Commenting on the announcement, Ortega said, "Peter Barsocchini's exciting script for High School Musical 3 called for the addition of three sophomore characters, so we set out on a massive casting search across North America and England to find just the right young actors to play the parts. We think these talented performers will bring lots of humor, new twists, and musical fun to the film. Jemma was one of the many young actresses that we met in London, and she impressed us with her singing and dancing, in addition to being very exciting and effervescent. Matt has a terrific personality, and a great sense of comedy and fun. And Justin had a great presence and charisma, besides being a wonderful comedic actor who could really dance. I am confident that the three new actors joining our original cast will help to bring great musical thrills, surprises and a lot of fun to Senior Year and the halls of East High."

Jemma McKenzie-Brown's previous television credits include a supporting role in the BBC production of "The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard." Matt Prokop has had featured film roles in "Marked," "Walking Miracles," "Somewhere Else" and "Four Square." His television credits include "The Office," "The O.C.," and Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana." Justin Martin's film credits include "Raisin in the Sun," "The Vineyard," and the upcoming "The Soloist." He has also appeared in the television shows "Cold Case," "Judging Amy," "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Bernie Mac Show," among others. For the Broadway stage, Martin appeared as Young Simba in "The Lion King."

"High School Musical 3: Senior Year" finds high school seniors Troy and Gabriella facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about their future. With incredible new music and exciting dance numbers designed to take maximum advantage of the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers plenty of high-energy entertainment from East High's talented ensemble. The feature film will be shot on location in Utah and set for release in theaters on October 24, 2008.

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Ryan Gosling Was Fired

So, what's the real reason that Ryan Gosling left the film The Lovely Bones? According to Page Six, Ryan is a real diva and director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) couldn't stand him. So Peter fired Ryan two days into the shooting.

THOSE old "creative differences" are to blame for director Peter Jackson's firing of Ryan Gosling from "Lovely Bones." "Peter couldn't stand Ryan," said one source. Though Variety reported that Gosling had "stepped down" and was replaced by Mark Wahlberg, our source said, "Ryan cut his own hair, and was fighting with wardrobe. He was so demanding . . . Peter booted him two days before filming started." The flick is based on the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold. A rep for Gosling did not return calls.

After starring in the very odd Lars and the Real Girl, then breaking up with Rachel McAdams, Ryan is starting to get a reputation that's not great. But how bout Marky Mark taking the initiative and stepping into the role? We swear, he's the hardest working man in show business now. Hopefully, he and Peter Jackson will get along just fine.

Posted on October 23, 2007
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Writers Write, Inc. Launches Fantasy and Science Fiction Blog

Writers Write, Inc. has added a new blog to its blog network called FantasySFBlog.com. Fantasy/SF Blog is a daily blog covering what's new and interesting in the worlds of fantasy, SF, and horror, including books, movies, TV and gaming.

Recent posts include:

Lost: The Orchid Orientation Video

Is Peter Jackson Back on Board for The Hobbit?

Finalists Announced For British Fantasy Awards

Saw IV Coming in October

Will Tom Cruise Join the Star Trek Cast?

The Dresden Files Is Cancelled

ABC Offers Masters of Science Fiction

The Beowulf Trailer is Here

Johnny Depp Is Barnabas Collins

RSS subscription informaton for the Fantasy/SF Blog can be found here.

Posted on August 15, 2007
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Amid Controversy Tom Cruise Begins Filming Valkyrie

Despite extreme unhappiness from certain quarters in Germany, Cruise is going forward with filming his World War II movie, Valkyrie, in which he plays a Nazi who tried to assassinate Hitler.

Filming started Thursday on a movie starring Tom Cruise as the real-life mastermind behind a plot to kill Adolf Hitler, amid German grumbling about the high-profile Scientologist playing a national hero. A spokeswoman for Babelsberg Studios outside Berlin told AFP that director Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects") had begun shooting "Valkyrie" on location in the region surrounding the German capital. German officials have baulked at the choice of Cruise to play Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, who was executed by firing squad in 1944 after the failed assassination attempt.

They cite the actor's ties to the Church of Scientology, which is viewed here as a "totalitarian" group that exploits vulnerable people, as making him unfit to play a German martyr. "I find that Stauffenberg stood for the most noble motives a person can have," Frank Henkel, the general secretary of the Berlin chapter of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, told rolling news channel NTV. "I consider Tom Cruise as a self-proclaimed ambassador of Scientology inappropriate for the role." The remarks came after sharp criticism from a number of politicians and even Stauffenberg's eldest son Berthold, 72, who has told the German press that Cruise "should keep his hands off my father."

*****

Although he was an ardent Nazi in the early years, he realised by 1944 that Germany was entrenched in a disastrous war that Hitler had no intention of ending. Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators planted a bomb under a table in Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia on July 20, 1944. But the Fuehrer escaped, though he was injured, because an officer had moved the briefcase containing the explosives behind a sturdy leg of the oak table. Stauffenberg and other officers were rounded up that same night and executed by firing squad. The filming of "Valkyrie," after the code name for the assassination plot, is scheduled to continue until October 31 with the movie due for release next year.

Cruise is flying home from the shoot to attend a welcome party for David and Victoria Beckham co-hosted by Will and Jada Smith. It's an A-list invitation list with studio heads and lots of stars, and no press will be allowed.

Posted on July 19, 2007
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Shirley MacLaine Lends Linsday a Helping Hand

After her DUI arrest Lindsay Lohan checked into Promises rehab facility, which led to speculation that her newest movie would be canceled. But Lindsay lucked out. According to People, the film's producers Rob Hickman and Shirley MacLaine are not firing her.

The producers of Lindsay Lohan's next film, Poor Things, plan to keep her on the cast and will juggle the shooting schedule to accommodate her rehabilitation stint, they told PEOPLE on Wednesday.

"We have been asked by Lindsay to comply with her wishes to continue working on Poor Things," producers Rob Hickman and Shirley MacLaine, who will also star in the dark comedy, say in a statement. "We are trying to rearrange the shooting schedule to facilitate her working at the end of the shoot to coincide with the completion of her rehabilitation. We wish her love and the blending of mind, body and spirit."

Filming was scheduled to begin Thursday in Los Angeles. The film is based on the true story of two women who murder homeless men and then cash in on their life insurance policies.

The statement from the Poor Things producers offered the first assurance that Lohan's career will remain on track despite her problems on and off movie sets. Lohan admitted herself on Memorial Day to what her rep called "an intensive medical rehabilitation facility" after she was cited for DUI.

If Shirley MacLaine wanted her off the film, Lindsay would be off the film. So that was a nice gesture. But Lindsay better not mess up this last chance.

Posted on May 30, 2007
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Matthew McConaughey is the Surfer Dude



Matthew McConaughey continues to shoot his new film, Surfer Dude, on a Los Angeles beach. In this shot, Matthew appears to be...ok, we have no idea what he's doing. Trying to light a fire with gasoline, perhaps? Other shots show him dancing around the ensuing fire, hurling palm fronds and cursing the heavens. We have no idea what this movie is about, but IMDB.com says it's a comedy that also stars Willie Nelson. Groovy.

(Image courtesy of Flynetonline.com.)

Posted on May 23, 2007
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Easter Horror at the Movies

Some families got a nasty surprise on Easter weekend. When they took their kids to see a screening of The Last Mimzy they instead were shown graphic scenes from The Hills Have Eyes 2, a horror film with lots of violence and mutants.

The story starts in Holtsville, New York, at the Island 16 theatre. According to National Amusements, the owner of the theater on Long Island, The Hills Have Eyes 2 was scheduled to be shown at 10:25pm in the same theater as The Last Mimzy, which was scheduled for 8pm. Someone jumped the gun and put The Hills Have Eyes 2 in early, causing havoc. If you haven't seen The Hills Have Eyes 2 (and consider yourself lucky), the film opens with a graphic birth of a mutant by a battered woman who is then killed. It's hideous and immediately disturbing - the kind of thing that many adults are unlikely to forget, much less their toddler children.

In a case of really bad timing, Frank Doll, a resident of Mastic, was in the audience with his 3 year-old son and pregnant wife. Doll told Newsday, "My wife is eight months pregnant and he's been asking, 'Is that what mommy's going to have?'" Doll said. 'We've been trying to explain that all day.'"

The Associated Press spoke to Anthony Rasco, another man who was in the audience for The Last Mimzy and he said, "There were kids that were crying, there were people trying to cover the kids' eyes, they were caught off guard."

The theater apologized, but that's one Easter weekend that no one will soon forget.

Posted on April 12, 2007
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Vote For Your Favorite Star Wars Stamp



The post office has released the new Star Wars stamps. They include: Darth Sidious (The Emperor), Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca and Han Solo, C-3P0, Princess Leia and R2-D2, Boba Fett, Yoda, Darth Maul, Stormtroopers, X-Wing Starfighter, Millennium Falcon, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Queen Amidala.

The post office is allowing you to vote on your favorite stamp: they don't do this voting thing often: remember the Thin Elvis or Fat Elvis Stamp Vote? So, it allows us to feel we have some control over our postal service and its upward spiral of rate hikes. Anyway, the winning stamp will get its own special sheet. The Queen Amidala and Princess Leia stamps look kind of fuzzy to us, but the Millennium Falcon, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers look crisp -- and pretty cool, actually.

You can vote for your favorite Star Wars stamp here.

Posted on March 29, 2007
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Nicole Kidman in Car Crash

Nicole Kidman was escaping from zombie aliens on the set of her new film, when the car she was in had a nasty crash. US Weekly says that there were actors hanging off the hood during the action scene. Luckily, Nicole was not seriously injured and reportedly returned to the set the same day. Although reportedly some crew members were slightly injured.

Oscar-winning Australian actress Nicole Kidman and seven other people were injured when a high-speed film stunt went wrong in Los Angeles today. Kidman suffered minor injuries on the set of an alien thriller in Los Angeles when her car crashed into a light pole during filming, police said.

Kidman, who was behind the wheel of a Jaguar rigged for filming when it struck a pole at more than 70kmh, was taken to a local hospital, Los Angeles Police spokeswoman Karen Smith said. Smith said seven other people on the set of The Invasion went to local hospitals complaining of injuries but none were seriously hurt.

Warner Brothers Pictures, the studio behind The Invasion, confirmed that Kidman was taken to hospital but said only two other crew members were hurt. A Warner Brothers statement said Kidman was quickly released and would return to the set when filming resumed later today. "No other actors were involved in the scene at the time of the incident," Warner Bros. said. "Two additional crew members sustained minor injuries as a result of the collision.

"The production took the appropriate steps following the incident to ensure the safety of cast and crew." There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the number of injured listed by the police and the studio. Smith said the LAPD was likely to conduct a routine traffic accident investigation and that a state workplace safety agency might also be called in.

You can see the video of the crash here. It was a very nasty crash, no question. We're glad no one was seriously hurt, although it looked like Nicole was shaken up. And we're not sure how "minor" the crew's injuries really were.

Posted on January 26, 2007
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Outrage Over Angelina Jolie Playing Biracial Mariane Pearl

Angelina Jolie is in Pune, India filming A Mighty Heart, the screen adaptation of Mariane Pearl's book about her husband's death. Daniel Pearl was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was killed while investigating a terrorism story in Pakistan.

Some groups are furious that Jolie has been made up to look like Mariane Pearl, who is biracial. The groups say Jolie is acting in blackface and it is an affront to people of color.

The film, simply called "A Mighty Heart," will tell of Pearl's experience after her husband was abducted by Islamic extremists in Pakistan in early 2002. A month later, his captors released a video depicting his murder. Pearl, who is reportedly of Afro Cuban/Dutch heritage, was pregnant with their son Adam at the time.

Since the news came out a few weeks ago, message boards across the Internet have been on fire, expressing harsh criticism about Jolie playing the role of Pearl. On BET.com's own boards, user chantejoy calls the very idea a "new generation of Hollywood in blackface."

"With talent such as Halle Berry, Thandie Newton and Jennifer Beals available - just to mention a few - what is Hollywood's excuse for casting a white woman this time?" she asks. "Anyone who has seen a photo of Mariane Pearl can tell she is a woman of color."

But Mariane Pearl has repeatedly said how happy she is to have Jolie playing her. Mariane Pearl went through hell when her husband disappeared, was tortured and then killed. It's her story to tell: shouldn't she have the last word? If Mariane wants Angie in the role, it's her business and no one else's.

Posted on October 12, 2006
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Luke Wilson's Crucial Stunt Double

Luke Wilson discusses the onerous chore of choosing his own butt double for his love scene in his new film, My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

Luke Wilson was terrified when he found out he had a nude scene in his new film My Super Ex-Girlfriend and was thrilled when the producers eventually decided to call in a body double. The star had let himself go and was panicked at the thought of disrobing in front of the camera.

He explains, "I had a great year emotionally, but physically it was kind of a tough year. I thought it might be a good time to sit on the bench for that scene and let some other kind of more athletic guy take over there. What they do, and I know this sounds kind of strange, is they give you Polaroids of guy's backsides. They have guys come in and then they give you the Polaroids and have you pick one out.

"I found myself just kind of pouring over them saying, 'I like that one, but it doesn't have quite the pizzazz I want for this scene.' Or, 'This one's good, but it's too muscular.' I've got a little hail damage back there. As you get a little older, you tend to kind of get little dents and indentations. You want to kind of act cool about it when you eventually say, 'I like this guy's a**e...'"

He did an excellent job of choosing his stand-in: Ted Casablanca quotes one viewer who was simply amazed by Wilson's posterior in the film. Alas, it appears that it wasn't really his.

Posted on July 25, 2006
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The Return of the Retrosexual

You've heard of the metrosexual man, the well-groomed, straight guy who always looks his best. But the retrosexual man is making a comeback -- he's the guy with a pot belly, messy hair and a heart of gold. Think Jack Black in Nacho Libre.

Well, it's certainly back, especially in Hollywood, where being a bit hairy and showing a little paunch isn't necessarily such a bad thing anymore. Behold, the era of the everything-old-is-new-again "retrosexual" is upon us. And the celebrity set is leading the charge.

You probably already know the "metrosexual," or at least you've maybe heard of him. It's that guy who, just when you are finally relaxing into your heated spa chair, shows up to get a pedicure all for himself. He dresses well, trims all unnecessary body hair, and spends more time in the gym than watching the game. By contrast, a "retrosexual" is a manly man, an alpha male who may have the physique of a Shar-Pei dog (a little wrinkly and flabby, yet endearing), the manners of a 5-year-old (the kind who makes armpit farting noises at the dinner table) and the ability to pull you in for a hot, sweaty kiss and then go right out and fix your darn car.

Bill Van Parys, Executive Editor of Details magazine, isn't exactly impressed with a celebrity who can't keep himself looking nice in public. "I honestly think some people are just looking to validate their sloppy appearance … there are certainly some actors who could show a little more effort at public events, instead of showing up at premieres in bowling shirts or what not," Van Parys told Access Hollywood.

If you want to see the celebrity retrosexual in his native habitat, just check out Will Ferrell running around in his 'tighty whiteys' in "Talladega Nights," or Jack Black in a too-tight pair of polyester pants in "Nacho Libre." Jennifer Aniston has her very own retrosexual. Her ex, Brad Pitt, is the ultimate metrosexual, no matter how many motorcycle rides he takes around Santa Monica. But with his puppy-dog eyes and everyman bod, Vince Vaughn is the retrosexual who has captured Jen's heart. Even Kid Rock — who could never be accused of unnecessary grooming — has found himself a pretty little lady to share a beer with (again) — Pamela Anderson! Ben Affleck has always been a closet retrosexual, which is why he fits right into the upcoming summer comedy, "Clerks II," which is inundated with the manly and the burpy.

We think Van Parys is right: this is just a sneaky way for men to look like slobs. Nice try, though.

Posted on July 24, 2006
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Tom Cruise Named Most Powerful Celebrity

Forbes magazine has named Tom Cruise as the most powerful celebrity in its annual list of the 100 most powerful Hollywood players.

Couch-jumping, cradle-robbing Tom Cruise soared to the No. 1 spot in Forbes' annual Celebrity 100 Power List. The "M:i: III" star trounced last year's Forbes topper Oprah Winfrey, who fell to third place. The celeb roster, which hits newsstands today, ranks big shots based on the size of their paychecks and the amount of attention they get.

Cruise got the top billing because he commands the biggest box office and pockets the most bucks in Hollywood, earning $67 million last year from his cut of "War of the Worlds." "Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise is Hollywood's most bankable star," Forbes Celebrity 100 editor Lea Goldman told the Daily News. But don't cry for Oprah - even though she had to witness Cruise's crazed couch dance on her show. She way outearned him, pulling in $225 million.

Also hitting high notes: aging rockers. The Rolling Stones got a bang from their $172 million "A Bigger Bang" tour, hitting No. 2. Global peacemaker Bono pushed U2 to No. 4. Tiger Woods rounded out the top 5 with $90 million in pay. King of all media Howard Stern was among the royalty on the Forbes list, coming in at No. 7 thanks to his $302 million Sirius payday. His earnings were second only to Steven Spielberg, whose sale of DreamWorks helped bring him $332 million.

Pouty-mouthed Angelina Jolie's Third World-saving put her at No. 35 on the list. She's tied with her squeeze Brad Pitt's ex-wife Jennifer Aniston. Making the scene for the first time were "American Idol"'s Simon Cowell at No. 29 and Ryan Seacrest at No. 88. Forbes' biggest loser of the year was "Passion of the Christ" crusader Mel Gibson, who went from No. 3 in 2005 to nowhere this year. Also looking like she's been through three days of rain is Julia Roberts, another Forbes no-show. "She hasn't been in a movie in two years and was critically panned" on Broadway, Goldman said.

So Tom Cruise is the most powerful celeb, eh? Then why can't he get little Suri a $5 million photo deal? Because we'd really like to see a picture of the little tyke.

Posted on June 16, 2006
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Writers Write, Inc Launches WatchersWatch.com

We love to watch! TV, Film and video, that is. We're happy to announce the launch of WatchersWatch.com, our new blog about what's hot in movies, television and videos.

What's hot this week at WatchersWatch? Why it's the Da Vinci Code, of course. Dan Brown's international bestseller opened in wide release Friday, May 19, 2006 and has already made $224 million worldwide in its first weekend, making it the second biggest opening weekend of all time.

You can find our Da Vinci Code review roundup, the scoop on the new fall TV shows and much more at: http://www.watcherswatch.com

Posted on May 21, 2006
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Tom Cruise Causes Bomb Scare In L.A.

People magazine reports on Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible III marketing disaster:

A Mission: Impossible III marketing scheme went haywire--literally--Friday when a Los Angeles Times reader in Santa Clarita mistook his friendly neighborhood newspaper rack for a device on the verge of spontaneous combustion. In this day and age, you really can't blame the guy for being a bit concerned when he inserted his quarter, opened the lid and saw a small plastic box with a few wires poking out of it sitting on top of the papers.

He subsequently called the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at 9:05 a.m., according to sheriff's office spokeswoman Deputy Dana Camarillo, and the Canyon Country division's arson and explosives team was dispatched to investigate, arriving on the scene about 20 minutes later. After spying the red plastic box, authorities proceeded to "render the device useless," Camarillo said. Or, to put it in more Mission: Impossible-friendly terms: They blew that sucker up!

As it turned out, that sinister-seeming object was one of approximately 4,500 digital music players placed in Times dispensers throughout the city programmed to play the Mission: Impossible theme when the rack's door was opened.

*****

Law enforcement officials received several other calls later in the day and the West Los Angeles federal police called in the sheriff's office bomb squad at one point, but by then the various departments had received word of Paramount Pictures' marketing campaign. "I think Paramount is pretty happy about it," Mark Kurtich, senior VP of operations for the Times, said, referring to the bonus publicity that inevitably accompanies an actual explosion.

And if a mere citizen had left a suspicious plastic box with wire sticking out of it in a newsrack? Why, they'd have been arrested, of course!

Posted on May 2, 2006
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J.J. Abrams To Direct New Star Trek Film

J.J. Abrams has agreed to direct a new Star Trek movie, which is nothing but good news as far as we're concerned.

"Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams is going from Cruise control to warp speed. A couple of weeks before the arrival of Tom Cruise and `M:I3,' Abrams has committed to produce the 11th "Star Trek" feature film and there are plans for him to direct as well, Paramount Pictures announced Friday. Abrams also will write the script with his "Mission Impossible III" co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Paramount spokeswoman Nancy Kirkpatrick said.

The studio is hoping to release the new "Star Trek" film in 2008. No plot for the movie has been nailed down and no one has been cast for the film. The "Star Trek" franchise covers several centuries of a future in which humans make their way in a universe populated by a bewildering variety of aliens, from the ultra-logical Vulcans to the merciless, hive-like Borg. The starship Enterprise in various incarnations was the focus of the original series and many of the movies. Two "Star Trek" TV series followed the exploits aboard a space station called Deep Space Nine and a marooned spaceship, Voyager.

Abrams created the hit ABC series "Lost" and Paramount hopes that "Lost" producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk will produce the movie, Kirkpatrick said. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy portrayed Kirk and Spock in the original "Star Trek" TV show in the 1960s and in numerous movies but "they have not yet been approached," Kirkpatrick said. Shatner, 75, currently stars in the hit series "Boston Legal" winning an Emmy for his role as an egotistical attorney.

So, let the casting ideas begin...

Posted on April 24, 2006
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A Failure to Launch?

Bucking the trend, Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post gives the new Matthew McConaughey/Sarah Jessica Parker film Failure to Launch an enthusiastically positive review:

The movie is expertly, professionally calibrated. I loved the way it played the main relationship between Tripp and Paula off against a minor one (Kit and Bartha's Ace), one for laughs with a little poignancy, the other for sheer laughs.

Every character has been given enough quirk to make the movie sublimely enjoyable, but not so much that it becomes precious. It's so relaxed and assured one is stunned to discover that Dey is directing for only the third time...

Sublimely enjoyable, eh? Meanwhile, most of the other critics were not so kind. Based on the trailer, we're thinking it's a rental.

Posted on March 10, 2006
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Daniel Craig Says He Never Wanted to be James Bond

Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse on the James Bond front, it does. Daniel Craig now says he never wanted to be Bond any way and that he's just doing the film for the money.

Daniel Craig never wanted to be James Bond. The 38-year-old made the admission after receiving hate mail from hardcore fans of the spy franchise. He revealed: "I never really wanted to do James Bond. "Don't get me wrong, I want to make big movies and I want to make as much money as I possibly can, but there's not a tremendous emotional challenge." The 'Layer Cake' star also revealed that he's worried about being blamed if 'Casino Royale' is a flop. He said: "It's a dodgy place to be walking. I don't really want to get the rap for destroying that franchise.

"I mean, that wouldn't be a good place to be." Craig also admits to being a fan of the least popular 007's - despite them being widely panned. The actor said: "Timothy Dalton was great in the part but I think the film makers tried to take the franchise in the wrong direction and he got the rap for that. "I think George Lazenby got the rap too. I think On Her Majety's Secret Service is one of the best movies."

George Lazenby??? He was awful as Bond. Someone at the production company better put some tape over Craig's mouth, pronto. Everytime he opens his mouth, another million comes off the box office take.

Posted on March 8, 2006
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James Bond to Drive Ford in Casino Royale

The latest news about the Casino Royale film, starring Daniel Craig as 007, is that James Bond will be driving a Ford in the movie. Softpedia says Ford paid $14 million to have 007 drive a Ford Mondeo. We are waiting to see if the Gap will pay money to supply Bond's wardrobe. The more we hear about the new James Bond the less and less he sounds like a sophisticated spy and the more he seems like a weird guy living in the suburbs who likes to strip naked.

Inside Line says James Bond will be driving a Ford in Casino Royale and he will also be driving an Aston Martin. The Inside Line quips, "What this means to you: Bond apparently becomes a two-car man in the upcoming film, with one grocery-getter and one babe magnet." Let's hope the Aston Martin stays in the film (even if Craig can't drive it) because with no Q and no gadgets the film desperately needs something.

Posted on March 7, 2006
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Brokeback PEZ Dispensers are Going Fast

In honor of the Oscars this Sunday, some crazed crafter with way too much time on his hands is now selling his orignal Brokeback PEZ dispensers on Ebay.

Here's what the Seller has to say:

That's right, cowboys: Pitch your tents and get ready for the fireworks! Now you have the opportunity to own the only pair of Brokeback Mountain PEZ Dispensers in the world!

It's the movie that's moving mountains... breaking boundaries... and now... the most unbelievable: it's spawned it's own PEZ Dispensers! These custom made PEZ dispensers of Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack Twist) and Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar) have been sculpted from Sculpey Clay and meticulously hand painted with care. The dispensers have "PEZ" outlined in fabulous rhinestones.

A great collector's item for fans of the movie, PEZ-heads (collectors), or eBayaholics with maxed out credit cards! This pair of PEZ Lovers is sure to make heads turn! You might even see them on the red carpet!

As of today, the bidding is at $96.00 -- and there are still 6 days left to bid. And no, we're not even a little bit tempted. (Hat tip to Dlisted).

Posted on March 3, 2006
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Daniel Craig and the 007 Curse

The Sun reports on the latest disaster to befall Daniel Craig: the man who would be James Bond in the new film, Casino Royale. He's now got a terrible sunburn and "wants to scratch constantly."

Jinxed James Bond star Daniel Craig has been hit by a nasty bout of prickly heat. He suffered sunburn while topping up his tan before filming in the Bahamas. New 007 Craig wanted a healthy glow for the movie, but ended up James Burned — and now can’t stop itching.

A source on the Casino Royale set said: "It’s driving him mad. He constantly wants to scratch. It’s worst when he does a costume change. He is in agony. He has been moaning to his assistants that he’s got prickly heat. He is extremely wary of being outside now. But the nature of filming is such that he is out in the heat all day."

To review his amazing debut so far as the world's greatest assassin:

1) He said it scared the shi** out of him when he had to ride in a motorboat on the Thames River to his first press conference;

2) He then admitted that he's scared of guns.

3) In his first fight on-set, a stuntman knocked out his front two teeth and he had to fly in his dentist from England to Prague to fix them.

4) Filming had to stop when he admitted he couldn't drive a stick shift car (James Bond drives the classic stick-shift Aston Martin in the film), and now;

5) He has a terrible sunburn and has to scratch constantly.

We're actually starting to believe there's some kind of OO7 Curse going on here...we're terrified to see what will happen next on the Movie Set From Hell.

Posted on February 28, 2006
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China Bans Human-Cartoon Collaborations

Those grumpy Chinese censors are at it again. This time they've banned the practice of live actors appearing in the same scene as animated ones.

China has announced a ban on TV shows and movies that blend animated elements with live-action actors, a move aimed at nurturing local animators and apparently curbing the use of foreign cartoons.

Besides Roger Rabbit, the 1988 feature film in which actor Bob Hoskins performed beside several animated characters, popular children's TV shows featuring human hosts and animated elements such as Blue's Clues from the United States and Britain's Teletubbies could be included in the ban. And Space Jam, the 1996 film featuring basketball great Michael Jordan alongside Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck could also be shelved.

The government's main television and film regulator sent notice Feb. 15 to broadcasters and theaters that such films and shows could no longer be shown and that violators would be punished. It did not say what the penalties would be. It also did not give examples of banned programs but described them as "so-called cartoons that mainly feature real people and only occasionally have computer-generated elements."

Communist authorities are eager to expand the country's animation industry and also are worried about the influence of foreign pop culture on Chinese children. The cartoon ban is intended to "promote the development and prosperity of the cartoon industry in China," said the statement issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

The censors claim that the move is to protect Chinese children from the corrupting effects of subversive Western cartoons such as Blue's Clues, but it may be that something more sinister is really going on. After all, allowing human-cartoon interaction is just the first step towards the creation of some kind of cartoon cyborg. And no one wants that.

Posted on February 23, 2006
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Eva Green is the New Bond Girl

The BBC reports that French actress Eva Green has been selected to be the new Bond girl.

The 25-year-old will play femme fatale Vesper Lynd in the movie, which will also see Daniel Craig's first performance as the suave secret agent. Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: "After an extensive search we found the perfect actress." Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen will play Bond's nemesis, Le Chiffre. Work on the movie is already under way in Prague.

Syriana star Jeffrey Wright will play CIA agent Felix Leiter. Green, 25, made her film debut in 2003 in The Dreamers, about a French brother and sister who befriend a young American during the Paris student riots of 1968. Last year she starred in Ridley Scott's historical drama Kingdom of Heaven. "She brings to the complex role of Vesper an exciting combination of enigmatic and seductive beauty," said Wilson and Broccoli. Casino Royale, directed by Martin Campbell, is based on the 1953 novel by Ian Fleming which introduced James Bond.

The bad guy is Danish??? This doesn't have anything to do with the Danish Mohammed Cartoon Controversy, by any chance?

Posted on February 17, 2006
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King Kong Looks Real Says Zoo Director

Everyone's waiting to see how Peter Jackson's King Kong stacks up against Lord of the Rings. We know at least one thing: King Kong looks quite real, according to the Director of the Bronx Zoo.

Gorilla expert Dan Wharton, director of the prestigious Bronx Zoo, saw a preview screening yesterday and said Jackson's gorilla looked entirely authentic.

"Jackson has achieved the impossible," he said.

In addition to creating a realistic giant gorilla, Weta Digital had to use 5,000 computers to recreate New York in the 1930s, by digitally erasing all buildings built after that time. In fact, they had to get their own substation because their power needs were impacting the nearby town of Miramar.

Posted on December 5, 2005
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Ferrell and Heder Headed for Blades of Glory

The Hollywood Reporter declares that Will Ferrell will team up with Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder to star in the skating comedy Blades of Glory.

Blades revolves around a pair of world-class men's figure skaters who are banned from the sport after their disgraceful brawl during the Winter Games in Salt Lake City. After three years of toiling in obscurity, they attempt to put aside their feud and exploit a loophole in the terms of their suspension, partnering to compete in the only category open to them -- pairs figure skating.

Serious talks are under way to have Ferrell and Heder star as the disgraced pair, with Arnett and Poehler playing their rivals. Sources cautioned, however, that salary and scheduling concerns could sideline the prospective deal. The pairing of Arnett and Poehler would mark the first time the real-life husband-and-wife team will act together onscreen.

Works for us.

Posted on November 18, 2005
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Liger Kittens Born

Deb: What are you drawing?

Napoleon Dynamite: A liger.

Deb: What's a liger?

Napoleon Dynamite: It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.

Napoleon must be stoked today because a new litter of ligers was born in a Russian Zoo.

Three liger cubs have been born in the Novosibirsk Zoo to unusual parents: an African lion and a Bengalese tigress, the zoo’s director Rostislav Shilo told RIA Novosti Monday. The cubs are called ligers, a term derived from their parents’ species, lion and tiger.

The cubs were born as a result of a genuine attachment between the lion and the tigress who have been kept in neighboring cages since childhood. Such a cross would be impossible in a natural environment, since tigers and lions only mate with their kin.

The litter is the couple’s second, the zoo director added. In summer 2004 ligress Zita was born in the zoo. Zita is now one year and four months old. "She is growing and developing like any other young animal," Shilov said about the ligress. "She runs, she plays around, there are no problems with her at all."

It is hard to say whether the ligress looks more like a lion or a tiger, but she behaves more like a tiger, zoo keepers say. When she is angry or getting ready to attack, she holds down her ears like tigers do, they said. Zita also loves to swim, while young lions do not.

No word yet on what magical skills the ligress possesses.

Posted on November 17, 2005
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Kung Fu Hustle Wins Taiwan's Golden Horse Award

Kung Fu Hustle won five trophies in all, including best film, at the awards show which is the Chinese-speaking world's equivalent of the Oscars. Yuen Qiu won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film which is the highest grossing local film in Hong Kong history.

Martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle led the winners at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-speaking world's leading film awards.

The story of a landlord and landlady who save their neighbourhood from gangsters with their kung-fu skills saw Stephen Chou win best director.

Kung Fu Hustle is a hilarious movie. And the martial arts scenes are awesome. Rent it immediately if you haven't seen it.

Posted on November 14, 2005
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The Iranian Police and the Alluring Mannequins

The Morals Police (and that's not a joke, that's really what they do) in Iran have decided that plastic mannequins are "too alluring" and are forbidden. Towards that end, the police in Northeastern Iran have been raiding women's clothing stores and absconding with the mannequins (65 have been impounded so far).

We think that the fact that these guys find mannequins "too alluring" says more about their own unusual proclivities than the morals of the women who shop at those stores. Or, perhaps the 1987 Kim Catrall movie, Mannequin, has just made its way to Iranian pay-per-view and has incited a million unseemly mannequin fantasies.

Newsflash: the mannequins aren't going to turn into Kim Catrall, and Iranian women aren't going to be happy about this.

Posted on November 1, 2005
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50 Cent Billboard Removed

After the success that Eminem had in his film 8 Mile, a thinly disguised biography of the Detroit rapper, the movie industry was happy to give rapper 50 cent a try. But the billboard for the movie had parents furious in gang-ridden Los Angeles. After numerous complaints, the distributor of Get Rich or Die Tryin' has pulled down the billboard. The billboards show 50 Cent holding a gun in his left hand and a microphone the other.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich wrote to Paramount Pictures urging them to take down the posters. The company said it had taken down one poster near a Los Angeles nursery school, and planned to remove more.

Mr Antonovich sent a letter to Paramount chairman Brad Grey asking him to remove the billboards, starting with one outside a school in Altadena, a suburb north of Los Angeles. "This billboard conveys to the students a disturbing message actively promoting gun violence, criminal behaviour and gang affiliation," he wrote.

Activists in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Hyde Park - an area affected by gang violence - staged a rally earlier in the week calling on Paramount to remove a billboard next to the pre-school. The sign was taken down the next day and a Paramount spokeswoman said more would follow.

Activists staged a rally calling for the billboards to be removed Najee Ali, who organised the protest, welcomed Paramount's response as a "David versus Goliath" victory. "We have a community group going up against a major studio, and they backed down," he said. "So everyone was happy with Paramount Pictures, and we commend them for showing corporate responsibility."

OK, perhaps this was not the most appropriate billboard to have hovering over a nursery school. We can see that. Which just begs the real question: who handed out crack to the marketing team at Paramount? Nursery school kids can't even get in to see the film -- that's just a waste of ad money. At least build a giant billboard that hovers over the target demographic for the film. Geez.

Posted on October 29, 2005
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Star Wars Expands to Live Action TV

The Star Wars universe continues to expand. Revenge of the Sith is being released on DVD, and Lucasfilm has just opened a digital animation studio in Singapore. Lucas is also expanding its popular Clone Wars cartoons which air on Comedy Central.

Lucasfilm's Star Wars spin-off TV series Clone Wars is the studio's first project. This is an extension of an existing Cartoon Network show, whose five-minute episodes will now be extended to half-hour programmes following the battles led by Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and other Jedi knights against the Army of the Republic (which feature in the cinema franchise at the end of Episode II: Attack of the Clones). It is planned that the series will be completed next year.

Lucasfilm is also working on a live-action TV series joining the dots between the end of Revenge of the Sith and the first Star Wars film, with George Lucas expected to direct.

George Lucas himself did not attend the studio's grand opening, but invited guests were greeted instead with a traditionally auspicious lion dance, a feng shui master's blessing and the unveiling of a rather less traditional Yoda statue at the studio's entrance.

Live action Star Wars TV show directed by Lucas, eh? That should certainly be interesting.

Posted on October 27, 2005
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The Bond Fiasco Widens

Just when you thought that whole James Bond Casting Fiasco couldn't get any worse, it does. The new James Bond, Daniel Craig, has announced that he hates guns. Oh, and he doesn't like his martinis stirred. He likes them "straight up."

Daniel Craig will have a problem playing the new James Bond - because he hates guns. The actor will wield 007's famous Walther PPK in the movie Casino Royale. But he revealed in OK! magazine: "I hate handguns. Handguns are used to shoot people and as long as they are around, people will shoot each other. "That's a simple fact. I've seen a bullet wound and it was a mess. It was on a shoot and it scared me. Bullets have a nasty habit of finding their target and that's what's scary about them."

Nor does the 37-year-old share Bond's love of Martinis shaken and stirred. "I love a Martini straight up. I don't think anybody makes a Martini stirred any more," he said.

What in the world is he talking about? Bond likes his martinis, "shaken, not stirred" which is how they should be made. A shaken Martini is "straight up" -- the ice is strained out when the drink is poured. So, he couldn't tell a properly made Martini from a Boilermaker and he hates guns. This does not bode well at all.

Posted on October 26, 2005
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Is the New Bond a Dud?

We were shaken and stirred to our very foundations by this horrifying report by The Daily Mail about the goings-on at the press conference to announce that blondie Daniel Craig is the new James Bond.

It was the sort of tricky situation that James Bond would have defused in a second. Daniel Craig, on the other hand, didn't have the benefit of a witty script. Or even a little wit. At a press conference to unveil him as the sixth 007 he made a less than suave impression when asked who he would prefer as a Bond Girl - Kate Moss or Sienna Miller. For a man said to have had both in his little black book, he might at least have ventured a reply. Instead he shifted in his seat uncomfortably before muttering: "I'm not going to get into that."

*****

Later there was not a hint of Bond's unruffled approach to pressure when a US TV reporter asked him again about Miss Miller. Craig turned the air blue with expletives.

All in all, it wasn't the most auspicious of starts for the 37-year-old actor, who beat off rivals including Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell to play the spy on Her Majesty's secret service. Craig had obviously decided against playing up to the part as he arrived at the press conference on the HMS President at St Katharine's Dock in East London. The producers may have been hoping for a dashing entrance as he zipped up on a Royal Marines speedboat. But Craig's suit looked more banker than spy. Add to that his carefully-fitted lifejacket and the way he clung for dear life to the rail, and Bond he wasn't.

In fact, he admitted the experience had 'scared the s*** out of me'.

Riding in a motorboat "scared the sh**" out of James Bond? And what was with the attack of Tourette's Syndrome when reporters asked about his affairs with Sienna Miller and Kate Moss? Now, picture Pierce Brosnan sailing through the same interview with witty, Bondian rejoinders. Yes, it's all too clear, isn't it?

Posted on October 17, 2005
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Blond, James Blond

It seems like the search for the new James Bond has been going on longer than the series itself. The lastest word is that a new James Bond has been chosen to replace Pierce Brosnan: Daniel Craig. And he's blond.

It's a little premature... but it seems that the new Bond has indeed been chosen. Although of course, until anything is revealed to us officially, we shall issue a pinch of salt with this news.

In a massive blow to all those who hoped beyond hope that Pierce Brosnan would in fact do just one more 007 film - the apparent chosen heir is all brand new. And he's blonde.... Step forward Mr Daniel Craig. Daniel Craig - the new Bond? The recent rumours that Daniel had a brief fling with Sienna Miller - his mate Jude's former fiance - will only enforce his appropriateness for the role. According to the Daily Mail, we will be officially informed of the new James Bond at the end of the week.

It seems it came down to a battle between Daniel and Henry Cavill. But after trying on a tux or two and several auditions it's apparently Daniel who's come out on top... but we'll keep you posted just in case Pierce is still in with a shout...

Of course, this is probably just another rumor. We won't believe that anyone has been cast until the martini's been shaken, stirred and drunk.

Posted on October 11, 2005
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Severed Fingers Too Much For MPAA

Zap2it reports on the MPAA's smackdown on the trailer for the upcoming film, Saw II. The MPAA said "no way" to the trailer, which features severed fingers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the MPAA announced on Friday (Aug. 19) that its Advertising Administration didn't approve the materials that Lions Gate sent out to a number of web sites. The Advertising Administration, entrusted with reviewing all advertising and publicity materials submitted by producers and distributors for a film rating, would apparently have taken issue with the presence of chopped fingers in the ads.

"Saw II" is the sequel, of course, is the sequel to last fall's sleeper hit thriller that made some $55 million domestic. The film earned an R-rating, but theatrical trailers running on some websites for the sequel carry an R-rating that hasn't been approved by the MPAA. Lions Gate has reportedly already contacted all sites running the unauthorized trailer and artwork and will submit the materials through the correct channels.

Lions Gate is not really unhappy that its trailer has been nixed by the ratings board. All the publicity has given fans of films featuring lots of severed fingers the heads up that they need to bookmark October 28th to see Saw II. The new poster (seen above) now merely features someone who is in desperate need of a good manicure.

Posted on August 23, 2005
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Heder Up For Napoleon 2

The Chicago Tribune reports that Napoleon Dynamite star John Heder might be up for a little more tetherball.

Despite having shot down hopes before for a "Napoleon" sequel, Heder expressed a possible shift in the winds.

"I'll never say yes or no to that kind of thing, unless we start shooting it," Heder said. "I think it would be fun to do, but it's just gotta be done right, I guess."

Heder added that he's not afraid of being typecast as a nerd.

"I don't mind. It's fun playing a dorky guy--or someone ugly. It's easy playing someone ugly and eccentric."

We hope the rest of the crew is listening and they really make a sequel because that would be flippn' sweet.

Posted on August 15, 2005
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Send in the Clonus

Scott Weinberg at Rotten Tomatoes reports that not only was The Island a box office disaster, it is now the target of a copyright infringement lawsuit. Apparently, The Island has quite a few similarities to a prior film, Parts: The Clonus Horror (somehow we must have missed that one).

Scott Weinberg writes: "Sci-fi geeks have been telling about it for weeks, but the similarities between Michael Bay's The Island and Robert Fiveson's Parts: The Clonus Horror are about to be aired in a federal court ... barring a quick settlement, of course.

The producers of the 1979 sci-fi indie flick are suing DreamWorks and WB, stating that The Island is more than just a little similar to their low-budget film. Clonus, produced by Myrl A. Schreibman and Robert S. Fiveson, who also helmed, tells the story of a secret colony of clones who are told they will one day go to a utopian place called "America." They're actually being raised in case their human counterparts need spare organs. One of the clones escapes into Southern California and is chased as he tries to expose the facility.

In The Island, helmed by Michael Bay, the clones are similarly raised as a source of spare parts for humans and two clones escape into the real world, a futuristic Los Angeles, and try to shut down the cloning facility."

....But the Clonus producers reportedly have about 90 specific instances in which they feel the similarities between the films are much more than coincidental. Many might look to The Island's original screenwriter, one Caspian Tredwell-Owen, or the pair of secondary writers, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, for a few answers.

An excellent point. Which leads us to ponder star Scarlet Johansson's response to an interviewer's question about the moral implications of growing a clone of oneself. The ever-practical Scarlett replied: "She could definitely go to the gym and the supermarket, fold the laundry and prance around in clothes, so I could see beforehand how I'd look in things."

Posted on August 11, 2005
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GSN Turns Dodgeball Game Into Hit Show

Remember the hilarious film called Dodgeball starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn? Well the GSN cable network has taken the idea from the film and turned Dodgeball into a real sport. Even more surprising is the fact that people are watching GSN's Extreme Dodgeball -- it's the number one show on the network for ages 18 to 34. The teams, which compete for a championship victory prize of $170,000, have ridiculous names like the Chicago Hitmen, New York Bling, L.A. Armed Response and the Philadelphia Benjamins. An Associated Press article has more about the "new" sport.

"Our version of dodgeball has moved away from the fourth-grade game and moved toward the NBA more than anything else," says executive producer Mark Cronin in the newly designed arena at Hollywood Center Studio. "It's an exciting sport to watch and it's an exciting sport to play."

The schoolyard game, discouraged in some areas for being too violent, has become an all-out sports craze on college campuses and among adults in recent years.

"Dodgeball is the new softball - it's very social," says GSN President Rich Cronin (no relation to the show's producer).

"We came up with the idea a year ago when we noticed it was catching on on college campuses. Then we read about the dodgeball movie (starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn) and we thought, `Great, we will debut our dodgeball series at the same time as the movie. We'll jump on this hot trend of dodgeball as a growing sport (and) help fuel the trend.' That's exactly what happened."

"Extreme Dodgeball" is now the highest-rated show on GSN among 18- to 34-year-olds, according to the network, and in many ways has become key to the channel's programming strategy.

Posted on August 5, 2005
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The Real Story of the Dukes of Hazzard

E! reporters have outdone themselves for their incisive interview with the cast of the upcoming film, The Dukes of Hazzard. The brilliant questions. The searing follow-ups. The insightful commentary. This is what investigative journalism is all about.

E!: [The] Daisy Dukes--how do they fit?

Jessica Simpson: I just didn't want butt cheeks hanging out. That was very important to me, so they had to be a little bit lower-waisted. You know, you gotta meet in the middle. It's like marriage. You've got to compromise with the director.

E!: Ever try moonshine?

Johnny Knoxville: Actually, I had some moonshine shipped down [to the Louisiana set] from Tennessee while we were filming for the cast and crew. And it was delicious.

Seann William Scott: Of course, Knoxville thinks of giving people moonshine as a wrap gift. And like a moron, I take a huge gulp of it. I think I was drunk for a week.

E!: What does it taste like?

Seann William Scott: Like ass. It tastes awful.

E!: What's in moonshine?

Johnny Knoxville: It's made of corn. It's corn squeezings, and it's about 190 proof. Highly flammable. And you gotta drink it out of a glass jar, preferably a Mason jar. Because you put it in a paper cup, it'll eat the bottom right up, which basically is what it does to you.

E!: Ever injure yourself jumping into the car?

Seann William Scott: How'd you hear about that? Did you know it's a small window? Did John Schneider get hurt? I mean, it was really hard. I only jumped in the car once, because I banged my knee up. Johnny was good.

Johnny Knoxville: [I got a] couple of shinners. I remember showing up on set and seeing that for the first time, and the windows are really narrow. But the stunt guys worked with me and showed me how to do it.

We smell Pulitzer....

Posted on August 4, 2005
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David Manning Fake Critic Lawsuit Settled

A settlement has been finalized in the class action lawsuit against Sony motion pictures. The lawsuit was brought by furious fans who felt they were tricked into seeing the Heath Ledger film A Knight's Tale, because of fake quotes from the nonexistent critic named "David Manning." Manning called Heath Ledger "this year's hottest new star."

A US judge has finalised the settlement of a lawsuit brought by disgruntled movie-goers who accused Hollywood's Sony motion picture studio of using a fake critic to trick them into seeing mediocre films, lawyers have said. Sony Pictures Entertainment agreed to pay USD 1.5 million to resolve the class-action suit filed in 2001 claiming the studio invented a bogus critic to heap praise on its movies, the movie-goers' attorney Norman Blumenthal said yesterday.

The suit was filed following a report that Sony's Columbia Tristar unit had used glowing reviews allegedly written by the non-existent David Manning that heaped gushing praise on films including Hollow Man and A Knight's Tale. Angry fans accused the studio of misleading them with quotes from the non-existent critic Manning who, in 2001, proclaimed Australian actor Heath Ledger was 'this year's hottest new star' following his role in A Knight's Tale.

Sony allegedly advertised quotes from 'reviews' written by Manning in publicity blurbs for movies, in which the studio claimed the critic worked for The Ridgefield Press in the Eastern US state of Connecticut. Sony also used endorsements by people who turned out to be Sony employees, the attorneys for the plaintiffs said, in a legal notice concerning the settlement that was agreed in March 2004 and given final approval last month.

So, what ever happened to to the brightest new star of the year, Heath Ledger, anyway? Haven't heard a peep out of him. Of course, when your studio has to pay out $1.5 million to grumpy moviegoers because your film sucked so much that they sued over it...well, that is embarassing. We'd hide, too.

Posted on August 3, 2005
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Harry Potter and the Special Effects Complexion

If only Dumbledore could do something about teenage acne. Harry Potter film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are growing up, which means good news and bad news for the films' producers. The good news? They are growing up attractive, thank heavens. The bad news? Here comes the acne, which is exacerbated by long hours under hot lights with heavy makeup. Luckily, the special effects guys are here to save the day.

The special-effects wizards working on the Harry Potter movies made something disappear: the stars' pimples. The teenage actors are plagued by the bane of many adolescents, according to IrelandonLine, which quotes a source as saying, "We have had to employ a special effects man to go through every frame clearing up their complexions."

Digital alteration is becoming more and more common: remember all that retouching of Drew Barrymore's bum in Charlie's Angels? Sounds like a growth industry to us.

Posted on July 27, 2005
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The Island Sinks at Box Office

"Sci-Fi Gets Sexy!" screams the cover of Entertainment Weekly, which features a lachrymose-looking Ewan McGregor and a befuddled-looking Scarlett Johansson in possibly the most un-sexy cover shot in recent memory. The two (who look much better in the trailers) are starring in The Island, a futuristic thriller about cloning. And an island. Ok, we haven't actually seen it yet, but the trailers looked great. Unfortunately, it appears that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Wedding Crashers kicked The Island right in the archipelago this past weekend: The Island only made $12.4 million, coming in at fourth place. That's a big disappointment for Dreamworks. Still, it's puzzling...Obi Wan plus Scarlett Johansson in a white catsuit, plus motorcycle stunts and cloning. What's not to like?

Posted on July 25, 2005
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Lindsay Lohan News Update

There's been so much breaking Lindsay Lohan news in the last couple of news cycles, that it's been hard for fans to keep up. To summarize:

• On his way to jail for assault, Lindsay's dad tells a judge that he heard his daughter had a drug overdose. She denies it. Uh, thanks a lot, dad.
• Disney execs removed La Lindsay from all the posters of Herbie: Fully Loaded because they thought the posters looked dated because of the star's new blond locks and very slim physique. Of course, the posters would have matched how she looks in the film (not as thin, with red hair), so that excuse makes no sense whatsoever.
• In another diss to its biggest star, Disney played Lindsay's song over the closing credits of the film, instead of during a big race scene. They didn't bother to tell Lindsay about the change, although she worked double shifts during the filming in order to get the album completed. She found out during the premiere and stalked out of the film, furious. And who could blame her?
• Lindsay told Access Hollywood "You will never see me in a nude scene. Then there's no mystery for my private life."
• Lindsay's uncle, Paul Sullivan, was arrested at his Long Island, New York home this week on suspicion of mail fraud involving funds targeted for post-9/11 small-business relief. Sullivan, who is Lindsay's mom's brother, applied for a $1.5 million load from the U.S. Small Business Administration, and then allegedly did something terrible after that that doesn't make a bit of sense to us.

The Lohan Clan is going to get its own special reporter on Court TV, if they don't settle down.

Posted on June 24, 2005
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X-Men Accuse Sony of Mutant Infringement

E reports that the X-Men are really unhappy. 20th Century Fox and comic book publisher Marvel Enterprises pulled out the big gun lawyers and filed a whopping lawsuit which accuses Sony Pictures and Revolution Studios of infringing on the X-Men copyright and generally violating all applicable laws. The fuss is over a new Sony movie called Zoom, which stars Tim Allen as an aging superhero called out of retirement to teach a school of talented but untrained mutant children. Sound familiar? Sony also has moved the release date of Zoom to just three weeks before the next X-Men movie, which debuts on Memorial Day, 2006.

"Zoom's release in May 2006 immediately before the release of X3 (or any release in proximity to the release of X3) is an unfair attempt by Sony and Revolution to manipulate the market and trade off the time, energy, resources and effort Marvel have invested in X-Men," court papers state. The complaint seeks monetary damages as well as an injunction forcing Sony to postpone Zoom's opening. Fox and Marvel are also asking for a court order requiring Sony to strip Zoom's screenplay of any X-Men-like material. Sony, Revolution and their attorney, Bert Fields, declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Zoom, which hasn't begun shooting, is based on a graphic novel by Jason Lethcoe and stars the Home Improvement thesp as Jack, aka Captain Zoom, a former superhero called out of retirement to train a group of teen wannabes with mutant powers at a private academy to battle bad guys. The only problem is he's lost his own powers. The film costars Courteney Cox as a scientist with the secret agency in charge of the superhero school and Chevy Chase as the head of the agency.

In Fox and Marvel's view, Zoom's storyline is way too similar to the premise of its X-Men series, which stars Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier who teaches a group of mutants at a private academy how to utilize their special powers to defeat an evil mutant terrorist organization.

Zoom, which is a comedy, sounds like a cross between Spaceballs and Galaxy Quest.

Posted on June 23, 2005
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Lindsay Lohan and the Computer Generated Plastic Surgery

The Times takes a break from reporting on world affairs to make fun of uptight American movie-goers who apparently were highly offended by the generous size of Lindsay Lohan's bustline at the screenings of Herbie Fully Loaded. The answer: digital plastic surgery.

Lohan, 18, had finished work on the fourth sequel to the 1968 film The Love Bug, about a sentient Volkswagen Beetle, when reports from test screenings indicated that some parents felt she came across as somewhat sensual for a family-oriented film. Disney technicians went though scenes showing the actress jumping up and down at a motor racing track and altered them with a computer program — reducing her bust by up to two cup sizes and raising the necklines on her T-shirts. Lohan is said to have been amused by what technicians call her "digital boob job." "I don’t know how Renée Zellweger kept swelling and shrinking for Bridget Jones: it’s no fun," she said recently. "Bring on the computer guys."

Lohan is not the only actress to have had her body shape altered by Hollywood’s computer wizards. Angelina Jolie was "trimmed" in a scene from the forthcoming film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in which she slides down a rope.

"She did her own stunts, but that meant there was a bit of loose bosomry we had to tidy up and flatten down," said a technician on the film, which opens next month. "Maybe the original shot will turn up on the DVD."

Don't you just love the British newspapers? "Loose bosomry" indeed....

Posted on June 10, 2005
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Learn to Dance with Napoleon Dynamite

These dance lessons will make your wildest dreams come true. For those of you who have been yearning to learn how to obtain the sweet dance skills of Napoleon Dynamite, your prayers have been answered. You can learn awesome moves like the Little Teapot spin, Pepto Bismol, Snappy Dresser, Pass it On and Hail to the King. The video uses pink arrows to show you the moves, and the video can be played in slow motion to make it easier. One caveat -- if you try these moves in front of someone who has never seen the hit indie film, Napoleon Dynamite they might.... freak out. But, Gosh! Who hasn't seen Napoleon Dynamite?

Posted on May 24, 2005
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Revenge of the Sith Lives Up to the Hype

So, does Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith live up to the hype? You bet it does...and then some.

Lucas has taken quite a bit of criticism over the years for the quality of the dialogue in the films. For Episode III, playwright Tom Stoppard gave an uncredited assist -- and it shows. It's a dark film that has a more linear plot than Episodes I and II: the film reveals the tragedy of how Anakin Skywalker succumbs to his fears and goes to the dark side, eventually becoming Darth Vader. Helping along on his dark journey is the incredibly talented Ian McDiarmid, who gleefully plays Chancellor Palpatine as if he were in one of Shakespeare's plays (Hamlet, perhaps, with him as Iago?) at the Old Vic on London. He skillfully plays on the young man's emotions and fears, gently and subtly nudging him down the wrong path. It's a powerful and terrifying performance and if Hayden Christensen weren't up to the task, the film wouldn't work. But he is up to the task, and has grown quite a bit as an actor since Episode I. Young men are impulsive and emotional (even those with Jedi training) and Christensen plays Anakin as teetering on a knife edge of destruction.

As the film opens, Anakin and Obi Wan Kenobi are on a mission to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from the General Grievous: in a lengthy masterpiece of non-stop action, they rescue the Chancellor. But the Republic is still at War, and Palpatine quickly takes Anakin under his wing, filling his head with dangerous ideas that will have tragic consequences. When Palpatine eventually makes his move, Anakin makes a choice that will change many lives. Lucas does an incredible job of tying up all the loose ends: how and why Anakin went to the dark side (the breathtakingly tragic moment of his transformation into Lord Vader is the most moving scene in any of the six films), why Luke and Leia were separated at birth, why Vader didn't seem to know he had any children in Episode IV: A New Hope, why Yoda went into exile and where Princess Leia got the idea for the double-bun hairstyle she favored.

John Williams does a fantastic job with the musical score, incorporating many elements of the first three films. The cinematography is gorgeously dark, and the city of Coruscant is a marvel. Even the throwaway shots are full of technological sleight of hand and intricate details. Lucas brilliantly and gradually alters the look of the fighters, the interiors of the ships and the look of the clone soldiers so that by the end of the film, they are quite close to the familiar look of the original Star Wars, released in 1977.

This is clearly the film event of the summer.

Posted on May 23, 2005
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Massive Star Wars Sick Out Threatens U.S. Economy

The New York Post just had to blab to employers that all t