Actor Jason Schwartzman was so intimidated by Owen Wilson on the set of their new movie The Darjeeling Limited - he'd constantly crack jokes to try and impress him.

Schwartzman - son of Rocky actress Talia Shire and nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola - is now good friends with the Wedding Crashers star, but he admits relations weren't always so easy.

He says, "I'm a really big fan of Owen's and I think he's so funny. And when I first met him I was a little bit nervous because I really wanted to make him laugh. I can remember every day on set in the morning I would go up to hi...

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has denied branding actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino "lazy" and lacking ambition. The iconic director - who worked with both De Niro and Pacino on The Godfather - was quoted in an interview with men's magazine GQ last month attacking the pair, and was reported to have made disparaging remarks about Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson.

But Coppola insists his comments were taken out of context by the publication - and even credits his critical acclaim to the efforts of De Niro and Pacino.

He says, "It's not true. (The quotes were) obviously bent out...

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has been forced to ditch a series of sex scenes over the course of his career because he's too shy to ask actresses to remove their clothing.

Although the legendary director doesn't reveal which actress he's talking about, Coppola recalls one incident while he was shooting Dracula in the early 1990s where he lacked the courage to insist a timid beauty stripped for the cameras.

He says, "My films are not known for steamy-hot sex scenes. Part of the reason is I'm too shy to ask the girl to do it. You know, even in Dracula, where there was supposed to...

Francis Ford Coppola has hit out at fellow filmmaker Martin Scorsese, claiming director is only interested in making movies for financial gain.

Coppola and Scorsese are longtime friends, but The Godfather director is convinced his pal only practices his art because he needs to support his four ex-wives and his current spouse, Helen Morris - who he married in 1999.

Coppola tells Empire magazine, "He's making movies because he needs to make a certain amount of money because he has a big family and many previous wives."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News N...

What do Brad Pitt, Jodie Foster, Gwyneth Paltrow and Leonardo DiCaprio have in common besides megawatt stardom, vast fortunes and acclaimed performances in hit movies? They've all starred in cheesy foreign commercials, pocketing major paychecks with every faltering stab at the phrasebook. And in the era of YouTube, they may be living to regret it.

High-caliber Hollywood stars have long looked to foreign lands - most notably Japan - for a quick day's work and some easy money. John Travolta dances with a soda can next to a swimming pool while synchronized swimmers wave their leg...

"Life on the road hasn't changed at all. I just no longer get dead-drunk wasted and disappear to some hotel in Tijuana." Rocker Ryan Adams on his newfound sobriety.

"It could be the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life." Jorja Fox on quitting hit TV drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

"At least twice a week, people come up to me and say something about Pretty Woman." Julia Roberts' 1990 breakthrough movie still plays a part in her everyday life.

"Pacino is very rich, maybe because he never spends any money - he just puts it in his mattress." Francis Ford Coppola on...

ROME (AP) - It is Francis Ford Coppola's first movie in a decade, and the Oscar-winning director said Saturday that audiences should be in no hurry before deciding if Youth Without Youth is good or bad.

Youth Without Youth is Coppola's first movie since The Rainmaker in 1997. It was having its public premiere Saturday evening at the Rome Film Festival.

At an earlier screening for the press, reactions were mixed, and Coppola asked people to see it more than once.

''When you venture into new territories ... you know that it's different than Spider-Man or Shrek or other films th...

Film maker Francis Ford Coppola has accused Jack Nicholson of putting his love of money before his career. The Godfather director is disappointed Nicholson has halted his acting career in favor of enjoying a luxury lifestyle with a string of beautiful women - because he believes it is a waste of talent.

Coppola says, "I think if there was a role that (Robert) De Niro was hungry for, he would come after it. I don't think Jack would. Jack has money and influence and girls, and I think he's a little bit like (Marlon) Brando, except Brando went through some tough times. I guess they don'...

Owen Wilson is "very happy" his new movie is to be released in on Friday, despite the fact he plays a man with suicidal tendencies. A depressed Wilson allegedly slashed his wrists in an apparent suicide attempt at his home in Santa Monica, California last month.

And, in a bizarre coincidence, his latest movie character is involved in a deliberate motorcycle accident in The Darjeeling Limited.

But director Wes Anderson - a longtime friend of Wilson's - insists the actor doesn't want the movie's release postponed in light of his recent troubles. Anderson says, "That's not what I w...

Oscar-winning director Woody Allen is amazed he's considered a legend of the movie business, because he doesn't think his films have been influential. The 71-year-old, who has three Academy Awards, always felt the movies of directors such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg appealed more to the next generation of filmmakers than his own.

He says, "Oddly enough, over the years I've never felt that I have influenced anyone. I don't mean that to sound like false modesty, but I could always feel the influence of my contemporaries Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman, St...

Legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock has topped a poll naming the greatest directors of all time.

The Psycho director beat out competition from Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, in second and third places respectively, in the rundown of top filmmakers in British magazine Total Film.

Rounding out the top five are Howard Hawks and Francis Ford Coppola.

The Top 10 Greatest Directors Ever are:

1. Alfred Hitchcock

2. Martin Scorsese

3. Steven Spielberg

4. Howard Hawks

5. Francis Ford Coppola

6. Orson Welles

7. Ingmar Bergman

8. Stanley Kubrick

9. Peter Jac...

Actress Kathleen Turner has turned theater director and is thrilling audiences at the Williamstown theater Festival in Massachusetts with her stage-directing debut. The Romancing The Stone star is midway through a run of Beth Henley play Crimes Of The Heart at the festival.

And Turner admits her directorial style owes a lot to filmmakers John Huston and Francis Ford Coppola, who directed her in the movies Prizzi's Honor and Peggy Sue Got Married respectively. The 53-year-old says, "I learned a lot from them - Huston and Coppola."

(This news article provided by World Entertainmen...

Legendary American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has been honored by the French Legion after they promoted his rank from 'Chevalier' to 'Officer.' The Legion of Honour is the highest award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the social status or nationality of the recipients.

Coppola was praised on Thursday for his contributions to cinema and culture, along with his "passion for food, wine and art" by France's consul general, Frederic Desagneaux.

Desagneaux told Coppola at the ceremony held in his San Francisco home, "You are a wonderful ...

Movie executives at Paramount scrapped an idea to wrap up The Godfather movies with a fourth film because they refused to pay an ailing Mario Puzo. Director Francis Ford Coppola offered to help the dying author pen the screenplay for a final film for free, but penny-pinching studio bosses still refused to greenlight the idea.

Ford Coppola, who initially balked at the idea of directing sequels to his 1972 masterpiece, admits he was so desperate to help Puzo before he died in 1999 that he offered to co-write the screenplay for no charge.

He recalls, "He and I cooked up an idea for...

Rooney rocker Robert Schwartzman remains unfazed when people assume the band has only got as far as it has because of his family connections. Schwartzman's mother is actress Talia Shire; his brother is actor Jason Schwartzman; his uncle is director Francis Ford Coppola; his cousins include Nicolas Cage and Sofia Coppola; and his late grandfather was movie composer Carmine Coppola.

The 24-year-old insists he is used to strangers attributing the band's success to the power his relatives wield in the entertainment industry. He says, "Some people do it (judge the band because of his conne...

Tom Cruise is set to be honored at New York City's Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in November. The Minority Report star, 45, follows in the footsteps of former honorees Sidney Lumet, Robert De Niro, Richard Gere, Al Pacino, Sidney Poitier, Julia Roberts and James Stewart.

MOMI director Rochelle Slovin said they chose Cruise for his outstanding 27-year film career, which started with Endless Love in 1981.

Slovin says, "Tom Cruise is one of the premier American actors of his generation. Working with the great directors of our time - (including) Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubri...

"Everybody says that I'm different on the days we're shooting the gore - that I'm just extra happy." Hostel director Eli Roth enjoys filming graphic scenes in his horror movies.

"I've never really had a desire to do Shakespeare... For me, it's just too many lines." Daniel Craig has no plans to play Hamlet or Macbeth.

"This is gonna be like The Sopranos for black people." Rapper T.I. on his new movie American Gangster, which also stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

"I'm really excited about it, it's great they are going to be celebrating what they did all those years...

In Turner Classic Movies' (TCM) new documentary "Spielberg On Spielberg," premiering Monday, July 9, at 8 p.m. (ET)/9 p.m. (PT), two-time Best Director Oscar winner Steven Spielberg discusses his meteoric rise to success in Hollywood, as well as the motion pictures that took him there.

The 90-minute special, which features exclusive and detailed interviews with arguably the most popular and influential director of his time, is produced by Richard Schickel, who created similar programs on Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese. The premiere of "Spielberg On Spielberg" will be followed on TCM ...

CANNES, France (AP) - Martin Scorsese wants to save the world cinema. The Academy Award-winning director said Tuesday it was a ''dream come true'' to launch his international project at the Cannes Film Festival, where his ''Taxi Driver'' won the top prize in 1976.

He's backed by an advisory board of prominent directors, including Mexico's Guillermo Del Toro (''Pan's Labyrinth'') and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (''Babel''); China's Wong Kar-wai (''In the Mood For Love'') and Britain's Stephen Frears (''The Queen.'')

The idea stemmed from the work of The Film Foundation in the Unite...

Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola's first film in 10 years has been slated for release later this year. Coppola has written, directed and produced the epic Youth Without Youth - a decade after his last movie The Rainmaker in 1997.

The film, which is based on a novella by Romanian author Mircea Eliade, stars Tim Roth as an elderly professor targeted by the Nazi regime and is scheduled to hit cinemas in the late autumn.

Speaking to trade publication the Hollywood Reporter, Coppola explains "It is a love story wrapped in a mystery. The story revolves around the key themes tha...

Movie moguls Francis Ford Coppola and Tom Cruise are set to reunite for the first time since 1983.

Cruise and his partners at the revamped United Artists studio are in talks to acquire Coppola's first film since The Rainmaker in 1997.

Coppola produced and directed Youth Without Youth after adapting the story from a 1976 novel by religious historian Mircea Eliade.

The film stars Tim Roth and Bruno Ganz and features The Rainmaker star Matt Damon.

The last time Coppola and Cruise worked together was when the former directed the latter in The Outsiders.

-Tom Cruise Pict...

Movie moguls Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas will team up to hand out the Best Director prize at Sunday's Oscars.

Actress Kristy Swanson and Lloyd Eisler, her partner on 2006 US TV talent show Skating With Celebrities, are celebrating after becoming parents to baby boy Magnus Hart on February 16.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has hired an army of 1,100 people to help him cook up and serve post-Oscars meals to winners and losers at the Governor's Ball on Sunday night. Together, they'll feed 1,600 people in 90 minutes.

(This news article provided by Worl...

Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant's friendship stretches back further than their recent movie collaboration - the actress wrote to Grant after he was caught with prostitute Divine Brown in 1995.

Barrymore and Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola were the only Hollywood stars to reach out to Grant in the aftermath of the incident, which threatened to derail his acting career.

The actress says, "I'm so not a Hollywood Bob, but I thought he was so charming with the gracious, humorous way he handled the whole thing, having been through some public scrutiny myself. He wrote me bac...

Veteran filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is making an autobiographical movie based on the conflicting generations of an artistic family. "Tetro," which Coppola will produce and direct, is based on what the 67-year-old describes as his own "very unusual family."

Coppola's late father Carmine Coppola was a composer; his sister Talia Shire is an actress; and his nephews Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman are both actors.

He says, "I think at this age, I'm more disposed to look at my life in terms of dramatic material. Maybe I'm less frightened or more confident about writing somethin...

Actor Ryan O'Neal was arrested at his Malibu, California, home and booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm after a fight with his son Griffin on Saturday night. Sheriff's deputies and paramedics responded to a call at 12:30 a.m. regarding a suspected battery and say that O'Neal, 65, fired at least one gunshot during the altercation.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt John Benedict, "Deputies determined that Mr. Griffin O'Neal was assaulted by his father during a family dispute."

He was booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff's St...

Jason Schwartzman prefers working with his famous filmmaking family because they understand his feelings better. The 26-year-old star, whose mother is Talia Shire and uncle is director Francis Ford Coppola, admits being directed by his cousin Sofia Coppola in new period drama Marie Antoinette had its advantages.

Schwartzman tells British magazine Hotdog, "Its just that you've got a library that's bigger in terms of people that you can reference. Sofia and Roman (Coppola, his cousin) are able to reference things from the past that I'd forgotten about.

"Like I would say to Sofia, ...

Al Pacino has broken more than three decades of silence by revealing his grandfather was born in Corleone, Sicily - the town his character's family in The Godfather hailed from and was named after. Pacino played mob boss Michael Corleone in director Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 classic and its 1974 and 1990 sequels.

And during an appearance on TV show "Inside The Actors Studio," which aired on Monday, Pacino finally laid bare the secret of his grandfather James' birthplace.

He said, "He came here from Sicily when he was four. (It's) really a big secret. I will say it as I've kept...

* Francis Ford Coppola is financing his latest movie using profits from his Californian winery. Coppola decided to make “Youth Without Youth” without Hollywood backing, so he could direct it without compromising himself artistically. The movie is due for release next year and is the first Coppola has directed since 1997's The Rainmaker. It stars Tim Roth.

* Charlize Theron got a Hollywood director drunk to secure her coveted role in The Yards. Theron claims she plied filmmaker James Gray with alcohol in order to win the role of Erica Stoltz opposite Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix i...

Since 1994, audiences have watched as Claire Danes has matured from awkward teen to one of the most popular actresses of her generation. Whether portraying the angst-ridden Angela Chase on My So-Called Life or trailer park trash in Oliver Stone's U-Turn, Danes has consistently displayed an uncommon maturity and insight in her performances that belies her relative inexperience.

Her ability has won over countless critics and fans and has allowed her the opportunity to work with luminaries ranging from Jeanne Moreau to Jodie Foster and Francis Ford Coppola.

Danes' most recent films:...

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is taking a walk on the wild side as it welcomes auteur filmmaker and legendary rocker Rob Zombie as the host of the network's newest weekly movie showcase, "TCM Underground." The late-night franchise, which will feature off-the-wall movies chosen and introduced by Zombie, is set to launch in October.

"TCM Underground will serve as home to some of the truly visionary cult films that have been made over the past century, from stylish horror movies to offbeat black comedies," said Tom Karsch, executive vice president and general manager for TCM. "We are proud ...