(NEW YORK) -- Veteran character actor David Huddleston, who may be best known for the title role in the film The Big Lebowski, died Tuesday. He was 85.

His wife, Sarah Koeppe [KEP-ee], confirmed to ABC Radio that he died of advanced heart and kidney disease in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Huddleston also played St. Nick in Dudley Moore's Santa Claus: The Movie, and the mayor in the classic Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles. His TV work included guest-starring roles on shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, Murder, She Wrote, Gilmore Girls and The West Wing.
Huddleston also had a recurring role as the grandfather on The Wonder Years, for which he was nominated for an Emmy.

Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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Empire star actor, Terrence Howard has been slapped with a $250,000 lawsuit by his former management, Authentic Talent and Literary Management for a breach of contract.

E! News reports that the actor’s former management company cites Howard’s failure to pay them their share of commission after they parted ways with him as the reason for the lawsuit.

Howard parted ways with ATLM upon taking up the role as Lucious Lyon in the successful Empire TV series and they’re now laying claim to 10% of revenue that the actor received while he was working with them.

In the lawsuit, ATLM claims to have played ‘a key role in the resurgence of Howard’s career’ and provided him with ‘professional, personal and other advice and career guidance.’

Source: thenetng

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Nollywood actress – Stella Damasus

Stella Damasus wants you to put aside all encumbrances and work for God.

In a post on her Instagram page on Tuesday evening, the Two Brides and a Baby actress sent a message titled ‘What’s your excuse?’ attaching a screen shot of a page from a devotional which dwells on the hindrances that faced great Biblical figures like Abraham, Jacob, Moses and many others who put everything in their lives aside, and went ahead to be used by God.

And instantly, a number of her followers started responding.

But surely, some would also be hoping it is not a sign of things to come, not with the weighty allegations lying in Stella’s path. 

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Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji

Nollywood diva, Genevieve Nnaji has joined the trending Ice Bucket challenge.

The Half of a Yellow Sun star called out the likes of Peter of P-Square, his twin brother, Paul as well as Jude Okoye.

Among those she called out in a photo she posted on her Instagram page ‎is @anadariya, one of the daughters of the Dantata family.

The Ice Bucket challenge is a worldwide initiative aimed at raising funds for charitable causes.

The challenge, which is fast gaining ground among Nigerian celebrities also, has helped to raise as much as over 15 million dollars the world over.

We are watching to see if the P-Square brothers and their elder brother or Dantata’s daughter ‎will take up the challenge thrown at them by the Nigerian movie star.

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Curtains closed in this undated theatre file photo.

TORONTO -- Telefilm Canada has raised more than $14 million in private donations for Canadian filmmakers -- a first in the federal agency's nearly 50-year history.

The bulk of the new money came from Bell Media and Corus Entertainment, who contributed $8 million and $5.7 million respectively to Telefilm's Talent Fund under the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's tangible benefits policy.

"We're very pleased with the support of Bell Media and Corus Entertainment on this initiative," said Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant in an interview.

"That was the goal of the Talent Fund, to have the private sector support even more this very important industry in Canada. We're very, very excited with the response we got."

Under the tangible benefits policy, companies that buy television or radio assets must pay a percentage of the purchase price toward programs that will benefit the entire system.

When Bell Media acquired Astral Media last year, the CRTC ordered it to spend some $246.9 million over the next seven years on a variety of arts initiatives, including supporting Canadian filmmakers.

Telefilm, the Crown corporation in charge of promoting and developing the Canadian film industry, launched the Talent Fund in 2012 to encourage private investment. Money raised will go to both emerging and established filmmakers for new projects.

The agency announced the total donation amount to date on Thursday at a meeting of the fund's advisory committee in Toronto. Its goal is to reach $25 million by 2017.

In 2012, the federal government slashed subsidies to a trio of arts agencies -- Telefilm, the National Film Board and CBC -- by 10 per cent over a period of three years. The $10.6 million cut forced Telefilm to tighten spending on documentaries and dramas at the time.

However, Brabant said Telefilm's push for private donations was not connected to the federal budget cut.

"(The Talent Fund) is not going to be replacing our parliamentary appropriation that we get from the government. It's helping us to do a little bit more, and at some point maybe a lot more, to support emerging talent as well as established talent," she said.

Diversifying funding sources has been a part of Telefilm's corporate plan since 2011 and plans for a private donation fund were announced a month before the Conservatives unveiled the cuts in 2012.

Brabant said the idea for the fund emerged after extensive consultations with film industry professionals who felt the agency should do more to promote private investment.

There is no separate process for filmmakers to apply to the Talent Fund -- Telefilm's operations team will decide which films will be supported by the fund, as is the case with other projects funded by the agency.

The fund's advisory committee is made up of eight business and community leaders from across the country, including David Aisenstat, president and CEO of Keg Restaurants and Dr. Anil Gupta, medical director of clinical cardiology of Ontario's Trillium Health Centre.

The private sector has long been looking for a direct way to support Canadian film, said the fund's advisory committee chair Hartley T. Richardson.

"There really hasn't been an obvious entity, or fund in this case, that you could direct your support to," he said. "We're looking to change that and create this joint public-private partnership."

Richardson, a prominent Winnipeg businessman and CEO of James Richardson & Sons Limited, added that it was vital to inform Canadians about the value of cinema to the economy.

The film and television industry supported nearly 128,000 full-time positions and generated $7.6 billion in gross domestic product for the Canadian economy in 2012-2013, according to Telefilm.

"This is about is getting the information out, getting people aware in the business community and the broader community at large just what an economic impact this has, how many jobs it creates, the opportunities it's providing for youth," Richardson said.

"It's important in bringing recognition to Canadian talent and in doing so to Canada -- on the world stage, not just the North American stage. It's really a win-win situation."

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Tom Cruise and Chris McQuarrie get doused in ice. Photo/YouTube

Hugh Jackman challenged Tom Cruise to the ALS ice bucket challenge and his response? Mission: accomplished.

Cruise and Mission: Impossible 5 director Chris McQuarrie doused themselves in not two, but eight buckets of bone-cold water to raise awareness and money for ALS, known in Australia as motor neurone disease (MND).

Cruise posted the video to Twitter along with the message: "Thx @RealHughJackman for challenging @chrismcquarrie and I to the #ALSIceBucketChallenge. Mission accomplished."

McQuarrie says the whole cast and crew would have been there, except because they're days away from shooting, everyone is spread out over three continents.
"But we didn't want to miss the 24-hour deadline so Tom and I are here to take a hit for the team," he said in the video, which Cruise posted onto Twitter.

Cruise added: "Chris and I are also making donations on behalf of every member of our cast and crew that were lucky enough not to be here today."

The pair then sat and awaited their fate, as people threw the icy water over them. By the sixth bucket, they were struggling.

"How much more?!" Cruise said. "There's no end," McQuarrie added.
Funnily enough, they needn't have even gone through with it.

In the ice bucket challenge, the water is the punishment if you don't donate to the ALS Association within 24 hours - which they did.

If you donate, or get iced, then you nominate another three people to the challenge.

It's why Charlie Sheen simply poured money on himself - because that's the amount he was pledging to donate.

However, celebrities such as Cruise, Jackman and others getting involved is not only amusing, but also helps by raising awareness as well as funds.

Cruise's video followed a similar one of Jackman, Rooney Mara, Garrett Hedlund and the cast of Pan throwing buckets of the water over themselves in a chilly, wind-swept field.

Jackman had been challenged by Les Miserables castmate Russell Crowe.

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And  that is the fact that Odunlade Adekola is the most sought-after actor in the industry. No cast seems to be complete without the Abeokuta bred actor. The tall and good looking entertainer who recently added a bundle of joy to his fast growing family is surely an actor with depth and thoroughness and that seems to have been the cutting edge for him so far. Read the full interview with the actor below:

When Odunlade Adekola first hit the industry few years ago, experts thought he was just a flash in the pan. But one thing becameobvious in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood, the young chap is now out to make a statement that he is no more a naïve kid.



Q: At what point in your life did you realize that acting would be your career?

R: Acting for me started from my childhood days. It started from my church, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Lafenwa, Abeokuta here. Then, whenever they wanted to do society anniversary at the church and they needed side attraction for the anniversary, we used to disturb them, a friend called Tunde and I, would tell them that we could perform as jesters at the anniversary, and they would say no problem. And I would just pick up my pen and would start writing scene 1, scene 2, and scene 3. And funnily enough, I didn’t know what scene means then, I was just doing my thing. And whenever they called upon us to perform, we would perform and everyone would laugh. As at then, I was seeing the likes of Ogogo and co, I’m talking about ’92,’93,’94, I was seeing them as if I could do better than what they were doing then. When I now came into the industry, and they thought me how to move, turn, do this and that, I said: emi o mope ole to yio! (I never knew it’s this difficult). By and large, I can say acting for me started from my childhood days, especially from church.



Q: In the course of your growing up in the industry, what are some of the challenges that came your way?

R: There were a lot of challenges, but the greatest of them all has been the challenge of being at my best at all times. I mean the challenge of going through a script and fashioning a way to interpret the role I’m expected to play in the best possible way. I always think about how best I can deliver any role that is given to me. Let me give you an instance in this regard. Ishola Durojaye, (Alasari) in the production of one of his films then, ‘Asiri Gomina Wa’, there a lot of criticisms filters that Odun cannot act the role that was given to him properly as the governor in the movie, but he (Alasari) called me aside and said no matter what they say, Odun, you are going to do it. This is your script, go through it and master it. And I was thrown into confusion and a challenge as to how I would not disappoint someone that has placed such enormous confidence in me. But I thank God today, though I have been acting before Asiri Gomina Wa, it was Asiri Gomina Wa that brought me to the spotlight. And there are a lot of other productions that have also added to my relevance in the industry such as Ara Lamo which was produced by Yinka Quadri and my own productions too. I see every production as a new challenge because that might be the production some people would be seeing me in for the first time and that is what would give them the idea of the kind of actor that I am.



Q: How many productions of your own do you have in the market now?

R: I have five or six. I have Farapamo, Emi Ni Ire Kan, Baba Super, Ila Owo, Eje Fun Eje anf Fayebora.



Q: And how did you become the hottest actor in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood today?

R: I can’t really answer that. You know I only get invitations to come and act in movies and I would go there and do my job. I don’t run after anybody and I want to believe nobody is running after me. Although, a lot people would call me and say if we don’t see your face in a movie, we won’t buy it and all that. And I would thank them and would also thank God for making me appealing to them. Another thing I always tell them is that; please continue to pray for me because there have been a number of actors before me that are nowhere to be found today and they are still alive. They are just no more marketable. So, I don’t know anything about being the hottest actor. What I know is that my God is always there for me.



Q: But there must have been something special about your acting that almost every producer wants you in their productions…
R: Like I told you, I see every movie that I’m partaking in as a challenge. And that is the only thing I know. And two, if you are invited as an actor to any production, you shouldn’t see your audience as fools. Deliver your role as if everything is real. You have to convince them as if what they are watching is happening in real life. As if it is reality. And they would be watching and enthralled with your acting. They shouldn’t see lapses and that is the secret. If I’m to play a good boy in a movie, I’ll play that good boy to the core. And if it’s to be a bad boy, I’ll do it to the best of my ability. That is all.



Q: So, what are the things acting has done for Odunlade Adekola?

R: I have rest of mind. I am personally okay. I can eat three square meal conveniently. I am comfort. Those are the things acting has done for me.



Q: How do you relate with you female colleagues in the industry?



R: Just as you have seen, Sikiratu Sindodo just came in to greet me by hugging me. And I told her I’m busy, I’ll see you later. And that is all.



Q: Are you saying you don’t have a personal relationship with any of them?

R: No, no, no. We are all friends. My relationship with them is purely professional.



Q: How about your female fans outside, I mean the overzealous ones that would insist on a date?

R: I love all my female fans. Do you know why? They are the ones that really watch films and make their boyfriends, their husbands, their fathers brothers and other people around them to watch our films by telling the about us. They there is one good actor now called so, so, so, you have to see his new movie. And there and then, they help build our fan base. So, I always appreciate my female fans when they call me to say Odunlade, we are enjoying your movies. And I would also make myself available to those that have business deal for me or want to join acting. There is nothing beyond that.



Q: Are you saying you have never dated a female fan?

R: No. Never!



Q: If you were not an actor, what would you have been?

R: I would have been a business administrator or a lawyer. That is if my educational background had been very solid. But, to now start pursuing all that now, I think it’s too late for me. I have to be realistic because it would take much of my time. At least, as I am now, I can take care of myself and my family.



Q: Can you let us into our background?
R: I attended Saint John RCM primary school in Abeokuta here. Then, to Saint Peter’s College, Olomore, Abeokuta. And I am still schooling in one of the University that I don’t want to talk about.



Q: Which movie should your fans be expecting from your stable soon?

R: I just finished with is Fayebora and another one is in the pipe.

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Beautiful Canadian born Ghanaian actress, Jackie Appiah is feeling like Michael Jackson.
 Jackie uploaded this picture on her Instagram page with the caption: ‘Tell me who’s bad…. feeling like MJ right now, The King of Pop?’ Am feeling like…. Tell me who you are feeling like?


The beautiful actress has received several awards and nominations, including the awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2010 African Movie Academy Awards and Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2007. What do you think, did she rock the Michael Jackson look?

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NEW YORK (AP) — Paul McCartney is on a roll this week.

A day after performing at a New York City high school, the ex-Beatle surprised fans Thursday with an impromptu concert in Times Square.

McCartney announced the concert on Twitter and then arrived by taxi at the "Crossroads of the World" an hour later.

Despite the short notice, thousands of fans flocked to the busy midtown-Manhattan intersection for the lunchtime concert.

The 71-year-old rocker sang four songs from his latest album "New" from a trailer parked on West 46th Street and Broadway.

He joked: "Let's do this the same time tomorrow."

On Wednesday, McCartney performed and took questions from students at the Frank Sinatra High School in Queens. He was celebrating his second wedding anniversary with Nancy Shevell.

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The first trailer for George Clooney's "Monuments Men" played like an "Ocean's 11" prequel (right down to the swinging music cue). This new trailer for the film replaces that suave whimsy for the kind of gravitas normally associated with important Best Picture nominees. "We have been tasked to find and protect art that the Nazis have stolen," Clooney's character says in the trailer. "They tell us, 'Who cares about art?' But they're wrong. It's the exact reason we're fighting. For a culture. For a way of life." Based on the book by Robert M. Edsel, "Monuments Men" is out in theaters on Dec. 18. Watch the new trailer below.

Click here to watch

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"The Vampire Diaries" is known for its twists and turns, and one of its stars, Ian Somerhalder, says Thursday night's season finale won't be any different.

"Elena's gonna make a big decision," teased the 34-year-old actor at CW's presentation of its programming for next season. He couldn't elaborate on what decision or decisions would be made.
The series is set in a fictional Virginia town where vampires, werewolves and witches live among humans (though not exactly peacefully). At the heart of the series is a love triangle among vampire brothers Damon (Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley), who both love Elena (Nina Dobrev).
The show, which has been on the air since 2009, has a passionate fan following, and Somerhalder said Thursday that he feels that investment almost everywhere he goes.
"I was in Toronto yesterday and people were coming up to me, men, women, children, literally some of them in tears, bludgeoning me with what's gonna happen (on the show). ... People are very, very affected. I'm very curious to see what the reaction is (to the season finale)."


Somerhalder's character struck a particular chord with viewers. Introduced as an antagonistic vampire, he's softened some over the years, largely due to his love for Elena.
Initially, he wasn't sure about Damon losing some of his edge.
"Damon has to care about something sometimes, and I always wanted to stay the bad guy, and (series co-creator) Kevin Williamson had to pound it into my head that we didn't want Damon to be a one-trick pony. I disagreed, but over time I realized (the writers) were right and you need a layered, dynamic character," Somerhalder said.
"The Vampire Diaries" has a spinoff series, "The Originals," that will air on Tuesdays beginning this fall.
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Online:
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries
http://www.isfoundation.com/

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Uche Jombo is one actress that has suffered a lot from negative stories. At a point, she was scandalized with an alleged abortion story, which shook the industry. She went to the extent of suing the magazine and journalist that published the story to a court of law.

Her reported failed relationship with Super Eagles footballer, Kalu Uche went viral in the media. Her eventual marriage to America-based Puerto Rican lover, Kenny Rodriguez was also marred by controversies, when it was secretly held in the USA.

The late release of the wedding pictures stirred controversies in the media again until she released them more than one month after the union was solemnized.

Speaking with Nigeriafilms.com on the story that forced tears out of her eyes, the Abiriba, Abia State-born movie star said that abortion was one of the stories that ‘achieved that aim’.

“I have had worse (the abortion story),” Uche Jombo said forcefully. “That one was just big because it was the one I took to court,” she continued, adding that, “because I don’t understand why anybody would sit down and fabricate something that would hurt another human being without any shrewd.”

“Even if you don’t have a sister, you might marry tomorrow and have a girl child. Anytime anybody writes, I always say, drop your pen and just imagine you being that person. If what you’ve written is the truth, you are justified. If it is not the truth, the person needs not go anywhere to swear for you, law of karma would just take care of you,” the actress-c*m-producer fumed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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