For Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, the early call to set-nearly a month prior to commencement of principal photography-was a gift. In addition to the heavy prep a movie of this scale entails, it provided the performers and their colleagues with the opportunity to discover the eccentricities of their characters.

Beyond motivation, however, many in the cast were called upon to take part in world-class action and breathless stunts. Stuber explains: “There are gun fights, car chases, hand-to-hand fights, knife fights. That takes an army of people spending day after day working hard to make it all happen believably and safely. That’s a real credit to these actors and stunt performers. They worked on their weekends with their knee pads and chest plates to perfect the intense and complicated moves.”

The director praises the one he believes is largely responsible for bringing the complex action sequences to life: stunt coordinator Powell. “Greg is a genius,” says Espinosa. “He comes from a generation of stunt coordinators who have it in their blood, and their imagination is endless. It was fun to watch them create a sense of gravity. We had a car, for example, with a professional stunt driver on top [LEE MILLAM], with the actor inside the car pretending to drive. When I was in the car, it felt like you could hit the wall at any second, but it was quite safe.”

Once Weston and Frost flee the destroyed safe house in a late-model BMW, Weston tries to outmaneuver Vargas and his men through the roads of Cape Town. Before taking to the streets-including a roundabout located in the center of town on Adderley Street-production trained at Killarney Motor Racing Complex. Powell explains: “Matt’s driving with Frost in the trunk, trying to lose Vargas. So we came here for some slipping about, to check out the surface and the speed and to see what we could do on the freeway. We wanted to make it as spectacular and as safe as possible.”

To pull it off, production employed more than 40 drivers from the U.K., Russia, Greece and South Africa. They power the vehicles that surround Weston’s car at 40 – 50 mph, while the scene was shot. Powell was fond of boasting that Reynolds, at times, hit speeds of 65 – 70 mph. As with most of shooting, production found a Wednesday to Saturday/Sunday workweek advantageous. Public areas were less congested on weekends, which went a long way toward making things safer.

When Weston’s safe house comes under attack, all hell breaks loose for the young housekeeper. But he knows if he can get Frost to the next location, he can “write his own ticket,” according to his supervisors. Espinosa’s objective in shooting the sequence was to capture the “thinking of a war movie, more than an action movie.” He gives: “At the moment when you get attacked by an extreme firepower, you go from being soldiers to being humans. That’s what I wanted to accomplish in these scenes.”

Fight coordinator OLIVIER SCHNEIDER fit seamlessly into the crew. Schneider’s forte is to design conflict based on character. Typically, he would choreograph the combat, then shoot example sequences for Espinosa. The director observes: “Olivier doesn’t do anything for his own sake, to show you how good he is or how big his imagination is. He creates a fight scene that comes from the story and moves the narrative along. His video sequences are edited and look amazing. I found myself asking, ‘Hell, how am I going to do this any better than he has?’”

Washington was just as impressed as his director. He discusses the training: “I loved working with Olivier and his guys. We trained a lot for weeks and weeks in advance on all of this inside dirty fighting. I had a chance to learn some of that, working on The Book of Eli. So we took it to another level, and I enjoyed that. Olivier and his guys are very good and very dangerous.”

Reynolds reflects upon the type of raw, primal work generated by Schneider: “A scene with great action in it has to be done in a way that’s inventive. I like how Olivier approached the fight scenes; there’s nothing polished about them. There’s no kung fu. Matt is not a trained fighter. These are intense scenes with veins popping out of people’s necks. It’s ugly, and it’s nasty; it’s kill or be killed. It’s much more interesting to watch a guy who’s forced to fight when he doesn’t want to than to see someone who’s very well versed in this kind of activity.”

The film’s tactical advisor, British ex-military and professional stuntman DAN HIRST, worked closely with stunt coordinator Powell to ensure that the tactics and weaponry used were vetted and tactically correct. Hirst attended the highly acclaimed Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where officers are trained from around the world. To stay fresh with updated tactics, he continues to receive training through private military courses and attachments to global training cadres.

Not every character in Safe House is supposed to be an academy-trained professional. Hirst explains: “More formalized CIA operatives such as Weston appear as though they’ve gone through the government-style training-like SWAT, Quantico or an academy-whereas the mercenaries have been recruited from militaries around the world, private security companies or police. A lot of the mercenaries in this story are African, so they’ve come from bush-war Africa and are rough diamonds, less cohesive. Some are South American, so they’ve been fighting in places like Colombia. Vargas is from Europe, so he could have seen action in Serbia, Albania or Kosovo. Now, he’s on the private market and been recruited to do a dirty and ruthless job: kill whomever he’s asked to kill for money and gather intelligence. All these men would have differences in how they handle conflicts and combat.”

Hirst’s goal during boot camp was to provide the performers with the skills specific to their characters. For example, did they need to lay down cover fire during the attack on the safe house? Would they be opening fire within the metropolis or from a rooftop within Langa Township? How would they handle different weapons platforms and efficiencies of use? Familiarity with the geography and topography was stressed, so the cast could assess and determine use of corners for temporary protection or whether structures were solid enough to provide cover from enemy fire during an assault.

The tactical advisor relied upon Falcon to confirm correct procedure when it came to the scenes between the CIA and mercenaries attempting to eliminate Weston and Frost. “It’s a lot of common sense,” he says. “If you’ve been in the military, then it’s using fire maneuver, using cover, avoiding glaring mistakes that I’ve seen on some projects. I asked Luis a lot of questions on the tactics, and we agreed on everything you see. There is, of course, artistic license to tell the story.”

Fares Fares prepared for his role with two months of training at a dojo, fight training eight times a week “just to get used to the pain.” He notes: “Daniel’s directions were ‘Don’t play it; keep it real.’ He wants all the characters to be human. I like that idea, because, as I told Daniel, I don’t want to do Vargas as the villain. He doesn’t kill unless he has to. It’s ‘evil’ in somebody else’s eyes, but not in my character’s eyes.”

Performers found their on-camera actions falling under the watchful eyes of multiple experts. Robert Patrick discusses shooting the fall of the safe house: “I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to do this tactically right. The tech advisor’s watching me, along with the stunt coordinator.’ I’m trying to satisfy all of them and pull off what we worked on. Then, Daniel hit me with, ‘I want the audience to feel for you.’ That’s a credit to his thoroughness, the thought that he gives to each character. That kind of detail makes the film that much more enjoyable.”

Read full production for Safe House >>

Nora Arnezeder (born 8 May 1989) is a French actress and singer. Arnezeder was born in Paris. Her father, Wolfgang, is Austrian and Catholic, and her mother, Piera, is an Egyptian Jew.

At the age of two, she left Paris with her parents to Aix-en-Provence. She moved to Bali for a year when she was fourteen. Once back in Paris, she studied dancing and singing.

Her first major role was in 2008, in Paris 36 which was directed by Christophe Barratier. In this film Nora Arnezeder sang “Loin de Paname”, which was nominated for the 82nd Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2012, Arnezeder will appear in Safe House and The Words.

In 2009, Arnezeder was the face of Guerlain’s fragrance “L’Idyll.”

This Means War is about two of the world’s top spies who’ve been partners and best friends for many years. Through a series of circumstances even they couldn’t anticipate, they fall in love with the same woman,” says producer-screenwriter Simon Kinberg. “FDR and Tuck decide they’re both going to date Lauren and see which one she chooses. As each begins to fall for Lauren, they get increasingly competitive and employ their spy tactics and techniques to sabotage each other. Lauren, who just wanted to find the right guy, has no idea that FDR and Tuck are waging war for her love.”

The “spy against spy” storyline – what happens when two best friends who have incredible skill sets turn on each other – is integral to the film’s humor and action. At the same time, director McG wanted these bigger than life situations to be relatable. “We wanted to present that in a way that felt very credible,” says the Charlie’s Angels and Terminator: Salvation helmer. “We weren’t interested in making a spoof. And I liked taking advantage of Tuck’s and FDR’s ‘Alpha’ characteristics. I would ask, if James Bond encountered [Mission: Impossible protagonist] Ethan Hunt, would they have a great deal of respect for each other? Of course they would. But would one ever acquiesce to the other? No way. Each man recognizes the skill of the other but at the end of the day, each is betting on himself. And that is a great engine for a movie.”

“It’s every woman’s fantasy to have two unbelievably hot, sexy guys battling over you,” says Witherspoon. “Lauren doesn’t know that Tuck and FDR are secret agents for the CIA. THIS MEANS WAR is almost like two different movies. My character’s in a comedy and Chris’ and Tom’s are in a big action film.”

Witherspoon also appreciated the two sides of Lauren. “At work, Lauren is the most decisive woman in the world, but in her personal life, she’s very indecisive. I think a lot of people can relate to her feeling of, ‘Am I picking the right guy for me.’”

It’s a tough choice, to be sure, because her suitors are handsome, smart, romantic…and the world’s greatest secret agents. For generations, movie audiences have been entertained and beguiled by the thrills, chills and sex appeal of super spies. “With FDR and Tuck, we were going for the classic movie special agent,” says McG. “What’s sexy about that world is it’s life and death; it’s international; and it’s the antithesis of what most people experience in their everyday lives. I think we all want to travel around the world, go to exotic locations, drive fancy cars, fire guns, and be romantically irresistible. We’re having fun with that, and FDR and Tuck are incredibly proficient in that world. But when it comes to affairs of the heart, they’re just like everyone else. Clueless.”

For the character of FDR, the filmmakers were looking for what McG calls a “rogue – somebody who was lovable, even while possessing supreme self-confidence. And when it comes to that kind of energy, someone who embodies that magical mix, Chris Pine is the heavyweight champ.”

Pine has become one of Hollywood’s hottest stars with his critical and box office success portraying the young James T. Kirk in Star Trek, and an inexperienced train conductor in the heart pounding drama Unstoppable. Pine describes FDR as “a consumer of all things – of fine whiskey, good cigars, nice suits, fast cars, and beautiful ladies. Not necessarily in that order. He enjoys being a spy. He’s the guy who would have watched James Bond movies as a kid and said, ‘I want to do that.’ There’s not a lot of brooding or complication in FDR’s life.”

“Tuck, however, comes from a more serious school of espionage,” Pine continues. “Tuck is complicated, interesting, and internal. He’s the spy existentialist while FDR enjoys the bacchanalian universe of being a spy. The infuriatingly talented Tom Hardy plays Tuck. Tom is super charismatic and handsome as all hell and he brings a complicated nature and an English sensibility to his role.”

The filmmakers’ long search to cast the role of Tuck ended when they saw Hardy’s performance in the box office hit Inception. “Tom had everything we wanted,” recalls Kinberg. “His sense of humor had a much different tone than Chris’. Tom has an aura of danger, which we really wanted for Tuck. He was very physical, conveyed the character’s complexities, and was perfect for the role.”

Though Hardy seemed to become an overnight sensation with his breakthrough work in Inception, he has also turned in much lauded performances in the recent dramas Warrior; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bronson, and RocknRolla. So his role in THIS MEANS WAR, a big comedy-action film, was a substantial departure from his earlier work. “Tom is an actor who loves challenges,” observes Kinberg. “He had done heavy drama and action, so I think the challenge of playing THIS MEANS WAR’s humor and fun is what drew him in.”

Hardy concurs the film presented a very different kind of opportunity than his previous work. “Comedy, in itself, is not an easy thing to do,” he explains. “I thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m very grateful for the experience.” Hardy was also drawn by the opportunity to play opposite Witherspoon. “Working with Reese was like a master class in the comedy genre for me.”

Joining Witherspoon, Pine and Hardy in the starring cast are Til Schweiger and Chelsea Handler. Schweiger, one of Germany’s biggest movie stars and film directors, portrays Heinrich, a menacing international arms dealer who seeks revenge against FDR and Tuck for causing his brother’s death. Best known to U.S. audiences for his memorable turn as Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz in the Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Schweiger says that while his character figures in some of THIS MEANS WAR’s enormous set pieces, there’s much more to it than high-powered action. “Most of the film is about fun, friendship and trust,” he notes.

Starring as Lauren’s best friend Trish, is inimitable talk show host, comedienne actor, and author Chelsea Handler. Trish is a wife and mother whose mission in life is to offer frank and explicit opinions on her single friend’s love life. “Trish is basically me, but married,” says the famously single Handler. “Trish is not the best advisor, but Lauren needs her to provide a jolt of energy. “‘Listen,’ Trish tells Lauren, ‘you better get out there and do the things every woman wants to do! So get the party started, Chaka Khan’ (who’s not in the movie, by the way).”

Says Witherspoon: “Everybody has one of those crazy friends who does wacky things and lives vicariously through their dating friends. I’ve known Chelsea for a while, and it was fun that we got to make this movie together. She’s just perfect person for the role.”

Read full production notes for This Means War >>

Josh Hutcherson is fast becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after young talents. He has completed production on Dan Bradley’s adventure thriller Red Dawn, a remake of the 1984 film of the same name; and on Lawrence Roeck’s art forgery drama Carmel.

Mr. Hutcherson starred opposite Brendan Fraser in the blockbuster Journey to the Center of the Earth, directed by Eric Brevig, and will reprise his role in an upcoming sequel. In the hit Bridge to Terabithia, directed by Gabor Csupo, he starred opposite AnnaSophia Robb; he was honored with two Young Artist Awards, for his performance and as part of the ensemble.

The Kentucky native’s other films include Barry Sonnenfeld’s RV, with Robin Williams; Rowan Woods’ Fragments (a.k.a. Winged Creatures), opposite Dakota Fanning; Jon Favreau’s Zathura: A Space Adventure, for which he won a Young Artist Award; Paul Weitz’ Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant; Todd Holland’s Firehouse Dog; Jesse Dylan’s Kicking & Screaming; and Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett’s Little Manhattan.

Additionally, Mr. Hutcherson performed in the groundbreaking motion-capture process for Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar Express; and voiced a lead character for the English-language re-recording of Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle.

In a departure from his previous films, González Iñárritu sought to combine in Babel the hyper-realism esthetics of certain scenes, with dream-like sequences in the purest cinematic tradición that show the inner lives of the characters.

Key to achieving this was Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s mastering of visual narratives: “We wanted to visually represent the emotional journeys of the characters through the use of different film stocks and formats. We felt that subtle differences between the image quality of each story, like the texture of the film grain, the color saturation, and the sharpness of the backgrounds could help enhance the experience of being in different places geographically and emotionally,” says Prieto. “We then digitally combined the different lens formats used into one negative, in the same way that all these cultures and languages come together in one film.”

The almost documentary style becomes a challenge in itself when the production requirements happen to be so high as they were in BABEL. While the deserts in South Morocco and Mexico lacked the essential technological support, a hyper-modern city such as Tokyo was for the opposite reasons full of obstacles faced by the production departments. “It was one of the toughest experiences of my life, though one of the most unforgettable and gratifying,” says Academy Award-winning production designer Brigitte Broch. “From working in the most amazing landscapes in Morocco to watching the strangest mixture of society in Tokyo, this film has shaped me in my better understanding of mankind. We decided to paint the film by country in the red tones; the orange earth tones for Morocco, the electric vivid red for Mexico and more toward the subtle red-purple for Japan,” says Broch.

For director González Iñárritu, the true achievement consists of making his and his art and photography departments’ efforts invisible to audiences without showing off. This effort was also implied in the self-imposed task of not succumbing to the esthetical temptations offered by places as visually attractive as the cities portrayed.

Efforts of this kind were also put in the editing room. “I love working with Alejandro because he is relentless,” says editor Stephen Mirrione. Oscar winner. “He’s not satisfied unless every frame in the film makes you feel something. In editing BABEL that meant being focused microscopically on every detail within each scene. Over 2,500 distinct camera setups were shot, giving us an overwhelming palette of images and sounds to choose from. There are roughly 4,000 cuts in the film, so like assembling a massive mosaic from tiny intricately designed tiles, the work we all accomplished only became clear to me after stepping back and watching with a little distance. I am still discovering new details, new connections, and new layers of meaning with every viewing.”

Martin Hernandez, a close friend of Iñarritu’s, began collaborating with him 22 years ago when they were working for a radio station in Mexico City. “When there’s nothing to listen to, there’s nothing to understand; if we stop understanding, then our language has become useless, even worse, in the end it will only divide us. Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu´s BABEL is a very detailed description on this subject at the only level that becomes truly universal: the human level. It is filled with some very subtle and some very strident characters, all of them powerfully visual and sonorous. When I was on location for BABEL trying to record the sounds in every space captured for the film, I thought I was there to hear. I was wrong. Now that I’m here, in front of Alejandro’s last cut, I am really listening. I’ve learned to listen to what he hears, and now I’ve been able to understand him. This movie expects the same attention as any human being demands, it is more about them, about the `other’, about the apparent stranger, hence in the end, it’s all about ourselves,” says Hernandez.

Adding the final touches of feeling and depth to the film is another long-time partner of Iñárritu’s – composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who most recently wrote the Oscar-winning score for Brokeback Mountain. “BABEL was the third motion picture I had the chance of working with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu on. Since “Amores Perros” and through “21 Grams” we’ve been developing a particular musical language that helps us to connect with the humanistic, visceral and heartfelt essence of his movies. The challenge with “Babel” is the four stories that take place in three very different parts of the world was to find a sound, a leading instrument that would connect all the characters and places, keeping an identity but not sounding like the music of a National Geographic documentary. That voice I found in an instrument called the oud, an Arab fretless instrument, ancestor of the Spanish guitar that also echoes the Japanese koto. That sound in combination with other instruments is what created the sonic fabric of Babel,” says Santaolalla.

The crew of top rate collaborators conformed by Prieto, Broch and Santaolalla, along with sound designer Martín Hernández, have been integral members of González Iñárritu team since Amores Perros, his successful debut film. The artistic bond already established between them made the BABEL experience even more intimate and transforming. They comprise what he calls his “creative close family,” essential in the process of translating a vital experience to a language as universal as film.

“Over the course of the year, we lived around the world like a big circus of gypsies. Even when a film can be a close and personal testimony of oneself, making a film is a huge collaborative process. It’s a creative orgy in which everybody gives the best of their talents and I owe to all of my team and collaborators, the best and most satisfying moments, both in the film and out of it. Without them, it would have been impossible to conceive even an inch of film.,” says the director.

For this project, Iñárritu also invited producers Jon Kilik and Steve Golin to complete his “team” of collaborators. “It was great to be able to rely on the family that had been with me during the past two films, but it was also amazing to have worked with new friends and partners, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin. We went through a lot over the course of the film, but their spirit, experience and support was indispensable for this project,” says Iñárritu.

From the point of view of a producer, BABEL posed numerous challenges, but the biggest goal of all was to maintain the creative integrity of the film. “BABEL became the most demanding and the most rewarding producing challenge of my career,” said producer Jon Kilik (Alexander, Malcolm X, Dead Man Walking). “Remote deserts, highly secured international borders, and one of the most densely populated cities on the planet made for enormous production challenges while embracing the lifestyle and work style of Morocco, Mexico and Japan resulted in an honesty on the screen that I am extremely proud of.”

Producer Steve Golin (Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich) shared a similar experience. “This was my first collaboration with Alejandro and the experience of working on BABEL was not only memorable, but unlike any other film I have been a part of. Each day provided me an opportunity to witness people’s methodologies of filmmaking within an international setting and I was continually challenged and inspired as a producer. Having to overcome the obstacles and boundaries of language to find a way of working with one another helped to make this journey truly unique.

Visit Babel Website >>

Principal photography on The Vow began an all-location shoot in August, 2010, in Toronto, Canada. Because the film is set in Chicago, the last four days in October were shot there for verisimilitude, including landmark locations.

Sucsy called on his friend and Grey Gardens production designer Kalina Ivanov to bring her considerable talent and experience to creating the look of every unique set in the film as well as Paige’s artwork.

Ivanov responded to the script immediately: “I loved the opportunity of having to create these people’s lives from scratch and then having to create a whole new world for them of where one of them is comfortable and the other one knows nothing about it. It presented a great opportunity to give Paige’s character a lot of clues about her past life and to give Leo the opportunity to use these clues in trying to rekindle their love. So every environment I created for those characters had to serve a dual purpose: to not just to be their environment, but also to give you the clue of what their life was like before as a couple.”

View full production notes for The Vow >>

The Hunger Games

“The Hunger Games” is based on Suzanne Collins’ best-selling futuristic young adult novel. A dystopic Capitol requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl who are forced to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. When Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.

Directed by: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson
Screenplay by: Suzanne Collins, Gary Ross
Studio: Lionsgate Films
Relaese Date: March 23rd, 2012

In the summer before their freshman year in high school, Julie (Alexa Vega) has a slumber party with her best friends, Hannah, Yancy, and Farrah — and they end up having the adventure of their lives. In attempt to cast off their less-than-cool reputations once and for all, Julie and her friends enter into an all-night scavenger hunt against their “popular girl” rivals. Hijacking dad’s car, sneaking into clubs, evading Julie’s mother, and even a first kiss — anything is possible at Julie’s Sleepover.

Julie (Alexa Vega) has invited her best friends – Hannah (Mika Boorem), Farrah (Scout Taylor-Compton), and Yancy (Kallie Flynn Childress) – to come celebrate the last day of junior high, but what begins as just another sleepover turns into the adventure of their lives. Eager to cast off their less-than-cool reputations, the friends agree to a challenge from the “popular girls”: an all-night scavenger hunt.

With Julie’s father distracted by a home-improvement project downstairs, they sneak down the rose trellis, borrow Yancy’s electric car – well, her parents’ car – dodge Julie’s mother at a nightclub, steal a pair of boxer shorts from the cutest guy in town, go to their first high school dance, fall in love, and in the end, learn a little something about themselves.

Directed by: Joe Nussbaum
Starring: Alexa Vega, Mika Boorem, Kallie Flynn Childress, Jane Lynch, Eileen April Boylan
Screenplay by: Elisa Bell
Release Date: July 9, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements involving teen dating, sensuality, language.
Studio: Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Read full production notes for Sleepover >>

Set against the turbulent political backdrop of France in the spring of 1968 when the voice of youth was reverberating around Europe, “The Dreamers” is a story of self-discovery as the three students test each other to see just how far they will go.

The Dreamers was helmed by Bernardo Bertolucci, whose film The Last Emperor swept the 1987 Academy Awards garnering nine Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture. It marks his third film shot in Paris, following The Conformists and the Oscar-nominated Last Tango in Paris. The screenplay, adapted for the screen from his original novel, is by English author and film critic Gilbert Adair.

The Dreamers strikes a personal chord for both Bertolucci and Adair, for although their paths never crossed, they were both living in Paris at the end of the 60s, experiencing the events against which the film is set. Their love of cinema took them to the birthplace of the Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), immersing them in a strong international cinema culture. “There was something magic in the 60s,” Bertolucci recalls, “in that we were … well, let’s use the word ‘dreaming’. We were fusing cinema, politics, music, jazz, rock ‘n roll, sex, philosophy.”

The film stars Michael Pitt, recently seen in the award-winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and with Sandra Bullock in Murder by Numbers, Eva Green in her feature film debut, and Louis Garrel, who previously appeared in Yolande Zauberman’s La Guerre in Paris.

Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Michael Pitt, Louis Garrel, Eva Green, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Jean-Pierre Leaud
Screenplay by: Gilbert Adair
Release Date: February 6th, 2004
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content and graphic nudity, language, drug use.
Box Office: $2,532,228 (US total)
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Read full production notes for The Dreamers >>

John Carter

War-weary, former military captain John Carter is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris. In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands…

Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Thomas Haden Church, Willem Dafoe, James Purefoy
MPAA Rating: None.
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: March 9th, 2012

Silent House

Sarah is a young woman who finds herself sealed inside her family’s secluded lake house. With no contact to the outside world, and no way out, panic turns to terror to terror as events become increasingly ominous in and around the house.

Directed by: Chris Kentis
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Julia Taylor Ross, Haley Murphy
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent content and terror.
Studio: Open Road Films
Release Date: March 9, 2012

Changes in thickness, dryness, and texture can indicate thyroid or other problems.

Taking care of your skin is probably second nature by now. You know to slather on SPF each morning and scan for new and changing moles to keep your skin happy and healthy. But despite understanding how to combat wrinkles and ward off disease, there’s a fair share that you might not know about your body’s largest organ. Read on for seven interesting facts about your skin.

1. Your skin’s appearance and texture can give you clues about the rest of your health.

Sometimes, changes in your skin can signal changes in your health as a whole. For example, according to Brooke Jackson, MD, Director of the Skin Wellness Center of Chicago, “The hormones that the thyroid produces are directly responsible for the natural fats that protect the skin, as well as hair and cell growth and hair pigmentation.”

She explains that in a person with hyperthryroidism (when the thyroid overproduces thyroid hormone), the epidermis––the outer layer of skin––may thicken and skin may be soft. With hypothyroidism (when the thyroid under-produces thyroid hormone), on the other hand, symptoms include very dry skin and thickened skin on the palms and soles. Another way your skin can tip you off to health issues: Acanthosis nigricans, a condition in which skin around the neck darkens and changes in texture, is often associated with diabetes, according to D’Anne Kleinsmith, MD, dermatologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI.

2. Everyone has the same pigment in their skin that’s responsible for color.

Melanin, explains Josie Tenore, MD, SM, is a coloring pigment that is present in all people’s skin—regardless of race. “The difference in skin tone between people of different races—and between people of the same race––lies in how much of this pigment is present, and its distribution within the skin.”

More specifically, everyone—no matter how dark or pale they are––has the same number of melanocytes, which are the cells that make melanin, explains Arnold Oppenheim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist. “It’s their product, melanosomes—which contain the melanin––that differ. Some people have denser and larger ones, which make their skin darker.” Also, the denser and closer together they are, “the more protection the skin is afforded from skin cancer,” he says.

3. As we age, our skin sheds cells more slowly.

Ever wonder why children have such naturally rosy and dewy skin? While skin of all ages produces new cells which eventually move to the surface and shed off, young people’s skin does this more often, according to Dr. Tenore. “In kids, this happens every two to three weeks, which gives them that vibrant, shiny skin. But as we age, this process becomes slower. More dead cells stay on the surface, resulting in that dull, dehydrated look.”

She adds that exposure to direct sunlight slows down the sloughing off process even further because UV light decreases cellular turnover. Depending on your skin type—your dermatologist can identify yours––daily exfoliation or a topical antioxidant serum that contains retinoids, vitamins and peptides can help encourage cell turnover, according to Francesca Fusco, MD, a New York City dermatologist.

1. Carrie Anne Moss – The Matrix

You don’t always have to show skin to be sexy in leather. You just need to be handy with a variety of weapons and spout new-age philosophy from time to time. And so we come to Trinity: Sometimes she saved us, sometimes she confused us, but mostly she just aroused us.

2. Kate Beckinsale – Underworld Awakening

No, it’s not just because her movie is about to drop. It’s because her leather catsuit-corset combo fits her like a glove. Perhaps ironically, Kate’s hands are the only part of her body below the neck not covered in skin-tight leather.

3. Kristanna Loken – Terminator: Rise of the Muchines

In the future, hot chicks will be clad entirely in red leather. And, apparently, they will want you dead.

4. Malin Akerman – Watchmen
Because wearing leather isn’t really about subtlety, we love the yellow on Malin Akerman.

5. Mila Kunis – Max Payne

Because you can’t kill ghoulish bad guys in khaki, Mila Kunis brought out the leather when it was time to bring out the big guns.

understanding the universe, space posters, universe posters, educational posters, nasa posters, decorative art prints, astronomy posters

Assuming the standard model is true, our universe’s end will likely all come down to one of three theories, each of which depends upon three things: the shape of the universe, how much dark energy is contained within it, and how the densities of dark energy will respond to the expansion of the universe.

There are believed to be three possible shapes of the universe: an open universe, a flat universe, and a closed plane of space-time.

In an open universe (think of a gigantic, saddle-shaped object), the universe is likely to experience the Big Freeze. In this scenario, the universe will continue to expand until matter has stretched incredibly thin, the stars have all burnt out, galaxies have ceased creating new stars to replace them, and all mass as we know it has ceased to exist. Everything will become dark and cold. The universe won’t so much as end as it will simply fizzle out, settling into a silent and lonely slumber at absolute zero.

Another possibility for universal armageddon is the Big Rip. Not as dependent on the shape of the universe as much as the amount of dark energy contained within it, this model implies that the acceleration of the universe will continue to increase without slowing, and the dark energy will become so strong that it will overwhelm the other elemental forces. Galaxies, suns, and planets alike will begin tearing themselves apart, all ending in a gravitational singularity — a place in which the standard rules of physics and relativity no longer apply.

Somewhat less unsettling is the theory of the Big Crunch, in which the universe will continue to expand until matter begins to slow the rate of expansion. Once slowed enough, the expansion will eventually come to a halt and begin to retract. Everything — planets, suns, galaxies, black holes, even the indestructible iPad 7000 — will all come crashing back together, culminating in a Big Crunch: essentially the opposite of the Big Bang that kicked our universe off in the first place. The bright side here is that the crunch is thought to be succeeded by yet another Big Bang and the creation of a whole new universe. Unfortunately, of the three, the Big Crunch is currently the least favored hypothesis within the physics community — meaning our dreams of an endlessly cycling universe of birth, destruction, and rebirth may end up being relegated to the realm of science fiction.

Dark matter continues to confound astronomers, as NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory demonstrated with the detection of an extensive envelope of dark matter around an isolated elliptical galaxy. This discovery conflicts with optical data that suggest a dearth of dark matter around similar galaxies, and raises questions about how galaxies acquire and keep such dark matter halos.

Dark matter is a mysterious kind of glue that holds not only the mysterious together, but is theoretically responsible for their creation. It was originally suggested in 1933 to explain discrepancies math by calculating the mass of galaxies, essentially, more material is needed to keep the galaxies together, we can see. Since then, we have not learned a whole hell of a lot more about dark matter.

In fact, we seem to know more about this itisn’t than it is. We know there is no antimatter. We also know that there is no dark clouds of normal matter. Many physicists believe that it represents about 83% of matter in the universe – even if we still have to prove that it exists!

The tricky thing with the dark matter is that we can not be detected directly, it is invisible. Dark matter is revealed by its severity, so we have, instead of measuring it through its interaction with normal matter. Currently, there are two contradictory experiments conducted in an attempt to confirm the existence of dark matter.

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) detector Sudan mine in Minnesota is the search for weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs, whose discovery could resolve the problem of dark matter. Although the dark matter should be everywhere, it is estimated that some WIMPs can pass through the galaxy without interacting with normal matter, making it very difficult to discover. Although scientists have not yet detected WIMPs directly, they found significant evidence that they exist.

In direct conflict with these results, the XENON100 experience in Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy has so far yielded negative results with respect to the WIMP. This does not mean that WIMPs exist, but simply that they are harder to detect than scientists had previously assumed.

Elizabeth Banks has become one of Hollywood’s most sought after and versatile actresses, moving effortlessly between comedy and drama, film and television, and now also taking on a role as a producer. Her upcoming films include The Hunger Games and Welcome to People. She was most recently seen starring in Our Idiot Brother with Paul Rudd, Emily Mortimer and Zooey Deschanel; and opposite Russell Crowe in The Next Three Days, directed by Paul Haggis. Currently, she is in production on Universal Pictures’ Pitch Perfect, which she is producing with her husband, Max Handelman, through their company, Brownstone Productions. The cast includes Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson.

Banks will next be seen in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, in which she stars as ‘Effie Trinket,’ on March 23rd, 2012. The film, based on the first novel of Suzanne Collins’ bestselling trilogy, is set in a post-apocalyptic America and tells the story of a 16-year-old girl, ‘Katniss Everdeen’ (Jennifer Lawrence), who must participate in a fight-to-the-death annual televised event called the Hunger Games. ‘Effie Trinket’ is a pink-haired showbiz type who becomes mentor to ‘Katniss.”

She will then appear in Lionsgate’s motherhood comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Banks portrays an author of a children’s book about breast feeding and owner of The Breast Choice boutique, who is militant in her beliefs about what makes a good mother until she gets pregnant for the first time. The film, directed by Kirk Jones, is based on Heidi Murkoff’s bestseller, and the ensemble cast includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Dennis Quaid. The film is scheduled to be released over Mother’s Day weekend on May 11th, 2012.

Banks has also wrapped production on DreamWorks Pictures’ Welcome to People, in which she stars opposite Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film follows a businessman (Pine) who returns home after his estranged father’s death and discovers that he has an alcoholic sister (Banks) with a 12-year-old son. The film is scheduled to be released in 2012.

In August 2011, she was seen in Our Idiot Brother opposite Paul Rudd. Our Idiot Brother and The Details premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 and were purchased for distribution by The Weinstein Company. In The Details, she stars as ‘Nealy Lang,’ whose husband’s (Tobey Maguire) efforts to rid his backyard of lawn-destroying raccoons somehow leads him down a path with disastrous results.

In 2008, Banks received critical acclaim for her role as ‘First Lady Laura Bush’ opposite Josh Brolin in Oliver Stone’s W. The impressive cast included James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Burstyn and Jeffrey Wright. In Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Banks (Miri) and Zack (Seth) played two broke friends who decide to cure their financial ills by making an X-rated movie.

Banks’ additional feature credits include her breakthrough roles in the award Academy Award winning films Seabiscuit, in which she starred as ‘Marcela Howard’ opposite Jeff Bridges and Tobey Maguire, and in Steve Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can. She has also appeared in Role Models, Meet Dave, Invincible, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Fred Claus, Sisters, Slither, Heights, The Baxter, The Trade, Ordinary Sinner, The Uninvited, Daltry Calhoun, Sexual Life, John Singleton’s Shaft with Samuel L. Jackson and cult hit Wet Hot American Summer starring Janeane Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce. She also appeared as journalist ‘Betty Brant,’ a role that director Sam Raimi created for her, in Columbia Pictures’ three blockbuster Spider-Man films with Tobey Maguire as the title character.

On the small screen, Banks has recently been seen in a recurring role as ‘Avery Jessup,’ Alec Baldwin’s love interest, on the NBC series “30 Rock.” She earned an Emmy Award nomination in 2011 for ‘Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series’ for her performance. She has also appeared on ABC’s “Modern Family” and in a recurring role as ‘Dr. Kim Porter’ on NBC’s “Scrubs.” In 2007 she appeared in the CBS mini series “Comanche Moon,” which is Larry McMurtry’s popular prequel to “Lonesome Dove.”

Banks also produced Disney’s 2009 sci-fi thriller The Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, through her company Brownstone Productions. Upcoming projects for Brownstone, which Banks runs with her husband Max Handelman, include Tink, a Disney live-action romantic comedy in which Banks will star as the title character of’ Tinkerbell;’ Forever 21, a Dreamworks comedy which Banks will star in and produce; Too Far From Home, a Universal film about three astronauts who were stranded on the international space station; and the college a cappella group comedy “Pitch Perfect.”

Her extensive theater credits include many roles in American Conservatory Theatre productions, as well as the Guthrie Theater’s production of Summer & Smoke directed by David Esbjornson. In 2006 Banks played Cherie, the female lead in William Inge’s comedy Bus Stop, as part of the Williamstown Theater Festival.

Originally from Massachusetts, Banks received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Graduate Degree at the American Conservatory Theater. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Birth Name: Sara Paxton
Birth Date: April 25th, 1988
Birth Place: Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Sara Paxton is an accomplished young actress who has shown her striking versatility in feature films, on television and in music. She was recently seen in the well-received shocker The Last House on the Left, an update of the ’70s horror classic from Wes Craven, costarring Garret Dillahunt, Aaron Paul and Tony Goldwyn. Paxton showed off her comedic chops in the spoof Superhero Movie and the romantic comedy Sydney White, also starring Matt Long and Amanda Bynes. Additionally, Paxton is well known for playing the title role in family favorite Aquamarine, about a mermaid looking for love on land.

Soon to be released are director Jack Heller’s supernatural thriller Enter Nowhere, costarring Scott Eastwood and Shaun Sipos, and Ti West’s ghost story The Innkeepers, co-starring Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis, which made its premiere on the festival circuit earlier in the year. Paxton has just completed shooting the independent features Static and Liars All.

Other film credits include Sleepover, Liar Liar, Soldier, Music from Another Room and Haunted Lighthouse.

Since beginning her career at age six, Paxton has accumulated an impressive list of performances in commercials, television and features. In addition to being cast as a series regular on the WB’s coming-of-age sitcom “Greetings from Tucson” in 2002, Paxton has guest starred on series such as “CSI: Miami” and the cult hit “Action.”

More recently, Paxton was a series regular on the CW series “The Beautiful Life: TBL,” a short-lived drama about the competitive world of modeling. She starred in the powerful Lifetime movie “The Party Never Stops,” about a college freshman dealing with the problem of binge drinking. She was also seen in the very successful “Return to Halloweentown,” for Disney Channel.

Paxton played title character Darcy Fields in “Darcy’s Wild Life,” airing for two seasons on Discovery Kids and NBC Saturday mornings. For this role, she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series. The video for Paxton’s single from the show’s soundtrack, “Take a Walk,” played in heavy rotation on Discovery Kids. She also guest-starred on Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle” and NBC’s “Will & Grace.”

Paxton then played a recurring role as Jesse McCartney’s troubled girlfriend, Sarah Bordin, on the WB series “Summerland.”

Writer / director Ti West: I’m a skeptic as it is, but I had some weird electric things in my room. The light bulbs would burn out all the time and the TV would turn off and on by itself. It was really just a vibe – it felt like someone was in the room with you. It may sound bogus and just like what everyone else says, but I don’t ever feel that way in my life. Ever.”

Producer Derek Curl: I felt a ghost – I didn’t see a ghost. But I’m also very sensitive to them. I was sitting in bed and actually jumped off because I felt something push up against me…I think the ghosts here really have a bathroom fetish, because they love screwing with people’s bathrooms, whether it’s the water coming on, the lights flickering, doors shutting…

Actress Sara Paxton: It was unsettling living in that inn! One night I was in my bed reading a book after dinner; the windows were closed and suddenly the bathroom door slams and the light flicks on! It freaked me out – I was frozen. It must have been a breeze, I thought, but how could there a breeze when the windows are closed?

Cinematographer Eliot Rockett: I’m the old guy – practically everyone else on the shoot was 30 or under. The whole haunted hotel thing, whatever, I didn’t experience any of that. But this hotel is crooked and weird and not quite right.

Producer Peter Phok: I remember hearing the stories of The Yankee Pedlar being haunted from Luke, the night watchman, when we were here making The House Of The Devil. Personally, I’m not a superstitious person – I’ve got to see it before I believe it. That said, there’s definitely a creepy vibe at this hotel.

Actor Pat Healy: I’m not a believer in ghosts, but I did experience the weird atmosphere of that place, that town. And there were times when we were shooting those “scare moments” when I really felt it.

Line Producer Jacob Jaffke: Everyone had really crazy dreams. The same thing happened when we were making The House of the Devil and staying at the very same hotel. It kind of felt like you were watching Videodrome on acid in the rain…that is the only way I can describe the feeling you would have when you woke up with after a night’s sleep in the Pedlar.

Actress Kelly McGillis: I never had any experiences of being “haunted” when I was there. The Yankee Pedlar was a little creepy, yes, but it also had an interesting charm to it.

Read full production notes for The Innkeepers >>

Kwapis was an advocate for shooting in Alaska, a state that has not been used often in recent major filmmaking. With its newly minted incentive program in place, it could compete financially with better-known centers of production such as territories throughout Canada and the Pacific Northwest. “Big Miracle is perhaps the only major studio film to shoot entirely in Alaska,” reflects Kwapis. “On many levels, we all felt we were exploring new territory. A filmmaker usually chooses a location for its physical beauty. I lobbied to shoot in Alaska for another reason: the people. It was odd to make the case to Universal that we needed to go to Alaska so that the extras looked right, but this was critical to the film’s credibility. The faces on screen had to be the right faces. You cannot find the Inuit people of Alaska anywhere but Alaska, and their faces form one of the film’s most beautiful landscapes.”

The director’s vision was shared by the production team, who backed the decision to base the filming in the bustling city of Anchorage. Offers Sugar: “What you gain by shooting in Alaska instead of inside a studio back lot is the feeling of being in another world. Ken very rightly advocated for Alaska, as well as the city of Anchorage, which turned out to be wonderful partners for us.”

While any production aims to be true to life, shooting in Barrow, hundreds of miles north of Anchorage, was not feasible. Anchorage, a modern city of 300,000 people located on the south central coast of Alaska, is in what locals term the “banana belt” for its comparatively mild temperatures. Explains Kwapis: “The town of Barrow could not accommodate a large shooting crew, so it was never an option. And of course, it is numbingly cold. Anchorage was our best choice.”

First on the agenda was finding a suitable spot to build the Barrow set in Anchorage, a city ringed by mountain ranges. Unfortunately, there were not many candidates, as there are very few places where one can look out on the horizon and not see mountains. After scouting one locale that was unobtainable and a second inaccessible to equipment, the team settled into an area adjacent to downtown Anchorage near the mudflats. This location gave them a partially unobstructed horizon with which to work.

That site, on railroad land just down a slope near downtown at the Port of Anchorage, gave the filmmakers not only space to build the Barrow ice field and portions of the town itself, but room for parking and equipment. “We needed an open view of the water, some place that had a clear horizon line,” says production designer Nelson Coates. “We also needed to have room to dig the breathing holes for the whales, which, for safety reasons, required the construction of a much larger surrounding hole.”

When the team commenced digging that hole, Coates and crew found something unexpected: debris from the 1964 Anchorage earthquake that had ravaged the city. “Apparently, the city had used this area for storing bulldozed remnants of the disaster in 1964,”says the designer. “We found things like mattresses, oil tanks, railroad ties and timber and had to be careful about where we dug.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Big Miracle was tackled thousands of miles away in New Zealand during preproduction. Inside the Auckland workshops of Glasshammer Visual Effects, three important co-stars were being designed and built. Glasshammer was asked to meticulously create a trio of very valuable California gray whale puppets the screenwriters had christened Fred, Wilma and Bamm-Bamm.

New Zealand-based special-effects wizards JUSTIN BUCKINGHAM and MIKE LATHAM were assigned to create the film’s central illusion: to ensure that the California gray whales came alive on screen. Buckingham’s company, Glasshammer, had created the lifelike whales for the 2002 blockbuster Whale Rider, work that caught the eye of the filmmakers.

“My company constructed the gray whales,” says Buckingham, “and Mike designed the animatronics, robotics and hydraulics. I had received a phone call about our availability to make these three whales, and I was quite excited from the beginning.”

Foremost in Kwapis’ mind was the whale makers’ ability to create lifelike animals. “We needed the whales to look perfectly real,” says the director, “and I wanted to give the actors something tangible to interact with. We studied archival footage of the trapped whales to understand how they moved. We didn’t want to anthropomorphize them, but we gave each one distinct markings so that over the course of the film viewers could distinguish them as characters. Gray whales have rough textures that give them a kind of gnarly beauty; I feel it makes them even more endearing.”

An additional requirement would be to build a whale pool that could realistically hold the puppets while allowing them to move freely and convincingly. “We built an ice-field set, complete with an underground water tank for the animatronic whales to inhabit,” adds Kwapis. “The animatronic whales were able to surface in any part of the pool, and in any order. It was a real engineering feat, and it worked extremely well.”

The whales would have a finished look that was as close as possible to the actual 1988 whales, complete with barnacles, scars and more. Shares Buckingham: “We looked at a lot of news footage of the actual event and studied the look and movement of the creatures. Once we worked out the scale, we started sculpting the heads.”

For two of the whales, Buckingham and Latham conceived of a movable platform that could be walked underwater and made it possible to move the interchangeable whale heads independently. The hydraulics were connected to a nearby control platform out of the camera’s field of vision. While Buckingham conceived of the realistic whale heads, Latham was busy creating their interior electronics. “We thought the biggest challenge was going to be how to design equipment that would not freeze or be affected by standing in water all day,” says Buckingham. “That informed me on what materials to make the heads from so that they would last over the entire shoot.”

Construction rolled along for four months, culminating in a Pacific Ocean cruise from New Zealand to Anchorage. “After we did water tests in New Zealand, we packed all three whales in containers and shipped our gear to Alaska,” says Latham. “We just hoped they would make the journey all in one piece, which they did. Once there, we prepared the whale hole on the ice field set and placed our equipment in the water for the first time. I must say, when the whales made their appearance, they were gorgeous.”

Alaska native John Pingayak, a whaler in his own life, felt the immediate connection to the whale puppets that aided his own performance. “When I saw those whales,” says Pingayak, “I felt comfortable for the first time in front of the camera. Fred, Wilma and Bamm-Bamm were amazingly lifelike.”

Seeing the whales for the first time excited the rest of the cast and crew, many of whom did not expect to see such close approximations. Shares Krasinski: “Once I saw the whales, I was hooked. They are so brilliantly created; they are like pieces of art. They became the heart and soul of the movie.”

“The only other similar experience I had was on E.T.,” adds Barrymore. “I was able to work with something that was tangible, something that looked like a real being that allowed me to have a chemistry and interaction that cannot be replaced. You are on the ice, touching these whales and there is nothing fake about it. I got so emotional because they looked so beautiful.”

When it came time to shoot the scene in which she swims with the animals, Barrymore donned scuba gear and submerged herself. On a drizzly day, she shot an underwater scene filmed in a seal tank at the Alaska SeaLife Center in nearby Seward. “I did not realize how cold that water would be,” recalls the actress. “When you enter 40-degree water, even in a scuba suit, it feels like knives hitting your head, like a brain freeze. But I wanted Ken to be able to seize that moment because it was important for the film. It breathes with a different energy when it is real.”

Read full production notes for Big Miracle >>

Facebook is the virtual home to more than 800 million active users, so any change to how the network operates is a big deal. And nothing could be bigger for the social hotspot than completely revamping everyone’s front-facing profile page, and that is exactly what is happening today. Starting this morning, the new Timeline feature — that up until now has been an optional switch — is now mandatory.

The Timeline differs from the default profile pages we know and love in several ways. Now, rather than showcasing only your most recent posts, your personal front page can be scrolled back months or years at a time. Most importantly, this change can offer visitors a glimpse at your entire social networking past, all the way back to the day that you joined up. The revamp can be both a blessing and a curse for seasoned social networkers, as it can produce a bit of pleasant nostalgia, but also drag up some of your less proud public moments.

Left untouched, your Timeline may remind of you of breakups, job troubles, or even a few unfortunate party photos that you have long since buried. Depending on your settings, these black marks on your digital past could allow new followers — including friends or business associates — to see a side of you that was better kept tucked away.

Privacy is already a hot topic for Facebook users and the network’s litany of sharing options can be difficult to navigate, even for the most experienced users. The company isn’t oblivious to how the Timeline may drag up some unwanted past events, so a short buffer zone is in place to allow you to modify your online persona before making its new debut. You now have until Tuesday, January 31 to erase any past Facebook scars you’d prefer to hide.

The mandatory Timeline rollout will undoubtedly catch some by surprise, but you don’t have to fall victim to the ghosts of past updates. Take some time to review your social networking history and don’t hesitate to prune anything that you wouldn’t want on the front page of a local newspaper. Because as of right now, the clock is ticking.

Sometimes a carrot stick is just a carrot stick. But for many of us, it’s a crunchy, bright orange vehicle for decadent dip—blue cheese, perhaps, or a nice herbed ranch. And as you dunk your sixth or seventh spear into that delicious dressing, you might tell yourself, Well, at least I’m eating a hearty serving of veggies right now. True–but you’re also consuming quite a lot of salt, fat, and calories.

Wrecking our otherwise healthy food picks along with our waistlines is often beyond our control. In his book The End of Overeating (Rodale), former FDA commissioner David Kessler, MD, explains that when you smell, see, or even think about “highly palatable” foods–ones that are high in fat, sugar, or salt–your brain can trigger the release of dopamine, the reward-seeking neurotransmitter. So in a way, you can blame the dopamine surge for forcing you to eat that glazed doughnut. The fact is, it’s possible to stop your pleasure-seeking brain from making menu decisions.

You dunk veggies into fat traps

While it may seem like a good idea to watch Parenthood with a plate of crisp crudités on the coffee table in front of you, that jar of peanut butter sitting right next to it can spell trouble. Sure, peanut butter provides healthy fat and protein, but it also has 94 calories per tablespoon–so this seemingly healthy snack can tip the scale in the wrong direction. And 2 tablespoons of creamy dressing can pack 145 calories and 15 g of fat. “Eating just one hundred calories more each day can translate to about a ten-pound weight gain over the course of a year,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.

The healthy move: If you’re dying to dip, mix fat-free plain Greek yogurt (it has about twice the protein of regular yogurt) with salsa or zingy seasonings such as horseradish or curry powder. Prepared hummus or black-bean dips coat raw veggies with protein, fiber, and flavor; just check the labels because fat and calories can vary among brands. Finally, beat boredom by introducing new vegetables into your rotation, such as crunchy jicama or radishes that offer a naturally peppery bite.

You go for fried sweet potatoes

Besides the beta-carotene (a disease-fighting carotenoid that our bodies convert to vitamin A) that’s responsible for their vibrant color, sweet potatoes provide vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and fiber–all for about 100 calories in a medium potato. But when you fry these and other vegetables (hello, broccoli bites and zucchini sticks), the fat and calorie counts skyrocket. Not only that, but a study in the Journal of Food Science found that certain vegetables, like zucchini, actually lose some of their antioxidant power when fried.

The healthy move: A baked sweet potato is the worry-free choice (mash in 2 tablespoons of a creamy fat-free dressing for extra flavor); eat the skin and you’ll also get at least 4 g of fiber. If you’re just not satisfied with a baked spud, buy a bag of oven-ready frozen fries at the supermarket. Compare labels and choose ones that have no trans fat and no more than 0.5 g saturated fat per serving. See the packaged sweet potato “fries” that Prevention likes best.

You drown your food in olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is high in “good” monounsaturated fat–the kind of fat that can help lower LDL cholesterol–but it also has about 477 calories and 54 g of fat per 1/4 cup. If you don’t measure the amount of oil you use to sauté, grill, broil, or roast, you can end up with way more than you need.

The healthy move: When grilling or broiling, use a pastry brush or nonaerosol pump to lightly glaze food with oil, says Jennifer Nelson, RD, director of clinical dietetics and nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. If you’re making a stir-fry, wipe a paper towel dipped in olive oil around the wok before adding ingredients–or better yet, use a nonstick skillet. You can also make your sautés sizzle with wine, soy sauce, chicken broth, or 100% carrot, tomato, or vegetable juice.

Alessandra Ambrosio shows off her growing baby bump in high heels and short shorts.

Models are not like the rest of us. Even at their supposed worst, they emit a kind of gorgeous glow and possess legs for days that the rest of us can simply sit back and envy. One of these impossible beauties, Alessandra Ambrosio, proved this once again as she strutted her stuff down the catwalk for designer Colcci in San Paulo, Brazil, over the weekend.

The 30-year-old sported a dress with heels, then short shorts and a knit sweater with heels, both with a growing baby bump since — oh yes, did I forget to mention this? — she’s five months pregnant! And if that weren’t impressive enough, know that the native Brazilian has already given birth once. She and fiance Jamie Mazur, a California businessman and the father of the baby she’s expecting, are also the parents of Anja Louise, 3.

So at a time when I would be opting for anything with an elastic waistband, Ambrosio seemed ecstatic to show off her curves in ensembles she accessorized with bright red lips, and a messy updo. The hot mama was having so much fun that she even offered a playful wave to her newly single pal Ashton Kutcher, who was sitting in the front row of the audience.

While she was stunning in her latest runway romp, Ambrosio admitted there was a time when she was more self-conscious. She only revealed her second pregnancy to the public last month, and kept it a secret before working the Victoria’s Secret show in November.

“I didn’t tell anybody so no one knew at the show that I was pregnant,” Ambrosio told Us Weekly. “A week before, I told my booker I don’t think I’m going to be able to fit into the clothes because I gained a few pounds already, but we were just quiet.”

“Transformers” star Megan Fox is the latest Hollywood celeb to make a little extra cash appearing in a foreign commercial. And surprise: This one isn’t even embarrassing! (Well, it’s definitely less embarrassing than, “Jonah Hex.”

Following the lead of fellow foreign pitchmen Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Aniston, Fox puts her sex appeal to work in this ad for Brazilian foreign-language school CCAA. A pair of teen boys wash up on a remote island after a plane crash, only to be greeted by the very alluring Ms. Fox. She welcomes them to “Megan Fox Island,” where clones of Megan frolic together in paradise. Every Brazilian boy’s dream, right?

But alas, the teens are stopped short when they can’t communicate with Megan — because they can’t speak English. (Guess she’s not interested in the international language of love.) Annoyed, the starlet banishes the boys back to the sea, where they arrive on another, less enticing island: Mike Tyson Island, where clones of the boxing champ (in a nice cameo) preside over a bleak, savage wasteland.

View Transformers exclusive website >>

History, facts about Year of the Dragon

The first new moon of the year marks the start of the Chinese calendar.

Lunar New Year is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia and Tibet, and is in countries such as Singapore, with significant Chinese populations. Christopher Livaccari of the Asia Society, told Yahoo! Shine it used to be widely celebrated in Japan, but now most Japanese consider first the residence in January will be the main New Year.

Year of the Dragon

Lunar This year, new year begins on January 23, which is the first day of the first new moon of the year. It ends 15 days before the full moon. The Chinese calendar is divided into 12 cycles, each represented by a special animal. According to Chinese astrology, this year is the Year of the Dragon, the only mythical animal in the zodiac. People born in the Year of the Dragon is said to be energetic, charismatic, and natural born leaders. Some famous “dragons” include Joan of Arc, Vladimir Putin, and John Lennon.

Lunar New Year Traditions

Celebrations of the coming year begins on the eve of the first new moon with a festival and fireworks. Families clean their homes to symbolize a new beginning and buy flowers and plants, representing rebirth. Often, monetary gifts or money in new red and gold envelopes are exchanged to bring good fortune. Livaccari Shine said, “I think some people tend to think of these festivals and celebrations as something very exotic, but most people in contemporary East Asia sees this time as an opportunity to take a break from the school and work and reconnect with family, much as we would have Thanksgiving or Christmas. ”

Lucky foods include dumplings and other delicacies that symbolize small packets of good fortune, oranges, in which sound like the Chinese word for “omen”, and apples that look like “peace”. Fireworks explode to ward off evil spirits. Boisterous dragon dances are also performed to scare the spirits away.

A tradition that children love, is that parents are not supposed to scold their children for the Lunar New Year. Livaccari also points out that, as in the West, “Your average 14 years in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and is probably more focused on this as a chance to get more time to play video games or interact with their friends online. ”

Chinese Dragon Year 2012 T-Shirt

Chinese Year Of The Dragon 2012 t-shirts & gifts. Buy this unique 2012 Chinese New Year of the Dragon t-shirt & gift design. This Chinese Zodiac Dragon 2012 t-shirt is a perfect choice for a Chinese New Year 2012 gift for Dad, Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, big Brother or Sister. Or a Year of the Dragon 2012 baby t-shirt or new mom. Chinese Dragon birth year 2012 Horoscope sweatshirts or Chinese Astrology long sleeve t-shirts for him or her or Year Of The Dragon t-shirt for boyfriend or girlfriend.

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Kate Beckinsale’s return nets a nice box-office haul, but a historical drama is a strong No. 2.

Kate Beckinsale is back with a vengeance, with her latest “Underworld” movie opening at No. 1 this weekend. “Underworld Awakening” made an estimated $25.4, distributor Sony Screen Gems reported Sunday.

This is the fourth film in the vampire action saga. Beckinsale starred in the first two movies as the warrior Selene, then bowed out of part three but returned for this latest installment. “Underworld Awakening” was shown for the first time in 3D as well as on IMAX screens, where it made $3.8 million. That’s 15 percent of the film’s weekend gross, which is a record for an IMAX digital-only run.

Sony had hoped the film would end up in the low-$20 million range. But Rory Bruer, the studio’s president of worldwide distribution, says the fact that it did even better — despite a snow storm that hit much of the Midwest and East Coast — primarily has to do with Beckinsale’s return.

“She is such a force. Her character — you just can’t take your eyes off of her. I know the character is very dear to her, as well, and she just kills it,” Bruer said. “The 3D aspect of the film also brings something, makes it a fun, visceral ride.”

Opening in second place was “Red Tails” from executive producer George Lucas, about the Tuskegee Airmen who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in World War II. It made an estimated $19.1 million, according to 20th Century Fox, which was well above expectations; the studio had hoped to reach double digits, said Chris Aronson, executive vice president of domestic distribution.

“I believe what George Lucas has stated all along: This is an important story and a story that must be told. It is a true story of American heroism and valor and audiences have really responded to this message,” Aronson said. “People want to feel good about themselves, they want to be uplifted. We have enough hard crud going on in this country right now. Times are tough, and if we look back and are told a story of some really fantastic deeds, that’s really compelling moviegoing.”

Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said a grassroots effort to get groups of people into the theaters to see “Red Tails,” along with positive word-of-mouth, helped its strong showing. The film saw an uptick from about $6 million on Friday to $8.65 million on Saturday.

Overall box office is up 31 percent from the same weekend a year ago, Dergarabedian said, thanks to new releases as well as movies like “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” which had limited runs for awards consideration at the end of 2011 and are now expanding nationwide. The Sept. 11 drama from Warner Bros., starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, came in fourth place with $10.5 million.

Last week’s No. 1 film, the Universal smuggling thriller “Contraband” starring Mark Wahlberg, dropped to the No. 3 spot with $12.2 million. It’s now made $46.1 million in two weeks. Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh’s international action picture “Haywire” from Relativity Media, starring mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano in her first film role, opened in fifth place with $9 million, which was above expectations.

“This is a great, perfect January weekend. You’ve got these holdover films and newcomers creating an overall marketplace that people are really responding to,” Dergarabedian said. “It sounds cliche but this marketplace really has something for everyone.”

As for worldwide box office, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1″ has now crossed the $700 million mark. The first half of the finale of the girl-vampire-werewolf love triangle franchise has grossed an estimated $701.3 million in global box office receipts since its release last November, according to Lionsgate, which recently acquired Summit Entertainment, which distributes the series.

For the pivotal role of Amy Renfro, Coolidge and the producers turned to pop singer and reality television star Jessica Simpson. After wowing audiences as the leggy bombshell Daisy Duke in “Dukes of Hazzard”, Simpson was looking for the perfect follow-up project – and found it in “Employee of the Month”. “I knew that after playing Daisy Duke, the second film I did was going to be crucial,” admits Simpson. “People had already made their mind up about me as an actress, and I wanted to prove I had more to offer.”

While Amy Renfro is introduced as the kind of girl who only goes for Mr. Employee of the Month, the film eventually reveals a different side of her character – as well as a few other interesting surprises. Like Cook, Simpson hadn’t even finished the script before she called Lionsgate and committed to the project.

“This role lets Jessica stretch her wings a bit and show that she’s an intelligent actress who knows what she’s doing,” says Joe Simpson, Ms. Simpson’s father and manager, and one of the producers of “Employee of the Month”. “Amy is the opposite of a Daisy Duke. She’s not trying to be sexy. She’s just a regular girl who’s fun and lovable, and who has a couple of surprises up her sleeve.”

Apart from the intimate revelations featured on her reality television show, “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica,” Jessica Simpson had no experience playing opposite a love interest on camera. “I was a little bit nervous going into it, hoping that there would be some sort of chemistry and that I could make it believable for the audience,” admits Simpson. “But Dane made it easy. He made me comfortable, kept me laughing and kept my smile genuine. I really couldn’t ask for a better co-star.”

“Jessica’s just amazing,” avows Cook. “She’s grounded and sweet and her smile lights up a room. She’s incredibly real, and she has a natural vulnerability that comes through on screen.”

“I think Jessica is going to be a surprise in this,” observes Coolidge. “She takes direction better than a lot of actors. She has great chemistry with the guys. And there are some things she threw at me that really impressed me. She was great.”

Rounding out “Employee of the Month”s central love triangle is Dax Shepard in the role of Vince, the preening, ambitious head cashier who is also Zack’s nemesis. Known to audiences for his appearances in the television series “Punk’d,” and the film “Without a Paddle”, Shepard brings a priceless combination of swagger and insecurity to Vince. “I play the bad guy in this, which I’ve never been asked to do,” says Shepard. “I get to come in and be the guy who falls down a lot and acts like an idiot. It was really fun.”

“I can’t even say his name without giggling,” says Simpson of Shepard. “He’s a doll. He’s smart.He can make an entire room fall on the floor laughing. He’s the perfect Vince.”

Shepard often veered from the script and injected his own ad-libs during his scenes, a habit that might have spelled disaster in the hands of a less talented performer, but in this case yielded fantastic results. “His improv is incredible,” says Panay. “You can just roll camera and he just goes. And God only knows what you’re going to get out of him. We got gem after gem after gem from him on a daily basis.”

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For the older or the once married, steady dating is doubtless more closely associated with marriage than for those who are younger or never married. Steady dating in later adolescence is a common pattern, but its social definition points to various types of mutual exploration, with no commitment on either side to an eventual marriage. Two adolescents who are “going steady” are protected from further commitments by this social definition.

By contrast, there is some feeling in most circles that when the couple is older, neither party to a steady dating relationship “has the right” to hold the other in exclusive possession, unless there is some possibility of eventual marriage. The social definitions are, then, that the older or the once married do not have an infinitely wide number of potential marriage partners, or time to find them. Therefore, they should not stay, or hold others, in a steady dating relationship if there is no chance at all of marriage. A basic assumption of our society is, as we have analyzed previously, that almost all will get married, and that almost all should get married. Thus, relationships are disapproved that hinder adults from entering the statuses, and thereby the role obligations, that are prescribed for them.

For these reasons, we treat both steady dating and remarriage in this chapter, locating some of the factors that appear to be associated with these steps toward resuming the previous status of “married mother.” Here, we look at the 303 divorcees who had not yet remarried by the time of the interview.

Let us first state the obvious, that frequency of dating is associated with steady dating: 68% of the frequent daters (more than once weekly at the time of interview) are steady daters, while 38% of the medium daters (Once weekly to once a month), and only 5% of the infrequent daters are also steady daters. It is useful to state the obvious, since the obvious is not always correct.

However, the proportion of steady daters might not increase much over time, for over time we also lose the steady daters into the remarried group. Thus the proportion of steady daters can not increase indefinitely. Now, the proportion dating steady does increase somewhat with time since separation, from 30% of those separated 0-1 year, to 49% of those separated 3 years and over. However, time since separation does not measure whether they could have remarried. Some had separated two or three years before the decree. From such segments, then, we would not lose the remarried, and thus the proportion could increase. By contrast, when we arrange our divorces into Time Groups (since divorce), the proportion of steady daters among all divorcees does not change systematically: they form 27% of Time Group I, and 23% of Group IV.

Those who were not daters become daters. These become frequent and then steady daters, and then remarry. Thus, the number of steady daters drops, but so does the numerical base. When we eliminate the remarried, we find that the steady daters form 29% of the not remarried in Group I, and increase to 49% in Group IV. In Time Group IV, there are 51 divorcees who have not remarried; 25 of these are steady daters, 10 are dating without being steady daters, and 16 are not dating. Thus, the ratio of steady daters to ordinary daters rises over these Time Groups. By Group IV, the steady daters are two and one-half times as many as the ordinary daters. With reference to the larger institutional processes, we call attention to the fact that 76% of the divorcees who obtained their decrees 26 months before the interview were either remarried or were going steady by the time of the interview.

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Marriage is a social relation achieved by the unificative effort of matured personalities. In marriage love is first accorded its social recognition; upon it is bestowed the great guarantee of social approval. Society is blessed through marriage, and marriage is blessed through society. Since love is essentially social, society desires to recognize marriage. Of course, since society today is in a transition period, many social phenomena are exceedingly confused. In such a transition period there are numerous instances of people who, awakened ethically to a holy love, are forced to contravene certain restrictions. There are certain forms of marriage which experience extraordinary difficulty in gaining social recognition. But that is only because this is a period of transition. In an ethical society every marriage ought to receive society’s benediction. Love is higher than sexual desire. Essentially, love signifies the creation of personality.

The new creation of personality includes also the potential children of the union. We have heard the saying, “Children are the links which bind parents together,” but only when we actually have children born to us do we realize poignantly that the love of husband and wife is something above sexual desire. In my own experience, before our children were born I knew well that the love of husband and wife is sacred; yet after the birth of our children I realized this more keenly, and I came to consider that to the fact of the superiority of love over sexual desire must be further added the personalities of the children. I think that the stronger my love for my children becomes, the more I must love the mother of my children. It is no mere question of sexual desire. There is here a truly mysterious design; and as I view the unfolding of the new order, I am amazed at its grandeur. The love revealed through marriage is a triune existence, not a twofold one; it is creation of a new order rooted in love.

There are men who frequently praise their wives extravagantly, love their children, and appear to be satisfied. Yet they become infatuated with some strange woman, and abruptly abandon wife and children. I am unable to understand the feelings of such men. They are utter bankrupts in personality; they have no unity of self. Their love is consequently bankrupt. In cases of the separation of couples who have children, I do not necessarily oppose the divorce; but I maintain that for one to abandon the wife or husband with whom one has been satisfied, whom one has loved, is a disgrace against oneself.

How is it possible for one who disgraces oneself to have a sacred affection? Such a one lies to oneself. Of course, I do not mean to include here those who have been compelled to be parties to a match, or who have been coerced into marriage. Yet even in cases of marriage by coercion, where in the married life love has grown up between the two and a fusion of personalities has been achieved, if on the appearance of a third person one of them pretends that the marriage was not based upon a real romantic love and tears to pieces the love that has developed, disregards the children and deserts the home, then I count that one also to have disgraced himself. In a case where the marriage did not at first depend on love, but love afterward developed, and finally grew cold, I cannot necessarily approve of such a passion. I will say rather that the love was deficient in moral discipline.

Birth Name: Drew Barrymore
Birth Date: February 22nd, 1975
Birth Place: Culver City, California, USA

Drew Barrymore has been a favorite of film audiences for almost three decades. She is also enjoying success behind the camera as a producer under her own Flower Films banner, which has produced such hits as “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Never Been Kissed” and “50 First Dates,” and the actioners “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” In addition to producing the “Charlie’s Angels” features, Barrymore joined Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu to star in both films, which, together, grossed more than half a billion dollars worldwide.

Earlier this year, Barrymore won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award® and earned an Emmy Award nomination for her performance opposite Jessica Lange in HBO’s “Grey Gardens.” She has also earned praise from both critics and audiences for her performances in a wide range of comedies, including “He’s Just Not That Into You,” with Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck and Scarlett Johansson; “Fever Pitch,” in which she starred with Jimmy Fallon under the direction of the Farrelly brothers; George Clooney’s acclaimed biographical satire “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” with Sam Rockwell; Penny Marshall’s “Riding in Cars with Boys”; “The Wedding Singer” and “50 First Dates,” both opposite Adam Sandler; “Home Fries,” opposite Luke Wilson; and “Never Been Kissed,” which marked Barrymore’s producing debut; “Music and Lyrics,” opposite Hugh Grant; and the drama “Lucky You,” for director Curtis Hanson. She also lent her voice to the animated features “Beverly Hill Chihuahua” and “Curious George.”

Recently, Barrymore made her feature film directorial debut with the roller derby comedy “Whip It!,” in which she also starred with Ellen Page and Juliette Lewis, and also starred in “Everybody’s Fine,” with Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell.

Barrymore made her film debut at age five in the 1980 science fiction thriller “Altered States.” However, it was her scene-stealing performance as the precocious Gertie in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 blockbuster “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” that catapulted the young actress to stardom. She went on to star in the thriller “Firestarter” and the comedy “Irreconcilable Differences,” for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Her many other film credits include “Cat’s Eye,” written by Stephen King; “Far from Home”; “Poison Ivy”; “Guncrazy,” for which she received another Golden Globe nomination, for Best Actress; “Bad Girls”; Herbert Ross’ “Boys on the Side”; “Mad Love”; “Batman Forever”; Woody Allen’s “Everyone Says I Love You”; Andy Tennant’s “Ever After”; and Wes Craven’s horror hit “Scream,” which launched a successful franchise.

Yohana Cobo (born Madrid, January 12, 1985) is a Spanish film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Penélope Cruz’s daughter in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver.

Gifted with an abrasive look, young Yohana Cobo from Madrid, has appeared in several television series but her talent really became noticed in the feature film “La vida mancha” (Enrique Urbizu). It was confirmed with her leading role in “El séptimo día” (Carlos Saura) for which she received a nomination for Most Promising Actress from the Spanish Film Writers’ Circle.

FILMOGRAPHY

2009 – Tramontana
2006 – Arena en los bolsillos (post-production)
2006 – Volver (Paula)
2005 – Fin de curso
2004 – Seres queridos
2004 – El Séptimo día
2004 – Las Llaves de la independencia
2003 – La Vida mancha
2001 – Sin noticias de Dios
2000 – Aunque tú no lo sepas
1997 – Campeones

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With Underworld Awakening bringing Vampires and Lycans into the cold light of the human world, the filmmakers strove to differentiate the Old World fantasy-based Underworld from the modern urbanity in which Selene finds herself. Shooting in Vancouver B.C., they found much they could take advantage of: the city’s modern skyline, the outlying wilderness and the moody atmosphere. “Vancouver is one of the great filmmaking cities,” says Coatsworth. “We embraced both the contemporary and the older aspects of the city to try to create an extension of our European city, while subtly bringing it into the future.”

The damp, overcast streets of Vancouver provided the dark, wet mood the filmmakers sought for their dystopian future, while the modernist architecture provided inspiration for the vast unnamed city.” Underworld is not our world,” says Marlind. “You can’t say it’s Moscow or New York or Rome. It’s Underworld. This was what was very attractive to us, because we were able to explore new ideas.

“If you look around, you will see very hard concrete architectural types,” he continues. “It is very unlike the Gothic style of a place like Budapest, but it has a very cool feel that has been extremely fun to explore.”

 The filmmakers gave the fictional city a skyline inspired by the buildings of Soviet-era Eastern Europe. “We went with a very specific look, the architectural style known as brutalism,” says production designer Claude Pare. “Brutalism was the predominant style of the Communist era. It is functional, unadorned and rectilinear. Typically it’s built from stark, grey slabs of poured concrete in bold symmetrical forms. In Vancouver, there are many buildings designed by the architect Arthur Erickson that fit the profile and we were fortunate to be able use of some of these buildings, including Simon Fraser University, which we made our key location, the headquarters of Antigen.”

With a laser technology called LIDAR, the filmmakers were able to reshape the Vancouver skyline based on the specifications of the directors, in essence building an entirely new city for Underworld Awakening’s human world. James McQuaide, the film’s executive producer and visual effects supervisor used LIDAR’s ability to capture the geometry of volume to custom build a completely original skyline for a modern city that isn’t geographically recognizable, because it doesn’t really exist.

“We scanned different buildings from all over Vancouver, then brought those images together to create a kind of composite photo,” says McQuaide. “The buildings may be recognizable, if you know Vancouver well, but they are not situated next to each other except in our cityscape. Once we captured the actual geometry of the space, we recreated what was there practically. Because it’s data, we’re not married to any particular angle, so the camera can move freely in the virtual space.”

Production designer Pare also created a cave-like home for the Vampire coven. Hunted to near extinction, a small group has taken refuge in an underground lair beneath a giant hydroelectric dam. “There just happened to be fantastic hydroelectric dam about a half an hour north of Vancouver,” says Wright.

The lair is a monument to earlier times, filled with relics of formerly luxurious lives. “Everything is dripping and very moldy,” says Pare. “It’s done in tones of ochre, brown, dark green and there’s lots of black.”

It contrasts sharply with the hard geometry of the city, says Marlind. “We wanted the Vampire world to be old and sensual and round,” he explains. “It has a feeling of the womb to it, because that is a theme in the film for Selene.”

Both the coven and the Antigen interiors had to be custom built for the shoot. “Vancouver has a number of sound stage facilities that allowed us to spread out and build all of these sets,” says Wright. “Vancouver also has very, very highly skilled set construction people, which came in handy. We were creating a medieval crypt-like coven and then we were doing very high-tech concrete and glass interiors for Antigen and those are two completely different finishes.”

Selene’s iconic costume had to be recreated down to the last detail by Academy Award-nominated costume designer Monique Prudhomme. “The first time I saw her in the costume, I thought, she’s back!” Prudhomme says. “The challenge was to find a fabric that would give the same feel and comfort. The costume is very simple, but it was critical to get it right. The latex suit has absolutely no hanger appeal, but because Kate is so beautiful and athletic, she fills it out and makes it look fantastic. The detail in her costume comes from the leather corset that is boned and embroidered. It’s like her armor.”

Giving the actress added panache is her oversized death dealer coat. “It’s a leather coat that is elaborately embroidered on the shoulders, in the front and on the sleeves,” says the designer. “That coat gives her a big ‘swoosh’ of movement, and also brings the Vampire tradition to her look.”

Putting on the costume the first time was like coming home, says Beckinsale. “Just the sound it makes is very specific. I was very intimidated by the costume in the beginning, but I trust it now. It actually gives me a help, if anything.”

Special-effects makeup designer Todd Masters was entrusted with the task of creating an original visual concept for Eve, the first Vampire-Lycan hybrid. “It was a really great honor to be handed this mantle,” says Masters. “The technology and artistic technique have developed so quickly that the bar is very high. The Eve hybrid went through quite a few developments. It was important to be able to see India inside, so she isn’t just a monster when she goes through this dynamic transformation. We wanted to see a lot of performance. We made some really cool teeth for her, as well as contact lenses and amazing ruby nails.”

Eisley says the elaborate makeup completed the character for her. “I just loved it. I got the Lycan fangs which are very big and gnarly and just very, very intense, plus blood red, very long claws. The contact lenses are a unique mix of black and ice blue, because Eve’s not full Lycan or full Vampire. The contact lenses were very comfortable, but the claws were very painful. They were glued onto my fingers and it felt like they were going to rip my nails off, so it wasn’t too pleasant. But it looks great!”

In addition to introducing new characters and a new setting, Underworld Awakening reaches a new level of action for the franchise. “For the first movie, we had no real budget at all,” says Wright. What made it work was the atmospherics and story points and acting. This is the most wirework I’ve ever done on any film. You’ll see Selene jumping over fences and making impossible leaps. The bar has been raised so high and I think we have elevated the game.”

Brad Martin, who began as a stunt coordinator on Underworld, served as second unit director as well this time out. “Brad knows the Underworld franchise as well as anybody, so we had tremendous good fortune in getting him to play a directorial role in the second unit action sequences of the film,” says Lucchesi. “He’s also a great friend of Kate’s, so he had her confidence in terms of asking her to perform some pretty impressive moves. Kate did a lot of her own stunts because Brad made her feel comfortable.”

Read full production notes for Underworld: Awakening >>

Gina Carano is widely considered to be the face of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts. Her athletic achievements include her participation in the first-ever sanctioned MMA bout in Nevada. Carano defeated opponent Leiticia Pestova in an impressive 39 seconds. Carano was influential in the introduction of women in competitive fighting—her December 2006 fight against Elaina Maxwell was the first time StrikeForce, the well-known MMA promoter, had women on their card. Carano was the victor, defeating Maxwell by unanimous decision. Three years later, Carano fought Christine Cyborg-Santos in the first StrikeForce Women’s Lightweight Championship. This fight was also the first Women’s Main Card Event and was televised nationally on Showtime.

Born in Dallas, Texas, and the daughter of Glenn Carano, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Carano was brought up in an athletic environment. Carano’s career as a Muay Thai specialist began in the famed Master Toddy Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. Under Master Toddy, Carano competed multiple times internationally, garnishing a 12-1-1 professional Muay Thai record. Carano was simultaneously pursuing a degree in psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but as her fighting career grew and Carano realized her passion for the sport, she chose to focus solely on Muay Thai, traveling the world for fighting events.

Carano hopes to continue to balance acting with her ongoing fight career. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Nothing is sure to please an elder more than word that a child of the community has gone on to fame and fortune. But in Montreal’s Muslim community, it the accompanying visuals that have created an uproar reverberating between generations.

Daughter of an imam, or religious leader, Yasmeen Ghauri’s foray into modeling was almost accidental. But her beauty quickly caught the eye of the fashion world, where her spectacular success puts her in the same league as supermodels Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell.

Images of her are a continuous presence in leading fashion magazines, and she commands as much as $10,000 a day when she graces the runways for Chanel, Armani, Valentino and Europe’s other leading haute couture houses.

But at home, her accomplishments are greeted with a mixture of fascination and fear, as parents and children of a religion whose practices are nurtured far away grapple with the strains imposed by their host culture.

According to the standards brought decades ago from the Muslim world, Ghauri, known professionally simply as Yasmeen, is considered to flout the importance Islam places on modesty.

Orthodox Muslims fear her prolific media presence will taint their children’s minds. But its difficult for those who grew up with Yasmeen not to hold her up as a super-role-model for everything they have been conditioned to achieve.

A recent immigrant from Pakistan calls them CBC’s — Canadian- Born and Confused. They are first generation Indo-Pakistani Canadians whose parents guage success in terms of the ability to secure financial wealth through education while being good Muslims at the same time. Many are finding it difficult to make it on both levels.

The uproar over Yasmeen’s high profile has left her an outcast in her hometown community and has shifted accross the generations in her family and beyond — creating an irrevocable schism between her father and the mosque he led for 22 years.

It is New Year’s Day 1993 and 20-year-old Concordia University student Arsalaan Patel is still nursing a hangover from last night’s over-exhuberance. His voice is hoarse and he continues to slur his words as he talks about the gulf between his Islamic upbringing and his Canadian soirees.

“I live a double life”, says Patel. “I do one set of things at home, but I do whatever I want when I’m at school. If I acted wild and crazy at home, or if my friends knew of some of the things I do, my parents would be socially ostracized. People would view me as a bad example for their children.”

He continues, still slurring his words, “Most of my friends are brown and Pakis. They are basically like me. We go through the religious motions just to keep our parents happy.”

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Priyanka Chopra made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan playing the role of Priya, the love interest of the protaginist in the film played by Vijay. The film was praised for its wit, although the depth of Chopra’s character was seen as lacking. Chopra also sang playback in the film, singing “Ullathai Killadhe” along with Vijay. In 2003, she appeared in her first Bollywood film, opposite Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in the Anil Sharma film The Hero: Love Story of a Spy.

She played a supporting role as a doctor named Shaheen in the film that The New York Times described as “ripping its text from the seething border tensions between India and Pakistan, spicing its conflict with hot-tempered religious zealots bent on nuclear havoc”. Despite being one of the highest grossing films of that year, the overall film was not well received by critics. Chopra was awarded mostly good reviews for her debut Hindi performance.

Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar’s Andaaz, playing the character of Jiya who falls in love with Raj Malhotra, played by Akshay Kumar. The film was a success at the box office, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Rediff.com said of her role, “Priyanka Chopra alone clicks with the audience, thanks to her skimpy outfits.”

Priyanka Chopra Connection >>