by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Between Charlton Heston on Jan. 8 at #119 and Kirk Douglas on Nov. 1 at #121 in 1962, Sophia Loren would be the #120th handprint and footprint ceremony at famed The Chinese in Hollywood on July 26, 1962. She was 28 years old, and Natalie Wood had received her star the year prior. The next year a joint ceremony would be held for the dynamic and wildly popular married duo of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. But Sophia Loren’s hands had barel...

Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Mark Wahlberg sits in a director’s chair on stage to a packed house at The Dolby Theater after the world premiere of his new film The Gambler at AFI Fest presented by AUDI, and says “there are four pictures on the wall in my basement. Steve McQueen, Jimmy Cagney, John Garfield… and James Caan. I wanted him (Caan) to see The Gambler. He comes over to my house, sees the pictures on the wall, and says ‘Did you put this up just...

"The Rocket" Australia's Oscar foreign film submission, "The Rocket," was among the winners.   The Rocket, Australia's foreign film Oscar submission; The Selfish Giant, made in the U.K.; We Gotta Get Out of This Place, an American indie film directed by Zeke Hawkins and Simon Hawkins; and B for Boy, a Nigerian film, received audience awards. Grand jury awards were presented to B...

 Sarah Burns and husband/ fellow director David McMahon were in attendance at AFI fest last week to present their new film that they co-directed along with documentary master Ken Burns, CENTRAL PARK FIVE. “This film will make you angry,” said AFI moderator upon introducing the film. “It shows how important it is to look back at history.” ...

After a sucessful 2011, Silent River Film Festival 2012 call for entry now is open on Withoutabox. Filmmakers, submit your film at - www.withoutabox.com/login/9932 to take advantage of the earlybird deadline. For the list of the 2011 Award Winners, photos and videos, plaese visit - www.silentriverfilmfestival.com ...

Time to spill the well-kept secrets: I'm a Frenchie in Hollywood! and you know you belong to the city, when you take your first shot of coffee in the morning with the "trades" - lingo for Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Wrap and likes. Lately, that reading has been pretty gloomy. Cuts and drastic economic measures have prevailed, and muffled the jolly tunes of the industry. So much so that another industry is soaring as a side-effect of the "depression"...Therapists!...

Marking its fourth year, AFI PROJECT: 20/20 is an American Film Institute international initiative designed to enhance cultural exchange and understanding, by bringing together filmmakers and their films from the US and abroad. AFI PROJECT: 20/20 represents an unprecedented cultural diplomacy effort that is supported by the U.S.'s cultural agencies--the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS...

The Screening Before the lights went down and the projector fired up, AFI FEST Director Christian Gaines welcomed audience members and attending artists to a special opening night. "I have to admit that it's both a pleasure and a bit of relief to kick things off tonight," he said. "Over the next 10 days, visitors from around the world and thousands of film fans will come to Hollywood to participate in this communal celebration of cinema, to yield to the experience and to honor th...

Target presents AFI's 40th Anniversary is an event of unprecedented scale. Ten classic American films screening on a single night -- each with an introduction by the film's legendary star or filmmaker. We knew this one-of-a-kind evening would appeal to film lovers everywhere, but we were still surprised and thrilled when tickets sold out within a few hours. We only regret that we could not fill the theaters with all of our friends and supporters. We invite you to enjoy some treats from the AFI a...