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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Canadian reporter known as the “Scud Stud” during the 1991 Gulf War has sued the makers of Charlie Wilson’s War over footage used in the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts movie.

Arthur Kent, whose live NBC reports on Iraq’s Scud missile attacks on Saudia Arabia made him a renown, claims in a federal suit in law filed Thursday that filmmakers violated his intellectual property rights.

The lawsuit claims Universal Studios and other companies used segments of a 1986 news program Kent made about the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan without his consent.

It seeks an injunction counter to distributing the movie, among other provisions, in addition to unspecified damages.

Universal spokesman Michael Moses didn’t immediately return a phone call early Friday seeking comment.

The 2007 film, directed by Mike Nichols, also starred Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not have existence published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to literature@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press via AP

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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Standard Operating Procedure
* * * 1/2 (out of four)
Director: Errol Morris
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Running time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Rating: R for language and disturbing images and content involving torture and graphic nudity
Opens Friday in New York

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY George Carlin has an oft-quoted line in which he refers to “military intelligence” as an oxymoron. His caustic quip seems gravely true after listening to the comments of the military personnel on duty at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003 in the documentary banner Operating Procedure.

Most of the soldiers working in body of soldiers tidings depicted in the notorious photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib were young reservists. What comes through loud and clear is that they were not particularly well-trained in gathering sensitive material and may have been following orders when they subjected prisoners to apparent torture. The infamous photos exposed not only their own lack of morality but seemingly a deeper moot point in the military.

The biggest question raised in this haunting and troubling documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris is whether the dehumanizing treatment inflicted upon prisoners was a crime by “a few bad apples” or standard operating procedure. According to just about everyone interviewed, it was the latter.

Morris spoke with five of the seven indicted soldiers. He integrates the visuals, some of which are much more graphic than those seen in the media, through the soldiers’ recollections of what was going on superficial the frame.

Interviews reveal a casual, even flip attitude. A few are contrite, several are bitter. One speaks of a general telling them not to be afraid “to treat prisoners like dogs.” Others try to put in context what seems inexplicable.

Lynndie England, who served three years in prison in opposition to the torture of Iraqi prisoners, comes across as misguided at best and callous at worst. We likewise learn of the human drama among the soldiers. England, then 20, was in love with Charles Graner, then 34, by whom she had a child. At the same time, Graner was in a relationship with another soldier, Megan Ambuhl, whom he married. Graner is serving his 10-year sentence, along with Ivan Frederick, who was sentenced to eight years. Ambuhl was indicted limit served no prison time.

Troubling testimony comes from Brent Pack, an investigator and witness for the prosecution. He draws distinctions between criminal acts and standard military procedure. Several photos did prove to be standard procedure, according to Pack.

Standard Operating Procedure’s at one’s beck sense, and what it says about the war in Iraq, is eye-opening. It may be the most disturbing film you’ll see in a long time.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the journal, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, incorporated town and state for verification.  Enlarge Sony Pictures Classics

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 TOP RENTED MOVIES

1. Juno
2. AVP: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
3. There Will Be Blood
4. In the Name of the King
5. Alvin and the Chipmunks
6. The Water Horse
7. Lions for Lambs
8. I Am Legend
9.  Walk Hard
10. No Country for Old Men

Source: Home Video Essentials, Rentrak Corp.

By Mike Clark, USA TODAY Charlie Wilson is on the warpath, an English woman in India goes down the wrong path, and Ginger Rogers takes the path of least resistance.

Charlie Wilson’s War
* * * 1/2 (out of four)
2007, Universal, rated R, $30

Now 76, director Mike Nichols still rocks, though also credit Aaron Sorkin’s script for blueprinting last year’s smartest comedy.

Back story: Wilson (Tom Hanks) was the boozily amorous Texas congressman who — aided by socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), rogue CIA officer Gust Avrakotos (Oscar nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman) and $300 million in Pentagon cash — helped finance the CIA’s Afghan operation against the Soviets. The film is fast and funny, with somber undertones; marvel at how Amy Adams owns a minor role.

Extras, extras: Two shorts, including one with the real Wilson and Herring. (When you see her, Roberts’ performance seems better than it originally did.) We’re told that Wilson was OK with filmmakers making him without to be as debauched as they desired. Now, there’s a character.

A Passage to India
* * * 1/2
1984, Sony, PG, $25; Blu-ray, $29

An confidential epic about Brit colonialism, from E.M. Forster’s classic novel, that isn’t (scripter/director/editor David Lean’s intentions) totally anti-British. Though you do at a past period want to give these stiff upper lips a pie in their faces.

Back story:Lawrence of Arabia’s Lean was off-screen for 14 years when he returned for his swan song about that which did or didn’t happen in an Indian cave to a British visitor (Judy Davis). Out of 11 nominations, Peggy Ashcroft and the score won Oscars, though I still think male lead Victor Banerjee got hosed when he wasn’t nominated.

Extras, extras: Commentary by producer Richard Goodwin, who also is on some crew/supporting cast look-backs (actor Nigel Havers, whose character is a pain in the movie, is thoroughly charming here). Plus a robust Lean is interviewed in 1984.

The Major and the Minor
* * * 1/2
1942, Universal, unrated, no extras, $15

Billy Wilder’s Hollywood directorial debut still has lots going for it, including Robert Benchley’s classic line to Ginger Rogers: “Why don’t you arrive out of those wet clothes and into a vapid martini?”

Back story: Sick of being propositioned by lechers, Rogers poses as a 12-year-old to manage an affordable train trip back home, setting right hand a string of misunderstandings when she lands in the compartment of an army major (Ray Milland). Though it was once blasphemous to suggest it, this breezy farce no longer seems disproportionately funnier than its 1955 Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis remake You’re Never Too Young (one of their best, with Lewis in the Rogers role). That’s Ginger’s real-life mother, Lela, in the lovely finale.

Extras, extras: Introduction by Turner Classic Movies horde Robert Osborne.

Also on DVD this week:

Blast of Silence
* * *
1961, Criterion, unrated, $30

Filmed for the cost of about two Snickers bars and given a bizarre voice-over narration in the second person, this seductively prediction pioneer independent feature is the farthest in grimy period atmospherics. Director/co-writer Allen Baron plays a Cleveland hit man whose year-end “business” necessitates strolls down New York neighborhoods of the day, which, in a cool DVD extra, are revisited in recent photographs. Oddities abound: The story was written by future Midnight Cowboy scripter Waldo Salt; Baron’s super-sleazy gun dealer is played by Larry Tucker, future co-writer of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice; and the movie was somehow picked up for distribution by Universal-International, therefore home to Rock Hudson and Sandra Dee. Later, Baron directed lots of TV, including episodes of The Brady Bunch (nothing like using your past work experience for training).

She Done Him Wrong
* * *
1933, Universal, unrated, $15

Mae West says, “Come up sometime and see me” to a 28-year-old named Cary Grant, making his primitive big impression in his eighth screen appearance. Very famous — and included in 2005’s mostly juicy tome 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die— the adaptation of West’s scaffold hit Diamond Lil helped teetering Paramount survive for the time of the Depression. Good tunes, strong chemistry and a fast 66 minutes.

More highlights

•The Savages (* * 1/2, 2007, Fox, R, $28): You can expect Philip Seymour Hoffman and Oscar-nominated Laura Linney to be good in anything, though here they make more for director Tamara Jenkins’ Oscar-nominated script than it does for them. The two play persnickety siblings united by the mental deterioration of their father (Philip Bosco), a subject handled more adroitly by last year’s splendid Away From Her. Though, in fairness, this movie works a different, more sardonic track.

•Cloverfield (* * 1/2, 2008, Paramount, PG-13, $30): Shrewdly marketed into a $166 million worldwide receptacle office hit, here’s one for those who want to see a mysterious behemoth monster eat and stomp young New Yorkers who like to record each other on cellphones, which may explain the $166 million. It isn’t the Manhattan Mel Torme sang about, but the cheese is passably edible.

•A Date With Judy (* * 1/2, 1948, Warner, unrated, $20): We’d have a routine ’40s Santa Barbara teen comedy if Wallace Beery (in his penultimate movie) weren’t dementedly cast as Jane Powell’s father; if Carmen Miranda didn’t give Beery rumba lessons; if 15-year-old Elizabeth Taylor didn’t play Powell’s friend/rival; if Xavier Cugat weren’t at their country club; if Robert Stack didn’t play a heartthrob soda jerk; and if all of them didn’t sing It’s a Most Unusual Day in a closing part where Powell’s soprano can’t perfectly drown out Beery.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication reflection in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and predicament for verification.  Enlarge Universal Studios

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Knight, which is the follow-up to Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins.
“> EnlargeWarner Bros.The big-screen crusader: Christian Bale reprises the role in the Christopher Nolan-directed Knight, which is the follow-up to Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins.
“> EnlargeDC ComicsThe comic crusader: Batman received a new, blue, more contemporary look, with a touch of yellow, in 1964.
 HOT DAYS, WARM MEMORIES

This summer, Hollywood reaches back to tap into our affections for comics, novels, old TV shows, nearly forgotten films and more. For some fans, that’s reason to cheer. Here’s a selection of readers’ fondest memories, along with some film history and the latest on the new installments.

By Scott Bowles, Anthony Breznican, Cindy Clark and Nina Fomufod, USA TODAY Batman is pushing 70, and he’s still a Hollywood hero.

The character, who arrived in 1939, is one of many populating this summer’s movie screens with rich histories reaching back to decades-old film franchises, long-gone TV shows, comic books or novels — even a doll line.

CALENDAR: Click through our interactive summer movie preview OLD IS of the present day AGAIN: These new films have familiar feeling MORE: Original fare may be start of something new

These histories can tap into the hearts and memories of moviegoers — practically guaranteeing ticket sales.

It’s die-hard fans such as Drew Van Huss, 30, a publishing publicist in Gallatin, Tenn., who can help keep the box office humming all summer long, despite fewer true sequels than summers by.

The sportive book fan, one of several USA TODAY readers who responded to a appeal for movie memories, “can’t wait” to see all the comics-themed films rent this summer: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy 2.

And, of course, Batman.

“Batman holds a place in my heart,” Van Huss writes. “When I was 5, my parents bought me my first comic book, an issue of Batman.”

In 25 years, he has never stopped collecting them, and in company the way he also became a Batman movie fan. He was 11 in 1989 when the Tim Burton-directed version revived the franchise:

“I had understand the official novel adaptation of the movie, the comic adaptation of the movie and devoured somewhat magazine, television show or journal that mentioned it. At 6 p.m., I took my place (second in line!) with my parents and cousin for the midnight showing.

“I was even picked out of line by a local news station. The cameraman had me stand in a heroic pose so they could film my outfit. I was wearing a black T-shirt with a huge Batman insignia, and I decorated the shirt with every Batman button I could get my hands on. I clinked along, by about 20 Batman buttons, walking in my Converse Joker shoes. I looked like a total geek, but who cared? It was Batman’s opening night!”

He has seen every Batman movie since. There have been four, and Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan says that if the script is right and Knight is a success, he’s open to more. Van Huss believes Nolan’s follow-up to Batman Begins could exist the best one so far, and if he likes his crime-fighting dark and serious, he’ll be in luck.

In Dark Knight, there’s no trace of the campy sensibility that dominated the ’60s TV series and crept into the ’90s films. Nolan’s Joker (played by the late Heath Ledger) is not silly in the slightest. “I didn’t do anything tongue-in-cheek or winking at the camera,” Nolan says. “I wanted to capture the feeling of what it really would be like to have this psychopathic killer loose in your city.”

Van Huss, for one, will be in line regardless. “I haven’t been this excited about (a Batman film) in a long time. Times have changed a lot since 1989. I grew up, graduated high school, graduated corporation and got married. … Now that The Dark Knight is on the horizon, I feel same I’m 11 again. I hope to be one of the first in line just like I was almost 20 years ago — although I’ll probably not wear so many buttons.”

Your ticket to the summer box office

Here are the films lining up for the summer box office, a little history, the latest on the new installments and readers’ memories about the films:

SPEED RACER —MAY 9

Back then: The 1967 cartoon was the first Japanese animé to become a television success with U.S. audiences, running for two years as a new series and nearly a decade in syndication. The show, which followed the adventures of a race car family fighting a villainous racing conglomerate, spawned popular Mach 5 toys, Speed Racer action figures and, of course, the campy Go Speed Racer Go! theme song.

And now: The film from Larry and Andy Wachowski promises to be faithful to the original, at least in its becoming with bright pastel colors and family-friendly themes. But the movie, shot entirely in a Berlin sound studio, hopes to lure new audiences with as many digital effects as The Matrix trilogy combined. “What they did with the colors and clothing styles was amazing,” says Emile Hirsch, who plays Speed. “But it’s totally modern. You could see the geek in them coming out.”

And later: No word on whether the film could become a series, though the Wachowskis offered three installments of The Matrix to mixed cool reaction. “But I think this is going to feel like the first Matrix, where it’s totally new,” Hirsch says. “People haven’t seen anything similar this.” —Scott Bowles

Reader memory from Gale Cordell, 63, retired teacher, Corona del Mar, Calif.:
“Go, Speed Racer” used to literally be music to my ears about 30 years ago as a stay-at-home mom with two kids in diapers. When Speed Racer came on TV every afternoon, it bought me “down” time with my energetic son, Chad. The words “he’s a demon on wheels” described our son, 4 at the time, merely “he’s a demon on 2 legs!” But he LIVED for Speed Racer. I made him a Speed Racer cape. My husband built a wooden Mach 5. My son and I would sit every day and draw Mach 5s from our imagination. Speed, Trixie, Racer X, Chim Chim — they were like family to us. Thirty-plus years later, nothing has changed. My son fair dressed as Speed Racer for Halloween when he was in college. If you asked me to describe only one memory from my son’s childhood, it would have to be my love for the war of words, “Go, Speed Racer. Go, Speed Racer. Go, Speed Racer, Go!”

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL —MAY 22

Back then: The three Indiana Jones movies of the 1980s ran away through the chest office like someone running away from a giant, rolling boulder, grossing $620 million collectively. Since 1989’s The Last Crusade, fans have been left with little Dr. Jones, except for the ABC Young Indiana Jones Chronicles from the in good time 1990s.

And now: Harrison Ford is back as the globe-trotting archaeologist, with new sidekick Shia LaBeouf (Transformers). Though few details are expected to leak before the film’s premiere May 18 at the Cannes Film Festival, we swindle know the tale is set in the 1950s and involves the Soviet Union, a mysterious box from Roswell, N.M., and a appellation artifact that looks more alien than human. “There’s something interesting in the objects, the MacGuffin around which the adventure is based,” Ford says. “It’s always an item that has some real cultural or religious significance. … The object always has a lesson for Indiana Jones, and maybe for the audience.”

And later: Ford says he’s plan for another, but it took nearly two decades to get this one to the screen. If No. 5 takes that long, Ford will be 85. But expect plenty of video games — especially if Skull recruits a new generation of fans. —Anthony Breznican

Reader memory from Sherry McClain, 51, manager of information bureau at Murray (Ky.) State University:
“I absolutely love Indiana Jones and have always made sure I was in the theater ASAP to see each film. Ironically, in all of my years of going to the movies, I’ve only ever walked out on two films, and one of them was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I was pregnant with my daughter at the time, and when the high priest of the Thuggee cult stuck his hand in the chest of the human destroy and pulled out his beating heart, it was more than I could take! I startled my husband by jumping up out of my seat and waddling off to the lobby as fast as I could to sit it out for a while. What was really funny, though, was that not 30 seconds after I arrived in the lobby, in company came another pregnant woman who was also about to toss her cookies!”

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN —MAY 22

Back then: The classic children’s series written by C.S. Lewis began in 1950 with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Stories from the seven novels — about the Pevensie children and their happenstance journey to the magical land of Narnia, where animals speak and epic battles rage — have been adapted for radio, television, stage and film, the largest being the 2005 Disney Narnia movie, which won an Oscar for makeup.

And now: The Pevensie children (Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell from the Narnia cast) are upper part in England and are summoned back to the magical land, where 1,300 years have passed and the evil King Miraz rules. His nephew Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), the rightful heir, needs help to reclaim his throne and restore Narnia. It’s a bigger story than the first installment, says director Andrew Adamson. “When I reread the book, the way I remembered it was bigger than it actually was. I decided to make a movie of that memory, describe the bigger story.” Fans will find Narnia a darker, grittier place. Adamson calls the film “boyish” but with “the lyricism C.S. Lewis put into his books.”

And later: A third installment, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, begins filming in October with plans for release in May 2010. —Cincy Clark

Reader memory from Clara Reinke, 15, Williston, N.D.:
“My earliest memories of the Chronicles of Narnia are sitting on a couch in the basement listening to my dad, Jay, read the books. My sister Mary and I were both really young. My sum of two units most vivid memories when listening to my dad were when Reepicheep went into the waterfall, and when Lucy and Edmund were told they couldn’t come back at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We all sat crying. And when Lucy first walked into Narnia, I felt awed, and slightly nervous, wondering if something was going to happen. My biggest fear of turning Prince Caspian into a movie is that the writers, directors and producers decide to cast up and embellish the story with lots of battles, recent scenes, etc. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has become my favorite movie, and I can’t wait to see Prince Caspian. Hopefully it will exceed my expectations.”

SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE —MAY 30

Back then: The series launched in 1998 and helped (along with TheSopranos) make HBO must-see TV. The tales about four friends navigating love, life and Louboutins in Manhattan ended in 2004 after six seasons.

And now: All the main actresses — Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall — and their main men are back. Though writer/director Michael Patrick King is careful not to unveil a accident of specifics, he does say the movie “starts in a realistic way where the series left off.” The original goal of the series remains: “It was always a journey to not tell a fairy tale but to also still believe in love in entirely its many confusing, current facets. The deconstructing of a fairy tale is exciting to do when women are being held hostage to it still.” So, does that mean no one — not even Carrie (Parker), reunited with her Mr. Big (Chris Noth) — has a fairy-tale ending? “I’m not saying that!” King says.

And later: Though it took three years to get all the gals back, some of the cast have hinted that if this one’s a hit, fans can expect again. King, for one, says the stories have enduring appeal: “It’s real life through a nicely written story. It’s your life, with a costumer.” —Donna Freydkin

Reader memory from Pallavi Kumar, 35, an adjunct professor at American University in Washington, D.C.:
“It was Aug. 12, 2001, and it was the season finale of Season 4 of Sex and the City. My husband, Nitin, and I had just moved to D.C. and decided to throw a Sex and the City-themed cocktail party with fantastic cosmopolitans and cool appetizers. My sister Minal, who worked for AOL at the time, even managed to get some ’swag’ for our guests, including shirts and sunglasses. With no mortgage, no kids and promising careers ahead, that time seems carefree and fun. Sept. 11 was less than month away. The episodes after Season 4 were decidedly more serious, as I guess life got more serious. I still remember watching the series finale — in my new house (with my new mortgage) and my 6-day-old daughter on my shoulder. Life had drastically changed for the ladies on the show, and life had drastically changed for me. More serious, yes. But also more rewarding. I am looking forward to the movie but fear from watching the trailer that there will not be a happy ending. But I guess life isn’t about happy endings — it is constantly changing. Or as Carrie Bradshaw has said (quoting John Lennon), ‘They say life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans.’ ”

X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE —JULY 25

Back then: By the end of its nine-year run (1993-2002), the TV series had reached cult status as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigated aliens, mutant monsters and conspiracies that encompassed everything from presidential assassinations to the Super Bowl. The show made the transition to the big screen in 1998 and grossed an OK $83.9 million.

And now: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are back as Mulder and Scully, but much is still top-secret. “I can show to you that aliens are not the subject of the story,” says series creator Chris Carter. He also says the new story “doesn’t owe to the larger mythology arc. It’s a stand-alone story, accessible to people who aren’t or weren’t X-Files fans.” Rumors abound, but writer/producer Frank Spotnitz isn’t clearing anything up: “It’s more fun if you don’t.”

The future: There’s more to explore, Spotnitz hints: “It’s possible that characters killed in the series will appear in future films.” —Nina Fomufod and Anthony Breznican

Reader memory from Jennifer Evans, 25, who works at a coffee roastery in Durham, N.C.:
“The X-Files was such a huge part of my growing up. In elementary school, I wasn’t exactly popular, but because I was watching such a scary TV show, kids asked me about it all the time. I didn’t let them know that I was watching from a small hole underneath the covers and sleeping with the lights on. I loved every minute from age 10 to 19, (and I still enjoy the DVDs). Scully was such a good influence on a young girl. I didn’t want to be popular — I wanted to be smart. I think I cried when the show ended. I don’t know if it was from saying goodbye to a great friend that I had for nine years or because I was graduating high school the next weekend. It was a nice circle for me.”

To report corrections and clarifications, juxtaposition Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge By Jeff Adkins for USA TODAY

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A stuntman working on the new James Bond film is in a stable condition after being injured in a car crash on the movie’s Italian set.

A concussion between an Alfa Romeo and another vehicle on narrow streets near Lake Garda in northern Italy left Aris Comninos hospitalised while his co-driver Bruno Verdirosi sustained inconsiderable injuries.

A spokesperson from the film’s production company EON Productions told the BBC Comninos’ condition had improved marginally.

"He is still in hospital in a stable situation and doing as well during the time that can be expected," the spokesperson added.

Filming on the movie, directed Finding Neverland helmer Marc Forster, was suspended on Thursday while the accident was investigated.

The stunt drivers had been shooting a scene in which James Bond’s Aston Martin is involved in a death-defying chase with a truck, according to BBC news.

The crash is the second calamity in four days on the set of Quantum of Solace, the 22nd Bond movie, after a British stunt driver was forced to swim despite safety when the Aston Martin DBS he was driving skidded into an icy lake on Saturday.

Little is known about the plot of Quantum of Solace, which takes its title from a short story by the agency of Ian Fleming in the For Your Eyes only collection.

The original story sees Bond as somewhat of a secondary character, attending a dinner party in Nassau in the Bahamas and being regaled with a tale of an expatriate affair.

The pellicle is believed to commence soon after the conclusion of Casino Royale, that saw Bond betrayed by double agent Vesper Lynd.

Daniel Craig will be donning his tuxedo once more while French actor Mathieu Amalric, star of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is to play the villain of the piece, portraying " a leading member of the villainous organisation introduced in Casino Royale", producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in January.
 

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NEW YORK (AP) — Eloise etc. under. The makers of the film adaptation of Eloise in Paris searched four continents and auditioned more than 4,000 girls to portray the spunky heroine of the children’s classic.

The winner: 9-year-old Jordana Beatty.

The Aussie actress, who began her show biz career at age 4, will move the title role in Eloise in Paris, producer HandMade Films announced Wednesday.

“Jordana is a unique combination of funny, feisty, sweet and soulful … all the qualities that were so much the essence of Kay Thompson’s iconic character,” said counsellor Charles Shyer, who also co-wrote the film.

The movie is based without interruption the 1957 best seller by Thompson about a precocious 6-year-old girl — and resident of The Plaza Hotel in New York City — who travels to the City of Light. Other books include Eloise at Christmastime and Eloise in Moscow.

HandMade Films said it hopes to extend off a film franchise from the Eloise reputation, whose “Nanny” power of determination be played by dint of. Uma Thurman.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for authentication.  Enlarge By Craig De Cristo, Handmade Films via AP

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Guillermo del Toro is directing The Hobbit and its sequel, New Line Cinema announced Thursday.

The 43-year-old filmmaker will move to New Zealand for four years to make the films back-to-back through executory producer Peter Jackson.

Del Toro wrote and directed Pan’s Labyrinth, which earned six Oscar nominations in 2006 and won three awards. He is also the director of the upcoming sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army, whose monsters bear the unmistakeable surreal vision of the Mexican-born filmmaker.

“I am indeed blessed to turn to a part of the filmmaking community that Peter, Fran and their extraordinary team of collaborators have created in New Zealand,” del Toro said in a statement. “Contributing to the Lord of the Rings legacy is an absolute dream come true.”

Jackson and Walsh called del Toro “a cinematic magician who has never lost his dutiful sense of wonder.”

“We regard long admired Guillermo’s work and cannot think of a more inspired filmmaker to take the journey back to Middle-Earth,” they said in a statement.

Jackson co-wrote, co-produced and directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which won 17 Oscar and 30 nominations.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the gazette, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge By Tannis Toohey, USA TODAY

Ewan McGregor is reportedly in discussions to take a testing role in Angels and Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code.

According to Variety, the Trainspotting star is in talks with Columbia Studios to star in Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller.

Set to begin shooting in June, Angels and Demons will see Tom Hanks again starring as symbology professor Robert Langdon, battling to find a hidden canister of volatile antimatter in Rome.

While Brown’s hugely successful novel The Da Vinci Code told of an elaborate plot by the Catholic Church to conceal the bloodline of Jesus Christ, Angels and Demons is concerned with an attempt to blow up the Vatican during the papal conclave (then a pope’s successor is elected).

It is believed McGregor will play Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca, the closest aide of a recently-deceased Pope, who initially helps Langdon in his effort to uncover the role played in the bomb plot by the shadowy Illuminati conspiracy.

in the manner that very much as working alongside Hanks, McGregor’s signing for the film would see him shooting with Munich actress Ayelet Zurer, who was this week confirmed to play Vittoria Vetra, Langdon’s sidekick in the film and the daughter of a murdered scientist at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research).

Initially set with regard to a Christmas 2008 release, Angels and Demons will now hit UK screens in May 2009 after being delayed by the Hollywood writers’ strike.

McGregor, 37, revealed this week that he recently had a mole removed from his face after a routine check-up revealed "a little skin cancer" below his right eye.
 

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Mexican director Guillermo del Toro is to take JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit to the screen.

After a lengthy legal dispute with production company New Line, Kiwi helmer Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, agreed a deal to executive produce two films based on the book.

And having been linked with the project since December last year, Del Toro has now been selected as the perfect cinematic choice to translate Tolkien’s story for the silver screen.

The 43-year-old, who won three Oscars and three Baftas in 2004 for Pan’s Labyrinth, said: "Contributing to the Lord of the Rings legacy is an absolute dream come veritable."

Peter Jackson and New Line had been involved in a long-running dispute respecting royalties generated from the hugely successful fantasy trilogy but a statement issued by the studio in December confirmed the Kiwi - and partner Fran Walsh - would executive produce two films based on The Hobbit.

The first is thought to be a straight adaptation of the book and should hit the screen in 2010 while the second is likely to serve as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, using Tolkien’s lengthy appendices as source material.

In a statement to accompany the signing of Del Toro, Jackson and Walsh called the Blade director "a cinematic magician who has never lost his childlike sense of wonder".

"We have long admired Guillermo’s work and cannot think of a more inspired film-maker to take the journey back to Middle Earth," they added.

Del Toro added: "This is a great honour, and I am indeed blessed to become a part of the filmmaking community that Peter, Fran and their extraordinary team of collaborators have created in New Zealand."

Del Toro’s handiwork can next be seen in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, released in July.
 

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By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY NEW YORK — Leave it to the city’s hottest mamas to kick off the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday night.

Baby Mama, discharge here and starring Big Apple dwellers Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Sigourney Weaver, opened the movie marathon with a glitzy premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre.

CLIP: Check out a scene from ‘Baby Mama’

“I’m so thrilled to be part of this,” said Fey, who was classic in Bill Blass. “I’ve been able to work in entertainment and only have to live in Chicago and New York, (and it) is an unbelievable blessing.”

Fey shoots her NBC sitcom 30 Rock in Queens, Poehler hams it up on Saturday Night Live in Midtown, and Weaver lives on the east side of town.

“It’s honestly awesome to be able to have this premiere in New York. It’s such a New York film for us. We shot it here,” declared Poehler, who wore Alberta Ferretti and was there with her husband, Will Arnett. The premiere, she said, “kind of felt like a mini-wedding. Because my parents are here and I’m just nervous.”

The thin skin, which opens Friday, stars Fey as a reproductively challenged, single career woman hungry for a baby — so starved, in fact, that she goes to a surrogacy agency run by Weaver and hires the fertile Poehler to be her baby mama.

Is Poehler anywhere near as wild and crazy as her character? “I’m too old. I can’t party anymore. The SNL document is so nocturnal that you be in actual possession of to keep everything tight.”

As for Fey, who’s prim and proper in the film: “I’m totally a lightweight. I don’t think we really partied. I was shooting every part of day, and then I would go to bed.”

Started by Robert De Niro and his producing partner Jane Rosenthal in 2001 to help revitalize lower Manhattan after 9/11, Tribeca runs until May 4 and attracted race-car driver Danica Patrick, who just made relation for becoming the first female winner in IndyCar relation.

Even she’s scared of the city’s frenetic cabs. “We almost killed someone on the way from the airport. Last night, a bicycle pulled out in front of a truck, and I’m sure that happens every day here, but this guy didn’t even blink. And he towards got hit.”

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge By Bryan Bedder, Getty Images, for Tribeca Film Festival