Angelina Jolie Explains Choosing 'Blood and Honey' for Directorial Debut (Video)

While many people would probably have taken on a lighter topic for their first stab at directing, Jolie said that this topic was important to her.

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“This is our generation's war,” Jolie said in interview with Christiane Amanpour that will air on both Good Morning America and Nightline. “This was, you know, the worst genocide since World War II in Europe.”

The film, which is set to open in theaters on Dec. 23, stars Zana Marjanovic (Snow), Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija (In the Rain). Jolie worked with a completely local cast.

"We did it because we felt this is a war that isn't talked about enough," Jolie said. "I know it's a hard film to sit through, but it's two hours to sit through something that's very hard, and these people lived through it for many, many years, and it was many, many times worse than any reenactment could possibly be.

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Set during the Bosnian War, the film follows Danijel (Kostic), a soldier fighting for the Serbs who re-encounters Ajla (Marjanovic), a Bosnian who's now a captive in his camp he oversees.

Jolie also talked about raising a family with Brad Pitt. She said they homeschool their brood “especially when it comes to history, to make sure it’s not one country’s point-of-view of their country.”

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Amanpour also asked the actress if she and Pitt have plans to get married. 

"The kids asked me the other day and I asked them if it was just because they wanted to have a 'big cake,'" Jolie said. "They see movies that have the people getting married in the movies or somebody's, you know, the happily ever after. Shrek and Fiona are married."

"We've explained to them that our commitment when we decided to start a family was the greatest commitment you could possibly have.

Angelina Jolie: My Children Won't See 'In The Land Of Blood And Honey'

Angelina Jolie has called the experience of writing and directing her first film the "greatest experience of [her] life." But when "In the Land of Blood and Honey" hits theaters, she won't be sharing the joy with some very important people.


"They won't see this movie," Angelina Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter, speaking of her brood of six children. "They know that mommy, on occasion, goes off to Libya or other places.


Given the young ages of her children, it makes sense; the film is about the brutal Yugoslav War of the 1990s, featuring the story of a Bosnian woman sent to a Serbian rape camp.


But while the children won't be watching this film, it doesn't mean they didn't get some of their own stories from Jolie.


"I wrote whenever I could, when the kids were asleep or in their classes," she remembered. "Halfway through some of the most horrific scenes, I'd hear, 'Mommy, I need another story, I can't go to sleep,' and so I'd pause what I was doing and go tell happy stories about bunny villages."

Sacha Baron Cohen Joins ‘Les Miserables’

Currently starring in Martin Scorcese’s HUGO, Sacha Baron Cohen is another big name to join Tom Hooper’s all-star musical LES MISERABLES. The BORAT star is going the appear as Monsieur Thenardier opposite Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway in Victor Hugo’s classic tale.

Director Tom Hooper recently announced his expected 3D shot film will stick to the traditional 2D method of filmmaking to avoid alienating fans of the famous musical. Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger to the musical genre after featuring in Tim Burton’s

Gaga gives a naughty and nice concert in NYC

Lady Gaga was in the Christmas spirit at Z100's annual Jingle Ball concert, but her version of "White Christmas" would have made Bing Crosby blush.

Gaga performed a slightly naughty rendition of the holiday classic Friday night as part of her mini-concert at the radio station's event at Madison Square Garden. Gaga - sporting tight studded leather pants, matching top and a bare midriff - gyrated on a set that included antlers, Christmas trees and holiday lights as she performed "White Christmas."

"So I recently added a couple of lyrics to this song because I think it's too short. It's like when you really start to enjoy it it stops. It's like a really bad orgasm. Merry Christmas New York!" she shouted. Later, she made a suggestive pose as she gave a come hither coo to Santa.
Z100 Jingle Ball 2011 NY
AP Photo - Singer Pitbull performs at Z100's Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 in New York.

But her performance wasn't all saucy. She was nostalgic and appreciative as she thanked the radio station for allowing her to be the headliner of this year's show, which included performances from Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato, LMFAO, Pitbull, David Guetta, Foster the People, Hot Chelle Rae and more.

Gaga said her first concert as a young girl growing up in New York City was the Z100 Jingle Ball.

"I worked so hard and when I was 11 ... my mom got me tickets to Jingle Bell Ball," she said.

The singer, recently nominated for three Grammys, proved to be otherwise, and sang a few of her best-known songs, including "Telephone," "Just Dance" and "Edge of Glory."

She opened her performance by singing between several Christmas trees; later, she performed on a keytar shaped like a Christmas tree, and she ended the night dressed in a hospital gown, re-enacting the theme of her latest video, "Marry the Night."

A portion of the evening's proceeds will go to "STOMP Out Bullying," a program designed to reduce and prevent bullying, a cause close to Gaga's heart. Earlier this week, she went to the White House to meet with officials about the matter.

"It's important to keep everybody safe in school," Gaga told the audience before launching into her inspirational anthem "Born This Way."

She also told her fans that she was happy to be in New York City during the holidays.

Hollywood conjures up Harry Potter park

Harry Potter is going Hollywood with a new theme park based at Universal Studios that will feature a Hogwarts castle as its centerpiece alongside rollercoasters and other rides.

NBCUniversal and film studio Warner Bros on Tuesday unveiled "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," which
will be built at the Universal Studios Hollywood site with attractions that are similar to the money-spinning Potter theme park opened in June 2010 at Universal's resort in Orlando, Florida.

The new theme park could take 3-4 years to construct and is likely to cost several hundred million dollars but will create more than 1,000 jobs and is expected to boost tourism to the Los Angeles area, officials said.

Toasting Tuesday's announcement with mugs of "Butterbeer", officials said the Hollywood park will be centered around a huge Hogwarts castle and feature rides and other attractions based on the adventures of the popular British boy wizard and his friends who use sorcery to battle evil.

Author JK Rowling's Harry Potter book series have sold some 450 million copies worldwide and the eight movies from the Warner Bros. studios have taken more than $7.7 billion at global box-offices, making the films the largest-grossing franchise in history.

With its Dragon's Challenge rollercoaster and life-size model of the Hogwarts Express train, the 20-acre "Wizarding World" park in Orlando has proved a huge success with fans. It drew more than 7 million visitors in its first year and boosted NBCUniversal's theme park revenue by 33 % to $1.5 billion for the first nine months of 2011, according to company results.

Officials did not say how many of the Florida rides would make their way to the Hollywood park, nor did they say if any new rides were envisaged. But they did say the new attraction would be created with the same commitment to authenticity with the books and movies as the one in Florida.

"Everyone involved with these projects is committed to continuing the enchantment of JK Rowling's masterful books as they were brought to life on screen in our eight films and dedicated to extending the magic of the experience for generations of fans to come," Meyer said.

Metallica review: Band turns 30 at the Fillmore

James Hetfield thrusts one leg forward, pulls back one of his tattoo-covered biceps and holds his guitar dangerously close to his chest - the universal pose for a guy who is ready to kick butt. But something is clearly wrong with this picture.

It takes a few minutes to figure it out because it's late, kind of smoky and, well, it just doesn't look right. But the front man for Metallica - once regarded as the fiercest heavy metal band on the planet - is smiling.

It's not one of those satanic smirks, either, but the kind of full-on Invisalign grin you see in the waiting room at the dentist's office. If you want to get technical about it, it might even be an actual grin. What has the world come to?

It's Monday night and Metallica is celebrating its 30th anniversary in the relatively intimate environs of its favorite hometown venue, the Fillmore. Just a few weeks ago, the group was playing enormous shows in such exotic locales as Rio de Janeiro, Abu Dhabi and Bangalore.

But to mark this occasion, the black-clad quartet has rented the venue for the week and is playing exclusively for members of its fan club who were lucky enough to score $6 tickets - or $19.81 for all four nights (the sold-out shows continue tonight, Friday and Saturday).

Opens at 7

The doors open at 7 p.m., but the band doesn't actually take the stage until four hours later, giving fans the opportunity to watch comedian Jim Breuer and not one but two novelty Metallica tribute acts - the Soul Rebels brass band and Finnish cello rockers Apocalyptica.

Some fans use the long wait to get so wasted they are escorted from the venue before Metallica plays a note - their $125 orange and black baseball jerseys acting as bitter souvenirs draped on their backs.

Three hours of music

They have vowed not to play the same song twice during the residency, which is bad news for anyone who misses the show and is hoping to hear chug-chug-chugging classics like "Leper Messiah," "Damage, Inc." (with former bassist Jason Newsted) or "One" (with accompaniment by Apocalyptica). Each one is awesome beyond words.

The whole thing doesn't feel so much like a casual rehearsal as a hang session - which is wonderful for the fans. There is a bit with stools and acoustic guitars. One lucky guy gets pulled onstage to play guitar on "Wherever I May Roam." The group plays a previously unreleased - and frankly dreadful - song, "Hate Train," from the "Death Magnetic" sessions and then hilariously turns it into the running joke of the night.

At one point, Hetfield barks to no one in particular, "Hey, we're onstage. ... Get with it!" But he clearly doesn't mean it. They're having too much fun.

Guests are promised and they eventually arrive - John Marshall of Metal Church ("Sad But True"), Biff Byford of Saxon ("Motorcycle Man") and four songs with Diamond Head's Brian Tatler and Sean Harris. Then they all come out at the end for "Seek and Destroy."

It's not exactly Green Day or Lou Reed - not tonight. But it's obvious these relics from 1986 clearly mean a lot to the four guys onstage. Maybe it's OK, just once, that Metallica cuts loose and has a blast. And if they want to cap the night off with a burst of confetti and balloons, well, we won't tell anyone.

Rosie O'Donnell's fiancee Michelle Rounds flashes engagement ring shortly after couple announces engagement

The only thing brighter than her shiny new engagement ring is her smile.

Michelle Rounds, Rosie O'Donnell's recently proclaimed fiancée, flashed a little bling in a photo that O'Donnell tweeted Monday night.

"so so so happy," the actress and comedian wrote.


O'Donnell, 49, and Rounds, 40, stepped out officially as a couple back in September and the TV host has often joked about their initial meeting at a local Starbucks.

"I thought she was a 28-year-old heterosexual girl, because that's what she looked like to me. And she's a 40-year-old gay woman," O'Donnell said on ABC's "Nightline" in October. "My gaydar was way off!"


Rounds' family were taken by surprise as well.

It soon surfaced that none of her close relatives knew the headhunter was a lesbian until they read about it in the papers.

"It totally hit us out of left field," Rounds' father, Roger Rounds, told the National Enquirer in October. "This has been a painful experience for me and my wife.

"We'd always held out hope that Michelle would eventually find a nice guy to marry, settle downa nd have kids."

Rounds will soon be, however, stepmom to O'Donnell's four children from her previous marriage to Kelli Carpenter.

Sony To Distribute The Evil Dead Remake

Sam Raimi’s beloved but intense horror film THE EVIL DEAD was THE horror film to see when I was growing up in the eighties, that featured the now iconic cult actor Bruce Campbell in his signature role of Ash. The film also spanned two (even better) sequels that eventually saw the franchises director given a shot at the mainstream.

Going on to make dark action thriller DARKMAN, critical hit A SIMPLE PLAN and of course the SPIDER-MAN trilogy, Raimi last year announced plans to produce along, with long-term partner Robert Tapert.

Today Sony Pictures have confirmed that they will distribute the film in the US after the film is completed late next year. Raimi personally handpicked director Fede Alverez to helm the new project, after being impressed with his script for THE EVIL DEAD. JUNO and JENNIFER’S BODY scribe Diablo Cody also worked on the screenplay.

Published On: Sun, Dec 4th, 2011 Film | By John Sharp Starship Troopers To Be Rebooted

What’s that buzzing noise? Why, it’s the sound of an upcoming STARSHIP TROOPERS reboot. Sony Pictures producer Neil H. Moritz has announced his intention to bring us a new version of Paul Verhoeven’s bug splatting war epic. The 1997 original, starring Casper Van Dien (SLEEPY HOLLOW) and Denise Richards (WILD THINGS) was, and is, loved and loathed in equal measure. But, by bringing on board screenwriting duo Zack Stentz and Edward Miller, the men behind this years THOR and X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, this could actually be pretty good.

This is not the first Verhoeven movie to be updated by Moritz. Alongside Toby Jaffe, he is currently producing a remake of TOTAL RECALL (1990) with Colin Farrell assuming the role of Doug Quaid, made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Much like that film is reported to refer back to the source novel, WE CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE by Philip K. Dick, this TROOPERS remake will likely do the same.