Fairy tales on film
It’s more than “Once upon a time” for these fairy tales. The just-released dark, yet stylish “Red Riding Hood“ is kicking off a slew of Hollywood versions of classic children’s tales.

With fertile ground for reimagining – from the gruesome to the family-friendly – fairy tales have built-in audience recognition. These upcoming and classic films are evidence that Hollywood is still, perhaps forever, in love with fairy tales.

Red Riding Hood
As a movie star, Red hasn’t had quite the career of Cinderella, say, or Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. In this version, Amanda Seyfried (who will, yes, be inspiring audiences to say “What big eyes you have!”) calls up a darker image as Valerie, whose attraction to a woodcutter turns deadly.
Tangled
“Tangled” starring a pop-star turned actress and a TV spy , is one of the few fairy tales (other than this new one) that Disney hadn’t covered. It got the animated treatment last year.
Beastly
A British hunk du jour and a Disney starlet give a New York hipster update on a classic in this just-released movie.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
A major Hollywood studio is in preparation for a 3-D version of an adult look at what happens 15 years after a clever brother and sister outwitted a cannibalistic witch. Find out when it will be released.
Snow White
Barring an attack by disgruntled dwarves, there are three new versions of the tale of the magic mirror and the evil queen in the works.

The tale is told largely from the view of the Hunstman in “Snow White and the Huntsman”.

“The Grimm Brothers: Snow White” takes a darkly comedic look at the classic story.

“Snow and the Seven” takes a totally different turn and features martial arts.
Jack the Giant Killer
“Jack the Giant Killer” is a remake of a violent British folk tale about the struggles between men and giants.
Hanna
In this dark thriller, Hanna is raised as an assassin in the wilds of Finland until she sets out across Europe in a cat-and-mouse game of violence. It stars an Oscar-nominated young Irish actress and an Australian hunk.
Ever After
In this 1998 fairy tale variant, Drew Barrymore plays an orphaned servant girl who falls in love with a prince.
The Snow Queen
There are several versions of this Hans Christian Andersen classic, but the 2002 TV miniseries version starring an actress from a famous family as the icy-hearted main character is a memorable one.
Ella Enchanted
Starring a sexy Oscar host, this fairy tale retelling (which is also based on a children’s book) follows Ella on her quest to lift a life-long curse.
Shrek
These family-fun animated films are actually based on a modern fairy tale picture book about a young ogre who finds the ogre of his dreams after he leaves home to explore the world.
The Little Mermaid
Hans Christian Andersen wrote this classic fairy tale about a mermaid who sells her identity for the love of a human prince. The book as Andersen wrote it is decidedly more sinister than the family-friendly 1989 animated movie, which is full of laughs and very catchy tunes.







Source: Specials

Stewart Snow White. Kristen Stewart finally gets to meet Prince Charming in ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’ film.

Stewart has been officially named the fairest of them all in the revisionist fairy tale “Snow White and the Huntsman,” according to producer Palak Patel’s Twitter page. The confirmation ends weeks of speculation after news leaked in January that Stewart was being targeted for the role of Snow White.

“KStew is officially playing Snow White and her deal is in final negotiations and will close next week,” Patel wrote in response to fan aurastew on Twitter.


“Official confirmation coming next week,” Patel tweeted shortly after. “But we are in final negotiations.”

Both tweets were removed from Patel’s Twitter page, but not before fans captured screen grabs of the revealing items.


Based on the legendary fairy tale, “Snow White and the Hunstman” follows the titular princess after the evil queen Ravenna calls for her death, centering on the huntsman who disobeys orders and allows the fair maiden to live. The updated story will break from convention by having the huntsman mentor and train Snow White to fight off Ravenna herself.


Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron are deep in negotiations for the roles of the huntsman and the evil queen, respectively.


For Stewart, “Snow White and the Huntsman” will mark an immediate return to tentpole filmmaking after “On the Road,” based on the iconic Jack Kerouac novel of the same name, drops later this year.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, “Snow White and the Huntsman” is scheduled for release on December 21, 2012.




Source: Newsoxy

10 Most Bizarre Oscar Moments

10 Most Bizarre Oscar Moments

The Academy Awards are, for the most part, an elegant and tightly controlled affair. But wacky things can and do happen sometimes -- and those are the moments viewers remember the most.
Since the Oscars are on Sunday and since there are now 10 best-picture nominees, we've decided to double the weekly Five Most list with a look at the 10 most bizarre moments in the show's history. So here they are, in no particular order -- because really, it's an honor just to be nominated:

The "South Park" guys show up in drag (2000)

The "South Park" guys show up in drag (2000): Trey Parker and Matt Stone arrived to support the feature film version of their animated series, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut," which earned Parker and Marc Shaiman an original-song nomination for the jaunty "Blame Canada." But they couldn't just wear tuxes like everyone else. Since they've made a career out of skewering celebrities, Stone donned a replica of the pink gown Gwyneth Paltrow wore a year earlier when she won best actress for "Shakespeare in Love," while Parker wore a knock-off of the plunging green Versace number Jennifer Lopez famously filled out at the Grammys. So much chest hair ... and so hilarious.

The streaker (1974)

 The streaker (1974): Just as host David Niven was about to introduce Elizabeth Taylor, a naked man came running across the stage behind him, flashing a peace sign. (It was the '70s.) The whole place naturally went wild with laughter, but Niven, being the epitome of British class and cool, didn't miss a beat. He deadpanned: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen. But isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?"

Marlon Brando sends Sacheen Littlefeather on stage (1973)

 Marlon Brando sends Sacheen Littlefeather on stage (1973): Brando won best actor for his iconic portrayal of Don Corleone in "The Godfather." But he refused to accept the award, and instead sent a woman who said she was an Apache named Sacheen Littlefeather to speak on his behalf. Brando was protesting what he believed to be stereotypical treatment of Native Americans in the film industry. Littlefeather's speech drew a mixture of applause and boos, as well as questions about whether she was truly a Native American herself.

Rob Lowe's duet with Snow White (1989)

 Rob Lowe's duet with Snow White (1989): Allan Carr injected an element of high camp when he took over as producer of the Academy Awards. He was, after all, the man behind such splashy movie musicals as "Grease" and "Can't Stop the Music," and he won a Tony for the Broadway hit "La Cage aux Folles." But his Oscar ceremony is considered one of the biggest flops in the show's history. It included a 20-minute opening dance number with a squeaky-voiced Snow White-lookalike singing "Proud Mary" with Lowe, who was just getting over a lewd videotape scandal. Just try and watch it without cringing.

Bjork's swan dress (2001)

 Bjork's swan dress (2001): Being notoriously daring and different as she is, Bjork dazzled and bedeviled everyone when she showed up at the planet's most-watched red carpet in a white, fluffy gown with a swan's head draped around her neck. (The Icelandic singer and actress was nominated for best original song for "I've Seen It All" from Lars von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark.") It is arguably the most famous outfit ever worn to the Oscars. It inspired many a Halloween costume.

Jack Palance's one-armed push-ups (1992)

 Jack Palance's one-armed push-ups (1992): Palance already had been nominated for an Oscar twice before, both for best supporting actor, for 1952's "Sudden Fear" and 1953's "Shane." Four decades later, when he finally won the award for the comedy "City Slickers," he proved he was just as virile as ever at 72. In the middle of a raunchy acceptance speech, in which he was explaining how reluctant producers can be to cast older actors, Palance stepped away from the podium, dropped to the stage and did a series of one-armed push-ups. Who wouldn't hire him?

Roberto Benigni's seat climbing (1999)

 Roberto Benigni's seat climbing (1999): Speaking of acrobatics, there's Benigni. Ever the clown, the Italian actor and director couldn't just walk up on stage and give humble, teary-eyed thanks when his "Life Is Beautiful" won the Oscar for best foreign-language film. Instead, he leaped from one seat back to another, whipping the audience into a frenzy, before hopping up the steps and giving presenter Sophia Loren a long, tight bear hug. ("Life Is Beautiful" also earned a best-actor Oscar for Benigni and one for its original score.)

"Ordinary People" beats "Raging Bull" for best picture (1981)

 "Ordinary People" beats "Raging Bull" for best picture (1981): Not so much a wacky moment but a befuddling one. How could the Academy get this one so wrong? In retrospect, Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" emerges as a small masterpiece, intimately powerful in black and white, gorgeous -- even its brutal violence. "Ordinary People," Robert Redford's directing debut, feels like a respectable and well-made if austere family drama. But that's not as bad as ...

"Dances With Wolves" beats "Goodfellas" for best picture (1991)

 "Dances With Wolves" beats "Goodfellas" for best picture (1991): Ten years later, the Academy gets it wrong again, and Scorsese is on the losing end again. Sure, Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves" is a sweeping epic, visually impressive in its enormity, but looking back it feels condescending and a little corny. "Goodfellas," meanwhile, is an example of Scorsese's virtuoso filmmaking at its finest -- funny, brash, evocative and always riveting. Scorsese eventually got his due, though, with Oscars for best picture and director for 2006's "The Departed."

You like Sally Field (1985)

 You like Sally Field (1985): "Places in the Heart" earned Field her second best-actress Oscar -- the first came for 1979's "Norma Rae" -- but this one meant more to her, she said in her acceptance speech as she clutched the golden statue, giddy and beaming. This time, she said she finally felt the respect of her peers: "I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!" It's a line that would be endlessly parodied -- and misquoted.
Read More: Yahoo