Van Morrison's company Exile Productions has announced an exclusive licence with EMI Music for worldwide release of a new compilation entitled 'Van Morrison At The Movies,' coinciding with an Oscar week award celebrating Van's compositions as used in film. The US -- Ireland Alliance will honour Van Morrison for his compositions as used in the movies at a special event staged in Los Angeles on February 22. Held at the Wilshire Ebell, the event will ... [full story]

Movie Review of "THE GOOD GERMAN" One would think that between the stellar talents of director Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic," "Erin Brockovich," "Sex, Lies and Videotape") screenwriter Paul Attanasio ("Sum of All Fears," "Donnie Brasco," "Quiz Show") and three of the most winning actors on screen today (Clooney, Blanchett and Maguire), "The Good German" would be, at the very least, "good." Even great. But like five-day old sauerbrauten, it is surprisingly unpalatable.  The impossibly overly-complicated, undernourished ... [full story]

Museum of Natural and Cultural History to host documentary film festival in February. The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History will host three programs from the "Margaret Mead Traveling Film and Video Festival" on Friday evenings in February. The festival, organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, is the longest-running showcase for international documentaries in the United States, encompassing a broad spectrum of work from indigenous community media ... [full story]

Killing time on the train from London to visit family and friends in northern England, Paul Blackthorne whipped out the pilot script for "The Dresden Files" for a quick read. A couple of hours later - having thoroughly digested the screenplay based on Jim Butcher's series of novels featuring professional wizard-low-grade, private eye-small-time Chicago police department consultant Harry Dresden - Blackthorne thought to himself, "Goodness me, that looks like fun." PAUL BLACKTHORNE - Paul Blackthorne ... [full story]

"American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" by Chris Hedges; Free Press; 255 pages; $25.   The chords Hedges pounds out in "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" might have rung more clearly and carried further before the results of the Nov. 7 elections were in. Still, the problems with this book are more than a case of unfortunate timing: Hedges has constructed a slippery slope and then gone and ... [full story]

Corporate America Should Look to NFL diversity   Corporate America can afford to learn a thing or two from the National Football League's (NFL) recent ground-breaking accomplishment of two African- American head coaches leading their teams to the Super Bowl. For the first time in history, African-American head coaches Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears will face each other at this year's Super Bowl. Joe Watson is a dynamic management ... [full story]

Chances are good that Julie Andrews has been there, done that. She started out in British vaudeville at the age of 7, traversing England and adjacent territories with her singing mother and stepfather. In the process, Andrews became the youngest entertainer to perform in a Royal Command Performance before Queen Elizabeth, King George VI, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was a thrilling event, offering the emergence of her perfect-pitch, four-octave voice. JULIE ANDREWS - ... [full story]

Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, Titanic and Lord of the Rings among 400 films to vie for the title of greatest movie of all time   American Film Institute announced the 10th annual installment of its Emmy Award-winning AFI's 100 Years... series. AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies -- 10th Anniversary Edition will count down the 100 greatest movies of all time in a three-hour television event on CBS in June. The program will consider classic favorites and ... [full story]

How would it feel to be Spider-Man? What would it be like to fight crime as a superhero in one of the most captivating cities in the world - New York City? Picture yourself sending your super web powers into the air to disarm one of Spidey's extraordinary nemeses like Doc Ock, Mysterio, Shocker or Rhino, then with a quick flick of the wrist, wrapping them up rodeo style - all without breaking a sweat. ... [full story]

Tour kick-off at B.B. King's in New York City In-Store January 23, 2007   Date City/State Venue 2/6 Seattle, WA Dimitriou's Jazz Alley 2/7 Seattle, WA Dimitriou's Jazz Alley 2/9 ... [full story]

Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI) and its Discovery Films unit have acquired rights to DOX Productions' and Passion Films' IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON. Discovery Films, the theatrical documentary unit of DCI, will have an equity interest in North American theatrical distribution, branding rights and exclusive North American television rights to the film. The announcement was made prior to the film's world premiere as part of the Sundance Film Festival's World Cinema Competition on Friday, ... [full story]

After two years as #1, Tom Hanks drops to #2, according to a new Harris Poll Hollywood movie star Denzel Washington returns to the list of America's favorite movie stars in dramatic fashion, taking the number one position after dropping off the top ten list in 2005. Dropping from number one to number two is Tom Hanks, while movie legend John Wayne remains in third place. Tough guy Clint Eastwood jumps up two spots to ... [full story]

Digital Sales of Appassionato - His First Sony Classical Release in Two Years - Eclipse CD Sales Sony BMG Masterworks is proud to announce that legendary recording artist Yo-Yo Ma is the first in the label's history to have an album sell more digital copies than CDs in its first week. Released on January 9, the Grammy-winning cellist's Sony Classical recording Appassionato also enjoyed the all-time highest percentage of first week digital sales for ... [full story]