Tarantino film ‘Django Unchained’ latest to be pulled after school massacre 
 
 By Agence France-Presse 
 
 Tuesday, December 18, 2012 1:26 EST 
 
 A Hollywood premiere of notoriously violent director Quentin Tarantino’s latest film “Django Unchained” was canceled Monday, the latest such response to the Connecticut school massacre. 
 
 A string of movies and TV shows have been pulled or postponed since Friday’s shootings, while sporting events have held moments of silence and players have worn black armbands to honor the victims, 20 of whom were young children. 
 
 The Weinstein Company said that a premiere scheduled Tuesday in Los Angeles of “Django Unchained” – which is due to open on Christmas Day in US theaters – had been called off. 
 
 “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and in this time of national mourning we have decided to forgo our scheduled event,” said a Weinstein Company spokesperson. 
 
 The studio will still hold a screening for cast and crew and their friends and families, industry daily “Variety” reported. 
 
 Tarantino is known for screen violence, in movies from 1992′s “Reservoir Dogs” to 2009′s “Inglorious Basterds.” 
 
 In his new film, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner. 
 
 The move came after the weekend premiere of Tom Cruise’s latest movie, “Jack Reacher” – about a homicide investigator probing a trained military sniper who shot five random victims – was postponed. 
 
 “Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones,” said studio Paramount, adding that it took the action “out of honor and respect for the families of the victims whose lives were senselessly taken.” 
 
 Fox canceled a weekend red carpet event and after-party for “Parental Guidance” starring Bette Midler and Billy Crystal “in light of the horrific tragedy.” 
 
 The studio also replaced planned broadcasts Sunday of episodes of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” to avoid any insensitivities to the massacre. 
 
 A moment of silence was observed at National Football League (NFL) games across the country Sunday to remember those killed in the normally peaceful town of Newtown, Connecticut. 
 
 While some events were canceled because of content, others did not appear to be. 
 
 PG-rated “Parental Guidance” got its parental warning for some rude humor, not for violence, according to the IMDb industry website. 
 
 Veteran crooner Barry Manilow postponed a planned Friday night show in Palm Desert, California until Sunday, saying on his website: “Perhaps this small gesture of solidarity will help support these families on this terrible day.” 
 
 Celebrities were quick to join online expressions of shock and sympathy. 
 
 Pop star Justin Bieber tweeted: “My prayers go out to all those suffering in this tragedy. it’s just wrong. Everyone please pray for them.” 
 
 “God have mercy!!!! No one deserves this! Praying for the families of the victims of the Connecticut shooting!! What a Christmas it will be,” added singer Rihanna on the micro-blogging site. ||||| Paramount moves swiftly in reviewing its promotional materials for "Jack Reacher," which opens in theaters Friday. 
 
 Hollywood continued to rejigger its publicity plans for holiday releases Monday in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. 
 
 Paramount has decided to make several tweaks to the marketing materials for Jack Reacher, the gritty crime-action pic starring Tom Cruise as a hard-boiled former military cop trying to prove that an alleged sniper was framed. The film opens Friday. 
 
 VIDEO: 'Jack Reacher' Trailer: Tom Cruise Is 'Not a Hero,' But Werner Herzog Is the Villain 
 
 The studio wouldn't officially say what the changes are, but a source confirmed that a scene of Cruise's character firing off a semi-automatic weapon is being cut from promotional spots. 
 
 Jack Reacher, rated PG-13 and opening with sniper fire, isn't the only Christmas movie laced with violence. 
 
 Django Unchained, opening Christmas Day, is directed by Quentin Tarantino, known for his over-the-top violence. The R-rated Django stars Jamie Foxx as a slave promised his freedom if he helps a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz ) track down a plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). 
 
 STORY: 'Jack Reacher' Lincoln Center Screening Postponed; Pittsburgh Premiere Set for Dec. 19 
 
 On Monday, The Weinstein Co. announced it was cancelling Tuesday night's Django premiere in Los Angeles because of the school tragedy. 
 
 “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., and in this time of national mourning we have decided to forgo our scheduled event," the company said in a statement, adding that it would still hold a screening for cast and crew. 
 
 At a junket for Django on Saturday in New York, Tarantino said he is weary of defending the violence in his movies. 
 
 "I just think there's violence in the world. Tragedies happen," the filmmaker said. "[Django} is a Western. Give me a break." 
 
 Foxx, however, said Hollywood can't "ignore" that violence in movies has an impact. And this summer, Harvey Weinstein, an advocate for gun control, called for a summit on violence in film after the Aurora theater shooting during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. 
 
 In scrubbing the Django premiere, The Weinstein Co. was following the cue of Paramount, which postponed Saturday's planned Jack Reacher premiere in Pittsburgh (the event has been rescheduled for Wednesday). 
 
 FILM REVIEW: 'Jack Reacher' 
 
 The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City also postponed a special screening of Jack Reacher on Monday night that was to be accompanied by a discussion with Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie, saying it was doing so out of respect for the families of the victims. 
 
 The Weinstein Co. declined to say whether it was changing its marketing materials for Django in the wake of the shooting. 
 
 On Sunday, Warner Bros. used NFL football to advertise its upcoming period pic Gangster Squad. The spot was heavy on gunfire. 
 
 Gangster Squad was supposed to open in September, but the studio pushed back the release after the Colorado shootings in order to remove a scene depicting a gunfight in a movie theater.
– Hollywood has been responding to the Newtown tragedy with a slew of cancellations, postponements, and other changes to movies: Tonight's LA premiere of Django Unchained, the latest violent film from Quentin Tarantino, has been canceled. "In this time of national mourning we have decided to forgo our scheduled event," says a Weinstein Company rep, according to the New York Times. A private screening will be held instead of a big red carpet gala. Two events related to Tom Cruise's new movie, Jack Reacher, have been postponed: last Saturday's Pittsburgh premiere as well as a Film Society of Lincoln Center screening involving Cruise. Paramount is also tweaking the marketing materials for the movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. A source says a scene in which Cruise's character, a former military cop, uses a semiautomatic weapon is being removed from promos. Even a comedy, Parental Guidance, saw its red carpet premiere and after-party canceled over the weekend "in light of the horrific tragedy," AFP reports. The film stars Bette Midler and Billy Crystal. Also over the weekend, episodes of Family Guy and American Dad were yanked.