UA student part of filmmakers program at Cannes festival

TUSCALOOSA — Laura Godorecci has spent most of her life in Tuscaloosa. But this week the 19-year-old University of Alabama junior is in Cannes, France, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Cate Blanchett and director Alfonso Cuar'on, and learning about the world of filmmaking.

New characters join cast for latest Chronicle

The first time he saw himself on screen as a prince, Ben Barnes was overwhelmed. After all, this was a huge leap for the British actor, an unfamiliar face to many in this country. Now here he was, carrying the title role in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, one of the most anticipated films of the summer.

AmStar offers cheap summer movies for kids

AmStar Cinema in Oxford will begin Summer Kids Flicks, a 10-week program offering movies for children on June. Movies such as Open Season, Charlotte's Web, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Bee Movie and more will be shown every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10.

Movie review: Speed Racer

Are acting awards regularly given to monkeys? I'm guessing not, but the joyous monkey portraying a monkey (what else?) in Speed Racer deserves, at least, some gentle recognition in that he/she makes the film a bit more tolerable than would have been accomplished otherwise.

Movie review: What Happens in Vegas

It wasn't the opening line, but it set the tone for What Happens in Vegas. As Ashton Kutcher's character Jack Fuller puts it, 'What happens in Vegas, you pay for when you get home.' This is obvious after a wild mix-up at a hotel and many drinks later, when Joy McNally finds herself in Fuller's bed, naked ... and married to him.

DVD reviews

Get the latest on upcoming DVD releases.

Q&A with country singer Trisha Yearwood

Already one of the best-selling vocalists in the history of country music, Trisha Yearwood is now a best-selling author as well. Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, a book of family recipes that Yearwood, her mother and sister coauthored, recently debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times best-seller list.

Downtown club brings memories of youthful splendor

Model City Records has only been open a little more than three months now. I walk in the side entrance and put six dollars in the doorman's hand. There's a hustle going on: Someone doesn't have the right plug for an amplifier.

Soundbites

Quick reviews of newly released music.

Pushing Buttons: In no particular order

Every once and awhile, I forego the straightforward gaming column and let my random thoughts assemble. Their assembly is not unlike the Avengers, assembling, except none of my thoughts have superpowers or look as good as the Black Widow.

Tony award nominees named

NEW YORK — 'In the Heights,' a bold new musical about Hispanics in Upper Manhattan, captured 13 Tony nominations, and the critically praised revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'South Pacific' earned 12 as the 62nd annual Tony Awards nominees were unveiled Tuesday.

'ER' looks toward one more, and final, season

Deep inside Stage 11 on the bustling Warner Bros. lot, a giant of a television show is starting to move on to that great test pattern in the sky. The medical drama ER, one of prime time's longest-running series, will expire next February.