· Crackle.com's web series Backwash stars the lovable Joshua Malina, Michael Ian Black and Michael Panes, but get a load of the supporting players: Sarah Silverman, Jon Hamm, Allison Janney, Fred Willard, Michael Vartan, Mary Lynn Rajskub, John Stamos, and David Wain. For those of you inclined to squee, go on now. [USA Today]
This is ridiculous and awesome and probably already budgeted around $700 million, but apparently someone's spreading the word that James Cameron and Angelina Jolie may team up for a new, 3-D version of Cleopatra. This one would be based on Stacy Schiff's biography Cleopatra: A Life, the rights to which are owned by Scott Rudin and which has been adapted by Brian Helgeland. The whole project about the Egyptian queen is set up at Sony, where chief Amy Pascal reportedly considers it her "Gone With the Wind epic." Meanwhile, one wag tweeted: "James 'Overbudget' Cameron making CLEOPATRA with the biggest modern female star? Deja my vu." Also: Yeah my right. [Deadline]
Phyllis Diller continues to reverberate through pop culture -- from the women in comedy who acknowledge her as a trailblazer to Jane Lynch's bit as a Diller-like comic on last week's Saturday Night Live -- so it's no surprise that Diller will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday night from the Bel-Air Film Festival. And Movieline will be there!
· Have you ever wondered what Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger would look like as hipsters? Me neither, but a deviantART user did! Click ahead to see the full-sized image (which really just looks like a Harry Potter painting) and stick around for more Buzz Break.
The news that Inception star Tom Hardy will be involved in Christopher Nolan's next Batman adventure should come as a surprise to exactly no one. Like many other directors, Nolan seems to love working with actors with whom he's worked in the past (see also Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Christian Bale). In the event that Nolan is running short on suggestions, Movieline is here to help. Ahead, the four other former Nolan performers who should wind up in the next Batman.
As she is no doubt quick to remind you, Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen is a singer. A singer, friends. Her band, The Pretty Reckless, is such an important part of her life that she even took a hiatus from Gossip Girl to tour with them this fall. (Fear not, Upper East Siders: Jenny Humphrey will return to the show in two weeks.) That's all well and good, but it doesn't really explain her appearance on the cover of this month's Revolver. Questions abound: Are guns sexy? Are girls holding guns sexy? Is nu-metal sexy? I'm inclined to say no, but your mileage many vary. Click ahead to see Momsen's "controversial" cover.
The directorial debut of Angelina Jolie probably won't be arriving in theaters anytime soon. Jolie's untitled film, set in war-torn Bosnia, has lost its filming permits because the government there doesn't want to upset a women's war victims group. Spoilers, kinda: Jolie's film is about a Muslim woman who is raped by a Serbian man and subsequently falls in love with him. Uh-huh. "Among thousands of testimonies by women raped during the war, there is not a single one that tells of a love story between a victim and her rapist," said Women Victims of War head Bakira Hasecic. "We will not allow anyone to falsify our pain." Bosnian officials said they will reconsider the permit when they see an updated script. [Digital Spy via The Playlist]
Weinstein Company president and resident ratings genius Harvey Weinstein issued a statement this morning announcing his intention to appeal Blue Valentine's recent NC-17 rating, the latest step in what appears to be a marathon of controversy that he's hoping will lead to a finish line on Oscar night. One thing's not clear, however.
Did you hear that huge collective sigh when the Lizard was named as the villain for the upcoming Spider-Man reboot? I know he's a pretty classic, canonical nemesis of Spider-Man, but do we really need another over-sized CGI reptile terrorizing people? After the jump, Movieline picks five villains that would have been more fun from the wide array of characters Spider-Man has battled over the years.
Also in this morning's edition of The Broadsheet: The porn industry HIV scare gets scarier... Neil Patrick Harris becomes a director... Guillermo del Toro gets an offer he probably can refuse... and more ahead!
The Academy has decided against a proposed move to hold the 2012 Oscar ceremony on an earlier date in late January or early February...for now. The awards will be handed out on February 27 next year, although the Board of Governors noted that this date may still move for future ceremonies. Apparently the idea of an earlier broadcast this year spooked them because ABC was not ready to promote the show and the Academy needed more time to figure out how online voting would work. So yes, the drawn-out speculating and campaigning you know and love is back for another year! [Hollywood Reporter]
This new promo for Conan probably cost more than five episodes of the show, and if it weren't for the ultra-slick camera moves, huge explosions and epic score, you'd swear it was actually another promo for Jackass 3-D. Short summary: Conan O'Brien drives a car filled with explosives, fireworks, and popcorn kernels off a cliff. There's also some fun involving Conan's stunt double. Watch for yourself after the jump and see if you can spot the point where the camera cuts before the stunt.
We knew Rhys Ifans would be playing the villain in Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot, and now news has broken that he'll play Dr. Curt Connors, better known as The Lizard. Condolences to Dylan Baker, who played Connors in two of Sam Raimi's films with no payoff. Also, it sounds like Venom will not be in the film as many originally speculated. Get ready for some epic sewer battles. [The Wrap]
· This montage of movies' best "last words" would be quite emotional -- if it weren't also filled with enough gore to stuff an average episode of The Walking Dead. Still: Aww, feeble Yoda. [NYMag]
Did anyone else find it strange that in last night's Sue Sylvester-free episode of Glee, Sam -- the rumored season two suitor of Kurt -- was making untoward advances on a girl? And that Puck was casually dismissed from New Directions rehearsal after hijacking his mom's Volvo and a convenience store ATM? Well, Movieline has the reasons behind both of Ryan Murphy's creative choices ahead.
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