Veteran stage and film actor Ben Gazzara died over the weekend. He was 81. Best known for his role in the classic film Anatomy of a Murder with James Stewart, he appeared in several notable films throughout his long career, including Husbands and The killing of a Chinese bookie with director John Cassavetes. He is also remembered for his starring role in the 1960s television series Run for Your Life in which he played a lawyer with a terminal illness determined to make the most of his remaining time.

Nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards were announced January 24. Several of the nominated films and performances are already available in the Library's collection. Among the nominees for Best Picture ready to check out are:

The Help [videodisc]

Midnight in Paris [videodisc]

Moneyball [videodisc]

The tree of life [videodisc]

The past year saw several popular books made into movies. The Help, Moneyball, War Horse, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Extemely Loud & Incredibly Close were just a few of the titles that were made into successful films. And 2012 is shaping up to be just as full of books-into-film productions as 2011. Listed below are only a few of the titles to be released in theaters this year. Get a head start on your reading and stay tuned for more in the coming months!

Abraham Lincoln: vampire hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith — Starring Rufus Sewell and Dominic Cooper. Release date: June 2012

Breaking dawn by Stephenie Meyer — Part 2. Starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Release date: November 2012

The Black Swan [videodisc]

Catfish [videodisc]

The company men [videodisc]

Conviction [videodisc]

Fair game [videodisc]

The fighter [videodisc]

The Help [videodisc]

The upcoming weeks will see several new films released that are based on, or inspired by popular books. Here are some of the most anticipated:

The adventures of Tintin: the chapter book by adapted by Stephanie Peters — Directed by Stephen Spielberg

Extremely loud & incredibly close by Jonathan Safran Foer — Starring Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock

Unfortunately, fans of this popular new DVD will have to wait an extra 28 days to check out a copy from the Library due to a new policy recently instituted by Warner Home Video:

Warner Home Video will no longer distribute theatrical releases to libraries or home video rental stores until 28 days after they release the movies for sale at retailers. This Warner Home Video policy applies to all public libraries and video rental outlets such as Redbox, Netflix, and Blockbuster. In addition to being released 28 days after the retail version, Warner's rental version DVDs will not contain bonus features or extras. Please note that Warner’s new policy will only impact titles that have a theatrical release, perhaps amounting to about 12 titles per year. Non-theatrical Warner releases will not be affected by this policy.

The first three Warner theatrical titles affected by this new policy are Crazy, Stupid Love, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt.2, and The Hangover, pt.2. If you would like to express your opinions to Warner Home Video you can call toll-free at 1-866-373-4389 or by email.

After all the candy is given out, and all the trick or treaters are home eating their candy, what better way to spend Halloween night than to curl up and watch a scary movie? Check out of one the Library's many horror films and be prepared to scream!

Children, ages 2 to not yet in kindergarten, and caregivers, may join us for a fun movie and craft.
Program Date: Wednesday, July 6, 10:00-10:45AM
Movie Title: Martha Speaks — Martha Says it with Flowers

Actor Peter Falk, best known for his role as the rumpled cop on the television series Columbo, died Thursday in Beverly Hills, California at the age of 83. He was a five-time Emmy winner for the career-defining role as an absent-minded detective who always got his man. In addition to television, Falk appeared in numerous films and received successive Academy Award nominations for Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles. He also appeared in the critically acclaimed A Woman Under the Influence and the family favorite The Princess Bride.

Here are some titles will be coming soon to a theater near you…

Water for elephants by Sara Gruen — April 15 theatrical release

Something borrowed by Emily Giffin — June 10 theatrical release

One day by David Nicholls — July 8 theatrical release

Now that Spring is finally here and Opening Day is only a couple of weeks away, it's time to get back into the baseball swing of things! You can do that by watching some of the many great baseball themed films and documentaries in the Library's collection — or by reading up on your own Detroit Tigers. Batter up!

Feature Films

The Bad News Bears — In the orignal version, Walter Matthau is a grumbling beer-guzzling former minor-league pitcher who gets roped into coaching a band of half-pint misfits somewhat loosely called a team.

Adam — A romantic character study examining the obstacles to intimacy and the compromises we make in the name of love, Adam stars Hugh Dancy as a man living with Asperger's syndrome who does his best to reach out to his pretty new upstairs neighbor.

Avatar — Jake Sully is a former Marine who uses a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where a corporate consortium is mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth's energy crisis.

The blind side — Taken in by a well-to-do family and offered a second chance at life, a homeless teen grows to become the star athlete projected to be the first pick at the NFL draft in this sports-themed comedy drama.

Donate used books, music, movies & more
December is a great month to strategize last-minute ways to reduce your 2010 taxable income. Here's one idea: Go through your gently-used books, music CDs, CD-ROMs, movies and video games that haven't seen the light of day for months. You can donate them to Canton Public Library and then request a donation letter from the Receptionist. Most taxpayers who itemize on their tax return can take the fair market value of the donated items as a charitable donation, which translates into a tax deduction. (Seek information from a tax professional or the IRS if you're unsure how to do this). Donated items may show up either in the library's circulating collection or be passed along to the Friends of Canton Public Library, which operates the Second-Hand Prose store located in the southwest corner of the library (just past the magazine racks). Proceeds from the sale of these items benefit library acquisitions, reading programs and special events for patrons and the community. Please bring your donated items to the large brown donation shelter, located in the southwest area of the library parking lot (you'll see a large Book Donations sign there). Thank you for supporting your Canton Public Library!

One of my favorite childrens' series are the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. My son enjoys them as well. Now you can see Ramona on the big screen. Ramona and Beezus will be in theaters on July 23rd. Check out the Ramona series, as well as Beverly Cleary's other books such as the Henry Huggins series, Mitch and Amy and The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Hey movie fans! Be sure to check out the new Iron Man 2 movie that hit theaters not too long ago! It's full of action and great special effects. Until you can get to the theater, be sure to check out our graphic novels filled with Iron Man's adventures! Enjoy!

The 2010 Spirit Awards will be presented Saturday, March 6 In Los Angeles. You can watch the program live on the Independent Film Channel at 8:00 p.m. Given out annually by Film Independent, this year's nominees include Amreeka, Sin Nombre, (500) Days of Summer for Best Film, and Helen Mirren, Gabourey Sidibe, Samantha Morton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Colin Firth among the actors nominated in both lead and supporting roles.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has bestowed its Best Film award on The Hurt Locker - the Iraq War film which has also been nominated for an Oscar in the same category. Kathryn Bigelow also won as Best Director, with the film winning in six categories over all. The ceremonies were held yesterday In London where Prince William - the new BAFTA president - was in attendance.

The Academy Awards are the highest honors accorded by the U.S. film industry to the motion pictures, performers, directors and many others whose work we view on the Silver Screen. When the first Oscars were handed out in May, 1929, movies had just begun to "talk," and the Oscar wasn't yet called by that name. Dig into some movie history, whether you explore the resources in this collection year-round, or just during the weeks prior to each year's Oscar ceremonies.

Nominated for three Oscars ( Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay), An Education - based on the memoir by Lynn Barber - is set in 1961 London where suburban 16-year old Jenny is eager to start her adult life. Jenny gets the chance to shake things up when she comes under the spell of David - an older, urbane newcomer who introduces her to art auctions, classical concerts, and crowded pubs. The film stars Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan as Jenny and Peter Sarsgaard as David.

Nominated for six Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay), Up in the Air is an adaptation of Walter Kirn's novel about a human resources administrator (George Clooney) who flies around the country firing people for bosses who don't have the stomach for it. Director Jason Reitman's cast also includes Jason Bateman and fellow nominees for Best Supporting Actress Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Some scenes were filmed last year in Detroit Metro Airport!