter, only one film in the past 80 years has won the Best Picture Oscar without also receiving a best director nod. It makes little sense, though Affleck's Iranian hostage drama has emerged as the odds-on favourite to win Best Picture in Los Angeles next month. On January 10, it beat Lincoln to Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Awards, winning Best Picture at the Golden Globe awards three days later. This past weekend, it won the PGA and SAG top prizes for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In almost all cases, Lincoln was expected to win.
Ben Affleck Was Snubbed For Best Director At The Oscars, Though Argo Remains A Hot Favorite
Continue reading: How Ben Affleck's 'Argo' Ambushed The Oscars Race For 'Best Picture'
Two of last year's main men inDaniel Craig [Left] and Ben Affleck [Right],both of whom could be on for big things this awards season
The National Board Of Review Awards took place last night (January 8, 2013), with many evidently viewing the bash as a warm-up before the Oscar nominations get announced tomorrow (January 10, 2013). As such, some of the names who may well be featuring in less than 24 hours time were on the red carpet, including Skyfall's Daniel Craig, Argo director and actor Ben Affleck, stars from Les Miserables including Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried, and many more.
Continue reading: Daniel Craig, Ben Affleck And The Les Miserables Cast Warm Up For The Oscars At The National Board Of Review Awards (Pictures)
Lushly imaginative filmmaking and strong performances more than make up for newcomer Benh Zeitlin's indulgent fourishes as a new writer-director. This fable-style movie from the American South is moody and engulfing, taking us into a world would never have imagined. And that it's anchored by a powerhouse performance from a 6-year-old actress makes it even more remarkable.
This is Quvenzhane Wallis, who plays Hushpuppy, daughter of the tenacious survivor Wink (Henry). They live in neighbouring trailers in the Bathtub, a tightly knit community in the Louisiana bayou that is completely submerged whenever there's a storm. But this latest flood is worse than usual, and as Wink looks for a solution to their waterlogged problems, Hushpuppy starts to realise that her daddy isn't well. So she decides to go find her long-lost mother, who left shortly after she was born. In her imaginative mind, the flood and Wink's illness are both linked to global warming, which is thawing out the polar ice and releasing prehistoric boar-like aurochs that are heading for the Bathtub.
The key element of the story is Hushpuppy's remarkable awareness that the world is a huge place full of interconnected life, and that she is only one small part of it. But she also knows that even a little girl like her can have an impact on her environment, so her quest for her mother takes on an apocalypse-averting tone. And Wallis is simply unstoppable in the role, capturing Hushpuppy's complex internal journey with a transparency that's breathtaking. Opposite her, Henry manages to keep up with her by internalising his own performance.
Continue reading: Beasts Of The Southern Wild Review
A solid cast bodes well for this unnecessary remake of the 1982 movie (based on...
In a small New York orphanage, a group of children are united in their hatred...
Annie is a young orphan living with her cruel foster mother Miss Hannigan at an...
Director Steve McQueen joins the stars of '12 Years A Slave' to praise the immense...
Solomon Northup was a well-educated man from a successful family living in upstate New York...
Lushly imaginative filmmaking and strong performances more than make up for newcomer Benh Zeitlin's indulgent...
Hushpuppy is a six-year-old girl with the theory that the world depends on the perfect...
