MOVIES AND CELEBS

The latest local and national television, movie and celebrity news from New Orleans and beyond

AP file photoMarley & Me

Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and their little dog have not lost their box office bite.

The family tale "Marley & Me," starring Aniston and Wilson as owners of an adorably mischievous pooch, took in $24.1 million to finish as the No. 1 movie for a second-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Merrick Morton / Paramount
Hollywood South is coming off another record-setting year, with 80-plus major TV and film projects shooting in Louisiana, including this year's mega-budget "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- starring Brad Pitt and New Orleans.

You can eat all the black-eyed peas you want but it's hard to be overly optimistic as 2009 dawns -- unless, that is, you work in the local film industry.

Chris Granger / The Times-PicayuneBarry Barth, left, and Erskine Terry inspect the fleur-de-lis that was dropped to ring in 2009 at the Jax Brewery in New Orleans.

The new year's promise of a fresh start in life often brings with it a rash of resolutions. All too often, though, those well-intentioned promises fall by the wayside before the first Carnival parades take to the streets.

Movie buffs looking for a little inspiration might turn to Hollywood to bolster their resolve. In honor of 2009, here are nine popular resolutions with suggestions of films available on DVD that might provide a little motivation.

Playmakers Theatre Director Mark Leonard is looking for an actor of Japanese heritage to read a role in the St. Tammany Parish Library's Walker Percy Southern Literary Festival One Act Competition.

In response to the failure of federal mediation, the Screen Actors Guild announced that while with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers continues to insist on terms it "cannot accept on behalf of (SAG) members", it will launch an education campaign in support of a strike authorization referendum, calling on members to OK putting the threat of a work stoppage on the table.

St. Tammany Parish Library announced the films to be screened on International Film Nights this spring at the Slidell branch--from Germany, France, Argentina, and China.

The "15 Minutes of Fame" Festival of Shorts issued a call for entries for the festival taking place July 18-19, 2009 on Florida's central coast. The festival presents a selection of short films by filmmakers from across the U.S. and around the globe, showcasing entertaining films that reflect a wide range of topics and experiences for films that are 15-minutes in length or less.
For more information: http://15minutefilm fest.com

Calling all who want to learn the magic of movie illusions...Classes will be offered by the artists at Lucid SFX Development starting January 19, 2009. Classes are in 2 hour blocks and will span over an Eight Week Course . Students must have there own laptop and a basic knowledge of computer usage. All classes will be taught by industry professionals in an effort to expand the workforce of VSFX Artists in Louisiana.

Class registry starts December 15 and ends January 4.