Weekend Newsreel: March 3, 2006

Complied by the FilmBuffOnLine Staff

     Oscar Shorts On iTunes: If you’re not one of the fortunate few who manage to to get to see any of the Academy Award nominated live action short films, iTunes is offering them for download at $1.99 a film. The films are presented in association with Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures who had also recently presented a program of all five live action short nominees and all five animated short nominees in several U.S. cities. You can download the shorts at www.itunes.com.

     Blues Brothers Mall Demolished: On Tuesday, the Dixie Square Shopping Mall - the site of the Blues Brothers’ crazed drive through a suburban mall in their eponymous 1980 musical comedy – finally fell to the redeveloper’s bulldozer. Originally opened in 1966, the 750,000 square-foot shopping mall fell victim to the economic downturn experienced in Chicago’s southside a decade later. Shortly after its closure in 1979, the mall was used by director John Landis for what would become one of The Blues Brothers most memorable setpieces. The production paid $12,500.00 to use the property for three days of filming. In a time when product placement was not prevalent in films, set decorator Jean Alan had to practically retailers to include their names and merchandise to 30 mock storefronts that were being erected for the shoot. Over the past two-and-a-half decades numerous other proposals to redevelop the property had fallen through.

     Silvercup Studios Expansion: The owners of New York City’s Silvercup Studios, the largest television and film studio on the East Coast, have announced a $1 billion, six-acre expansion of their facilities along the East River in Queens. Located in the former Silvercup Bakery building visible just south of the Queensboro Bridge, Silvercup Studios currently boasts a 400,000 square foot production facility. The planned expansion will contain an additional eight soundstages, an office complex and highrise apartments and is expected to generate up to 10,000 new jobs.

     Final Guild Awards Passed Out: With just a week to the Academy Awards, the Costume Designers, Cinematographers and Sound Designers Guilds all handed out their achievement awards this past weekend. You can read the complete FilmBuffOnLine coverage here.

     In Remembrance

Don Knotts- The wide-eyed comic actor has passed away at age 81.

Denne Bart Petitclerc- The screenwriter who adapted Hemingway's novel Islands In The Stream for the big screen has passed away at age 76.

     Opening This Week

March 3

·         16 Blocks

·         Aquamarine- website

·         Dave Chappelle's Block Party

·         Doing Time For Patsy Cline (NY)- website

·         Deep Sea 3D (IMAX)- website

·         Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel, NY, LA)- website

·         Summer Storm (limited)

·         Ultraviolet- website

March 9

·         The Fallen (NY)- website