By Joseph Martinez -

For the first time since news of her pregnancy made it's way through the media,  a glowing Scarlett Johansson and tiny baby bump hit the red carpet for the premiere of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday (March 13, 2014). The ebullient actress, who portrays the Marvel character of Black Widow, posed for photographs wearing a Giorgio Armani Prive top and skirt, Christian Louboutin shoes, and Van Cleef and Arpels earrings.

Johansson, 29, also showed off a diamond ring on her engagement ring finger from her French fiancé, Romain Dauriac. The two were engaged in August.

Scarlett has kept silent about the pregnancy but Marvel Studios President of Production confirmed her maternity in a recent interview. Kevin Feige told Collider.com, 'Well my first reaction was I was very happy for her and very excited for her. 'My second reaction was we've got to move some pieces on the chess board around schedule-wise. But we didn't change the script at all, which is sort of the most important things for us in terms of the storyline.' Feige's comments confirmed reports the 29-year-old actress is due to welcome her first child into the world with her fiancé Romain Dauriac, 31.

Invited attendees at the premiere included the film's co-stars as well as celebrity guests including, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner among others. (Photos: © 2014 Joe Martinez/ Picturelux - All Rights Reserved)

About the Film:

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off assailants sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier. Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opens in U.S. theaters on April 4, 2014. For more information on the film, visit: marvel.com/captainamerica

Visit an entire gallery from the event at PictureLuximages.com

By Joseph Martinez -

It was all glitz and glamour of epic proportions on Hollywood Blvd. for the highly anticipated film "300: Rise Of An Empire" held at TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday (March 4, 2014) in Hollywood.

Lena Headey looked edgy as she arrived wearing a low back dress and baring her tattoos to photographers and fans.

The 40-year-old actress was joined on the red carpet by co-stars Eva Green, Callan Mulvey and Jack O'Connell. Headey will reprise the role of Queen Gorgo of Sparta from the first film  while new face, and former Bond girl, Eva Green will be joining the franchise as a Persian naval commander, Artemisia.

The Noam Murro directed action movie (taking over from Zack Snyder) is the long-awaited sequel to 2007's box office hit '300,' and sees Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) lead a battle at sea to defeat the Persian navy after the demise of the Spartan land army.

Celebrity guests included Miguel Ferrer, Tito Ortiz, McKenzie Westmore, Gene and Nick Simmons among others. (Photos © 2014 Joe Martinez/ Picturelux - All Rights Reserved)

About the Film:

“300: Rise of an Empire,” told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster “300,” is a new chapter of the epic saga, which takes the action to a new battlefield—the sea. The story pits the Greek general Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces, ruled by the mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and led by Artemisia, the vengeful commander of the Persian navy. Knowing his only hope of defeating the overwhelming Persian armada is to unite all of Greece, Themistokles leads the charge that will change the course of the war. The action adventure stars Sullivan Stapleton as Themistokles and Eva Green as Artemisia. Reprising their roles from “300,” Lena Headey stars as the Spartan Queen, Gorgo; David Wenham appears as Dilios; Andrew Tiernan plays Ephialtes; Andrew Pleavin plays Daxos; and Rodrigo Santoro returns in the role of the Persian God-King, Xerxes. The film is based on the graphic novel Xerxes, by Frank Miller. "300: Rise of an Empire" will open on March 7, 2014.

Visit an entire gallery from the event at PictureLuximages.com

By Joseph Martinez -

The Lego movie has been assembled and is ready for display as evidenced by it's recent premiere in Westwood, Ca on Saturday (February 1, 2014).

The saturated and vivid colors of Lego bricks brightened up LA as Warner Bros. took over a whole city block at Broxton Avenue, creating an enclosed world for the 'The Lego Movie' Premiere. The computer-animated feature had a giant Lego themed red carpet at the Regency Village Theater, near UCLA in Los Angeles, and was a star-filled extravaganza. Many of the stars voicing the characters were present including Chris Pratt, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Elizabeth banks to name just a few.

Anna Faris showed off an amazing post-baby body at the Lego premiere as husband Chris Pratt, who plays Emmet in the film, held on to her tight as they posed for the photographers.

Elizabeth Banks, who voices the character of Wyldstyle in the film, looked far from wild and quite a bit more conservative in a fashionably svelte Osman jumpsuit, Jimmy Choo shoes and Edie Parker clutch.

About the film: “The LEGO® Movie” is the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO® adventure. Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller the original 3D computer-animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as The Special, the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously under prepared. (Photos by © 2014 Joe Martinez/ Picturelux - All Rights Reserved)

“The LEGO® Movie” in theaters Friday February 7, 2014

By Joseph Martinez -

James Avery, best known for his portrayal of the patriarch, Will Smith's character's uncle in the TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, died at the age of 68 from complications following open heart surgery in a Los Angeles suburb hospital.

His publicist, Toni Benson, confirmed the news of his death to CNN, as well as his former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro, who tweeted, "I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly."

Avery was born in 1945 in Pughsville, Suffolk County, Virginia and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After graduating high school, he served in the Vietnam War as a member of the U.S. Navy from 1968–1969,  Later on, he moved to San Diego, California where he began to write poetry and TV scripts.

Besides playing the beloved character 'Uncle Phil' on the show (ranked as one of TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time"), Avery was a prominent voice actor who supplied the voice of Shredder in the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television cartoon and the voice of War Machine in the animated "Iron Man" series.

Avery had recently undergone open heart surgery and reportedly died from complications from the operation. Avery is survived by his wife Barbara, whom he had been married to for 26 years, his mother, Florence, and his step-son, Kevin Waters. (photo: © 2013 Joe Martinez / Picturelux)

By Joseph Martinez -

As we bid farewell to 2013, let's take a look and remember the celebrities and other notables that passed away this year. Some deaths more sensational than others, but all worth noting. 2013 saw the loss of many talented individuals from Peter O'Toole to James Gandolfini et al. So now, we say a final good-bye.

    January – Singer Patti Page Dead at 85
    January – ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ Actor Conrad Bain Dead at 89
    February – Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch Dead at 88
    February – Country Music Star Mindy McCready Dead at 37
    March – ‘Harry Potter’ Actor Richard Griffiths Dead at 65
    April – ‘Buckwild’ Star Shain Gandee Found Dead at 21
    April – Film Critic Roger Ebert Dead at 70
    April – Fashion Designer Lilly Pulitzer Dies at 81
    April – Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: Dead at 87
    April – Former ‘Mouseketeer’ Annette Funicello: Dead at 70
    April – Comedian Jonathan Winters Dead at 87
    April – Deftones Bassist Chi Cheng Passes Away at Age 42
    May – Kriss Kross Rapper Chris Kelly Found Dead at 34
    June – ‘All in the Family’ Star Jean Stapleton: Dead at 90
    June – 'The Sopranos' Star James Gandolfini Dead at 51
    July – 'Glee' star Cory Monteith Dead at 31
    July – Actor Dennis Farina Dead at 69
    August – ‘Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin Margaret Pellegrini Dead at 89
    August – ‘Bachelor’ Contestant Gia Allemand Dead at 29 in Apparent Suicide
    August – That ’70′s Show’s Lisa Robin Kelly Dead at 43
    August – Rizzoli & Isles’ Lee Thompson Young Dead at 29
    August – Hollywood Writer Elmore Leonard Dead at 87
    August – 'East of Eden' Actress Julie Harris Dead at 87
    September – David Frost British Broadcaster Dead at 74
    October – Author Tom Clancy Dead at 66
    October – Veteran Character Actor Ed Lauter Dead at 74
    October – ‘The Simpsons’ & 'The Bob Newhart Show' Actress Marcia Wallace Dead at 70
    October – Musician Lou Reed Dead at 71
    November – Honeymooner’s Revival Star Jane Kean Dead at 90
    November – 'Fast & the Furious' Star Paul Walker Dead at 40
    December – Nelson Mandela Dead at 95
    December – Legendary Actor Peter O’Toole Dead at 81
    December – Actress Joan Fontaine Dead at 96
    December – ‘Fresh Prince’ Producer Jeff Pollack Found Dead at 54