Charlie Hunnam drops out of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ film; actor quit due to busy ‘TV schedule,’ says studio

DAILY NEWS

Charlie Hunnam has dropped out of the lead role in the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' film adaptation.

The search for the perfect Christian Grey was thought over after "Sons of Anarchy" star Charlie Hunnam was picked to play the lead in the upcoming "Fifty Shades of Grey" film, but now it appears Hunnam is out.

"The filmmakers of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey," Universal Pictures said in a statement, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

The 33-year-old actor was the second casting announcement for the steamy film adaptation of E.L. James' erotic trilogy, after James took to Twitter revealing that Dakota Johnson would play Anastasia Steele on September 2.

RELATED: 'FIFTY SHADES OF GREY’ FLICK CASTS LEAD ACTORS

"The gorgeous and talented Charlie Hunnam will be Christian Grey," she wrote.

Almost immediately the actors and producers faced severe backlash from devoted readers, many of which hoped for other stars like Robert Pattinson and Ryan Gosling to bring the book fantasy to life.

New Van Gogh Painting Discovered

VOA News

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum has unveiled a newly discovered painting by the Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh.

The museum on Monday revealed "Sunset at Montmajour," a large oil landscape.

Museum officials say the painting had been in the attic of a Norwegian collector who thought the painting was a fraud after buying it in 1908.

They say the painting was authenticated by letters, style and the physical materials used.

Museum officials described the discovery as a "once in a lifetime experience."

The painting will go on public display at the museum on September 24.

Joseph Boyden's new book explores Canada's formative years

CBCNEWS

Giller Award-winning author Joseph Boyden is taking readers to the origins of Canada in his latest novel.

The Orenda, due out on Sept. 10, takes place just after Jesuits made first contact with First Nations in what became known as Upper Canada, and then Ontario.

The perspective veers between a Jesuit priest, a captured Iroquois girl and a Huron leader named Bird, who tries to make peace with them both.

In an interview with the CBC, Boyden described his reasons for fleshing out the First Nations who inhabited the continent long before anyone from across the Atlantic Ocean arrived."These were incredibly complex, sophisticated people that have been around for 10,000 years when the Jesuits arrived, as complex a spiritual system, as complex a society, as complex a social system as anyone in the world," says Boyden.

Actor Wentworth Miller says he's gay, turns down Russian festival invite

(Reuters) - Actor and screenwriter Wentworth Miller, best known for his leading role in Fox television drama "Prison Break," came out as a gay man on Wednesday in a letter declining an invitation to attend a Russian film festival in light of Moscow's recently adopted anti-gay laws.

Miller, 41, turned down an offer to attend the St. Petersburg International Film Festival as a "guest of honor" in a letter posted on the website of advocacy group GLAAD, which monitors media representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people and issues.

Dog saves abandoned baby from Thailand roadside garbage dump

Dog saves abandoned baby from Thailand roadside garbage dump

A little dog named Pui was being hailed as a hero in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Monday. The critter found a white plastic bag at a roadside garbage dump and carried it home to his owners, barking to get their attention. Inside the bag they found a 4-pound newborn baby. The family took the baby to the hospital; authorities are still looking for the mother. Meanwhile, Pui has received a brand-new leather collar and a medal from the district Red Cross chapter as a token of appreciation. The Miracle of Life Foundation also gave Pui’s owner a reward for his doggy heroics, and we hope the pup’s received an overdose of affection at home. (MSN)

Cambodia hosts int'l film heritage festival

PHNOM PENH, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The 1st international film heritage festival kicked off here on Saturday night, aiming at encouraging interest in preserving classic films, an organizer said.

About 40 classic films from around the world will be viewed on 35-mm screening equipment at Chaktomuk Theater and the Bophana Center for 9 days with free access for all, said Rithy Panh, president and founder of the Bophana Center at the opening ceremony.

He said among those classics are two films produced by late King Father Norodom Sihanouk. They are Apsara made in 1965 and the Joy of Living in 1969.

The Rolling Stones offer up celebration, celebs and 'Satisfaction'

The Rolling Stones kicked off their "50 and Counting" tour with a marching band, guest appearances from Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban, and a double dose of "Satisfaction."

When the lights dimmed Friday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, UCLA's marching band paraded through the aisles, their horn section blasting the Stones' 1965 hit, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" -- to the delight of concertgoers Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Johnny Depp and Nicole Kidman.

Finally, the Stones materialized onstage, framed by a massive pair of red lips and a runway in the shape of the band's trademark tongue logo. For two hours and 20 minutes, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts barreled through 23 career-spanning tracks, including "Paint it Black," "Gimme

Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly dies at 34

Chris Kelly, one half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, has died in an Atlanta hospital at the age of 34.

Kelly had been found "unresponsive" at his home on Wednesday, local media reported.

Kris Kross was made up of Kelly, known as "Mac Daddy", and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. They are most widely remembered for their 1992 hit Jump.

They had performed in February to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the So So Def label that signed them.

Music Fans Mourn Country Legend George Jones

Music fans are mourning the loss of a true Country legend. George Jones, 81, died Friday at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In 1955, Jones recorded “Why Baby Why,” his first hit for Starday Records.  Born in Saratoga, Texas, he began performing in local clubs at age 10.  In the late 1940s, he worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in his home state, before entering the U.S. Marine Corps in 1950.  Three years later, Jones completed his military service and returned to the Texas nightclub circuit.  He was discovered by Starday’s founder, “Pappy” Dailey, who convinced Jones to record for his label.

Jones says his first studio session proved a great learning experience.

Scary Rides, Spooky House Return to NY's Coney Island

NEW YORK — Last October, when Hurricane Sandy slammed the east coast of the United States with powerful winds, sea surges and flooding, it threatened the lives and livelihoods of thousands who live and work in coastal areas like Coney Island in Brooklyn.

Through the winter, members of the Vourderis family cleaned up, reimagined and rebuilt their iconic Coney Island attractions for opening day in 2013.

For over a century, Coney Island has been known for fun, relaxation and seaside thrills.

But that dreamland turned into a nightmare for the Vourderis family on October 29, when a massive sea surge flooded their rides and games.
   

Country artist Billy Currington indicted on terroristic threat charges

Country singer Billy Currington is a wanted man, indicted on charges of making terroristic threats and the abuse of an elderly person by a Georgia grand jury.

The indictment accused Currington, 39, of threatening bodily harm against Charles Harvey Ferrelle in Tybee Island, Georgia, on April 15.

The elder abuse charge was included because Farrell is older than 65, the indictment said.

A Savannah judge issued a bench warrant for Currington's arrest after the indictment was handed up by a Chatham County grand jury that "found sufficient evidence" against him, District Attorney Meg Heap said Wednesday

Comedian Jonathan Winters Dead at 87

LOS ANGELES — Comedian Jonathan Winters, whose manic improvisational genius never seemed to take a rest, has died at the age of 87 after a more than 50-year career in stand-up, on television and in film.

The burly, moon-faced Winters, a major influence on contemporary comedians like Robin Williams and Steve Martin, died on Thursday of natural causes at his Montecito, California  home, surrounded by family and friends, said long time family friend Joe Petro III.

Winters had standout roles in 1960s comedy films "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming."

He also made regular appearances on "The Tonight Show" with hosts Jack Paar and then Johnny Carson, and had his own TV shows "The Jonathan Winters Show" and "The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters" in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Pakistan's Sectarian Violence Creeps into Art Scene

LAHORE — A gold bullet on top of Islamic stenciling, open sores and festering wounds, life-size sculptures of silenced men whose faces are obscured.

Pakistan's sectarian crisis has grown so acute that it is creeping into the country's contemporary art scene, spurring young artists to question the causes and assumptions behind the violent Sunni-Shi'ite divide.

Hardline Sunni groups have killed hundreds of minority Shi'ites in suicide bomb attacks and shootings.

Shi'ites say they are living in a state of siege, and some call it genocide. Fear has driven some families abroad while others have taken up arms against groups backed by al-Qaida.

Some artists have taken to expressing their anger at the carnage through their work.

Iran Readies Legal Action Against 'Argo' Film

A high-profile French lawyer says Iran will soon take legal action in Europe and the United States against the Academy Award-winning movie Argo, for what Iran alleges is deliberately falsifying history and misrepresenting Iran.

Is it a Hollywood blockbuster only loosely based on fact …or a smear campaign against Iran? French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre says the Islamic republic believes the American movie Argo deliberately aims to blind its audiences through a twisted portrayal of Iran and Iranians.

In a telephone interview, Coutant-Peyre says the Iranian culture minister asked her to engage in what she calls "useful legal procedures" against the film's distributors and makers. She says that could happen in a matter of weeks, both in Europe and the United States.

David Bowie Exhibit Breaks Box Office Records

LONDON — Ziggy played guitar. But as a new exhibition devoted to singer David Bowie's long and innovative career makes clear, he also wrote lyrics, checked every detail of his outlandish costumes, appeared in movies and helped design his own stage sets.

"David Bowie is," which runs from March 23 to Aug. 11, has broken box office records at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, with 50,000 advance tickets sold.

Organizers at a press preview on Wednesday were at pains to point out that more tickets were available and the demand underlines 66-year-old Bowie's lasting impact on music, fashion, video and beyond.

It also coincides with the release just over a week ago of Bowie's new album "The Next Day," his first new material for a decade. The record hit number one in the British album charts at the weekend, marking his return to the top after 20 years.

YouTube Spawns Asian-American Celebrities

LOS ANGELES — From movies and TV shows to songs on the radio, there have been fewer opportunities in traditional media for Asian-American entertainers. But the Internet, especially YouTube, has changed that.  Los Angeles has seen an explosion of Asian-American YouTube celebrities.

Clara Chung loves to create music. She does it in her home studio, surrounded by instruments, a microphone and a computer. She says she didn't think her music would turn into a career until it ended up on the Internet.

Daniel Day-Lewis Wins 3rd Oscar for 'Lincoln'

As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for his portrayal of the nation's 16th president, in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, at the Academy Awards Sunday night in Hollywood.

It's the third lead actor Oscar for the British thespian.

"I really don't know how any of this happened," Day-Lewis said while accepting the award. "I do know that I have received so much more than my fair share of good fortune in my life."

Lincoln features the latest in a string of remarkable performances from the actor, who is known to fully immerse himself in his roles.

Afghan Coming-of-Age Film Is Oscar Contender

LOS ANGELES — The Oscars will be presented Sunday night in Hollywood.  One of the nominees for Live-action Short Film is Buzkashi Boys, a coming-of-age story set in Afghanistan shows a side of life in Afghanistan seldom seen outside the country.

The film has vivid shots of the ancient Afghan sport called Buzkashi. It's a dangerous game played on horseback with a goat carcass.  

British Actor Hugh Grant Announces 2nd Child

LOS ANGELES —  Hugh Grant announced on Saturday that he had become a father for the second time after Tinglan Hong gave birth to a baby boy.

"And to be crystal clear. I am the Daddy,'' he added in a

 second tweet.

Grant, 52, who is best known for such films as Notting Hill and About a Boy, did not reveal the child's name on Twitter.

Oscar-Nominated Film Traces Journey of Ailing African Youngsters

LOS ANGELES — The film Open Heart  is about eight children with rheumatic heart disease who travel from Rwanda to Sudan for life-saving surgery. The short documentary is nominated for an Academy Award, and filmmaker Kief Davidson said he hopes it will spread awareness about a widespread health problem in Africa.

The film follows Rwandan cardiologist Emmanuel Rusingiza as he struggles to save young heart patients, some with just months to live.