And you thought only movies could have disastrous screenings! Julie Taymor's Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark previewed on Broadway last night and the $65 million production went off with so many hitches that the production lasted for almost three-and-a-half hours, contained five stoppages and one almost-revolt. If only Broadway had review embargoes, amirite?
Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Meet the UK's most censored film in 16 years... Quidditch lingerie is a thing (at least in legal terms)... Erase your memories, Eternal Sunshine... Your first must-read profile of the young Oscar season... and more...
Every now and then, a high-concept hook comes along that seems so perfect, so in-line with Hollywood's zeitgeist, that you can only marvel that it took so long to become a movie. Take the pitch for Starbuck: A mid-20s slacker makes ends meet by donating his sperm for money until his life gets turned upside down by news that he is the father of 533 children. Judd Apatow, how did you let Quebec beat you to this? In any case, the teaser has hit the internet, so let's start the countdown for the sale of the American remake rights.
Add Actor Mark Ruffalo to the long list of threats to America's security. Apparently the Kids Are Alright actor's work organizing screenings of the anti-drilling documentary GasLand landed him a spot on the U.S. terror watch list. So yes, the Department of Homeland Security probably spent the holiday having a Mark Ruffalo viewing party as preliminary research. Hopefully they got the director's cut of Ride with the Devil; it really is much better. But assuming that this isn't a mistake, it begs the question: How many other politically outspoken directors and actors are on this list?
Sad news for people who like to laugh: Actor Leslie Nielsen of Naked Gun and Airplane! fame of has died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 84. For my money, there's no better showcase of Nielsen's deadpan comic timing and deft slapstick ability than this montage of epilogues from Police Squad!, in which Nielsen fakes a freeze frame at the end of every episode. Check them out along with a reminder of Nielsen's non-comedy work after the jump.
Emma Stone recently announced that due to her involvement as a web-slinger's love interest in the forthcoming Spiderman she would be unable to join the cast of Jonah Hill's 21 Jump Street remake. Now, it's hard to be sure if the red-headed upstart is really jumping ship to play Peter Parker's non-red-headed gal or if she just happened to catch The A-Team OnDemand, but here are five other actors that would make the perfect Officer Judy Hoffs. It's time to go back to school kids.
It appears that in between curating art shows, attending classes, finishing up work on his Three's Company reboot and a very busy self-pleasure schedule, James Franco was able to sneak away for a taping of Inside the Actor's Studio -- and the audience was out of control. Screaming women, hundreds of rejected fans and one overworked guest who would have likely just slept through the entire presentation were he in the audience.
With all talk on The Social Network's supporting players turning to Andrew Garfield and the two-faced Armie Hammer, everyone's favorite pop phenom and experimental box user Justin Timberlake feels lost in the mix. Not to worry, though, the man who brought sexy back is arranging and attending press screenings and glad-handing to secure an Oscar nom of his own. He may have two Emmys and six Grammys, but it's clear this kid is after the Tracy Jordan dream.
The weekend box office was once again good to the children of Hogwarts as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 managed to claim the top spot, despite a surprisingly strong push from the follicularly themed Tangled. Sadly, it was not all good news for shiny haired princesses as Cher and Anne Hathaway found themselves experiencing a severe holiday hangover. Your weekend receipts are here.
Speaking to WGN Radio Chicago, Dan Aykroyd threw some fuel to the Ghostbusters 3 fires, confirming that not only is the new movie already casting, but there a lot of "strong possiblities" being considered. Along with the return of Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray, Aykroyd revealed that they've also been looking at Bill Hader (great!), Anna Faris (yay!) and Eliza Dushku (must we?). While part of me is buoyed by a return to the Ghostbusters world, the part of me that saw the last Indiana Jones movie is wary of film franchises that return after a long, dormant period. [/Film]
Vladimir Putin, the once-and-forever ruler of Russia, enjoys his vodka cold, his puppy popularly-named, and his shows of virility barechested. But he's only too happy to recognize a similar show of masculinity, which is why he decided to give props to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Director Bill Condon tweeted the first picture from the Breaking Dawn set on Thanksgiving, showing the fan-favorite scene where Bella, consumed with passion for Edward, plucks a chicken to death, her hands evidence of the downy carnage. Please bear in mind, this may be an incorrect interpretation. The feathery scene after the break.[@Twilight]
It's currently cratering at the box office, but Love and Other Drugs was supposed to be a return to the full-throated, unabashedly erotic films of yesterday, akin to movies like Last Tango in Paris and 9 1/2 Weeks that proudly wore its sexual sizzle on its sleeve. And while we get a faceful of Anne Hathaway's front and back, Jake Gyllenhaal only provides an ass shot. But now a still from the movie is making the rounds online, and it seems like Jake Jr. might have made a cameo after all. The (obviously NSFW) picture after the jump.
As turkeys across the country begin their slow exit from protective custody and millions of doughy housewives proudly show off their flatscreen TVs purchased for only $299, the holiday box office has a clear winner, a strong upstart, and then a couple of real turkeys. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 continued its glorious reign at number one, while Tangled (gag me with that cruddy title) is making a strong go at number two. But if you were Cher, a boner pill-pushing Jake Gyllenhaal or the Rock, it was a Black Friday indeed for you. Your Friday box office is here.
· Here's a bountiful reel of pre-Thanksgiving warmth: Ahead of Tangled's release, Disney has compiled short clips from all 49 of its previous animated films and set it to the music of Brandi Carlile. It's cute -- except for when you realize how much money you and your family have given to Disney since 1937. [YouTube]
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