POLANSKI CHOOSES LEAD FOR 'OLIVER' REMAKE
Polanski chooses leadfor 'Oliver' remake
PARIS -- Roman Polanski has found the young lead for his next film, "Oliver Twist," based on Charles Dickens' classic novel.
Polanski launched a search of London's drama schools to find the right actor -- one with a cockney accent typical of London's East End. The search resulted in 30 possible candidates.
After a screen test in Prague, where "Oliver Twist" will be shot, 10-year-old Barney Clarke won the role. Ben Kingsley will play Fagin. Shooting begins July 12.
Polanski, who lives in Paris with his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, and their two children, told a press conference Monday that it was time for "Oliver Twist" to make a comeback.
"It is destined for children, particularly my own children," said Polanski, who saw and loved David Lean's 1948 version as a child. "It has been two generations since anyone touched it."
Polanski won a best-director Oscar last year for "The Pianist."
Ray Charles' studiosbecome historic landmark
LOS ANGELES -- The city of Los Angeles is honoring Ray Charles for his edifice complex.
The Grammy winner's recording studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, will get official city historic landmark designation during dedication ceremonies Friday at the Washington Boulevard building also housing his offices and RPM International Inc. Actor Clint Eastwood will unveil the plaque.
"I love this place," the 73-year-old Charles said. "It's the only home I've truly had for most of my professional career and I would never leave it."
Charles has recorded at Ray Charles Studios for four decades. His upcoming "Ray Charles Duets" was the latest album produced at the facility.
Designed and built by Charles and his longtime manager Joe Adams, RPM and its creators have remained loyal to the neighborhood throughout the area's evolution over the years.
During the early days of construction, the pair would often visit the site, with Adams gently guiding Charles through the skeletal maze of steel and concrete that would become their longtime professional home.
U. of Texas center getsStella Adler archives
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center has acquired the complete archive of Stella Adler, founder of the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, the center announced Monday.
Adler's students included Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Martin Sheen, Harvey Keitel, Melanie Griffith and Warren Beatty. The archive includes correspondence, manuscripts, video and audio tapes, photographs and other materials.
"The Adler archive is a deep and rich source for the study of 20th-century American theater," said Thomas F. Staley, director of the Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
In 1949, Adler founded the Stella Adler Theater Studio, later the Stella Adler Conservatory, which is now the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She taught acting for more than 40 years. Adler died in 1992.
Of specific importance to actors, directors and scholars is the collection of Adler's teaching notes and more than 700 hours of audio and visual materials, Ransom Center officials said. .
Today's birthdays
Author Harper Lee is 78. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is 74. The former president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, is 67. Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 63. Actress Marcia Strassman is 56. Actor Paul Guilfoyle ("CSI") is 55. Actor Bruno Kirby is 55. "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is 54. Actress Mary McDonnell is 51. Rock singer-musician Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 51. Rapper Too Short is 38. Actress Simbi Khali is 33. Actor Chris Young is 33. Rapper Big Gipp is 31. Actress Elisabeth Rohm ("Law & amp; Order") is 31. Actress Penelope Cruz is 30. Actor Nate Richert is 26. Actress Jessica Alba is 23.
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