'Super 8,' 'Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer' Open Friday

Comstock Images/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Here's a look at the new movies opening nationwide Friday:

-- Super 8: Strange things are afoot in an Ohio town in 1979 following an explosive train crash that occurs while a group of kids are making a movie using a Super 8 film camera.  Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning star in the drama, which was directed by J.J. Abrams and co-produced by Steven Spielberg.  Rated PG-13.

-- Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer: Based on the book series, the film follows Judy Moody, a third-grader who's forced to live with her aunt for the summer.  She creates a series of dares to keep herself occupied and make the summer a little more exciting.  Jordana Beatty and Heather Graham star.  Rated PG.

And expanding into wide release:

-- Midnight in Paris: In Woody Allen's latest film, Owen Wilson plays an engaged writer who's transported back to 1920s Paris.  Rachel McAdams plays his fiancée.  Marion Cotillard and Kathy Bates also star.  Rated PG-13.

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Black Eyed Peas' All-Star NYC Concert Canceled Due to Weather

Kevin Mazur/WireImage(NEW YORK) -- The Black Eyed Peas' benefit concert at New York's Central Park Thursday night, which was also to feature Taylor Swift and Natasha Bedingfield, among others, was a washout.

The show was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m. but was delayed for an hour and then canceled due to severe thunderstorms that swept across the New York/New Jersey area.  It's unclear if the concert will be rescheduled.

The show, which was expected to draw over 60,000 people, was also scheduled to include Debbie Harry, Carole King, LL Cool J, and MC Hammer. Actors Whoopi Goldberg, Zach Braff, and Jimmy Smits were also scheduled to make appearances throughout the night.

The concert was going to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation, which fights poverty in New York City.

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Morgan Freeman Receives AFI Life Achievement Award

Christopher Polk/Getty Images for AFI(LOS ANGELES) -- Morgan Freeman was the life of the party Thursday night at an event in Los Angeles organized by the American Film Institute.

He was presented with the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award, in recognition of how his "talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art" and how his "work has stood the test of time."  Previous recipients include Clint Eastwood, Sidney Poitier, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks, Robert de Niro, Al Pacino, and Michael Douglas.

On the red carpet before the ceremony, Freeman said the award was an incredible honor and described it as "one of the most important things that can happen to a young man."

The Oscar-winner was saluted by former co-stars Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Matthew Broderick, and Rita Moreno, as well as by Poitier and Freeman's Kiss the Girls co-star, Cary Elwes.

The gala, taped at Sony Picture Studios, will air as a special on TV Land on June 19.

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MTV Cancels Controversial Teen Drama 'Skins'

John Rogers/Getty Images (NEW YORK) -- MTV has scuttled Skins from its lineup.

The racy teen drama, which drew the ire of the Parents Television Council when it premiered earlier this year for its depiction of underage sex and drug use, has been canceled after just one season, according to Deadline.com.

MTV says of its adaptation of the hit British series, "Skins is a global television phenomenon that, unfortunately, didn't connect with a U.S. audience as much as we had hoped."

Following the debut of Skins, which was rated MA for mature content, the PTC asked the chairmen of the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees, as well as the Department of Justice, to investigate the show for child pornography and exploitation.  The show subsequently lost a number of advertisers, including Taco Bell and the Wrigley Company.

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Lady Gaga Auctioning Autographed Piano for Charity

ABC/Ida Mae Astute(NEW YORK) -- In May, Lady Gaga performed at a benefit for the Robin Hood Foundation, which fights poverty in New York City. 

Now, she's auctioning off the piano she played at that event for a very special cause.

The Steinway Baby Grand piano, which is personally autographed by Gaga and has an estimated value of $60,000, is up for grabs at CharityBuzz.com.  All proceeds will go to Ten O'Clock Classics, which provides private music lessons and instruments free of charge to New York City schoolkids, and also encourages kids to study classical music.

In 2009, Billy Joel auctioned off one of his pianos to benefit the same organization.

The auction closes June 15.  As of early Friday morning, bidding on Gaga's piano had reached $27,505.

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Oprah Winfrey's Production Company Provides Notice of Layoffs

Barry Brecheisen/WireImage(CHICAGO) -- Oprah Winfrey's Chicago-based Harpo Studios Inc., has notified the state of Illinois it's planning an undisclosed number of layoffs in the wake of the talk show host ending her syndicated program after 25 years on the air.

Crain’s Chicago reports a Harpo spokeswoman declined to say exactly how many jobs will be cut but acknowledged it could be up to one third of the staff.  The magazine says as of December, Harpo had 400 full and part-time employees, not counting the 50 or so workers who left last year to join the Los Angeles-based Oprah Winfrey Network cable channel.

Harpo Studios Inc. issued a statement saying it is "in the process of separating some employees from its campus facilities...as part of the company's restructuring." The Harpo statement went on to say "Most of those leaving us are doing so voluntarily to pursue other interests."

Illinois requires companies with at least 75 employees to provide the state with 60 days notice of shutdowns or layoffs. Crain's reports Harpo filed a notice on May 3 of a plan to lay off employees beginning May 25, the day Oprah's final show aired.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Movie Review: 'Super 8'

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Written and directed by J.J. Abrams, Super 8 takes place in 1979. To add authenticity, Abrams makes sure the script is filled with pop-culture staples associated with that era including a Walkman and a reference to a Rubik’s Cube.  But this isn’t a film about an era.
 
After Joe loses his mother in a freak accident, he struggles to get along with his father, played by the vastly underrated Kyle Chandler who happens to be the town deputy. Joe has a knack for movie makeup and building models, which makes his bond with best friend Charles even stronger because Charles likes to make Super 8 films.
 
While Charles is attempting to complete his zombie masterpiece, the kids witness a horrible train accident -- a scene that has few rivals as far as cinematic train wrecks are concerned.  Within 24 hours, people go missing, electronics disappear and every dog in town runs away. While this is happening, Joe grows close to Alice, played by Elle Fanning, who's every bit as great an actress as her older sister, Dakota.
 
Super 8 is an emotionally-charged sci-fi coming-of-age story directly influenced by the film’s executive producer, Steven Spielberg -- and you’re going to love it.

Four-and-a-half out of five stars.

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Zach Galifianakis Reveals Plot of Third 'Hangover' Film?

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- The director and cast of The Hangover Part II are on record as saying they'd be interested in making a third film in the series, but there hasn't been much info regarding a possible plot. Hangover star Zach Galifianakis provides a potential clue in a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine. He says he's heard that a third film would focus on his character attempting to escape a mental institution with the help of his buddies, played by Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms. Galifianakis says he's already "getting fricking phone calls" about making a third Hangover flick.

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Mel Gibson Continues Charity Work with Underprivileged Children

Valerie Macon/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- According to TMZ, Mel Gibson arrived in Guatemala on Wednesday to continue to work with Mending Kids International, a charity organization that helps bring medical care to underprivileged children. Gibson has been involved with the charity for many years, and just a few months ago he completed 16 hours of community service with the organization as part of the plea deal he struck for allegedly hitting ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

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Is Elisabetta Canalis Hoping to Wed George Clooney?

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage(MILAN, Italy) -- Could George Clooney’s girlfriend of two years, Elisabetta Canalis, be the woman who makes the actor break his vow to never marry again? In an interview with the Italian magazine Chi, Canalis hinted at the possibility of marriage, saying, "I am a firm believer in marriage, in the future I will be married, but for the time being I am happy as I am." The actress added that she is happy to be living a “fairytale” life and that her and George “are a couple that never gets bored."

As for the rumors circulating that Clooney is on the verge of dumping his Italian bombshell, Canalis said, "Whenever I see my picture in a magazine I know what is being written. They all say that I spend my time organizing parties and that my boyfriend does not want to marry me and be with me anymore." She continued, "My boyfriend has not given an interview on his private life since 1999 -- everything that you read is just a rehash of stuff that has been written in the past."

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