Spielberg Strikes Huge Universal Deal

White House still mum on first lady's outfit

(NEWSER) - Tonight's first state dinner of the Obama administration is likely to be a star-studded affair, and while the White House has been tight-lipped thus far, details are leaking: Guests at tonight’s celebration of Indian PM Manmohan Singh are said to include Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, as well as a delegation of Indian moguls, to highlight the commercial quality of India’s relationship with the US. White House veteran Jennifer Hudson will perform at the dinner. More»

(NEWSER) - Steven Spielberg pulled a rabbit out of his hat today and signed on to adapt the Pulitzer Prize–winning play Harvey as his next film, Variety reports. First put on the big screen in 1950 starring Jimmy Stewart, the film about a man's friendship with a giant, invisible bunny is slated to begin production next year. It will kick off DreamWorks' new distribution and funding deal with Reliance and Disney. More»

Discover lists 20 little-known cinematic tidbits

(NEWSER) - Did you know film’s been around since 1887? Or that an IMAX projector is so bright, if aimed upward it could be seen from space? Discover lists 20 little-known movie facts:

• Thomas Edison’s firm made the first motion-picture camera in 1891—but didn’t invent a projector.
• The mechanical shark in Jaws was tough to use, so Steven Spielberg had to settle for scenes from its perspective.

Siblings plan to fight Dexter King's sale of movie rights to their father's life

(NEWSER) - The sale of the movie rights to Martin Luther King Jr.'s life has revived the feud among his three surviving children, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King say their brother Dexter—chief executive of the King estate—only informed them of the plans for a biopic to be directed by Steven Spielberg yesterday. The two do not consider the Dreamworks deal valid and they plan to fight it. More»

(NEWSER) - The first authorized biopic of Martin Luther King Jr. will be a Steven Spielberg production. The filmmaker's DreamWorks studio has obtained the rights from King's family, NPR reports. No word yet on whether Spielberg himself will direct or who will play the main role (Denzel? Jamie Foxx?). King’s children are notoriously protective of his legacy, and approval apparently came from son Dexter, who runs the estate. “We hope that this will be the definitive film on his life and legacy,” he said. More»