Earlier this week, John Hughes muse (and recent Reddit queen) Molly Ringwald set the record straight with Out.com on the sexuality of her Pretty in Pink character Andie's lovesick BFF, Duckie: "“Duckie doesn’t know he’s gay. I think he loves Andie in the way that [my gay best friend] always loved me." To which the world breathed a knowing sigh. "Of course Duckie is gay!" Thought everyone. Well, everyone except for, you know, Jon Cryer.
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Because despite all indications otherwise, Gary Ross has reportedly walked away from Lionsgate's blockbuster sequel Catching Fire. Let's come up with plan B!
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It's a natural career progression for Saturday Night Live stars to depart for greener pastures for the sunnier climes and star salaries of the big screen, but has that time come for current standouts Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg? So says a report by US Weekly, whose insiders claim the trio are ready to leave after this season. And that wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, considering that Wiig, Sudeikis and Samberg have all been taking concerted steps towards film in recent years. So let's prognosticate: Which of these possibly-departing SNLers will make the smoothest transition out of SNL?
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For some reason a remake of the 1987 comedy classic Summer School has been in development hell for years, and it may finally come to fruition under Adam Sandler's Happy Madison banner. Though Sandler hasn't yet threatened to star as the slacker high school gym teacher forced to start caring about education -- a role played with Hawaiian-shirted panache by one Mr. Mark Harmon, and don't you forget it -- the possibility certainly looms over this project, as THR reports that Happy Madison is negotiating to produce. Take a trip down memory lane with the original trailer and decide: If not Sandler, who could fill Harmon's sockless shoes? (And will there be a part for Kirstie Alley?)
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I won't argue: "'[T]he stars aligned' may be the only explanation for 1995 being the greatest year in the history of movies. How else do we make sense out of the bounty that included no less than three Christina Ricci vehicles, career-bests for Ron Howard, Michael Mann, Mel Gibson, Richard Linklater, Amy Heckerling, Todd Haynes, and Clint Eastwood, the speedy ascension of Sandra Bullock's star, a talking pig, AND Showgirls?" [The Hairpin]
Everyone is familiar with that special breed of screen performer whose names are associated with not only longevity, but also ubiquity. Gene Hackman reigned among this class for much of the last few decades, his title soon overtaken by Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage and others who've shown a willingness to earn paychecks in everything from Oscar bait to glorified grindhouse fare. Yet another thespian exceeds them all in output, not only with an impressive slate of completed work but also a calendar-busting array of upcoming projects. Just who is the most in-demand player in Hollywood?
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Young heroes rebel against a fascist government that controls its citizenry through institutionalized terror and reality television, igniting a revolution that spreads across an isolated land via broadcast images and word of mouth. The Arab Spring? Nope. Try The Hunger Games, set in a dystopian sci-fi future that parallels current global unrest, which stars Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland say they hope could spur a generation of YA-consuming youths into political action.
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With relations between the sexes having recently hit a dispiriting cultural low (news avoiders may consult Time Magazine's helpful round-up "Are Women People?" for cringe-inducing details), now is as good a time as any to ask and perhaps answer the burning question, "Why don't women narrate movie trailers?" Conveniently, the BBC is here to offer some insights.
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Congratulations to Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin, whose film Undefeated lived up to its title at last night's Academy Awards by taking home the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. Exploring the intersection of class, race and a hard-luck high-school football team, the doc started earning fans a year ago at Sundance South by Southwest — including Harvey Weinstein, who acquired Undefeated on the spot and promptly fast-tracked it for 2012 awards glory. Mission accomplished. The only thing Undefeated didn't do? How about help get three unjustly convicted men — one condemned to die — out of prison?
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Some folks out there may have enjoyed Billy Crystal's ninth outing as host of the Academy Awards last night, but his turn was as tepid as James Franco's 2011 "performance" was bizarre. Crystal's Oscars-themed song and dance routine? Dated. The weak banter and soft barbs at Hollywood's gathered illuminati? Snoozeville. Given that the previously and frequently great Crystal was upstaged by the night's random moments (Angelina Jolie's leg, J. Lo's boob, those Cirque du Soleil acrobats) and young, actually funny presenters (the Bridesmaids crew and Emma Stone) it's time to start anew and refresh what's already known as the fussiest night in the film calendar. In other words: Who would make the ultimate, charismatic, hilarious, non-sucky Oscar host?
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How's this for a dramatic break-up story? After a nine-year relationship with SDB Partners, Chris Pine opted to part ways via email. Having worked with the actor for pretty much his entire career to date, during which time he rose from guest slots on ER and CSI: Miami to nabbing Star Trek and this week's slick rom-com This Means War, Pine's former agents weren't going to be dumped so easily; they're suing Pine for millions in back- and future-commissions with a lawsuit that puts his salaries on blast. All of which means that today we get to play "Guess That Salary - Chris Pine Edition!"
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Grains of salt at the ready! Twitchfilm is reporting that Harrison Ford is in "early talks" to join Ridley Scott's proposed Blade Runner follow-up -- you know, the one that will probably settle into the same limbo as every other rumored Ridley Scott film and which was previously described by its producer as a reboot, not a sequel. Nevertheless, let's assume for a second that this is a movie that is actually in some phase of development with the nearly 70-year-old actor considering his involvement. And then let's take all the gossip around a rumored fifth Indiana Jones film starring Ford at face value. I know it's difficult, but play along: Which movie would you want less? "Neither" is not an option!
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David Fincher might never have actually entertained the thought of casting Yo-Landi Vi$$er of South African zef rap duo Die Antwoord as his Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (at most, she seems to have been a rabid pixie style icon for Rooney Mara's Oscar-nommed take on Lisbeth Salander), but how much more twisted and subversive might the diminutive Visser have been in the role, tasering old pervs and getting dirty in the "Feel-Bad Movie of the Year?" Watch the video for Die Antwoord's latest grime jam, "I Fink U Freeky," and let's brainstorm ways to make Yo-Landi's movie career happen, already.
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Joe Carnahan probably knew he was in for something of a tussle when his latest film, the survival actioner/mortality meditation The Grey, began drawing criticism from animal activist groups sight unseen even before it debuted (at #1, no less) last weekend. But then PETA posted its own twofold complaint regarding the depiction of wolves in the film and the reported eating of wolf meat on Carnahan’s set, escalating the anti-Grey fight. The question is, does PETA have a legit beef with The Grey?
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Over the last week or so, film-culture observers witnessed an odd phenomenon sweep the country: A palpable, recognizable feel of anticipation -- for an awards show. Even rarer was the reason behind it. When the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that Ricky Gervais would return for a third stint emceeing the Golden Globe Awards, we expected a return to last year’s delirious exercise in blunt-force celebrity accountability.
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