Corbin Bernsen, who was moved by the finincial troubles of the Soap Box Derby in recent years and decided to make a movie about the event, debuted his movie 25 Hill in Akron last night. The Akron Civic Theater was sold out last night with attendees paying $25 for a ticket and DVD copy of the movie.

Most of the the film was filmed right in the Rubber City and used 1,000 extras from Northeast Ohio. The movie has helped the organization that runs the derby escape some of its money problems by putting $150,000 in its coffers.

The movie is a tearjerker. The official website describes it this way.

Set against the rolling hills of a small central California town once flourishing with oil wells, 12 year-old Trey Caldwell received a gift from his father for Christmas - a Soap Box Derby car kit. Never having mentioned any interest in the Derby, Trey finds it an "interesting” choice. He later finds that the Derby was an unfilled dream of his dad.

The two start building the car but the work is cut short when Trey's dad, an Army Reservist is called to duty in Afghanistan. Two days in he's killed. Trey is left with his mom, the unfinished car and a dream that is all but dead.

Bernsen said in a statement that he wants to save an "American Tradition".

When a television program that you have grown to love goes into its eighth season you start to worry that it may lose its luster. Thankfully, for Curb your Enthusiasm fans, Larry David's writing and screenplays are as sharp as ever and deliver a belly-full of laughs.

I was able to watch three new episodes of HBO's hit comedy and my wife may have regretted me getting my hands on it. Not that she didn't find the programs funny, she just didn't like the fact that I had to play them over and over again to see the comedic genius of David who, in my opinion, has somehow managed to eclipse his more heralded work on Seinfeld.

The episodes I was privileged to watch weren't in sequential order but did start with episode one, which will air tomorrow night. For those of you who are easily offended, especially someone like a Jewish friend of mine who hates Larry David because think he is anti-Semitic despite being Jewish himself, this is one you may want to skip. The New York Daily News described the new episode this way.

Taken literally, it could be one of the most tasteless and offensive sketches in recent TV history.

The same review, by the way, gave the episode 4 stars out 5 which I think is too low.

Cleveland, Ohio, is becoming quite a popular place for movies to be filmed. Not only will The Avengers be shot in Cleveland, but two other movies will be filmed here as well now. The Cleveland Film Commission announced on Thursday that Paramount Pictures is in Cleveland scouting locations for a the new movie "Fun Size."

"Fun Size" stars Victoria Justice, who has her own show on Nickelodeon called "Victorious" and has made appearances on iCarly and Zoey 101.

Greater Cleveland Film Commission Executive Director Ivan Schwarz said in a statement:

“This is the third film that will be shooting in Cleveland in the next several months, and we could not have achieved this without the quick actions of our public partners at the Ohio Department of Development, the State of Ohio, Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland. Each of these projects is coming to Cleveland because of the city’s incredible resources, locations and people.”

The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit is a major draw for filmmakers looking for locations to shoot.

"Fun Size" is the work of director Josh Schwartz (The OC, Gossip Girl), and is about a girl who loses her little brother while trick-or-treating on Halloween.

A week ago, my wife saw a Facebook status update about a new online movie rental site called Zediva. Being both a movie buff and a fan of new technology, she quickly jumped at the chance to register for the site. It was a good thing that she was quick on her feet because the demand was so overwhelming that the start-up had to stop new registrations just hours later after Yahoo News picked up the story and placed it on the front page.

Throughout the weekend, we have tested the service with our Google TV and are more than happy with the results. Zediva can be described as a hybrid of Netflix and Redbox with a big advantage over the two popular renting services. With Zediva, you get the latest releases as soon as they come to DVD instead of weeks or months later with Netflix and Redbox. How do they do that? The company says they found a loophole in the law and allows you to to "rent" both a DVD player, from a remote location, which plays an actual DVD.

“It’s like watching with a long cable and a long remote control,” said Venky Srinivasan, Zediva’s CEO explains when asked about the legality of their service.

Charlie Sheen couldn't continue his amazing string of sellouts. A quick search on Playhouse Square's ticketing page showed that tickets remain for the former Two & Half Men star and current Twitter sensation.

Sheen will bring his My Violent Torpedo of Truth tour to the Northeast Ohio on April 5th. What will you see if you plan on attending? Here's what it says on Playhouse Square's offical homepage.

My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option Show is coming for you. I'm going on the road. LIVE. Will there be surprises? Will there be guests? Will there be mayhem? Will you ask questions? Will you laugh? Will you scream? Will you know the truth? WILL THERE BE MORE?!?! This IS where you will hear the REAL story from the Warlock. Bring it. I dare you to keep up with me.

Charlie Sheen will be donating $1.00 from each ticket for the "Charlie Sheen Live: My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Tour" to the Japanese Earthquake Relief Fund. For more information on how your proceeds are being used please contact the Red Cross at redcross.org.

Charlie Sheen is coming to the Midwest in early April and Cleveland Indians fans want the franchise to seize a golden opportunity. One of Sheen's most famous characters in his acting career was when he portrayed Rick "The Wild Thing" Vaughn in the comedy Major League. The Tribe even used the likeness in a Bobblehead promotion a few years back.

The Facebook Group "Cleveland Indians need Sheen to Pitch!" has reached nearly 500 members. Their tagline of their group page reads:

Lets get the "Wild Thing", Rick Vaughn to throw out the first pitch at the Cleveland Indians' 2011 home opener on April 1st against Chicago! Get Charlie Sheen back in Cleveland!

"We started the group just this past Wedensday. We want Charlie to know that we love him and still remember all of the great things he's done, and how much he's meant to the downtrodden fans of the Indians fans of the '80s," said founding member Mike McCullough in an email exchange earlier tonight.

Another competing group was just formed yesterday and has reached only 28 members, but promises something the Indians front office probably dreads declaring, "For every 250 people who like this page, i will send annoying emails to the Indians' PR department to try to make this happen. JOIN UP NOW!!!!!"

Cleveland Film Festival Showing Documentary "Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman" March 25th-27th

By now, if you are a fan of movies and hail from Cleveland odds are that you have heard about the big Hollywood film Kill the Irishman which starts Friday. You also know that Hollywood seems to embilish the facts a little bit when they hit the bigscreen so you if you want to know the real truth on the life of Danny Greene, which the film is based on, you'll probably want to reserve a date to head to the Cleveland Film Festival to take in the documentary "Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman" which will be shown on March 25th-27th.

CFF's site previews the film saying:

DANNY GREENE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE IRISHMAN is a documentary on the life and death of Cleveland’s legendary gangster and his battle with the Italian mob. Clint O’Connor of The Plain Dealer wrote: “Feeding America's appetite for mob stories with a grisly slice of Cleveland's criminal past, (this documentary) spotlights the gangster whose life was famously extinguished by a car bomb in a Lyndhurst parking lot. A fearless hood who grabbed headlines for years in the 1970s, Greene was a colorful character. He dressed in green, drove green cars, and embraced Irish history and Celtic lore. Alternately a union troubleshooter, embezzler, and enforcer, Greene dabbled in racketeering, gambling, and loan-sharking. He excelled at beating the rap, which may have been attributed to his other occupation: FBI informant. Police have long assumed that Greene conspired to take out Shondor Birns, a rival in Cleveland's numbers racket, and later mafia underboss Leo "Lips" Moceri, whose body was never found.” Tommy Reid interviews Danny’s nearest and dearest, including a nun, an ex-wife, and the cops who tried to bring him down.

Here are the showtimes:

Friday, March 25 6:15 PM
Saturday, March 26 9:45 PM
Sunday, March 27 7:05 PM

Here is the official trailer for the documentary:

Just in time for Saint Patrick's Day, Cleveland Irish Mob Movie "Kill the Irishman" will makes its debut nationwide on March 11th.

The movie revolves around the murder of legendary Irish gangster Danny Greene was killed in a mob hit in 1977. The film is based on the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" and stars Ray Stevenson who will play Greene with Christopher Walken playing Shondor Birns, and Val Kilmer with portray a Cleveland policeman.

Here is the trailer of the film that is sure to have a big interest locally.

We predicted a week ago that The Avengers would be shooting in Cleveland this summer when Ohio Governor John Kasich mentioned he was in talks with Marvel to shoot a superhero movie here. The Plain Dealer should of probably paid noticed as they erroneously reported that a new Superman flick was the movie coming to town but now its official - The Avengers starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson will be shot right in downtown.

The film is said to create one hundred jobs downtown.

TV Land hit Hot In Cleveland will be back for a third season as the network gave the okay to 22 new episodes. Filming will begin this summer.

"The chemistry that this cast has with each other is undeniable so we are excited to bring 'Hot in Cleveland' back for another season," said Larry W. Jones, president of TV Land. "Our viewers will be thrilled with all that is in store for next season – amazing storylines, smart and hilarious writing and even more beloved guest stars!"