Vardalos granted big, fat Greek film shoot

Athens, Greece – Nia Vardalos, star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” stood under a big reflector on Saturday, filming a new romantic comedy among the dramatic ruins on the Acropolis.

The scene will appear in “My Life in Ruins,” also starring Richard Dreyfuss, and follows a decision by Greek authorities to relax their ban on any commercial use of ancient sites.

Authorities vetted the script for historical accuracy and convened a panel of senior archaeologists to give final approval.

“Imagine how I feel being here shooting a movie … I can’t believe things like this can happen to me,” Vardalos said late Friday before the Acropolis shoot.

Released in 2002, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was a surprise international hit and earned Vardalos an Oscar writing nomination.

Werner von Trapp dies

Montpelier, Vt. – Werner von Trapp, a member of the musical family made famous by the 1965 movie “The Sound of Music,” has died, his family said. He was 91.

Von Trapp died Thursday at his home in Waitsfield. The cause of death was not announced. The family confirmed his death but declined to comment further.

“The Sound of Music” was based loosely on a 1949 book by his stepmother, Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987. It tells the story of an Austrian woman who married a widower with seven children and teaches them music.

Born in 1915 in Zell am See, Austria, von Trapp was the fourth child and second son of Captain Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead. In the movie “The Sound of Music,” Werner von Trapp was depicted by the character named Kurt.

During the 1930s, von Trapp studied cello and became proficient on several other instruments. He sang tenor with his family’s choir, The Trapp Family Singers, who won great acclaim throughout Europe after their debut in 1935.

In 1938, von Trapp and his family escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria. After they arrived in New York, the family became popular with concert audiences. The family eventually settled in Vermont.