Trendy Reel

Big things poppin

2007-11-02T21:12:00.000-04:00

Yes we have moved hosts. Trendy Reel is now located over at trendyreel.wordpress.com.

Also check out our fraternal twin blog Trendy Candy.

Strike Rules

2007-11-01T21:12:00.001-04:00

The WGA East has put up some strike rules if both the WGA West and East vote to strike.My favorite is number 7. Don't enter the buildings. lol I don't think that will be hard to do, unless Jay Leno kidnaps you and forces you to write his monologue while Ross the Intern keeps watch. TV is about to go through some desperate times if they do indeed strike. More on that later though.

2007 Strike rules - Index

Introduction to the Strike Rules

Strike Rules

Stop writing for all struck companies immediately.
Programming made for non-traditional media .
Animation programming.

Do not deliver or submit any literary material or any documents to a struck company.
Accepting payments

Do not negotiate with a struck company.
Notice (sample notice)

Notify struck companies to return your literary material.
Notice (sample notice)

Do not discuss future employment, sales or options with a struck company.

Do not negotiate with a struck company to obtain financing for development or production of a project.

Honor all Guild picket lines and do not enter the premises of any struck company.

File with the Guild copies of all unproduced literary material written for a struck company ("script validation program")

Inform the Guild of the name of any writer you have reason to believe is engaged in any strike breaking activity or scab writing.

You have the obligation to picket and/or perform other strike support duties.

Do not attempt to negotiate a settlement of the strike with any struck company.

Additional strike rules pertaining to writers also employed in additional capacities ("hyphenates").

Rules pertaining to non-members

WGA Contract Exprires, Strike is on the way

2007-11-01T21:03:00.000-04:00

Yes this is for real. As on midnight last night, the Writer's Guild contract expired. Tonight at the L.A. Convention Center @ 7 pm pt, members will be meeting to discuss what happens from here.

Official WGA Statement:

Contact: Gregg Mitchell (323) 782-4574
Sherry Goldman (718) 224-4133

News Release: October 31, 2007

Contract 2007 Negotiations Statement

LOS ANGELES -- The WGA Negotiating Committee, on behalf of the Writers of Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), has issued the following statement regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:

“Today, just hours before the expiration of our contract, the AMPTP brought negotiations to a halt.

The Companies refused to continue to bargain unless we agree that the hated DVD formula be extended to Internet downloads.

This morning we presented the AMPTP with a comprehensive package of proposals that included movement on DVDs, new media, and jurisdictional issues. We also took nine proposals off the table. The Companies returned six hours later and said they would not respond to our package until we capitulated to their Internet demand.

After three and a half months of bargaining, the AMPTP still has not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable.”

There will be a WGA West membership meeting in Los Angeles Thursday night.”

For more information about the Writers Guild of America, West, please visit www.wga.org. For more information about the Writers Guild of America, East, please visit: www.wgaeast.org.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) represent writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. The unions conduct numerous programs, seminars, and events throughout the world on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers.

WGA West

WGA sets strike rules

2007-10-11T05:53:00.001-04:00

Writers Guild drafts hardline regulations

The WGA clearly wants to send a signal. The guild has formulated strike rules that would impose an exceptionally aggressive stance on its 12,000 members.

In addition to a ban on any guild-covered work in features and TV, a draft recap of the WGA rules said the guild plans to prohibit any writing for new media and declare that writers can't do animated features -- even though that realm is not under WGA jurisdiction.

The WGA didn't specify what the penalties would be for violating the rules. It's also asserting that nonmembers who perform banned work during a strike will be barred from joining the guild in the future.

Guild hasn't issued the regulations officially and will probably not do so until after it obtains strike authorization from members next week. Deadline for ballots is Oct. 18 -- 13 days before the current WGA contract expires.

But news of the rules began circulating Wednesday as the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers met in the afternoon in their eighth face-to-face session; they plan to resume talks this ayem. The two sides have achieved no progress during the previous sessions and have simply blamed each other for taking untenable stances.

The two meetings this week have focused on the WGA's proposal to double DVD residuals. In a statement after Wednesday's session, AMPTP president Nick Counter said the meeting consisted of discussions on "discrepancies in the data presented by the WGA."

In response, the WGA opted for a civil tone, saying, "We appreciate the AMPTP's offer to provide economic data to back up their arguments regarding the homevideo formula. We look forward to continuing the discussion of this critically important topic."

Earlier Wednesday, WGA West prexy Patric Verrone and exec director David Young painted a gloomy picture of the state of the talks in a 90-minute visit to ICM offices. The duo expressed frustration during the confab, characterizing the AMPTP's reaction as disrespectful to the guild's proposals -- which include spelling out rules for new-media work, doubling DVD residuals and expansion of jurisdiction in animation and reality.

Counter has returned fire repeatedly, accusing the WGA of being strike-happy and unprofessional. The AMPTP's refused to revise its initial proposal for a revamp of residual payments so that talent would receive money only after basic costs have been recouped.

In a membership meeting Tuesday night at the Century Plaza hotel, Verrone indicated he believes some progress has been achieved outside the negotiations via back channels and expressed hope that the AMPTP will take the residuals revamp off the table.

He also stressed during the session -- attended by about 100 writers --- that WGA leaders expect that SAG will be able to make a better deal with the AMPTP than the DGA.

Both the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild contracts expire June 30, but the DGA's expected to go first in negotiations -- perhaps as early as next month.

Variety

Zellweger to star in 'Appaloosa'

2007-08-07T06:13:00.000-04:00

Harris prepares to direct Western drama

By DAVE MCNARY, MICHAEL FLEMING

Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zellweger will topline the Western drama "Appaloosa," with Harris directing from the screenplay he co-wrote with Robert Knott. New Line is on board to distribute and Michael London is producing via his Groundswell Prods., which is co-financing the film.

Harris and Knott also are producing. Lensing is set to start Oct. 1 in New Mexico, giving New Line a strongly cast project to shoot before a possible strike by actors next summer.

Project reteams Harris and Mortensen, who worked together on New Line's "A History of Violence." Story is adapted from Robert B. Parker's novel of the same name, centered on a pair of friends hired to protect a lawless town suffering at the hands of a renegade rancher. The arrival of an attractive widow disrupts their plans.

It's the second directorial gig for Harris, who directed himself in "Pollock." He'll be seen next in "Gone Baby Gone," "The Cleaner" and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Zellweger is voicing a lead role in "Bee Movie" and will be seen in "Leatherheads" and "Case 39."

Groundswell has completed production on "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," "Smart People" and "The Visitor." London's credits include "Sideways" and "The Illusionist."

"Appaloosa" is the second Western penned by Parker, best known for suspense novels. He also wrote "Gunman's Rhapsody," a fictional version of the Wyatt Earp story.

Vince Vaughn in producing pact

2007-08-06T20:33:00.000-04:00

Variety:Actor signs two-year deal with Universal

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Vaughn

Shmuger

Universal Pictures has made a two-year, first-look producing deal with Vince Vaughn and his Wild West Picture Show Prods. Arrangement kicks off with three features, each of which could be a starring vehicle for Vaughn.

Vaughn has set in development "Male Doula," a high-concept comedy based on his idea, to be scripted by Dana Fox ("What Happens in Vegas ...").

He is partnered with "The Break-Up" producer Scott Stuber on two other projects. One is an untitled comedy Jon Favreau is scripting about couples that attend a retreat to reinvigorate their marriages. The other is "Realtors," a satire about the cutthroat chase for commissions by rival realtors in the residential housing market.

The deal given Wild West Pictures Show Prods. by U production prexy Donna Langley allows the shingle to acquire pitches and spec scripts and gives Vaughn a discretionary fund.

While Vaughn received his first producing credit with Favreau on their "Swingers" follow-up "Made," he made his mark as a producer with Universal on "The Break-Up." The comedy was based on Vaughn's idea, with Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender writing the script. After the pic grossed $205 million worldwide, U brass felt Vaughn was money and he didn't even know it.

"We came away feeling that he was one of the absolute smartest guys in the business, who attended to every part of the process with such focus and has a real touch for what is fresh and interesting for the culture," Universal Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger told Daily Variety. "We think Vince will find a long and comfortable place for himself here."

Vaughn was also a hands-on producer on the documentary "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland." Pic, which features Vaughn as emcee of a comedy tour, sold in a bidding battle to the Weinstein Co. at last year's Toronto Film Festival.

Months later, when Vaughn was unconvinced about the release and marketing strategy, he appealed directly to Weinstein and was able to buy back the film and make a new deal with New Line and Picturehouse. The pic will be released next year, after Vaughn stars in the holiday comedy "Fred Claus" for Warner Bros., bowing Nov. 9.

"I'm looking forward to working again with Marc, David Linde, Donna Langley and their talented teams," Vaughn said in a statement. "I had a great experience on 'The Break-Up,' and the marketing team, led by Adam Fogelson, did a fantastic job with the film."

'Bourne Ultimatum' chases down $70.2 million

2007-08-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

"The Bourne Ultimatum"

Jason Bourne returns to America in his quest to discover his true identity, and North American moviegoers embraced his homecoming as "The Bourne Ultimatum" rushed to an estimated $70.2 million opening weekend.

Although Universal Pictures' propulsive chase movie dominated the frame, Buena Vista Pictures' "Underdog" found some favor with family audiences. But the weekend's other new wide arrivals, Paramount Pictures' comedy "Hot Rod" and Lionsgate's teen outing "Bratz: The Movie," received the cold shoulder.

The PG-13 "Ultimatum" -- with Paul Greengrass, who directed "The Bourne Supremacy" three years ago, again at the helm -- raced past the bows of 2002's "The Bourne Identity," which opened to $27.2 million, and 2004's "Supremacy," which arrived to $52.5 million.

Applauded by critics -- it earned a 94% approval rating at RottenTomatoes.com -- the film written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi and produced by Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley and Paul Sandberg earned an A from moviegoers according to CinemaScore as it racked up a per-theater average of $19,175.

Read the rest here@ The Hollywood Reporter

Weekend Box Office

2007-08-05T20:14:00.000-04:00

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATE Aug. 3 - Aug. 5, 2007
	Title	Engagements	Estimated Weekend Box Office
1.	The Bourne Ultimatum (UNIV)	3,660	$70.0
2.	The Simpsons Movie (FOX)	3,926	$25.6
3.	Underdog (BV)	3,013	$12.0
4.	I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (UNIV)	3,289	$10.5
5.	Hairspray (NEW LINE)	3,115	$9.3
5.	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (WB)	3,125	$9.3
7.	No Reservations (WB)	2,425	$6.6
8.	Transformers (PAR)	2,419	$6.0
9.	Hot Rod (PAR)	2,607	$5.0
10.	Bratz (LIONSGATE)	1,509	$4.3
in millions of dollars

Full list available Monday afternoon at www.variety.com/boxoffice

The Simpsons...

2007-07-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

After a long 18 years of waiting, tomorrow is the day. The Simpsons' Movie finally hits theaters. Forgot El Cantante and I Know Who Killed Me, this is what you need to see this weekend.

Check out the movie trailer as if you haven't seen it already.

Also check out how someone decided to do the famous opening with real life people. Classic.

Also check to see if there is a Kwik E Mart near you. If you have no idea what I am talking about check ou t the article. You can actually have a real life Kwik E Mart experience. No, I don't know if you will meet Abu.

Trendy TV: Emmy Nominations Announced

2007-07-23T21:17:00.001-04:00

HBO tops nominees with 86 nods

By BRIAN LOWRY

Click here to see the list of Emmy nominees

The new drama "Heroes" and comedies "Ugly Betty" and "30 Rock" broke through into the traditionally veteran-dominated best series categories at the 59th annual Primetime Emmys, announced Thursday morning in North Hollywood.

Last year, no new program earned a spot in the comedy or drama balloting. That result yielded plenty of grumbling about the selection process despite changes implemented specifically to bring an infusion of new blood into the awards. Instead, several nominees had already been canceled or concluded their network runs.

Beyond the newcomers, repeat nominees in drama -- almost certainly the Emmys' most competitive category -- include "Grey's Anatomy," "House" and "The Sopranos" (this year's most-nominated series, at 15), plus a first bid for ABC's "Boston Legal," perhaps the biggest surprise. Time ran out, meanwhile, on Fox's "24" -- left off the list despite its victory last year, as was the acclaimed new NBC series "Friday Night Lights."

Among comedies, the aforementioned Thursday-night freshmen are joined by defending champ "The Office," first-time nominee "Entourage" and TV's top-rated sitcom, "Two and a Half Men."

With 86 nominations, HBO tallied the most bids for the seventh consecutive year, albeit with its lowest total since that streak began. The pay cabler has been the most-honored network six years running, including ties with NBC in 2001 and '02.

The HBO charge was led by the Dick Wolf-produced historical movie "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee," which, despite mixed reviews, lassoed 17 nominations -- one more than another Western, AMC's "Broken Trail," starring Robert Duvall. Interestingly, last year's most-recognized project was another miniseries drawn from that era, TNT's "Into the West."

Those productions are up for movie and miniseries, respectively, with the pickings thin enough in the multipart category that only two other contenders, PBS' final "Prime Suspect" outing and USA's "The Starter Wife," round out the field. (Although it received seven mentions, ABC's controversial "The Path to 9/11" was overlooked in the miniseries arena.)

Capping its historic run at 111 nominations (nine short of all-time leader "ER"), "The Sopranos" has been in the drama running six times previously but taken the prize only once, in 2004. This year's voting did correct what many considered perhaps the most glaring oversights of the 2006 campaign, with the mob drama's stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, as well as "House's" Hugh Laurie, securing Emmy bids to go with their respective shows.

Barring a few exceptions, the acting categories are heavily populated by familiar faces, though "Betty's" America Ferrera, her nemesis Vanessa Williams and "30 Rock's" Tiny Fey and Alec Baldwin snagged key comedy spots. Sally Field and Minnie Driver also garnered bids for new programs -- ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" and FX's "The Riches," respectively.

By contrast, Gandolfini and Falco are already three-time winners, as is Tony Shalhoub, vying for his third consecutive Emmy as USA's "defective detective," Monk. Similarly, "Boston Legal's" James Spader and supporting actor William Shatner have a pair of Emmys each for those roles.

Other prior winners again in the mix are Mariska Hargitay, Patricia Arquette, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Felicity Huffman. Another nominee, "Weeds" pot mom Mary-Louise Parker, earned separate recognition for Oxygen movie "The Robber Bride."

Reflecting the strength of its ensemble cast, "Grey's Anatomy" accounted for a third of the 12 dramatic supporting-actor slots, with since-departed co-star Isaiah Washington not among them. "Sopranos," "Two and a Half Men" and "Lost" also claimed multiple supporting spots, but those categories also opened up to first-timer Masi Oka for "Heroes" and Rachel Griffiths for "Brothers & Sisters."

HBO's gaudy nom totals are generally fueled by the variety of its programming arsenal, which has included nabbing honors for movie -- a genre the broadcast nets have largely abandoned -- 12 of the last 14 years.

While HBO has managed to maintain its leadership in the face of increasingly stiff competition from other cable nets, pay rival Showtime had less to celebrate. Despite splashy ad campaigns for series such as "The Tudors" and "Dexter," the former was crowned with only four nominations in technical areas, and the latter's star, Michael C. Hall, couldn't crack the lead-actor code.

Showtime's 17 bids actually dipped slightly from last year, while NBC improved markedly on its collective haul with 69, one less than broadcast champ ABC.

"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "Amazing Race" -- both "fourpeat" winners in their respective variety and reality-competition spheres -- will also defend those titles, with ratings blockbuster "American Idol" again a nominee in the latter.

Presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Emmys are by far the most diverse awards presentation, with over 460 nominations spread across 90 categories. Unlike the Oscars or Grammys, the challenge of having programs eligible year after year complicates the juggling act and has historically spurred frustration over voters' failure to quickly bestow laurels on hot new series.

Programs that appeal to younger audiences have also fared poorly, as evidenced by the lone nod to the CW network ("Smallville," for sound editing), after predecessors the WB and UPN combined for six last year. The continuing snub of HBO's "The Wire" -- which received zero nominations -- will also come as a mystery to many viewers and TV critics, many of whom have hailed the gritty urban show as the best hour on television.

That said, the mentions for "Betty" and "Heroes" -- out-of-the-box hits that watched their ratings slide somewhat alarmingly during the spring -- and the low-rated "30 Rock" could provide promotional boosts to those series entering their sophomore seasons, one advantage of the telecast's timing as a kickoff to the new TV season.

In a footnote to its one-and-out run, NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" took more nominations than "Friday Night Lights," a less expensive NBC drama that survived (and surely was hoping to benefit from a stronger nomination showing), with three of its five bids coming for guest actors.

The main Emmy ceremony will take place Sept. 16 at the Shrine Auditorium and will be televised by Fox.

Click here to see the list of Emmy nominees

Visit the official site of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the full Emmys list of nominees

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968700.html

Box Office Results

2007-07-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATE July 20 - July 22, 2007
	Title	Engagements	Estimated Weekend Box Office
1.	I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (UNIV)	3,495	$34.8
2.	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (WB)	4,285	$32.2
3.	Hairspray (NEW LINE)	3,121	$27.8
4.	Transformers (PAR)	3,762	$20.5
5.	Ratatouille (BV)	3,402	$11.0
6.	Live Free or Die Hard (FOX)	2,727	$7.3
7.	License to Wed (WB)	2,525	$3.8
8.	1408 (MGM)	1,451	$2.6
9.	Evan Almighty (UNIV)	1,779	$2.4
10.	Knocked Up (UNIV)	1,288	$2.3
in millions of dollars

Full list available Monday afternoon at www.variety.com/boxoffice

Cinematheque honors Julia Roberts

2007-07-23T21:13:00.000-04:00

Julia Roberts will be honored with the 22nd annual American Cinematheque award.

Kudo will be presented at a tribute gala in the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom on Oct. 12.

The non-profit's selection committee unanimously chose the Academy Award winner for this year's honor.

For the full article, click here.

Price Is Right' for Carey

2007-07-23T21:10:00.000-04:00

By Kimberly Nordyke

July 24, 2007

Drew Carey is stepping into Bob Barker's shoes as the new host of CBS' "The Price Is Right."

The actor-comedian said Monday during a taping of another long-running CBS show, "Late Show With David Letterman," that he has officially signed on to take over as host of the game show, ending months of speculation about who would replace Barker.

"It's a done deal; I'm the new host of 'The Price Is Right,' " Carey told Letterman to applause from the audience as Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra played the game show's theme song.

Carey added that the deal was finalized only 15 minutes before he sat down to talk with the "Late Show" host. He also said he's not sure when he's going to start working on "Price" but joked that "my girlfriend was (already) on the phone with a personal shopper from Bergdorf's."

"Well, history says that this will be a nice long career for you as the host of 'The Price Is Right,'" Letterman said before agreeing with Carey's comment that "it's fun doing a show for years and years, isn't it?"

Rest of the article can be found here:

It's all about Harry Potter

2007-07-15T14:12:00.000-04:00

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATE July 13 - July 15, 2007
	Title	Engagements	Estimated Weekend Box Office
1.	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (WB)	4,285	$77.4
2.	Transformers (PAR)	4,050	$36.0
3.	Ratatouille (BV)	3,625	$18.0
4.	Live Free or Die Hard (FOX)	3,201	$10.9
5.	License to Wed (WB)	2,715	$7.4
6.	1408 (MGM)	2,206	$5.0
6.	Evan Almighty (UNIV)	2,702	$5.0
8.	Knocked Up (UNIV)	1,715	$3.7
9.	Sicko (TWC)	756	$2.7
10.	Ocean's Thirteen (WB)	1,244	$1.9
in millions of dollars

Full list available Monday afternoon at www.variety.com/boxoffice

Sorkin on 'Trial' at DreamWorks

2007-07-12T14:18:00.000-04:00

Duo to team on possible Spielberg project

By MICHAEL FLEMING, MICHAEL FLEMING, PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

DreamWorks has made a deal with Aaron Sorkin to write three films, the first of which will be "The Trial of the Chicago 7," a drama Steven Spielberg hopes to direct.

The drama focuses on the trials of protestors at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, where clashes between demonstrators and police made it one of the defining events of the '60s.

Spielberg and producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald have been developing the project with Sorkin for some time.

Sorkin most recently adapted the George Crile book "Charlie Wilson's War" into the Playtone-produced, Mike Nichols-directed film that's set for release Dec. 25.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968411.html

TV Break: Oprah on Ellen, dont miss it.

2007-07-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

Thursday, July 19
OPRAH WINFREY

It's a daytime dream come true! For the first time ever, OPRAH WINFREY sits down with Ellen! The fun starts with Ellen and Oprah's "road trip" adventure. What disco classic does Ellen get Oprah to belt out with her on the road? Don't miss a priceless television moment you're sure not to see anywhere else! Plus, now that Ellen and Oprah are neighbors, Ellen recounts her run-ins with Steadman around town and gives Oprah some "good neighbor" presents! Then, Oprah talks about the overwhelming reaction she received to her part in the coming out episode of Ellen's sitcom and discusses what led her to want to be a part of it. And, you won't want to miss Ellen's hysterical makeover of the cover of "O" magazine, and watch Ellen escort Oprah and her two cocker spaniels to the dog park across the street! The two also discuss the motivations that led Oprah to open The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. And, who does Oprah favor in the upcoming Presidential election? Ellen asks the question and gets the honest answer. Also today, Ellen's fantastic dancing audience has more than a few celebrity look-a-likes! Tune in to find out what nearly famous faces are tearing up the dance moves. And, Ellen reads your letters on the air in another edition of the always-surprising WRITE ON with a special surprise celebrity appearance!

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/newsletter/4/071607/

Strike?! I don't care about no stinking strike!

2007-06-30T11:28:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it has not gotten that bad, to the point where movie studios are offing the actors, writers, and directors. There is though, a strike looming in Hollywood and the following actors and actress are making sure they get paid in time. Look below to see who is getting their act on. Variety reports:

-Jim Carey is becoming Sober.

- Costner wants to be an Explorer.

-Cameron Diaz is not thinking outside the box.

-Russell Crow and Leonardo DiCaprio are liars.

- Ryan Gosling has some great bones.

Also Sam Rockwell decided to spill the beans on yet to be officially announced film he hopes to be working on with Jennifer Aniston and Peter Saarsgard. Below is the mention he did while being interviewed by Us Weekly of all people. Not posting the whole interview (but I have to name the source, so go Google US Weekly.com)because after the first question, it goes downhill. Maybe he is trying to drum up earlier publicity, or maybe he is just way too excited to be working with Jennifer. I hope the movie comes through for his sake, he is too good of a actor to be giving stupid interviews to the tabloids.

"Sam Rockwell spilled the beans, and told Usmagazine.com that he and Jennifer Aniston will be teaming up as two sides of a love triangle in You Are Here (Peter Saarsgard will be the third), set to begin filming early next year."

Jennifer also has a few projects in the works. She is set to put back on her producing hat in the recently announced Goree Girls. And maybe her acting hat for that too. She is also still set to play opposite of Meryl Streep as an escaped convict in Wanted and a wife with a secret in The Senator's Wife.

Whew! Props to all these actors getting roles, keep doing your thing! For us regular poorer folks, try saying 'go Google' five times fast.

Trendy Time Out: TMZ and the BET Awards

2007-06-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

I usually do not post about the happenings on the gossip sites, but this has caught the attention of a few people. The BET Awards was this past Tuesday Night. If I must say, the award show continues to improve as the years go on. TMZ decided to do their own version of a recap of the show. What's the uproar? TMZ described Beyonce as a "roboho", displaying a picture of her in a robot outfit. What TMZ failed to do is mention that the "roboho" lasted all but a mere 30 seconds, as she appeared from the robot wearing a non hoeish outfit. Some claim that TMZ was out of line, especially after what happen with Don Imus a few months ago. I do agree that TMZ did make a very bias recap of the award show, also saying rapper/actress Eve looked like a "streetwalker". I am not offended as much by what TMZ posted as I am by the racist comments left on the site. None of the comments have been deleted as they should have been. TMZ rarely mentions African Americans on their site, but rather have a daily posting on the happenings of Paris Hilton. Whether this was just a blatant racist review of a the BET Awards, or just the usually way TMZ reports things, I think that it is inappropriate to call any one a hoe especially those who do not deserve to be called one when you have other celebrity women showing their goodies to paps and having sex tapes pop up. That is classy.

P.S.- I guess no one should have been suprised as TMZ posted this as a pre-lude. I guess next they will be pushing for W.E.T. aka White Entertainment Television; even though W.E.T. is already shown of the majority of the channels I flip through ...

Movies Opening June 29th

2007-06-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

A small opening weekend coming up, mostly because of the July 4th holiday; a big opening day in the world of summer movies. The big movies of the weekend are Sicko and Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille. Also opening is Martian Child, Vitus and You Kill Me. Movies that opened Wednesday was Ghost of Cite Soliel and Die Hard 4 aka Live Free or Die Hard. What is with all these older movies coming out back out. Arent they all getting to old for the action movies?

Ratatouille

Nine Minutes of the movie

Live Free or Die Hard

You can watch the first 8 minutes of this movie over at Yahoo!

Movies Opening June 22

2007-06-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

As this is a hobby, real life sometimes takes precedence over it. So now I am going to try to catch you up with the latest movie releases of the past two weeks.

Here is what opened June 22nd:

The two biggest opening of last weekend was Evan Almighty and A Mighty Heart. Neither impressed box office watchers. I posted the trailer to A Mighty Heart a few weeks ago.

1408
Black Sheep
Broken English.
D.O.A.: Dead or Alive
Lady Chatterley

George Clooney is 'Michael Clayton'

2007-06-19T19:35:00.000-04:00

It will be intrigue, lies and the legal system when GEORGE CLOONEY's latest film, 'Michael Clayton,' heads into theaters on Friday, Sept. 28 -- but tonight, ET has the exclusive first look at the movie's trailer!

Clooney plays Michael Clayton, also known as "The Janitor" by his colleagues, because his job is to clean up the messes of the wealthy clients represented by his employer -- the law firm of Kenner, Bach & Ledeen. Burnt out and discontented in his job, Clayton doesn't have the option of quitting, because a divorce, a gambling habit and a failed business venture have left him without funds.

Normally, the problems that Clayton is called upon to fix are hit-and-runs, shoplifting wives or ugly stories in the press, but in 'Michael Clayton,' he is tasked with repairing a disaster so large in scope, it brings him face to face with the reality of who he has become -- and it isn't a pretty picture.

The film is written and directed by TONY GILROY, whose inspiration for the story about a man who works in a back-of-the-house department of a law firm came while visiting law offices as part of his research for his 'The Devil's Advocate' screenplay.

"Michael is a complicated character," Gilroy explains. "All of the traits that have served him so well before -- his charm, his ease, his authority -- none of those things are of much use to him as the story progresses. All the charisma in the world isn't going to help you find your way home when you're lost. Lots of actors say they want to play parts like that, but it takes a certain kind of bravery and ambition to hang your neck out there and really do it."

In Academy Award-winner George Clooney, Gilroy had his man. "George feels like New York," the writer/director says. "He's got all the chops, and he's intelligent and charming. He can be very convincing and conflicted, which made him perfect for the role."

Joining Clooney in the cast are TILDA SWINTON, who plays litigator Karen Crowder, an employee of U/North, the company whose lawsuit is headed toward disaster; and TOM WILKINSON plays Arthur Edens, the brilliant attorney who sabotages the case. Also in the cast is SYDNEY POLLACK, playing Kenner, Bach & Ledeen's co-founder Marty Bach.

It is the mess caused when Edens has a breakdown that Clayton is sent in to fix, giving "The Janitor" the worst four days of his career.

ET

What to watch this weekend

2007-06-16T09:47:00.000-04:00

Movies that are out in theatres this weekend: You know the usually jist, trailers and stuff. I call this a slum weekend, because there is only really one major movie opening. Smart actually. Ok maybe two major movies.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Nancy Drew

Here are some other limited releases. Not everyone is into The Fanstastic Four. I don't blame you.

Blood and Tears
DOA: Dead or Alive
Fido
Macbeth
No One
The Trials of Darryl Hunt
USA: Inside the War on Abortion

And for those of you who love the really limited releases, you have to live in NY to see Strike and NY or L.A. to see Eagle vs. Shark. Bummer.

2007-06-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

Jennifer Aniston to produce 'Goree Girls' for DreamWorks

The actress is on board to produce and likely star in the 1940s comedy about one of the nation's first all-female country acts.

By Sheigh Crabtree
Special to the Times

June 14, 2007

Jennifer Aniston may need to brush up on her yodeling, banjo and steel guitar now that she's producing the period country-and-western musical "Goree Girls" for DreamWorks Pictures.

The actress is on board to produce and likely star in the 1940s song-laden comedy about one of the nation's first all-female country acts, a group whose members were also guests of the Texas penal system.

Aniston will be joined by seven other singin' and pickin' actresses cast as part of the Goree All Girl String Band, which is remembered as the Dixie Chicks of its day for the radio performances it put on from a Texas music hall.

Aniston and her producing partner, Kristin Hahn, hired Margaret Nagle (HBO's "Warm Springs") to adapt the screenplay from a Texas Monthly article. DreamWorks, Aniston and Hahn have sent the script out in search of a director with no scheduled production start to date.

The group of eight female Texas prisoners performed live every Wednesday evening in the early 1940s to an estimated 7 million Americans tuned into radio station WBAP-AM in Fort Worth.

L.A. Times

Ocean's 13 tops the box office.

2007-06-12T22:49:00.000-04:00

Captain fell to the fellas of Ocean's 13. Pirates of the Caribbean came in second place making only 21 million dollars. As animated films go, Surf's Up flopped, opening 4th making 17.6million. Shrek the 3rd rounded up the top 5 with 15.3 million.

1. Ocean's Thirteen - $36.1M
- 20 hours ago
Danny Ocean and his band of thieves return, this time teaming up with their old nemesis, Terry Benedict.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - $21.1M
- 20 hours ago
Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones\' loc...
3. Knocked Up - $19.6M
- 20 hours ago
Allison Scott is an up-and-coming entertainment journalist whose 24-year-old life is on the fast track. But it gets seriously derailed when a drunken one-nighter with slacker Ben Stone results in an unwanted pregnancy. Faced with ...
4. Surf's Up - $17.6M
- 20 hours ago
Based on the groundbreaking revelation that surfing was actually invented by penguins. In the film, a documentary crew will take audiences behind the scenes and onto the waves during the most competitive, heartbreaking and dangero...
5. Shrek the Third - $15.3M
- 20 hours ago
Shrek tackles the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Yahoo! Movies

Isaiah Washington Let Go from Grey's Anatomy

2007-06-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

THURSDAY JUNE 07, 2007 10:20 PM EDT

By Mary Green

Isaiah Washington Photo by: Frazer Harrison / Getty

The speculation is over: After a controversial season, Isaiah Washington will not be returning to Grey's Anatomy, his rep and ABC Television Studio have confirmed.

Howard Bragman, Washington's publicist, says Washington's option was not renewed, and released this statement from the actor: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more."

Bragman did not elaborate on the statement, a reference to the 1976 film Network.

The cast was notified Thursday night of the final decision, which, says a source close to the situation, was a long time coming. In the end, the source says, Washington's behavior made him a liability.

Rumors ran rampant following the season finale – during which Washington's character, Dr. Preston Burke, broke up with his fiancée, Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), and moved out of their apartment – that Washington would not be returning.

The actor first came under fire last fall after getting into an altercation with Patrick Dempsey, during which he allegedly referred to castmate T.R. Knight with a homophobic slur.

Washington later apologized, checked into rehab, met with gay leaders and recently released a PSA decrying the use of hate speech.

• With reporting by LISA INGRASSIA

PEOPLE

What's at the Movies Today

2007-06-08T19:11:00.000-04:00

Watch the trailers for the big releases of the weekend. Will Captain Jack prevail for a third week at the box-office? I was suprised that with all the talk about Knocked Up, it did not become the number movie last week.

Ocean's 13

Hostel 2

Surf's Up

Rob Zombie wants to scare you!

2007-06-08T19:09:00.000-04:00

Literally.

Will Smith will be a legend come December

2007-06-08T18:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, maybe not literally. Or maybe he already is. Anyway, enough of my rambling, check out the trailer for I Am Legend, due out in theaters December 2007.

Teen Titans The Movie

2007-05-31T19:33:00.001-04:00

Teen Titans growing up at Warner Bros.

By Borys Kit

May 31, 2007

DC Comics' superteam Teen Titans is getting the big-screen treatment courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

The live-action adaptation is being produced by Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster through their Weed Road banner, while Mark Verheiden has been brought on board to write the script.

The Teen Titans first appeared in 1964 as a sort of junior Justice League, comprising Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy, the respective sidekicks of A-list heroes Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow.

The comic series reached X-Men-style success in the 1980s, when the team was relaunched in a new comic with the characters no longer kids but college-age adults and the stories explored more mature themes. The series also saw the addition of Cyborg, Starfire and Raven, original characters who weren't sidekicks, while the character of Robin matured into one called Nightwing.

Most recently, the comic was adapted to the television screen with a Cartoon Network series that ran from 2003-06 that used many of the '80s comics' heroes and story lines.

It is not known which heroes will be used, but Nightwing is said to be in the mix.

Goldsman said the tone will be consistent with such recent Warners' comic book fare as "Batman Begins," "Superman Returns" and the upcoming "Watchmen."

Jessica Goodman and Jesse Ehrman are overseeing for Warners.

Gregory Noveck is overseeing for DC Comics.

Verheiden, repped by CAA and Untitled, was a writer-producer on "Smallville," the TV series that revolved around the adventures of a young Clark Kent/Superman, and is a writer-producer on "Battlestar Galactica." Verheiden also is a comic writer and creator, penning "Timecop" and "The Mask," both of which were adapted to the big screen in the early 1990s.

Goldsman and Weed Road have several comic book movies in development, including "Doom Patrol" and "The Losers." He is in preproduction on the superhero-themed "Tonight He Comes," starring Will Smith.

Variety.com - Witherspoon to star in 'Midnight'

2007-05-31T19:11:00.001-04:00

Variety.com - Witherspoon to star in 'Midnight'

'Sunshine' scribe Arndt to write script

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Witherspoon

Arndt

Universal Pictures will develop a remake of the 1939 comedy "Midnight" as a star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon scripted by Michael Arndt, who won the Oscar for "Little Miss Sunshine."

Stuber/Parent partners Mary Parent and Scott Stuber will produce with Witherspoon and her Type A Films partner Jennifer Simpson.

Arndt hatched the idea, which prompted the producers to team.

"Midnight" has "long been one of my favorite films, and it is easily one of the best comedies of the '30s," Arndt said. "Being given the chance to update the film with Reese in the lead is simply a dream come true."

In the original, Claudette Colbert starred as a destitute young woman in Paris who becomes a pawn when a wealthy man tries to get rid of the gigolo wooing his wife. John Barrymore also starred in the film that was directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder.

The original was released by Paramount but became U property when the studio bought the pre-1948 Par library.

Project will not be next for Witherspoon, who's deciding between several films for her next slot. She's repped by CAA and Management 360 and Arndt by Endeavor.

Variety.com - Weinsteins, Woody Allen team up

2007-05-31T19:11:00.000-04:00

Variety.com - Weinsteins, Woody Allen team up: "TWC picks up 'Cassandra's Dream'
By ANNE THOMPSON

Woody Allen
Allen
The Weinsteins are getting back into the Woody Allen business.

The Weinstein Co. has acquired U.S., Australian, and New Zealand rights to Woody Allen's suspense drama 'Cassandra's Dream,' starring Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell and Tom Wilkinson.

Wild Bunch handled worldwide foreign sales at the Cannes market for the film, written and directed by Allen and produced by Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Gareth Wiley. The filmmaker now pre-sells his films around the world.

Allen turned down a Cannes closing-night berth for the pic, which will likely make its debut at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

While heading Miramax Films, Bob and Harvey Weinstein distributed Allen's 'Everyone Says I Love You,' 'Mighty Aphrodite,' 'Bullets Over Broadway' and 'Celebrity.'

'Cassandra's Dream' marks Allen's third pic to be set in London, after 'Scoop,' which Focus Features released to a $10.5 million Stateside gross, and DreamWorks' 'Match Point,' which topped out at $23 million in North America. 'Cassandra's Dream's' tragic tale of two brothers and their entangled relationships marks a return to a darker palette for the filmmaker."

Deschanel to star in 'Happening'

2007-05-31T19:06:00.000-04:00

Actress joins Wahlberg in Shyamalan film

By PETER GILSTRAP

Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel has inked to star with Mark Wahlberg in M. Night Shyamalan's 20th Century Fox thriller "The Happening."

Helmer's "Unbreakable" and "The Sixth Sense" producer Barry Mendel will produce with Sam Mercer.

Story concerns a man who takes his family on the run when an apocalyptic natural crisis threatens to end civilization; lensing starts in August in Philadelphia.

Deschanel's credits include "Bridge to Terabithia," "Failure to Launch" and the upcoming "Surf's Up" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Weekend B.O.

2007-05-29T23:52:00.000-04:00

You can see a complete list over at Yahoo! Movies.

This Wk	Last Wk	Title	Dist.	Weekend Gross	Cumulative Gross	Rlse Wks	# of Theaters
1	-	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution	$139,802,190	$153,042,234	1	4362
2	1	Shrek the Third	Paramount Pictures	$67,010,012	$217,348,470	2	4172
3	2	Spider-Man 3	Sony Pictures Releasing, Sony Pictures Releasing International	$18,112,261	$307,754,583	4	3723
4	-	Bug	Lionsgate	$4,015,846	$4,015,846	1	1661
5	12	Waitress	Fox Searchlight Pictures	$4,005,008	$6,522,396	4	510
6	3	28 Weeks Later	20th Century Fox Distribution	$3,280,306	$24,401,556	3	2013
7	5	Disturbia	Paramount Pictures	$2,433,028	$74,943,105	7	1632
8	4	Georgia Rule	Universal Pictures Distribution	$2,407,910	$16,832,880	3	1904
9	6	Fracture	New Line Cinema	$1,646,761	$37,170,866	6	907
10	17	Wild Hogs	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution	$1,586,929	$163,409,353	13	426

NBC Universal has made some changes.

2007-05-29T23:43:00.000-04:00

Producer Silverman in, Reilly out at NBC Uni

By Andrew Wallenstein

May 30, 2007

The man who gave NBC "The Office" is getting a big office at NBC -- but he nearly ended up elsewhere.

Ben Silverman, whose production company, Reveille, has established an impressive track record in primetime, including "Office" and ABC's "Ugly Betty," on Tuesday was officially installed as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio alongside Marc Graboff, ending days of speculation that also pointed to the departure of NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly.

You can read the rest of the article here.

30 Yeasrs of Star Wars

2007-05-25T19:22:00.001-04:00

By Carolyn Giardina

May 25, 2007

"Star Wars"

New "Star Wars" Web site launches

An anticipated 20,000-plus fans are expected to converge on downtown Los Angeles during the next few days to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of George Lucas' seminal film "Stars Wars" and its profound impact on the film industry and pop culture.

In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, Lucasfilm and Gen Con are presenting "Star Wars Celebration IV" at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be open to the public today through Monday. The event -- which kicked off Wednesday with a marathon screening of all six films -- includes live entertainment, cast-member appearances, film and video presentations and an exhibit of movie props and costumes.

"Star Wars" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1978 and won six. In 2005, the American Film Institute named John Williams' iconic score the most memorable of all time. The film has shown up on additional AFI lists, including the "100 Greatest American Movies" list, where it ranked No. 15.

The release of "Star Wars" marked a milestone in visual effects. Its makers pioneered groundbreaking visual effects techniques, and the work inspired many of today's VFX talent. Among the weekend program events is a Saturday session featuring the five visual effects supervisors from the 1977 classic through 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith." Scheduled to appear are Richard Edlund, John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Phil Tippett.

Edlund, who won Oscars for his work on all three films in the first trilogy, said: " 'Star Wars' woke up a sleeping giant. ... Since 'Star Wars,' its audience salivates for new effects movies."

Knoll, VFX supervisor on the more recent trilogy (and a certain three pirate movies, one of which opens today), said that he was in high school when the first "Star Wars" debuted. "Suddenly, there were new exciting things happening in the (VFX) field," he said, adding that he was then invited to tour Lucas' operation. "It was a life-changing experience. It helped me to decide that I wanted to do this for a living."

Carrie Fisher will be among the cast members making an appearance at the celebration. Lucas is out of the country and will not be in attendance, said Tom Warner, senior director of marketing at Lucasfilm.

"Generations of fans have loved 'Star Wars,' many passing along the 'Star Wars' gene to their children," said Steve Sansweet, director of content management and head of fan relations at Lucasfilm. "This is the first chance to celebrate all six movies in the saga -- George Lucas' complete story -- as well as the vibrant future of 'Star Wars.' "

To that end, Warner said the Los Angeles event will include a preview of a new video game, "The Force Unleashed," which will be available on multiple game platforms in early 2008. He said that in the game, the player takes on the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice.

He also pointed to Lucasfilm's CG-animated TV series "The Clone Wars," which is in production and whose story is set in the time period between Episodes II and III of the film series.

When asked about future home entertainment releases, Warner said, "We are always looking at the formats, but nothing is planned today." He also did not have additional information on Lucas' 2005 comments that he was looking to remaster and rerelease all six "Star Wars" films in stereoscopic 3-D.

Studios aggressive with buys at Cannes market

2007-05-25T19:20:00.000-04:00

Hollywood Reporter

By Stuart Kemp

May 25, 2007

CANNES -- A wave of aggressive acquisition activities from various studios, led by divisions at Sony, Universal, Paramount and Disney, rolled across this year's Festival de Cannes titles and Marche du Film projects as players from the overseas indie financing world frolicked in its wake.

Big multiterritory deals struck by divisions such as Universal Pictures International, a slew of deals struck by Sony's units and a visible hunger at Paramount paid lip service to market opinion that the pool of desirable product was deep this year.

Summit, which landed on the Croisette with one of the most sought-after slates it has ever presented, found itself trumpeting its own $100 million-plus sales success.

So confident in its own ability to raise financing without having to conclude a North American sale, coupled with a desire to hold onto hot properties that could feed its freshly launched distribution biz stateside, Summit has, according to buyers, been turning offers away -- on titles such as "Pompeii" -- because they can raise the production financing solely from overseas.

"There are a lot of movies and a lot of money out there. Look at all those boats," Summit Entertainment president Patrick Wachsberger said. "A lot of movies shouldn't be made just because there is so much money out there. We have to be careful about what we produce."

But aggressive studio buying puts pressure on everyone else.

"For the big titles, you often find you are competing with the studios because they are doing multiple-territory deals," German indie Constantin Film acquisitions chief Yoko Higuchi said. "Often a seller will go with a studio because they can obtain more money for multiple territories than with a single-national independent."

But the bean counters also noted that financing on big-budget projects is increasingly available -- and targeted outside the old-fashioned need for a U.S. deal -- to mean the difference between a picture surfing or not.

Berlin's Senator Entertainment chief creative officer Marco Weber, whose company financed and produced the Julia Roberts-starrer "Fireflies in the Garden," said speed is essential.

"European independents like Senator with certain resources have a distinct advantage over these studios in that we can move very fast," Weber said. "When a project is ready, we can greenlight it immediately. We have the luxury of being able to wait until the picture is finished before doing a U.S. deal so we can get better terms."

British-based finance and sales house Capitol Films, snapped up by Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor last year, spent Cannes adding names such as Jennifer Lopez to projects to whet buyer's appetites.

Capitol general counsel Hannah Leader told THR that there was more international cash out there than ever. But Leader said the problem was that while the talent pool remained largely static in terms of the handful of internationally recognized names, the prices demanded to sign for projects was rocketing.

"The problem is not financing the films, the problem is casting them," Leader said. "Last year, getting someone to commit might have cost $300,000, but this year people are asking for $5 million. And they're getting it. But everything is cyclical, so I am sure that will change again."

The scent of money in the air, she added, was due to the tax and state incentives to shoot in America as well as the plethora of private equity cash available and international financiers queuing up to take on some risk with high-end projects with talent attached.

Oscar-winning producer Graham King ("The Departed") launched his own production banner GK Films, secured a three-year, first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures., and reupped his existing production deal with Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil.

King is raising all the cash for his first GK banner project, Jean Marc Vallee's "The Young Victoria," which stars Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt, from international sources.

"Buyers need more information -- screenplays, cast and a longer prep time -- because of the sheer number of new projects and competing films in their market," Robbie Little of the Little Film Co. said.

Italy's Max Pictures CEO and founder Max Alvarez said his company is putting together a $70 million film called "Speed Kills" and is considering seeking studio funding, though it's also prepared to go it alone.

"The big advantage of staying independent is that you control everything. But a studio can bring more than just money. It's expertise and connections," Alvarez said. "I think any independent studio has to weigh the pros and cons of each side and figure out what's best. You can make the argument either way."

Gregg Goldstein, Eric J. Lyman and Scott Roxborough contributed to this report.

It's not even Friday night yet.

2007-05-25T19:11:00.001-04:00

'World's End'-led weekend should be biggest in history

By Brian Fuson

May 25, 2007

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

'Pirates' haul begins: $58 mil in two days

It's a foregone conclusion that Buena Vista Pictures' "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" will be swinging from the mainmast of the boxoffice by the end of this weekend and with plenty of plunder in tow. It's just a question of how big the seafaring sequel will be.

But that's only part of the story.

With the second weekend of Paramount Pictures' "Shrek the Third" and Sony Pictures' still-potent "Spider-Man 3" in the mix, the frame is poised to be the biggest in history.

"At World's End" marks the third film in the Walt Disney Co.'s lucrative "Pirates" franchise to set sail in theaters and, like the other pictures, carries the demographically friendly PG-13 rating. For their latest high-seas escapades, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and company board a record 4,362 theater marquees for the Memorial Day holiday frame. Of those theaters, 1,068 will be digital -- a high for that format as well.

To get a jump on the holiday session and prime the boxoffice pump, "At World's End" had previews Thursday starting at about 8 p.m. in about 4,000 theaters nationwide. Midnight shows were to follow, and some exhibitors will be running the film around the clock. Those previews will attract the hard-core fan base and might pull in moviegoers who have today off for the holiday, but they also could drain some of the weekend interest.

But with the buzz surrounding "At World's End" flying so high, that's not likely to be a problem; it's more probable that the film's two-hour, 47-minute running time will have more of an impact. According to MovieTickets.com, presales on "At World's End" are through the roof, and the film already is positioned to break all-time sales records for the online ticketer.

Most industry observers agree that "At World's End" should break boxoffice records this weekend. It's just a matter of how many and by how much.

Last year's "Pirates" film, "Dead Man's Chest," opened to $135.6 million in early July to become the biggest opening weekend in history, breaking the record set just six weeks earlier by 20th Century Fox's "X-Men: The Last Stand," which debuted during the four-day Memorial Day holiday frame with $122.9 million. "Dead Man's Chest" held the record until this month, when Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 3" vaulted past it with $151.1 million to claim the crown.

Disney understandably is mum on projections in order to manage expectations, but insiders are fairly confident that the opening of "At World's End" will be bigger than "Spider-Man 3." And while "At World's End" has the advantage of an extra day with the four-day holiday frame, it is only a matter of time before another film comes along -- i.e. "Spider-Man 3" and "Dead Man's Chest" -- and does more business in three days than "At World's End" did in four.

Aside from the high expectations for "At World's End," the Memorial Day weekend should be a memorable one. The third "Pirates" is the third high-profile threequel to hit theaters in the past four weeks, and with "Shrek" and "Spider-Man 3" still in play, the marketplace is expected to expand.

Consequently, the weekend is likely to top the $247.6 million generated during the 2004 Memorial Day frame, the biggest weekend of all time. The top three films that weekend were DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" ($95.6 million), Fox's "The Day After Tomorrow" ($85.8 million) and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Troy" ($15.3 million).

In putting together the third and final chapter in the "Pirates" saga, Disney employed the same principal stars and producing, writing and directing team that navigated the first two films. Gore Verbinski helms, with Jerry Bruckheimer producing and Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio handling the writing chores. Principal cast including Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley also are all on board.

Keeping the crew intact for "At World's End" probably was a good idea if one considers that the combined worldwide boxoffice for the first two "Pirates" films, "The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Dead Man's Chest," was a staggering $1.7 billion. The industry rule of thumb maintains that during the average seven-year cycle of a film product, the boxoffice -- the first income generator in a long line of ancillary revenue streams, including video/DVD, television, etc. -- represents about 20% of the product's total gross. With "Pirates' " worldwide boxoffice to date, the projected total gross sales for the first two films alone would be in the multiple billions of dollars.

Speaking of franchises, DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" will have picked up about $150.3 million in its first seven days of release, and "Spider-Man 3" had caught $289.5 million in its web through Thursday. This weekend, "Shrek" and "Spider-Man" will finish in second and third place, respectively.

In a counterprogramming effort, the only other wide release will be Lionsgate's "Bug," an R-rated thriller from director William Friedkin starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Lynn Collins. The film is based on an off-Broadway play written by Tracy Letts.

Oh No, The Sims have taken over.

2007-05-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

Fox brings 'SIMS' to bigscreen

Film will be a live-action version

By PETER GILSTRAP

20th Century Fox has acquired feature rights to the life simulation computer game "The SIMS" from Electronic Arts, and has set project up with Fox-based John Davis.

The five-year-old franchise is the best selling PC game in history, with worldwide sales topping 85 million, bringing in over $1.6 billion. Pic will be a live-action version.

Steve Asbell is overseeing the project for Fox with SIMS Studio head Rod Humble managing the creative property for Electronic Arts. Brian Lynch will script; story is under wraps with talent yet to be named.

"'The SIMS has done an interactive version of an old story, which is what it's like to have infinite power and how do you deal with it," said Humble. "Given that that's an old story, you can imagine how easily that would translate to traditional story telling."

Davis' most recent projects include "Norbit," "When A Stranger Calls," and "Eragon."

Lynch scripted and helmed upcoming "Big Helium Dog," and penned "Scary Movie 3," and is managed by Benderspink.

Sims are ok for the computer screen, not so sure about the bigscreen.

Sandra Bullock has a 'Proposal'

2007-05-25T15:33:00.001-04:00

Bullock set to star in 'Proposal'

Kurtzman, Orci to exec produce rom-com

By PETER GILSTRAP

Bullock

Sandra Bullock has been tapped to star in Touchstone Pictures' romantic comedy "The Proposal."

Mandeville's David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing; Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will exec produce.

Peter Chiarelli script concerns a demanding female boss faced with deportation to Canada who agrees to a sham engagement and marriage with her young male assistant. A director has yet to be named.

Longtime collaborators Kurtzman and Orci penned "Mission Impossible III," as well as upcoming Dream Works/Paramount features "Transformers" and "Star Trek." Duo are producing "2012" and "The 28th Amendment" for Warner Bros. and "Red Cell" for New Line.

Tyro scribe Chiarelli was director of development at MGM, supervising production of "The Pink Panther" and "The Amityville Horror." In 2005, he moved to DreamWorks to run Kurtzman/Orci Prods., where his projects included "Eagle Eye," "Nightlife" and "Red Cell."

Sandra Bullock has a 'Proposal'

2007-05-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

Bullock set to star in 'Proposal'

Kurtzman, Orci to exec produce rom-com

By PETER GILSTRAP

Bullock

Sandra Bullock has been tapped to star in Touchstone Pictures' romantic comedy "The Proposal."

Mandeville's David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing; Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will exec produce.

Peter Chiarelli script concerns a demanding female boss faced with deportation to Canada who agrees to a sham engagement and marriage with her young male assistant. A director has yet to be named.

Movies Opening Today

2007-05-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Place to be last night. At a movie theater near you @ 8 p.m. That is when the general public had the chance to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Disney publicized their decision to not wait for the midnight showing and show it a few hours earlier. The other movie studios are smart, because this long holiday weekend, POTC is the only major film released today. ( I give this film a A++) Some people are over the Pirates, so there are other smaller movies that are now in theaters. I recommend Amu. Previews are below. :)

Amu

Angel-A

Bug

Golden Door

Paprika

Wonder why he changed his mind?

2007-05-23T22:59:00.000-04:00

Alec Baldwin returns to CAA

Actor, agency reteam after month-long break

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Baldwin

In an about-face, Alec Baldwin has returned to CAA.

Citing personal reasons, Baldwin had left the agency late last month (Daily Variety, April 25).

The abrupt exit came as he was dealing with the blowback from a Web site leak of a four-minute voicemail tirade he left for his daughter after she missed a scheduled phone conversation.

It was the latest chapter in his contentious divorce with actress Kim Basinger, who is also represented by the same agency -- a situation that may have exacerbated his ire.

Baldwin, who briefly said that he didn't want to return to his series "30 Rock" and would instead devote himself to raising awareness of parental alienation during divorces and the inequities that fathers receive from the courts, is quietly getting things back in order, as his return to CAA indicates.

Through a spokesman, Baldwin said, "I could not imagine being represented by anyone other than Matt DelPiano."

Though Baldwin is coming off strong movie work in "The Departed" and "The Good Shepherd," he won't take a film during the hiatus from the NBC sitcom "30 Rock," which is coming back for its second season.

Baldwin, whose contract calls for him to appear in at least 12 episodes of the sitcom, will be back to work when shooting begins in August. He's also in the middle of writing a book about the impact of the divorce process on fathers, and expects to have it published later this year through St. Martin's Press.

Remember the cartoon He-Man?

2007-05-23T22:57:00.000-04:00

He-Man returns to big screen

Joel Silver teams with WB for adaptation

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film.

Justin Marks is set to write the script. Silver will produce.

Deal, which is contingent on Mattel formally approving an outline for the project, is another example of Hollywood overhauling a 1980s-era pop-culture touchstone in the hopes of seeding a tentpole pic. The sale comes just a few weeks before the July preem of DreamWorks' Michael Bay-directed "Transformers," which began as an '80s animated series and toy line.

He-Man was born as a Mattel action figure, and the toymaker created an animated series in hopes of selling dolls. The series became a cult favorite, but the brand was hardly helped by its first bigscreen incarnation, the campy 1987 flop "Masters of the Universe" that starred Dolph Lundgren as the title character and Frank Langella as his nemesis Skeletor.

The toymaker, which now licenses "He-Man" for high-end merchandise sold to hardcore collectors, has been wary of going Hollywood again. An attempt by Fox 2000 to make another movie, this time with director John Woo, ended in futility as the toymaker didn't spark to the screen plans.

For Mattel, the stakes are potentially high as success could mean an entire relaunch of a toy line.

The franchise has been reimagined by the producer and the writers and pitched to Mattel as a classic good vs. evil battle, using the kind of visual effects strategy employed in "300." A warrior is touted as the last hope of a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.

Many of the characters in the Middle Earth-like universe will be informed by the mythology created in the four different cartoon series done since the 1980s.

The story was hatched by Marks and Neil Ellice, the latter of whom will co-produce. Silver Pictures, which is turning the Japanese animated series "Speed Racer" into a live-action film to be directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, sparked to the potential. Silver Pictures exec Navid McIlhargey brought it in and will be involved in a producing capacity.

The viability of the "He-Man" universe is evidenced by the traffic that has occurred since rumors of a screen resurrection hit the Internet. Contrary to Web rumor, the lead role has not yet been cast.

WMA-repped Marks is writing a number of scripts, including "One Free Murder," for producer Kevin Misher. But he's found a niche reimagining branded properties. He's turning the animated series "Voltron" into a live-action film for producer Mark Gordon; he's developing a screen version of the vidgame "Street Fighter" for Hyde Park; and he's scripting a feature for Warners based on DC Comics character the Green Arrow.

" There's No Need to Fear, Underdog is Here!"

2007-05-23T15:38:00.001-04:00

You can watch the new trailer for Underdog. I think it would have been cooler if the movie was animated. Disney's Underdog hits theaters August 3rd.

Buyer feeding frenzy at Cannes

2007-05-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

IFC snaps up 'Four Weeks;' who will ring 'Bell'?

By ELIZABETH GUIDER, DADE HAYES

As the hoopla at Cannes finally shows signs of peaking, a number of U.S players came up for air, either to announce pictures they've bought or to trumpet pictures they've sold.

With so much money pouring into the international film business, and with the competition for top titles so intense year-round, most outfits that can afford to are stepping up to acquire product before it's even made.

A half-dozen of the top U.S. players -- Summit, Par Vantage, Picturehouse, the Weinstein Co. and Sony Classics among them -- have been circling a handful of fest titles, with various degrees of "must-have" enthusiasm.

Cocktail scuttlebutt here has almost always included the Competition title Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," whose distrib Pathe put on another screening for buyers at 4 p.m. Tuesday. No deal was expected before that.

Other fest titles that attracted more than nibbles include the Romanian title called "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days."

Directed by Christian Mungiu, pic had its gala unveiling Thursday and has since set cinephile tongues wagging. IFC bought the picture for an undisclosed sum Tuesday.

Read the rest of the article

Mike Myers to star in 'Mitty' remake

2007-05-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

Actor in on Fox, Goldwyn's 'Secret'

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Myers

Mike Myers is attached to star in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a remake of the Danny Kaye comedy classic that producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. has moved from Paramount to 20th Century Fox.

Jay Kogen, a writer and producer on "The Simpsons," "Frasier" and, most recently, CBS' "The Class," is penning the script. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and John Goldwyn will produce.

Jim Carrey had once been attached to play the daydreamer first brought to life in 1947 by Kaye in a pic based on a short story by James Thurber. Directors attached to the project on and off during the past few years include Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. When those efforts didn't pan out, Goldwyn moved the film to Par, where "Mean Girls" director Mark Waters tried to do it with Owen Wilson.

Fox and Goldwyn are starting from scratch with a version that will be specifically tailored for Myers.

The long-gestating "Mitty" is one of several projects in the works for Myers, whose green alter ego is cleaning up at the box office in "Shrek the Third." His next live-action vehicle, Paramount comedy "The Love Guru," is on track to begin production in September in Toronto, with Marco Schnabel directing. Myers will play Pitka, a self-help guru character he created and honed in comedy clubs while writing the script with Graham Gordy.

"Mitty" will compete for Myers' next live-action slot with "See Me, Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure," the Spitfire Pictures/Gerber Pictures drama in which Myers will play the hard-living drummer for the British rock group the Who. Playwright Donald Margulies ("Brooklyn Boy") has completed a first draft and will do a rewrite. The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey is aboard as a producer.

The CAA-repped Myers has several projects looming in the future. He is attached to star in "How to Survive a Robot Uprising," an adaptation of a humorous survival guide written by Daniel H. Wilson that is "Reno 911!" duo Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant are scripting for Par. Myers also has begun early discussions with New Line and director Jay Roach for a fourth installment of the "Austin Powers" series. While no writer has yet been assigned, Myers is eyeing a sequel that tells the story from the viewpoint of Dr. Evil.

Year of the Dog Review

2007-05-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

Best in show

Quirky and off-center, Year of the Dog is the little indie that could

by Bob Green / 05-16-2007

Be warned: If you’re after a reassuring, largely formulaic romantic comedy peopled with the beautiful, Year of the Dog isn’t it. The first movie directed by eccentric screenwriter Mike White (The Good Girl, Chuck and Buck), this little movie is far more ambitious than, say, the newest Drew Barrymore assembly-line confection. It approaches reality a little closer than is comfortable for some romantic moviegoers, and its characters are less than gorgeous, asymmetrical in every possible way and prone to fits of contradiction.

These people are, in general, their own worst enemies in ways you might recognize.

With a strong cast featuring the always reliable Peter Sarsgaard, Laura Dern and John C. Reilly, the story—what happens to a mousy secretary after her beloved beagle dies—stars former SNL comedienne Molly Shannon, who burrows right in and makes the character-driven movie work. That is, she’s not after the Miss Congeniality award, nor feel-goodism of ordinary romantic comedies. Her character, Peggy Spade, is a composite of tics, internal personal conflicts and ambivalence as lifestyle. Spade’s only friend, and a good one, was Pencil the dog. When she discovers his collapsed body one day, her world goes into a tailspin.

Now more alienated than ever, Peggy finds herself alone in a world in which her relatives talk either of snagging a marriage partner…or how their kids are doing, and they’re beginning to regard Peggy as a liability. (She’s a failure, they suggest, because she’s not married.)

Enter two men: a doltish next-door neighbor (Reilly, really good at being obnoxious) and an animal rescue volunteer (Sarsgaard, as meaningfully off-center as usual). Wisely, Peggy gravitates toward Newt, the Sarsgaard character but, even there, problems arise.

Here the movie imitates life: The path Peggy “chooses” is part savvy, part accidental, part beyond anyone’s control.

In The Good Girl, writer White’s main character was sabotaged by the casting of Jennifer Aniston, too attractive for the part. Now that he directs this one, he’s made sure that Shannon isn’t just another Hollywood Jewish-American princess with an adorable nose job. In some scenes, Shannon is ungainly and plain Jane-ish; in others, she is attractive and winning—as is the movie.

In a summer of super-charged, hyper-speed movies, Year of the Dog might seem a bit leisurely paced, a series of vignettes seemingly going nowhere. But Shannon’s Peggy Spade is not a superhero(ine) and White’s movie is not aimed at overaged adolescents who are a lot more like Peggy emotionally than they care to recognize.

Forget the hype: Year of the Dog is a good movie. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

The Waitress Review

2007-05-23T15:07:00.000-04:00

Waitress: Food For Thought

Here's a generous tip: See this movie

By Matt Brunson

Published 05.23.2007

It's a heartwarming fairy tale scenario. Pregnant with her first child (a girl), a little-known actress pens a screenplay that manages to corral all her fears, anxieties and optimistic impulses regarding this life-altering event. She later turns that story into a film, not only serving as scripter but also as director and costar. The movie gathers positive reviews at Sundance, and then is positioned as a sleeper alternative to the usual big-budget summer behemoths. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Only something went tragically wrong along the way. The 40-year-old Adrienne Shelly, an indie staple back in the 1990s, had the baby and made the film, but rather than having the rest of a long life to enjoy both, she was murdered last November by a 19-year-old construction worker in her New York office. (The Ecuadorian illegal immigrant allegedly knocked her out during an argument over noise and, fearful of deportation, unsuccessfully staged it to look like she had committed suicide by hanging herself.)

One's initial impulse with Waitress, therefore, is to cut it several hundred yards of slack, to view it through a sentimental prism which would render any criticism of the picture about as cruel as burning a puppy with a cigarette. Yet here's the good news about the film: It doesn't require even a centimeter of slack, as it's a lovely motion picture that succeeds within its own self-contained bubble.

This sweet saga's protagonist is played by Keri Russell, the former Mouseketeer and Felicity star whose brief spots in movies (Mission: Impossible III, The Upside of Anger) only hinted that she might be worthy of larger film roles. In that respect, Waitress is to Russell what The Good Girl was to Jennifer Aniston: a choice opportunity for a television beauty to flex her thespian muscles. And like Aniston, Russell doesn't disappoint, delivering a nicely modulated performance that keeps viewers in her character's corner every step of the way.

Russell stars as Jenna, one of the waitresses employed at Joe's Pie Diner. The eatery, one of those quaint establishments tucked away in a small burg in fly-over country, is most notable for its 27 varieties of pies that are made fresh daily. In addition, Jenna creates a new pie every day, each given a quirky name depending on her mood and her present life situation (e.g. "I-Hate-My-Husband Pie," "Naughty Pumpkin Pie"). For friendship, she turns to her fellow staffers, the chatty Becky (Cheryl Hines, partially channeling Flo from the old Alice TV series) and the mousy Dawn (Shelly herself). But for love and affection, she's out of luck, since she's married to a domineering redneck named Earl (Jeremy Sisto), the sort of Neanderthal who orders her to hand over all her earnings at the end of each day and who's so controlling that he won't even allow her to enter a pie-making contest that offers a substantial amount of prize money.

Life with Earl is unendurable enough, but matters become even more complicated once she discovers she's pregnant (as she bitterly recalls, it happened on that one night when Earl got her drunk). She visits her regular doctor, only to discover that she's been replaced by Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), who just moved to the area with his wife. Medical ethics and marital vows be damned, the pair quickly fall into a tentative affair, one that's marked with as many moments of hesitancy and doubt as it is with steamy trysts. As for the baby, Jenna won't consider getting an abortion, but she also makes it clear that she has no use -- and no love -- for this unwanted infant. All she dreams about is leaving Earl and starting a new life, perhaps even one with Dr. Pomatter.

As writer, Shelly makes some missteps when it comes to her attempts to throw some surprises into the basic framework; for instance, Becky keeps babbling about a "secret" that's obvious from the get-go, while there's no question where the windfall will come from that might allow Jenna to escape her drab lot in life. But where Shelly excels is in her ability to dig beneath sitcom scenarios and focus on some hard truths that all too often define one's choices in life. Two of the three waitresses engage in affairs while the third ends up with a dweeb who almost makes Norman Bates look like a catch by comparison. But Shelly never judges these people or their actions, understanding that folks with limited options will often grasp at whatever straws are placed in front of them, as they realize that they have to work with what they've got (as one character states when asked if he's happy, "I'm happy enough"). Shelly's generosity even extends to the largely one-dimensional character of Earl; when he tells Jenna that he loves her, you don't exactly feel sorry for him but you do realize that in his limited world view, he probably does feel affection for his wife but is too much the lumbering misogynist to properly express it (kudos to Sisto for punching across these brief flashes of skewed humanity).

As stated, Russell is resplendent in the leading role, but let's also be sure to heap copious praise on wily vet Andy Griffith. He appears in a few scenes (not enough, by my count) as Old Joe, the diner's cantankerous owner. Naturally, he's disliked by everyone except Jenna, who recognizes the heart of gold beating beneath that cranky exterior. It's a stock role, of course, but Shelly provides the character with some salty wisecracks, a few engaging set-pieces (a couple involving the reading of his horoscope) and a nice monologue in which he attempts to instill Jenna with the sense of self-esteem that he realizes is integral to her growth as her own person. The beloved actor handles the part beautifully, and we're lucky that he's still with us at the age of 80. It's a shame we won't be able to say the same about the lovely and talented Adrienne Shelly.

Waitress

***1/2

DIRECTED BY Adrienne Shelly

STARS Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion

Romantic Comedies

2007-05-21T23:14:00.000-04:00

Sacbee.com tells us who they would put in a romantic comedy . I have to say the Romantic Comedy genre is lacking severely. I guess that is not new news as Salon.com wrote an article about the decline back in the 20th century.( June 1999) The movies sacbee mention like Knocked Up and The Waitress, I do not even consider to be close to a romantic comedy. Some of their pairings are a little far fetched too. Maybe women should revolt and demand more romantic comedies. Or maybe not, as that would mean more movies like Music and Lyrics; however Kate and Leopold I loved.

With a goal of trying to resuscitate these glossy romances, here's my list of dream pairings:

Penélope Cruz

and Christian Bale

An intense actor who always seems to be keeping a secret, Bale might be the co-star to finally help translate Cruz's great appeal in Spanish films to American movies. Cruz could be kooky and play off Bale, who would be a stoic, Colin Firth-type romantic lead. Or a Richard Gere-style straight man à la "Pretty Woman," but with even better suits and less prostitution.

Halle Berry and Will Smith

A pairing with Berry might pull in the five or so moviegoers who thus far have resisted Smith's films. Smith could hone the charm he showed in "Hitch," one of the few romantic comedies of the past few years that worked. And Berry, who was adorable in "Boomerang," could make a movie in which her character isn't in peril.

Amanda Bynes and Shia LaBeouf

These graduates of children's television have displayed impressive talent on the big screen. LaBeouf, who shows real depth along with fine comic timing, could both play into and help calibrate Bynes' wacky approach. Think about it: Bynes and LaBeouf. Not quite Tracy and Hepburn or Lunt and Fontanne, but it still sounds great once you learn to pronounce "LaBeouf."

Virginia Madsen and George Clooney

People compare Clooney to Cary Grant, but he's not known for his romantic comedies. Madsen, retro-glamorous before she grew more earthy on screen, could perfectly complement Clooney's old-school charm.

Keira Knightley
and Johnny Depp

We'll know later this week what the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment offers. But in the second film, Depp and Knightley sizzled so inappropriately that you wanted to shield the kiddies' eyes. Perhaps they could transfer that heat to a romantic comedy set in an insurance office or a hospital.

Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman

Freeman would play a widowed businessman who suddenly must raise young grandchildren. Mirren would be the opinionated Cockney nanny with whom he argues about the content and consistency of "pudding." Tempers flare. Sparks fly. And Mirren and Freeman will become the first actors in history to pull off one of those silly romantic-comedy scenes in which people spontaneously break into lip-sync and dance.

Renée Zellweger and Brad Pitt

A blight on the face of modern romantic comedies, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" showed that Pitt would do better with a more down-to-earth partner than Angelina Jolie onscreen, if not in life. And since Jennifer Aniston is probably out of the question, Zellweger will do.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger

Because romantic comedies, unlike "Brokeback Mountain," have happy endings.

Cannes Day 6

2007-05-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

For consistent coverage of the Festival de Cannes 2007, you can go over to Indiewire.

On Sunday Morning, 12 a.m. to be exact, instead of people excited to go see the midnight screening of U2 3D just to experience the greatest that is U2, they actually got to REALLY experience, in real lifeD. U2 actually performed on the steps of the Palais de Festival. How cool is that?!

The big movie at Cannes today is A Mighty Heart starring Angelina Jolie premieres at Cannes today ( 10:45 france). Below you can check out the trailer. It is produced by Brad Pitt's company Plan B/Paromount. Speaking of Mr. Pitt, Ocean's 13 makes it Cannes debut on Thursday. That will be one crazy red carpet.

Movies Opening Today

2007-05-18T13:46:00.001-04:00

Shrek the Third is in theaters today! Don't know who Shrek is? Check out the trailer! Hopefully this one is better than the second, although I think nothing tops the original.
( Do you know the Muffin Man?)

Also opening today: (Click the Title to view the trailer.)

The Wendell Baker Story (Trendy Featured Movie)
Captivity
Even Money
Fay Grim
Once
Severance

Fox Announces Fall Line Up 2007-2008.

2007-05-17T17:36:00.000-04:00

Today was Fox's turn to announce their line up for the upcoming season. Click here for the descriptions of the new shows. New shows are in bold. I have Cannes Festival news coming up. :)

FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2007
(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8:00 pm PRISON BREAK
9:00 pm K-VILLE

TUESDAY
8:00 NEW AMSTERDAM
9:00 HOUSE

WEDNESDAY
8:00 BACK TO YOU
8:30 ’TIL DEATH
9:00 BONES

THURSDAY
8:00 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9:00 KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

FRIDAY
8:00 THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN
BAND (working title)
9:00 NASHVILLE (working title)

SATURDAY
8:00 COPS
8:30 COPS
9:00 AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS
BACK
11:00 PM MADtv
MIDNIGHT TALK SHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY
7:00 THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00 THE SIMPSONS
8:30 KING OF THE HILL
9:00 FAMILY GUY
9:30 AMERICAN DAD

FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: BEGINNING JANUARY 2008
(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8:00 K-VILLE (January)/PRISON BREAK (Spring)
9:00 24

TUESDAY
8:00 AMERICAN IDOL
9:00 HOUSE

WEDNESDAY (January)
8:00 BACK TO YOU
8:30 ’TIL DEATH
9:00 AMERICAN IDOL

WEDNESDAY (Spring)
8:00 BACK TO YOU
8:30 THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES (working title)
9:00 AMERICAN IDOL Results Show
9:30 ’TIL DEATH

THURSDAY
8:00 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9:00 CANTERBURY’S LAW

FRIDAY (Spring)
8:00 BONES
9:00 NEW AMSTERDAM

SATURDAY
8:00 COPS
8:30 COPS
9:00 AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS
BACK
11:00 PM MADtv
MIDNIGHT TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY (Spring)
7:00 KING OF THE HILL
7:30 AMERICAN DAD
8:00 THE SIMPSONS
8:30 FAMILY GUY
9:00 THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

CW Announces Fall Line Up

2007-05-17T17:31:00.000-04:00

I forgot this little network. CW yesterday announced their upcoming line up. You can read about the shows here. New shows are in bold.

Following is The CW's 2007-2008 prime-time schedule.

Monday
8-8:30 pm Everybody Hates Chris
8:30-9 pm Aliens in America
9-9:30 pm Girlfriends
9:30-10 pm The Game

Tuesday
8-9 pm Beauty and the Geek
9-10 pm Reaper

Wednesday
8-9 pm America's Next Top Model
9-10 pm Gossip Girl

Thursday
8-9 pm Smallville
9-10 pm Supernatural

Friday
8-10 pm Friday Night SmackDown!

Sunday
7-7:30 pm CW Now
7:30-8 pm Online Nation
8-9 pm Life is Wild
9-10 pm America's Next Top Model

Trendy Bits

2007-05-16T15:50:00.000-04:00

-Apparently the MTV show Taquita and Kaui was cancelled, but according to their MySpace Page the show aired Monday...

-You can see some pictures of Disneyland getting prepared for the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere.

-Jennifer Garner is producing a show for mothers.

- You can watch a preview of The Simpson's 400th Episode/Season Finale here.

Festival De Cannes Opens Today.

2007-05-16T15:42:00.000-04:00

Today is the start of the Cannes Film Festival. Here is the press release from the Cannes site:

The Cannes Film Festival is preparing for the opening of its 60th edition on Wednesday May 16th. The Jury, under its President, Stephen Frears, and composed of Maggie Cheung, Toni Collette, Maria De Medeiros, Sarah Polley, Marco Bellocchio, Orhan Pamuk, Michel Piccoli, and Abderrahmane Sissako, meets in Cannes for the first time this evening for a working session.

Tomorrow, after the ceremony of the steps for Wong Kar Wai’s film My Blueberry Nights, in competition, German actress Diane Kruger will introduce the Opening Ceremony. This will be the occasion for the world premiere of Absurda, a short film made by David Lynch and dedicated to movie theatres as a surprise gift for the Festival, to mark its anniversary.

To embody this 60th anniversary, the Festival has imagined a symbolic couple: an alliance of wisdom with modernity, experience with grace. Manoel de Oliveira, the only director to have made films ever since the silent era, and princess Shu-Qi, symbol of our dreams of the Orient, will declare the 60th Festival open.

You can download the official screening list here. ( Right Click, Save As.) Opening today is the movie " My Blueberry Nights" starring Jude Law and singer Norah Jones.

CBS Announces Fall Line Up

2007-05-16T15:26:00.000-04:00

You can read descriptions of new shows and such over at tvguide.com. New shows are in bold. Tomorrow is Fox's announcement.

CBS TELEVISION NETWORK 2007-2008 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
8:30 The Big Bang Theory
9:00 Two and a Half Men
9:30 Rules of Engagement
10:00 CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 pm NCIS
9:00-10:00 pm THE UNIT
10:00-11:00 pm CANE

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 pm KID NATION
9:00-10:00 pm CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 pm CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 pm SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 pm CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 pm WITHOUT A TRACE

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 pm GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 pm MOONLIGHT
10:00-11:00 pm NUMB3RS

SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 pm CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 pm CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 pm 48 HOURS: MYSTERY

SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 pm 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 pm VIVA LAUGHLIN
9:00-10:00 pm COLD CASE
10:00-11:00 pm SHARK

In addition to the new series for Fall, the network announced the pick up of three programs for midseason, including the four-time Emmy Award-winning The Amazing Race, the comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine, starring Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the provocative new drama Swingtown.

L.A. Premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoniex is July 8th.

2007-05-16T11:44:00.000-04:00

The 5th Harry Potter movie is due into theaters July 13, 2007. The U.S. Premiere will be on July 8th via Warner Bros. press release. And in case you have no idea what a Harry Potter is here is the trailer for the new movie. You will have to go rent the other four movies. The 7th and last book in the Harry Potter series is out midnight July 21, 2007. However, J.K. Rowling says she will be doing another book but it will be more along the lines of an instructional rather than another Harry Potter book. Die hard Harry Potter fans know why there will only be seven books. Two years ago I was on of those crazies out there at Borders after midnight getting my book. I think I will do it again, but hit up Barnes and Nobles instead.

TV Break: More '24' Through 2009

2007-05-16T11:35:00.000-04:00

Great news to me! Although I thought this was already known with that huge deal he signed last year... This news comes as Fox is prepared to announce their fall line up Thursday. That is the last of the major network announcements with CBS today. Monday was NBC, Tuesday was ABC.

'24's' number up through 2009

By Nellie Andreeva

May 16, 2007

With the countdown clock ticking till Fox's Thursday upfront presentation, the network has picked up real-time drama "24" for two more seasons. The unusually late renewal for the Emmy-winning "24," from Real Time Prods., Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox TV, will keep Jack Bauer saving the day through the 2008-09 season. Series star Kiefer Sutherland already is locked to stay with the show through May 2009 under a three-year, eight-figure deal Sutherland inked last year with 20th TV (HR 4/10/2006). "We're re-creating the series," executive producer/showrunner Howard Gordon said. "It is going to be a real-time thriller. Beyond that, it's an open book."

The rest of the article can be read at The Hollywood Reporter.

Indian Jones 4 to Film in New Haven, CT Next Month

2007-05-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

Part of Chapel St. to become scene of car chase in the 1950s

Ed Stannard , Register Metro Editor

NEW HAVEN — Indiana Jones will be racing up Chapel Street next month, a spokesman for director Steven Spielberg confirmed Monday. The fourth installment of the hugely popular series, arriving in theaters almost 20 years after the third, will include some kind of car chase on Chapel between College and High streets. A pre-production crew was in the city last week and Monday talking to shop owners on the block.

"I really have no details on it at all, except to say that there will be some filming there," said Marvin Levy, a spokesman for Spielberg, who did confirm the film will be the next in the series starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, set to open May 22, 2008.

You can read the rest of the article here.

More T.V. News-Inside Robot Chicken: Star Wars

2007-05-15T15:55:00.000-04:00

Spoofing Star Wars

When Adult Swim's "Robot Chicken" decides to jump to Hyperspace with the upcoming release of Robot Chicken: Star Wars fans can look forward to seeing their favorite characters and movie moments satirized and tweaked as the show's creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich only know how.

The creative duo first met when Senreich, who was still an editor at ToyFare magazine, asked Green for an interview about his custom-made dolls he made for the cast of his show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." "The next thing you know we were buddy-buddy sending each other toys back and forth through the mail that we couldn't find," Senreich says. "And it was right around the time all the Star Wars prequels were coming out. The toy market was hitting big and we were geeking out."

You can read the rest of the article here. Robot Chicken airs Sundays during Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network.

TV Just Got a lot 'Whiter,'

2007-05-15T15:50:00.000-04:00

He is right though...

George Lopez, the first Latino to lead a television series successfully, isn't laughing. "TV just became really, really white again," he said.

ABC, he said, has "unceremoniously" canceled his self-titled comedy, which over the years chronicled his personal life from his sad childhood growing up with an abusive grandmother, to his alcoholism and kidney transplant.

"The George Lopez Show" will live on in syndication, but that's not making Lopez feel better about not getting the chance to tell one final season of stories. Lopez said Steve McPherson, ABC president of prime-time entertainment, called him over the weekend to explain that "financially" it wasn't working out, that the network would lose money if it picked up the show again.

That explanation was painful to hear, Lopez said, considering the way the network has shuffled his show over the years -- four different time slots in five years -- and putting it up against "American Idol" time and time again.

It all contributed to the show's low ratings, a point not lost on Lopez who noted that this season his show out-performed two freshman comedies that were renewed: "Notes from the Underbelly" and "Knights of Prosperity."

"I’ll take the good and the bad," Lopez said. "I took the five years of good and I did a lot with the good. My popularity, I was involved in charities, I overcame my illness, all on TV. I shared all of that with America—every secret I had. Every personal feeling. Every emotion. Everything was open to the show. And what happens?"

Lopez said he attributed the cancellation in part to the fact that the show is produced by Warner Bros. Television, and not ABC Television Studios. Using some colorful language that cannot be printed in a family newspaper, Lopez scoffed in particular at another ABC pickup: "Cavemen," about two brothers and one best friend, described as sophisticated cave dudes living in modern-day Atlanta, who will continually find themselves at odds with contemporary society.

"I get kicked out for a...caveman and shows that I out-performed because I’m not owned by [ABC Television Studios]...So a...Chicano can't be on TV but a...caveman can?" Lopez said. "And a Chicano with an audience already? You know when you get in this that shows do not last forever, but this was an important show and to go unceremoniously like this hurts. One hundred seventy people lost their jobs."

For his part, Lopez will be fine. He has an HBO special and a movie coming in the summer, and a deal with Warner Bros. to produce television movies.

"They dealt with us from the bottom of the deck," Lopez said. "Which is hard to take after what was a good run."

** Editor's update: Whoa! Hold your fire, "ATJ" fans!

No sooner did we report the cancellation of the Jim Belushi comedy "According to Jim" that we heard from seemingly everyone who watches the show that we were wrong, wrong, wrong. Well, they may be right, the show might very well be renewed after all. But ABC won't confirm that. We'll keep checking back.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

L.A. Times Blog

Rachel Weisz replaced as Evelyn in Mummy 3.

2007-05-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

I loved the first two movies, but I think that Rachel Weisz might have made the right decision. ( or maybe she did not want to leave family behind for months of shooting in China?) Guess we all will see next summer when Universal releases The Mummy 3.

Bello replaces Weisz in 'Mummy'

Actress signs up for third installment

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Maria Bello will replace Rachel Weisz in the third installment of "The Mummy."

She joins Brendan Fraser, Luke Ford, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in the Rob Cohen-directed film for Universal Pictures.

Bello will play Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell, the adventuress played in the first two films by Weisz. After Weisz declined to reprise, Cohen and the studio cast a wide net for a replacement.

Scripted by "Smallville" creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, the film brings the O'Connells and their full-grown son (Ford) to the forbidden tombs of China and the Himalayas, where they battle a shape-shifting mummy, a former Chinese emperor (Li) cursed by a wizard (Yeoh).

The first two films grossed more than $830 million worldwide for Universal, which will release the third installment next summer. Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks, Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay are producing.

Most recently seen in "A History of Violence" and "Flicka," Bello next stars in "The Jane Austen Book Club" for Sony Pictures Classics, and "Butterfly on a Wheel," which Lionsgate will release in August.

She's repped by CAA and manager John Carrabino.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117964831.html

Unrelated Disturbing News

2007-05-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

I already thought that the whole kid's redoing and singing songs was a little weird, because if you have to redo a song for kids, then maybe they shouldn't be singing it in the first place. So the new Kidz Bop CD # 567325 is being released. The choice of songs this time around is overall bad. Rhianna? Marron 5? Kelly Clarkson? Justin Timberlake? Do the people behind Kidz Bop understand the message of these songs? Really? Parents need to go buy The Proud Family or High School Musical CD and put those on instead of having their kids sing about having an 'icebox where their heart used to be.'

Tracklisting:

01 Girlfriend | Avril Lavigne
02 The Sweet Escape | Gwen Stefani
03 It's Not Over | Daughtry
04 Say It Right | Nelly Furtado
05 Never Again | Kelly Clarkson
06 What Goes Around...Comes Around | Justin Timberlake
07 Umbrella | Rihanna
08 Cupid's Chokehold | Gym Class Heroes
09 Glamorous | Fergie
10 If Everyone Cared | Nickelback
11 Beautiful Liar | Beyonce
12 How To Save A Life | The Fray
13 Makes Me Wonder | Maroon
14 Don't Matter | Akon
15 Boston | Augustana
16 With Love | Hilary Duff
17 Ice Box | Omarion
18 Home | Daughtry

TV Break: ABC Announces Fall Line Up

2007-05-15T15:18:00.000-04:00

Yes its that time where the major next works announce which shows will and will not be coming back. ABC this morning released there line up. Sad to say that a good show is over and done but more about that in another post. Yesterday was NBC and tomorrow will bring CBS's announcement. Good luck to the rest of the shows out there. They shows in bold are new. Cashmere Mafia, Notes from the Underbelly and October Road will premiere after Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor conclude their fall seasons. You can go to TV Guide.com for descriptions of the new shows.

MONDAY:
8:00 pm Dancing with the Stars
9:30 pm Sam I Am (new comedy series)
10:00 pm The Bachelor

TUESDAY:
8:00 pm Cavemen (new comedy series)
8:30 pm Carpoolers (new comedy series)
9:00 pm Dancing with the Stars the Results Show
10:00 pm Boston Legal

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 pm Pushing Daisies (new drama series)
9:00 pm Private Practice (new drama series)
10:00 pm "Dirty Sexy Money (new drama series)

THURSDAY:
8:00 pm Ugly Betty
9:00 pm Grey's Anatomy
10:00 pm Big Shots (new drama series)

FRIDAY:
8:00 pm Men in Trees
9:00 pm Women's Murder Club (new drama series)
10:00 pm 20/20

SATURDAY:
8:00 pm Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY:
7:00 pm America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 pm Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 pm Desperate Housewives
10:00 pm Brothers & Sisters

Tredny Feature: The Wendell Baker Story

2007-05-15T15:08:00.000-04:00

Chris Cabin of Filmcritic.com posted his review of the movie. You can read the review here. The movie stars brothers Luke and Owen Wilson and directed by brother Andrew Wilson. Also in the movie are Eddie Griffin and Eva Mendes. The movie opens Friday May 18th.

Here is the trailer:

TV Break: NBC's Fall 2007 Line Up

2007-05-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

Here is NBC's Line Up for the upcoming Fall Season. You can read all about the new shows they have coming out here. Why can't Medium stay put? NBC please pick a night for the damn show. As soon as I was getting used to it coming on Wednesdays, there they go moving it to Sunday @ 9 p.m. And you can say goodbye to Friday Night Lights. It's certain death to any t.v. show that comes on Friday nights. Oh well.

NBC's Upcoming Schedule

Monday
8-9 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9-10 p.m. Heroes
10-11 p.m. Journeyman

Tuesday
8-9 p.m. The Biggest Loser
9-10 p.m. Chuck
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Wednesday
8-9 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9-10 p.m. Bionic Woman
10-11 p.m. Life

Thursday
8-8:30 p.m. My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 p.m. 30 Rock
9-9:30 p.m. The Office
9:30-10 p.m. Scrubs
10-11 p.m. ER

Friday
8-9 p.m. 1 vs. 100/The Singing Bee
9-10 p.m. Las Vegas
10-11 p.m. Friday Night Lights

Saturday
8-9 p.m. Dateline NBC
9-11 p.m. Drama Series Encores

Sunday (Fall 2007)
7-8 p.m. Football Night in America
8-11 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

Sunday (January 2008 )
7-8 p.m. Dateline NBC
8-9 p.m. Law & Order
9-10 p.m. Medium
10-11 p.m. Lipstick Jungle

Studios Prepare For Another Strike

2007-05-14T18:21:00.000-04:00

I hope things get resolved because the last thing I want to see is more reality shows.

"Hollywood studios are speeding production on movies and TV shows, preparing for a possible strike by writers and more trouble next year when contracts with actors and directors expire.

TV networks, which are in the midst of planning fall schedules, also might pack their lineups with more reality shows and other unscripted fare as protection against a possible strike.

"It's simply sound business," said J. Nicholas Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of the studios.

"Based upon the public statements of the Writers Guild, it's quite clear these are going to be very contentious negotiations," he said. "Their statements are bellicose, so we've got to prepare for the worst."

Among the shows accelerating production is NBC's "Las Vegas," which started three months earlier than usual with the aim of finishing 18 to 24 episodes before the fall. Normally, the show would have only about seven or eight episodes filmed.

"In essence, it makes us strike proof," said Gary Scott Thompson, the show's writer and executive producer and a veteran of the last writer's strike in 1988.

Another NBC show, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" began shooting two months early.

The three-year pact between studios and the Writers Guild of America expires Oct. 31 and talks are scheduled to begin in July.

That gives both sides little time to resolve complex issues involving how much TV and film writers should be paid when their work is distributed on new media platforms, including the Internet, cell phones, digital media players and other devices. The writers argue the payments modeled after the structures used for DVD rights are too low.

You can read the rest of the article here: Yahoo! Movies

MPAA Adds Smoking as Film-Rating Factor

2007-05-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

LOS ANGELES — Smoking will be a bigger factor in determining film ratings, the Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday, but critics said the move does not go far enough to discourage teens from taking up the habit.

MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said his group's ratings board, which previously had considered underage smoking in assigning film ratings, now will take into account smoking by adults, as well.

That adds smoking to a list of such factors as sex, violence and language in determining the MPAA's G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 ratings.

Film raters will consider the pervasiveness of tobacco use, whether it glamorizes smoking and the context in which smoking appears, as in movies set in the past when smoking was more common.

Some critics of Hollywood's depictions of tobacco in films have urged that movies that show smoking be assigned an R rating, which would restrict those younger than 17 from seeing them.

"I'm glad it's finally an issue they're taking up, but what they're proposing does not go far enough and is not going to make a difference," said Kori Titus, spokeswoman for Breathe California, which opposes film images of tobacco use that might encourage young people to start smoking.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Everyone Gets to see Captain Jack A Few Hours Earlier.

2007-05-11T15:10:00.000-04:00

Because you know we can not have Spiderman showing up Jack Sparrow...

Disney Will Open Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End A Day Early

Are you waiting impatiently for the third chapter of the Pirates saga? Well, Disney has made that wait a little more bearable. The studio is bumping up the release date by a few hours, opening Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End on May 24th instead of May 25th as originally planned.

Disney made the decision Monday after Spider-Man 3 completely wiped out the box office. According to Variety, Pirates subsequently lost its "biggest weekend opener of all times" title in the aftermath. Spidey was able to pull in $15 million more than Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End did when it opened in July of last year. That film only made $135 million as opposed to Spider-Man 3's domestic take of $148 Million.

Instead of screening at midnight, Disney will now start the show at 8 pm on May 24th. They are hoping to earn back their bragging rights, as the early screenings will be added into the opening weekend grosses.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is set to usher in the Memorial Day weekend like no other film before it. Remember to mark down May 24th on your calendar.

Links:
movieweb

And if you are one of those people who live under rocks, here is the trailer for At World's End.

TV Break: More 'Dirt' to Come in 2008.

2007-05-11T13:20:00.000-04:00

FX Turns More 'Dirt,' Reaps 'Riches'

New series will return in '08; 'Rescue Me' moving

Zap2It.com

May 8 2007

FX has decided that once was not enough for its new series "Dirt" and "The Riches."

The cable network has picked up both shows for a second season after they delivered ratings in line with some of FX's veteran shows. Both are scheduled to return sometime next year.

Additionally, FX has decided to move the new season of "Rescue Me" from Tuesday to Wednesday nights starting in June and set a July premiere date for its legal drama "Damages," starring Glenn Close.

"We're very proud to have managed, in the toughest possible competitive environment, to launch 'Dirt' and 'The Riches' -- two highly original series that have resonated with our audience as strongly as 'The Shield' and 'Rescue Me,'" FX president John Landgraf says. "FX now has six original dramas, more than any network in the history of cable television, cementing the network's status as a leader in quality original series."

Both "Dirt," which drew a cumulative 5.2 million viewers per week (over multiple airings) earlier this season, and "The Riches," which is averaging 5.9 million cumulative viewers, have posted ratings numbers similar to recent seasons of "Rescue Me" and "The Shield." Both shows also draw about two-thirds of their audience from the adults 18-49 demographic.

In addition to picking up the two new shows, FX has set its schedule for the rest of 2007-08. "Rescue Me" will premiere Wednesday, June 13, a day later than previously announced, and remain on Wednesdays throughout the summer. "Damages," which stars Close as a powerful attorney and also features Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan and Ted Danson, will follow on Tuesday, July 24.

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will kick off its third season in September, with "Nip/Tuck" and "30 Days" scheduled for later in the year. New seasons of "The Shield," "Dirt" and "The Riches" will roll out in the first half of 2008. 3

Link:
zap2it.com

To bad we have to wait almost year just to see what happens to Lucy Spiller and crew.

TV Break: Another reason why Medium should have stayed on Mondays @10 p.m.

2007-05-10T13:38:00.000-04:00

and why t.v. shows of popular movies is not always the best idea.

NBC's 'Real Wedding' crashes

'Criminal Intent' fills spot for next two weeks

By Zap2It.com

The black hole that is NBC's 10 p.m. Monday timeslot has claimed another victim.

The network has pulled its unscripted series "The Real Wedding Crashers" from the time period, effective immediately. For the remaining two Mondays of the season, new episodes of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" will air in the post-"Heroes" spot; the "CI" episodes will then repeat in the show's usual Tuesday home the following night.

For those keeping score at home, "The Real Wedding Crashers" is now the third casualty of the 10 p.m. Monday slot on NBC this season. Aaron Sorkin's backstage drama "Studio 60" and Paul Haggis' "The Black Donnellys" had previously occupied the hour, and both fell victim to lackluster ratings. Similar to issues ABC has had with "Lost" in past seasons, the audience for "Heroes" just doesn't seem to stick around once the show ends.

"The Real Wedding Crashers," inspired by the 2005 Vince Vaughn-Luke Wilson movie and produced by "Punk'd" mastermind Ashton Kutcher, debuted to an audience of about 6.75 million people and a 2.9 adults 18-49 rating on April 23. Its audience has steadily shrank since then, falling to just over 5 million viewers and a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demo this week.

There's a chance NBC will air the remaining "Wedding Crashers" episodes this summer, but no firm plans as of Wednesday afternoon.

Links:
jam! Showbiz

Movies Opening Friday May11th

2007-05-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

Here are the trailers for 28 Weeks Later and Georgia Rule both opening tomorrow.

28 Weeks Later

Georgia Rule

Also opening nationwide tomorrow:

Delta Farce
The Ex

The Salon starring Vivica A. Fox opens in limited release tomorrow. The trailer is below.

Other limited releases opening May 11th:

Blind Dating
The Hip Hop Project
Life in a...Metro
Provoked
Showbusiness

Links:
http://www.newmoviefriday.com/
Youtube

Happy Birthday Katherine Hepburn

2007-05-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

Katherine Hepburn's birthday is on Saturday May 12th. To celebrate all week TCM has been showing Hepburn's movies. Today they showed the following Hepburn films:

"Woman of the Year (1942, another Oscar® nomination), would kick off a 25-year partnership (on and off the screen) with Spencer Tracy. Few critics, let alone moviegoers, were expecting the chemistry and comic brio that these two stars would create when they were first paired. Hepburn's biggest box office hits of the '40s were films co-starring Tracy: Cukor's Keeper of the Flame (1942); Harold Bucquet's underrated Without Love (1945); Elia Kazan's soapy melodrama Sea of Grass (1947); Frank Capra's political satire State of the Union (1948), and of course, Cukor's superb battle-of-the-sexes farce Adam's Rib (1949)."

Tomorrow they will be showing The African Queen, Suddenly, Last Summer, and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. The last movie has been remade into the 2005 movie Guess Who? starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. Spencer Tracy passed away seventeen days after Guess Who's coming to Dinner finished filming. That would be the last movie filmed between the two actors. Also last night they showed a documentary on Katherine Hepburn from 1992. She lived an interesting life indeed. The most shocking to me is that at a point in her career she when she was considered "Box Office poison" and that she had a secret affair with Spencer Tracy that produced numerous films starring the two of them. The gossip columns back in that day chose not to write about the relationship although it was one of the worse kept secrets in Hollywood. Far cry from the gossip columns of today. There are a few films of Katherine that I missed this week that I want to see that includes The Philadelphia Story. She maintained the rights to The Philadelphia Story after the role won her rave reviews on Broadway before it became a film. The film also starred Jimmy Stewart.

Katherine Hepburn passed away in June 2003 at the age of 96.

Links:
Tuner Classic Movies

The Senator's Wife

2007-05-09T21:24:00.000-04:00

I have gotten the chance to review a draft of the script for The Senator's Wife thanks to Mystery Man. My review will be up by next week here and after May 27th you can check back at Mystery Man's blog for others review of the script. Jennifer Aniston is the only attached actor at this moment. There are rumors that it may be going into production as early as this summer. According to the most unreliable film site(sorry), IMDB, it is slated for a December 2007 release. I do not see how that is going to happen but we will see. According to Jennifer's publicist she is slated to start filming a movie this year along with directing another. Trendy Reel will have the info as soon as it comes out. If you keep your fingers crossed I may be able to ask one the writers of the script, Katherine Fugate, where production stands with this. Here is what Katherine had to say about where the film stands as of almost a year ago in Jun 2006:

"We start production very soon. i'm waiting to hear the dates, but jennifer has an opening in her schedule so this is it.

brad pitt is not actively producing it or participating in it. jennifer and brad had a company, Plan B, before the divorce. because that company was attached when it was sold, they are still the official producers, but in a day to day working capacity, he has nothing to do with it. there was a one page article about the movie in Star Magazine that was completely misleading and false. it's amazing what tabloids will do to create a story -- but at the same time, it is publicity for my movie, so that's good, too."

I am not sure at this point if I can post the script, but it is dated as the the second draft from March 2005. Last few notes; there is a director attached, the movie is being made under New Line and production was suppose to initially start Winter of 2005 but for whatever reason did not.

Here is a link to The Senator's Wife IMDB Page
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462523/

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

First Post

2007-05-09T20:53:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

Look forward to reel( haha) post about real happenings in the movie industry. I will also throw in some random things like music news, and real life news. Enough of the gossip blogs. Thanks for visiting and God Speed.

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."