James Cameron backs British campaign to save Titanic treasures for the nation

A group of British museums has launched a joint £15 million bid for the salvaged treasures of the Titanic, after the US firm that owns them filed for bankruptcy.

The campaign is backed by James Cameron, the Oscar-winning Titanic director, and by Dr Robert Ballard, the oceanographer who discovered the wreck of the ship in 1985.

The bid by the Royal Museums Greenwich, National Museums Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast and Titanic Foundation Limited seeks to raise sufficient money to buy the 5,500 artefacts recovered from the seabed over the course of seven deep sea expeditions between 1987 and 2004.

The haul ranges from a 17-ton section of the hull to the bronze cherub that once adorned the grand staircase; clothing, crockery, jewellery, documents and even a packet of cigarettes.

The company that salvaged and owns the items, Premier Exhibitions, has filed for bankruptcy in the US, leading to fears that the collection will be split up and sold off to private collectors.

Cameron, whose 1997 Titanic film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio fuelled interest in the Titanic story, said the collection must not be allowed to disappear into private hands.

“The story of the Titanic has captivated imaginations, hearts and minds of people around the world. It has played an important role in my own life - as a film-maker, a deep sea explorer and as an advocate of deep-ocean research.

“The sinking of the Titanic was a heartbreaking moment in history. Securing the irreplaceable collection of artefacts - protecting and preserving them for future generations by placing them in the public trust - is a unique and important opportunity to honour the 1,503 passengers and crew who died,” the director said.

The four museums are seeking private and public donations in order to reach their target, and have secured $500,000 (£380,000) from National Geographic.

A court in the US will decide today [Weds] whether or not to accept the British bid. If it is accepted, there will be a 60-day period in which to raise the required funds.

A spokesman for the bid said: “We are currently in conversation with private funders, and we hope in time to launch a public arm of the campaign, encouraging the general public across the world to pledge their support to the journey of returning Titanic artefacts to an appropriate final resting place.”

In addition to the artefacts, the organisations are seeking salvage rights, which will be assigned to the National Maritime Museum (part of Royal Museums Greenwich) and National Museum Northern Ireland.

The ship sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 15 1912. The wreck was discovered 73 years later by a joint American-French expedition led by Dr Ballard, lying 2.5 miles deep and around 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

Dr Ballard, a former US naval commander, said: “I’m lending my voice to this campaign as it is the right thing to do. This bid is the only viable option to retain the integrity of the Titanic collection. The collection deserves to be returned home to where its journey began.”

Since 1994, RMS Titanic Inc, owned by Premier Exhibitions, has been “salvor-in-possession”, the only company that can legally sanction a diving mission to the wreck.

source: telegraph.co.uk

New Alita: Battle Angel trailer unveiled by James Cameron

Directed by Sin City's Robert Rodriguez and shepherded to the big screen by James Cameron, we now have a new trailer for Alita: Battle Angel.

https://youtu.be/cw-KKYpCARA

The latest glimpse at the movie was released today (July 23) in conjunction with a Facebook Live Q&A featuring several members of the team behind Alita. Cameron and Rodriguez were joined by Jon Landau and Rosa Salazar for the exciting event.

Discussing the origins of his involvement with the project, which has been a long journey for the filmmaker spanning two decades, Cameron explained: "It's an interesting history going back I'd say 20 years, Guillermo del Toro is a good friend of mine and he turned me onto the anime."

"I loved the anime just for its kind of poignant, simple story. But I wound up doing Avatar instead, it was literally practically a coin toss between the two, we were literally developing them in parallel" he added.

The Aliens director then divulged the process of giving Rodriguez the reins on Alita, with the two being really close friends.

"A couple of years after [Avatar], Robert [Rodriguez] and I were just hanging out, we'd been hanging out for like 3 hours gossiping and being pals.

"So he's getting into his car and the door's about to close and he says 'So you got anything?' like a total afterthought and I thought 'I'm not going to get to do Battle Angel for a long time', because I'm doing all of these Avatar sequels, so I handed him the baton. The rest is history."

Alita: Battle Angel arrives in cinemas this December.

source: digitalspy.com

Calgary dancer Jenn Stafford uses performance capture for James Cameron's Avatar sequels

It was nearly 10 years ago. She was 18 at the time and knew she was going to dedicate her life to dance. So the thought that she would one day be spending her time on the secretive set of Cameron’s Avatar sequels in Los Angeles never entered her mind. Why would a dancer from Calgary go to work on a sci-fi action film? It just wasn’t done.

“I don’t think I really realized what goes into those movies and how they create these films and the kind of movement that is in there,” says Stafford, in an interview with Postmedia from her home in Los Angeles. “Maybe that was just me being so involved in the movie itself and being taken away. But it’s funny, I never thought: ‘Yeah, that’s probably a dancer doing that movement. It’s probably someone like me.’ I never thought a dancer could do that.”

They can, and she is.

Since last October, the Calgary native has spent most of her time on sound stages as part of a troupe of artists working with performance-capture, or motion-capture, technology as part of Cameron’s giddily anticipated sequels. Every day Stafford puts on a form-fitting suit and a helmet fixed with cameras. Markers placed all over her body and face capture her movements and expressions and transform them into computer simulations for potential use in Avatar 2 and 3, which are being filmed back to back.

Not surprisingly, Stafford has been sworn to secrecy about the productions, particularly the plot points. Cameron spent nearly a decade developing the sequels, which will eventually include fourth and fifth instalments, providing the next two are successful. The original Avatar, released in 2009, is considered the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.7 billion with its complicated plot about futuristic humans looking to exploit the resources of a moon inhabited by creatures call Na’vi. It was considered pioneering for its use of performance-capture technology and special effects.

Stafford is part of a team dubbed “the troupe,” a collection of 10 to 12 stunt people, actors and dancers working on the films. She can’t say who or what she is playing, but acknowledges that it will likely be multiple characters.

It’s been a learning experience for the dancer, who had never worked with anything like  performance-capture technology before. So the sequels’ lengthy pre-production process was a blessing for Stafford, who soaked up everything she could about the strange world of performance capture.

“As an audience member, especially if you’re not involved in that world, you don’t really realize how it’s made,” Stafford says. “You just think someone draws it up. But it’s really cool. With performance capture and motion capture, you are able to capture the authentic performance of the actor and make that into the character and the animation. It’s not like you are just filming them and animating over them, you get the authentic emotion and body motion of the person playing the role.”

The experience is just the latest adventure for the Sir Winston Churchill high school graduate. It’s been a long, often surreal journey since she took dance lessons in Calgary at the age of seven. She performed with the Young Canadians, did a three-year stint with Cirque du Soleil performing the Beatles LOVE in Las Vegas, made videos with Katy Perry and shared a stage with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Pharrell Williams and Brad Paisley for 2014’s The Grammys: A Salute to the Beatles.

Stafford said she was convinced by her boyfriend, stunt performer and fellow Cirque performer Chris Silcox, to go to an open “stunt and movement” audition for the Avatar sequels in the spring of 2017. Initially, the tryouts were done for stunt co-ordinator Garrett Warren and his team, which was a decidedly daunting experience for the dancer.

“I was super nervous,” Stafford says. “As a stunt co-ordinator, he gets a lot stunt performers. It was intimidating going in knowing that a lot of them would be flipping off the walls and doing crazy stuff. I went in and said ‘I’m a dancer.’ He said ‘great.’ He wanted to see what I could do. He let me free-style, improv for him.”

Stafford was eventually brought before the assistant director and the auditions became more specific.

“She put us through a lot of different situations: What environment we were in, what emotions we were feeling with our motion,” Stafford says. “We were using prop weapons. It was just to see how we could improvise. It was interesting because with Cirque du Soleil, their auditions are similar. After we got through all the technique and dancing portions, they want to see if you can improvise and make a character with whatever you are given.”

There were two more callbacks and a test shoot that finally brought her to set, which is when she first met Cameron.

“He’s there every day,” says Stafford. “He’s the hardest working person. I got to meet him for the first time on my test-shoot day when they were trying me out on the set. He noticed I was there and was like ‘Oh, I don’t recognize you.’ He’s awesome, because he’s Canadian as well so we bonded on that.”

A year later, Stafford is still going to work for him every day. If she could speak to her 18-year-old self sitting in that Calgary movie theatre, what would she say?

“Have patience with your career, with yourself, because things will happen and will come,” she says. “Stay present in each moment. When I was young, I thought I knew exactly what I was going to do and what I wanted. I now realize that those were good ideas, but they weren’t really my ideas. They were just what I thought someone from Canada, a Calgary dancer, should do.

“Have patience, work hard, take all your classes and training but be open to the many opportunities that come your way. Honestly, all the weirdest, strange opportunities that came my way were the best experiences.”

source: calgaryherald.com

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Endoarm 4K Review

On July 17, 2018, after many delays, the collectible release of the 4K Terminator 2: Judgment Day is finally here. And it's in the form of an endoskeleton forearm encased in a tube like it was at the Cyberdyne vault. For a brief and to the point review, our primary webmaster, Adrian Czarny, who is a Terminator historian and a hardcore collector was asked to share his opinion on this release:

By far it's the best collectible Terminator release out there. There were quite a few of those and the ones that are most remembered are the VHS US box set in a slipcase with a book and hologram, the UK T2 "lunchbox" release and of course the endoskull DVD release from 2009. While the endoskull release was quite cool, with sound effects from the movie, lit up eyes and the overall design, it did look like a cool toy, but a toy nonetheless. It was very silvery and visually obvious that it's made out of plastic, and most details were glossed over, discarded or just vaguely outlined. Which is fine, since it wasn't a Sideshow release or anything like that. However, this particular release of the endoarm certainly holds the candle and scrutiny even to the Sideshow releases. The details aren't glossed over for sure, and every part seems to be fine crafted separately and thoroughly. The proportions are perfect, and the paint job gives it a great, darkened metallic look which looks very much like steel. It's a top notch job and a MUST have for any Terminator fan. 

"Aliens" Turns 32

Today James Cameron's heart pumping Aliens turns 32. If you haven't, or you have but you want to do it again, head on to JamesCameronOnline.com and check our Aliens section (http://www.jamescamerononline.com/Aliens.htm). Some of our most popular articles are The Design of The Alien Warrior which showcases the alien from the first movie and the second side by side (http://www.jamescamerononline.com/AlienWarrior.htm) or a Perfect Sequel (http://www.jamescamerononline.com/AlienandAliens.htm) showcasing 'Aliens'' respect and continuity to the first film

James Cameron's and Robert Rodriguez's 'Alita: Battle Angel' Heading to Comic-Con

Fans will get a chance to attend the panel by going on a scavenger hunt.
Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel is heading to Comic-Con, but fans are going to have to earn the chance to see her.

There will be a sneak peek, as well as a Q&A with some of the cast, of the movie, directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, but it won’t actually take place in Hall H or the San Diego Convention Center.

Instead, the panel, set for Friday, July 20, will take place at the Regal Theater Horton Plaza. It will occur in the evening.

Rodriguez, Landau as well as stars Rosa Salazar and Keean Johnson will be on hand for the proceedings. In order to get in, conventioneers have to participate in a scavenger hunt and win tickets. 

“You have to earn your way there,” says producer Landau of the process. “We think it’s a fun way to do it. And we’re excited to show what we made.”

Titled Alita: Battle Angel – Pillars of Iron City Search, the hunt calls for participants to use a passport obtained at the Loot Crate booth to collect six Alita-themed stickers in order to win a prize. Other partners include Titan Books, Hot Toy/Slideshow Collectibles, Prime One Studio, Weta Workshop and Funko.

When Landau and Cameron were at Comic-Con in 2009 to present Fox’s Avatar, they were in the famous and historic Hall H. This time, the producers and studio are taking a new approach.

“It’s doing something different and unique,” says Landau. “It’s about getting out there and involving a small group of people who are engaged. There is nothing wrong with Hall, but this felt like the right approach for this."

Alita stars Salazar as a young cyborg with no memory who is taken by a doctor, played by Christoph Waltz, and given a new lease on life in mean streets of Iron City. But when the corrupt forces that run Iron City come after Alita, she discovers keys to her past lie in her latent and unique fighting abilities.

“What makes it special is that it has the trademarks of a typical James Cameron movie,” says Landau. “It has a strong female protagonist with universal themes. Alita as a character goes on a journey of self-discovery. She thinks of herself as an insignificant girl. Through her journey she comes to realize that within her is the ability to make a difference. I can think of no greater universal message today.”

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

James Cameron’s New Film Exposes ‘the World’s Most Dangerous Myth’

Forget everything that you thought you knew about eating meat. From Academy Award winners  James Cameron and Louie Psihoyos, director of The Cove, comes a new film that is about to turn the biggest and longest-held meat myth on its head. The Game Changers chronicles “a quest for the truth” that ultimately became “a shocking exposé of the world’s most dangerous myth.”

The film follows military combat instructor and former Ultimate Fighting Championship martial artist James Wilks. After being badly injured, he began researching what he could do to help his body recover. His search became a five-year quest that led him to four continents and dozens of the world’s top athletes and nutrition experts. “What I discovered was so revolutionary, with such profound implications for performance, health, and the future of the planet itself, that I had to share it with the world,” he says.

Among the experts Wilks meets are Arnold Schwarzenegger, two-time World Surfing Champion Tia Blanco, world record–holding strength athlete Patrik Baboumian, former president of the American College of Cardiology Dr. Kim Williams, founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute Dr. Dean Ornish, and several members of the Miami Dolphins football team. They all agree that meat, egg, and dairy consumption is a barrier to optimal health.

Schwarzenegger, who has been dairy-free for 40 years, notes, “If they tell you to eat more meat to be strong—don’t buy it.”

The film is slated for global release this fall or winter

From peta.org

visit the website at http://gamechangersmovie.com

Comingsoon Reviews New Sideshow Alien Warrior

Check out ComingSoon.net's unboxing article on Sideshow's new Alien Warrior figure

http://www.comingsoon.net/extras/features/955907-cs-unboxed-new-sideshow-alien-warrior-statue-from-aliens

T2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day Turns 27

On July 3rd T2 aka Terminator 2: Judgment Day turns 27. Those who have been around at the time of its release know what kind of phenomenon it was, watched and talked about by everyone, present in every magazine. Many of us collected the magazines, sticker, pinups and just about anything with the T2 logo on it. It's hard to describe what kind of an event that movie was and a milestone in pop culture for those who haven't experienced it. Only few matched it since then

If you haven't yet read our popular T2 related articles, you can head on to JamesCameronOnline.com to the T2 section (http://jamescamerononline.com/Terminator2.htm) and look around. Our most popular features are the FAQ section (http://www.jamescamerononline.com/T2FAQ.htm) as well as our 'Complexity of T2' article which was cited as one of the sources for the phenomenal Terminator Vault book (http://www.jamescamerononline.com/T2Complexity.htm) and our very popular 'Locations then and now' feature (http://www.jamescamerononline.com/Terminator2Locations1.htm)

Our main webmaster/founder is an avid collector of the vintage The Terminator and T2 merch and vintage magazines, so we asked him what is the hardest item to obtain and what is his favorite: "In my experience the hardest to obtain are either a coloring book Terminator 2: Crayon By Numbers with Light or European, 2 paged sticker album (and I'm not talking about the Topps stickers or the binder for them) for stickers that came with bubble gum over there. When it comes to the first movie, I guess the press kit and certain magazines. My favorites are quite easy to obtain - it would've been the Cinefex issues for The Terminator and T2 (issues #21 and #47) and some other magazine specials. I liked vintage magazines, they almost always have some rare photos and they're a snapshot of the time. Not to mention they're very interesting because most of them contain obscure interviews with either Arnold or Jim"

Reminder: Aliens Dust to Dust #2 coming soon

Don't forget - Aliens: Dust To Dust #2 hits the newsstands on July 11.

A mother and son bound by a shared terror--separated by an implacable alien force! A spaceship that should carry them away from the fear becomes a deathtrap from which escape seems impossible!

Writer:

Gabriel Hardman

Artist:

Gabriel Hardman

Colorist:

Rain Beredo

Cover Artist:

Gabriel Hardman