ANGELINA JOLIE TO DIRECT SECOND FILM
Angelina Jolie is in final negotiations to direct her second feature film. The Universal Pictures project, Unbroken, is the story of Olympian-turned-World War II prisoner of war Louis Zamperini. The 37-year-old said in a statement: “I read Laura Hillenbrand’s brilliant book, and I was so moved by Louis Zamperini’s heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film. Louis is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story.” Jolie made her directorial debut in 2011 with In the Land of Blood and Honey.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. KEEPS CULT CINEMA CINEFAMILY ALIVE
Robert Downey Jr. made much more than a surprise appearance when he attended Cinefamily’s 2nd Annual Fantastic, Elastic 24-Hour Holiday Telethon in December. The Iron Man star not only appeared on the telethon, but also generously pledged to take care of a new projector and sound system for the cult movie house. Keeping in the holiday spirit, the actor gave but also received a time capsule that had been mysteriously left for him at the organization’s base of LA’s Silent Movie Theatre. Items in said capsule included a doll of himself, a VHS of Heart and Souls, mix tapes and fan letters.
KIM KARDASHIAN PREGNANT WITH FIRST CHILD
It’s a happy new year indeed for Kim Kardashian, as the reality star is pregnant with her first child. The father is none other than boyfriend Kanye West, who made the announcement during a concert in Atlantic City, NJ. The 32-year-old isn’t finding pregnancy as easy as she had hoped, though. She told Entertainment Tonight: “I wouldn’t say it’s been easy. When people say pregnancy is fun and they love it, I would have to disagree. It’s not as easy as people think. It is, you know, a little painful. There’s a lot of growing pains.”
JUDD APATOW RECEIVES CRITICS’ CHOICE LOUIS XIII GENIUS AWARD
Judd Apatow received his first trophy of 2013 on January 10 when he accepted the Critics’ Choice Louis XIII Genius Award at the 18th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Joked Apatow upon hearing the news of his accolade: “I am very honored and flattered that there’s finally an award with a name which convinces my family I am not just a schmuck. I am a schmuck who is a genius. I am very honored that they made this mistake.” The award was created to fete “an unprecedented demonstration of excellence in the cinematic arts.”fete “an unprecedented demonstration of excellence in the cinematic arts.
DAVID GEFFEN MAKES $100 MILLION DONATION TO UCLA
Mere months after pledging $30 million to the MPTF, David Geffen made yet another charitable donation. The mogul is gifting UCLA with a $100 million scholarship fund that will cover the costs of education for the crème de la crème of students attending the university’s David Geffen School of Medicine. Said Geffen: “The cost of a world-class medical education should not deter our future innovators, doctors and scientists from the path they hope to pursue. We need the students at this world-class institution to be driven by determination and the desire to do their best work and not by the fear of crushing debt.”
