• Michel Hazanavicius wins Directors Guild award for 'The Artist'

    Michel Hazanavicius, director of "The Artist", was named the year's best feature film director by the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, further positioning the silent movie-era romance as a frontrunner for Oscars.

    The movie about a fading star whose career is eclipsed by the woman he loves just as talkies are putting an end to silent pictures has been a critical darling throughout the Hollywood's current awards season.


    "This is really touching and moving for me," said French director Hazanavicius upon accepting his award at the Grand Ballroom adjacent to the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars, the film industry's highest honors, will be given out on February 26.

    "It's maybe the highest recognition I could hope for," he said.

    The DGA Awards are a key indicator of who may win Academy Awards next month because only six times since the DGA began handing out annual honors in 1948 has the its winner failed to also be named best director by Oscar voters.

    More important, there is a long history among members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars, to give their Academy Award for best film to the movie made by the winner of best director.

    The next stop in the race for Oscars is Sunday's Screen Actors Guild awards in Los Angeles where "The Artist" will look to extend its streak of victories, including a Golden Globe for best film musical or comedy and honors from critics groups.

    The DGA also gives out other awards, including one for best film documentary, which went to James Marsh for "Project Nim."

    Among TV award winners, Patty Jenkins was given the DGA trophy for best drama series for the pilot episode of "The Killing" and Robert B. Weide took home the DGA award for best comedy series for an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

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    Reuters contributed to this report.

  • Anyone? Anyone? Ferris Bueller returning ... to TV

     

    A YouTube tease had some fans hoping that a sequel might be in the works for the hit movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” but as it turns out the short clip was posted to plug a Honda commercial featuring actor Matthew Broderick set to air during the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.

    Excited to see Ferris again? Share you thoughts on Facebook.

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  • Demi Moore 911 call: 'She smoked something'

    Partially redacted tapes of a 911 call made from Demi Moore's home the day she was rushed to a hospital is fueling speculation about what she may have smoked to induce what the caller described as "convulsions." NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.

    "Send an ambulance right now. This is an emergency."

    So begins the dramatic 911 call, in which Demi Moore's friends are desperately trying to get an ambulance to the actress' Beverly Hills home as quickly as possible, which was released this morning by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

    On the heavily redacted recording, which lasts about 10 minutes, one of Moore's friends begins arguing with the dispatcher amid confusion over which agency covers the neighborhood and should be sending paramedics.

    "Why is there not an ambulance coming now?" the woman says testily before explaining what caused the star to "act crazy."

    MORE from E!: Demi 'Pretty Hyper' and 'Acting Crazy' Before Hospitalization

    "She smoked something. It's not marijuana but it's similar to incense. She seems to be having convulsions of some sort.

    "She's semi-conscious ... barely. She's convulsing."

    The phone is passed to another woman, who tells the dispatcher, "She's not breathing normally ... she's burning up."

    MORE from E!: Demi Released From Hospital as Ashton Kutcher Returns to L.A.

    Asked if she knows exactly what Moore smoked or any other drugs she might have consumed, the second woman replies: "She's been having some issues with some other stuff lately. I don't know what she's been taking or not."

    The dispatcher calms the woman down and explains how to treat Moore, stressing to keep her airway open.

    By the end of the call, the paramedics have arrived to take Moore to Sherman Oaks Hospital, where she has since been discharged.

    As E! News has previously reported, the 49-year-old Moore had been hosting a birthday party for a friend at the time and had exhibited "pretty hyper" behavior in the moments before the 911 call.

    PHOTOS: Demi & Ashton's Romance Recap

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  • Report: 'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood may avoid jail sentence

    Madison County Sheriffs Dept.

    When an Indiana judge tossed "Teen Mom" Amber Portwood in jail for allegedly violating probation in her domestic violence case in December, things did not look good for the reality personality. She was accused of two new felonies and was ordered to remain in jail until at least Jan. 27.

    The new charges? Battery and possession of a controlled substance.

    Today, the troubled young mother has reportedly struck a deal, according to TMZ. Law enforcement told the gossip site that Portwood would plead guilty to violating probation and possession, and will complete a court-ordered drug rehab program. Assuming she holds up her end of the bargain, her case will be dismissed. If she makes any more legal stumbles or fails to complete the program, she'll be sent to prison immediately to serve a five-year sentence, according to TMZ.

    But it's not a done deal yet. The website reports that the judge still has to OK the deal. The hearing is set for Feb. 6.

    The legal trouble began for Portwood when MTV aired a season two episode of its popular docuseries "Teen Mom" showing her repeatedly punching and slapping then-fiance Gary Shirley, who is the father of her toddler, Leah. She pled guilty last June to two counts of felony domestic violence in that case, and was given a two-year suspended sentence and placed on two years of probation.

    Do you think she'll comply to the terms of her plea deal? Tell us what you think on our Facebook page.

     

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  • Man's mistress inspects his wife's mess on 'Hoarding'

    Every episode of TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive" features jaw-dropping moments, but usually those moments are related to the mess at hand – or whatever mass amount of creepy crawlies calls that mess home. Not so on the next installment of the clutter-filled show.

    No, a sneak peek of the action to come reveals that, while Janet and Herv have quite the cobweb covered hoard, their secret shocker is the other woman who comes by to inspect it.

    "About three years ago, Herv started a relationship with Wendy," Janet revealed. "He said it was just sex and it didn't mean anything. I let it go on."

    To make matters worse, Wendy is Janet's friend, or maybe frenemy.

    "I felt like I was just keeping an enemy close as a friend," Janet explained. "But she was getting what she wanted by having him as a sexual partner. It just hurt me terribly."

    And now, evidently, what Wendy wants -- in addition to Herv -- is to get a gander at the state of Janet and Herv's home, even though it disturbs Janet.

    It's easy to see why.

    "You sleep on this?" Wendy asked as she stood on the couple's bed. "You do anything else on it?"

    Catch the rest of the messy relationship story when "Hoarding: Buried Alive" airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. on TLC.

    Which do you think will call for a bigger clean-up, the house or the relationship? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

     

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  • Fran Drescher: Aliens implanted me with chip

    Getty Images file

    Fran Drescher

    Fran Drescher, star of "The Nanny" and owner of one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood, now has a distinctive story to go with it. According to The Huffington Post, the actress said that both she and her ex-husband saw aliens as children, and matching scars on their hands mark where the extraterrestrials embedded some kind of chip. (Tracking, not potato, we assume.)

    It's hard to read this story without wondering if The Huffington Post is using it as a test run for a possible Onion-like publication, or if Drescher is putting them on -- she is a comic actress, after all -- but writer Rob Shuter says Drescher told him the story "in all seriousness."

    The Huffington Post headline says Drescher was "abducted" by aliens, but in the quotes from her, the actress only says she "saw" them. But when discussing the fact that she and her husband both have a scar in similar places on their hands, she seems to hint that she was not only abducted, but implanted with the chip.

    Drescher's ex-husband says she got the scar from either a drill bit or burning herself by holding a cup of hot water. But that's not what she says. "I said to him, that's what the aliens programmed us to think," the Huffington Post quotes the actress as saying. "But really, that's where the chip is."

    On Friday, presumably after seeing the Huffington Post story, Drescher tweeted: "Must b a slow wk in huffingtonpost 2 rite an alien abduction story on me! R they goin tabloid?" She doesn't deny or confirm the story itself.

    OK. We saw "The X Files." We want to believe. But for now, we're going to believe that this entire interview was performance art on Drescher's part, and she thought it would be funny to pull the reporter's leg.

    Do you think Drescher was serious? Tell us on Facebook.

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  • Lawless: New 'Spartacus' an expert in leading 'dudes in their underpants'

    Michael Muller / Starz

    Lucy Lawless plays Lucretia on "Spartacus: Vengeance."

    Swords-and-sandals epic lovers arise and claim your show: “Spartacus: Vengeance” is slashing its way back onto the Starz network on Jan. 27 with a new season of battles, escapes, affairs and intrigue.

    But there will be one major difference: Spartacus himself has been replaced. Fans of the show are familiar with the untimely death of character originator Andy Whitfield, who portrayed the rebellious slave in “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” in 2010 before being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

    “It’s a horrifying thing to get everything you ever wanted – a wife, two children, your big break – and after one year, a horrifying diagnosis,” Lucy Lawless, who stars as Lucretia, told TODAY.com. “We thought he’d go into treatment, we’d execute a prequel and he’d come back. But that never happened.”

    Well, the prequel, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" did happen, but Whitfield did not return. Enter Liam McIntyre, an Australian actor who some may have spotted in HBO’s “The Pacific,” but who is mostly unknown.

    “(Whitfield) wanted the show to continue,” Lawless said. “He requested that they replace him quite early on, and even rang Liam to encourage him and congratulate him. He was a big man, and we remember him fondly for that. The tragedy was really his family’s, and our loss is nothing compared to his.”

    McIntyre slips easily into the role, but he’s more than just a new face, said Lawless. “He’s a great morale leader on the set, which is what you need when you’re leading 100 dudes in their underpants around without much to do for long periods at a stretch. They can get a bit ... distracted. They’re totally nice, but you need someone to help focus on the work, and Liam has that kind of charisma.”

    And the recast works in the story, she added, because Spartacus is a different man now. “There was a natural change thematically in the story,” she said. “The last we saw Spartacus was with Andy leading a great rebellion; they’re on the run, this band of rebels. So having the prequel may soften people's memories a bit.”

    Over the years, Lawless has gotten used to being a familiar face in epics. She made her name on syndicated hits such as “Hercules” and “Xena: Warrior Princess” in the 1990s, and kept her geek/genre audience cred by appearing on “Battlestar Galactica” in the new century. Making “Spartacus” without her would seem somehow amiss.

    “I don’t pick this stuff, it picks me,” she said. “But it seems to like me a lot – and it’s fun to play bad-girl roles, where you can bring some humanity to them. Otherwise, it might be Cruella de Vil. I wanted to make Lucretia a real person you can understand.”

    She doesn’t have any scenes with the new Spartacus in the new series – remember, he’s on the run – but she knows McIntyre is the man for the role. Not just because he can control 100 underpants-wearing actors, but, as she noted, “He’s good at yelling, which Spartacus has to do – a lot.”

    “Spartacus: Vengeance” premieres at 10 p.m. on Starz on Jan. 27.

    Will you tune in to check out the new Spartacus? Stand up and share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • Kim Kardashian tweets Cher death hoax

    Katy Winn / AP

    Kim Kardashian tweeted the Cher death hoax to her 12 million fans.

    If you've been on the Internet for all of one second, you're aware that some of the information on it is false. Fake. Made up. Fiction. Wrongamundo. And yet people still fall for bad information daily -- it's why snopes.com, the great debunker of urban legends, exists.

    But if you have 12 million followers, as Kim Kardashian has, perhaps you should think and verify before retweeting information that even to you seems to be false.

    On Thursday, Kardashian tweeted "Did I just hear that Cher has passed away? Is this real? OMG."

    She may have heard it, but it wasn't, of course, true. (The Huffington Post has tracked the rumor to the Twitter accounts which may have kicked off the hoax.)

    Kardashian didn't just tweet once, she tweeted twice about the death-that-didn't-happen, later tweeting: "I hope this is a twitter joke and not true. I don't see it on the news anywhere. I'm praying its not true." Twitter user the boss was one of many to set her straight, tweeting "Of course not, Cher will outlive you."

    She's not the first celeb to grab information that has not been researched and run with it. Back in November, Ashton Kutcher came under fire when he expressed anger that Penn State had fired coach Joe Paterno. He had his facts right -- Paterno was fired -- but Kutcher later claimed he didn't know anything about the much-publicized child sexual abuse cases involving former coach Jerry Sandusky, and thought Paterno was fired for a bad football season. For Kutcher, the fallout was so bad that he moved to a less-open Twitter account, saying his tweets would now go through a management team rather than just fly out as he thought them up.

    Sure, there's a lot to be said for the spontaneity of a fun tweet, but it's different when only a few dozen of your friends are seeing it. Who knows how many people -- maybe even family and friends of Cher herself -- thought the singer really was dead because Kardashian sent it out there to 12 million followers?

    Kardashian was apparently corrected on her error within an hour. She then tweeted: "Can't believe people would make up a sick joke like Cher died. These people need to get a life! Thanks Twitter for clearing that up."

    Other Twitter followers were quick to reprimand Kardashian. A.J. Nelson tweeted at the reality star: "Can't believe u would immediately start tweeting about it before finding out facts."

    In summary: Cher -- not dead. Kim Kardashian -- not that careful about facts. The Internet -- still trying to trick people. The beat goes on.

     

    Ever been fooled by an Internet hoax? Tell us on Facebook. 

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  • 'Sh-t Liz Lemon Says'? Now we're listening!

    If you haven't come across one of the many "Sh-t 'Somebody' Says" segments popping up online these days, you might want to check your Internet connection.

    "Sh-t Girls Say" started the ball rolling and has over 12 million views on YouTube. We laughed. And we laughed some more at "Sh-t Nobody Says." And we laughed at some others, and then we started to get bored and then we didn't give a sh-t what anybody says about anything. Until Liz Lemon came along.

    "Sh-t Liz Lemon Says" is just a bunch of "30 Rock" clips strung together into one highlight reel. But it's a happy little reminder of how much we love Tina Fey, and why everything that comes out of her mouth is worth saying.

    So now that this is out there, the rest of you can shut it down.

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  • Obama gives Al Green song giant sales bump

    AFP-Getty/TODAY

    Al Green, left, is getting a sales bump from President Barack Obama.

    Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" got a sales boost last week from an unlikely source -- President Barack Obama.

    Obama's Al Green 'Lets Stay Together' Video Goes Viral (Video) 

    A video of the president singing the first line of the song at a Jan. 19 fundraising event went viral the next day, sparking a 490 percent weekly sales increase for the song. It sold 16,000 downloads in the week ending Jan. 22 according to Nielsen SoundScan.

    PHOTOS: Best Presidents in Film and Television

    It's the best sales week for the song since SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003.

    President Obama Orders Up DVDS of 'Homeland' Season One From Showtime

    The fundraiser took place at New York's Apollo Theater, where Green was also making an appearance. As Obama took to the stage, he noted Green's presence in the room and surprised the crowd (and his aides) with a bit of his crooning.

    Two Obama Hollywood Fundraisers Set for Soap Opera Titan's Holmby Hills Estate

    "Those guys didn't think I would do it," joked Obama, gesturing to his staffers on the side of the stage. "I told you I was going to do it. The Sandman did not come out."

    While there are multiple videos of the moment on YouTube, the most-viewed clip has been watched more than 4 million times.

    How do you think President Obama did singing Green's song? Tell us on Facebook.

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  • No blood?! 'Hugo' was new territory for Martin Scorsese

    Martin Scorsese is not known for making comedic movies. But in person, he's a complete crack-up. Just ask TODAY's Al Roker, who sat down with the veteran director behind such iconic films as "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" -- and talked (and laughed) with him about something very different: His first for-children and first 3-D film, "Hugo" (which leads all Academy Award nominees with 11), and the joys of being an older dad.

    "The material -- Brian Selznick's book 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' -- had all the elements of a story that could be enhanced by 3-D," said the filmmaker, who Roker reminded had expressed doubts a few years ago about being able to do a 3-D film. "I'm not talking about a 3-D that jumps out at you and throws spears and arrows and ping-pong balls. ... But I thought a 3-D that would enhance the story and immerse the audience into a special world ... (and the book) has that world."

    A world that was surprisingly (for Scorsese) blood-free. "They kept looking at me, the crew," said Scorsese, "'What's happening?'" He told them, "Keep going men, we'll have like a train crash ... we'll do something."

    He also revealed his inspiration for the film: His wife, Helen Morris, telling him to "make a film the kid could see for once" -- a line he used while accepting a Golden Globe earlier this month.

    "The kid" is his 12-year-old daughter Francesca. Scorsese is 69, which makes for a big gap in their generations, but he says being an older father is all right. "It's a totally different experience (than being a younger father; Scorsese has two other daughters from his 20s and 30s)," he said. "Maybe it's more grandfatherly in a way. I became very, very immersed in her world ... how (children) perceive things, their imagination, her and her friends, so it became very natural to make a transition to a picture like this."

    So, has she seen it? Several times, he reported. "She likes it. ... She says, 'Do I have to see it again?'" said Scorsese. "I said, 'Yes!' ... She's only seen it four, five times? What is this? Go, come on, sell it, you have to be there!"

    "Hugo" is currently in theaters.

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  • 911 call about Demi Moore to be edited, released

    The mystery behind Demi Moore's sudden hospitalization Monday is beginning to become clearer, though many details remain unsubstantiated.

    As TODAY's Miguel Almaguer reported Friday, Moore has checked out of the hospital, though it's unclear whether she is back at home. Almaguer spoke with E! News Chief Correspondent Ken Baker, who reported that on Monday, the night of the 911 call that sent her to the hospital, Moore was having a "girls' night in" with friends. Baker said that Moore was acting "pretty hyper" and "a little bit crazy" while dessert and dinner was being served, and "not acting her normal self."

    By 10, said Almaguer, nearly all the guests had left -- but Moore began shaking and had a seizure. What exactly caused her collapse, however, is only being stated by unnamed sources: TMZ claims it was nitrous oxide, and further sources have told People magazine that prescription drug use contributed to her recent breakup with Ashton Kutcher.

    Meanwhile, Almaguer reported that L.A. officials will release that 911 call, but have requested that personal information about her medical condition and medication be removed to comply with federal medical privacy laws.

    According to her publicist, Moore is "working on improving her overall health" at this time.

    Meanwhile, Moore has reportedly been replaced on "Lovelace," a biopic about porn star Linda Lovelace, in which she was slated to have a small part as Gloria Steinem. Us Weekly is now saying that a source has confirmed that "Weeds" star Mary Louise Parker will step into the role.

    UPDATE: Sarah Jessica Parker has been signed to take over the role of Gloria Steinem in "Lovelace." According to E! Online, Parker will begin shooting the film on Monday in New York.

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