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ARCHIVES
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!!!!!!!!!! (4-25-04)
Have a wonderful birthday and many, many more to come.
AL MAY BE DATING A NEW WOMAN?? (1-7-04)
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/2004/01/02/story127776.html
PIC OF AL GOING INTO COURT FOR MORE CUSTODY STUFF (NY POST) (12-3-03)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/031117/ids_photos_ts/r3877111768.jpg
REUTERS STORY ABOUT CORLEONE SICILY
"What's in a Name? In Corleone, Sicily, a Lot"
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031125/od_nm/mafia_dc
CUSTODY NEWS - NY POST (10-12-03)
September 30, 2003 -- PEACE has apparently broken out between Al Pacino and Beverly D'Angelo. They were to begin trial yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court over custody of their twins, Anton and Olivia, 2. But the case was "vacated," leading observers to surmise the case has been settled. Lawyers for both sides didn't return calls. Pacino, who wanted joint custody, was paying $50,000 a month in unofficial alimony, $35,000 in child support and the $18,000 rent on D'Angelo's West Side apartment. D'Angelo wanted to move back to L.A. to resume her career.
PACINO COLOGNE
( Thanks alpacinofan for this info.)
http://www.fragrance-for-men-and-women.com/fragrances/for-Men/Pacino/
I don't think this has anything to do with Al, but it's kinda neat anyway.
CUSTODY BATTLE (9-28-03)
PACINO GETS A BREAKTHROUGH IN CUSTODY BATTLE
Warring couple AL PACINO and BEVERLY D'ANGELO are on the verge of playing happy families again after a bitter six month custody battle.
The former lovers met again in court on Wednesday (17SEP03) in Manhattan, New York, for the latest episode in the ongoing custody war over their two-year-old twins OLIVIA and NATHAN.
And, even though Pacino was 10 minutes late, he had a favourable decision - his visitation schedule will allow the actor to enjoy sleepovers with his twins one night each week.
But the custody war is far from over - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION star D'Angelo has petitioned court to let her move to Los Angeles with her children.
The next round in the custody trial has been set for 29 September (03).
CUSTODY BATTLE (9-26-03)
Pacino's day in court
Al Pacino and Beverly D'Angelo were back in Manhattan Family Court this week. The actor came away happy to hear that the judge had granted him a schedule for visiting their 2-year-old twins, Anton and Olivia.
But their custody battle is far from over. D'Angelo is still pressing to move with the children to L.A. "She doesn't mind him seeing the kids," says a friend. "But she wants to work." Pacino and D'Angelo are still awaiting reports from court-appointed psychologists, who are evaluating all members of the family. A trial is due to start on Sept 29.Cindy Adams Column 9/24/03
THE Al Pacino-Beverly D'Angelo court battle over custody of their twins Anton and Olivia continues. Al, whose heated career might have made him miss out on the actual parenting of his older child - whom he's always acknowledged and has always supported - is besotted with his 2 year olds. He adores them. He wants desperately to be an involved father today and have them part of his life. Generous financially, he maintains Beverly's New York home and gives her a healthy five-figure-a-month allowance. She is saying she wants to move cross-country and resume her career. He is saying he won't have access to his children if they're 3,000 miles away. I am saying that what she really wants is for non-marrying Al to say "I do."
CIVIL LIBERTY EROSION - ACLU ADS (9-13-03)
Celebrities Line Up to Criticize Bush in A.C.L.U. Campaign
By NAT IVES
AS THE second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks passed yesterday and President Bush pressed for greater expansion of law enforcement powers, a new advertising campaign by the American Civil Liberties Union has been rolling out to oppose the tactics and proposals of the White House.
The ads, which indirectly accuse the administration of trampling on the Bill of Rights, without actually mentioning the president, have already hit a nerve.
"It is absolutely outrageous," said Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the Justice Department. "You have men and women who are sworn to uphold the Constitution who are literally putting their lives on the line to keep us safe and our lives intact, and the A.C.L.U. is making them out to be some sort of Gestapo-like organization."
Feelings are bitter on both sides of the debate. Mr. Corallo accused the civil liberties union of trying to create an atmosphere of fear. The A.C.L.U. and its allies said the same about the Justice Department.
"The definition of `crisis' has been changed and been made much more elastic," said Richard Dreyfuss, the actor, who appears in one ad. "Criticism of the administration is not looked upon as allowable or appropriate, because we're in a `crisis.' "
With a budget of $3 million, the campaign is consuming much of the $4.5 million the civil liberties union typically spends on advertising in a year.
Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the group, said the decision to spend so much on one effort reflected a belief that disaffection with the Bush administration and its policies was growing, and that opportunities to gain new support and members were growing along with it.
"It's essential to talk to the American people now," Mr. Romero said, "because there is a beginning of a debate and a dialogue at the grass roots."
As an example, Mr. Romero said that communities around the country have adopted resolutions objecting to the antiterrorism legislation passed in the fall of 2001, known as the Patriot Act. The new proposals would extend those measures and include provisions that were rejected the first time around, like wider powers to issue subpoenas without judicial oversight.
The black-and-white print ads are scheduled to run from September to December in magazines like Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. They were created by Benenson Janson in Studio City, Calif., the civil liberties union's agency since July 2002.
In the ad featuring Mr. Dreyfuss, the actor looks into the camera next to text that reads, "I am not an American who believes in selective due process," a reference to the government's detention of a number of people since Sept. 11, 2001, without allowing them access to legal counsel, and in some cases without revealing their names or filing charges.
In another ad, Michael Stipe, the lead singer of the group R.E.M., appears under text that reads in part, "I am not an American who wants to be shut up or have my neighbors be shut up."
The large-type legend that starts each ad, "I am not an American," is intended to be provocative. But Howard Benenson, president of Benenson Janson, said that the message that follows was meant to have wide appeal.
"We felt that `I am not an American' plays to the desire for everyone to stand up for their beliefs," Mr. Benenson said.
Other celebrities appearing in the campaign include the author Kurt Vonnegut and the actors Samuel L. Jackson, Al Pacino, Martin Sheen and Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte on HBO's "Sex and the City."
Mr. Vonnegut said he was a longtime member of the civil liberties union, which decades ago defended a schoolteacher's use of his novelin the classroom. "Slaughterhouse Five"
"What I've said again and again is that if any official from a dogcatcher on up treats you in a way which is clearly unconstitutional, don't call the F.B.I., call the A.C.L.U.," Mr. Vonnegut said.
The use of well-known personalities in the ads is a departure for the civil liberties union. Its campaigns most often urge the public to call members of Congress about a specific bill or issue; less often, the union will buy ad space to try to put a particular issue on the agenda of the news media.
Mr. Benenson said that such a large number and variety of celebrities had volunteered their time and images for the campaign that the civil liberties union has been able to tailor its media plan for maximum effect.
"The celebrities are going to fit the publications," Mr. Benenson said.
For example, the ad with Ms. Davis will run in Vanity Fair, which her fans might be more likely to read than Atlantic Monthly, where Mr. Vonnegut will appear. In Rolling Stone, the singer Sheryl Crow will be featured.
But the strategy has a cost. The campaign's reliance on celebrities has been seized upon by critics, who said that while famous faces may garner attention, they do not inform the debate.
"As far as the celebrities go, they obviously have a right to speak their minds and a right to be morons, and they usually exercise both," said Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, a conservative journal. "This is typical uninformed hysteria from the two places you expect most to get it: the A.C.L.U. and celebrities."
SOUNDPROOFING (8-24-03)
Contactmusic.com
Screen legend AL PACINO has soundproofed his New York apartment - so he can play his beloved opera music at full volume without upsetting the neighbours.
The 63-year-old GODFATHER star has been receiving complaints for banging out the opera classics, so he's splashed out on some noise reduction measures.
A friend says, "He's spent a small fortune having his walls lined with special padding so he can play his music and not worry about some picky neighbour kicking up."
10/08/2003 10:38
CUSTODY BATTLE (8-11-03)
(thanks Iris for this info)
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/829.htm(another about the same issue, thanks Jules for this info)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/101492p-91853c.html
DON CORNELIUS - NEW AL FILM? (8-11-03)
(thanks Lisa for this info)
MOVIES Make him an offer: Al Pacino may be returning to his cinematic gangster roots, which he has explored in such films as "The Godfather," "Scarface," "Carlito's Way" and "Donnie Brasco." Sources said the Oscar-winning actor is in discussions with MGM to star in "Don Cornelius," the Nick Guthe-penned project that Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tierre Turner are producing through their Feel Good Films along with Tollin/Robbins Prods. It centers on a repressed suburban accountant who finds out that his biological father is the head of the New York Mafia (Pacino). When an attempt is made on the father's life, Cornelius ends up taking over the position. -- The Hollywood Reporter
VOICE OVER FOR PSA (posted 2-28-03)
ADWEEK, Child Welfare Group Rolls Out PSAs, February 27, 2003, By Deanna Zammit
NEW YORK The Children's Aid Society of New York is resurrecting its trademark jingle after nearly 20 years for a PSA campaign featuring the voice of actor Al Pacino.
The organization is launching the campaign in honor of its 150th anniversary, and is searching for television and radio outlets in the New York market that are willing to donate time, said Dina Basin, a CAS representative.
Pacino, who was assisted by the society as a child, provides the voiceover for a spot that features a young boy running through city streets. As the boy crosses streets, hops over steps and runs into his neighborhood CAS building, he grows into a young man who himself volunteers for the nonprofit agency.
In the spot, Pacino says, "What if life was free of obstacles, how far would you go," and details the various CAS programs from adoption to youth employment. "I'm Al Pacino and I'm really glad they made the Children's Aid Society," concludes his narration. The jingle, sung by a chorus of children, ends the spot.
The ads were produced by Dalzell Productions and the jingle was mixed by Scuba/Look, both in New York.
CAS is one of the oldest and largest child welfare organizations in the country. It serves more than 120,000 children in New York and has helped pioneer school lunch programs, visiting nurse services and free dental clinics nationwide.
CUSTODY CASE ARTICLES (2-27-03)
PASSAGES: Al Pacino Battles for Custody, February 7, 2003, STEPHEN M. SILVERMAN, "People"
FILED: "The Recruit" star Al Pacino, 62, is suing his longtime girlfriend, actress Beverly D'Angelo, 48, in a dispute over their 2-year-old twins. The two are scheduled to be in New York City Family Court on Feb. 24, according to the New York Post, which goes on to report that details in the case are sealed, but that Pacino is seeking full custody or visitation.Pacino Fights for More Access to His Twins (imdb)
The Godfather star Al Pacino is entering a bitter court battle with ex- girlfriend, actress Beverly D'Angelo, in New York over their two-year-old twins. Pacino is seeking an increase in visitation or custody with the children, Olivia Rose and Anton James, according to the limited Family Court information publicly available in the legal action, which was filed last week. The case was scheduled to come before a judge yesterday, but the matter was adjourned to February 24, according to showbiz website Page Six. D'Angelo conceived the twins through in vitro fertilization when she was 46 and Pacino was 60.
CUSTODY CASE (2-24-03)
Pacino fights for custody of his twins (the Herald, UK)
Thanks Lisa Wollney for this info.
AARON HICKLIN WHEN Al Pacino walks into a Manhattan courthouse today he'll be playing the most important role of his life: fighting for joint custody of his twin children, Olivia and Anton.
Whether the legendary actor can pull it off is another matter. Pacino, who learned his craft at the Lee Strasberg school of method acting, can do
ruthless mobsters and drug barons to matchless perfection; playing the wronged father is not something for which his movie career has prepared him.
When the 62-year old actor challenges his ex-girlfriend in court for joint custody of their two-year-old twins, he may regret the fact that he once
turned down the leading role in Kramer vs Kramer, a 1979 Oscar winner about a recently divorced father fighting for the right to keep his son.
Pacino filed suit last month against the twins' mother, actress Beverly D'Angelo, who conceived them through in vitro fertilisation. The couple had
been together for six years, and their split has taken friends and associates by surprise.
Although it will be the least coveted role in Pacino's garlanded career, his turn in court today won't lack for publicity.
After weeks of terror alerts, nightclub tragedies, and the shuttle disaster, a celebrity custody battle is just what battle-weary Americans need.
It was said that celebrity culture would disappear in the wake of September 11. In fact, the tawdry lives of the stars are as popular as ever as people
seek distraction from the coming Armageddon.
In the past few months the nation has enjoyed or endured the trial of Winona Ryder for shoplifting, the arrest of Phil Spector for alleged murder, juicy speculation about Martha Stewart's financial dealings, and Whitney Houston's ongoing drug scandals. All that, plus the never-ending saga of Michael Jackson.
Pacino's court appearance comes close on the heels of another high-profile custody battle between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. That was finally settled last month, in Anderson's favour.
Although never married, the actor has had several long-term relationships, including one with Diane Keaton and another with his former acting tutor, Jan Tarrant, mother of his 13-year old daughter Julie Marie.
His relationship with D'Angelo, though unorthodox, was widely considered one of his more successful romances. At the Sundance Film Festival in January, Pacino gave no hint of the trouble to come. "I'm actively involved with my kids," he said. "I live with them and see them all the time."
Last summer, the couple were frequently spotted with their children in Central Park, and a friend of D'Angelo's said that outwardly, at least, they
appeared to be "madly in love with each other". They had been living in Pacino's house in upstate New York until it burned down in March.
Pacino has been noticeably busy in the past year, with no fewer than four new movies scheduled for release this year.
- Feb 24th
AL IN CUSTODY BATTLE (2-7-03)
DAILY NEWS - DAILY DISH http://www.nydailynews.com/02-06-2003/news/gossip/story/57609p-53971c.html
Pacino, gal pal tussle over twins
Hollywood legend Al Pacino and longtime girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo are headed to court to resolve a squabble over their 2-year-old twins, court documents revealed yesterday.
The "Godfather" star is hoping a judge will grant him custody or visitation rights.
Pacino filed the suit in Manhattan Family Court on Jan. 23, two days before Anton and Olivia Pacino's second birthday.
Pacino, 63, was due in court yesterday, but the appearance before Judge Susan Larabee was canceled at the last minute and rescheduled for Feb. 24.
Court records do not make clear what exactly Pacino, whose new CIA action flick "The Recruit" was last weekend's top-grossing movie, is seeking. His spokeswoman, Pat Kingsley, said she had not heard about the looming legal battle. His lawyer did not return calls for comment, nor did D'Angelo's agent.
"It's never been smooth," one friend of Pacino and D'Angelo told the Daily News. "But I thought things had been better lately."
The couple had seemed happy recently, and Pacino boasted about how close he is to the kids in interviews at last month's Sundance Film Festival. "I'm actively involved with my kids" said Pacino, who was reared in the Bronx. "Yeah, I live with them and see them all the time."Upstate house burned down
Pacino and D'Angelo, 48, had been living with the children at Pacino's house upstate until it burned down in March.
Rumors of trouble in the relationship began to fester last year, when sources said Pacino moved out of the couple's upper West Side pad and was dividing his time between an apartment in the West 50s and a house in New Jersey.
There were also whispers that D'Angelo thought Pacino was too chummy with co-star Winona Ryder last year during shooting of the movie "Simone." But D'Angelo and Pacino were spotted nuzzling weeks later.
Pacino, who also starred in "Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon," has a 13-year-old daughter, Julie, from a relationship with acting instructor Jan Tarrant. Never married, he also has been linked romantically to Diane Keaton and Australian news anchorwoman Lyndall Hobbs.
D'Angelo separated from Italian duke Lorenzo Salviati in 1984 after three years of marriage. They later divorced.
Originally published on February 6, 2003, (thanks Lisa Q. for this info)
ANANOVA STORY ON THE CUSTODY CASE (2-7-03)
http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_747965.html?menu
Pacino facing court battle over twins
Al Pacino and long-time girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo are facing a court battle over their baby twins.
The New York Daily News reports the actor wants custody or visitation rights for two-year-old Anton and Olivia.
Pacino filed the suit in Manhattan Family Court last month, and is due to appear at a hearing on February 24.
He had been living with D'Angelo, 48, and the children at his home in New York until it burned down last March.
The 63-year-old has a 13-year-old daughter, Julie, from an earlier relationship.
In an interview last month, he said he was "actively involved" with his children and saw them regularly.
Story filed: 15:09 Thursday 6th February 2003
(thanks Sonny for this info)
SCOTISH ARTICLE ON AL (10-28-02)
(thanks Sonny for this info)
Daily Record, "Godfather Al Ideal Dad for Young Men", by John Mceachran
AL Pacino would be the ideal dad for most young Scotsmen, a survey has revealed. The Hollywood star, famed for playing The Godfather, was chosen as the best father figure in a study for Ice magazine. Young Scots males can't get enough sex and alcohol and have no interest in politics, the survey also revealed. And, for most, their greatest fear is to appear boring. The poll of 700 men under the age of 21 showed three-quarters claimed to have lost their virginity at 17 - the same proportion as had woken the morning after a drinking session without a clue where they were. A third said they would welcome the chance of three-in-a-bed sex, while a quarter said they would demand a paternity test if a woman claimed they had got her pregnant. Three-quarters said they would not bother to vote at the next General Election. The same number also wanted to see cannabis legalised but no one was in favour of the legalisation of all drugs.
ARTICLE ON AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING (10-23-02)
(thanks Lisa Wollney for this info)
The real autograph man (short mention of Al, mostly about autographs. Interesting though.)
ANTI-MAFIA PASTA (7-19-02)
I just saw a CNN report that in the town of Corleone Sicily, where the Godfather family came from, and where much of Godfather II was filmed, there is a farm that was once owned by the mafia that is now producing "free land" pasta. The pasta is a symbol that a farm that is not controlled by the mafia can sustain a profit and employ those who benefit from the work, instead of just a few. The owner said it was hard to find people to work the farm. They found one man who was willing to work there but didn't want to discuss it on camera. They interviewed several people about the pasta and most said they would buy it. One guy claimed not to have heard of it. The reporter hinted that that was unlikely in a town that small. Another man laughed that the mafia wouldn't care, they only went where the big money was. Others were reluctant to discuss the mafia at all. So I guess it's still pretty strong over there.
AL ATTENDS ROSIE CLOONEY'S FUNERAL (7-6-02)
Hundreds Honor at Rosemary Clooney, Fri Jul 5,12:59 PM ET, By STEVE BAILEY, Associated Press Writer
MAYSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Rosemary Clooney was buried Friday in her hometown and remembered fondly in the church where she was baptized more than a half-century ago.
The singer and actress, who starred with Bing Crosby in "White Christmas," died June 29 at her Beverly Hills, Calif., home after a prolonged battle with lung cancer. She was 74.
Clooney was eulogized in St. Patrick's Church by her brother Nick Clooney, an entertainer and former television news anchor in Cincinnati. Actor George Clooney, Nick's son, attended the service and served as one of 10 pall bearers.
"It was Rosemary's gift to connect with anyone from Maysville to Singapore and everywhere in between," her brother said during a three-minute eulogy. "It was a deceptively simple gift, just as her singing was deceptively simple."
The church was packed with more than 700 mourners, including actors Al Pacino and Beverly D'Angelo and singer Debby Boone, Rosemary Clooney's daughter-in-law.
Clooney's hits included her career-launching song "Come On-A My House" in 1951 as well as "Half As Much," "Botch-A-Me," "Hey There/This Ole House" and "Mambo Italiano."
The singer was buried at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Maysville near her mother and grandmother.
SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020705/ap_on_en_mu/rosemary_clooney_funeral_5
SEE A PICTURE OF AL HERE: http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20020705/capt.1025891408.clooney_funeral_xky110.jpg
AL'S HAIR, PREMIERE OF INSOMNIA (6-24-02)
(thanks Vladka for this info)
"White Hair, Red Carpet"
Now, about AL PACINO's hair.
There it was, blond-to-white and spikey-looking. It was enough to make full-time celebrity watchers as well as full-time celebrities do double takes on Saturday at the premiere of the film ''Insomnia'' at the TriBeCa Film Festival.
On the red carpet, the paparazzi were busy snapping such celebrities as ROBERT DE NIRO, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, BILLY CRYSTAL, MARISKA HARGITAY and EDWARD NORTON. The apparently dateless SALMAN RUSHDIE avoided the flashbulb fusillade by using a non-V.I.P. door.
Just then, ROBIN WILLIAMS screamed: ''There's Mr. Pacino! There's Roy Cohn!'' (Mr. Pacino is playing Roy Cohn in the HBO production of ''Angels in America,'' directed by MIKE NICHOLS.)
Mr. Williams could not resist playing reporter. He began interviewing the first star he could shove a borrowed microphone in front of -- ANNABELLA SCIORRA, as it happened.
''There's Al Pacino, looking like Billy Idol,'' he said. ''What do you think?''
She delivered a usable sound bite: ''He looks like a rock star.''
Mr. Pacino knew what the buzz was. ''They're talking about it, aren't they?'' he said. ''I should have looked in the mirror before I left the house.''
--- from New York Times; New York, N.Y.; May 14, 2002; James Barron;With Jennifer Steinhauer; Edition: Late Edition (East Coast) Start Page: 2
MAN WHO DUBS AL'S VOICE HONORED (4-13-02)
(Isabella writes us from Italy...)
Giancarlo Giannini, the italian actor who gives his voice to Al Pacino in the italian release of his movies, won yesterday the "Davide di Donatello" Award as best italian actor in a leading role. This is the most important italian film industry award. He won for his role in "Ti voglio bene Eugenio"(that means: "I love you, Eugene"), where he plays Eugenio, a man ill with Down's syndrome, who gives love and strenght to all the people he meets in his life. He is best known in the US as the Italian dectective in "Hannibal", and in "Mimic", too, and created one of the animted toys for "Toy story". He's Al's friend, too.
FIRE AT AL'S GUESTHOUSE (4-11-02)
(thanks Anne for this info)
Sat Mar 23, 2:09 AM ET
PALISADES, N.Y. (AP) - A pre-dawn fire heavily damaged a guesthouse on Al Pacino's Rockland County estate, sending several of the actor's friends into the subfreezing night, police said. No one was hurt.
Pacino, star of Serpico, Scarface and the Godfather films, was in the main house and was roused as firetrucks arrived from Sparkill, Tappan and Piermont.
The fire was reported at 4:25 a.m. Friday and all the occupants left the guesthouse by the time police and firefighters arrived, said Detective Sgt. Terry Hutmacher of the Orangetown police. Neither the police nor Pacino's publicist, Pat Kingsley, would identify the guests.
Kingsley described the blaze as "no big deal," but Hutmacher said there was heavy smoke and water damage to the second floor of the guesthouse. Hutmacher said the fire apparently started in a bedroom and was accidental.
The Pacino property overlooks the Hudson River in Palisades, just north of the New Jersey state line.
SCAM UNCOVERED (2-28-02)
SEC puts kibosh on pic scam
(thanks Vladka for this info)
Fri Feb 22, 4:49 AM ET, By Dave McNary, Reuters/Variety
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Federal regulators have pulled the plug on an Internet-based movie investment scheme allegedly touting ownership of "New Horizons," a picture that the scammers claimed would have starred Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The Securities & Exchange Commission said investors were lured by bogus claims that Florida-based Make It Reel Prods. had struck a deal with a production shingle owned by Quentin Tarantino's father, and that Al Pacino and Paul Newman were part of the "target cast." The SEC noted that Tarantino Prods. had no agreement with Make It Reel and that none of the actors were ever formally approached about "New Horizons."
The SEC announced Thursday it had obtained a federal court order against Make It Reel, company chairman Joseph Rubbo and salesman Peter D. Ragofsky. The court also granted the commission's request to freeze Make It Reel's assets.
The SEC alleged that Make It Reel had been conducting an unregistered $90 million offering of Class A preferred stock since June by using the Web site to direct interested investors to salespeople. It accused Ragofsky of claiming to an undercover agent that an investment would yield a 500% return in six months and touting his years of Wall Street experience without disclosing that he had been barred from the brokerage industry by the National Assn. of Securities Dealers.
AL'S ITALIAN VOICE, FERRUCCIO AMENDOLA, HAS DIED (10-24-01)
Sad news. Isabella writes from Italy that on September 3rd, Ferruccio Amendola, a famous Italian actor, died at 71 in Rome. He's been Al's Italian voice in most of his movies, such as The Godfather, Scarface, and Serpico. He also became the Italian voice of Robert De Niro. "In Italy we all can't help to think to De Niro and Pacino when we listened Ferruccio's voice."
Thanks Isabella for translating this quote from Al in Italian newspapers:
"That magic of giving me his voice" by Al Pacino
As I heard for the first time Ferruccio Amendola's voice dubbing me in Serpico (it was Dino De Laurentiis to let me hear it) I wrote him a letter to thank him. Since then I tried to keep in touch with this amazing actor. The work he did to dub me in the three Godfathers was exceptional, without a mistake. Amendola worked for a long time on it, asking me for advice, too, fixing each word. Once I asked to meet him while I was in Italy, and he was excited and very grateful. I explained that this thing I did was a little bit selfish, because, as I have Italian origins, his language was a little mine; sometimes my mother used to speak Italian at home and I was enchanted. It was so beautiful to listen me acting in my "mother language". Ferruccio's attention while dubbing me in Scarface, a very hard movie to translate, was perfect, too. I'll always owe him the help he gave to release my movies in Italy. When I had the opportunity to see them while I was shooting in your country, I think to "Bobby Deerfield" by Sidney Pollack, I heard myself even in his tunes, and in his timbre. I have many Italian friends, some of them were studying with me at the Actor's Studio, and they all always told me: "Amendola is amazing, you'll be safe with him."We did a very long part of the road together, in life and career, Ferruccio and me. It makes me happy to know that in Italy, The Godfather saga will always belong to him, too, as many other of my movies. I'll always find a generous, perfectionist and passionate colleague in them.
Italy's most famous voice, Ferrucio Amendola, dies at 72 (here is another article thanks to curiouscat)
Sunday, September 09, 2001, by Tom Hundley, Chicago Tribune
ROME — While the glitterati preened for the cameras at the Venice Film Festival, the little people behind the sets of Italy's movie industry gathered in Rome Thursday to say a farewell.
They packed the pews of Santa Maria di Monte Santo, also known as the Church of the Artists, and the overflow spilled into the vast spaces of Piazza del Popolo, where hundreds of fans craned their necks in hopes of catching a glimpse of someone semi-famous.
To compensate for the lack of star power at the funeral service, there were tributes from Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
That was not unexpected. Ferrucio Amendola was, after all, their voice.
Mr. Amendola, who died Monday at age 72, was Italy's most famous dubber. His credits include Pacino's Michael Corleone in all the Godfather films, De Niro's Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, De Niro's troubled Vietnam vet in The Deer Hunter and homicidal Vietnam vet in Taxi Driver, Sylvester Stallone's Rocky and Rambo, Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy and his cross-dressing actor in Tootsie.
"Ferrucio was the grand maestro. His voice was an amazing instrument," said Luigi Cavaterra, a bit player in dozens of spaghetti westerns who came to pay his respects.
Unlike the French, cinema purists who insist on subtitles, Italians prefer to have their movies dubbed. The best dubbers become stars in their own right, and no one was better than Mr. Amendola, who specialized in tough-sounding guys but also could handle Tootsie's fluttery falsetto.
For Italian filmgoers, Mr. Amendola's voice was most closely associated with Pacino and De Niro, so much so that when a 1995 union strike prevented Mr. Amendola from dubbing De Niro's part in Casino, Italians were confused by the unfamiliar voice of his substitute and the film fared poorly.
Pacino, in a tribute that was published on the front page of the Milan daily, Corriere della Sera, described Mr. Amendola as a perfectionist who "really helped my films in Italy."
"The work he did in dubbing me in the three Godfather films was exceptional. He put a lot of work into it, asking me advice, piecing together the dialogue," Pacino said.
Hearing Mr. Amendola speak his role in other films, including Serpico and Scarface, Pacino said, "I recognized myself in the tones and cadences."
Mr. Amendola said Pacino's voice was the easiest for him to do because it closely resembled his own. In recent years, however, Pacino's voice in Italy was taken over by the actor Giancarlo Giannini, which worked out well when Pacino and De Niro appeared together in the cop thriller Heat.
Not that Mr. Amendola can't handle two roles at once; he did it in Copland featuring Stallone and De Niro.
Describing his rich, versatile voice, Mr. Amendola said it was the "voice of a man who smoked 40 cigarettes a day, played a lot tennis, didn't dry his hair after a shower and went around in the winter without a coat."
Born in Turin, the son of a well-known actor and director, Mr. Amendola began appearing in films as a child. His first dubbing job was at age 15 when he did the voice of a small boy in Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City.
His breakthrough role as a dubber was De Niro's character in "Taxi Driver" (1976). At the time, Italian films were dubbed in the upper-class dialect of Tuscany. Mr. Amendola introduced the pithy dialect of Rome's streets.
In recent years, Mr. Amendola returned to acting, appearing on a popular television series. He also appeared in commercials for Greenpeace and in public-service ads for children's rights.
But on Thursday, it was his voice they came to remember.
"In America, you don't have this industry, but in Italy dubbers are very important. It's very difficult to make it sound convincing, and he was the best," said Francesca Graziosi, a retired railway worker.
"When he did Stallone, he used a strong voice. When he did De Niro, the voice had a different timbre and color. It was softer and with more subtleties. Men of the Mafia speak in this voice, and he knew it well," she said.
Marisa Natale, who used to work in Italian films as a double for Gina Lollobrigida, dabbed a tear and said there would never be another Ferrucio Amendola.
"We love De Niro and Stallone in Italy, but for us I think they can never be the same without Amendola," she said.
AL GIVES A TALK AT UCLA (10-24-01)
(Thanks Lisa for this info)
Pacino discusses film career at UCLA forum
Updated: Wed, Oct 10 12:00 PM EDT, By Dexter Gauntlett, Daily Bruin, U. California-Los Angeles
(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES -- Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino spoke before an audience of 300 at the University of California-Los Angeles's Fowler Hall on Monday night, leading to nearly three hours of open discussion about acting, Shakespeare and the Godfather himself.
Pacino, who is notorious for not giving interviews, fielded questions in what he called a "very informal, casual" atmosphere.
"Most of the time I don't have the answers, but I definitely enjoy the questions," Pacino said.
"It made me think ... about how we are in a certain place right now in society, and I think we need to go to informality -- a kind of reaching out in society," Pacino said.
Larry Grobel, an English professor and friend of Pacino, organized the event and had the actor surprise his "Art of Interviewing" class earlier that day.
"My students had no idea that Al was coming and then when he walked into my class I said, 'OK, here's Al,'" Grobel said.
Grobel and Pacino formed a friendship when Grobel, who freelanced for Playboy, was asked by his editor to interview Pacino after an article he had written on actor Marlon Brando. Grobel recounted how his editor explained to him: "Pacino says he only wants to do it with the guy who did Brando."
Upon entering the hall Monday night, the New York native, dressed in all black, sat down on a stool and asked, "As a Sicilian actor from the South Bronx, what do you think I am going to play?"
Though typecast as a gangster in his early years as an actor, Pacino said his profound success provided him the opportunity to participate in a variety of theatrical performances and films.
Most commonly recognized for his best supporting actor-nominated role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather in 1972, the 1992 Oscar winner expressed his passion for Shakespeare.
Many of the nearly 300 in attendance were film and English students.
"Al Pacino is an unbelievable actor, but in person it becomes clear that it's his character within and his ability to communicate that makes him the powerhouse," said Adam Dimmerman, a second-year graduate student in the producer's program.
The night began with a viewing of the first act of the documentary Looking for Richard, a film Pacino directed based on Shakespeare's Richard III. The film alternates between scenes of the actual play and the making of the play.
Frequently, Pacino will be in the middle of one of his lines in the film, then it will switch to a scene of him rehearsing the same lines in a New York church.
"When you actually show what I did in making the documentary -- seeing the pieces -- it makes the film more interesting," Pacino said.
In other scenes, Pacino and the producer walked through the streets of New York and asked people what they knew about Richard III.
Pacino, who met with students at Harvard, Yale, Rutgers and Brown in similar settings 20 years ago, said he feels most comfortable in a relaxed atmosphere because of "the adventure of not knowing what will happen next."
Pacino also showed a five-minute clip from another small film he directed, Chinese Coffee, and spoke about a third unreleased film, Local Stigmatic.
Comedian David Spade, who was in attendance, cited Pacino's work as inspiring.
"Al Pacino is a living legend ... forget about The Godfather; he's got so many great films to choose from when most actors only have one or two," he said.
DAREDEVIL (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (8-12-01)
(Thanks Lisa Wollney for this info)
http://www.upcomingmovies.com/daredevil.html
$136-million shoot likely lost
Montreal filming of Daredevil this fall might be a casualty of threatened actors' strike
BRENDAN KELLY The Gazette
FROM GAZETTE FILES / Daredevil stars Al Pacino. Producers were due to set up a production office in Montreal next week.
It looks as if the threat of a Canadian actors' strike will cost Montreal a major Hollywood film shoot. The $136-million film Daredevil, a 20th Century-Fox production, is almost certain to take a pass on Montreal over fears of a labour disruption, Montreal film commissioner Andre Lafond said yesterday.
Daredevil stars Al Pacino, and the producers were due to set up a production office in Montreal next week, with filming to start in October.
The producer of Daredevil is Bernie Williams, who was also one of the producers of The Score, which was filmed in Montreal last summer. The Daredevil shoot would end in early February. But the contract between film producers and members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) expires at the end of the year. And union members can legally hit the picket lines as of Jan. 16, 2002.
A number of U.S. producers have said they will not shoot in Canada if they are unable to guarantee that the production will be wrapped before the Jan. 16 strike deadline.
ACTRA and the producers of Daredevil had been talking about making a special no-strike deal for the production, but no deal had been reached by yesterday evening.
ACTRA's national executive director Stephen Waddell said the union is willing to make individual deals with producers wishing to shoot in Canada. But Elizabeth McDonald, president of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, said "producers on both sides of the border are on the record on being committed to no interim agreements."
AL GETTING HIS STAR ON HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME (7-12-01)
(thanks Lisa Wollney for this article)
The Associated Press, LOS ANGELES
Sandra Bullock, Al Pacino, Regis Philbin and Rodney Dangerfield are among an eclectic group of celebrities getting stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Exercise guru Jack LaLanne, heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne and Fabian are also among those who will get the sidewalk honor.
Entertainers in motion pictures, television, radio, recording and live theater/performance are celebrated each year with sidewalk stars along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.
The Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce chose recipients June 25 from hundreds of nominees and the chamber's board of directors ratified it, committee chairman Johnny Grant said Tuesday.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame recipients for 2002:
Motion pictures: Sandra Bullock, Dino De Laurentis, Martin Landau and Al Pacino
Television: Jack LaLanne, Regis Philbin and Rose Marie
Recording: Juan Gabriel, Amy Grant, KC and the Sunshine Band, Ozzy Osbourne and Queen
Theater/live performance: Rodney Dangerfield and Fabian
REMAKE OF "INHERIT THE WIND" (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (7-2-01)
(thanks Isabella for this
info) Wednesday 13 june 2001 - Yahoo news
A remake for Brian
Brian De Palma is going to
direct the remake of 1960 Stanley Kramer's "Inherit the wind". The main roles
formerly played by Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly will be played by Al Pacino and Kevin Spacey, and there are rumors
about Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson or Geoffrey Rush as possible co-starring in one of
the leading roles.
Brian
De Palma will direct the remake of 1960 Stanley Kramer's "Inherit the wind".
The film, based upon a theater play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E.Lee, tells the story
of a natural science teacher brought to trial in 1925, being accused of spreading Darwin's
evolution theory, which was outlaw in Tennesse in those years. Al Pacino will be the
defending counsel Harry Drummond, formerly played by Tracy, and Kevin Spacey will be the journalist
E.H.Hornbeck.. To play the character of the teacher there are rumors about three great
actors: Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson and Geoffrey Rush. Shootings should start in 2002,
as De Palma is still
working on his new movie "Femme Fatale" starring Antonio Banderas, Jean Reno and
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.
"INHERIT THE WIND" (ANOTHER ARTICLE) (7-2-01)
(thanks Anne for this article)
Dark Horizons, http://www.darkhorizons.com/news.htm, Monday, June 11th 2001
Inherit the Wind: Cinefantastique reports that the classic novel/play/film is being remade yet again, this time in a new Brian De Palma-directed movie. The courtroom trial drama about evolution vs. religion has been made into a film over three times, the most notable being the superb 1960 B&W version with Spencer Tracy & Gene Kelly. This time around, Al Pacino is up for the role of defending lawyer Henry Drummond, Kevin Spacey as reporter E.K. Hornbeck, whilst the last of the trio of roles - highly religious lawyer Matthew Harrison Brady, has yet to be done but Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson, and Geoffrey Rush are all being mentioned. Thanks to 'Montrheaaaaal'
ENZO FERRARI (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (6-9-01)
Thanks Isabella from Italy for these articles.
Is Al Pacino going to play Enzo Ferrari? January 11th , 2001
There are rumours in Hollywood about a film on the life of Enzo Ferrari, (founder of the world famous italian racing team) and Al Pacino should play the leading role. This is what Mediasetonline is reporting, using conditional mood and quoting the actor's spokesman Pat Kingsley, who says Al Pacino is reading the screenplay and seems very interested in it. The film should tell the story of Enzo Ferrari from 1947 to 1958, when he founded the racing team and won his first four world championships, with Ascari, Fangio and Hawthorne as drivers. Most part of the movie should be about Ferrari's relations with his drivers. The film will be probably produced by Warner Bros, and Matt Damon is rumoured to be in the cast playing the driver Ascari.
GALI DALI (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (2-15-01)
(from a Roger Avery (co writer of Pulp Fiction ) website.)
GALA DALI My long ruminating epic about the exotic life of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali and his muse Gala Eluard. The single best screenplay I have ever written. Al Pacino currently attached to play Salvador Dali.
(* I noticed that the set for Hughie looked kind of "Dali-like". Also I read in an article that Al had a Dali painting or a print of one in his office. --Susan)
ELLEN BURSTYN NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (2-15-01)
(thanks Lisa Wollney for this info)
National Board of Review: Al to Honor Ascent of a Woman
Al Pacino is turning out to be a world-class friend to Ellen Burstyn. As I reported yesterday, Pacino informed the National Board of Review late last week that he would not be able to present Burstyn with a Career Achievement Award at Tavern on the Green tonight because he needed to remain in Los Angeles with girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo, who is very pregnant with their twins.According to sources, Pacino canceled when D'Angelo started having contractions. Then the contractions stopped and doctors told the Academy Award-winning actor that birth could be days away.So what did he do? He got on a plane yesterday and will make a quickie appearance at the event tonight for Burstyn.
AL SITING AT KELSEY GRAMMER'S 'MACBETH' (8-3-00)
MOE SNYDER PROJECT (AKA RUTH ETTING STORY) (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (6-18-00)Thanks Lisa for posting this on the APML. (don't know the original source page)
It was an evening of grace and diplomacy on Broadway - not just for Kelsey Grammer but also for one celebrated member of his audience. Grammer's production of Macbeth got jeered offstage by critics this week and will close Sunday, less than two weeks after opening. But on Tuesday night, its star was all smiles, blowing kisses from the stage of the Music Box Theater to a cheering audience, and later spending nearly half an hour signing autographs at the stage door. "You know what - these things happen," said Grammer. "I had a wonderful time doing it, I'll never regret that." After the lights went up, Al Pacino, who has played the lead in Richard III on Broadway and onscreen, scurried around the theater with his hand in front of his face, trying to evade recognition - without luck. "I came to see my friend, Diane (Venora, who plays Lady Macbeth)," said the reticent Pacino. Asked how he liked the show, Pacino responded with a long pause - and no answer. Prompted with, "Kelsey's pretty good, don't you think?" Pacino paused again before grinning broadly and saying, "Yeah." Ward Morehouse III
AL ATTENDS "DIRTY BLONDE" PLAY IN NY (6-18-00)(thanks Joan and Debra for posting this on the APML)
A Variety article last week said an Italian distribution company has already picked up and slated Phillip Noyce's new film, "The Moe Snyder Project" with Al Pacino and Angelina Jolie for the 2000-2001 season.
--------------------------------------
The "Moe Snyder" project is evidently about the '20s and '30s singer named Ruth Etting. She married a Chicago gangster named Moe Snyder (also called The Gimp) in 1922. He managed her career for 20 years. She went to Hollywood and made a few films, then fell in love with her accompanist. Moe shot him (he survived and married Ruth after her divorce) and went to jail.
(thanks Jessie
for posting this on the AP Mailing List)
NEW YORK--The hottest ticket in town these nights is for "Dirty
Blonde" at the Helen Hayes Theater, starring the creative and brilliant Claudia Shear
as Mae West--and others. People are howling at this raunchy, funny, offbeat look at the
legend that was Mae. Last week alone, Barbara Walters, Rosie O'Donnell, Joel Schumacher,
Ted Ashley, Stephen Sondheim, Al Pacino, Sharon Stone and Courtney Love turned up for the
SRO event. LA Times, Liz Smith column
BILLY MARTIN (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (6-18-00)
(thanks Jazz for posting this on the APML)
USA TODAY, 1999 12 13/Page 2D, Carrey: A Grinchy perfectionist, By Larry King
"They're finishing the script for the Billy Martin story, the saga of the tempestuous late Yankees manager, and it looks as if Al Pacino will play the part. That is perfect casting. Pacino's next film, Any Given Sunday, directed by Oliver Stone, opens Christmas. The advance word is that it's sensational. I'm not objective about Al, one of my favorite people."
THE RUTH ETTING STORY (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (6-18-00)
LARRY KING ROAST (7-14-98)(thanks Debra Rives for posting this on the APML)
Al has been rumored to be considering doing a role in the Ruth Etting Story. I haven't heard any more about this for awhile but here is Debra's explaination of who Ruth Etting is. (susan)
Ruth Etting was a beautiful, extremely talented jazz singer who performed in the '20s and '30s. She was known as "America's Sweetheart of Song." She was born in 1896, died in 1978. She married a Chicago gangster, Moe "The Gimp" Snyder in 1922, and he subsequently managed her career for the next 2 decades. I believe that this is the character Al will be playing if the film gets made. Anyway, she was signed to Columbia Records in 1926, which led to many number-one hit records. She was also a dancer in the famed Ziegfield follies in '27 and '28. She made 3 full-length feature films, "Roman Scandals" with Eddie Cantor and Lucille Ball, "Gift of Gab" and "Hips Hips Hooray." In 1937, when her marriage to Snyder fell apart, Snyder shot the man Ruth had fallen in love with. The man survived but Snyder went to jail. The scandal effectively ended her career.
Someone emailed me that Friday (July 10, 1998) at LA the Friar's club Larry King was being roasted and our Al was a guest. (thanks Mary for this info)
"MASTER CLASS" (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (7-14-98)
Dunaway Says Pacino Will Co-star in
Master Class 17-APR-98.
Faye Dunaway says that Al Pacino will play Aristotle "Ari"
Onassis to her Maria Callas in the film version of Terrence McNally's Tony-winning Master
Class.
Dunaway, who owns the screen rights to the property, did the play on
tour last year and had hoped to do it on Broadway, but the drama closed in the middle of
her tour after a substantial run.
Onassis appeared only in Callas' memory in McNally's play.
The Oscar winner hopes that Audra McDonald (as La Callas' most defiant
student) and McNally will reprise the Tony-winning work for the movie edition. She told
Playbill On-Line that she also expects Leonard Folgia, who directed the play and the
current Wait Until Dark, will make his movie-directing debut with the project.
The only question remaining is: When? "We need to shoot it at the
end of the summer," she says, "but I don't think we'll make it this year."
-- By Harry Haun Playbill
Online
Thanks Charles for the info.
"MORNINGSTAR" (POSSIBLE NEW MOVIE) (7-14-98)
"Pacino plans remake Thesp sets up 'Morningstar' at Castle Rock" By Chris Petrikin, April 13, 1998, Variety
Steering toward a role originally played by Gene Kelly, Al Pacino is attached to star in a remake of the 1958 Warner Bros. feature “Marjorie Morningstar” for Castle Rock Entertainment.
Pacino, who brought Castle Rock the project based on Herman Wouk’s bestselling novel, also will produce the film. A writer has not yet been hired.
Natalie Wood starred as the title heroine in the original, which follows a young Jewish girl who, with showbiz in her eyes, drops out of college to become an actress. She attends a drama camp where she falls in love with an older entertainer (Kelly). She then caroms from his rejection to a doctor (played by Martin Balsam in the original) and eventually puts aside her aspirations to stardom for a life as a suburban housewife.
The remake will be developed under Pacino’s Chal Prods., which has a first-look deal with Castle Rock. The Oscar winner (Scent of a Woman) previously starred in the company’s City Hall. While the film is being developed, Pacino is set to star in Michael Mann’s untitled Jeffrey Wigand tobacco industry pic for Touchstone, which he most likely will follow with Oliver Stone’s untitled pro-football film for Warner Bros. Pacino is represented by Creative Artists Agency. Variety, (thanks Charles for forwarding it to the Al list)
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