12.28.07: ‘Close Encounters’ with the National Film Registry

Library of Congress goes Back to the Future, Golden Globes consider going off the air, Fox joins iTunes, and more

Close Encounters, 12 Angry Men among 25 films to be preserved by Library of Congress

Twenty-five film classics, including Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Oklahoma!, and 12 Angry Men, have been selected for preservation by the Library of Congress. The films bring the total of the National Film Registry to 475 films that will be guarded against the deterioration that occurs to film stock and represent motion pictures that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant. Other films selected this year include Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, Back to the Future, In a Lonely Place, Dances With Wolves, Naked City, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance among others. More at the Associated Press.

The Golden Globes may go on, but not on television

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that backs the Golden Globe Awards, is considering the possibility of not televising this year’s ceremony to avoid a conflict with the Writers Guild’s ongoing strike. The Globes are scheduled to air on NBC on January 13 – the idea of having the awards off the air would mean celebriies would be able to attend the event to promote their latest work at the afterparties without crossing the picket line. More at Thompson on Hollywood.

Fox to rent movies on Apple’s iTunes

Fox has signed a deal with Apple to rent films on iTunes, though unlike Disney and other studios that have made agreements with Apple, Fox films will only be rentals as opposed to copies that can be rewatched indefinitely. More at Yahoo.

The Next John Singleton?

The New York Times profiles Malcolm Mays, a 17 year old filmmaker from Los Angeles who has made a home on the Sony lot and found the backing of several powerful producers, including The Pursuit of Happyness producer in Hollywood for his first film, Trouble. Mays, who is currently attending Fairfax High, has reminded some of John Singleton, who at 21 made his directorial debut on Boyz N The Hood. More at the New York Times.