It's official: my two favorite fictional worlds are colliding! Upper East Side meets L.A. West Side as Blair Waldorf ditches class at Constance Billard to hang (or perhaps even canoodle?) with leading man Vincent Chase. Okay, so it's not the Queen B herself but alter-ego, actress Leighton Meester (pictured), who will guest star on Entourage, but I'm pretty excited nonetheless. HBO has confirmed to EW.com that the Gossip Girl star will reprise her Entourage season 1 role as Britney Spears-esque pop tart Justine Chapin on an episode of the comedy. Meester has a knack for playing the virginal sexpot, so we can only guess what sparks will fly when she heads back to the left coast.
Chi-town rapper/actor Common's very cool upcoming album, Invincible Summer, has a much more synth-based sound than his last couple efforts — shiny circuitry in place of organic soul, you might say. (More on this in EW's summer music preview coverage, in print later this month.) But don't tell that to the character he'll be playing on-screen in the new Terminator sequel. According to Variety, Com's just been cast in T4as a human "freedom fighter," working closely with John Connor (Christian Bale) to take down those evil, murderous machines... so, probably not a guy who listens to a lot of mechanistic electro-rap.
But word! This almost makes up for that Ghostface/Iron Man snub. In all seriousness, this sounds great to me. I'm a fan of his music, of course, but I also thought he showed surprising sensitivity in his few American Gangster scenes last year, where he played one of Denzel Washington's brothers. What do you say? Bale's a pretty intense dude to share a screen with — think Common can hold his own alongside him?
It's great to hear that we may get to see Catherine O'Hara (pictured) every week, thanks to Rob Thomas, who may cast her in an ABC dramedy pilot, Good Behavior. The news got me thinking — there are so many great performers in the SCTV/Christopher Guest axis, and yet a number of them we hardly ever see. I miss Joe Flaherty. What about you, PW-ers? Which MIA comedy performers would you like to see on a regular basis, and what TV roles would you cast them in?
As president of Island Urban Records, Jermaine Dupri has spent a lot of time thinking about the future of music. And his latest brainchild is... TAG Records, a joint venture with, yes, TAG Body Spray, the favored scent of skeezy dudes everywhere. When I first saw this press release in my inbox, I thought it had to be a way-late April Fool's joke. I still wish it were. "Today, we make history in the music industry with TAG Records," Dupri pompously offers. What kind of history — terrible-idea history?! I'm sorry, but sure-to-fail vanity labels and cheap-o deodorant brands (what, he couldn't have gone upmarket and partnered with Axe?) are two cultural phenomena which did not need to join forces. Besides, there's already a defunct label called Tag Recordings!
Oh, this label. As Jay Sherman would say, it stinks! (Indeed, one blogger has already dubbed it "Stanky Records.") It hurts me to give it even a little bit more publicity with this post. But now that I have, what do you say — would you ever willingly buy a CD with the TAG logo on it?
According to early results of our homepage poll, 43 percent of you are worried that Project Runway will change if the show does, in fact, move to Lifetime this fall as planned. I have to say I'm surprised: Last night, at my friend Robb's birthday party, people seemed far more concerned about The Golden Girls leaving Lifetime for Hallmark Channel in spring 2009. Apparently, a lot of people like to fall asleep to "The Girls," which Lifetime plays from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.
How do you feel about that move? I've already had to learn what number Hallmark is on my dial (it was that Andrew McCarthy/Teri Polo movie Straight from the Heart that got me), so though I don't like change, I can deal. I just hope Lifetime knows what it's doing by focusing on original programming...
Can The Weinstein Company make Project Runway's move to Lifetime work? That's the question we're asking ourselves after we received a joint press release from TWC and the cable channel announcing a "groundbreaking agreement" that would move Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, et al from Bravo to Lifetime in Nov. 2008. Of course, buried deep in the release was an acknowledgment that NBC Universal, Bravo's parent company, had filed a lawsuit today against The Weinstein Company in an effort to block the hop. Apparently, NBC believes its contract gives it the right to match any other offer Weinstein has for the show, while the Weinstein-Lifetime press release claims that NBC declined to compete for the series. The courts will have to figure out that hot mess, but there is something we can judge in the meantime: Does the network airing Runway affect whether we'll watch it? And how big of a loss would this be for Bravo?
Clearly, a move to Lifetime means that the show isn't concerned about wooing men (okay, straight men) to its fanbase. So if it's women and gay men producers are after, Lifetime is the place to be. Lifetime doesn't have the cachet that Bravo has, but Klum and Gunn do bring their cred with them. I can't imagine they'd let production values suffer, so why wouldn't we keep watching? As for Bravo, it'd still have Top Chef (and Kathy Griffin). And I'd bet on Bravo's development team coming up with another hit quicker than Lifetime could create one from scratch.
So, will you watch if Runway moves to Lifetime? And will it feel as fierce?
I love pilot season, and all the new (potentially failing) pairings it brings. Today, I spotted a casting that got me truly excited, which is odd because individually, neither of the people involved does. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the CBS drama Exit 19 stars Geena Davis as Gloria, "a quirky Manhattan homicide detective who also is a single mom." Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby-Doo) has just signed on to play the younger brother who lives with her. Am I the only one feeling that their kinds of crazy will blend well together on camera? Better question: Am I the only one hoping Lillard recreates his dance from She's All That? (You know you want to click on that.)
So Jay-Z's ditching his label and signing a comprehensive, historic $150 million deal with Live Nation, joining Madonna on the concert promoters' roster. Can a co-headlined Best of Both Worlds album and tour from Madge and Jay be far behind? (Minus any unexpected macing, fingers crossed.) All kidding aside, as big as this deal is, it really just confirms what anyone who's been paying any attention realized years ago: The old major-label power structure is passé (shocker), and big-time career artists can make waaaay more cash by touring than by recording CDs (double shocker). Still, it's impressive that someone as entrenched in the system as Jay has come around on this. And it's a smart move for sure on Live Nation's part. Jay feels like a more contemporary voice than Madonna, even though he just told the New York Times that he's become "the Rolling Stones of hip-hop."
The question, as always, is how much of an effect this will really have on the rest of the industry — whether this has long-term ramifications for people who aren't named Jay-Z. Every time a megastar signs one of these unorthodox deals, it feels more and more like the tide is shifting. But very few artists have fanbases big enough to justify a move like this, and something tells me Live Nation is not chomping at the bit to finance the next Memphis Bleek record. (Though I hope they prove me wrong — Bleek's last single was not bad!) So? Maybe none of that matters. If this means Jay will continue releasing music (in whatever format) and touring more often in the next few years, I'll be happy. How about you?
It's a big week for character actor extraordinaire Danny Trejo (pictured). First, he tells a couple of online news outlets (here and here) that Machete, the revengesploitation flick based on the awesome fake trailer from Grindhouse, is a go, with Robert Rodriguez producing and hopefully directing as well. (Hat tip to Dark Horizons.) Second, he gets a shoutout in a hilarious deleted scene from Juno, which is apparently on the DVD (due April 15), and which you can watch here. Good work, hombre.
Apparently, The Soup host Joel McHale wasn't joking last month when he told us he was gonna be getting himself a movie career. According to The Hollywood Reporter, McHale's in final talks to join Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh "darkly comic thriller" The Informant.
The word is McHale and Scott Bakula (!) will play FBI agents "working with agri-business insider Mark Whitacre (Damon) to stop a price-fixing scam." A source told the trade that Soderbergh was casting funny folk in the serious supporting roles because he wants the humor to seep though the script, based on Kurt Eichenwald's 2000 best-seller The Informant: A True Story, naturally. Also, because the terms "agri-business" and "price-fixing scam" already kinda bored me.
In case you couldn't tell by my Shania Twain-level use of exclamation points, I think I'm looking forward to the Bakula/McHale pairing a little more than I'm supposed to be. You?
Kathie Lee Gifford, who parted with Regis Philbin eight years ago, was on the Today show this morning to officially announce that she'll be co-hosting its fourth hour with Hoda Kotb come April 7. And here's the thing: Watching the Matt Lauer-narrated video that they showed of her career (below), I realized I'm totally okay with that. She's the good kind of crazy: Outlandish, but composed. She claims she has good chemistry with Hoda, who laughed at her jokes and tolerated her singing at a lunch meeting at the Rainbow Room. We know she'll never be at a loss for words — especially with son Cody, now 6'3", going off to college this fall. And, frankly, her legs look better than ever.
We all know that I (and Dalton Ross) are fans of Dolph Lundgren (in Rocky IV). But are we ready for his Command Performance? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lundgren (pictured) is cowriting, starring in, and directing the film for Millennium/Nu Image (one of the companies behind Sylvester Stallone's highly entertaining fourth Rambo outing.) Per the trade:
Lundgren describes Command as "Die Hard at a rock concert," with the story focusing on a drummer for the warm-up band of a big
American performer giving a concert for the Russian premier.
Naturally, the bad guys break up the show. And just as naturally,
the drummer is an ex-Marine.
"I got the idea from Madonna," Lundgren said. "She did a concert
for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin a few years ago."
Lundgren will not be using a stunt double for the truly complicated
scenes, including the percussion sequences. "I used to play when I
was a kid. Now I play at wrap parties after I've had a few tequila
shots," he said with a laugh. "It'll be fun."
At first, I was going to file this under Things That Make Me Die Inside, but after further reflection... I would totally watch this on DVD. Discuss.
Yes! Two of my favorite funny people, Reno 911's Niecy Nash (pictured) and inexplicable Grammys correspondent Jason Bateman are teaming up for a Fox pilot called The Inn, described as "upstairs/downstairs at a hip New York hotel." Nash will star; Bateman will direct (!), and Arrested Development mastermind Abraham Higginbotham is writing it. In the immortal word of Deputy Raineesha Williams, "Boom!" Everything about this sounds awesome. I ask though, can J-Bate please consider being "inn" the show as well? For some reason I can't get the short-lived Golden Girls spinoff The Golden Palace out of my head, and I'm picturing Bateman as Don Cheadle's manager or Cheech Marin's wacky chef. WHY? That's just wrong.
Because the market for news spoofs (what with Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report) is apparently still not saturated, CNN's Headline News is launching its own weekend news parody show, called Not Just Another Cable News Show, on April 5. Not that big a surprise, really; given that Headline News already has Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace (pictured) every night, haven't they already been airing goofy faux news for some time now?
Every now and then we read a plot of a film in development and can't decide whether it sounds good, bad, or so ugly that someone will never work again. That's when we'll present the pitch to you — in our spankin' new category "Dude, THAT'S your plot?" — and let your votes decide for us. Today's film: Nailed, a romantic comedy from director David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Marsden, Catherine Keener, and Tracy Morgan are in final negotiations to join the cast, which already includes Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel. So far so good, right? But wait: "Marsden will play the small-town boyfriend of Biel's character
Alice, a naive waitress who gets a nail shot into her head, causing
erratic and outrageous behavior. She heads to Washington to fight
for better health care and ends up falling for a clueless new
congressman (Gyllenhaal) who must summon the political courage to
save her.
Keener will play a self-serving Congresswoman. The filmmakers are
finalizing details on Morgan's character, who will likely be an
injured compatriot of Alice's who has given up on love."
Different? Definitely. But in a good, bad, or so ugly way?
Here's how Variety describes Paramount's plans to bring back the Hunt for All Clear and Present Patriot Game Fears franchise yet again, this time with director Sam Raimi at the helm: "The intention is to generate several films... featuring Ryan at a younger, more formative point in his career than previously depicted. One invention the studio is considering is to set the film in the present, with the action triggered by a global threat." So, in other words... they want to screen old episodes of 24? Honestly, this sounds like a pretty creatively bankrupt idea to me. I've got nothing against those old Jack Ryan movies, but didn't we learn from the success of the Bourne and Casino Royale movies that people are hungry for a different kind of big-screen action hero? And if Raimi's interested in redefining the character for today's audience, why not just start from scratch with a new superspy?
Still, assuming this project does go through, Raimi's got a more pressing question on his hands. Who's up to the task of succeeding Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford (pictured), and Ben Affleck as Tom Clancy's all-American manly man? I'm going to go ahead and nominate one of the Jonas Brothers, who are already breaking into the world of espionage with "a live-action spy comedy" for the Disney Channel, but don't let that stop you from making less ridiculous suggestions.
Guess Clint Eastwood was serious when he told EW's Greg Kirschling last summer that he'd come out of acting retirement if the right role came along. Variety reports that the 77-year-old is directing and starring in Gran Torino, which will mark his first acting role in the four years since Million Dollar Baby. He's keeping details of the plot and characters under wraps, but I'm hoping this'll be another Baby-like Oscar-courting drama. Like Baby, this one is probably going to be a drama more about character than spectacle (judging by the quick turnaround between now and the year-end release date; it seems too little time to produce an action-fest like the kind Eastwood used to star in, or like the two WWII films he's released since Baby). Plus, the rush to release it in December, only a month after the release of the director's recently completed abduction drama Changeling (starring Angelina Jolie), suggests that it's a priority for Torino to remain fresh in the minds of year-end awards voters (or else it would come out sometime next year, so as not to steal Changeling's thunder). Finally, Baby also benefited greatly from its under-the-radar status and complete lack of buzz, so that when it appeared and astonished everyone with its third-act plot twist, it rope-a-doped more heavily hyped contenders (notably, Scorsese's Aviator).
What do you think, PW-ers? Am I just spitballing here? Are you excited to see Clint's squint in front of the camera again? Think he can pull off another Million Dollar upset?
News from Variety that Paramount is moving ahead with yet another adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune prompts the question in this item's title. Obviously, I disagree with my colleague Marc Bernardin on this one. His argument is that filmmakers should try again because the previous two versions (the 1984 big-screen adaptation, which frustrated the creative gifts of even a director as visionary as David Lynch and left most viewers with unsettling visions of Sting in a silver Speedo; and the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, which didn't stumble as much) didn't quite get it right. He's correct, but unlike Marc, I don't think the third time will be the charm. For one thing, Peter Berg isn't the director I'd trust with a sprawling fantasy epic; he seems more the type for gritty, real-world dramas (The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights). Second, I think the Sci-Fi Channel version is about as close as we're going to get to Herbert's original vision. The book is a sweeping epic that needs more time and space than a feature allows; at the same time, it's a culty, arcane tale, full of byzantine galactic political and economic intrigue of the sort that not even George Lucas could make cinematically compelling in The Phantom Menace. The Sci-Fi Channel was probably the right place for it, not the multiplex.
What say you, PopWatchers? Am I being too pessimistic? Does Berg deserve the benefit of the doubt? Or should Herbert fans just call it a day and make do with the Dunes they've got?
You've heard about the horror-themed reality show The CW is cooking up for us this summer: Tentatively titled 13, it will put 13 contestants in a horror-film inspired setting and weed them out one-by-one with terrifying challenges. (Spider-Man/Evil Dead director Sam Raimi is among the exec producers, so it should be more legit than it sounds.) According to Variety, producers are still debating what kind of classic setting to use: "An evil small town? A lakeside retreat with a creepy secret? An abandoned cabin in the forest?"
What would you suggest? I'd go with a Kiss the Girls-style rustic underground cell block concept myself.
It puts the comments in the comment basket, below.
Sometimes good things happen to good people. Or, at least really, really funny ones. The boys behind FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton — have sold a pilot to Fox. The show, based on an idea from their Sunny writers' assistant Adam Stein, is called Boldly Going Nowhere. McElhenney tells Variety it will follow a spaceship captain's mundane life as he kills time between missions. "We grew up watching shows like Star Trek, anything having to do with the future, and it was always about the adventures they'd go on," he says. "We thought it would be funny to watch what goes on in between those adventures, when they're waiting for the next big thing to happen. How do they keep themselves busy?" They'll shoot the pilot this fall, after they wrap the 13-episode fourth season of Sunny, about which McElhenney dropped details to EW.com last week.
If you're a fan of Philadelphia (pictured), you know the trio specializes in characters who have a lot of time on their hands. So despite the fact that the guys won't star in Boldly Going Nowhere (their decision or Fox's I wonder?), I'm stoked. Almost as much as my colleague Aubry D'Arminio, who responded to my email sharing news of the deal with one sentence: "I just had a baby in my chair." Do you share our, um, enthusiasm? And what other underrated writer-actor-showrunners would you love to see catch a break?
Are you ready to watch Christian Slater and his raised eyebrows once a week? NBC is expected to order an untitled drama series that would star Slater as a suburban dad who, wait for it, discovers that he has a spy alter-ego. The "Bourne Identity meets Jekyll and Hyde" series is from writer-producer Jason Smilovic, whose credits include Bionic Woman, Kidnapped, and Karen Sisco. (So, okay, we'll watch him once a week, for a few weeks.)
I just checked Slater's IMDB page, and realized that even though he's been working (that guest spot on Alias should come in handy) I haven't actually caught him in anything since 1996's Broken Arrow. I'm ready to change that. I think Slater's casting is actually rather inspired: There's always been something quiet and awkward about him, and yet, he can turn on the crazy. Are you in?
Attention all loners, EW.com writer Gretchen Hansen is currently searching for a new "BFF." Just yesterday she announced plans to launch gretchenbff.com (a website where potential candidates can submit qualifications and complete friendship compatibility surveys.) Hansen denies accusations that the concept was stolen directly from Paris Hilton, whose upcoming MTV reality show will feature 20 finalists competing to be named the socialite's ''best friend forever.''
"If there are similarities, it's just a coincidence," says Hansen. "I mean, Paris is turning companionship into some kind of farce. Friendships are supposed to be meaningful and real and that's why I won't do a reality show until after I pick the first-place winner of my friendship."
What is Hansen looking for in a friend?
"Well, that's where Paris and I are different. Paris claims to want someone she can trust; someone who won't stab her back or ditch her when times are rough. I'm just looking for someone attractive to hang with so I can get into more bars. I guess I'm seeking someone good looking, but not as good looking as me. And someone to straighten my hair before we go out. Kind of like a servant, just prettier and friendlier. Yeah."
Would she consider being Hilton's "bestie"?
"Maybe. People these days are looking for love and camaraderie in all the wrong places. At least Paris and I are smart enough to know the best places to start: TV and the Internet."
Comedy Central just announced plans for a new, live-action, comedy/fantasy series set in medieval times. I know, YAWN. But wait, I didn't tell you the best part. It's called... Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire.
This is my new favorite series, and I haven't seen it yet. I challenge anyone to find a series title that trumps Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire. Wow, every time I say it, I like it even more. "Did you see Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire last night?" "Yeah, Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire ROCKS."
See what I mean? Any series titles you feel passionately about? Any show you love that could use a spiffier title?
The CW has fast-tracked the pilot for a contemporary spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is considering penning said pilot — acceptable. It may or may not include any of the original characters — not acceptable. Right?
Who would you like to see return? I'm pulling for Brandon Walsh, if only so Jason Priestley will recreate the double fist pump from the show's opening (below). Years ago, I used to watch morning Buffy the Vampire Slayer repeats on FX, and 90210 followed it. I would literally do the double fist pump with Priestley, then change the channel. Every morning.
So the title role in Fox Searchlight's long-gestating Notorious B.I.G. biopic has finally been cast, and it's... Brooklyn rapper Gravy, best known as the dude who allegedly took a bullet in the buttocks moments before a radio interview on Hot 97 a couple years ago. My first reaction -- and I say this as a dedicated New York rap head -- has gotta be, "Who?"
Back around that whole shooting incident, no less an authoritative rap blogger than Nahright's Eskay mocked Gravy as "a C-List rapper" whom "you've probably never heard of," and his hip-hop career hasn't exactly taken off since then. Now Eskay's pointedly wondering whether Gravy has any acting chops to speak of -- a fair question, but one on which I'm willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, since I've never seen him act. I have, however, seen him rap, and the few tracks I've heard are strictly cookie-cutter
N.Y.C. mixtape-goon stuff. Go ahead and check out a representative (and NSFW) clip for yourself below. Okay, he's not (quite) the world's least charismatic performer. But honestly, beyond the very slight physical resemblance (hey, a pudgy guy in
a hat!) and the fact that he puts words together over
beats, Gravy isn't a very strong contender for the "next Poppa" title. His voice doesn't even sound anything like
Biggie's! Am I wrong to hope they just have Gravy lip-synch in the movie?
Of course, I could be wrong. Gravy could turn out to be a hip-hop Laurence Olivier. (Hey, I didn't really expect Diddy to make much of an actor, either, and he turned out pretty well.) But you've gotta assume that rapping is a fairly important part of this role — and right now, this seems roughly comparable to casting Aaron Carter in an 8 Mile remake. Anyone not feeling underwhelmed by this choice?
Another day, another horrible idea for a movie remake. The Guardian blogger Daniel Martin persuasively makes the case why we don't need an updated Breakfast Club, especially one that's set in an airport lounge instead of a high school, but still, you have to wonder: what are these filmmakers (and the execs backing their project) thinking?
I'm glad there's going to be a Bob Marley biopic, though I'm ambivalent about his widow, Rita Marley, being so closely involved. Not because she'll present a sanitized portrait of her late husband; she seems committed to a warts-and-all portrayal. Rather, I'm worried about her casting choices. She thinks she should be played by daughter-in-law Lauryn Hill; as impressive as the Fugees singer was in Sister Act 2, I'm not sure she's, um, present enough to take on this weighty role. Rita also thinks her grandson Stefan should play the teenage Bob, though the boy has apparently never been in a movie before. At least she hasn't yet suggested an actor to play the adult Bob. My pick would be Don Cheadle, but I'm open to suggestions, whether or not Mrs. Marley is too.
Not sure if this rumor — that Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company is following up its reboots of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street with a remake of Rosemary's Baby — is true, but if it is, it can only mean that Satan really did father a child, and that his initials are M.B. Can we at least get him to promise not to wink at the original by casting Mia Farrow in the Ruth Gordon role?
ABC's just-announced High School Musical reality competition could be the most cynically exploitative bestest-ever reality show since Kid Nation — as long as they give the youngsters a couple of valuable pointers.
Tip No. 1: Don't let your boyfriend take nude photos of you and put them on the Internet.
Tip No. 2: Make sure the doll version of you has your new nose.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anne Heche is replacing Jennifer Jason Leigh opposite Ashton Kutcher in the indie comedy Spread. Kutcher and Heche will "mix it up in the tale of a womanizer and the lover he
scorns." I've got a couple of thoughts:
(1) Which couple is odder: Kutcher and Leigh, who dropped out of the project, or Kutcher and Heche? I like that he's steering clear of the Tara Reids and Brittany Murphys — and think he held up OK opposite Amanda Peet in A Lot Like Love and should do fine with Cameron Diaz in this May's What Happens in Vegas — but is Heche (or Leigh) someone you'd picture him acting opposite?
(2) If not, is Kutcher really a leading man? I just had a conversation with a colleague who used the word genius to describe Kutcher's talent as a producer (Punk'd, Beauty and the Geek). She thinks he should work more behind the camera for TV and focus on features that cast him as one of the boys instead of half a couple.
Second only to Amy Ryan, Juno's Allison Janney gave my favorite supporting-actress performance last year (you go, C.J. Cregg, with yer Maybelline eyeshadow and yer flat Minnesota accent!). And second to none — not even to Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" — Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" is my favorite classic country-pop singalong-friendly single from a vocalist crossing over into acting (seriously, that tune is good enough to drive you crazy if you let it.) So naturally, EW's Hollywood Insider news that Tony nominee Janney plans a return to Broadway in a new musical based on the 1980 comedy 9 to 5 got my attention.
Since Janney will be playing the Lily Tomlin role, let's think about who should step into the slingback pumps of Jane Fonda and Parton. I could see Ashley Jensen, Ugly Betty's funny Brit, as jumpy Judy, the mousy divorcee who tells off her ex while holding Dabney Coleman hostage in a bedroom ("If I want to have an affair, or play sex games, or do M&M's, you can't stop me!"). And wouldn't recently-buxom Christina Aguilera — hilarious on SNL, let's not forget — knocker one out of the park updating Dolly's role, Doralee? I realize Xtina sharing top billing on Broadway is unlikely, but one can dream.
Here's a daydreamy 9 to 5 clip of Janney's predecessor, Tomlin, doing her best Snow White (I bet Amy Adams would've loved a visit from just a few of these critters during her starkly-staged Oscars performance of "Happy Working Song," but I digress).
Think it's all takin' and no givin' around here, PopWatchers? Nope! Let us hear your fantasy-casting for Janney's next costars, and don't forget the role of the 9 to 5 bossman!
According to the New York Times, Perez Hilton, a.k.a. Mario Lavandeira, the man who has made photoshopping squiggly boogers and drool marks on hapless celebrity heads into a cultural touchstone, is now set to become a highly-paid A&R rep with his own imprint for Warner Bros Records. "The talks are preliminary," says the Times, quoting unnamed sources close to the negotiations, "and an agreement is not certain, but Mr. Lavandeira could receive $100,000 a year as an advance against 50 percent of any profits generated by artists he discovers and releases through Warner Bros."
With an estimated 2.8 million visitors per month, perezhilton.com is undeniably a platform of influence. But is this just one more example of the music-industry's current desperation? While Lavendeira appears to be a genuine music fan and even, at times, an admirably early adopter, especially for European artists, the bulk of his power lies in the size of his readership, not his crystal-ball ability to anoint unsigned artists.
Can you guys do me a quick favor? Just click on this link and tell me if you see the same story that I see there, because I'm starting to think it might be an addled byproduct of the flu-y symptoms I have coming on at the moment.
What I'm seeing: They're making a movie called Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead, starring underappreciated Sopranos alum John Ventimiglia (pictured) as a Shakespeare-adapting playwright/vampire. (Artie Bucco! As a vampire!) The supporting cast includes another of my all-time favorite character actors, Jeremy Sisto, as an incompetent cop, and Ralph Macchio as a mobster, which pretty much speaks for itself. And the film's being scored by Sean Lennon, another underrated fave of mine.
All in all, I give this project a 20% chance of actually existing in the fact-based world. What do you say — is that Hollywood Reporter story there on the other end of that link, or did my flu-like virus make it up? And if it's true, are you half as excited about it as I am?
Martha Stewart has acquired Emeril Lagasse's entire food-based empire for around $50 million. He'll appear on her show tomorrow to discuss it, but you probably won't watch it, since you probably have a life. Instead, check out PopWatch's exclusive (because we made it up) snippet of the segment's transcript:
Martha: Let's all welcome my guest, the brand name Emeril Lagasse. Emeril: Let's kick it up a notch! Who wants to do hot sauce shots? Martha: One time I fashioned the cutest little Russian nesting dolls out of hot sauce bottles. It was so easy; I just fired up the urn in my home glassblowing workshop, which should have its own magazine, and settled down on my antique workbench that I carved myself hundreds of years ago out of blackened oak, a virtually extinct virgin timber. I — Emeril: Huh? Martha:Matryoshka. That's how you pronounce it. I'm excellent with languages. My maiden name is Kostyra. I'm glad I don't use it anymore, because it contains the word "Tyra." Emeril: What? Martha: I'm going to buy the rights to all of the words. Oh, I can see it. Martha Stewart Speaking. How delightfully ironic, for a magazine. What's that smell? Emeril: That's my essence. Martha:My essence. Emeril: Oh yeah, babe. Spice it up! Pork fat rules! Martha: I don't like brand name Emeril Lagasse's tone. Emeril:Bam! Martha: Make it Ma'am! Emeril: Crest toothpaste! Martha: How about a piping hot thank you to the brand name Emeril Lagasse, everyone? Good luck to me in the coming business year.
Can I take a moment to note how cool it is that Martin Scorsese is making a documentary about the life of Bob Marley (pictured)? They're both titans of their respective media, of course, but this pairing of living and dead legends is a particularly smart one.
For one thing, this project could help rescue the real Marley from his less-insightful fans. It's become a common cliché for music-crit types to kvetch about the "frat boys" and "stoned suburban teenagers" who caterwaul along to "No Woman, No Cry" without the dimmest conception of the revolutionary social justice that Marley stood for in his lifetime. And what an accurate cliché it is! Right now, most big-screen treatments of Marley's legacy are on the level of those vapid canon-polishing sequences in the otherwise enjoyable I Am Legend. ("Hey, didja know that Bob Marley was the most awesome musician in the history of ever?? Also, he was a virologist!") I trust Scorsese to treat Marley like the complex, brilliant, uniquely talented person he was — an extraordinary human being, not an abstracted god. Obviously, so does Marley's family, which has authorized the project.
In the last few days, Jason Bateman (via E! Online) and Jeffrey Tambor (via XM radio) have both re-confirmed that they, other Bluth famly members, and producers Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard are getting the cornball rolling for an Arrested Development movie once the strike is over. There's no script yet, but that's okay — I'm sure no true fan would mind if everyone went into this project as blindly as they would a first-time karaoke performance of "Afternoon Delight." Even if the AD movie gets cut from 71 to 63 to 52 minutes long, or winds up entitled The Young Man on the Beach, it's going to be so good. And now, to whet your appetite for frozen bananas, in honor of Jessica Walter's birthday last week and because Lucille Bluth is the greatest character from anything ever...
Lucille's clearly on board. And would you look at that? I'm so excited about this, I just blue myself.
According to Variety, New Line is rebooting the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, à la the recent reboots of Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (and the upcoming reboot of Friday the 13th), but this new Nightmare is apparently going to star someone other than Robert Englund as Freddy. A reboot seems like a bad enough idea (or at least a superfluous one), but no Englund? C'mon, he made that series. He's not like the less-than-verbal slashers in the other franchises. You can't just put any lunk behind the burn scars and clawed glove. Sure, New Line can cast someone younger who can make Nightmare movies for years to come, but for most of us, when we see Freddy Krueger, we'll close our eyes and think of Englund.
Who's going to start the "Keep Robert Englund" petition? Who can think of an actor who would do a better job? And who wishes the studio would just leave well enough alone?
NBC's revamped American Gladiators is such a huge hit that MGM is going to bring back the kids version of the show, Gladiators 2000. Check out a jocked-up (because he's wearing a jersey) Ryan Seacrest as G2's co-host, unfortunately not wearing a Huge Upper Body costume like the Gladiators in that show. Personally, I'd rather watch reruns of Nickelodeon's GUTS on the GAS network. Why the hell did they stop running those? Horrible executive decision. Miss you every night, Mo! Anyway, here's Ryan, below. (Thanks to PopCandy for the heads-up on the clip.)
Seeing James Spader and Holly Hunter as co-presenters at the SAG Awards the other night gave me a warm feeling: How nice to see a mini-reunion, since these two probably haven't worked together since co-starring as auto-accident fetishists in David Cronenberg's Crash back in 1996. So when I read the news this morning that Starz is turning Crash into a TV series, my initial impulse was: How cool that they figured a way to turn Cronenberg's weird and disturbing kink-fest into a premium cable series, and how bold of Starz to go that route, toward Showtime turf. Alas, I quickly realized that the Crash in question was the 2005 Best Picture Oscar-winner. Sigh.
At the risk of reviving the epic Crash-vs.-Brokeback Mountain debate that bitterly divided both critics and moviegoers across the country two years ago, I have to say this is a bad idea. I mean, I'm glad most of the filmmakers behind the movie (writer-director Paul Haggis, writer Bobby Moresco, producer-star Don Cheadle) are on board for the TV version, so it won't be the usual hacky movie-to-TV-series adaptation, but how the heck is it going to work? Every week, a new vehicular mishap, a new racist tirade, and a new epiphany for some character who learns that all of us harbor impulses toward both compassion and xenophobia? To his credit, Cheadle (pictured, with Jennifer Esposito (left) and Kathleen York) says the show will be about more than just race relations, but then it's not really Crash, is it? The concept simply isn't that elastic.
Last month, once the legal stumbling blocks barring a Peter Jackson-produced Hobbit adaptation were cleared, speculation immediately turned toward Guillermo del Toro as a potential director of the back-to-back prequels. The Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy helmer told Hollywood Insider's Missy Schwartz in December that he had not been approached for the job, but that he would love to do it. Well, apparently, he's been approached. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he's now in talks to take on the project.
I don't have much to say about the prospect of two del Toro-directed Hobbit films, except maybe, "WOOOO-HOOOOOO!"
Weep not for Ryan Gosling (pictured, left), who got snubbed by the Oscars this morning when he failed to score a Best Actor nomination for Lars and the Real Girl. Not only does he already have another movie on the horizon, but he could be up for a major paycheck and a franchise role. According to Moviehole, he's due to replace Ben Affleck (and Harrison Ford, pictured right, and Alec Baldwin) in Paramount's forthcoming, non-Tom Clancy-sanctioned Jack Ryan spy thriller.
Now, this is still very much in the just-a-rumor stage, but if it's true, I have some qualms. Sure, Gosling could do an excellent job; I'm one of those people who think there's very little this protean actor can't do. But I'd hate to see him tied down to a franchise role that would put him on a dumb-action-blockbuster path and keep him from doing more interesting work in quirky indie movies à la Lars and Half Nelson. (That, after all, is what happened to Ben Affleck.) Still, I can't begrudge him the occasional Notebook or Fracture. Dude's gotta eat.
What do you think, PopWatchers? Would you want to see Gosling as Jack Ryan? Or is there someone else you'd rather see take over the role from Affleck/Ford/Baldwin?
George Michael's memoir, currently untitled, will be published in fall 2009. His manager has said, "George has promised HarperCollins a no-holds-barred biography, and it's certain to be just that." Okay, then. Let's help George out by finishing the following sentences: • If you want me to buy this book, you'll need to seriously dish about that little incident in the park (brilliant parody on Extras, by the way) AND ... • If I were you, I'd title the book ...
I know all PopWatch posts about Keri Russell are supposed to start "Dear Felicity," but alas, I am not Michael Slezak and do not have a firmly established pen pal relationship with this woman. This... Wonder Woman! According to TV Guide, Felicity's going to voice the superheroine in Warner Bros.' straight-to-DVD animated flick. It's an apt choice; Felicity did kick ass in Mission: Impossible, so we know she's already an action heroine. But could Felicity also play the live-action Wonder Woman that's been in the works forever? My first response: Absolutely not, she's too short! And yet...
Technology is getting so complicated lately. I say for the live-action movie, Warners needs to hire a zany digital effects crew that will be responsible for increasing the SCALE of Felicity so that she's taller – and generally larger — than everyone else in any given shot. She's so naturally tiny that this could work. She'd only look slightly gargantuan, which is exactly how Wonder Woman should look! Who's with me?
Christian Bale (right) is in talks to join Johnny Depp (left) in the Michael Mann-directed, catch-me-if-you-can drama Public Enemies. It's the pairing I never thought to ask for, but, judging by my squeal reaction to the news, have always wanted. Can you die happy now, or is there another first-time coupling you'll want to see before you go?
So, Ice Cube (left) tells MTV News he may play B.A. Baracus in the upcoming film version of The A-Team. Setting aside for the moment what a bad idea it is to make an A-Team movie, I have to ask: Really? Doughboy as Mr. T (right)? Really? I know Cube's got the attitude, and after all those goofy, family-friendly Are We There Yet comedies, it'll be nice to see him unleash his famous scowl again, but does he really have the physique for this role? At least he's willing to shave his hair into a Mohawk. Still, the only person who can do justice to Mr. T's original portrayal is (duh) Mr. T. Sure, he's a lot older, but he looks exactly the same, and he still does that mixture of badass and cartoonish like no one else. C'mon, PopWatchers, either they should make the movie with Mr. T, or they shouldn't make it at all, right?
UPDATE: Late Night With Conan O'Brien was on top of this last night. Cube was Conan's guest, and the show offered one of its trademark "If They Mated" photo mashups to show what Cube might look like with Mr. T's Mohawk and bling. You can watch the segment here (click "Wed Jan 9"), and you can see the photo below, after the jump.
Okay, so I see a Hollywood Reporter story headlined "'Ratatouille' teams with 'Ben'," right? And I'm thinking, "Wow! Finally, someone out there has heard my silent call to combine Pixar's recent rat-as-chef smash (featuring the voice of indie-rock-approved comedian Patton Oswalt) with that old '70s movie about magical/psychotic apartment rats (featuring a theme song sung by a teenage Michael Jackson), forming a no-holds-barred big-screen ratstravaganza, preferably featuring a duet by MJ and Patton O. Sweet!" (And yes, I did just use the word 'ratstravaganza.')
Anyhow, then I read on, only to find that the Ben they're talking about is actually some random Cartoon Network franchise called Ben 10. Wikipedia informs me that Ben 10 is about a kid who has a super-powered wristwatch, called "the Omnitrix," which allows him to morph into a bunch of mighty aliens or something. Whatever. Point is, it's got nothing whatsoever to do with rats as far as I can tell. Talk about bait and switch! (Um, sorry, that was a poor choice of idiom.) Anyway, way to ruin my day, Hollywood Reporter. Anyone want to join my letter-writing campaign?
Good news and bad news about NBC's Knight Rider update. Good news is that David Hasselhoff is close to signing on to reprise his role as Michael Knight. Bad news is that the project's protagonist is Mike Tracer (to be played by All My Children regular Justin Bruening), the son Knight never knew. Shame on you, producers! The Hoff is ageless! He deserves to be behind the wheel again, not cooling his heels in KITT's backseat. He can handle this sort of thing in his sleep, while snoring a ditty that'll go to No. 1 on the German pop chart. C'mon, PopWatchers, wouldn't you like to see a Knight Rider reboot with more Hoff and less Hoffspring?
Ludacris has been dropping some particularly hotguest verses recently (links NSFW), but that doesn't mean he's forgotten about the second part of his rapper/actor career. Word just got out that he's been cast opposite Gerard Butler in a sci-fi thriller with a working title of Game. Ooh, you ask, like a remake of that mind-bending Michael Douglas movie? Nope — something that might be even better.
Early reports indicate that the film "will take place in the near future where mind-control technology allows humans to control other humans in a massive multiplayer online game." (So, kinda like the Michael Douglas flick, actually.) "Luda will play a member of a resistance group called H.U.M.A.N.Z. that opposes the use of prisoners in these large scale video games." This beast is being written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the same guys who did last year's Crank — so I'm thinking this has the potential to be another awful/amazing piece of over-the-top B-movie kitsch par excellence. (H.U.M.A.N.Z.? Seriously?!) On another note: Am I the only one who reads that plot summary and thinks...Forest Whitaker's "Dewmocracy"?
All kidding aside, I'm actually contemplating seeing this in theaters, if it actually makes it to a few. Anybody agree? (I promise not to use PopWatch's mind-control technology to control you in a massive multiplayer online game if you say "Yes.")
She was hilarious on Action, so memorable guest-starring on Six Feet Under, and now, Illeana Douglas is set to... host Celebrity Garage Sale on A&E? Seriously? With all the Cashmere Mafia/Lipstick Jungle/Dirty Sexy Money dramedies making their way to the air, not a single network exec thought to snag this versatile comedienne for a starring role? So go ahead and watch Douglas sift through Tom Arnold's trash if you want, but I'm going to rewatch the Action pilot (below the jump) to relive the moment her prostitute character gets dragged by a limo from her fur coat and takes liberties with poor Keanu Reeves. Good times!
Variety's report that Winona Ryder is joining the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek: Muppet Babies as Spock's mom raises a number of questions:
1. The article says she is going "to play the Vulcan mother of a young Spock (Zachary Quinto)." But as even Trek newbies know, Spock is only half-Vulcan; his mom was a human, played
Home
It's official: my two favorite fictional worlds are colliding! Upper East Side meets L.A. West Side as Blair Waldorf ditches class at Constance Billard to hang (or perhaps even canoodle?) with leading man Vincent Chase. Okay, so it's not the Queen B herself but alter-ego, actress Leighton Meester (pictured), who will guest star on Entourage, but I'm pretty excited nonetheless. HBO has confirmed to EW.com that the Gossip Girl star will reprise her Entourage season 1 role as Britney Spears-esque pop tart Justine Chapin on an episode of the comedy. Meester has a knack for playing the virginal sexpot, so we can only guess what sparks will fly when she heads back to the left coast. 
Chi-town rapper/actor Common's very cool upcoming album, Invincible Summer, has a much more synth-based sound than his last couple efforts — shiny circuitry in place of organic soul, you might say. (More on this in EW's summer music preview coverage, in print later this month.) But don't tell that to the character he'll be playing on-screen in the new Terminator sequel. According to Variety, 
It's great to hear that we may get to see Catherine O'Hara (pictured) every week, thanks to 
As president of Island Urban Records, Jermaine Dupri has spent a lot of time 
According to early results of our homepage poll, 43 percent of you are worried that Project Runway will change if the show does, in fact, 
Can The Weinstein Company make Project Runway's move to Lifetime work? That's the question we're asking ourselves after we received a joint press release from TWC and the cable channel announcing a "groundbreaking agreement" that would move Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, et al from Bravo to Lifetime in Nov. 2008. Of course, buried deep in the release was an acknowledgment that NBC Universal, Bravo's parent company, had filed a lawsuit today against The Weinstein Company in an effort to block the hop. 
I love pilot season, and all the new (potentially failing) pairings it brings. Today, I spotted a casting that got me truly excited, which is odd because individually, neither of the people involved does. According to 
So Jay-Z's ditching his label and signing a 
Apparently, The Soup host Joel McHale wasn't joking last month when 
We all know that I (and Dalton Ross) are fans of Dolph Lundgren (in Rocky IV). But are we ready for his Command Performance? 
Yes! Two of my favorite funny people, Reno 911's Niecy Nash (pictured) and inexplicable Grammys correspondent Jason Bateman are 
Because the market for news spoofs (what with Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report) is apparently still not saturated, 
Every now and then we read a plot of a film in development and can't decide whether it sounds good, bad, or so ugly that someone will never work again. That's when we'll present the pitch to you — in our spankin' new category "Dude, THAT'S your plot?" — and let your votes decide for us. Today's film: Nailed, a romantic comedy from director David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees). 
Here's how Variety 
Guess Clint Eastwood was serious when he told EW's Greg Kirschling 
News from 
Sometimes good things happen to good people. Or, at least really, really funny ones. The boys behind FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Rob McElhenney, 
Are you ready to watch Christian Slater and his raised eyebrows once a week? NBC is 
So the title role in Fox Searchlight's 
I'm glad there's going to be a 
Not sure if 
ABC's just-announced 
According to 
According to the 
Can you guys do me a quick favor? Just click on 
Can I take a moment to note how cool it is that Martin Scorsese is 
According to 
Seeing James Spader and Holly Hunter as co-presenters at the SAG Awards the other night gave me a warm feeling: How nice to see a mini-reunion, since these two probably haven't worked together since co-starring as auto-accident fetishists in David Cronenberg's Crash back in 1996. So when I read the news this morning that 
Last month, once the legal stumbling blocks barring a Peter Jackson-produced Hobbit adaptation were cleared, speculation immediately turned toward Guillermo del Toro as a potential director of the back-to-back prequels. The Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy helmer told 
Weep not for Ryan Gosling (pictured, left), who got 
I know all PopWatch posts about Keri Russell are supposed to start "
Christian Bale (right) is 
So, Ice Cube (left) tells 
Okay, so I see a 
Good news and bad news about 
Ludacris has been dropping some 
She was hilarious on Action, so memorable guest-starring on Six Feet Under, and now, Illeana Douglas is set to... host 
