HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Casablanca - 26 Nov 1942

The film premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York City on November 26, 1942, to coincide with the Allied invasion of North Africa and the capture of Casablanca; it went into general release on January 23, 1943, to take advantage of the Casablanca conference, a high-level meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in the city.

It was a substantial but not spectacular box-office success, taking $3.7 million on its initial U.S. release. Initial critical reaction was generally positive, but some reviews were less enthusiastic: The New Yorker rated it only "pretty tolerable".

At the 1943 Academy Awards, the film won three awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.

The script, based on the unproduced play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" was purchased from authors Murray Burnett and Joan Alison by Warner Brothers for $20,000.

There has been anecdotal evidence that Casablanca may have made a deeper impression among film-lovers than within the professional movie-making establishment. In the November/December 1982 issue of American Film, Chuck Ross claimed that he retyped the screenplay to Casablanca, only changing the title back to "Everybody Comes to Rick's" and the name of the piano player to Dooley Wilson, and submitted it to 217 agencies. Eighty-five of them read it; of those, thirty-eight rejected it outright, thirty-three generally recognized it (but only eight specifically as Casablanca), three declared it commercially viable, and one suggested turning it into a novel.

By 1977, Casablanca was the most frequently broadcast film on American television.

Jennifer Hudson to star in Winnie Mandela film

Hollywood actress Jennifer Hudson is to play Nelson Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie, in a film about her life.

Variety magazine reported Hudson was thrilled about the role and has described Ms Madikizela-Mandela as a "powerful and extraordinary woman".

Ms Madikizela-Mandela played a vital role in freeing her husband after 27 years in jail but has since been linked to a murder and convicted of fraud.

South African film-maker Darrell Roodt will direct the film.

His work also includes world-renowned films Cry, The Beloved Country and Sarafina.

Hudson is the second international actor set to play a South African icon in recent months.

Hollywood is also preparing to release Invictus, a Clint Eastwood film about Mr Mandela in which US actor Morgan Freeman will play South Africa's first black president.

Nelson Mandela and Ms Madikizela-Mandela were divorced in 1996 - six years after his release from prison.

Her role in the release of her ex-husband is celebrated by many South Africans and she is still known as the "mother of the nation" but she is no stranger to controversy.

She was implicated in the kidnap and murder of young activist Stompie Seipei, who was believed to be an informer for the apartheid government - although she has always denied the charges.

She was convicted of theft and fraud in 2003. ~ news.bbc.co.uk

Johnny Depp to Bail Out Nicolas Cage?

By Erik Davis

To further prove that people with lots of money still care about people who used to have lots of money, The Daily Express reports that Johnny Depp may help bail actor Nicolas Cage out of his growing financial problems. Cage, as you may or may not know, is in some serious debt. He's already had two of his homes go into foreclosure, he owes something like $6 million in back taxes and he's currently suing his former business manager for $20 million claiming he sent "him down a path toward financial ruin."

Now, though, things may be looking up for Cage as Depp could be coming to his rescue. The Daily Express says that Depp has contacted Cage and told him not to worry, that he'll sort everything out. Why Depp, you ask? Isn't that sorta random? What, was Depp a big fan of Con Air or something? Actually, no -- Depp feels like he owes his career to Cage in a way since Cage reportedly recommended Depp to his agent way back in the day when Depp was a struggling musician. The story goes that Cage's recommendation led to Depp nabbing a role in the original Nightmare on Elm Street (his first), and the rest is history.

So, is Johnny Depp really going to pony up some crazy cash to bail Nicolas Cage out of trouble? And can Hollywood somehow find a way to turn that into a movie with both power actors starring opposite one another? And would you go to see it?

Charlize Theron and Viggo Mortensen Hit 'The Road'

Charlize Theron and Viggo Mortensen reflect on life at the American Film Institute's premiere of 'The Road' on 4th November in Los Angeles.

Based on the Cormac McCarthy tale of a widower (Viggo) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the movie follows the two as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Viggo, who was honored by the AFI at the event, said of his young co-star, "I felt such affection for the boy who I didn't know before this. Now he is like my son."

Reflecting on what he gained by portraying this role, Viggo said, "I think telling the story made me value just being alive and having family members who are alive, having friends. It's a simple thing, really, but it's like in any work of art, great painting, piece of music, a movie, that in the end tells you something that you already knew...A movie that tells you that and earns that like this one does, it's worth its weight in gold."

Charlize, who plays his deceased wife, said she "really responded to the book." It "made me realize that even given the worst case scenario, that there's great hope in us as human people and we can't forget that," said the actress.

'The Road' opens in theaters abroad on November 25.~ www.etonline.com

George Clooney May Go Sideways With The Descendants

By Josh Tyler

George Clooney is dipping his toe into the world of mildly amusing yet moving Fox Searchlight movies. You know the type, it’s the Little Miss Sunshine genre in which an eccentric group of characters undertakes some sort of journey, laughs are had and lessons are learned. Clooney’s version may come from Alexander Payne who, as the former director of Sideways, is no stranger to smile-worthy movies.

Payne’s movie is called The Descendants and Variety says Clooney’s only circling the project. That either means he’s still in the decision phase, or it means the projects dead and he’s planning to swoop down and gobble up the remains. I’m betting it’s the former.

So what’s it about? If he jumps on board Clooney will star as a wealthy landowner who takes his two daughters on the search for his wife’s lover. You’d think this must be a period movie, since I can’t think of any other reason to refer to any modern man as a “wealthy landowner”, but in fact the way Amazon describes the book it’s based on, it would seem not. I mean technically Donald Trump is a “wealthy landowner”, but wig-wearing douchebag seems so much more appropriate.

In theory Clooney and his kids are on this trip because he wants to keep their family together. But I’ll be damned if I can imagine any scenario in which confronting the man your wife is cheating on you with while your daughters are present results in anything but a couple of scarred kids, a lot of therapy bills, and a divorce. Maybe the world works differently when you’re a wig-wearing douche… I mean wealthy landowner. Hopefully they have the good sense to bring a grumpy yet lovable grandfather along to offer sage advice. I’m also envisioning some sort of lovable family dog. Maybe a pug?

Robert Downey Jr. And Ben Stiller Turned Down Oscar Hosting Gig

By Katey Rich

The hunt for an Oscar host trudges on. Hugh Jackman has officially turned down the chance to do the gig a second time, Ricky Gervais is tied up hosting the Golden Globes, and now Nikki Finke is reporting that producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman sent out an offer to Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. to host as a duo. As incredible as that pairing would have been, they said no.

Can't blame 'em, really-- hosting the Oscars is a thankless job that comes with a lot of criticism, and with Downey starring both in December's Sherlock Holmes and next May's Iron Man 2, he's running a real risk of overexposure. Stiller might actually have more reason to go for it-- his star isn't shining as brightly as Downey Jr.'s these days, and he isn't as likely to wind up gunning for an Oscar in the coming years, meaning he could take more potshots without caring about who he offends. But my guess is Stiller wouldn't get the job without Downey Jr., and RDJ would rather only don the tuxedo as Tony Stark.

There's one bit of good news out of this, though-- the fact that Shankman and Mechanic considered these two at all suggests they're heading in a younger, hipper direction. Sorry to everyone who thinks Billy Crystal should be resurrected as a host; it seems likelier that Tina Fey or Stephen Colbert would get the gig.