showbiz

The Daily Dish: May 11

Posted on Monday, May 11, 2009
by Andrea Miller - Cineplex Entertainment

Titanic

-- Their hearts will go on...and on Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, the two stars of epic 1997 love story Titanic, along with director James Cameron, have opened their wallets to help the last surviving member of the infamous boat disaster. Millvina Dean, 98, was given $30,000 from the director and stars, who played ill-fated lovers in the Oscar-winning film. After Dean's friend and author Don Mullan publicly challenged the celebs, and singer Celine Dion, to help with the ailing woman's nursing home fees in Sunday's edition of the Irish Independent newspaper, the Millvina Fund was created to help secure her financial future. Dean, just nine months old when the Titanic sank, lost her father in 1912 tragedy and had recently auctioned off memorabilia in an effort to afford the $3000-a-month fees. According to reports, Dion, who performed the film's Oscar-winning song, has yet to come aboard.

-- To infinity, Venice and beyond! Disney/Pixar's hit 1995 Oscar-nominated family comedy Toy Story , and its 1999 sequel, are getting the 3D treatment and will premiere during the Venice Film Festival. The popular animated films, with voice work from Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles and John Ratzenberger to name a few, tells the whimsical tale of happy-go-lucky toys who come alive when their owner is away and find themselves getting into madcap adventures in the human world. The Toy Story screenings will mark part of Venice’s historic lifetime achievement award festivities, honouring John Lasseter, the Chief Creative Officer at Disney/Pixar, and other Pixar directors, including Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich and Andrew Stanton. In a statement released by the festival's organizers, they emphasized that "for the first time in the history of the Venice Film Festival, the award will honor not only the achievement of a single filmmaker but also the contribution of the directors of a visionary studio." The film festival will run from September 2-12.

-- Mia Farrow ends hunger strike After 12 days, and almost 13 pounds, actress and activist Mia Farrow has ceased her fast on her doctor's recommendation. Farrow began the hunger strike on April 27 as a means to draw attention to the plight of starving refugees in the Sudan but despite her dedication and self-discipline, was instructed to end the fast because her doctor warned she could suffer seizures. She elaborated on her blog, saying: "I'm really struggling today. I have been instructed by my doctor to stop my fast immediately due to health concerns - including possible seizures ... I am fortunate. The women, children, and men I am fasting for do not have that option ... When beginning this fast twelve days ago, I said that when I could go no longer, I hoped another would take my place, and another, and another, until the expelled humanitarian agencies are readmitted and finally there is justice and peace for the people of Darfur." The blog post continues to name Virgin mega-boss Richard Branson as the next person in line in Farrow' s proposed hunger strike chain.

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