Can You Feel The Love?

Actor Rupert Friend hasn't really had much of a film career. In fact, he's perhaps more well known as boyfriend to Keira Knightley (both pictured) than any work that he's done on screen....All of that is likely to change according to The Hollywood Reporter:

He has signed on to play opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in the Stephen Frears period romance drama Cheri

In what could be a break role for Friend, he plays a young man named Cheri, sent by his mother (Kathy Bates ), a well-respected courtesan in 1920s France, to be taught the ways of women by her fellow courtesan Lea de Lonval (Pfeiffer). Soon the novice finds himself falling in love with his teacher...The pair begin a six-year affair that comes to a bitter end when Cheri has to marry a wealthy young woman.

Frears & Pfeiffer worked together on Dangerous Liaisons 20 years ago--Ironically enough, another period drama with a love triangle at its center...

To Tell The Truth

Lena Headey (pictured) is following in the footsteps of her Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles co-star Thomas Dekker, and is keeping busy while their TV show is looking good that it will be back for season #2...(yeah! Great news for geeks-myself included...)

Heady has signed on to co-star in Tell-Tale reports Coming Soon



The flick is a modern spin on the classic story The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe...

Josh Lucas stars as a single father who undergoes a heart transplant and then embarks on a frenzied hunt for who killed the donor before the man comes after him. Headey's role is not specified but I'm sure she will look good in whatever her part

Filming is set to start on the thriler later this month.

Tangled On Cable

Here's the latest goings on between the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA with the hope of averting another Hollywood walkout...

Dave McNary of Variety:

With formal negotiations looming on the feature-primetime contract for actors, SAG and AFTRA are bickering over whether basic cable should be included in the negotiations.

The latest disagreement emerged over the weekend following recent moves by both performers unions to negotiate jointly rather than separately. And it comes in the wake of the AMPTP's request last week to start negotiations on April 1 -- three months before expiration of the current pact.

SAG national exec director Doug Allen sparked the imbroglio in a letter sent Friday to AFTRA topper Kim Roberts Hedgpeth. In the missive, Allen asserted that the unions could decide over the next two weeks that basic cable would be part of the negotiations "as we have proposed in past negotiations."

SAG and AFTRA currently bargain separate deals with basic cable companies -- a situation that has led to near-constant sniping between the two labor orgs. Allen noted in the missive that at a meeting earlier this month with AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, AFTRA president Roberta Reardon acknowledged that basic cable is part of the 27-year-old Phase One joint bargaining agreement between the two unions.

AFTRA fired back on Sunday in a response that highlighted the ongoing bad blood between the unions. Labor observers have been wondering over the past year how effectively the two unions will be able to negotiate together given their long history of acrimony.

In this case, AFTRA accused SAG of focusing on peripheral issues when it should be prepping for the negotiations and hinted that it could still make good on its threat to negotiate a separate primetime deal. Reardon had insisted in a March 4 letter that SAG make clear that it would agree to joint bargaining with AFTRA with no additional conditions.

AFTRA leaders have been irked that SAG was insisting that AFTRA promise to stop offering lower initial rates on basic cable shows -- long a sore spot for SAG leaders -- as a condition of joint bargaining.

"AFTRA asked SAG for a simple, unambiguous written response to president Reardon that stated its commitment to bargain jointly under the Phase One agreement with no changes, conditions or extraneous issues attached," an AFTRA spokesman said Sunday. "We are still waiting." ...

Simply Put: The basic cable issue should be included-Duh!! Otherwise, that will surely come back and bite everyone on the butt...If negotiations had started before April Foo-Ahem...First This latest dust up could probably have been avoided. Again I say Duh!

Pre-Order Your Super-Hero Sale

2 future superhero blockbusters of Summer '08 have already found a place to land on TV-once their first runs are completed.

Variety has details of what's turning out to be a pretty sweet deal for one basic cable net and a production company.





Marvel Studios has engineered its first major TV deal since going independent in 2005, preselling the cable rights to "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" to FX along with three more superhero movies still to be determined.

Following the sight unseen lead of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull-"Hulk" and "Iron Man" are sure to mean solid ratings and revenue for the Net...And 3 three more flicks to be figured out later . Hmmm. Are Punisher: War Zone and maybe the next Spider-Man, as well as say Fantastic Four 3 in F/X's future?

An Elephant's Favorite Color Is Green

Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who...And a whole lotta ka-ching in the process as the CGI-animated feature wins the weekend at the cineplex.



Meanwhile: Never Back Down beats down Doomsday...

Pamela McClintock of 'Variety:

Twentieth Century Fox's "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" enjoyed a who-licious bow of $45.1 million at the domestic box office, the biggest opening of the year and furthering Fox's successful foray into the animated and family marketplace.

"Horton"--toplining the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell and produced by Blue Sky Studios--becomes the fifth-best opening ever for a G-rated toon, a market otherwise owned by Disney and Pixar. It also is the fourth-best opening ever for March, after Warner Bros' "300" and Fox's own animated PG toons "Ice Age" and sequel "Ice Age: The Meltdown."

"It's a who-mongous opening. It played to whos from ages 2 to 92. Blue Sky has made a film that makes you feel like you are immersed in the pages of Dr. Seuss' world," Fox senior VP of distribution Chris Aronson said.

Looking to take full advantage of kids starting to be out of school for the Easter break, "Horton" went out in 3,954 theaters.

Elsewhere at the box office, Summit Entertainment seemed to score a victory with mixed-martial arts drama "Never Back Down," which grossed an estimated $8.6 million from 2,729 runs to place No. 3 for the frame after "Horton" and Warner Bros.' holdover "10,000 BC," according to Rentrak. "Back Down" is the first in-house production released by Summit's new distribution arm.

Universal and Rogue Pictures weren't so lucky with horror pic "Doomsday," which grossed an estimated $4.7 million from 1,926 theaters in its debut to place only No. 7. It is the first Rogue title released by Universal since Rogue came under the U banner, instead of Focus Features.

In its second sesh, Warners' "10,000," declined 54% to an estimated $16.4 million from 3,410 runs for a cume of $61.2 million in the pic's first 10 days.

Also in their second framers were Disney's Martin Lawrence starrer "College Road Trip" and Lionsgate's crime actioner "The Bank Job."

Placing a solid No. 4 for the weekend, "Road Trip" declined 42% to an estimated $7.9 million from 2,706 theaters for a cume of $24.3 million.

"Bank Job" enjoyed one of the strongest holds in recent months, declining just 17% to an estimated $4.9 million from 1,613 runs for a cume of $13.1 million. Film placed No. 6 for the weekend...

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly:

The family film ''Horton Hears a Who!'' dominated the box office with the year's best opening so far, $45.1 mil


Read More Here...

Director's Choice

-Director David Fincher is moving forward with plans for an animated anthology feature film based on the 70s sci-fi fantasy Mag "Heavy Metal", according to Variety.

The R-rated, adult-themed film will consist of eight or nine individual animated segments, each of which will be directed by a different director.

Fincher will direct one of the segments, Kevin Eastman and Tim Miller will each helm a segment while all three will produce the flick.

2 animated features based on the publication were already released before in 1981 and again in 2000.

The periodical is noted for blending dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica with high-quality artwork by acclaimed artists and writers.

The previous efforts of big screen "Metal" have their admires for sure--But with Fincher spearheading the new version...I'm sure-even more folks will want to check it out than ever before..

-Meantime, Wolfgang Petersen has signed on to direct the sci-fi thriller "Uprising" for Sony as reported in Variety.

It tells the story of what happens after Earth is taken over by a powerful alien race...As a band of humans form a resistance movement in an effort to take back our world.

Charles Leavitt ("Blood Diamond") penned the script.

I'm pulling for Petersen on this one--After the waterlogged disaster that was the Poseidon-The director, known for his action movies, needs a hit and certainly deserves better.

Ladies Choice

A pair of my favorite actresses are making news:

First-Sarah Michelle Gellar (pictured) is negotiating to take over Kate Bosworth's role in the indie drama "Veronika Decides to Die" reports Variety.

The story concerns a severely depressed woman who rediscovers her will to live after learning that she has only days left due to the irreparable damage done to her heart as a result of, thanks to a recent suicide attempt.

Based on the book by Paulo Coelho-Larry Gross and Roberta Hanley adapted the screenplay,

Emily Young ("Kiss of Life") calls the shots...

This would be a good get for Gellar--allowing her to flex her dramatic acting chops...After that she needs to do a more mainstream film like Carla Gugino...

Gugino has nabbed the adult female lead opposite Dwayne Johnson in "Race to Witch Mountain" according to the folks at Mania

The film updates 1975's "Escape to Witch Mountain". Gugino (pictured)) plays a discredited astrophysicist and UFO expert who meets up with a cabbie (Johnson) who asks for her help and extraterrestrial expertise.

Andy Fickman is directing the tween supernatural flick-which begins shooting this month in Los Angeles.

Finders Keepers

Jason Patric (pictured right) and Thomas Dekker (TV's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") are joining the cast of the drama "My Sister's Keeper", accotding to a story in Reuters.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes (Alpha Dog) the film is an adaptation of novel by Jodi Picoult of the sme name.

It tells the tale of a former district attorney (Cameron Diaz) and her fireman husband (Patric) who are sued by their 13-year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin) for emancipation. She was conceived and underwent several operations to help save her ill older sister (Sofia Vassilieva) who's battling Cancer.

Dekker (pictured left) is going to play the older sister's boyfriend and a fellow cancer survivor.

It's nice to see Patric doing a more mainstream project. Indies are fine of course but ya can't do them forever.

As for Dekker, his star continues to rise fast. I just hope he has a "Terminator" TV series to go back to-once filming wraps on "Keeper"!

Production is currently underway in Los Angeles.

Court Gestures

Comedian Garry Shandling (pictured)) takes the witness stand at the Anthony Pellicano trial...And it was by no means a laughing matter...

Greg Krikorian of Los Angeles Times:

...Shandling offered a somber and sometimes pained account Thursday of a "smear campaign" he said Anthony Pellicano orchestrated against him while the private eye was working for Paramount Pictures executive Brad Grey and entertainment attorney Bert Fields

The first celebrity witness to testify in the racketeering and wiretap trial of Pellicano and four others, Shandling told a federal jury that he became the target of ugly media stories after he sued Grey, believing that the executive, then the comedian's manager, was improperly pocketing proceeds from a popular HBO television program Shandling starred in and helped create, "The Larry Sanders Show."

After he hired an attorney to explore Grey's financial dealings, Shandling testified, the then-manager called him late one night at home and angrily threatened that he "would make my life miserable."

Shandling said he later learned from the FBI that Pellicano and his alleged accomplices, including a former LAPD sergeant, had rifled confidential police databases for personal information about the actor and others close to him, including his former girlfriend, Linda Doucett and a close friend, comedian Kevin Nealon.

Shandling did not detail what Pellicano might have found in the police files. Nor did he describe the negative stories, other than to say that reporters told him they were planted by Pellicano.

But with its famous names and charges of chicanery, Shandling's testimony hinted at what federal authorities have been alleging for years: that Pellicano and others resorted to dirty tricks to sidestep the justice system and give his powerful clients an upper hand in battles inside and outside court.

Both Grey, who testified as a witness before the grand jury, and Fields, who acknowledged years ago that he was a subject of the federal investigation, have denied knowing of any illegal activities by Pellicano and have not been charged with crimes. Both are on the government's witness list.

In a statement released by his spokesman, Grey said: "I am extremely saddened by Garry's recollection of events dating back more than a decade. His representation is very different than what I remember and what I know to be true."

Grey said his long relationship with Shandling ended when he and his management company were sued by the comedian and he hired Fields.

"Even though we haven't spoken since that time," Grey said of Shandling, "he remains one of the most talented people I have known and I wish him only the best."

Fields' attorney, John Keker, had no comment on Shandling's testimony.

..Shandling's 45 minutes of serious testimony began light-heartedly when Assistant U.S. Atty. Kevin Lally asked the television star a standard question to get the proceedings underway.

"What do you do for a living?" Lally asked.

"That's a bad sign," Shandling deadpanned, drawing laughs. The implication was that he was not as well-known as he had hoped. "I'm a comedian," he said.

Under questioning by Lally, Shandling described his dispute with his former manager.

Shandling said he believed that Grey was taking fees from the show as well as money for managing him. Grey also refused to provide Shandling with a copy of his own contract, the comedian testified, and made "side deals" involving the show without telling him.

"It was then I realized he was looking out for his best interest . . . and not me," Shandling said.

After Shandling hired a lawyer, Grey resigned as the comedian's manager and said any further questions about the business should be directed to attorney Fields, Shandling testified.

Shandling eventually sued Grey for $100 million; the suit was settled before trial. Shandling did not disclose the settlement amount during his testimony.

Five years before their bitter split, Shandling testified, he and Grey had discussed finding the right attorney to handle another legal matter. When Fields' name was mentioned, Shandling recalled, Grey told him, "Well, with Bert Fields, you get Anthony Pellicano."

Shandling said he never hired Fields.

Thursday's testimony ended with Karla Kerlin, a longtime Los Angeles County prosecutor...

Shandling's testimony sounds pretty damning of Pellicano if you ask me. especially within the context of his fallout with Grey...

Stay tuned as this real-life Hollywood drama continues...

In Space, Snubs Are A Dish Served Cold

Although not quite as controversial as saying, something like the U.S. Government is to blame for the September 11th attacks, nonetheless, Star Trek's next Captain James T. Kirk has caused quite a stir over recent comments about the role.



A while back Chris Pine (pictured w/the Shat) told USA today that he was “not trying to copy” the way that William Shatner portrayed the role of the star ship commander...

And then in a later interview, the young actor was asked by IGN who he looked to for inspiration when playing JTK--Pine said “Harrison Ford in either Indiana Jones or Star Wars.”

Pine went on to say:

"What Harrison Ford is so great at doing is bringing that quality to his characters that if they could be anywhere else in the world they would be there, but he is not, he just is in the middle of s*** and he has to figure out a way of dealing with it so that he can go back to doing whatever the hell he was doing before the film started…I’ve always loved that quality about him in Star Wars, this sense of absolute grumpy manner; the accidental hero. Not to say that I modeled my version of James T Kirk on anything in particular but I think I definitely have wanted to bring that kind of Harrison Ford humour to Kirk."

When I first read the comments by Pine I thought "no big deal". But then after mulling them over a bit more and chatting about the story with pal, and Associated Content contributor Will Stape, (who says folks on various Trek message boards are very ticked by what Pine said to say the least) I thought--Indiana Kirk?.

I like Ford in his pair of iconic roles as much as the next guy...But c'mon trying not to copy Shatner is one thing- Indy and Solo may share general qualities with the Captain--but Kirk is his own brand of hero. To not mention the Shat is, I'm sorry, a total snub. He helped to shape Kirk for gosh sakes!! And had been at it a decade prior to the debut of Solo and 15 years or so on Indy. You don't have to copy every Kirk trait from Bill to gain inspiration. Think Brandon Routh picking up the mantle for Christopher Reeve in Superman Returns. Routh honored Reeve while making the role his own. I'm not as upset as some Trekkers are over this but the snub was painfully obvious and well ...pretty dumb.

Fortunately, Pine has plenty time between now and the May '09 film release to make good...

It seems that Pine's not the only on the Trek reboot crew who's been influenced by Ford...

TrekMovie.com posted a story in which Trek writers Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman described how the Indiana Jones movies have influenced their work.

Kurtzman on Ford:

I would go as far as to say that literally nobody plays action like Harrison Ford. Nobody. I can’t think of anybody who is able to make you feel that the stakes are real, and also make you laugh in the middle of that.

Sho-Stopper

Check out this cool ShoWest report by Pamela McCintock of Variety:

In grand Hollywood style, George Lucas made a surprise visit to exhib confab... in Las Vegas on Thursday to sell theater owners on his upcoming animated feature "Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which...releases [in theaters] Aug. 15.

... ShoWest presentation was emceed by Warner Bros. [president] Alan Horn, who used part of his time to tell exhibitors that he didn't have much additional information to offer in the way of New Line, other than to confirm that New Line would be downsized to a standalone label, or company, within the Warners fold.

From here on out, Warners will distribute all New Line films.

Lucas -- flanked by six stormtroopers -- was perfectly at ease in the large theater at the Paris Hotel that studios use to tout their product to theater owners attending ShoWest.

"I think it can live up to the live-action movies," Lucas said before rolling a clip of "Clone Wars"...

By far, Warners' presentation -- coming on the final afternoon of ShoWest -- was the most elaborate of the week, and included plugs by "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, as well as "Get Smart" director Peter Segal and stars Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, and "Speed Racer" producer Joel Silver.

Still, when it came to built-in advantage, Sony's "21" and Fox's "What Happens In Vegas" had an edge when screening in their entirety -- both films are set in Las Vegas, home of the annual exhib confab.

ShoWest has historically been a time for studios to tantalize theater owners with clips of their summer slates, although in recent years, there's been more action on the casino floor than in the two theaters used by ShoWest.

This year, more of the studios were back, providing exhibitors with glimpse of what spring and summer will look like, at least to some degree. Both Warners and Universal Pictures did their pitching on Thursday.

Other Highlights:

WARNER BROS.

Studio received the most spirited applause for the footage of "Dark Knight," Nolan's sequel to "Batman Begins." Nolan took time to say how grateful he was to have worked with Heath Ledger, who appears in "Dark Knight" as the Joker. The clip played Thursday showed a sequence with Ledger. Producer Joel Silver took the stage to give a lesson on the Wachowski brothers' family tentpole "Speed Racer," promising that the film will be as much of a breakthrough as the "Matrix" franchise. He also stressed that the film is rated PG. The clip of "Get Smart" drew plenty of laughs, a good thing considering it is opening on June 20, the same date as Paramount's Mike Myers starrer "The Love Guru," clips of which also played well earlier in the week at ShoWest. Just before Lucas took the stage, Warners also previewed sequel "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2."

UNIVERSAL

Studio's summer slate is brimming with testosterone, from Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy starrer "Wanted" to Edward Norton topliner "The Incredible Hulk" to "Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Audience members in the overflow theater were generally bullish on clips of all three movies, although the picture was a bit blurred, thanks to a technical glitch. U prexy of worldwide marketing and distribution Adam Fogelson led the presentation, with his comments piped in to the second theater. U's all-audience summer tentpole will be Brendan Fraser starrer "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which relaunches the "Mummy" franchise after a long hiatus.

And The Last Reel will be here to comment on, and cover all of the Summer '08 fun...!

Stars Are Born

Choreographer and TV director Kevin Tancharoen ("Pussycat Dolls Presents: The Search for the Next Doll") will make his feature film directing debut remaking "Fame"

The 1980 original flick was helmed by Alan Parker and has already spawned a TV series and a musical...

Variety says the new version will be written by Allison Burnett and follows the lives of students who attend an elite school for the performing arts in New York from audition to graduation.

Production is due to begin before Labor Day. Casting calls will go out on both coasts within the next 4 weeks...

Given the popularity of Step Up, Step Up 2 the Streets, American Idol and Dancing With The Stars-Not a shock really. In fact, I would say, I'm surprised a remake took so long.

Now Hear This

This week's new flicks are targeting the wee ones and pre-adults as Horton Hears A Who (reviews) with an all star cast of vocal talent, led by Jim Carrey; Sean Faris learns to be an Ultimate Fighting martial arts chanp from Djimon Hounsou in Never Back Down (reviews); And Neil Marshall shows us what Doomsday (reviews) might look like..



Dave McNary and Pamela McClintock of Variety

Twentieth Century Fox's animated family pic "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who" should make plenty of noise at the weekend box office as the first wave of schools let out for the Easter break.

Toplining the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, "Horton" should have no trouble coming in No. 1. The big question is just how big it will open. Fox is looking to take full advantage of market conditions by unspooling the film in 3,954 theaters.

The weekend's other two new wide entries will largely vie for teens and younger adults.

Summit Entertainment's mixed martial arts action-drama "Never Back Down" opens in 2,729, while Universal and Rogue Pictures' sci-fi horror pic "Doomsday" opens in 1,936.

"Never Back Down" is a key test for Summit. Movie, starring Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou and Amber Heard, is the first inhouse production released by Summit's upstart distribution division. Tracking is strong among young men.

The R-rated "Doomsday" was written and directed by British horror filmmaker Neil Marshall ("The Descent") and stars Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins. Story revolves around an elite team sent into Scotland, which has been walled off because of a deadly virus, for which the team is trying to find a cure.

Opening-weekend gross for genre pics "Doomsday" and "Never Back Down" isn't expected to come anywhere close to that of "Horton."

Fox has a strong track record in using the Easter frame for family toons. Studio opened both "Ice Age" and sequel "Ice Age: The Meltdown" in March to record-breaking numbers. First film grossed $46.3 million in its opening weekend, while the sequel bowed to $68 million.

"Horton," like both "Ice Age" movies, was produced by animation house Blue Sky Studios.

Fox has virtually no competition in terms of family fare over the staggered Easter holiday, which distributors say essentially runs three weeks, since various schools break on different dates. Easter falls on March 23 this year.

In fact, the next family film won't open until April 4, when Fox Walden releases the PG-rated "Nim's Island."

"Horton," rated G and the first tentpole toon of 2008, is the second pic based on a Dr. Seuss book in which Carrey has starred after Universal's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." That film took in more than $260 million domestically.

Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino directed "Horton" from an adapted screenplay by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul...

Joshua Rich of EW:

Boasting famous voices, the ''Ice Age'' creative team, and the Dr. Seuss pedigree, this kiddie flick can't go wrong..

Read More Here

The reviews for "Horton" are positive while the other 2 wides barely register-Although at least the fighting stunts of Never look really cool.

Next Week: Owen Wilson returns in the comedy Drillbit Taylor, Tyler Perry wants you to Meet The Browns, while Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor fear the Shutter...

How I Met Your Muppet

The duo behind the upcoming comedy,"Forgetting Sarah Marshall", Jason Segel and director Nick Stoller are teaming again to steer the next Muppet movie reports Variety.

A scene in"Marshall" features Segel's character prepping a "Dracula" inspired musical using puppets.

Those puppets were custom-made by the Jim Henson Company, and the experience paved the way for Segel to pitch his idea for a Moppets movie when he attended a general meeting with executive Kristin Burr.

Segel and Stoller will pen the new Muppet script and Stoller will direct.

As a Muppet fan from my childhood days, I'm thrilled the colorful troupe is making a comeback on the big screen, and I'm curious to see what develops out of this partnership...

Pit Crew

Here's the latest U.S. theatrical trailer for May 9th's Speed Racer flick...

We get more of Speed (Emile Hirsch) behind the wheel...Christina Ricci as his lady love Trixie, Racer X (Matthew Fox). Heck, we even hear from Chim-Chim--But the footage still does little to impress me...



Bottom Line: The film is either going to surprise me and be really good... Or, as I fear, totally tank--There's no middle ground on this one folks...

2 Halves = 1 Whole Harry

It was announced today that the 2010 release of the film version of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be delayed by a few months.

The studio intends to split up the final 784-page "Harry Potter" tome as two separate films to give the series a longer first run shelf life incorporating all of the action.

According to Variety the 2 fer 1 feature will be shot back-to-back with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" opening November 2010 then "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" will close it out in May 2011.

Veteran Potter director David Yates, who helmed last year's "Order of the Phoenix" and this year's "The Half-Blood Prince" is due to direct both parts of 'Deathly Hallows'.

Writer Steve Kloves, who adapted every Harry novel but the 'Phoenix' flick, will be back to write these scripts.

The move will surely please the fans, and gives the studio suits more profits to roll around in.

The cast, led by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) have committed to complete the saga on screen.

I know some folks who will be excited by this news...As for me...Meh...

Pellicano Briefs

Guess what kids? After two years of investigation, tinseltown jitters, one jail sentence, and three false starts later- The Anthony Pellicano wiretapping trial is underway.

Pellicano (pictured) acting in his defense, questions key witness Tarita Virtue...

Greg Krikorian of The Los Angeles Times:

Tearfully confronting her former boss, a key government witness in the racketeering trial of Anthony Pellicano told a federal jury Wednesday that she feared for her life after telling the FBI and a grand jury about the indicted private investigator's alleged wiretapping and other crimes.

"I was shattered. I was so scared . . . about your retaliation," a seemingly terrified Tarita Virtue said to Pellicano, who is acting as his own defense attorney.

Recalling how Pellicano considered her "like a daughter" during the two years she worked as his top assistant, Virtue, 38, said she continued to act as if she would never discuss his business so he would not become suspicious that she was cooperating with the government.

"I wanted you to think I would always be loyal to you," Virtue told Pellicano, "because I was in fear for my safety."

Referring to a recent article in which Virtue was quoted as saying she wished Pellicano had died in prison, Pellicano stared at his former top assistant and asked, "Do you wish me dead?"

"I did," Virtue said, staring right back at Pellicano. "When you threatened my life, I certainly did."...

Attempting to defuse the moments of tension between them, Pellicano suggested that Virtue's anxiety and courtroom statements were driven not by fear but guilt or a sense of betrayal for testifying against him.

But Virtue rejected Pellicano's explanation.

Choking back tears, she recalled how her father had called her, alarmed, five years ago when he received an allegedly threatening phone call about his daughter from Pellicano, just as she had begun talking to authorities.

"Would I threaten to kill my own daughter?" Pellicano asked Virtue in a calm voice.

"You already did," she answered, sobbing, "when you made that call to my parents in Florida."

Wow! If those dramatic moments between Pellicano and the one time Sexiest Private Investigator-according to Maxim Magazine were not enough...Imagine what might happen when comedian Garry Shandling testifies at the trial...

Stay Tuned...

Strike II Update

Dave McNary of Variety offers up a status report on the possible actors strike:

Studios urge contract negotiations

SAG, AFTRA are going to develop proposals together...

At least something appears as though its being done...

Can Hollywood get the job done? Before a strike sequel arrives?

Stay Tuned...

Green Aches And Ham

MTV faked me out and leaked the teailer for The Incredible Hulk early on its website hours ago...

Here it is via Youtube:



I wonder if star/writer Edward Norton is happy with the final cut of the trailer?...

Slimming Down For Spring

The Tribeca Film Festival unveils its '08 lineup...

UPDATE 3/13/08:

Tribeca unveils additional lineups

Variety:

After criticism that last year's event was overstuffed with pics, the seventh edition of the Tribeca Film Festival has pared its lineup by 20%, with a group of competish titles that tilts toward directorial debuts and pics that explore aspects of youth...




The festival runs from April 23rd - May 4th, 2008...

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

We are now mere hours away from the debut of the first trailer for "The Incredible Hulk",and it seems that there's a battle brewing over the superhero flick.

The gossiper Deadline Hollywood Daily claims that the film's writer and lead Edward Norton (pictured) is in a heated dispute with the folks at Marvel over the editing and final cut of the film.
Norton, director Louis Leterrier, Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige have been talking this week trying to resolve the issue.

When Norton signed on to do the movie, one of the conditions was that he was "promised tremendous involvement and access" which included him personally rewriting Zak Penn's final draft of the screenplay.

With a month to go before the final cut of the film is 'locked', and "a lot of posturing going on between Edward's camp and Marvel over how you edit the final version."

Sounds like deja vu all over again--Norton has had similar behind-the-scenes tussles on his films before...Think "American History X " and "The Italian Job".

If the fight gets very public--it could very well affect public perception and doom the film and the franchise.

Whatever the outcome of the situation, one way or another, a resolution will occur quickly-It's just a mater of how much blood will be spilled in the process.


For Norton's part he's not letting the squabble slow him down as he gets ready to shop around a Barack Obama documentary...

Zoning Commission

Brendan Gleeson (pictured) has signed on to fill the final lead role in the Paul Greengrass-directed war thriller according to Variety.

Inspired by Imperial Life in the Emerald City: by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the drama focuses on the dichotomy in Iraq between the Green Zone where troops are housed, and the streets of Baghdad.

Gleeson, plays an American soldier. Brian Helgeland adapted the script and filming is already underway in Spain.

Aanimal House

The big screen rights to have been sold to Doug TenNapel's soon to be released graphic novel "Monsters Zoo" according to Variety

The live-action adaptation that will be produced by Sam Raimi (pictured) and Joshua Donen. The search is on for a writer...

The tale concerns an ancient idol is discovered underground and then transported to a zoo in the U.S. There, the idol's spirit awakens and starts to mutate the caged animals.

A group of teenagers band together to try and stop the transformations from destroying the world. The book will be published in May by Image Comics.

The project sounds like it's right up Raimi's alley to direct--following Drag Me to Hell and unless he is coaxed to helm Spider-Man 4.

Wake Up Call

Director Bryan Singer (pictured) tells the gang at Empire Online that work has indeed begun in earnest on Superman: Man of Steel -the sequel to "Superman Returns".



"I’m just getting back with writers (?) after the strike. We’re just in the development phase. I’m starting to develop a sequel...with the intention of directing it" he says.

Singer also addresses those pesky story flaws of 'Returns'-taking full responsibility for the film-Standing by his choices:

"The first one was a romantic film and a nostalgic film. I’ll be the first person to own up to that without making any apologies for it. I knew it was going to be that from the outset. And now that the characters are established, there’s really an opportunity to up the threat levels...Clearly there’ll be a body count [laughs]. From frame one, it will be unrelenting terror! All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I’m going to wake them up!"

Despite how SR turned out creatively...I'm glad Singer is getting another shot at the franchise.-A leaner script for MOS is a good place to start in order to avoid pitfalls of the past.

Supes Is "O.K"?

Has Superman: Man of Steel finally found a new team of writers in the guise of a pair of space cadets?

IESB claims that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman fresh off of writing the Star Trek reboot, may be headed to Metropolis for their next assignment

According to site they have had “several meetings” regarding the follow-up to Superman Returns.

It would be ironic if the Trek scribes got Supes, since Singer (himself a big Trek fan) had talked about helming a Trek feature one day He also described the tone of MOS as “The Wrath of Khan” of his Superman franchise, meaning that the sequel would be more action packed than SR.

O and K would be fine choices to pen MOS--If the rumor becomes real...What would they do with the Super-Son? Ooooh the possibilities...Was he imaginary? Stay Tuned...

Win Place Or "Show"

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons offers up a few interesting tid-bits from Sho-West 2008...

-The title for the fourth "Terminator" - "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" - has been dropped and will now go into production without a working title.

A May 22nd 2009 release is still being targeted.

Of more immediate concern for the franchise...Will the excellent but ratings challenged TV spin-off Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles be renewed? I sure as heck hope that it will be, If the show ends unresolved at this point--I will be super-peeved...

- It's not official yet, but "Iron Man" looks like it might open a few days earlier in select markets - likely Wednesday April 30th.

Not a surprise considering the buzz and that the flick unofficially kicks off the blockbuster season with hardly any competition

- A second trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will hit screens sometime in April, quite possibly with "Iron Man".

- "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs", Disney's "Bolt" and Disney/Pixar's "Up" will all be 3D releases. Disney plans to have five 3D films in 2009.

Director's Notes

Pennsylvania's own Jim Shooter has a reason to smile today...His popular comic book series "Harbinger" is gonna be adapted for the big screen reports Variety.

The studio describes the film as a "young Blade Runner-esque" live-action feature with the intention that Brett Ratner will develop the script and direct.

In the story, Harbingers are humans with powers that can be unlocked with the help of more seasoned"omega" harbingers.

Teenager Pete Stanchek finds himself battling an older "omega" who has used his gifts to become an evil business tycoon.

Ratner last foray into the comic book genre X-Men: The Last Stand-turned out better than I thought it would--all things considered. Never read Shooter's series...But I am intrigued...

Ratner will be working on the script as he continues to prep the Hugh Hefner biopic "Playboy"

-"Doomsday" (in theaters this Friday) writer/director Neil Marshall is combing the old west and horror genres in the film "Sacrilege" according to Variety.

Marshall will once again write and direct the hybrid.

He tells the trade: "It is set during the Gold Rush, a time remembered for incidents like the Donner Party. It is meant to be a pitch-black, gritty, period horror movie."

Marshall plans to draw on themes of isolation and paranoia and such influences as the stories of H. P. Lovecraft. Scripting begins immediately.

- Marcus Sakey's debut novel "The Blade Itself" is being made into a film says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story centers on two childhood pals from Chicago who found their way by committing petty crimes as kids before choosing different paths in life.

When they reunite as adults years later, one of them is forced to confront his past-by deciding how far he will go to protect those secrets.

Gone Baby Gone" writing duo Aaron Stockard and Ben Affleck will write and produce the adaption of "Blade" as well

I wouldn't be surprised if Affleck decided to step behind the camera to direct-given how well "Gone" turned out for him..

Picking Up Parnassus

Production has resumed on Terry Gilliam's (pictured) fantasy adventure "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"-after shutting down, following the sudden and tragic death of actor Heath Ledger in late January, according to Variety.

The production had completed most of its filming in the United Kingdom in December and January with Ledger in the lead role. A few more weeks of green screen work was on the schedule in Vancouver starting at the end of January, everything was put on hold as a result of Ledger's passing.

Rumors that began to swirl that Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell would lend a hand to help in the completion of the film have now been confirmed

In a statement from the producers of the picture: "at no point will Heath's work be modified or altered through the use of digital technology".

Going on to explain further:

"The format of the story allows for the preservation of his entire performance... each of the parts played by Johnny, Colin and Jude is representative of the many aspects of the character that Heath was playing."

The story allows for characters to pass through contemporary London through a magic mirror into parallel worlds of the imagination.

Ledger completed all the real world parts in the movie, with the trio of actors playing transformed versions of his character when he passes into the alternate planes.

The solution as presented is the best way the filmmakers could both honor Ledger and salvage the uncompleted project.

Speedy Delivery

Here are the latest theatrical trailers for Speed Racer:

International Trailer #1




International Trailer #2:




It's hard to know what to make of Andy & Larry Wachowski's adaptation of the classic cartoon...The film may turn out to be really good-but to be honest, I'm not really as hyped up for this as I once was...