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Porn film shoots voluntarily halted after HIV case - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pornography film shoots across the United States have been largely shut down after an industry trade group called for a moratorium because an adult-film performer tested positive for HIV, officials with the organization said on Tuesday.

The temporary moratorium recommended by the Los Angeles-based Free Speech Coalition comes as public health advocates escalated calls for greater enforcement of laws requiring porn stars to wear condoms on the set.

The Free Speech Coalition said it learned on Saturday that a porn film performer who has not been publicly identified had initially tested positive for HIV. It called for an industrywide moratorium on Sunday.

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Red carpet out for star-studded Venice film festival - Yahoo! News

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - The red carpet is out and builders are putting the finishing touches to the Venice film festival venue ahead of Wednesday's glitzy opening, when George Clooney's political drama "The Ides of March" has its world premiere.

The 2011 edition of the world's oldest film festival promises a rich lineup of eagerly awaited movies and A-list stars, many of whom will hope the high-profile launch puts them on the road to awards early next year.

For the next 11 days, the Lido island across the water from Venice hosts the toast of global independent film making, as well as thousands of journalists and paparazzi who come to follow their every move.

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"Brother" proves to be a disappointment for Weinstein - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The weekend's biggest flop, and one that had the highest hopes for success, was the Paul Rudd comedy "Our Idiot Brother," which took in a measly $6.588 million in its opening weekend.

Despite aggressive marketing by The Weinstein Co., the movie was buffetted by hurricane reports, negative reviews and unenthusiastic exit scores in a summer where other R-rated comedies are generally performing well.

Weinstein acknowledged the bummer weekend. "We thought we were going to hit it out of the park, and it's a single," said Erik Lomis, the Weinstein Co.'s president of theatrical and home distribution, told TheWrap. "What we're disappointed most about is just a missed opportunity."

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Judge rules Jackson trial jury will not be sequestered - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The jury in the upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor will not be sequestered, despite a request by defense lawyers who expect the case to be "the most publicized in history."

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ruled against removing the jurors from their homes during the four- to six-week trial starting in September, citing the estimated $500,000 cost and saying he had "tremendous faith" in the jury system.

"I do not find sequestration to be the answer in this case," Pastor said at a hearing on Thursday. "I expect that the jurors will follow the high road."

Jury selection is due to start on September 8 for the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, with opening statements expected on September 27.

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Quake? Irene? TV crew wants to keep building in Delaware - Yahoo! News

SALISBURY, Maryland (Reuters) - Building a house in a week is always a challenge for the 60 crew members who work on the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," but this week they faced a double whammy: first an earthquake, then a 600-mile wide hurricane named Irene.

The hit television program is building a soup kitchen and home in the Rehoboth Beach area of Delaware for Dale Dunning and her husband Ken, who have been providing food for hundreds of needy residents for a dozen years.

Work at the site began on Monday, then the mid-Atlantic region was hit by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.

The rude interrruptions from Mother Nature continued on Friday, when the show's executive producer George Verschoor; the local builder, Schell Brothers; and government officials called off work until after Hurricane Irene passed.

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Hurricane Irene forces cinemas, theaters to close - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Hurricane Irene has yet to make landfall, but barring a weather miracle, it will put a serious crimp in movie, concert and play-going.

A handful of exhibitors have already announced plans to close multiplexes across the East Coast.

Most theaters are taking a wait-and-see approach, but AMC has started announcing plans to shutter theaters in Norfolk, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, D.C. on Saturday. It will monitor the situation before deciding whether to close locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

In addition, Clearview Cinemas announced Friday that all their theaters would be closed on Saturday and Sunday. The chain has over 30 locations spread out over New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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Analysis: Buffett trades off his reputation - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett showed again that his name and money is enough to give a struggling company instant credibility in the market. But the legendary investor also demonstrated his canny command of that reputation means that such deals can immediately generate profits.

Bank of America Corp on Thursday said Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway would invest $5 billion in the bank, the largest by assets in the United States.

Buffett, known for his grand gestures and his calls to buy American assets, may have looked like he was a lender of last resort -- or at least a lender of last credible resort -- but he was also turning a hefty profit, experts said.

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Hathaway mocked for Yorkshire accent in "One Day" - Yahoo! News

LONDON (Reuters) - British film critics have poured scorn on U.S. actress Anne Hathaway for her northern English accent in the movie "One Day," calling it variously "another Hollywood stinker" and "all over the shop."

"The Devil Wears Prada" and "Rachel Getting Married" star said she had worked with a dialect coach to get the voice of Yorkshire "lass" Emma right in the film based on David Nicholls' popular novel.

She also told the BBC that she watched the popular British television soap opera "Emmerdale," set in Yorkshire, to train for the part.

The preparation did not pay off in many viewers' eyes, however, as critics queued up to pounce on her pronunciation of a notoriously tricky accent.

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Ben Affleck a triple threat in "Line of Sight" - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ben Affleck is attached to produce, star in and direct "Line of Sight," a thriller now in development at Warner Bros., TheWrap has confirmed.

The project will have to wait at least a little while. Production on Warners' "Argo," which Affleck is directing and starring in, began on Monday.

"Line of Sight" has some heavy interest: Joel Silver and Andrew Rona are on board to produce. But the movie hasn't been greenlit yet.

In February, TheWrap reported that writer F. Scott Frazier sold "Line of Sight," which he wrote as a spec script, to Warner's.

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Paul Rudd is nobody's "Idiot Brother" - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thanks to hits such as "Knocked Up," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Paul Rudd has become one of the most reliable comic actors in Hollywood, unafraid of embracing slightly dorky characters who make people laugh.

In his new film, "Our Idiot Brother" opening on Friday, he embraces his inner hippie and shares the screen with three high-powered actresses (Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer) playing his neurotic New York sisters. His character -- the under-achieving, homeless, Croc-wearing brother Ned -- wreaks havoc in their lives.

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