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Ramon Novarro: 'Ben-Hur' 1925 star. 'Ben-Hur' on TCM: Ramon Novarro in most satisfying version of the semi-biblical epic Christmas 2015 is just around the corner. That's surely the reason Turner Classic Movies presented Fred Niblo's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ last night, Dec. 20, '15, featuring Carl Davis' magnificent score. Starring Ramon Novarro, the 1925 version of Ben-Hur became not only the most expensive movie production,[1] but also the biggest worldwide box office hit up to that time.[2] Equally important, that was probably the first instance when the international market came to the rescue of a Hollywood mega-production,[3] saving not only Ben-Hur from a fate worse than getting trampled by a runaway chariot, but also the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which could have been financially strangled at birth had the epic based on Gen. Lew Wallace's bestseller been a commercial bomb. The convoluted making of 'Ben-Hur,' as described...

Independent distributor Cinedigm has agreed to distribute an octet of new cast-driven sci-fi and thriller features from Robert Halmi Jr.’s Great Point Media in a new multi-picture partnership between the companies. Cinedigm will take all U.S. rights to the films including theatrical, digital, VOD, home entertainment, and TV in addition to having first look rights to Great Point Media’s development line-up. First pair of features are slated for late 2014. Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer Halmi has over three decades of film and TV under his belt, including genre titles Dinotopia, Arabian Nights, The 10th Kingdom, Cleopatra, Alice in Wonderland, […]...

Top 10 Aliya Whiteley 20 Aug 2013 - 06:55

Zoinks! Aliya provides a rundown of 10 enjoyable Scooby-Doo animated movies. Scrappy isn't invited...

For a Great Dane, Scooby-Doo has had an impressive innings. He’s now 44 years old, and has been through a number of mediums: TV series, videogames, stage plays, and many movies. In all that time the Us version of Scooby has been voiced by only five actors (the original actor, Don Messick, played him from 1969 to 1994), and there remains something so familiar and reassuring about Scooby, even as the storylines and the entanglements of the Scooby gang change around him. Nowadays in Mystery Incorporated Velma may be on/off dating Shaggy, and Fred and Daphne may be having problems with their relationship, but Scooby remains as cowardly and hungry as ever.

The big screen movie escapade of Scooby-Doo (2002) involved Sarah Michelle Gellar as a black-belted Daphne and Rowan Atkinson as the main (okay,...

Tags: Pretty Little LiarsPretty Little Liars recapsTroian BellisarioShay MitchellLucy HaleAshley BensonLindsey ShawBianca LawsonIMDb

Previously on Pretty Little Liars, Caleb hacked into Maya's website page, and the Liars, sans Emily, sat around eating popcorn and Red Vines and watching Maya's personal videos like a couple of Garrett Reynoldses. Ezbian's magnificent mother wafted onto the scene, insulted Aria in every possible way, and offered her literal cash money to set their little chipmunk free. Toby made every face he could think of, and then skipped town to practice making more faces. Hanna petitioned the Wizengamot of Radley Institute not to send Mona to the Gotham Penitentiary. So shocked was she by her success that she smashed her face into Dr. Wren's face for some celebratory snogging. And Emily finally gave herself over to the dazzling cataclysm that is Paige McCullers.

Rear Window Brew. Spencer Hastings is consumed by hysteria. Not the normal...

Victor Decolongon/WireImage

There’s a baby on the way for Leonor Varela.

The Dallas star, 39, is expecting her first child with producer Lucas Akoskin this fall, her rep tells People exclusively.

“It’s Leonor’s first child and the couple are over the moon,” adds the rep.

The Chilean beauty, who’s been heating up the airwaves as the villainous Marta Del Sol on TNT’s summer blockbuster hit, has previously appeared in Blade II and starred as Cleopatra in the television mini-series.

Akoskin is currently in production on Words with Gods.

– Monica Rizzo...

Jaguar. Joan. Megan. Peggy. Women. Sex. Power. Framed by the Jaguar pitch, "The Other Woman" is a beautifully brutal depiction of prostitution -- cracking open a theme deeply embedded in the series, but never truly explored. Don's mother was a prostitute, all the men sleep with prostitutes. Our beloved Sal was fired for not sleeping with Lee Garner Jr. and Pete even suggested his wife (!) sleep with an editor to get his short story published back in Season 1. Opening with Don, Ginzo and a bunch of male freelancers throwing around the idea of Jaguar as your gorgeous mistress, the episode immediately turns women into possessions as the "beautiful yet unreliable" objects of desire. Don tells the team it's too vulgar to actually use the word mistress, but unlike their campaign, this episode slaps us in the face with the ugly reality behind the desperation and degradation that can come with the business of business,...

Actor Rhys Ifans feels his acting career has come full circle after working with Vanessa Redgrave in new period film Anonymous - because he started out as the veteran's 'flyman'.

The Notting Hill star landed a role as a trainee at a theatre in North Wales after leaving school and worked on the scenery for Redgrave's Cleopatra.

He recalls, "A flyman is the guy who pulls the ropes and brings the scenery in and out. Vanessa Redgrave was working in that theater playing Cleopatra with (then-boyfriend) Timothy Dalton. So my first experience in life was with Vanessa, but I only saw the top of her head from where I was!

"When she was in the make-up trailer on the first day of shooting Anonymous I said, 'Oh, hi Vanessa, I'm a big fan. We've worked together before.' I could see her trying to remember me. I said, 'You won't remember me but I remember you'."

He relayed the story of his humble beginnings to Redgrave's daughter Joely Richardson, who also appears in Anonymous, during a recent junket.

She said, "That's an amazing story. And now you're starring in a film about Shakespeare that mom is in. That's made my day to hear that story. I love those life things."...

40 Actors And Actresses We Love40 Actors and Actresses We LoveWith the Academy Awards announced this morning, all eyes are fixed on Hollywood. Even though no Black actors and actresses were nominated this year, we take a moment to honor 40 actresses and actors we love. Their work has made us laugh, made us cry, allowed us to step away from the pressures of our day-to-day lives, and taught us more about ourselves and our culture. Check out who made our list. Who would you add?Jennifer HudsonFavorite role: Effie White in "Dreamgirls." Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 2007.Halle BerryFavorite role: Leticia Musgrove in "Monster's Ball." Won Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2002.Jamie FoxxFavorite role: Ray Charles in "Ray." Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2005.Nia LongFavorite role: Nina Mosley in "Love Jones.

Timothy Dalton joins the cast of ChuckTimothy Dalton (License to Kill) will guest-star in a multi-episode arc on NBC's action-comedy Chuck (Mondays, 8-9 p.m. Et).

Timothy Dalton will be playing a mysterious stranger who has a history with Chuck's (series star Zachary Levi) mom, played by Linda Hamilton (Terminator Salvation). This marks Timothy Dalton's first series appearance on American television since he guest-starred on Charlie's Angels in 1979.

Timothy Dalton is perhaps best known for his portrayal of James Bond in The Living Daylights and License to Kill. He can next be seen in the feature film The Tourist opposite Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. His other film credits include Hot FuzzThe Beautician and the Beast, The Rocketeer, Flash Gordon, "Wuthering Heights, Cromwell, and The Lion in Winter. Timothy Dalton recently added his voice to the animated hit film Toy Story 3.

In addition, Timothy Dalton starred as...

While I was in Philadelphia, there was a presentation in the Constitution Museum on Ancient Rome and the comparisons to America (some of these similarities were a result of the fact that the Founding Fathers were using the Roman Republic as both an example and a warning), and the Franklin was having a special exhibition on Cleopatra. As a result, I really felt the urge to watch "Rome" again and reread Margaret George's The Memoirs of Cleopatra, which is one of my favorite novels, but instead opted to read an actual history.

Overall, this book does a good job of explaining the historical context and politics of the time. She spends a few chapters breaking down the situation in Egypt during the reign of the Ptolemies, and then uses several chapters to discuss the way the Roman Republic had been changing in the past few decades, and how great...

Burr Steers is set to direct Emperor: Young Caesar. So, get ready for the screen adaptation of the first book in a series of four bestselling novels from Conn Iggulden!

Steers is best known for his work on Charlie St. Cloud and 17 Again, so we guess he could be just the perfect guy for the story that follows “…the relationship between Julius and Marcus Brutus from childhood to that fateful encounter on the Roman Senate floor.”

Based on Conn Iggulden’s four-part best-selling Emperor book series, the first film will revolve around the rise of a young Julius and his childhood friend Brutus who grew to adulthood in Rome two millennia ago as the Republic began to fall apart and political war was being played out in the senate.

Later books in the series deal with Caesar’s battles in North Africa, Greece, Spain, Gaul and Britain, the civil...

Burr Steers ("Igby Goes Down," "17 Again") is set to direct "Emperor: Young Caesar", the first in a proposed historical drama film trilogy based on the life of Julius Caesar for Exclusive Media Group reports the trades.

Based on Conn Iggulden's four-part best-selling "Emperor" book series, the first film will revolve around the rise of a young Julius and his childhood friend Brutus who grew to adulthood in Rome two millennia ago as the Republic began to fall apart and political war was being played out in the senate.

Later books in the series deal with Caesar's battles in North Africa, Greece, Spain, Gaul and Britain, the civil war with his old ally Pompey, his encounters with Cleopatra and his assassination.

William Broyles and Stephen Harrigan penned the adaptation while Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton are producing.

With savvy casting, the adventures of a young Julius Caesar are likely a box office gold mine, and Exclusive Media Group thinks Burr Steers (17 Again) is the man to helm the captain the ship. Steers has been hired to direct Emperor: Young Caesar, an adaptation of the first two novels in Conn Iggulden’s acclaimed historical fiction series that details the rise of famed Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar. William Broyles (Jarhead) and Stephen Harrigan (Cleopatra) penned the script, which sees Julius and Brutus (of “et tu” fame) raised to enter the Roman military.

Hit the jump for more, including a statement from Steers and speculation that a Zac Efron casting announcement may not be far behind.

Steers remarked on his attraction to the project:

“I’ve always had an interest in Julius Caesar and his formative years and am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this project.

Lynn Redgrave, who has died aged 67 following a long fight with breast cancer, enjoyed more than three decades of screen work. Here are some of her best roles

She was born into a theatrical dynasty, the younger child of a distant, driven father, and later claimed that she took up acting to win his love. But Lynn Redgrave – daughter of Michael, sister of Vanessa – would go on to become a star in her own right; one of the most earthy, complex and committed performers of her generation.

Following a supporting slot in Tom Jones, and stage success with the nascent National Theatre, Redgrave struck gold in the title role in Silvio Narizzano's Georgy Girl (1966). Effervescent, naive, loving, downtrodden and insecure in her own body, the character earned the 23-year-old a best actress Oscar nomination and set the tone for many aspects of her persona over the coming years. In this scene,...

RHI Entertainment and Ion Media Networks are firming up the details of their expanded programming partnership announced in May, which will include a new digitally remastered edition of the miniseries Lonesome Dove.

The deal calls for RHI to be the exclusive primetime program supplier for Ion (formerly Pax Network) from 7-11 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. The programming, a mix of movies and miniseries, will include originals and library titles.

The weekends, dubbed RHI Movie Weekend, kick off June 29. Dove. is set to premiere from 9-11 p.m. June 30 and continue July 7, 14 and 21. The mini stars Robert Duvall, Anjelica Huston, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Danny Glover and Chris Cooper.

The premiere weekend also will feature Broken Vows, starring Jones and Annette O'Toole (7-9 p.m. June 29), and Cleopatra, starring Timothy Dalton, Billy Zane and Leonor Varela (7-11 p.m. July 1).

Other titles include The Twilight of the Golds, starring Faye Dunaway, Brendan Fraser, Gary Marshall, Rosie O'Donnell and Jennifer Beals.

BERLIN -- Leading German kids channel Super RTL will be working more closely with its parents, Disney and RTL Group, in order to double its share in the adult market. Super RTL managing director Claude Schmit told a German media trade news Web site in an interview on Tuesday that the company, which had a 23.6% market share among 3- to 13-year-olds in April, hopes over the long term to achieve a 4% market share among 14- to 49-year-olds. Super RTL's current share in that age group is just over 2%. The Cologne-based broadcaster, which is half- owned by German media giant Bertelsmann through the RTL Group and half by Disney, will open up more film slots in its evening schedule -- showing such films as Disney-owned Buena Vista International's Cool Runnings and When a Man Loves a Woman as well as Disney-produced TV shows such as Hallmark's Cleopatra. Disney family programming on Super RTL's primetime will total about 1,400 runs per year, according to Schmit. Over six years, the volume of programming from Disney and RTL should come to a value of about €200 million ($234 million).