FILM/ ACADEMY WILL NOM 5 TO 10 BEST PIC CANDIDATES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors voted Tuesday to change the number of films that could be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Instead of the guaranteed 10 nominees of the past 2 years, it will allow as few as 5 nominees and as many as 10 in the best picture category. The number will be announced at the same time as the academy announces its nominations in January. After nearly 7 decades of a 5 picture field, the academy in 2009 decided to expand the best picture category to 10 films. The news was generally greeted with approval by studios, which relished the chance to increase the odds of a nomination. Still, some skeptics said that the number 10 was misleading since some films had little to no chance of actually winning. Tuesday's news, then, seems designed to eliminate films that are nominated just to fill out the field of 10. Indeed, in making the announcement, the academy said a film would need at least 5% of votes to make the cut as a nominee.The final round of voting for Best Picture will still be determined by a preferential system, regardless of the number of nominees, to ensure that the winning picture has the endorsement of more than 1/2 of the voters, the group said. The academy said if the new system had been used over the past decade, there would have been between 5 and 9 films nominated each year.
MUSIC/ PAIR HELD OVER JOSS STONE MURDER PLOT: 2 men from Manchester, England, are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and to rob after being arrested near the Devon home of singer Joss Stone. The men, aged 33 and 30, were arrested after a suspicious vehicle was seen in the Cullompton area on Monday. A senior police source confirmed to British media that they were found with swords, forensic-style overalls and a body bag. The singer was made aware of the arrests. Media also reported thatpolice also confirmed plans of the singer's home were found. Her publicist said Stone was being kept informed of developments by Devon and Cornwall Police. It has not been disclosed if she was at the property at the time. Last month, the Sunday Times Rich list placed 24 year old Ston, who was born in Kent but grew up in Devon, as the 5th wealthiest British and Irish pop star aged under 30, with a fortune of about £9m. After releasing her 1st album, "The Soul Sessions," in 2003, she had her 1st hit, "Fell In Love With A Boy," in 2004 at the age of 16. After turning 17, she stormed the Brit Awards, picking up awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act.
The original Broadway cast album of "The Book of Mormon" debute today #3 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. The arrival of a Broadway cast album in the Billboard Top 10 hasn't happened since the cast album of the iconic musical "Hair" was released in 1969. "The Book of Mormon" also over sold the musical cast albums of "Dreamgirls" and "Rent," which ranked in the top 20. "The Book of Mormon" has book, music and lyrics by Emmy Award-winning "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q Tony Award winner Robert Lopez, all of whom earned 2011 Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score. The musical opened to raves March 24 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. "The Book of Mormon" also picked up Tony Awards for Best Direction, Best Performance by a Featured Actress (Nikki M. James), Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design, Best Sound Design and Best Lighting Design.
THEATRE/ CRITICS NOT IMPRESSED WITH "SPIDER-MAN": After months of technical glitches, cast injuries and opening-night delays, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" finally opened on Broadway on Tuesday night. The reviews are now in, and for the most part, they're not good. The Hollywood Reporter panned the show in its review, which was posted yesterday. Today, the other critics weighed in. The New York Times said: "This singing comic book is no longer the ungodly, indecipherable mess it was in February. It’s just a bore". New York Magazine said: "I'm sorry to report that the eight-legged, nine-lived megalomusical, which finally opened tonight, in its newly tamed, scared-straight and heavily Zolofted post-[Julie] Taymor
state, has deteriorated from mindblowingly misbegotten carnival-of-the-damned to merely embarrassing dud". IndieWire said: " Act I sucks. Really, really bad. Act II sucks less". The Philadelphia Inquirer liked the revamped production saying it's been greatly improved. "The new "Spider-Man" is all for fun, a live-on-stage comic book, pure and simple, precisely what the last version wasn't". They went on to say: "It will by no means assume a spot in the pantheon of great Broadway musicals, but it's now far more than a tortured curiosity. It has humor and winks gamely at itself. It has flight sequences that make sense, are not repetitively tiresome and, most of all, work technically". Entertainment Weekly gave the show a C+ and said: "A lot of talent and money have gone into "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark". But with great promise (and an even greater budget) comes the great responsibility of delivering. Though it's undeniably cool to see costumed heroes zip overhead, this Spidey just can't get off the ground". "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" runs 2 hours and 45 minutes and is playing an open run at the Foxwoods Theatre on Broadway.
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