Forty-five years ago today, a baby boy named Adam Richard Sandler was born to an electrical engineer and a nursery school teacher in Brooklyn. After breaking big on Saturday Night Live at the age of 24, Sandler would go on to become one of the most successful actor-comedians of our generation and an even more successful movie producer. In spite of the scathing reviews that his films generate, we still love him as an entertainer, laugh maker and occasionally dramatic actor. So gather around the cake, sing-squawk a few off-key bars of "Happy Birthday" and let's name Sandler's finest onscreen moment.
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Happy Friday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Michel Gondry returns to France... Inside India's disappearing softcore porn industry... The 50 Cent/Mickey Rourke Russian roulette movie you've been waiting for is coming... George Carlin may get his own street... and more.
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This just in from sister site Deadline: Warner Bros. is developing a Joe Eszterhas-penned project about the tale of warrior-hero Judah Maccabee, who led a second-century revolt against Hellenistic overlords in the name of the Jewish people. The project's producer and possible director? Mel Gibson.
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Though Anne Hathaway is still just rumored to be a potential addition to Tom Hooper's musical film adaptation of Les Miserables, star Hugh Jackman is already getting some company for the December 2012 release. According to Variety, Russell Crowe will play foil to Jackman's Jean Valjean as Inspector Javert. Could Crowe's past experience singing with his bands 30 Odd Foot of Grunts and The Ordinary Fear of God have given him the casting edge?
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Once upon a time, as The Playlist recalls, a bloviating crazy person named Charlie Sheen claimed he'd be starring in a sequel to Major League directed and written by Roman Coppola (for his first feature since his debut, 2001's CQ). Turns out Sheen spits half-truths: He won't be returning to the cineplex in a baseball movie, but another project with Coppola called A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Swan III. No official word yet on his casting, but you'll see that Sheen deserves no other part but the unraveling title character.
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Something fun to spice up the end of the week: 20th Century Fox has set up a telephone line for the raunchy David Gordon Green-directed December comedy The Sitter and star Jonah Hill will allegedly be answering calls at random. We unfortunately only reached his appropriately inappropriate voicemail, but you might get lucky. What would you ask? How many pleas for weight loss tips will Hill get before he tires of this nifty marketing ploy? Dial (917) 409-7838 and find out. [20th Century Fox]
Welcome to another edition of Weekend Forecast, your weekly guide to the latest film offerings and/or whatever you want to call that new thing Nick Swardson is in. It's your call! Meanwhile, we're looking at one of the most competitive weeks in a while -- three cheers for the fall movie season, for reals.
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Focus Features just announced that Joe Wright, the director of Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, will helm a new adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina written by Tom Stoppard (who wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay of Shakespeare in Love, as well as countless revered plays). I think we're owed an oversize Tolstoy treat in 2011, don't you? We can't subsist on The Last Station for much longer. And wait until you hear who's set to star.
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Back to the Future II director/producer Frank Marshall recently tweeted, "Something big is coming soon. Can't say anything yet. No one should know too much about their own destiny. #BTTF." Well, this package from Dr. Emmett L. Brown helps explain: It's Nike's upcoming Air Mag shoe, a replica of Marty McFly's kicks from the first BTTF sequel, that boast self-lacing technology. Put on yer incredulous Crispin Glover bug eyes, because this is pretty wild! More in Buzz Break after the jump.
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Jason Biggs, who was already our favorite Twitter celebrity (er, celebrity on Twitter?), put the news of Reese Witherspoon getting hit by a car and sustaining minor injuries in perspective last night. Since the Oscar-winner is out of the hospital and hopefully in tiptop Tracy Flick form, we like to think Mr. Biggs's quip registers as playful sarcasm. Ahem: "I just heard the news about Reese Witherspoon doing a voice in 'Cars 3'. Wow!" [@BiggsJason]
Happy Thursday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Gatsby goes Bollywood ... An avant-garde legend passes away ... Steven Spielberg takes on a partner for Robopocalypse ... Hollywood's latest plastic-surgery nightmare fuel ... and more.
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Gwyneth Paltrow has a habit of saying things that inspire me to take notes, fill a bulletin board with theories, and question my own feelings. Today's incendiary soundbite: a seemingly off-the-cuff remark from the Cee Lo foil regarding the roles she takes: "I have little kids, and I'm a full-time mom. I really only do small parts." Considering her role in Contagion is a short one -- she's only in the first 15 minutes -- and her newly announced ensemble role in Stuart Blumberg's upcoming sex addiction comedy Thanks for Sharing, is it possible that we should be mourning her status as a leading lady? Will you attend the memorial?
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"I'm embarrassed," explains Ryan Gosling of the infamous street fight he stopped in New York that eventually went viral. "I think that guy really was stealing that other guy's painting, so I should have just kept my nose out of it." The good Samaritan has clearly put a lot of thought into what went down that day when he sprang into action while casually strolling through the street in a striped tank and capris, satchel in hand. Watch Gosling relive that harrowing day on video after the jump.
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Over at his blog, Ricky Gervais has an idea. Possibly the best idea to ever hit the awards season circuit. "A live 3 hour podcast during the Golden Globes. Me and a few chums (like Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Karl Pilkington, John [sic] Stewart, Larry David popping in and out) doing our own alternative commentary... People at home can have the telly on with the sound down listening to us online say things that no broadcaster can get away with." Like, say, eviscerating Hollywood's brightest and shiniest on the big day like it was a Comedy Central roast? Make it so, Ricky!
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"Even with all the Norbit-level garbage he's been in, all the shit that he's done to hurt his career (like when he stormed out of the Academy Awards after not winning the Best Supporting Actor award in 2007), I still root for Eddie Murphy, hoping he'll return to the glory days of Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places and Delirious, the same way I still listen to every Weezer album, hoping they'll record one more song as good as 'Jamie.'" Totally fair. Will you settle for Beverly Hills Cop 4? [SplitSider]
