Been listening to a lot of late 60s acid rock lately and discovered this awesome song by an obscure UK psychedelic group Andromeda featuring Atomic Rooster’s legendary guitarist/vocalist

Read the original: 
Andromeda – Return To Exodus 1969

Song: “Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)” Artist: John Denver Album: Farewell Andromeda Year: 1973

View original post here: 
John Denver- Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)

.A 20-year-old Brazilian model who lost her hands and feet to an infection has died in hospital of medical complications, according to a family statement on her website.
“It’s with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Mari, today [Saturday] at 2:30am [local time],” her family wrote on the site of Mariana Bridi da Costa.
They said she died of a generalised infection and abdominal bleeding.
Doctors at the Dorio Silva Hospital in Serra, in the south-eastern state of Espirito Santo, earlier this month amputated Bridi’s hands and feet because of irreparable tissue damage caused by a urinary infection.
National news websites, including G1, O Globo and Estadao, quoted authorities confirming the information.
Bridi was an up-and-coming model before the tragedy struck.
She was diagnosed with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium, which can prove fatal.
She twice made it into the national finals for the Miss World contest, and last year travelled to China to participate in the Miss Bikini International pageant.
“It is important to stress that, in Mari’s 20 years of life, she lived intensely and was very happy,” the family said in their statement.
Her family and media on Friday had launched an appeal for blood donors to help Bridi, who had the rare O negative blood type.
–

.
O Globo said Bridi was to buried late Saturday

.
Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber says the long-awaited sequel to Phantom of the Opera should be ready at the end of 2009, with a possible simultaneous opening on three continents, the Associated Press reported.
Lloyd Webber told The Times of London that he hopes the new musical, to be called Phantom: Love Never Dies, will open in New York, London and possibly Shanghai or another Asian city. The sequel will be set about 10 years after the original, which has been seen by approximately 80 million theatergoers in 124 cities worldwide.
The locale of the celebrated musical will be switched from the Paris Opera to New York’s Coney Island. .
And who will play the Phantom? Lloyd Webber is keeping that secret for now.

.
Science fiction shows–including NBC’s Heroes, ABC’s Lost and Fox’s Fringe–were among the year’s top 10 most “time-shifted TV series”–the most TiVo’d, to you and me–according to the Nielsen Co., Variety reported.
In a second list that ranked shows in order of the percentage increase attributable to time-shifted viewing, SCI FI Channel’s Battlestar Galactica came out on top, notching a whopping 53 percent jump in households. The new list is a ranking of the programs that saw the biggest increases in DVR use in 2008. .
Other strong cable showings included SCI FI’s Sanctuary (35 percent) and Eureka (34 percent)

.
Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett are the first to sign on for the sequel to Tron, called either TR2N or Tron 2.0, depending on which Hollywood trade paper is doing the reporting.
Sean Bailey is producing along with Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, and Jeff Silver.
The sequel to the 1982 Disney movie is being directed by Joseph Kosinski, a commercial director.
The new movie is acting as a “next chapter,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The original centered on a programmer who is thrust into a computer and forced to fight in games he helped create. Garrett will play a siren in the virtual world. Plot details are being guarded closely, but Wilde will play a worker in the virtual world who tries to help fight Master Control Program, the villainous intelligence protocol that was the nemesis in the original film.
Tron 2.
The male lead has not been cast, but the studio and filmmakers are screen-testing actors as it brings on other leads and supporting players. Kosinski shot reels to test technology and showcase his vision for the film the footage screened at Comic-Con in July and was one of the most buzzed-about films coming out of the geekfest.0 is eyeing a spring shoot and is shaping up as one of the studio’s most anticipated projects in years.
Jeff Bridges is expected to reprise his role from the original movie.

.
us spoke one on one with Scott Derrickson, director of The Day the Earth Stood Still, mainly to ask him: What were you thinking? A remake of Robert Wise’s 1951 SF classic? Keanu Reeves as Klaatu??
What he had to say persuaded us to reconsider the project, which opens today.
In it, Reeves plays an alien who arrives on Earth, takes human form and carries a warning to humanity. But before he can deliver it, he is captured and subjected to interrogation. Klaatu, Helen and her son, Jacob (Jaden Smith), find themselves on the run. Upon his escape, he forges a bond with a sympathetic astrophysicist, Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly). 12. (There are some spoilers ahead!) The Day the Earth Stood Still opens in conventional theaters and IMAX theaters on Dec.
Keanu actually brings a lot of subtlety to his portrayal of an alien who finds himself in a human body and isn’t quite sure how it works. You know, when he turns to Kathy Bates and has that dialogue with her, his eyes are, like, really black, and that’s not an effect or anything: That’s the actor, just in this weird space.
Derrickson: It’s subtle and yet very effective.. . And Kathy Bates came up to me between takes when we were shooting that scene, she said, “Hey, he’s really freaking me out..” She was, like, generally kind of disturbed! And I thought, “My God, if you can throw Kathy Bates off in an acting scene, that’s something.” She was, like, generally kind of disturbed! And I thought, “My God, if you can throw Kathy Bates off in an acting scene, that’s something. Yet you know there is something going on.

The other thing is that he’s playing emotions, just not human emotions, and they don’t express themselves in the way that you would read a human emotion..
Derrickson: . The only other actor I’ve been able to compare him to in his ability to do that is Harrison Ford, and I think that they’re both actors that never got enough credit, never got any nominations [Ford's actually been nominated for an Oscar], and what they do is something that very few actors can do, to make you feel that, to feel there’s something going on on the surface which is very interesting and complex, and I’m tracking it and I’m feeling it and I understand it, but to articulate it would almost be impossible… .
You got a question about this film’s ending.. At first it bothered me, and then I realized what Keanu said about a big stick: that it’s one thing to force the human race to change, it’s another to decide that you have faith after this experience that the human race will evolve in the right way on its own. At first it bothered me, and then I realized what Keanu said about a big stick: that it’s one thing to force the human race to change, it’s another to decide that you have faith after this experience that the human race will evolve in the right way on its own. Is that kind of what you had in mind?
Derrickson: One hundred percent. … Klaatu’s journey is a journey of discovering what he ultimately believes we are capable of doing. And it starts with Mr. Wu [James Hong], you know, which is my favorite scene in the movie. That was the reason I did the movie, aside from the script. … . [That humans] do have a capacity, especially when under duress, to make radical and significant changes. That, coupled with his own love that he developed for what humanity was, I think that he was examining at it then and deciding, “I can’t just sacrifice them or the planet. I’m going to take a shot at keeping both.” And that’s kind of the decision that I think he makes at the end. That’s certainly the story that I was trying to tell.
This story continues below the image.

Jennifer Connelly is Dr. Helen Benson and Keanu Reeves is Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still. (Doane Gregory for Fox)
So in that sense he doesn’t need to necessarily tell anybody. He just needs to step back.
Derrickson: Yeah, he basically just needed to stop this process that he had started and see what happens. And I think that it’s very likely that he would monitor it and see what’s going on, but he definitely is going to step back and let us do our thing. And, I think, I like the idea, like I said, the Jesus analogy is the only one I can use, because it is the one that I thought through with the ending: that, you know, when Jesus died, people didn’t know his message, and it was only a handful of people, but it became the thing that went and changed Western civilization. And I liked the idea that he is this messianic kind of figure that makes the sacrifice, and that when he’s done, what he did and why he did it … would spread and that [it] would be the roots of change itself. That’s my prediction at the ending. And … the other thing that’s interesting, to me, is that there’s nothing in the movie that gives any indication for how long the power is going to be off. Is it off forever? Is it off for the day that the Earth stands still? … Are we going to figure out how to get it back on? I don’t know. And I liked leaving that open, because that’s the stuff that’s fun to talk about.
I was talking with a friend, saying that this film is really the prequel to The Road.
Derrickson: [Laughs] That’s great. …
Your remake is careful to include things that come from the original movie. Are there specific things that you wanted to make sure were in there?
Derrickson: I definitely wanted to keep the math equation with Barnhardt [John Cleese]. It was always one of my favorite parts of the movie. … The character of Barnhardt being this great mind and that he comes in and he has this equation that he deals with. …
The spaceship and the spacesuit that Klaatu comes out in and Gort: It’s not just a matter of having those things in the movie, but … the fact that those three things so didn’t belong to the normal world of that movie, [but] that they so belonged to the world of each other. Like they all had a relationship to each other that felt [right] they all fit together, they all belonged to each other. And that was something I tried to preserve, too: that the ship, in this case this giant sphere, and the spacesuit and then Gort had some kind of an interesting biomechanical kind of relationship to each other that’s alien … [but] that they do fit to each other. …
This story continues below the image.

Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval in The Day the Earth Stood Still. (WETA)
I think that the number-one thing on the overall picture–it’s not a specific, it’s more a sensibility–when I saw the film for the first time, what I was most affected by the story just being a great story, this alien observing human nature. But I … am still really impressed and struck by the uniqueness of that film’s balance between spectacle and big entertainment value and big spaceships and big robots and thrills and scare–and these kind of quiet, intimate moments. And the big, giant sci-fi scale combined with quiet, human, serious, real character material. And … there aren’t a lot of science fiction films that have done that, and I think that that overall sensibility was the thing that I most wanted to take from the original to this story as well, because it’s not usual, it’s not typical.
I also noticed you threw a theremin in there, too.
Derrickson: There’s actually theremin all over that score. … When people think of the theremin, of course, they think of that weird, unworldly sound from the Bernard Herrmann score. I told … Tyler Bates, our composer, that I would love him to work a theremin in if he could. And he got the best theremin player in the world, and a lot of what you hear is theremin. I mean, a lot of the main instrumentation, she can do amazing things, this girl who played. And things that sound like sound effects, a lot of the stuff that you hear in the surgery sequence [was the theremin]. … He ended up using it a lot more than I was even expecting, and I’m really happy about that, because it is a really interesting instrument, and watching her play it was amazing. –

.
Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo, director of the upcoming SF mind bender Timecrimes, told us that he has been dreaming of making movies his entire life. After toiling for a few years as a commercial actor, Vigalondo received universal acclaim for his short 7:35 in the Morning in 2003.
It took some time and a lot of patience, but Vigalondo was eventually able to scrape together the finances for his feature-film directorial debut, Timecrimes. The short was later nominated for an Oscar.
Timecrimes is a cinematic head trip requiring close attention in order to follow the intricate and constantly changing time-travel storyline. He also wrote the screenplay and played the crucial part of Chico.
Hollywood has already taken notice and picked up the rights for an American remake, shooting next year. It features an unlikely hero, Hector (Karra Elejalde), who is unwittingly thrust into a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances when he enters a time machine and travels one hour into the past. 12. The original Spanish film will be released stateside in limited release on Dec. Below is an edited version of the interview.
us spoke with Vigalondo recently about the stateside release, the American remake and his future plans in Hollywood. I love time-travel stories.
Where did you first get this idea?
Vigalondo: I’d been reading shorts and science fiction literature all of my life. You cannot be the same when you’re making a time-travel story. When you’re making a time-travel story, you are supposed to make a new step in a new direction.
This story continues below the video window. This was a big challenge, to make something about time travel that somehow felt new.
Vigalondo: Yes.

It seems like a tricky story to write, because you must go over and over each little detail to make sure it all lines up. When you’re making a movie like this, and you think this or that will be great, you have to assume everything will require extra effort. I made a rough draft of this story, which was maybe [already] too much. I wasn’t worried, because if you just make a film that matches, you will just make a film that is logical but boring. The challenge is not only making something that matches, but also making something fun.
I’m not worried if someone gets lost watching the film.
I’m not worried if someone gets lost watching the film. I’m worried if they get bored. The movie works somehow based on the audience reactions. People seem to really, really like it and love talking about it after they’ve seen it. They keep talking about all the paradoxes. Is it intentional or an error in the script?
The best movies are always the ones that the audiences discuss afterwards rather than something they simply forget about right after leaving the theater.
Vigalondo: Yeah, yeah. Once a friend told me that he had friends that had been talking about the film all night, as if that was something bad. I was like, “If you’re telling me that you’ve been talking about the film for more time than the length of the movie, I win.”
I don’t like when a movie starts in an explosive way and then, by the third act, it’s just a repetition of a cliché. I hate that. I wanted to make a film in which the third act is the best.
You wrote and directed Timecrimes and also acted in it. Which is your preference?
Vigalondo: I started as an actor. I worked in commercials in the ‘90s. It was easier for me to work as an actor, to make it. Now it’s the opposite. All my offers come for making films. Being an actor is more complicated. I think now I’m going to focus on the writer/director thing.
What are your thoughts on the real-life applications of time travel?
Vigalondo: I love to put time travel in the stories. I’m not worried about those elements in real life. I love time travel as a pop culture icon. I love when something so complicated becomes a cultural icon, and I love to work with that. I love when you have to deal with this impossible element in a very intimate way.
What is your next film?
Vigalondo: I don’t know yet. I’m playing with several projects. I’m writing a script and at the same time trying to develop another script in the U.S.A. I don’t know what’s going to come next.
How involved will you be in the Hollywood remake of Timecrimes?
Vigalondo: I’ve been, all my life, dreaming of making films, and I cannot picture making the same one twice. I want to make a different one as soon as possible. I don’t want to be involved in the remake. I feel honored that these big names want to make the remake. It’s amazing, but it’s not my turn. .S.A. I exist in Hollywood because of the remake. That’s my only benefit.
They are going to shoot it next year. United Artists is going to produce the remake, and the guy from Children of Men is going to write the script. It’s going to be a huge remake. It’s going to be fun. I have mixed feelings, because I want to know everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to know anything (laughs).
Will you visit the set?
Vigalondo: It depends on the star. You can be sure that if Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt are in it, I want to be on the set. –Jeff Otto

.
Damon Lindelof, co-creator and co-executive producer of ABC’s Lost, told reporters that there will not be a feature film based on the show. Or, he hastened to add, it won’t happen on his watch. 2 online roundtable with journalists while promoting the upcoming season-four DVD set and year five of the hit ABC show.
“The answer is no,” Lindelof said in a Dec. . “At least not by us…”
A film, Lindelof argued, would be unfair to those devoted viewers expecting to see story threads–What’s up with that island? What is the fate of the Oceanic Six? And everyone else?–resolved by the time the series ends in 2010, following the last episode of its sixth season. on television. Buy some popcorn, and we’ll give you the rest!’ [That] would pretty much be the worst thing ever.
“To bring our characters to some sort of cliffhanger,” Lindelof explained, “where the audience gets none of the answers that they really care about, and then say, ‘Now give us 10 bucks. 21, 2009, at 8 p.”
Lost returns for its fifth season on Jan. ET/PT.m. –

.While Australia and its stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman steal the spotlight, the year’s most successful homegrown film, The Black Balloon, will open quietly in the US next week.
The family comedy/drama starring Toni Collette, Gemma Ward and Rhys Wakefield is Australia’s highest grossing film of 2008 so far, with box office takings of $2.
The Black Balloon also leads the Australian Film Institute (AFI) award nominations with 11 nods, including best film.3 million.
“It opens on December 5 which is sort of great timing because that’s the same time as the AFI awards, so hopefully there’s a good planet alignment or something and it bodes well for the film,” director Elissa Down said. The winners will be announced next weekend, at the same time as the film’s US release. .
Down has just returned from Los Angeles where she was promoting the film, which is a coming-of-age story about a family dealing with an autistic son.
“This season, if you want to see a movie about teen romance and mentally challenged characters, go see Twilight.com is recommending The Black Balloon over the number one film in the US, teen smash hit Twilight.”
Down said it was too early to tell whether hype surrounding Baz Luhrmann’s epic would drum up interest in other Aussie movies, but she is pleased with how the film has been received so far. Or you can decide you want to see a good film, and check out The Black Balloon instead.
“So far the reviews that have been coming out have been great.
“We had our US release at the Hamptons Film Festival, and we had this film symposium in New Jersey, so there’s been a lot of screenings to get an awareness out about the film,” Down said.
With that in mind, Down said she did feel pressure ahead of the AFIs.”
The Black Balloon was nominated for 10 awards at the Inside Film (IF) awards earlier this month, but picked up just one – for box office achievement.
“Like at the IF Awards, you’ve got everyone there and you’ve got your family there, you get excited and then you feel a bit deflated like, ‘oh what did we do?’
“But we’ve had a great run – I think we’ve won like 17 or 18 awards at the moment, so we’re doing ok.
“There is a bit of a pressure because when you’re the leading contender and then you don’t come with the goods, everyone’s like ‘oh no!’,” she said.
Eric Bana, Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, Damian Walshe-Howling, Chris Lilley, Gyton Grantley and Rebecca Gibney are just some of the stars who will walk the red carpet.”
The AFIs will be held over two nights on December 5 and 6 at Melbourne’s iconic Princess Theatre, hosted by Stephen Curry and Julia Zemiro.
– AAP