Morgan Freeman to receive American Film Institute's 39th Life Achievement Award
Highest honor bestowed by the organization
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman will receive the American Film Institute's 39th Life Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the organization honoring a career in the film industry, the group announced today.
"Morgan Freeman is an American treasure,'' said Howard Stringer, chairman of the AFI board of trustees." Across decades, whether playing a prisoner, a president or God, he embodies a calm authority that demands respect for the character and for the art form.
"His gifts to the cultural record are also underscored by his unmistakable voice that echoes through the hearts and minds of movie lovers around the world,'' he said.
Freeman will receive the award June 9, and the ceremony will be broadcast at a later date on TV Land.
Freeman, 73, won an Academy Award for his supporting role in "Million Dollar Baby.'' He was nominated for a lead-actor Oscar for his work in "Invictus,'' "Driving Miss Daisy'' and "The Shawshank Redemption.'' He was nominated for his supporting work in "Street Smart.''
He has also appeared in films including "The Bucket List,'' "Glory,'' "Unforgiven,'' "Se7en,'' "Along Came a Spider,'' "Amistad'' and "Deep Impact.''
Freeman will next be seen alongside Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich in "Red,'' which is scheduled for release Friday.
Previous winners of the AFI Life Achievement Award include John Ford, Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, Al Pacino and this year's recipient, Mike Nichols.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—AFI and TV Land announced today that Clint Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Sidney Poitier, Mike Nichols, Matthew Broderick and Rita Moreno are among the luminaries in film who will pay tribute to Morgan Freeman, the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award recipient. AFI will present its highest honor for a career in film to Freeman in Los Angeles at the Sony Pictures Studios. “TV Land Presents: The AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Morgan Freeman” will air on TV Land on Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—"Saw 3-D'' scared up the most bucks at the weekend box office.
The latest installment in the "Saw'' fright flick franchise sold an estimated $24.2 million during its debut weekend, according to ticket tracker Hollywood.com.
Another scary movie sequel, "Paranormal Activity 2,'' came in second, with an estimated $18.5 million in sales.
The action comedy "Red'' came in third, with a projected take of $10.8 million.
Rounding out the top 10:
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—"Jackass 3-D'' rocketed to an opening weekend that is much larger than analysts' expectations, and will become the highest-grossing October release ever with a $50 million estimated take.
Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said the third installment in the "Jackass'' genre had "a massive, much bigger-than-expected opening...''
The Paramount release had the best debut since "Inception'' opened last July, he said.
Vickie Knight has seen how the other half lives, and knows that one day, she too, will get back on her feet thanks to the opportunities afforded her through education.
Knight, a Compton native, who found herself homeless through a seers of unfortunate circumstances, recently spent a few days in the luxury of the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia. She was in the City of Brotherly Love to accept an award for being named the 2010 National Graduate of the Year by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).
NEW YORK, N.Y.—BET Networks unveiled a new report that challenges the Hollywood mindset that African Americans only support Black movies and outlines the $6.3 billion buying power of this demographic. According to REEL FACTS: A Movie Goer Consumption Study on average, 81% of the movies seen by African Americans do not prominently feature an African American cast, storyline or lead Black star. The study provides an in-depth understanding of African American movie goers and their consumption patterns versus general market movie goers.
