Lions and tigers and spoilers. Oh my!

We announced that the Wizard of Oz prequel was in the works about a year ago. Oz The Great and Powerful is a Sam Raimi (Spiderman) directed story of how the wizard ruled the kingdom. But this week, some details about the film finally surfaced thanks to blabbering youngsters Abigail Spencer and Joey King.

“We’re doing the same thing as the first Wizard of Oz, we’re making it black and white in the beginning and then (it gets) colorful when we enter the Land of Oz,” she said in an interview with TeenSpot. “It’s also going to be a 3D movie; I’m so excited about that. It’s going to add a whole new level to the awesomeness of Oz.”

“It’s before the Scarecrow and the Tin Man and Dorothy and all that,” says Spencer who plays the Wizard’s assistant May in an interview with E! ”It really goes deeper into how that story came to be.

Rather than James Franco, Michelle Williams or Mila Kunis belting out ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ like the Judy Garland-starring original it is based more upon the books, according to Spencer.

“This is the real story and I think this is actually what the writer [L. Frank Baum] intended when he wrote them.”

Oz is set for release on March 8 of next year.

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The Oscar nominations were announced this morning in L.A. and while there are some expected nods (like Michelle Williams and Meryl Streep) there are a few awful surprises. For instance, why is everyone in “The Help” nominated? Why is “Tree of Life” nominated for Best Picture when it should have been a film gone straight to DVD? It also sucks that Ryan Gosling was robbed, so I’m going to have to write a letter to the Academy.

The only good surprise stemming from this roster of nominations is Melissa McCarthy for her supporting role in “Bridesmaids”. My money’s on Melissa, although realistically, she’ll probably lose to one of the 573097654 actresses in “The Help”.

Here’s a look at some of the nominations. * indications my pick. You can read the full list here.

Best Picture
“The Artist” *
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn” *

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” *
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids” *
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris” *
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Steven Spielberg, “War Horse”

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After more than three years after Heath Ledger’s death, his former fiancee, Michelle Williams, is finally opening up about his sudden and tragic death.

Williams has proved to be quite a strong women in the years succeeding Ledger’s death. She has taken on some very dramatic films including Wendy and Lucy and Mammoth. This year she stars in the Weinstein Company’s indie gem, Blue Valentine, alongside Ryan Gosling.

See the video below for clips from the interview.

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Every film blog on the web is talking about the MPAA and their decision to turn the NC17 rating of Blue Valentine into an R.

Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company fought long an hard against the NC17 rating in an appeal battle. The film was supposedly deemed NC17 for sexually graphic content. However, the content is not explicit but the MPAA was offended.

The MPAA is Hollywood’s best kept secret. The members of the rating board are hidden from society. The rating system is extremely problematic because it nearly promotes censorship.

It was strange to see that Blue Valentine has originally been rated NC17. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a married couple. The film tracks their marriage by crosscutting between time periods.  The trailer for the film is so tame compared to the other extremely violent ones that play before and after it. It’s hard not to wonder what the MPAA uses as criteria for their rating system.

At least Blue Valentine will be properly released in theaters with an R rating. The MPAA finally did something right this time.

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Michelle Williams is feuding with the late Heath Ledger’s family, reports gossip columnist Perez Hilton.

According to new reports, Williams is concerned that her daughter Matilda—who is also Heath’s child and the beneficiary to the actor’s estate—will be screwed over by Heath’s father, Kim.

Kim Ledger was identified in Heath’s will as the executor of the estate and, according to reports, Williams has a right to be worried.

Reports state that Heath’s father has mishandled his own inheritance after the passing of his father and lost a substantial amount of money. PerezHilton.com even reports that Kim Ledger’s siblings took him to court over the matter.

Hopefully, Kim Ledger has learned from his previous mistake.

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Michelle Williams took her first red carpet walk since Heath Ledger’s death Thursday evening.

Williams, wearing a Chanel lace number, was promoting her new film “Wendy and Lucy” at the Cannes Film Festival. “She came in and had a long nap and then came to the screening,” said the actress’ rep.

Williams also appears in Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, “Synecdoche, New York” which is also screening in Cannes. The actress also told reporters that it felt special to have two films out at the same time.

“The experience is something you can look back on at the end of your life and think, “That was a cool thing I did when I was 27,’ ” she said.

Ledger died last January at the age 28 of an accidental overdose. The couple have a two-year-old daughter named Matilda.

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Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda and ex-fiancee Michelle Williams are not in the late actor’s will.

Ledger drafted the will in 2003, before he even met Williams and long before the birth of his daughter. In the will, the Brokeback Mountain star left everything he owned to his parents and three sisters, the New York Daily News reports, according to E! Online.

Ledger’s father, Kim, quickly released a statement after the news broke assuring the public that Williams and Matilda will have access to the late actor’s estate.

“Matilda is our absolute priority and Michelle is an integral part of our family,” Kim Ledger said to People. “They will be taken care of and that’s how Heath would want it to be.”

Ledger’s rep also reiterated the sentiment and cleared up recent rumours.

The story is getting taken out of context and media is speculating that this means Matilda and Michelle will not be taken care of. I want to make it very clear nothing could be farther from the truth,” she said.

The value of Ledger’s estate is unknown at this time but according to the Daily News, the legalities will be handled in his native country Australia.

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Heath Ledger’s family and friends have been mourning the actor’s tragic death for weeks and during his final memorial service on Saturday, they gathered to celebrate his life.

The service, held in the chapel of an exclusive boarding school in Ledger’s hometown of Perth, Australia, ended with guests taking a fully-clothed plunge into the Indian Ocean, E! Online reports.

Ledger’s former fiancé Michelle Williams was among the 500 family members, friends, and celebrities present to commemorate the late actor in the initial service.

Actress Cate Blanchett delivered a eulogy and video montages honoring the Oscar-nominated actor’s life and work were streamed for attendees.

Mourners left the ceremony to the sound of the Beatles’ “Come Together” and a small group proceeded to one of Ledger’s favorite places, Cottesloe Beach.

The group remembered Ledger with a gathering complete with wine and beer before jumping into the ocean as a last hoorah for Heath. Then, friends and family gathered arm in arm to watch the sunset.

“The sun goes down on our love,” E! Online reports that two mourners said, “But it will never go down on Heathy.”

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Michelle Williams has broken her silence on the unexpected death of former fiancé Heath Ledger.

The grieving actress released a statement for the first time since Ledger’s passing and asked fans and media to allow her and the couple’s two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose Ledger to mourn in peace, E! Online reports.

“My heart is broken,” the statement released Friday reads. “Please respect our need to grieve privately.”

“I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father,” Williams said. “All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day.

“His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes steps two at a time, and we know that he is with us still. She will be brought up in the best memories of him.”

Williams has reportedly been devastated since she heard the news. It was announced that production on the actress’ next film, Blue Valentine, is on hold to allow time to mourn.

The drama co-stars Ryan Gosling and was scheduled to start shooting Feb. 25.

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As the press tries to piece together the last moments of Heath Ledger’s life, his family and friends are attempting to privately grieve the actor’s death.

A closed viewing reportedly took place at a New York City funeral home on Friday, according to E! Online.

There has been no official confirmation from Ledger’s family but police barricades outside the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home Friday morning, were apparently set up to protect the grieving guests from onlookers and paparazzi while they paid their respects.

The NYPD blocked off the street at around 4 p.m. as a hearse reportedly carrying Ledger’s coffin left the home and made its way to the airport.

It is speculated that Ledger’s former fiancée Michelle Williams was in attendance at the viewing as well as the couple’s daughter Matilda, and both of their immediate families.

It had been rumoured that the general public would be able to mourn the late actor in an official service held in L.A sometime this week but Ledger’s publicist told E! News Thursday that “there are no plans for a public service.”

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Information is pouring in after Heath Ledger’s tragic death on Tuesday.

TMZ reports that five bottles of prescription pills were found in the apartment with Ledger’s body: three anti-anxiety medications (Xanax, Valium and Ativan) and two sleeping medications (Lunesta and Restoril). Restoril is used to treat “debilitating insomnia.” All of the bottles were prescribed to Ledger and were mostly full.

Ledger’s autopsy yesterday was inconclusive. It is still unclear whether his death was a suicide or accidental. However, “Four Feathers” director Shekhar Kapur told the UK Daily Telegraph that Ledger was excited to meet with him the next day, and asked Kapur to call and wake him in the morning.

“I had just arrived in New York [from London],” Kapur said. “He said he could not see me that night but really wanted to meet me the next day. He made me promise that I would call him in the morning and wake him up. I tried. Little did I know that his soul had already left his body.”

Ledger left behind 2-year-old daughter, Matilda. It now appears that Ledger’s “Brokeback Mountain” co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal, will be fulfilling his duties as godfather and aiding Michelle Williams in raising Matilda.

Gyllenhaal already has experience helping out with his niece, Ramona. Gyllenhaal’s sister, Maggie, is also a co-star and friend to Ledger, as she took over the role of Rachel Dawes in “The Dark Knight,” Ledger’s last completed film role.

Williams’ “Dawson’s Creek” co-star, Busy Philipps, is Matilda’s godmother. The Daily Telegraph reports that Philipps has already joined Williams in New York City.

Preparations are currently being made to move Ledger’s body back to Perth, Australia for burial.

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Destiny?s Child members Kelly Rowland, Beyonc? Knowles and Michelle Williams reunited on Sunday to perform the American national anthem at the NBA?s 55th annual All-Star Game.

Following Jann Arden?s mediocre rendition of Oh Canada, Destiny?s Child rocked Houston?s Toyota Center with a beautiful and flawless rendition of America?s Star-Spangled Banner.

Destiny?s Child fans shouldn?t get their hopes too high. According to various sources this is “their last ever performance.?

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Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams beat TomKat to becoming new parents. Why are Dawson’s girls all becoming mommies?

E!Online reports that Matilda Rose Ledger was born on Friday in Brooklyn, where the couple currently makes their home. No other stats were released (at least, not to Us Weekly and Extra).

The Australian actor and the Dawson’s Creek alum began dating last June after meeting on the Canadian set of the upcoming Ang Lee film Brokeback Mountain, in which they play husband and wife.

The publicity-shy couple had a low-profile pregnancy. (How much more pregnant couples can people take, after all?) Even after the birth was widely reported, Williams’ publicist only said, “At this point we are not commenting.” Rumours about an engagement are also unconfirmed.

Australian newspapers have speculated that Ledger will move his new family down under, although the actor said earlier this year, “I am actually thinking of going to live in Italy. We have a few places up our sleeves. I would much rather work in Europe than in America.”

Ledger is currently on promotional duty for Brokeback Mountain and Casanova. The highly anticipated Brokeback Mountain, in which Ledger stars opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, opens December 9.

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Clothing retailer Gap Inc. has rounded up a string of big-name celebrities to command a mega marketing campaign this fall. Starting in September, star singers including Alanis Morissette, Keith Urban, and Michelle Williams will be urging you to fall into the Gap when they appear in the company?s ?Favourites? advertising campaign.

For this promotion, what?s old is new again: the Gap?s new TV ads will feature each artist performing a cover of a favourite song. Of course, each singer will also be modelling a pair of Gap jeans at the same time.

Morissette will cover Seal?s ?Crazy? while fellow pop-rock chicks Liz Phair and Joss Stone, will take on Irving Berlin’s “Check to Cheek” and the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows,” respectively.

Meanwhile, country superstar Urban will give his version of Billy Thorpe’s “Most People I Know Think I’m Crazy,” and Williams, of Destiny?s Child fame, will sing the Al Green classic “Let’s Stay Together.” This year?s breakout R&B sensation John Legend will be doing the Isley Brothers’ “Hello It’s Me,” while singer-songwriter Jason Mraz tackles Bob Marley’s “One Love.” Finally, Incubus’ Brandon Boyd will channel Elvis Costello with his hit, “Alison.”

From September 1 to 17, fans who want to hear more of the performances can pick up a special eight-track CD available at Gap stores and Gap.com. Each of the songs, along with a director’s cut of the commercial and behind-the-scenes footage, will be distributed as a free gift to customers making purchases of $60 or more, while supplies last.

This promotion will be an appropriate tie-in to another Gap marketing campaign that partners up the fashion giant with Apple iTunes next month. From August 8 to 31, a simple trip to a Gap fitting room will score customers free music. All Gap wants you to do is to try on any pair of its new jean fits and you?ll score a complimentary song from Apple?s iTunes music store.

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