Voodoo Music Festival Photo Wrap Up

HEREAFTER

Director Clint Eastwood delves into the mysterious world of the hereafter with this ensemble supernatural drama starring Matt Damon, Cécile De France, Jay Mohr, and Bryce Dallas Howard. In the wake of a near-death experience during a powerful tsunami, French television reporter Marie (De France) takes her married lover's advice to pen the political book she has always talked about writing. As hard as Marie tries to stay focused on the task at hand, however, she repeatedly finds her attention diverted to scientists who have been stigmatized for investigating the afterlife. Meanwhile, in America, reluctant psychic George (Matt Damon) struggles in vain to cease using his powers for profit while falling for a gorgeous stranger (Bryce Dallas Howard). All the while, his greedy brother (Jay Mohr) prods him to milk his ability for all it's worth. Over in London, a pair of inseparable twins is forcibly parted by tragedy when one of them dies suddenly. The harder the more introverted surviving twin (Frankie McLaren) attempts to reach out to his deceased brother in the afterlife, the deeper his mom sinks into heroin addiction. When his mother goes into rehab, the grieving boy is placed in foster care, and begins succumbing to his corrosive ennui.

Rihanna Leaves Manager for Jay-Z

Rihanna is now under Jay-Z's umbrella. The Grammy-winning pop singer has parted ways with manager Marc Jordan and is now being managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation Management.
Rihanna told The Associated Press in a statement Wednesday that she's "so excited to take this next step in my career." The 22-year-old is also launching a new company called Rihanna Entertainment. She says it will "merge all of her businesses, including music, film, fragrance fashion and book ventures." Jay-Z signed Rihanna to Def Jam in 2005. She's released four albums and plans to release her fifth CD, "Loud," on Nov. 16.

Ghostbusters Sequel

The script for the "Ghostbusters" sequel is almost complete, according to star and screenwriter Dan Aykroyd.

All four of the original "Ghostbusters" -- Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson -- were said to have signed up to star in a third film, 21 years after the second installment hit cinemas in 1989. Murray previously dismissed the speculation, insisting plans for a follow-up are "hogwash." But now Aykroyd has spoken out to say the script is near completion -- and he's convinced even Murray will be pleased with it. He tells Britain's Daily Express, "I think Bill was concerned that the writing on 'Ghostbusters 3' would not be up to standard but I'm working on the script now. And Bill has the comic role of a lifetime." Aykroyd also said this could be the last film in the franchise for the original line-up: "My character's eyesight is shot, I've got a bad knee, a bad hip -- I can't lift the Psychotron Accelerator any more. We need young legs, new minds, new Ghostbusters."

Yoko Ono Discusses John Lennon's 70th Birthday

If John Lennon had lived to be 70, Yoko Ono thinks he would have been more relaxed about the milestone than he was about his 40th birthday. Ono recalls the ex-Beatle fretting about reaching that number: "I can't believe I'm going to be 40!" she said he told her. "I said, 'John, John — 40's not so bad, you know?" Sadly, it would be his last year. Lennon was shot to death on Dec. 8, 1980, almost three months after turning 40.

But in the three decades since, Ono has worked to keep his legacy vibrant, and continues to do so with the approach of his 70th birthday on Saturday. Eight of Lennon's albums have been re-mastered and are being re-released this week as single albums as well as two boxed sets. There is also a remixed version of Ono and Lennon's 1980 "Double Fantasy" album. Other projects include a "Box of Vision" commemorative set featuring artwork and music; all-star concerts; a film about a young Lennon, "Nowhere Boy," out this week; and a screening of the documentary "LennonNYC" in Central Park on his birthday.

Ono will spend what would have been Lennon's birthday in Iceland, celebrating with a concert by her Plastic Ono Band and the lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower in his honor. In a recent interview, the 77-year-old artist and peace activist talked about her mission to keep Lennon's memory alive.

(?): John Lennon was a musician and an activist. Are enough musicians and artists trying to have an impact on social change?

Ono: Of course, they're all doing it. It's great. When John and I started doing it, you know, we were looking around — "Are we the only people?" It was a bit like that. But now I think there's so many musicians, they're very strong, strong sort of activists. All of them. It's great.

(?): What do you think would have been John's take on the turmoil in the world today?
Ono: He would have been totally angry. ... He would have felt like he wanted to run somewhere and just bang something or strangle someone, you know? But then I think, I'm sure he would have relaxed and decided he should still be an activist. We need to really do something about the world. Otherwise, we're all going to blow up together.

(?): What do you think of "Nowhere Boy"?

Ono: Well, first of all I was surprised because this director (Sam Taylor-Wood), she's beautiful, I mean physically very beautiful, (a) young person. ... But then the thing is, she made it and she was really good to make this. This is her first film. Incredible, right? She's like a miracle. And everybody performing in it, they're very good. And I was surprised, because this is the first time that anybody — well, maybe they read the books or something — but anybody understands how John's childhood was. And how much pain, how painful it was for him. ... I was very, very thankful that Sam Taylor-Wood made this film. Very truthful film, yeah.

(?): One hundred years from now, what do you want people to know about John Lennon?

Ono: First of all, I'm not sure if I'm not going to be there. Things are changing in this world so much and it might be like we're all going to live as long as we want to. And also John might come back. We don't know anything. So I'm not going to answer that question.

(?): How did you decide what music you wanted to rerelease with the boxed sets?

Ono: The only thing that I probably had something to do with, to decide, is I didn't put "Two Virgins," I didn't put "Life With the Lions," because they're too sort of avant-garde in a way. ... I wanted to introduce John as an incredible, special rocker first. And then he dabbled in some avant-garde things and that's OK, but that's a lot of me is in there, so I thought, "Well, you know, let's not do that."

(?): The song "Woman" — what does it mean for you to listen to that song years later?

Ono: Of course, it was very flattering that John wrote that. But at the same time I was the one who was around. I was very lucky. Many painters, you know, they paint their wives, which is kind of like a maybe cheap and simple way of doing it, I don't know. But that's what they do. So he used me in that sense and probably I inspired him or something. But I think he's talking about all women and I think that's very important.

(?): Do you still put his music on and listen to it?

Ono: I listened to his music almost every day or every other day or something the past 30 years because there's other requests and things, and for business reasons I listened to them. But it's not a very relaxing thing to do. I don't listen to his songs to just relax, because then, you know, it just makes me feel sort of, well — it's painful in a way.

The Hobbit close to getting Green Light

The Hobbit movies are nearing a green light for production New Line Cinema and MGM seem to be finally ready to make the return voyage to Middle Earth.

Inside sources tell the Bureau that The Hobbit and The Hobbit Sequel are just days away from getting the official green light.We spoke to several sources close to the deal, who spoke under anonymity since they weren't authorized to share their knowledge publicly. It was said that Peter Jackson will in fact direct both movies and will also be attached as a writer and producer. It has been speculated for months that Peter Jackson would take the directorial reins over after Guillermo del Toro left the two-part prequel.

Both The Hobbit and The Hobbit Sequel will be shot back-to-back on a whopping $500 million budget. It is said that Warner Brothers-based New Line has been ready with their half of the money and were waiting on MGM to resolve its financial troubles. There are several scenarios that could lead to MGM securing their half of the funding, including taking out loans from studios such as 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. or other outside investors.

The deals are expected to be closed in a matter of days, which would put the movies on track to start shooting in January for a December 2012 release of The Hobbit and a December 2013 release for The Hobbit Sequel. Production is facing difficulties from the unions, which would make it unable to shoot in New Zealand, however, sources say this dispute is close to being resolved as well.

The Hobbit is in development and stars Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman, Hugo Weaving, Ian McKellan, Andy Serkis and Doug Jones.