The world premiere of “A Star Is Born” received a warm eight-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival after the musical drama’s gala screening was marred by a roughly 15-minute interruption due to a technical glitch caused by lightning.
After loud cheers and clapping following the end credits, Lady Gaga smiled and looked relieved and director Bradley Cooper said “thank you for staying!” as the Warner Bros. delegation left the Palazzo del Cinema auditorium.
The screening went black about an hour into the movie, just after a burst of clapping greeted the first duet between Cooper and Lady Gaga. When the light was turned back on there was clapping at first, then increasing tension filled the room as a voice said in Italian that the screening would resume as soon as possible. Then Lady Gaga, after sitting very still, began blowing kisses to the audience, which cheered. ‘You are amazing!
After loud cheers and clapping following the end credits, Lady Gaga smiled and looked relieved and director Bradley Cooper said “thank you for staying!” as the Warner Bros. delegation left the Palazzo del Cinema auditorium.
The screening went black about an hour into the movie, just after a burst of clapping greeted the first duet between Cooper and Lady Gaga. When the light was turned back on there was clapping at first, then increasing tension filled the room as a voice said in Italian that the screening would resume as soon as possible. Then Lady Gaga, after sitting very still, began blowing kisses to the audience, which cheered. ‘You are amazing!
- 8/31/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A Good Day to Die Hard is top of the pops, the Valentine's Day battle is won by This Is 40, and Run for Your Wife – why?
The winner
Critics may have questioned the need for a fifth Die Hard movie, but audiences signalled their sustained interest in the franchise, powering the latest instalment to an opening of £4.55m. That was enough for A Good Day to Die Hard to elbow Wreck-It Ralph aside, claiming the chart crown. On closer inspection, however, the Bruce Willis flick saw its takings inflated by Valentine's Day previews totaling £1.28m. Strip those out, and A Good Day's debut falls to £3.27m, below Wreck-It's second-weekend takings of £3.43m. It's actually doing better in the UK than the Us, going by the accepted rule of thumb. The Us four-day opening of $37.54m would typically yield a UK equivalent of £3.8m, but the actual achieved result...
The winner
Critics may have questioned the need for a fifth Die Hard movie, but audiences signalled their sustained interest in the franchise, powering the latest instalment to an opening of £4.55m. That was enough for A Good Day to Die Hard to elbow Wreck-It Ralph aside, claiming the chart crown. On closer inspection, however, the Bruce Willis flick saw its takings inflated by Valentine's Day previews totaling £1.28m. Strip those out, and A Good Day's debut falls to £3.27m, below Wreck-It's second-weekend takings of £3.43m. It's actually doing better in the UK than the Us, going by the accepted rule of thumb. The Us four-day opening of $37.54m would typically yield a UK equivalent of £3.8m, but the actual achieved result...
- 2/20/2013
- by Charles Gant
- The Guardian - Film News
If you’re looking for something gently humorous, and entirely unchallenging to take your elderly parents or grandparents to, Quartet should fit the bill. And that’s exactly what you’ll get; an amiable bore full of underplayed drama and mildly spirited comedy. If the idea of film set in a retirement home for elderly musicians sounds like a drag, don’t bother, but for those who have an affinity for lighthearted, predictable productions featuring some of the best actors working in the U.K., there may be just enough to Quartet to recommend.
Based on the 1999 play by Ronald Harwood and directed by Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, Quartet is entirely set at Beecham House, named after Sir Thomas Beecham, a famously oddball British conductor. It’s a picturesque rural mansion that serves as a dwelling for over-the-hill orchestra and operatic performers who wish to spend their final years in relative comfort and like-minded companionship.
Based on the 1999 play by Ronald Harwood and directed by Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, Quartet is entirely set at Beecham House, named after Sir Thomas Beecham, a famously oddball British conductor. It’s a picturesque rural mansion that serves as a dwelling for over-the-hill orchestra and operatic performers who wish to spend their final years in relative comfort and like-minded companionship.
- 1/28/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, and we might as well just go ahead and call it The Best Exotic Home for Retired Musicians -- it’s even got Maggie Smith with a dud hip again. As the new trend in codger comedy at the movies goes, however, this is one of the most straight-up enjoyable examples of the nascent subgenre. Yes, it skims past the tough realities of growing old, with just the lightest hint of one character’s possibly worsening Alzheimer’s, but so what? Older characters -- and older audiences who’d like to see people resembling themselves onscreen -- deserve light dramedy too. Not every movie about older folks needs to dwell on the downsides of aging, not when there are upsides. Such as the very longstanding friendships that may make the golden years a time to hang and have fun with people who still get you,...
- 1/22/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Dustin Hoffman directs a stellar cast in this bittersweet tale of ageing opera singers forced to face their mortality
Dustin Hoffman was 30 when he made his screen debut as the 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. Three years later, in 1970, he played the 121-year-old frontiersman Jack Crabb in Arthur Penn's western Little Big Man. In his 50s he returned to star as Willy Loman and Shylock. So he knows something about the vagaries of ageing. It seems therefore not inappropriate that he makes his confident directorial debut at 75, directing a formidable ensemble cast ranging in age from the 31-year-old Sheridan Smith to actors pushing 80 and beyond in a movie adapted by the 78-year-old Ronald Harwood from his own adroitly crafted play Quartet.
Sheridan Smith plays Dr Lucy Cogan, sympathetic manager and resident physician at Beecham House, a handsomely appointed home for elderly opera singers fallen on hard times. It's...
Dustin Hoffman was 30 when he made his screen debut as the 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. Three years later, in 1970, he played the 121-year-old frontiersman Jack Crabb in Arthur Penn's western Little Big Man. In his 50s he returned to star as Willy Loman and Shylock. So he knows something about the vagaries of ageing. It seems therefore not inappropriate that he makes his confident directorial debut at 75, directing a formidable ensemble cast ranging in age from the 31-year-old Sheridan Smith to actors pushing 80 and beyond in a movie adapted by the 78-year-old Ronald Harwood from his own adroitly crafted play Quartet.
Sheridan Smith plays Dr Lucy Cogan, sympathetic manager and resident physician at Beecham House, a handsomely appointed home for elderly opera singers fallen on hard times. It's...
- 1/6/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Maybe it’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel effect. Maybe you can trace it back to the success of Downton Abbey. Heck, maybe it’s just Maggie Smith, but it appears that films headlined by respected, veteran British actors are now a force to be reckoned with at both the box office and at awards ceremonies.
Not long ago a film like Quartet would have struggled to get off the ground in the first place, let alone arrive in cinemas with a healthy promotional push and a handful of nominations already in the bag from the likes of Bifa and the Golden Globes.
Whether through luck or good judgment, Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut has been able to ride on the coattails of its predecessors’ success into cinemas and so feels like an incredibly safe bet. Just a quick glance at Hoffman’s acting career though and it’s clear...
Not long ago a film like Quartet would have struggled to get off the ground in the first place, let alone arrive in cinemas with a healthy promotional push and a handful of nominations already in the bag from the likes of Bifa and the Golden Globes.
Whether through luck or good judgment, Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut has been able to ride on the coattails of its predecessors’ success into cinemas and so feels like an incredibly safe bet. Just a quick glance at Hoffman’s acting career though and it’s clear...
- 1/2/2013
- by Joe Cunningham
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Dustin Hoffman squanders a high-grade cast in a stale directorial debut about a group of retirement-home singers
Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut about four old people in a retirement home for classical musicians and singers has some polish, but it is stale, lifeless and often weirdly humourless, like the filmed record of some sort of glossy brochure photoshoot. It should be possible to make a film about old people without condescension, but this sadly isn't the one. I had similar reservations about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, released earlier this year; at least that had a persistent touch of fun.
Yet here it seems as if Hoffman was overawed by the poshness of all the classical music and Brit thesps. Maggie Smith plays Jean, a haughty former diva who is the newest entrant in this grandest of old people's homes, where inmates include a bullying old ex-producer called Cedric (Michael Gambon...
Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut about four old people in a retirement home for classical musicians and singers has some polish, but it is stale, lifeless and often weirdly humourless, like the filmed record of some sort of glossy brochure photoshoot. It should be possible to make a film about old people without condescension, but this sadly isn't the one. I had similar reservations about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, released earlier this year; at least that had a persistent touch of fun.
Yet here it seems as if Hoffman was overawed by the poshness of all the classical music and Brit thesps. Maggie Smith plays Jean, a haughty former diva who is the newest entrant in this grandest of old people's homes, where inmates include a bullying old ex-producer called Cedric (Michael Gambon...
- 12/28/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
New York -- Character singer Charles Anthony, who set the record for most appearances at the Metropolitan Opera – 2,928 – during a career that spanned from 1954 to 2010, died Wednesday. He was 82.
Anthony, a tenor, died at his home in Tampa, Fla., from kidney failure following a long illness, Met spokesman Peter Clark said.
"Your talent, demeanor, joy and heart will be missed," mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer wrote on Twitter. "What a loss."
Beginning his career at the old Met on Broadway and moving uptown with the company to its new home at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1966, Anthony was a "comprimario," or supporting singer.
He shared the stage with the greatest classical artists of several eras, performing in the Met debuts of Marian Anderson, Birgit Nilsson, Jon Vickers, Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Joan Sutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Jose Carreras.
"It's no exaggeration to say that Charlie Anthony is the soul of the Metropolitan Opera,...
Anthony, a tenor, died at his home in Tampa, Fla., from kidney failure following a long illness, Met spokesman Peter Clark said.
"Your talent, demeanor, joy and heart will be missed," mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer wrote on Twitter. "What a loss."
Beginning his career at the old Met on Broadway and moving uptown with the company to its new home at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1966, Anthony was a "comprimario," or supporting singer.
He shared the stage with the greatest classical artists of several eras, performing in the Met debuts of Marian Anderson, Birgit Nilsson, Jon Vickers, Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Joan Sutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Jose Carreras.
"It's no exaggeration to say that Charlie Anthony is the soul of the Metropolitan Opera,...
- 2/16/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Midge Ure became the first celebrity to leave ITV’s Popstar To Operastar last night, when he and former Pussycat Dolls star Melody Thornton found themselves in the bottom two after receiving the lowest amount of public votes.
The decision between the two singers was then in the hands of the judging panel and while Rolando and Vanessa Mae voted to save Midge, Simon Callow voted to save Melody, leading to Katherine Jenkins casting the deciding vote, as this week’s head judge.
The Welsh singer voted to save Melody saying:
“The biggest improvement for me, and if we were to give them another song, they could come up with more, is Melody.”
Upon being voted out, Midge Ure said: “I’ll have to go back to my day job. No-one wants to go in the first round but I think I did a reasonable job and I go out with great aplomb.
The decision between the two singers was then in the hands of the judging panel and while Rolando and Vanessa Mae voted to save Midge, Simon Callow voted to save Melody, leading to Katherine Jenkins casting the deciding vote, as this week’s head judge.
The Welsh singer voted to save Melody saying:
“The biggest improvement for me, and if we were to give them another song, they could come up with more, is Melody.”
Upon being voted out, Midge Ure said: “I’ll have to go back to my day job. No-one wants to go in the first round but I think I did a reasonable job and I go out with great aplomb.
- 6/6/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Midge Ure has become the first celebrity to leave Popstar to Operastar. The Ultravox frontman and Live Aid mastermind exited the competition after being voted into a sing-off with Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton by viewers. After performing 'Questa O Quella' from Verdi's Rigoletto again for the competition's judges, Ure initially appeared to have kept his spot on the ITV show, as panelists Rolando Villazon and Vanessa-Mae gave him their backing. In their comments, Villazon branded Ure as the "performer that felt more comfortable", while Vanessa Mae stated that the 57-year-old "took a risk and really had fun and made me believe". However, their co-judge Simon Callow sided with Thornton after declaring that she "embraced the extra possibilities" of her performance of 'Habanera' from Carmen, leaving (more)...
- 6/5/2011
- by By Daniel Sperling
- Digital Spy
There are all sorts of outdoor events to choose from this summer, be it gig, classical concert, film showing or theatre production
Film4 Summer Screen, London
From 27 July-7 August, the courtyard at Somerset House will host cinema evenings on an open-air screen with DJ sessions beforehand. Picnics are encouraged. The Big Blue and The Apartment are in the schedule.
Leeds Castle Open Air Classical Concert The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra plays an evening concert on 16 July in the castle gardens. The programme includes Verdi's Rigoletto, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Elgar's Enigma Variations. Picnic tickets, £34.
Green Man festival, Wales This alt folk event attracts a laid-back crowd and decent acts, which include Fleet Foxes and Iron And Wine. From 19-21 August in Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons.
Shakespeare's Globe, touring There's nothing worse than bad theatre, but you're in safe hands with the Globe. They're performing Hamlet around the country...
Film4 Summer Screen, London
From 27 July-7 August, the courtyard at Somerset House will host cinema evenings on an open-air screen with DJ sessions beforehand. Picnics are encouraged. The Big Blue and The Apartment are in the schedule.
Leeds Castle Open Air Classical Concert The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra plays an evening concert on 16 July in the castle gardens. The programme includes Verdi's Rigoletto, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Elgar's Enigma Variations. Picnic tickets, £34.
Green Man festival, Wales This alt folk event attracts a laid-back crowd and decent acts, which include Fleet Foxes and Iron And Wine. From 19-21 August in Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons.
Shakespeare's Globe, touring There's nothing worse than bad theatre, but you're in safe hands with the Globe. They're performing Hamlet around the country...
- 5/6/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Opera novice Mike Figgis is taking charge of Lucrezia Borgia at the Eno. Trouser parts and Renaissance porn were part of a steep learning curve
Mike Figgis is about to make his debut as an opera director at English National Opera. But his production of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia is hardly the fulfilment of a dream for the 62-year-old Oscar-nominated director. "I was never an opera-goer growing up. I was a jazz musician. I'd go and see Miles Davis. It would never cross my mind to go to the opera. My only preconceptions about opera were based on clips I had seen, to be honest." He smiles sheepishly beneath his mop of hair. "I only went to my first opera three or four years ago, when my girlfriend took me to the Met in New York."
Figgis is the latest in a long line of Eno's recruits from the worlds...
Mike Figgis is about to make his debut as an opera director at English National Opera. But his production of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia is hardly the fulfilment of a dream for the 62-year-old Oscar-nominated director. "I was never an opera-goer growing up. I was a jazz musician. I'd go and see Miles Davis. It would never cross my mind to go to the opera. My only preconceptions about opera were based on clips I had seen, to be honest." He smiles sheepishly beneath his mop of hair. "I only went to my first opera three or four years ago, when my girlfriend took me to the Met in New York."
Figgis is the latest in a long line of Eno's recruits from the worlds...
- 1/21/2011
- by Tom Service
- The Guardian - Film News
hollywoodnews.com: On the occasion of the Sihh watch show in Geneva, Iwc Schaffhausen celebrated its new Portofino watch collection with a glamorous event attended by 900 guests and well-known Friends of the Brand. Cate Blanchett and Kevin Spacey enjoyed “A night in Portofino” in the same carefree style as Elle Macpherson, Jean Reno, Matthew Fox and Marc Forster. Other friends are Boris Becker, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane as well as Tim Jefferies and Ronan Keating. Further highlights of the evening included the world premiere of a photo exhibition featuring these friends and other stars shot by celebrated photographer Peter Lindbergh, a “making-of” film of the shoot and an impressive performance by Zurich Opera House, with a 60-strong orchestra and tenor Neil Shicoff.
For 900 guests from all over the world, “A night in Portofino” was an unforgettable event that captured the irresistible style of the 1950s and 60s. Stepping on...
For 900 guests from all over the world, “A night in Portofino” was an unforgettable event that captured the irresistible style of the 1950s and 60s. Stepping on...
- 1/19/2011
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
I had the good fortune this summer to visit Venice, Italy, one of the wonders of this world. Wandering through the canals and alleys of this amazing city, I happened upon La Fenice, the major opera house in Venice, and was surprised that a tour was available in the depths of August. La Fenice is most appropriately named; its name means "The Phoenix." Several times in its history it has been destroyed by fire, most recently in 1996, and has re-emerged more beautiful than before. La Fenice has been one of the most important opera houses for over two centuries. Donizetti, Bellini and numerous other composers were commissioned to write operas for this amazing house. Verdi alone wrote "Attila," "Rigoletto," "La Traviata" and "Simon Boccanegra" for La Fenice! Walking into its astonishing, ornate, albeit intimate, hall today, one cannot...
- 9/20/2010
- by Michael Kaiser
- Huffington Post
There won't be a sniff of auto tune around here, as the BBC broadcast a live staging of Verdi's Rigoletto, featuring Placido Domingo. Rigoletto Live should count as four out of your five-a-day cultural requirements, and it'll also be terrific entertainment. Rigoletto sounds like it belongs on the supermarket shelf next to penne, rigatoni and fusilli, but it's one of Verdi's most tragic of operas.
- 9/3/2010
- Sky TV
Verdi's popular masterpiece Rigoletto returns to the repertory on January 24 with baritone Roberto Frontali making his Met role debut as the hunchback jester and conductor Riccardo Frizza in his company debut. They are joined by Aleksandra Kurzak as Gilda and Giuseppe Filianoti as the Duke of Mantua, both of whom are also singing their roles for the first time at the Met. Viktoria Vizin makes her Met debut as Maddalena, and Mikhail Petrenko sings his first Sparafucile with the company. Georgian bass George Gagnidze makes his Met debut on January 27 in the title role and sings the following five performances through February 12. Piotr Beczala, whose performances as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor last fall drew wide acclaim, sings the Duke on February 12. A second run of performances begins April 1 and features the first Met Gilda of Diana Damrau, who earlier this season created a sensation with her interpretation of...
- 1/19/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.