Cellar victim Kampusch raped, starved in film of ordeal

VIENNA (Reuters) – A new film based on the story of Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch shows her being repeatedly raped by the captor who beat and starved her during the eight-and-a-half years that he kept her in a cellar beneath his house.Kampusch was snatched on her way to school at the age of 10 by Wolfgang Priklopil and held in a windowless cell under his garage near Vienna until she escaped...

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Cellar victim Kampusch raped, starved in film of ordeal

VIENNA (Reuters) – A new film based on the story of Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch shows her being repeatedly raped by the captor who beat and starved her during the eight-and-a-half years that he kept her in a cellar beneath his house.Kampusch was snatched on her way to school at the age of 10 by Wolfgang Priklopil and held in a windowless cell under his garage near Vienna until she escaped...

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Cellar victim Kampusch raped, starved in film of ordeal

VIENNA (Reuters) – A new film based on the story of Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch shows her being repeatedly raped by the captor who beat and starved her during the eight-and-a-half years that he kept her in a cellar beneath his house.Kampusch was snatched on her way to school at the age of 10 by Wolfgang Priklopil and held in a windowless cell under his garage near Vienna until she escaped...

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Quvenzhané Wallis to play title role in “Annie” movie

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis will play the title role in “Annie,” Sony’s Columbia Pictures announced on Sunday.“Annie” is due to hit theaters in 2014 during the winter holiday season, and is based on the stage play about an orphan’s adventures in finding her family and a better life while overcoming the schemes of orphanage mistress Miss Hannigan.President of...

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Paul McCartney tops Bonnaroo music festival lineup

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) – Paul McCartney will perform at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee in June along with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Mumford & Sons, Bjork and Wilco, festival organizers said on Tuesday.“Top to bottom, this is one of the strongest lineups we have ever had,” Bonnaroo spokesman Jeff Cuellar said in an interview. “Looking at the festival landscape out...

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At 80, Yoko Ono sees a world full of new activism

BERLIN (Reuters) – Half a life-time ago, artist Yoko Ono lay in an Amsterdam hotel bed with husband John Lennon, staging a week-long “bed-in” for peace and feeling they were very alone in their activism.Today, Ono, whose own energy for campaigning has never tired, sees a world full of activists, maintaining her energy and faith in humanity.“When John and I did the bed-in, not many people were with...

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Participant, Doha Film Institute form $100 million film fund

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Participant Media has formed a $ 100 million film fund with Doha Film Institute with the goal of financing 12 to 16 feature films, the companies said Wednesday.The revolving fund extends for a five-year period and the partners will collaborate on developing, producing and arranging distribution for various projects.In addition to the film fund, Participant and DFI are exploring...

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NBC’s “Dracula” series casts its Van Helsing

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Jonathan Rhys Meyers‘ Dracula has found his arch nemesis. Or, perhaps, his arch nemesis will be finding him.NBC has cast Thomas Kretschmann (“King Kong,” ABC’s “The River”) to play famed vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, a spokesman for the network told TheWrap on Monday.The Van Helsing as envisioned in NBC‘s version of the Dracula legend is a brilliant professor with...

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Famous film couple back 9 years on in “Before Midnight”

BERLIN (Reuters) – Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise the roles of Jesse and Celine in “Before Midnight”, the third but not necessarily the last movie in their long-running series based on the same characters as they age over time.In this film, set 18 years after “Before Sunrise”, the couple is on holiday in Greece and we learn that they live with their twin daughters in Paris while Jesse’s son has...

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Springsteen says “freaky” to be honored at pre-Grammys tribute

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bruce Springsteen was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year on Friday at a star-studded pre-Grammys event where some of the biggest names in music like Sting, Alabama Shakes and Neil Young paid homage to “The Boss.”The annual event, now in its 23rd year, celebrates a star’s musical achievements and philanthropic work, and is hosted by Grammy organizers to kick off the weekend...

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HMV boss Moore axed as one of 60 redundancies: source

LONDON (Reuters) – Administrators at HMV, the British music and video retailer which hit the rocks last month, have made the group’s chief executive Trevor Moore redundant, according to a source familiar with the situation.Deloitte, which was appointed as administrator by HMV after the firm struggled against competition from online retailers, supermarkets and streaming sites, had on Friday announced...

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Frank Ocean, FUN. are front-runners heading into Sunday’s Grammys

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B artist Frank Ocean and indie-pop group FUN. go into Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony as front-runners for the music industry’s top accolades in a year where new talent and male artists have attracted most of the attention.After last year’s Grammy ceremony was dominated by British singer Adele, and her best-selling album “21,” this year’s awards show will be all about...

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Boy band The Wanted sign on for E! reality series

NEW YORK (AP) — The Wanted is trying to keep it real: The boy band has signed on to do a reality series on E!The British fivesome announced Wednesday that their show will debut in June. A press release said the behind-the-scene series will be “unvarnished” and “nonglossy.”The Wanted broke onto the U.S. music scene with the Top 5 hit “Glad You Came.” They dropped their self-titled U.S. debut EP last...

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Following Super Bowl, Beyonce announces world tour

NEW YORK (AP) — Beyonce was just warming up at the Super Bowl: The singer has announced a world tour.“The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” will kick off April 15 in Belgrade, Serbia. The European leg of the tour will wrap up May 29 in Stockholm, Sweden.The tour’s North American stint starts June 28 in Los Angeles and ends Aug. 3 in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center.It was also announced Monday that...

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Stevie Wonder headlines pre-Super Bowl concert

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Applause and approval greeted Stevie Wonder as thousands stood for hours to hear his pre-Super Bowl concert that also featured guitarist Gary Clark Jr.Escorted on stage late Saturday by his daughter and backup singer Aisha Morris, Wonder performed several of his hits, including his opening song, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).”That was followed by “Master Blaster,” Michael...

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Amazon unveils exclusive ‘Downton Abbey’ deal with PBS

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc said on Friday that it struck an exclusive deal to distribute seasons of the hit TV show “Downton Abbey” to members of its subscription-based video streaming service.Beginning June 18, Amazon‘s Prime Instant Video service will be the exclusive subscription service for streaming Season 3 of “Downton Abbey,” as part of a new content licensing agreement with PBS...

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Geraldo Rivera ”Truly Contemplating” New Jersey Senate Run

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Geraldo Rivera said Thursday he is “truly contemplating” running for one of New Jersey‘s U.S. senate seats as a Republican.The Fox News host said on his radio show that he would run against incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg or Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a likely candidate for the seat if the 89-year-old Lautenberg steps down.“I mention this only briefly, fasten your seatbelt,”...

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ABC orders drama pilots from Martin Campbell, Maria Maggenti

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – “Casino Royale” director Martin Campbell is taking on another intrigue-filled project, this time with ABC.The network has ordered a pilot for the drama “Reckless,” which Campbell, left, will executive produce.The pilot involves David, a resourceful problem-solver whose wife is unjustly imprisoned during a political uprising overseas. Desperately to rescue her, he tries...

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Barbra Streisand to sing at Oscars for first time in decades

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actress, singer and director Barbra Streisand may be a familiar figure at Hollywood‘s Oscars, but she has only sung on the annual awards show once.Streisand will perform again at the Academy Awards on February 24, producers said on Wednesday, without providing details about how her appearance would fit into the show or what she might sing.Streisand, 70, has won two Oscars, one...

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Dior: Jennifer Lawrence dress had no malfunction

LOS ANGELES (AP) — That was no wardrobe malfunction — that was couture.When Jennifer Lawrence ascended the stairs to accept her SAG Award Sunday night, a bit of skin showed through the skirt of her gown, leading to some speculation that it had ripped.Dior Couture told The Associated Press that wasn’t so.The design house said Lawrence’s gown was designed by Raf Simons “with different levels of tulle...

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