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• In space, movies before the earthbound release

  May 15, 2013 8:14 PM

  ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION- The new "Star Trek" film allowed the crew of the International Space Station to boldly go where no one has gone before since they saw it days before it debuted on earth. "Star Trek Into Darkness" opens Thursday and the crew not only saw it... more »

• Bill to reduce film tax credits pulled

  May 6, 2013 12:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The author of a bill which sought to cut lucrative tax credits for film companies in half pulled the bill today before it could be discussed at a legislative committee. Rep. Ted James (D-Baton Rouge) deferred the bill without testimony, saying he wanted to discuss the... more »

• Reality TV show pitched in Pointe Coupee

  April 10, 2013 1:00 AM

  NEW ROADS- Reality TV producers are looking for the next group of people to be featured living life in Louisiana. TV producers are planning a show about the Jarreau family. Tourism leaders said it will be similar to Duck Dynasty and Swamp People , shows that have become... more »

• Film academy sets Oscar dates for 2014, 2015

  March 25, 2013 2:02 PM

  LOS ANGELES - Film fans can already mark their calendars for the Academy Awards in 2014 and 2015. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday that next year's Oscar ceremony will be held on March 2. The 2015 trophies will be handed out Feb. 22. Awards shows,... more »

• New reality series to focus on Trina and Edwin Edwards Play Video

  January 4, 2013 11:14 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Former governor Edwin Edwards and his new wife are the focus of the latest reality TV series to come out of Louisiana. Production on "The Governor's Wife" has already finished, and it is scheduled to air on A&E Feb. 27. According to reports, the show... more »

• 'Lincoln,' gets a leading 7 Globe nominations

  December 13, 2012 10:23 AM

  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Steven Spielberg is bringing new glory to Abraham Lincoln. The Civil War epic "Lincoln" leads the Golden Globes with seven nominations, among them best drama, best director for Spielberg and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. Tied for second-place... more »

• Netflix outbids pay-TV for rights to Disney movies

  December 4, 2012 1:18 PM

  SAN FRANCISCO - Netflix's video subscription service has trumped pay-TV channels and grabbed the rights to show Disney movies shortly after they finish their runs in theaters. The multiyear licensing agreement announced Tuesday represents a breakthrough for Netflix as it tries to add more recent movies to its popular service... more »

• Cops: Man plotted attack during 'Twilight' movie

  November 16, 2012 3:58 PM

  BOLIVAR, Mo. - A southwest Missouri man is accused of plotting to open fire inside a movie theater during a screening of the new "Twilight" film. Twenty-three-year-old Blaec Lammers of Bolivar was charged Friday with three felony counts, including making a terrorist threat. Bolivar police say his mother contacted authorities... more »

• Twilight fever explodes ahead of overnight release

  November 15, 2012 10:19 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Fans of the movie Twilight have filled theaters, being some of the first to see the movie. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 opens at midnight. Theaters are expecting thousands and some will have showings through 1 a.m. Friday. Much of the film was shot in... more »

• 'Twilight' fans fill downtown LA ahead of premiere

  November 9, 2012 4:04 PM

  LOS ANGELES - More than 1,500 "Twilight" fans are spending the weekend camping out in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate the release of the final film in the vampire-romance series. Tents filled the street in front of Staples Center and sprawled across L.A. Live plaza Friday, many decorated with homemade... more »

• Spielberg on the Gettysburg Address

  October 2, 2012 7:35 PM

  Academy-Award winning director Steven Spielberg will deliver the keynote address at a ceremony to mark the 149th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." Spielberg's remarks will come days after the release of his new film "Lincoln". Daniel Day-Lewis has the title role. Gettysburg is the site of a pivotal... more »

• Actress files second suit in anti-Muslim film case

  September 27, 2012 12:41 PM

  LOS ANGELES - An actress who appeared in an anti-Muslim movie trailer that sparked violence in the Middle East has filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against the filmmaker and YouTube to have the clip taken down. The complaint filed Wednesday by Cindy Lee Garcia cites copyright infringement and... more »

• Obama condemns violence tied to anti-Muslim film

  September 25, 2012 11:54 AM

  UNITED NATIONS - President Barack Obama is condemning an anti-Muslim film and the violence in the Middle East that has followed its release, saying there is "no speech that justifies mindless violence." Obama says in a speech Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly that "there are no words that excuse... more »

• Muslim world expecting more violent protests

  September 21, 2012 8:52 AM

  PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Muslim countries are expecting more violent protests today against the anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. Pakistani police have opened fire on rioters who were torching a move theater. One man reportedly was killed. The theater was one of two in Peshawar that rioters ransacked and... more »

• US government apparently trying to distance itself from anti-Islam video

  September 20, 2012 12:52 PM

  ISLAMABAD - The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan appears to be trying to undercut the anger being aimed against the United States as a result of an anti-Islam video. Advertisements condemning that video have appeared today on Pakistani TV, and they carry the U.S. Embassy seal. In the ads, President Barack... more »

• Judge denies request to stop anti-Muslim film clip

  September 20, 2012 12:50 PM

  LOS ANGELES - A judge has denied a request to force YouTube to remove an anti-Muslim film trailer that has been blamed for causing deadly violence in the Muslim World. Judge Luis Lavin rejected the request from Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress who appears in the clip, in part because... more »

• YouTube blocked in Saudi to stop anti-Islam film

  September 18, 2012 3:42 PM

  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's state-owned press agency reports that King Abdullah has ordered the blocking of all websites with access to an anti-Islam film that has sparked protests across the Muslim world. An Associated Press reporter in Saudi Arabia reported that the online video sharing site YouTube was... more »

• A Benghazi power, Libya militia eyed in attack

  September 18, 2012 3:38 PM

  BENGHAZI, Libya - Members of a hardcore Islamist militia in Libya are the focus of much of the suspicion in last weeks' attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to that country and three other Americans. The militia is known for its sympathies to al-Qaida, and its fierce animosity to the... more »

• Egypt to try 7 Copts, US pastor over Prophet film

  September 18, 2012 12:42 PM

  CAIRO - Egypt's general prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor and referred them to trial on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that has sparked riots across the Muslim world. The prosecutor's office says the seven men and one woman, all... more »

• Al-Qaida threatens attacks on US diplomats

  September 18, 2012 9:14 AM

  CAIRO - Al-Qaida's branch in North Africa is calling for attacks on U.S. diplomats and more protests against the anti-Islam video that was produced in the U.S. Demonstrations have tapered off in nations such as Egypt and Tunisia, but protests have turned violent in Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir. ... more »

• Film protests lead to clashes across Muslim world

  September 14, 2012 12:09 PM

  CAIRO - It's been a day of sometimes-violent anti-American demonstrations across the Middle East and elsewhere in the Muslim world -- with demonstrators scaling the walls of U.S. embassies in Tunisia and Sudan. They also torched part of a German embassy, and clashed with security forces at an American fast-food... more »

• Hundreds of Afghans protest anti-Islam film

  September 14, 2012 8:51 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - Hundreds of Afghans - some shouting "Death to America" - have held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad. The film depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman. Since it surfaced on the Internet, it... more »

• $15M film complex planned in St. Rose

  September 13, 2012 2:13 PM

  ST. ROSE - Quixote Studios, a Los Angeles-based production services company, is breaking ground on a $15 million sound stage and "film campus" project in St. Rose. The first two phases are scheduled for completion in early 2013 and include two stages with 30,000 square feet of space. Quixote CEO... more »

• Protesters storm US Embassy in Yemen

  September 13, 2012 7:26 AM

  SANAA, Yemen - A protest at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital is the latest demonstration of its kind in response to an anti-Muslim film. Hundreds of protesters chanting "death to America" stormed the embassy grounds today and burned the American flag, but didn't enter the main building. ... more »

• Mel Stuart, director of 'Willy Wonka,' dead at 83

  August 10, 2012 9:04 AM

  NEW YORK - Mel Stuart's family says the award-winning documentary filmmaker who also directed "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" has died. His daughter, Madeline Stuart, said he died Thursday night of cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 83. During the 1960s and 1970s, Stuart... more »

• Budget group: Film tax break program needs limits

  August 7, 2012 5:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A new report is suggesting state lawmakers should lessen Louisiana's generous film tax credits and cap the amount of money it can cost the state each year in lost revenue. Louisiana spent $231 million last year to attract movie productions, through a tax break program that continues... more »

• Film crew takes over Ponchatoula on Friday

  August 2, 2012 2:41 PM

  PONCHATOULA- Film crews will be in Ponchatoula on Friday filming scenes for "The Butler." Tangipahoa Parish Tourism Commission spokeswoman Emily McKneely says that all of downtown Ponchatoula will be used in the shoot. Local filming is expected to take only one day. Scenes also are being shot in New Orleans,... more »

• Pan-Am crash film set for Houma

  July 13, 2012 2:22 PM

  HOUMA - A documentary film will be shown Saturday in Houma to mark the 30-year anniversary of the crash of Pan-American World Airways Flight 759 in Kenner. The program starts at noon at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive. New Orleans filmmaker Royd Anderson directed and produced "Pan... more »

• Film designer dies of stroke in New Orleans

  June 12, 2012 2:08 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Oscar-nominated production designer J. Michael Riva, whose film credits include "The Amazing Spider-Man," ''A Few Good Men" and "The Pursuit of Happyness," has died after suffering a stroke in New Orleans. He was 63. In a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sony Pictures spokesman Steve Elzer... more »

• Actor Paul Walker making film in New Orleans

  April 25, 2012 2:13 PM

  \NEW ORLEANS- Actor Paul Walker is in New Orleans for the filming of the suspense thriller, "Hours," about a father struggling to keep his newborn daughter alive in a New Orleans hospital ravaged during Hurricane Katrina. "The Fast and the Furious" star plays the role of Nolan, a father trying... more »

• Lindsay Lohan to portray Elizabeth Taylor

  April 23, 2012 2:53 PM

  NEW YORK - Lindsay Lohan will portray Elizabeth Taylor in a Lifetime film about her love affair with actor Richard Burton. Lifetime on Monday made official a casting decision rumored for months. The network says Lohan will star in "Liz & Dick," with production set to begin in early... more »

• Movie shoots create parking problems in Spanishtown Play Video

  February 24, 2012 5:15 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Another film crew is set up in downtown Baton Rouge, and that's causing some residents headaches when they try to find a place to park each night. For the past couple of weeks, roads have been blocked in that neighborhood while the new movie "The Host"... more »

• Louisiana takes top honors in film industry ranking

  December 21, 2011 10:12 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A popular production magazine and website has ranked Louisiana the best state in the country to make movies and TV shows. The rank considers tax incentives, production revenue, or how expensive projects are, and popularity among filmmakers. The state says its movie business has increased almost 25%... more »

• Louisiana sees surge in TV & film projects

  December 2, 2011 1:57 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - As cast and crew of the HBO television series "Treme" filmed in the French Quarter, a warehouse elsewhere bustled with stage hands prepping for production on the Will Ferrell comedy "Dog Fight" while a helicopter prepared to take flight for the shooting of the new 3-D IMAX... more »

• Miss. Pours out reservoir water to fight fish kill

  August 17, 2011 12:06 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Trying to fight a huge fish kill in the Pearl River, authorities in Mississippi have temporarily increased discharges from the Ross Barnett Reservoir. The action late Tuesday by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District was designed to increase fresh water in the river, dilute pollutants... more »

• Movie industry poised to aid disaster relief

  April 7, 2011 3:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The movie industry in Louisiana is positioning itself to be a major player in the state's disaster relief scenarios. A partnership between the Red Cross and the Louisiana Industry for Film and Entertainment will create new space for thousands of potential evacuees in the case of a... more »

• Low-budget Louisiana film shown at Sundance

  April 1, 2011 5:44 PM

  BATON ROUGE- "Besides the two minute film I made in film school, it's the lowest-budget movie I've ever made," said Zach Godshall while sitting at his Spanish Town workspace. Godshall is the director and co-writer behind the film 'Lord Byron' an official Sundance Selection in 2011. He made the... more »

• Twilight takes over Arsenal Park

  January 21, 2011 4:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Twilight has taken over downtown Baton Rouge. Or at least the Arsenal Park near the State Capitol building. Filming for the fourth addition to the Twilight Saga is scheduled to take place tonight at the park. A giant green screen, known as a 'key' wall, was... more »

• Producer Dino De Laurentiis dies at 91

  November 11, 2010 12:55 PM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dino De Laurentiis, a film impresario and producer of "Serpico," "Barbarella" and "Death Wish," has died. He was 91. The Academy Award-winning producer's daughter Raffaella De Laurentiis said in a statement that her father was surrounded by family when he died Wednesday night at his... more »

• "Loss of a Teardrop Diamond" screenings

  July 16, 2010 5:50 AM

  The first screening will be on Friday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Baton Rouge at the Grand Cinema at 15365 George Oneal Road. On Saturday, July 17 the screening will be at 7:30 p.m. in Shreveport at the Robinson Film Center at 617 Texas Street. For more information click... more »

• New Orleans' first park proposed in 20 years

  June 9, 2010 5:25 AM

  Property once owned by a film production company that went bankrupt will become the first new public park in New Orleans in 20 years. The Trust, a national conservation group, told New Orleans CityBusiness that the $3.8 million project will be built on an 18-acre parcel along the Lafitte Corridor... more »

• Ex-studio head faces federal charges

  April 14, 2010 5:07 AM

  The head of a defunct New Orleans-area movie studio will be in federal court later today for charges stemming from the sale of non-existent state film tax credits. Wayne Read faces charges of interstate transportation of stolen funds and wire fraud from his operation of Louisiana Film Studios LLC. Authorities... more »

• Segel, Helms in Metairie brothers' comedy

  April 7, 2010 6:39 AM

  New Orleans' filmmaking Duplass brothers are preparing for a six-week New Orleans shoot on the Paramount-backed comedy "Jeff Who Lives at Home," with comic actors Jason Segel and Ed Helms. Jay Duplass tells The Times-Picayune that he and his brother Mark have a couple other names attached to the film... more »

• Senate to honor entertainment mogul Tyler Perry

  March 17, 2010 5:37 AM

  New Orleans native Tyler Perry will be honored by the Georgia Senate for his achievements as entertainer and humanitarian. Perry is the first celebrity to be honored in the chamber this session. Senators will present Resolution 1188 to Perry, citing his silver-haired, sharp-tongued "Madea" character, Tyler Perry Studios - the... more »

• Ed Harris joins cast of 'Big Red'

  February 26, 2010 5:13 AM

  Actor Ed Harris has joined the cast of the World Wrestling Entertainment film "Big Red," a coming-of-age story that began production in New Orleans this month. Harris, whose previous works include "Pollock," "Apollo 13" and "The Truman Show," joins a cast that includes Chase Ellison ("Tooth Fairy"), Molly Parker ("Deadwood"),... more »

• Bossier-born filmmakers on hometown location

  February 25, 2010 5:13 AM

  Independent filmmakers Blayne Weaver and Brandon Barrera have returned to Bossier City to make their fourth movie. They say Louisiana's film incentives played a big part in their decision, but being hometown boys is a big help, too. Weaver says they've gotten amazing deals because they're from Bossier City. Barrera... more »

• Kate Hudson, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg in N.O.

  February 25, 2010 5:11 AM

  Kate Hudson, Kathy Bates and Whoopi Goldberg are among a cast of actors in New Orleans this month for thefilming of "Earthbound," a new romantic drama set for release in theaters this fall. Filming has taken the actresses and other cast and crew in recent weeks to tucked-away French Quarter... more »

• Movie crew in Hammond 2 weeks, then New Orleans

  February 3, 2010 5:08 AM

  A movie crew will be shooting a science fiction/paranormal thriller in Hammond for the next two weeks. After Dark pictures is making "Seconds Apart," starring Orlando Jones and others. The film is set in Louisiana and is about twin 18-year-old boys with supernatural powers. Crews have been building sets for... more »

• Oscar nominations

  February 2, 2010 8:01 AM

  Best Picture: "Avatar," "The Blind Side," "District 9," "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "A Serious Man," "Up," "Up in the Air" Actor: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"; George Clooney, "Up in the Air"; Colin Firth, "A Single Man"; Morgan Freeman, "Invictus";... more »

• Studio gets preliminary OK on bonds

  January 15, 2010 6:04 AM

  A Baton Rouge film studio project has won preliminary approval for $265 million in bonds. The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority board gave preliminary approval to the Red Stick Studio Development LLC project this week. The approval is the first in a four-step process. Red Stick also has won judgments from... more »

• Disney movie to start filming next month in Lafayette

  September 18, 2009 5:25 AM

  The Disney movie "Secretariat," will begin filming in Lafayette on October 12 and will continue through the end of November. The movie will star Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Nelsan Ellis, and will chronicle the life story of Penny Chenery, owner of the racehorse that won the Triple Crown in... more »