NBC is bringing to primetime new adventures from the DreamWorks Animation blockbusters "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda."

George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, plans to announce on Tuesday that he is giving $100 million to Human Rights Watch to expand the organization's work globally. It is the largest gift he has made, the largest gift by far that Human Rights Watch has ever received, and only the second gift of $100 [...]

New York Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez had a sacrifice fly to right field in the sixth inning Monday – putting him into the history books in the process. The fly ball scored Nick Swisher from third and gave Rodriguez 100 RBIs for the 14th time, giving him more seasons of 100 RBIs than anyone [...]

The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, an annual Labor Day tradition in the United States, says they have contributions and pledges totaling almost $59 million – slightly down from last year’s $60.5 million. The telethon supports research to find treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy and related diseases. Telethon officials are happy with the number, considering [...]

ABC News president David Westin is stepping down at the end of the year after 13 years. The move comes after tough 12 months for Westin that included appointing new anchors on all ABC News programs and dealing with severe staff cuts. The personnel changes he oversaw included naming Diane Sawyer as the anchor of World News, George Stephanopoulos as her replacement on Good Morning America, CNN veteran Christiane Amanpour as host of This Week, transitioning Chris Cuomo from GMA to 20/20 and Bill Weir from GMA to Nightline to replace Martin Bashir. Here are the memos from Disney-ABC TV Group president Anne Sweeney and Westin. Sweeney: For the past 13 years, David proved himself a tireless advocate for ABC News, effectively guiding the group through some of the most seismic industry, and divisional, changes imaginable  During that time, he helped reinvent our News organization, and positioned us for great success going forward.  While it will be sad to see David leave, his desire to pursue other professional endeavors is understandable, and commendable, and I know you'll join me in wishing him nothing but the best.   I'll be announcing a new leader for ABC News in the near future. Westin: A month ago I told Bob Iger and Anne Sweeney that the time has come for me to step down as President of ABC News.  Leading you has been a great ... Read More »

ABC News president David Westin is expected to step down from his position at year's end, the New York Times reported Monday.

ABC news president David Westinannounced he was stepping down today after over thirteen years. His full memo to staff is below.

MORE TO COME...

From: Westin, David L.
To: [REDACTED]
Sent: Mon Sep 06 20:46:37 2010
Subject: Transition

Dear Colleague,

North America's fall festival season is in full swing in the Rockies, which means the moment of truth has arrived for many of the fall movies that are hoping to stir up some awards buzz.

The Toronto International Film Festival doesn't kick off until Thursday, but the Telluride Film Festival finished its four-day run on Monday, with sneak previews of a number of films that will soon make their way to Canada.

A judge in the Bahamas on Monday dismissed charges against two people accused of trying to extort money from John Travolta.

Venture behind the scenes of the latest Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2010 advertising campaign featuring models Christy Turlington, Natalia Vodianova and Karen Elson. Related Posts:August 4, 2010 -- Behind the Scenes of the Louis Vuitton 2010 Fall/Winter CampaignJuly 27, 2010 -- Where Does Cameron Diaz Shop in Paris?July 11, 2010 -- LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault Is [...]

Jackson Pollock painted much throughout his lifetime and his works are celebrated and criticized by many. While some believe that his technique was avant-garde and brilliant, others see his work as childish and lacking any real talent. Nevertheless, there are art aficionados out there who can say that one of the first names that come [...]

With the lone exception of Speed, the critical appreciation for Jan de Bont's directorial efforts (Twister, The Haunting, Lara Craft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Speed 2: Cruise Control) has never come close to the success that he's found at the worldwide box office—but now he may be aiming to change that. With years having gone by since his last film, his return to cinema looks to be a departure from the Hollywood genre pics he's done throughout his career. Find out all there is to know about the film, including who's set to star, after the break. De Bont is tackling Mulan, a live-action retelling of the popular Chinese folk tale about a young heroine who joins an all-male army, best known in American culture by the 1998 animated Disney film of the same name. The film seeks to combine drama, romance, and action. The Hollywood Reporter says the film is ...

A first look at Rooney Mara as Lisabeth Salander (and as Rooney Mara)

The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it's the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, David Chen, Devindra Hardawar, and Adam Quigley run down some of their favorite movies of the year so far, discuss when a film is worth remaking, and touch upon the metaphors in The Mist. You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call ...

The out-of-competition world premiere of "I'm Still Here," the directorial debut from actor Casey Affleck, and the presentation of the Glory to the Filmmaker prize to Indian director Mani Ratnam were among the highlights at the Venice Film Festival on Monday.

Financing has collapsed forTerry Gilliam's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," the director said at the Deauville American Film Festival.

"I shouldn't be here," Gilliam said, according to Variety. "The plan was to be shooting 'Quixote' right now."

I feel for Terry Gilliam. He just can't seem to catch a break, no matter the project. And in the case of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, the film's history has been more storied than most. He's been trying to get the movie made for over ten years, and even got as far as filming the thing (with Johnny Depp in the lead role, no less), when the entire production went to hell and was forced into cancellation. These mishaps were captured in detail in the depressing 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, and I've been wary about Gilliam's attempts to return to the project ever since. And for good reason, it seems. A month ago, Gilliam admitted that there had been some financial complications with the movie, but wrote it off as "a little hiccup". Well, either that "little hiccup" expanded pretty rapidly, or he was seriously downplaying the severity ...

Anyone who grew up in the 1980's probably had a shelf of VHS tapes just like the ones featured on artist Hollis Brown Thornton's awesome line of gadget skins, VHS Heroes. South Carolina artist Hollis Brown Thornton deploys a “ruthless nostalgia attack” with his artwork VHS Heroes where he captures his (and all of Team Infectious') childhood movie collection (ah, Tron and The Last Unicorn) using just a couple of Sharpies. They offer the series of skins for Laptops, netbooks, iPads, skateboards, iPhones, Blackberry, iPod and even art prints. See photos after the jump. via: geeksugar

In addition to providing film lovers with an impossible ‘Sophie's choice' of possibilities over the course of four days the Telluride Film Festival  has certainly become a key early player in setting at least part of  the table for awards season. In fact I have seen numerous Academy voting members wandering in and out of the state-of-the-art screening venues around town getting an early look at some films certain to be contenders and some that clearly won't. Academy Award winner Bruce Cohen (American Beauty), this year's co-producer (with Don Mischer) of the Oscars has even come here to check out some of the potential movies he will likely be showcasing come February 27th and has been seen lining up all day long soaking up the cinema. At last week's Emmys he was frequently caught on camera in the booth during the show (which Mischer also produced) so I asked him what he learned from that experience . “Fast. Fast. Faster,” was his instant answer expressing the reality that you gotta keep the show moving like a speeding train. He's genuinely excited and infectiously enthusiastic about the task he's been given this year and at Sunday night's festival party was already talking up possibilities for musical numbers from films he's seeing. “Of course we have to see what the actual nominees are gonna be first,” he laughed. Minor details.