According to Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, Harry Potter fans who want their own Hedwig are responsible for the rapid demise of wild owls in the country. These remarks came right after a wildlife group presented a study suggesting that an increasing number of owls in India were being killed and traded in black magic rituals. The countdown until religious groups that wanted to ban the series scream "Told you so!" starts now. Meanwhile, I had no idea it was so easy to capture wild owls. [AFP via Gawker]
After crossing over from pornography into legitimate acting in Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, Sasha Grey is now signed on to star alongside Michelle Rodriguez, Danny Trejo and Eric Roberts in a new film titled Skinny Dip. Again, this will not be an adult film. All that's known now is that it's a revenge story involving a young woman and a policeman that will be produced by Trejo's son. But the salacious title got me thinking: Could some sort of adult film/mainstream crossover finally create enough demand to catapult NC-17 films into the mainstream?
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The Real Housewives reunion parody at the end of last night's Women of 'SNL' retrospective was a bit disappointing, but I loved the surprise appearance of Amy Poehler, Laraine Newman (swoon!), and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in L.A. But who gave the best performance of the whole ensemble? My vote's for Maya Rudolph. [HuffPost]
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In case you needed the life of Harry Houdini explained to you in delirious song and super-quippy dialogue, Hugh Jackman's upcoming Broadway musical Houdini should do the trick. The bad news: This musical is taking precious time away from some of the movies' best artists. No amount of handcuff tricks can help them escape now.
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Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep came thisclose to stealing the iconic role of Officer Ripley away from her Yale Drama School rival Sigourney Weaver. On the new Blu-ray release of the classic, Alien franchise producer Gordon Carroll says both actresses were in the running. "The first woman was Meryl Streep [but] Meryl's long-time companion [John Cazale] had just died, and I did not feel that she should be asked to come in from the country. [...] The other woman was, of course, Sigourney Weaver." Any chance Meryl would take on Ripley in those Alien prequels? Enh, never mind. [Blastr.com]
With celebrities from Charlie Sheen to Zach Galifianakis to Demi Lavato splashing the pages of your favorite gossip sites, it's been quite a two weeks in the world of Hollywood scandal. And who better to comment on the various transgressions, and offer words of wisdom, than Stephen Baldwin. Right? Right.
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Election day: It's not just a fun song by Duran Duran spin-off group Arcadia! It's also a day where we, in theory, elect the fine citizens who will represent us in the government. Over the years, many public service announcements have been produced in order to educate us about how government works, or, to inspire us to perform our civic duty and vote. If you haven't voted yet today, perhaps one of these find videos will educate and/or guilt you into hitting your local polling station. If not, the "I'm Just A Bill" song is catchy enough that it's an enjoyable way to spend three minutes.
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Tweeting, apparently: "I voted did you?" wrote The Expendables star. "Gotta get the Manchurian Candidate out of the drivers [sic] seat before were [sic] ALL soaring off a cliff into Oblivion." Uh-oh. Continued Sly: "The Manchurian Candidate was a movie about fake president who was put there by foreign enemies to destroy America . Scary concept. Rise up!" OK, then, Rock. Unfortunately for Stallone, the presidential election isn't for another two years. Dare to dream, though. [@TheSlyStallone]
· When he's not directing blockbuster adult dramas, Ben Affleck co-stars with Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem in Terrence Malick movies. Considering this is Terrence Malick we're talking about, though, expect the untitled drama to arrive in theaters sometime in the next ten years. Maybe. Click ahead for the full set photo and stick around for more Buzz Break.
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And neither of them would play Catwoman! According to Comic Book Movie (there's my grain of salt), Charlize Theron and Vera Farmiga are in talks to appear in The Dark Knight Rises for Christopher Nolan. Theron would play Detective Sarah Essen (who winds up marrying Commissioner Gordon in the comics), while Farmiga would tackle Julie Madison, a one-time love of Bruce Wayne. I would tell you to hold your breath, but you're probably doing that already. [Comic Book Movie via Cinematical]
If you've been patiently waiting to see what Kiefer Sutherland had up his sleeve for life post-Jack Bauer, this is your moment. The former 24 star will head to Broadway to appear opposite Brian Cox and Liev Schreiber in a revival of That Championship Season. Jason Miller's Tony Award-winning play is about a high school basketball team that reunites 20 years later; Sutherland is set to play a junior high school principal with secrets and, presumably, the ability to waterboard unruly students. UPDATE: Apparently Schreiber won't be appearing, but Chris Noth and Jim Gaffigan will. [Deadline, NYT/ArtsBeat]
If you're under 17, I know just what you're thinking: "Damn, I can't wait to see Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush go toe-to-toe in The King's Speech, without a parent or guardian!" Unfortunately, it is my duty to break some bad news to you: You won't be able to.
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Have you ever watched a comedy like Two and a Half Men and thought to yourself, "This is not remotely funny." Or maybe you realized that the tears you felt streaming down your cheeks during an episode of Intervention did not spring from your eyes because of the incredible compassion you feel for the characters onscreen, but because you just heard the most hilarious-sounding cry escape an elderly man ever. Well, Movieline understands and just so happens to be here for you with a complete list of nine series running wild in the wrong genres.
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Here's a new picture of Woody Harrelson on the set of Oren Moverman's (The Messenger) upcoming film Rampart, which examines corruption in the LAPD during the 90s. Ironically, the outspoken environmental activist and marijuana enthusiast actually looks pretty great as a cop. Check out the picture after the jump and help us figure out what offense made Harrelson pull over and step out of his car.
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Also in this morning's edition of The Broadsheet: Bill Maher breaks his silence on Zach Galifianakis and Weedgate... Snow White 3D gets a director... Keith Olbermann suspends one of his signature bits... and more ahead.
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