hotdocs.ca

Canada’s annual international documentary film festival, Hot Docs, kicks off tomorrow. E! Online chatted with Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig about his latest documentary, A Hard Name.

Where Zweig’s hilarious and heartbreaking Mirror Trilogy (Vinyl, I, Curmudgeon and Loveable) presented intimate aspects of the filmmaker’s life and personality, A Hard Name examines a topic almost entirely foreign to him; the lives of ex-convicts.

In his film, seven middle-aged ex-cons speak of their experiences on the inside, and talk about how they’re managing on the outside. 

“Somehow you’re making this collective story,” Zweig says of his technique. “You need to go from person to person and make it feel like it’s almost the same story being told in a different face. That’s how I think of it.”

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It’s starting to sound a lot like 1991 again.

A reunited Jane’s Addiction, Depeche Mode, Tool and the Beastie Boys head an eclectic lineup of artists at this summer’s Lollapalooza Festival set to take place in Chicago’s Grant Park Aug. 7-9.

Other big acts on a bill that featuring more than 85 bands are the Killers, Kings of Leon, Lou Reed, Ben Harper and the Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Rise Against, Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Neko Case, Vampire Weekend, the Decemberists, STS9, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Animal Collective and Ben Folds.

Electronica fans will get their fill in the DJ Tent featuring such world-class turntable masters as Simian Mobile Disco, Bassnectar, Deadmau5, the Glitch Mob, He Say She Say, LA Riots and Moneypenny among others.

Cofounded by Jane’s frontman Perry Ferrell, Lollapalooza was one of the most popular and influential traveling carnivals in the early ‘90s. After dwindling ticket sales, he and fellow organizers followed the lead of Coachella and Bonnaroo and transformed their brainchild into a weekend bash held in the Windy City. Ticket info is available at lollapalooza.com.

Francois Duhamel/ TWC

Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino have a real Cannes-do—or at the very least, Cannes-go—attitude about their new movie.

The box office boys are set to bring their highly-anticipated war epic Inglorious Basterds to the Cannes Film Festival come May. Per Variety, the movie will not only have its world premiere at the Riviera-based fest, but will also screen as part of the competition.

The Weinstein Co. has not commented on the film's selection, and festival organizers will not unveil the event's full lineup on April 23.

Tarantino already has a rich, and successful, history with Cannes, having taken home the Palme d'Or for Pulp Fiction in 1994. Ten years later, he retuned to serve as president of the festival jury.

Cannes, arguably the most glamorous of the world's film festivals, runs May 13-24. The film opens on Aug. 21.

E! News Weekend caught up with Lars Ulrich at South by Southwest to talk about everything from Guitar Hero to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Metallica will be gracing the screen in digital form on March 29th when their new Guitar Hero game hits shelves. This is the same week the band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica will be inducted by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea on April 4th.

So far there have been no blow-ups in the volatile world of Metallica, and Lars told us he’s having a really great year. Check out the interview in the video above!

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Sonia Mansillo

Canada’s hottest music artists were honoured Friday at the 12th annual Canadian Radio Music Awards as part of the Canadian Music Week festivities. Sass Jordan hosted the gala luncheon and opened up the afternoon with a performance. Other performances included those by Canadian Idol runner-up Jaydee Bixby, Kreesha Turner, Crash Parallel and Age of Daze.

Hedley walked away with the most awards, totaling three, for Song of the Year, Chart Topper Award, and Fan’s Choice Award, while Lights received two.

Check out our CRMAs photo gallery for the winners and performances.

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Carrie Musgrave / livebabylive.com

Canadian Music Week blew through Toronto and once again it was a great success, showcasing a ton of up and coming bands as well as some pretty big artists.

Bloc Party, Sloan, The Ting Tings and even Katy Perry were all in town along with about 500 other artists playing in venues all over the city. The few shows that I got out to see were jam packed and filled with energetic crowds.

The Tings Tings show was unbelievable; they played to a sold out crowd at the MOD club on Saturday and showed why they have really blown up this past year.

Katy Perry played the Masonic temple on Friday. If you missed her, she is back in Toronto on March 30th and even a bare boned show was great but from what I hear, her sold out “Hello Katy Tour!” is a must-see!

Check out the video below for her performance of I Kissed a Girl from Friday night! And yes, she kisses a girl at the end! 

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P Photo / PA, Yui Mok, Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, Lester Cohen/Getty Images

Déjà vu all over again for Amy Winehouse.

A year and a half after she was barred from entering the country to attend the Grammys because of a drug rap, U.S. authorities are now refusing to grant the "Rehab" singer a work visa to perform at next month's Coachella Festival, citing her assault arrest last week.

Her rep said that Winehouse would not be able to appear at the mega festival in Indio, California due to her "current legal issues."

"[Her] legal case would not be sorted out in time for her to make the music fest," said publicist Chris Goodman.

That means Winehouse will no longer be part of a high-octane lineup that includes Paul McCartney, The Cure, The Killers, Leonard Cohen, My Bloody Valentine and Conor Oberst, among many others.

The visa decision is a big blow to Winehouse, who has been trying to work through her myriad personal issues and focus on her career.

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Sure enough, that gap in Bruce Springsteen's touring schedule meant a detour to Tennessee.

The veteran rocker and his illustrious E Street Band have been announced as the headliner for this year's Bonnaroo Arts & Music Festival, unfolding on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn., June 11-14.

It will be the Boss' only North American festival appearance in 2009 as he and his Super Bowl-playing crew troop out on a world tour, starting April 1, in support of their latest effort, Working on a Dream.

Also heading out on tour soon is Bonnaroo's other headliner, Phish. Trey Anastasio & Co. swam their separate ways in 2004 but have been drifting toward a reunion for the past year.

Also on tap to entertain the masses in Manchester are the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, Santogold, Snoop Dogg, Jenny Lewis, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Al Green, Merle Haggard, Wilco, the Ting Tings, David Byrne, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, the Decemberists and Lucinda Williams. (Check out the full list of artists.)

Redford and Spike Lee...What!? The Sundance Film Festival offically kicked off yesterday and E! News Weekend's Arisa Cox is on location and bringing all the action to E! Online with daily video blogs!

Robert Redford held his annual press confrence, which was unbelievable hot...I mean the temperature inside the room. But still it was pretty cool to see him up close and personal.

The streets of Park City have been tolerable but I can only imagine when the weekend hits and everyone is here, its going to get packed!

Watch Arisa's video blog to see who we bumped into while walking down Main Street...I just hope next time it's Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton...now that would make my day.

We're here! E! News Weekend has arrived in beautiful Park City, Utah. Why are we down here you ask? The Sundance Film Festival, of course!

Check E! Online everyday for Arisa Cox's video blogs direct from the festival. Plus, don't miss E! News Weekend on Fridays for even more Sundance coverage over the next two weeks!

The fun is just getting started down here and we are hitting up all the red carpets, the hot parties, and scoring some pretty cool one-on-ones. Keep it locked! You don't want to miss a thing!

Whistler Film Festival

92 films including 5 world premieres will be highlighting the silver screen of snowy Whistler Village this week during the 8th annual Whistler Film Festival.WFF] The life and works of Vancouver-born producer William Vince will also be honored.

Along with workshops, galas, and festival events, there are also the awards. This year there are 6 features competing for the Phillip Borsos Award for Best Canadian Film, with a grand prize of $15,000.

The Baby Formula (BC Premiere), directed by Alison Reid, Before Tomorrow (BC premiere) , directed by Marie-Helene Cousineau, Madeline and Piujuq Ivalu, Girlfriend Experience (World
premiere) , directed by Ileana Pietrobruno, Nurse.Fighter.Boy (BC premiere), directed by Charles Officer, Trois Saisons (BC premiere) , directed by Jim Donovan, and Who is KK Downey? (BC premiere) , directed by Darren Curtis and Pat Kiely.

There will also be a tribute to Donald Sutherland Saturday, December 6th at the Telus Whistler Conference Centre. "One of Canada’s most prolific and distinguished actors discusses his life and work, augmented by highlights from his prestigious career."

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Just a few weeks after the Vancouver Queer Film Festival painted the town pink, the city hosted the world during the Vancouver International Film Festival. With momentum gaining each year, more events are sprouting up to highlight and showcase film in a region so involved in production.

The Vancouver Pan African Film Festival is taking place right now and last week was the first ever Vancouver Brazilian Film Festival. Among the many screening, the festival paid tribute to Walter Carvalho, an internationally acclaimed Brazilian cinematographer. 

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