Hey, it's a celebrity post! How 'bout that?

I'm as surprised about it as you are. So, word is Keanu "Thars a Bawm on the Bus" Reeves and Sandra "First Celebrity to Pony Up a Mil for Tsunami Relief" Bullock are celebrating the wrap of "Il Mare" tonight at the fab Tsuki on Fullerton.

Posted by Jennifer Roche at May 26, 2005 09:15 AM Send to a Friend | IM to a friend

Morpheus put to sleep

Enigmatic sage of the Matrix films meets his maker in the Matrix Online MMORPG.At the end of the film The Matrix Revolutions, two of movie's heroes--Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss)--perish. Now a third leading character in the Matrix sci-fi film series has bitten the dust--in the Matrix Online game.

In a press release sent out this afternoon, Sega and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that "the unthinkable has happened--Morpheus is dead." The captain of the human hovership Nebuchadnezzar, Morpheus, named after the Greek god of sleep, was played in the films and in the Matrix Online by Laurence Fishburne.

Morpheus' end apparently was the culmination of one of the Matrix Online's "live events." The typically week-long narratives see staff at the game's developer, Monolith Productions, controlling characters to advance the story of the MMORPG.

This week's live event was appropriately called "The Hunt for Morpheus," and began with the titular character "setting off virus-encoded bombs around The Matrix MegaCity, threatening the very fabric of The Matrix," according to the release.

Understandably worried, the Machines that control the Matrix dispatched a super-agent, called the Assassin, to whack Morpheus. "The Assassin was able to catch up by bending the rules of the Matrix," said Sega and WBIE. "In the end, Morpheus was trapped and even he could not escape the hail of bullets that ensued."

While generating understandable publicity, the WBIE/Sega statement hints that Morpheus' death may not in fact be permanent. "It is now up to the players of The Matrix Online to solve the mystery of this giant cliffhanger," read the release, implying there is more to the story.

But whatever the outcome of the Matrix Online's live event, Morpheus will return to games. He is featured prominently in Atari's The Matrix: Path of Neo, due out later this year for Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.

GameSpot's full review of the Matrix Online has more information.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

'Matrix' Saga Continues Online — Without Morpheus

'Matrix' Saga Continues Online — Without Morpheus
05.26.2005 9:13 AM EDT

Neo's butt-kicking guru met his bitter end in multiplayer game 'The Matrix Online.' Morpheus' murder is a central plot line in "The Matrix Online" Photo: Warner Bros./ Sega

Say what you will about the "Matrix" saga, but don't call it predictable. Who would have expected Keanu Reeves' Neo to meet his end in the trilogy finale? Who would have expected so many fans of the first film to be critical of the sequels? And who

"I did it not in joy but in sorrow. I'm sorry to see him pass." — "The Matrix Online" writer Paul Chadwick

"The Matrix Online:" Who Dies?

would have expected one of the biggest characters in the movies to be murdered not on the big screen but in the new "Matrix" video game, two years after the movies supposedly put an end to the sci-fi saga?

But it happened. At 9 a.m. on Thursday (May 26), members of "The Matrix Online" massive multiplayer game witnessed Keanu's butt-kicking guru, Morpheus — he of the obscure riddles and gravity-violating kung-fu — meet his bitter end at the hands of a mysterious assassin.

George Lucas didn't wait to kill Emperor Palpatine in the video game versions of "Star Wars" — he did it in "Return of the Jedi." But that was 1983. The reclusive but ever-modern "Matrix"-creating Wachowski brothers like to do things a bit differently, a philosophy that now extends beyond their movies to their "Matrix" game, a shared experience that went live in March.

"They wanted to start with something significant and meaningful and shocking, and this was it," said Paul Chadwick, the writer whose job it is to follow the brothers' broad outline and script the day-to-day events of the online "Matrix."

Chadwick has a background in comic books, where the death of the big heroes can be as permanent as a stomachache. But he says Morpheus will be taking the big sleep long-term. "I suppose never say never," he admitted, though if there are any plans for a resurrection he's not aware of them. And he's plotted at least a full year of "Matrix Online" events with the Wachowskis. Still, for what it's worth, one of the toughest characters Laurence Fishburne ever portrayed is dead. "I did it not in joy but in sorrow," Chadwick continued. "I'm sorry to see him pass."

Morpheus' demise was not without controversy. In the days leading up to it, the developers' live team, who orchestrate the game's big monthly story-advancing moments, carried out a Wachowski-Chadwick plot that had Morpheus, in the words of some users, "turning terrorist." According to storyline, Morpheus wanted to reclaim the body of the fallen Neo, which was being held by the Matrix's machine overlords. Morpheus tried to pressure cooperation by planting bombs throughout the Matrix infrastructure. That's how the live team, including developers who controlled Morpheus himself, set things up. Players aligned with the game's three factions — the establishment Machines, the maverick Exiles, and even Morpheus' own group, the emancipating Zionists — had been assigned by their in-game leaders to defuse the bombs and stop the out-of-control digital Laurence Fishburne. But not everyone wanted to stop him.

"We support Morpheus' actions," Scott Hauenstein, a 31-year-old tech-support rep from Wisconsin, who had been playing in-world with his wife and an online clan since the game was in beta in October, said Wednesday. At the time, Hauenstein didn't know Morpheus was about to die, though he suspected something was up. "I think it's probably going to end up badly for Morpheus," he said. Hauenstein and his clan had been siding with Morpheus based on the character's earlier noble actions. "The methods of his madness we don't know for sure," he said. "He would never want to deliberately harm someone who is not a target."

He'd also been impressed by the man himself. The big-license online game "Star Wars Galaxies" only sends Darth Vader in to meet players on ultra-rare occasions. But some of the story leads of "The Matrix Online" would regularly make close contact with players. Hauenstein remembers Morpheus meeting his group and telling them to "Shake the Matrix [and] let them know we will not fail."

The next task for Morpheus' followers, however, will be to figure out whodunit. Chadwick promised that the murder mystery will unfold every few weeks through the course of "The Matrix Online"'s first year. Players will be encouraged to figure out not just who the assassin is, but what Morpheus was really all about. That means, in fact, that thanks to the wonders of flashback scenes, "Matrix" users haven't heard the last of Laurence Fishburne's voiceover work in the game. "We're going to milk Morpheus as long as we can," Chadwick said. "He's a great character."

"The Matrix Online" enjoyed strong if not stellar reviews when it was released earlier this year, and is suffering the growing pains of occasional server troubles that temporarily plagued even the widely lauded "World of Warcraft" late last year. But Chadwick believes the latest plot twist should keep people interested. "A lot of people will want to join the investigation to find out who the killer is," he said.

And they might be enticed to help take him down. The assassin will be around to take players' attacks. In fact, the game will give public credit to anyone who plays a hand in weakening Morpheus' killer.

Hauenstein, once in the dark about today's turn of events, was ready to game on. Already logging an estimated two to five hours a day on "The Matrix Online," he said a Morpheus death "would only get me more enthused to play, because I'd like to see where they go from it."

REEVES FINDS LOVE ON MOVIE SET

THE MATRIX star KEANU REEVES has an extra reason to celebrate taking on his role in the upcoming movie IL MARE - he recently met his new girlfriend on the set.

Reeves, who is starring in the romantic drama with SANDRA BULLOCK, met and fell for LYNN COLLINS on the movie's Chicago, Illinois set and has since been spotted out and about on a string of dates with her.

The lovebirds were most recently spotting dining at sushi eatery Nobu in Malibu.

26/05/2005 09:21

Richard Linklater Talks Fast Food Nation

Increasingly one of the most prolific directors of our times, and certainly one of the most consistent, Richard Linklater has two films currently awaiting release ・rotoscoped Philip K. Dick adaptation A Scanner Darkly with Keanu Reeves, and The Bad News Bears remake, with Billy Bob Thornton. But that's not enough for him, as he gears up for his next project, a feature film take on the hit non-fiction book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser ・and he told us a little about it when we spoke to him recently.

"Eric Schlosser and I, we wrote the script, kind of based on a town in Colorado where all the various sides are represented. It's sort of the human effects of that industry; I guess that's how you'd describe it.

So it's another ensemble piece?

Gamers get to grips with Hollywood

Electronic upstarts seek a piece of cinema action

Bobbie Johnson
Saturday May 21, 2005
The Guardian

Hollywood and video games have for years had close links, with popular movie franchises being translated to computer screens around the world. But at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the premier event in the games industry's calendar, there was evidence that the two worlds are fusing. While the movie industry still dwarfs games thanks to sales of DVDs, television rights and merchandising, the latter is becoming more difficult for cinema to ignore. Games are worth an estimated £6bn a year, and big titles such as Halo and Grand Theft Auto can pull in first-weekend sales that put them on a par with blockbuster movies. As a result, video games are exerting an increasing influence on the business of cinema.

Gamers get to grips with Hollywood

Electronic upstarts seek a piece of cinema action

Bobbie JohnsonSaturday May 21, 2005The Guardian

Hollywood and video games have for years had close links, with popular movie franchises being translated to computer screens around the world. But at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the premier event in the games industry's calendar, there was evidence that the two worlds are fusing. While the movie industry still dwarfs games thanks to sales of DVDs, television rights and merchandising, the latter is becoming more difficult for cinema to ignore. Games are worth an estimated £6bn a year, and big titles such as Halo and Grand Theft Auto can pull in first-weekend sales that put them on a par with blockbuster movies. As a result, video games are exerting an increasing influence on the business of cinema.

"I think creatively that gaming is moving towards movies, but commercially movies are moving toward gaming," says Ian Baverstock of Kuju Entertainment, which is working on a game based on the work of the cult horror director George A Romero, famous for movies such as Night of the Living Dead. "Studios are realising that games can add value, that they're not just a licence." For the games industry, linking more closely with the film world has mainly been a technological process. The development of new, more powerful platforms - such as Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, both unveiled in the past week - means games developers are now able to produce high-definition, photo-realistic graphics comparable to anything seen on the big screen.

And, while interactive titles are becoming more cinematic, consumers are demanding more from their movies: bonus material, extra footage and commentaries are now standard for DVD releases.

Some developers have decided the best option is to resurrect movie classics for the gaming generation. A title based on Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy will appear in the autumn, while Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry series is also making the transition. Some top-selling games, such as Tomb Raider, Street Fighter and Mario Bros, have been transferred in the opposite direction, though nearly all have been considered flops.

"We're seeing that going away, that sense of slightly tacky marketing," says the veteran games designer David Braben, whose company, Frontier, is working on Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, a game based on the popular animated characters. "We're now talking about looking at a whole story - starting with an idea and making a film and a game out of it."

Forward-thinking developers are creating single entities rather than translating from one format to the other. One blockbuster franchise that has been pushing the envelope is The Matrix, the science fiction epic starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. During shooting of the movie and its sequels, the directing duo, the Wachowski brothers, filmed not only for the movie but also for the forthcoming games. More recently, they launched The Matrix Online, an internet-based multiplayer version of the films which allows subscribers to roam freely around the Matrix world - and even interact with the virtual cast, played by actors.

"Essentially what we did was build The Matrix," said Jason Hall, senior vice-president for Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. "The only difference between The Matrix Online and what you saw in the movies is that you can't access it through a jack in the back of your head."

Transition between the two industries is still not as common as many would like. One company that has made the jump is Oddworld, a California games studio set up by two former film industry workers. After a decade in gaming, co-founder Lorne Lanning recently announced that the company was going in a new direction, operating much more like a Hollywood studio. Oddworld is also looking to work on its links with film and television producers in order to bridge the gap between entertainment forms.

"This is a choice, not a necessity," he says. "We see the excitement of what can be. We think that requires a new model. We want to stay focused on the creative content and taking that to new levels."

Hollywood's bigwigs, too, are plugging into the benefits of gaming, and high-profile talent agencies such as CAA are starting to represent top games developers such as Will Wright. He created the world's best-selling game, a family management simulation called The Sims, and is now developing a sitcom based on the game.

Some fear that the "Hollywood effect" could end up with too much money concentrated in too few areas. "The games industry believes it is following the Hollywood model, but they're not," says Gonzalo Frasca of the games website Watercoolergames.com.

"They're just seeing the glamour. What they don't see is that movie studios fund independent films, knowing that just one Blair Witch Project would pay for all the rest. That still doesn't happen in games."

An assortment of challenges

The E3 show in Los Angeles is the major showcase for new games, and sets the trend for games that will be hitting our screens for the coming year. Titles unveiled this week include:

Spore

Bully

Killzone 2

Trauma Center - Under the Knife

7-year-old to play young Keanu in film

By Michelle Mullins
Correspondent

Darkening Nickolas Loquercio's hair was all it took to transform him into a young Keanu Reeves.The Palos Heights 7-year-old doesn't just have the star-quality looks to pass as a boyish Reeves in a movie filming in the Southland. He's also talkative, energetic, funny and smart — everything it takes to be a successful child actor.

"He already thinks he's a movie star," his mom, Kari Loquercio, joked.

Nickolas will be featured in Reeves' upcoming movie, "Il Mare," playing Reeves' character as a boy.

The movie, a remake of a Korean movie, stars Reeves as an architect and Sandra Bullock as a doctor. They begin exchanging love letters but soon discover they are living two years apart in the time-traveling romance.

Some of the movie is being filmed at Maple Lake near Willow Springs, where a large house has been built on the lake's southern shore for the film. Nickolas filmed his part in the movie in two days last month at the Cook County Forest Preserve District lake.

Nickolas said he was not nervous at all during his first movie role, describing the experience as "very fun" and "very exciting."

"I'm going to see myself on TV," he said. "I told my friends. They thought it was amazing."

Nickolas' mom, who accompanied her son to the movie set southwest of 95th Street and Willow Springs Road, said she was awestruck by the experience. More than 200 people were on the bustling set, which had many trailers and an impressive array of cameras and filmmaking equipment — even a phenomenal catered buffet, Kari Loquercio said.

"He got to sit in a trailer," she said of Nickolas. "Everyone was very nice to him. He was treated like a star all day. It was a very positive experience for Nickolas. He's so proud of himself."

Nickolas' rise to stardom began when he was 5 years old. While shopping at Chicago Ridge Mall, he asked his mom if he could enter the New Star Discovery competition that was being held there. New Star Discovery sponsors "beautiful baby" contests for newborns and children up to age 6 throughout the country.

Nickolas won the 5- and 6-year-old division of the regional and state contests, before finishing fourth nationally. He signed with talent agents, who quickly found modeling work for him, and he will soon be featured in upcoming math and music textbooks, Loquercio said.

Nickolas didn't audition for "Il Mare" but was chosen after his agent showed his pictures and resume to Warner Bros. executives.

While Nickolas' role is not a speaking part, his role is important to the story line and flashback scenes, according to his agent, Susan Sherman, with Ambassador Talent Agents Inc., Chicago.

"It's very relevant to the movie," she said. "It's a glimpse of Keanu early in his life."

Sherman said Nickolas acts very professional for his age.

"He's very adaptable," she said. "He's open to new opportunities and that makes him exemplary."

Loquercio said she doesn't know if her son's part will wind up on the cutting room floor.

"We're really looking forward to see how big or how small the part is," she said. "Nonetheless, it was extremely exciting."

Loquercio said she never would have thought to enter her son in the beauty contest if it wasn't his idea. And as long as he's interested in modeling and acting, she will support him, she said.

A first-grade student at Chippewa Elementary School, Nickolas gets straight A's, plays baseball, likes to read and participates in school math competitions.

"Nickolas has such a great personality," his mom said. "He always said he wanted to be on TV. This is all his ambition."

Keanu Reeves:Keanu's new love

According to a movie insider, the couple can't keep their hands off each other, adding: "He's constantly rubbing her leg or kissing her between takes.

"They're very affectionate towards each other and love going out together.

" Earlier this year, the star revealed he dreaded turning 40.The baby-faced actor, who celebrated the landmark birthday last September, says he panicked about leaving his youth behind.

DOWNEY JR: 'REEVES IS ROCK 'N' ROLL'

Troubled actor ROBERT DOWNEY JR has become a huge fan of Hollywood heart-throb KEANU REEVES after seeing his superhero performance in CONSTANTINE

The CHAPLIN star is convinced Reeves' blend of action hero and sensitivity in the face of damnation in the comic book adaptation are the perfect encapsulation of rock 'n' roll.

But Downey Jr's requests to see Reeves perform with his rock band DOGSTAR have always been turned down, because Reeves is keen not to disappoint his admirer.

The 40-year-old tells British magazine EMPIRE, "I've gotta hand it to Keanu. He really kicks a*s as a man who still cares, even though he's consigned to hell and brimstone.

"It's a classic action performance that ranks alongside MEL GIBSON in LETHAL WEAPON.

"I haven't seen his band Dogstar. I said to him that I wanted to go see them but he was like, 'No, you don't.' He's really humble."

LOST CELEBRITY LOOT

May 14, 2005 -- CALLING all celebrities — there's money waiting for you in unclaimed accounts. According to the Web site banterist.com, countless bold-facers are owed money from long-lost insurance payments, security deposits, royalties and other sources. Jennifer Aniston could cash a $107 Tiffany store credit. Clint Eastwood stands to make a cool grand from uncollected insurance payouts. Keanu Reeves can pick up an old phone-company security deposit. Other A-listers owed cheddar are P. Diddy, Tara Reid, Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Charlie Sheen, Ivana Trump, Jane Fonda, Sean Penn, John Travolta, Jerry Seinfeld and Woody Allen. Former boy wonders Corey Haim and pal Corey Feldman are owed a little loot, and pesky Pauly Shore may want to claim his $133. Some of the forgotten funds might have changed lives, if they'd been picked up. Dana Plato, who once robbed a video store to pay her rent, had over $2,000 waiting for her when she died of a drug overdose in 1999. Other dead stars on the list are Marlon Brando, with a whopping $48,000 in unpaid funds, and River Phoenix, who tragically OD'd before getting his hands on the elusive bounty.