Born today – Amelia Earhart

Born today in 1987:  Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart.

Amelia Earhart was a Pretty Tough gal before it was in vogue. The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and the United States, Earhart is known for her tremendous achievements as a pilot. She was a pioneer of women’s rights, believing that women could do anything they set their minds to.

Later this year, a movie version of her legendary life is coming out. Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world. will be played by two-time Best Actress Oscar winner Hilary Swank.

The trailer looks great. Can’t wait for the film to come out.

BFF: Bicycle Film Festival

What do you get when you combine the worldwide cycling community (and some devoted sponsors) with movies, parties, musical performances and art exhibits ? You get The Bicycle Film Festival – an annual event that celebrates all things bicycle.

The 9th Bicycle Film Festival returns this summer and organizers don’t plan to leave anyone out. From tall bike jousting, track bikes, BMX, alleycats, critical mass, bike polo, cycling to recumbent, they’re into all styles of bikes and biking.

The mission is to bring together all aspects of bicycling to advocate its ability to transport us in many ways.

The fest kicks off this weekend in New York where, for the next four days, festival-goers will be burdened with the task of picking and choosing which one of the many events they want to go to.

Bikes Rock at the South Street Seaport where there will be bands, parades, street games and more.  The Joy Ride is a cycling odyssey between four Soho galleries where riders view a specially curated multimedia exhibit inspired by the bicycle.

Each day will also feature different viewings of film shorts about the bicycle. Subjects range from building bikes to celebrating bikes to bike journeys. There will be a few world premieres of feature length films, including ‘Where Are You Go,’ about the world’s longest bike race around Africa, ‘I Love My Bicycle: The Story of FBM Bikes,’ chronicling the 15 year reign of a beloved DIY bike apparel company, and ‘The Third Wheel,’ about the Pedicab industry.

The BFF is going on around the nation and in Japan, Australia, and Europe so be sure to check out the site for updated info and must-see exhibits in your city!

Check out the trailer for this year’s festival:

The newest Beauty & the Beast is “Beastly”

Pretty Smart: One of our fave characters is Belle.

Now comes word there will be a live-action, modern retelling of the children’s classic “Beauty and the Beast” told from the Beast’s point of view.

CBS Films has signed actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens to star in the TV movie “Beastly”. Hudgens will play the role of Linda (the modern Belle) while media mogul Mary-Kate Olsen has signed on to play Kendra, a witch who puts a curse to the school’s most popular guy to teach him a lesson.

Kyle is the handsome egocentric student transformed to a beast when he asks Kendra to the prom as a practical joke and Hudgens helps him learn true beauty from within.

So who will play the beast? Current Burberry spokesman Alex Pettyfer has been chosen to appear alongside Vanessa in the film. Alex is 19 years old and most recently starred alongside Emma Roberts in the movie Wild Child.

Also cast in a supporting role is Neil Patrick Harris.

The film is based on Alex Flinn’s novel highly praised novel Beastly, and will be directed by Daniel Barnz

A fully-fleshed out beast and a much more beautiful beauty (on the inside, that is) make Flinn’s novel truly awe-inspiring and we’re hoping the film captures her vision.

Book Description:

I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

Production commences June 13 in Montreal, Variety reports.

Scarlett Johansson to play the Black Widow?

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Scarlett Johansson is in discussions with Marvel Studios to replace Emily Blunt for the role of KGB super spy Natasha Romanoff, who doubles as Black Widow, in Iron Man 2.

Blunt’s commitment to 20th Century Fox and the studio’s upcoming Gulliver’s Travels may prohibit her from co-starring in the superhero sequel.

Marvel will not confirm, but sources tell EW that Johansson has indeed met with the filmmakers and is interested in taking the role. Blunt’s reps are still trying to make both projects work, but “Gulliver’s” is further along, with a start date of April 15.

But there’s another actress who has her eye on the Black Widow. Listeners to the Howard Stern show this week heard Eliza Dushku (Buffy, Dollhouse) plead for the role of the Russian spy.

Iron Man 2 still doesn’t have a shooting script and a start date has not yet been determined.

Blindsight – the movie

March 16, 2008 - Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, Blindsight follows the gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000 foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest.

The dangerous journey documented in this film becomes a seemingly impossible challenge made all the more remarkable by the fact that the teenagers are blind.

One of the organizers of the climb is Sabriye Tenberken, blind since the age of 12,  who is a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Mother Theresa Award recipient and Oprah’s personal choice on her show “Eight Women Oprah Wants You To Know.”

She’s joined by a group of Tibetan teens that includes two girls: Fifteen year old Sonam Bhumtso and eighteen year old Kyila.

The doc is directed by British filmmaker Lucy Walker, who won a Fulbright Scholarship to attend NYU’s graduate film program and went on to be nominated for two Emmys for BLUE’S CLUES. Quite a leap from Nickelodeon to what is often called the “roof of the world.”

Producer Sybil Robson-Orr hopes the film inspires audiences “to push through their personal boundaries and reach for their dreams.”  We’re certainly inspired, both by the filmmaking team as well as the featured climbers – all pretty tough in our book!

Check release dates in your area.

Surf’s Up – first annual New York Surf Film Fest coming September 2008

NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 8, 2008  – The inaugural year of the New York Surf Film Festival will be held in September 2008.   The event consists of three days of screenings of independent short and feature films, cult classics, and world premieres from established surf filmmakers. The official Website of the New York Surf Film Festival, NYSurfFilm.com plans to bring the festival experience to the surf community through the streaming of short films, current news, photos and box office information.

The New York Surf Film Competition is open to independently produced feature-length and short films in the surf genre. In order to be considered for the Festival’s Film Competition for U.S and International films, submitted films must have been completed after January 1, 2003.  The running time for features must be greater than 30 minutes. Short films under 30 minutes in length are eligible for participation in the Shorts Program.

New York Surf Film Festival
The New York Surf Film Festival hopes to be the premier showcase for international independent surf film. The mission of the New York Surf Film Festival is to provide filmmakers who are exploring the diversity of surfing an opportunity to present their work to a larger audience. As surf culture becomes more popular, the notion of what it means to be a surfer expands. 

www.NYSurfFilm.com