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MANILA, Philippines – Here are some entertainment stories from September 29 to October 5, 2013.
Hillary Clinton movie, TV miniseries scrapped
Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson has dropped plans to make a documentary about Hillary Clinton, following protests by Republican rivals. A planned TV miniseries about her has also been scrapped.
Ferguson, who was making his film for CNN, faced criticism from Republicans that it would promote the former US secretary of state’s expected 2016 presidential run. The film director also lamented lack of support from Clinton’s fellow Democrats.
“When I approached people for interviews, I discovered that nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film,” Ferguson said.
“After approaching well over a hundred people, only two persons who had ever dealt with Mrs. Clinton would agree to an on-camera interview, and I suspected that even they would back out.”
“Neither political party wanted the film made,” Ferguson said.
In August, the GOP’s National Committee had voted unanimously to block CNN and NBC from carrying party primary debates unless the two networks abandoned their shows-in-the-making on the former US first lady.
READ: Republicans fulfill threat to networks over Hillary
A few hours after Ferguson’s announcement, NBC Entertainment announced that it had scrapped its planned miniseries on Clinton.
Despite these two projects being abandoned, a film tentatively titled “Rodham” by director James Ponsoldt is “in development.” It focuses on Clinton’s “early years as a young lawyer in Arkansas during the Watergate scandal,” according to the imdb industry database.
Clinton has made no announcement of her plans but Republican National Committee (RNC) letters show the party’s nervousness about a run by Clinton, who narrowly lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in 2008.
US soul singer Lauryn Hill released from jail after tax dodge
Grammy-winning soul singer Lauryn Hill was released from a US prison Friday, October 4, after being jailed in July for failing to file her tax returns on time, her lawyer Nathan Hochman said.
The 38-year-old is a former member of The Fugees, famous for the hit remake of “Killing Me Softly.” The band’s 1996 album “The Score” became one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time.
The Fugees won a clutch of Grammys the next year, and Hill’s 1998 solo album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was released to rave reviews, went platinum, and earned her several more awards.
Hill will now serve a 3-month house arrest after leaving a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, 70 miles (112 kilometers) from New York City.
Hochman said his client had paid back nearly $1 million owed in federal and state taxes after making a guilty plea in court.
“She was released today and now she begins a one-year period of probation,” he said. The probation begins with the 3-month confinement at home.
Stars of Asian cinema gather for Busan film festival
Fireworks lit up the night sky and movie stars graced the red carpet as the Busan International Film Festival (BFF), Asia’s biggest film event, kicked off Thursday night, October 3, in the South Korean city.
“We have worked hard to find new talent and bring Asian films to the attention of the world,” said festival director Lee Yong-Kwan.
The 10-day BIFF opened with the world premiere of Bhutanese musical drama “Vara: A Blessing,” a surprise selection that organizers said demonstrated the event’s commitment to unearthing gems of Asian cinema.
“The festival has always shown so much encouragement to obscure and special films and special filmmakers that are not necessarily known and established,” said the film’s director, Bhutanese lama Khyentse Norbu.
Busan’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award went to Cambodian director Rithy Panh for preserving his country’s films and audio-visual materials.
The director, who lost his family during the Khmer Rouge genocide, won the “Un Certain Regard” prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for “The Missing Picture,” portraying his country’s turbulent history with elaborate dioramas.
There was a lot of buzz over maverick South Korean director Kim Ki-Duk’s ultra-violent and dialogue-free “Moebius,” as well as Bong Joon-Ho’s English-language sci-fi thriller “Snowpiercer,” starring Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton.
BIFF also handed out its Korean Cinema Award to the French movie critic and historian Charles Tesson, in recognition of his lifetime achievements in introducing Korean cinema.
Tesson is also part of the festival’s jury, which includes, among others, filmmakers Rakhshan Banietemad of Iran and Adolfo Alix Jr. of the Philippines.
The festival closes on October 12 with the world premiere of Kim Dong-hyun’s drama “The Dinner.”
Watch the trailer for ‘The Missing Picture’ here:
– With reports by Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com
Hillary Clinton, Lauryn Hill photos from Shutterstock
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