- Sunday, December 30, 2012

All the single ladies — and fellas — will have a chance to join Beyonce onstage at the upcoming Super Bowl.

Pepsi announced Friday that 100 fans will hit the stage when the Grammy-winning diva performs on Feb. 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. A contest that kicked off Saturday will allow fans to submit photos of themselves in various poses, including head bopping, feet tapping and hip shaking. Those pictures will be used in a TV ad introducing Beyonce’s halftime performance, and 50 people — along with a friend — will be selected to join the singer onstage.

The photo contest — at www.pepsi.com/halftime — ends Jan. 19, but Jan. 11 is the cut-off date for those interested in appearing onstage with Beyonce.

Katie Holmes’ Broadway play closing after six-week run

Katie Holmes’ return to Broadway will be much shorter than she would have liked.

The former Mrs. Cruise’s play “Dead Accounts” will close within a week of the new year. Producers said Thursday that Theresa Rebeck’s drama will close Sunday after 27 previews and 44 performances.

The show, which opened to poor reviews on Nov. 29, stars Norbert Leo Butz as Miss Holmes’ onstage brother who returns to his Midwest home with a secret. Miss Rebeck created the first season of NBC’s “Smash” and several well-received plays, including “Seminar” and “Mauritius.”

Miss Holmes, who became a star in the teen soap opera “Dawson’s Creek,” made her Broadway debut in the 2008 production of “All My Sons.” She was married to Tom Cruise from 2006 until their divorce this year.

Tarantino to receive lifetime honor in Rome

The International Rome Film Festival said Friday it will present director Quentin Tarantino with a special lifetime achievement honor, along with a gala screening of his spaghetti Western homage “Django Unchained,” the film’s European premiere.

The event, at which iconic Italian film composer Ennio Morricone will present Mr. Tarantino with the award, will take place Friday. Although the seventh edition of the Rome festival concluded Nov. 17, the ceremony is being cast as a continuation of the festival, the first under the artistic direction of former Venice Film Festival head Marco Mueller.

Mr. Morricone, a five-time Oscar winner, composed the music for more than 500 films, including many of the best-known spaghetti Westerns.

Mr. Tarantino and “Django” have been connected to Mr. Mueller and the Rome festival since early in the year, even before Mr. Mueller officially was confirmed as artistic director in May. The film was not finished in time to screen at festival in November, but all along Mr. Mueller promised — always in cryptic terms — that Rome would play some role in the film’s launch.

With Friday’s screening, Mr. Mueller keeps his word. “Django” opened Christmas Day in North America, but the Rome event will be part of the international launch for the film, which will open in most European territories — including Italy — Jan. 16, 17 or 18.

In a statement, Mr. Mueller praised Mr. Tarantino’s vision as a director.

“Quentin Tarantino’s vision has radically influenced our collective imagery over the past 20 years,” he said. “Tarantino is a profoundly American yet very European filmmaker, because the relationship he has established with cinema and its history is as analytical as it is passionate.”

Mr. Tarantino and “Django” have a strong connection with Italy. The filmmaker is a self-proclaimed fan of the spaghetti Western genre, and the film was inspired by Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 classic “Django.” Franco Nero, the Roman actor who played the title role 46 years ago, has a small part in the new film. Mr. Tarantino and Mr. Mueller also have ties: Mr. Tarantino was the head of the international jury at Venice in 2010, when Mr. Mueller was artistic director there.

Actor Patrick Dempsey wants to save coffee house chain

Patrick Dempsey said he wants to rescue a coffee house chain and more than 500 jobs.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star said Wednesday he’s leading a group attempting to buy Tully’s Coffee. The Seattle-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.

Mr. Dempsey said he’s excited about the chance to help hundreds of workers and give back to Seattle.

The actor has a strong TV tie to the city: He plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on “Grey’s Anatomy,” the ABC drama set at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital.

Tully’s has 47 company-run stores in Washington and California, as well as five franchised stores and 58 licensed locations in the U.S.

Any sale would have to be approved by a judge. A bankruptcy court hearing is set for Jan. 11 in Seattle.

Cooper, Griffin team again for CNN’s New Year’s Eve

Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin are teaming up for the sixth straight year to co-host CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage.

The duo will broadcast live from New York City’s Times Square on Monday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for “New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin.”

Correspondent Isha Sesay will report from the ground in Times Square, while John Zarrella will join from Key West, Fla., and Gary Tuchman from Eastport, Maine.

At 12:30 a.m., CNN’s Brooke Baldwin in New Orleans’ Jackson Square and HLN’s Susan Hendricks in Nashville, Tenn., will take over the telecast to ring in the new year for the central time zone.

Prior to the three-hour New Year’s Eve coverage, CNN will air a “best and worst of 2012” “Anderson Cooper 360” special at 8 p.m.

Compiled from Web and wire reports

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