Corey Haim dead at 38 in California.

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // What's Poppin

Eighties teen idol Corey Haim died Wednesday morning of an apparent drug overdose, according to Los Angeles police.

The Canadian-born actor, who starred in “The Lost Boys” but was probably best known for his roles with fellow actor Corey Feldman, was 38.

He was found unresponsive at his Oakwood apartment around 3:30 a.m.,according to KTLA-TV. His mother was at the apartment at the time of his death.

The actor, who has struggled with drug addiction, was pronounced dead at Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank.

Police were called to the hospital just before 4 a.m. to investigate his death.

Police sources told CBS Haim’s death appeared accidental. Haim has been in and out of rehab and starred in a reality show with Feldman in 2007 called “The Two Coreys.”

He talked about his struggle with drugs – specificially prescription drugs.

“I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day – the doctors could not believe I was taking that much,” he told a reporter in 2007.

“And that was just the Valium – I’m not talking about the other pills I went through.”

Haim’s official website was last updated on Jan. 18 and promotes his upcoming film, a thriller titled “American Sunset.

This Spring IFC FILms has “Mercy”

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // What's Poppin

North American rights to romantic drama “Mercy” by Patrick Hoelck have been picked up by IFC Films, the company said Tuesday. The film, starring writer/producer Scott Caan as well as Wendy Glenn, Troy Garity, Erika Christensen, Alexie Gilmore, John Boyd, Dylan McDermott, Whitney Able and James Caan, will close the 2010 Gen Art Film Festival.

IFC Films’ Lizzie Nastro negotiated the pact with Ben Weiss of Paradigm. “Mercy” will open Friday, April 30th at the IFC Center in NYC and Friday, May 7th at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles and be available nationwide on video on demand on Wednesday, April 28th.

The film follows Johnny Ryan (Scott Cann), a successful young romance novelist who doesn’t actually believe in love. When he meets the beautiful and mysterious Mercy (Wendy Glenn) at the launch party of his latest book, Johnny’s world is suddenly turned upside down. Shockingly, she is the only major critic who dislikes his book. A cynic by nature, Johnny becomes determined to find the depth that Mercy says he is lacking and, in the process, falls in love. He turns to his father (James Caan) for advice. “Mercy” explores the struggle of maintaining a relationship and the possibility of losing it all.

“More than a few American independent filmmakers have attempted to make films about the nature of love but ‘Mercy’ actually succeeds,” commented IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring in a statement. “It’s a beautifully crafted, truly romantic film that is going to get a lot of attention for Patrick Hoelck and continues to showcase the diverse talents of Scott Caan. We’re thrilled to be in business with them and look forward to getting this film out to the largest audience possible through all of our platforms.”

Jimmy Smits to headline legal drama pilot.

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // What's Poppin

Jimmy Smits is set to star in and co-executive produce NBC’s untitled John Eisendrath drama pilot.

Eisendrath’s project, from UMS and Conan O’Brien’s Conaco, centers on a by-the-book Supreme Court Justice (Smits) who excuses himself from the bench to go into private practice and fight constitutional injustices.

Former “NYPD Blue” and “L.A. Law” star Smits went on to topline another drama series, CBS’ Latino family drama “Cane.” He also co-starred on NBC’s “The West Wing” and did a seasonlong arc on Showtime’s “Dexter,” which earned him his 12th Emmy nomination. (He won in 1990 for “L.A. Law.”)

Repped by Brillstein Entertainment, UTA and attorney Tom Hoberman, Smits is coming off a Broadway run in “God of Carnage” and next appears in Rodrigo Garcia’s “Mother and Child.”

De Niro and ESPN hook up to make Coach Lombardi movie

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // What's Poppin

The cable TV network’s division, ESPN Films, said it signed De Niro to portray Lombardi as he took the Green Bay Packers from worst to first in the National Football League.

Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”) has been hired to work on a screenplay starting in 1959 when Lombardi was given his first chance to be an NFL coach by taking over the lowly Packers.

Over the years, the coach’s hard-nosed approach helped lead the team to three straight NFL championships and victories in the first two Super Bowls. The Packers dominated football throughout much of 1960s.

Lombardi died in 1970 at age 57, and since 1971, the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl winner has been named the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

ESPN said current plans call for the movie to be released around the professional football championship games in 2012.

Argentina’s “Secret” wins surprise foreign film Oscar

// March 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // What's Poppin

“The Secret in Their Eyes” (El secreto de sus ojos) stars Argentine actor Ricardo Darin as a retired prosecutor who sets out to write a book after he is haunted by a 25-year-old rape and murder case.

Director Juan Jose Campanella accepted the award for the film that beat out the favorite, Germany’s black-and-white entry “The White Ribbon” by Austrian director Michael Haneke.

“On behalf of a crew and cast … I want to thank the Academy for not considering Na’vi a foreign language,” joked Campanella, referring to the language created for the blue aliens in the blockbuster movie “Avatar.”

Other foreign language films nominated this year included France’s gritty prison drama “A Prophet,” Peru’s mournful entry “The Milk of Sorrow,” and Israel’s “Ajami,” which explores divergent views among an urban neighborhood’s Muslims, Christians and Jews.

“The Secret in Their Eyes” won best Spanish language foreign film at Spain’s Goya Awards this year. Argentina has had six foreign-language film nominations and last won an Academy Award with its 1985 movie “The Official Story.”

‘REWARDING THROWBACK’

For the first time ever two South American films were nominated in the category, a fact that Campanella said showed “many preconceptions were shattered in the process” as European films have traditionally dominated the category.

Campanella, 50, said earlier this week his film took a year and half to write after it was adapted from novelist Eduardo Sacheri’s “The Question In Their Eyes” (La pregunta de sus ojos). The film has been a major success in Argentina.

Its title is derived from a focus on the intentions in all the characters’ eyes. In attempts to solve the crime, the main character looks over old photographs and focuses on a man who stares at the female victim in several pictures.

Hollywood trade paper Variety called the film, “a deeply rewarding throwback to the unself-conscious days when cinema still strove to be magical.”

Campanella also directed “Son of the Bride” (El hijo de la novia), a 2001 film that was nominated for an Oscar.

Far from Hollywood, the winning film’s crew celebrated the surprise decision in a Buenos Aires bar.

“This is incredible. We thought the German film would win,” said Marcelo Pons, the film’s art director.