In EW's upcoming cover interview, Magic Mike stars Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey fondly remember the moment on set when excited extras tasked with stuffing McConaughey's man-thong with dollar bills accidentally (or not) ripped the banana hammock right off. What's that, EW? You want me to watch a behind-the-scenes video of McConaughey striking poses while Tatum splashes around breakdancing in a pool of water? Well, fine.
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Also in Friday morning's news round up, The Weinstein Company picks up a pair of films (including a documentary by Bernard-Henri Lévy), Boy Toy gets a leading lady, North America is set to Sleep Tight, and more...
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The members of indie rock outfit Here We Go Magic swear this isn't a publicity stunt, so let your disbelief ride on into the sunset: According to the Brooklyn-based band, they were traveling by van earlier this week in Ohio when a solo hitchhiker caught their eye -- a hitchhiker who turned out to be cult director John Waters.
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Disco icon Donna Summer passed away today at the age of 63, reportedly succumbing to cancer. But while most folks remember the singer for once-ubiquitous disco classics like "Bad Girls" and "Love to Love You Baby," and while many a film used her hit singles to great effect (recall the "Hot Stuff" scene from The Full Monty, or her own turn as an aspiring disco singer in Thank God It's Friday), let's take a look back at a relatively underrated Donna Summer gem: The love theme from 1977's The Deep.
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Also in Thursday morning's round of Biz Break: Philip Seymour Hoffman is in the running for a spy thriller, The Dictator comes under fire as a modern-day minstrel show, and more...
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Also Wednesday afternoon, Jane Fonda picks up a role, Anthony Hopkins and Andy Garcia team for a story about Hemingway in Cuba and Sacha Baron Cohen's midnight screenings outshine Dark Shadow.
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The Marvel Studios front office may be notoriously loaded with cheapskates who've built a multibillion-dollar empire from the ground up in less than five years thanks to thrifty dealmaking, but at least one star has done enough franchise grunt work to get paid for the record-shattering blockbuster that is The Avengers. And when I say "paid," I mean paid.
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Yikes, this is not good: "Law enforcement officials confirm ... Stahl's wife filed a missing person's report with the L.A.P.D. on Monday ... saying she last saw the 32-year-old actor on May 9. [... I]t is believed Stahl had been frequenting the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles recently ... and there are concerns he may have gotten himself involved in some bad stuff. Back in February, Nick's wife had filed court papers, expressing serious concerns that Nick may be using drugs ... and sources say she fears drugs may have something to do with his disappearance." [TMZ]
Also in Tuesday afternoon's Biz Break: Exclusive Media takes rights to Zac Efron/Dennis Quaid starrer, Universal picks up rights to Kathryn Bigelow's untitled bin Laden film, and with the initial craze over 3-D fading comes scrutiny over the medium.
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Opening early overseas helped this week's Battleship quietly amass $215 million before its domestic debut, and a few international markets (including Japan, Hong Kong, and New Zealand) may similarly see emphatic pre-U.S. openings for Sony's July 3 tent pole The Amazing Spider-Man when it opens in countries like India days before hitting theaters stateside. Shall we call it, as one Sony Pictures India rep suggests, the "neener-neener" bump? "Each of the Spider-Man franchise films has broken records on its release in this territory. We are very confident that Indian audiences will enjoy the new reboot of the franchise even more because they are watching it before the U.S." [THR]
Looks like that first steamy image from Brian DePalma's femme thriller Passion was just the tip of the erotic iceberg! New images from the film have emerged from Cannes, where the film is seeking buyers, showing more of stars Rachel McAdams as a businesswoman and Noomi Rapace as her assistant, who become locked in a deadly power struggle that will involve lingerie, showers, and kinky masks. If these pics don't get this movie sold, I don't know what will.
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In this 70th anniversary year of Casablanca, it only seems fitting that Michael Curtiz's classic should emerge this week in the medium where its indelible romantic splendor finally can take root and thrive: on Facebook.
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You don't need to be a sports fan to have been touched by the 30 For 30 documentary series produced by ESPN, one of the few thriving outlets anywhere for nonfiction filmmaking and a patron of diverse directors from Oscar winners Barry Levinson, Alex Gibney and Barbara Kopple to legends Albert Maysles and Steve James to neophytes Ice Cube and Steve Nash. As such, today's a good day for all of us, with ESPN announcing that it will continue 30 For 30 both on the network and online.
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There's good news and bad news from Warner Bros. about Gravity and Gangster Squad, two of its most anticipated fall releases. Which do you prefer first? The bad news? Why, of course!
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The previously untitled, Ben Affleck/Rachel McAdams-starring project due later this year has also received an R rating for "some sexuality and nudity." Ugh. This calls for a petition! Meanwhile the film still awaits an official release date; stay tuned here for details as events warrant. [CARA via Film Stage]
