Red carpet event for Liam Neeson movie scrapped after revenge remarks

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The New York celebrity red carpet event on Tuesday for actor Liam Neeson’s new film “Cold Pursuit” has been canceled in the wake of an interview in which Neeson said he wanted to kill a black man in response to the rape of a friend who said her attacker was black.

Movie studio Lionsgate declined to comment but a source familiar with the matter said that a red carpet, where movie stars pose for photos and speak with reporters, would be inappropriate.

The U.S. premiere for the movie, in which Neeson plays a man seeking revenge for his son’s killers, will still go ahead on Tuesday.

Responding to the backlash his comments had drawn, the 66-year-old Irish star told the U.S. television network ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that “I’m not a racist.”

Neeson said he had learned that society needed to have a larger discussion to end racism and bigotry.

On Monday, Neeson told the British newspaper The Independent that he related to characters in his movies such as “Taken” who seek revenge when someone close to them is hurt. He said a female friend told him decades ago that she had been raped by a man who was black.

Neeson told the newspaper he had spent “maybe a week” walking near pubs with a heavy stick and “hoping some ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could ... kill him.”

The Independent said Neeson put air quotes around the term “black bastard.” The newspaper posted audio from the interview on its website.

On Tuesday, Neeson told “GMA” that he had felt a “primal urge to lash out” at the time.

“I went out deliberately into black areas in the city, looking to be set upon,” he said. “It shocked me and it hurt me ... I did seek help, I went to a priest.”

Neeson said no violence occurred. He said he would have been looking for a white man if his friend had identified her attacker as white.

“It was horrible, horrible when I think back, that I did that,” Neeson said on “GMA. “It’s awful, but I did learn a lesson from it.”

Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Jill Serjeant; Editing by Howard Goller and Grant McCool

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Liam Neeson to Pacquiao: Can I have 2 tickets?

Academy Award-nominated actor Liam Neeson is backing Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao to make history on May 2 and hand American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. his first-ever professional loss.

"I'm definitely in Manny's camp. Yeah, sure, I want him to beat this guy," said Neeson, who plays hitman Jimmy Conlon in his latest movie, "Run All Night."

"This could be (like) the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight of 1971," he added.

Neeson's "Run All Night" co-star, Joel Kinnaman, who will play his estranged son, is not as sure, however.

"It's hard because I love both these fighters, and I think had it been five years ago, I think Pacquiao would have won," Kinnaman said. "Now, I think Pacquiao is more past his prime than Mayweather."

Neeson famously lent his voice to Pacquiao's documentary, "Manny: The Movie," which was released earlier this year.

"I do know he's gone into politics," Neeson said of the "Pacman." "I think he'd be great for Philippine politics. Get this fight over with. Completely retire. He's made his money."

But for now, Neeson has only a simple request to ask Pacquiao.

"Manny," he said, "Two tickets, buddy, two tickets."

Tickets to the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight are expected to be scarce, and highly expensive. Initial estimates have pegged ringside seats to cost as much as $5,000, and sell for more than twice that amount in the secondary market. -- Report from Don Tagala, ABS-CBN News North America.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

What Liam Neeson thinks of Pacquiao's boxing, acting skills

MANILA - Hollywood actor Liam Neeson is all praises for People's Champ Manny Pacquiao's boxing skills but kept mum when asked what he thought of the Pacman's acting.

In an interview on the Guardian website, Neeson, best known for his work in movies like "Schindler's List" and "Taken, said that like Manny, he also started boxing at a young age.

"I was a boxer as a kid, from the age of nine to about 17. But Manny was brought up in a f*cking shack with rebels firing guns and stuff. He was facing death on a daily basis. And not having food to eat! That’s rock, rock bottom. What a foundation to build your future on; there's nowhere to go but up. So, when he fights, beside his natural talent – which is phenomenal – you’ve got this f*cking anger. But it’s a very controlled anger. He's fighting not just for himself, but for all of the Philippines," he said.

On the other hand, Neeson said he has not seen any of Pacquiao's movies except for a few clips. Pacquiao has acted in eight movies included Wapakman in 2009.

"I saw a sample of them on the documentary and it threw me a little bit. I thought, OK … maybe let’s save those for another day," Neeson said.

Aside from acting, Pacquiao has also dabbled in TV hosting, recording and even coaching a professional basketball team. He is the current congressman of Sarangani.

Neeson is the narrator in the Pacquiao documentary "Manny." He told the Guardian that he won a few titles when he was still an amateur boxer.

Co-director Ryan Moore earlier said he chose Neeson to narrate the documentary because he wanted an actor who understood the boxing struggle.

"There were a few celebrities, a few Hollywood actors I wanted to use and one of them was Liam Neeson. Because growing up in Ireland, he was a boxer. He had something like 40 amateur fights. In fact, that signature broken nose he has is actually from boxing," explained Moore.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao welcomes praise for documentary

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is all smiles for the praise he is getting regarding his documentary.

The documentary, titled “Manny,” opened in Philippine theaters on Wednesday.

“Maganda naman 'yung movie daw, maraming nanood, at nakapagbigay inspirasyon sa ating mga kababayan,” said Pacquiao in an interview with ABS-CBN North America Bureau’s Steve Angeles.

The film features the life of the Filipino boxing icon, his rise to fame, and even his misfortunes.

It was narrated by Academy Award nominee Liam Neeson and directed by Academy Award winner Leon Gast and Ryan Moore.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao continued his training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Tuesday as part of his preparations for his upcoming rematch against Timothy Bradley.

The fighting congressman even bloodied the nose of one of his sparring partners, despite having jetlag from his long flight to the US.

“Ayos naman ang first day [of training] natin dito sa America. May jetlag pa tayo so adjust adjust pa ng konti," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Liam Neeson says Floyd scared of Pacquiao

MANILA – Hollywood actor Liam Neeson believes that the only thing holding back the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. mega fight is Floyd’s unwillingness to face the Filipino boxing superstar. 

In an interview with ESPN, the Oscar-nominated actor admitted being one of the fans waiting for the super fight to take place.

“I would pay any amount of money to be at that fight,” said Neeson, who is known for his performances in Hollywood films like Taken, Les Misérables, Clash of the Titans and The A-Team.

Neeson used to box in the amateur ranks during his teens in his native Ireland.

“I was OK, I was competent. I was a jabber, I had a good jab. I had about 40 fights and I won about maybe 30,” he said.

The now 60-year-old actor branded Pacquiao as one of today’s best boxers.

He even picked the Filipino to win over Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8. He said the fighting congressman has the attributes of a great champion.

“Pacquiao is still amazing. He's getting a little bit older, but in the championship rounds, from 9 to 12, he just gets stronger and stronger and stronger,” said Neeson.

“That's the sign of a great champion.”

Neeson thinks Mayweather is a great fighter, too.

But the downside with Mayweather, he said, is the American boxer’s refusal to fight Pacquiao.

“I think he's scared of Pacquaio… I don't mean he is scared, like terrified of his life, but I think he thinks he can see in Pacquiao someone that could beat him.”

source: abs-cbnnews.com