Woody Allen Reveals the 'Greatest' of His Favorite Actors, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Also in this Monday edition of The Broadsheet: Simon Cowell locks down his lineup for The X Factor... Gotti gets a new screenwriter... Sebastian Junger talks Tim Hetherington... and more ahead.

· Even with Midnight in Paris set to open the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, director Woody Allen is busy concentrating on his next film. Speaking with USA Today over the weekend, the legendary director confirmed that Roberto Benigni will appear alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page and Alec Baldwin in his untitled Rome-set comedy. Who else is co-starring? "The greatest of all my favorites -- me," said Allen. "I'm going to be in it, too." [USA Today]

· Reunited and it feels so good. Over the weekend, Fox announced that Paula Abdul will join Simon Cowell on the judges' dais of The X Factor this fall. L.A. Reid and Cheryl Cole will also judge; Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones will co-host. [Deadline]

· In other reunion news: Aaron Eckhart and director Neil LaBute will team up for The Geography of Hope, about two criminals who head to Mexico and fall in love with two women they want to scam. So, In the Company of Men mixed with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Ed Harris will co-star. [LAT/24 Frames]

· James Toback (Tyson, Two Girls and a Guy) has been hired to work on the script for Gotti: Three Generations with director Barry Levinson. The pair previously worked together on Bugsy; Leo Rossi wrote the original Gotti screenplay. [Variety]

· Speaking in Toronto on Saturday, Restrepo co-director Sebastian Junger revealed that his days traveling to war zones could be over following the death of Tim Hetherington. "Tim took the wind out of my sails," Junger said after a special screening of his Oscar-nominated film. "I'm 49. I've made my peace with almost getting killed. What I didn't realize, and what I've now experienced, is losing someone close to me. [...] The central core of war isn't that you might die, but that you will lose a brother. The next time I see [Restrepo], I'll be reminded about the death of a brother." [THR]

· Image Entertainment has purchased the rights to The Double, with Richard Gere, Topher Grace and Martin Sheen. [Deadline]