If celebrity deaths come in threes, then what the hell is going on this week? Actor Tony Curtis passed away last night in his Las Vegas home after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 85. Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz) was a Hollywood icon whose career peaked in the late 50s and early 60s with performances in Sweet Smell of Success, Some Like It Hot, Spartacus and his Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones. He was married 6 times and leaves behind 6 children, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis. [NYT]
This is great. Personally, I think Tom Cruise looks much funnier in the photos from the new Mission Impossible set with a mustache and Russian guard uniform than he did with a bald wig and gut in Tropic Thunder. Hopefully this scene takes up a good chunk of the movie. The photo is after the jump -- Suggest either captions or a new alternate title now that we've got some context.
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James Franco has bought the rights to Stephen Elliott's title-says-it-all memoir The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism and Murder with plans to adapt, direct, produce, and possibly star. So, will he do all of this while going to school, starring in a soap opera, acting in other movies and maybe learning two foreign languages? How much Adderall will he take to pull it all off? Regardless, critics loved the book. If you've read it, chime in with your thoughts. [Variety]
· In the promos for Bryan Cranston's SNL hosting gig this weekend, the Breaking Bad Emmy winner comes clean about how he doesn't buy or sell meth in real life. Disappointing. Bill Hader also asks him about the Matt LeBlanc movie that never was, Cranston Checks In. [Zap2It]
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Having not been invited to check Secretariat out, I can only take its Oscar allies at their word that the film is a high point in the horse-racing genre and as viable an awards-season contender as any this year. That doesn't mean its makers are above pandering condescension.
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Even more sad news to report: Last Comic Standing judge and comedian Greg Giraldo died today, five days after an accidental drug overdose on prescription pills put him in the hospital. His family is planning a memorial service in his honor. [TMZ]
Starting in 2012, Lucasfilm will be releasing one Star Wars film per year in 3-D. And right on cue, there's already an outcry over the fact that the first film will be The Phantom Menace. Oh, boo hoo. Look, I'm not a fan of the prequels, but those three films were absolutely made for 3-D -- so why not embrace the conversion? In anticipation, here are 12 scenes from the Star Wars saga that, if I didn't know better, were tailor-made to witness with a third dimension.
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· Apologies for that headline, but really: What else to say about the Team Coco-approved new logo for Conan O'Brien's late night show, Conan? Click ahead to see the full-sized image and strap in for more Buzz Break.
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Armond White is nothing if not predictable. His negative review of The Social Network arrived today, complete with thoughts on how David Fincher's film compares negatively to the C. Thomas Howell classic, Soul Man, and shots at Noah Baumbach. "As played by pale-skinned, curly-headed Jesse Eisenberg," White writes, "Zuckerberg may be the most obnoxious movie protagonist Noah Baumbach didn't write." Well, at least he liked it better than Greenberg? [NY Press]
More sad news to report from Hollywood: Acclaimed stage, television and film director Arthur Penn passed away last night. No cause of death was immediately announced. Penn, who will be most remembered for directing Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, just turned 88 on Monday. [NYT]
More over, Joel Schumacher! With a $413 per screen average last weekend, The Virginity Hit was an even bigger bomb than Schumacher's Twelve was earlier this summer. To wit: The low budget sex comedy was seen by an average of 4 people per showing; there are probably more people in your immediate scope of vision right now! You know the drill, Movieline readers: If you were one of lucky few who saw The Virginity Hit in a theater, let us know what it was like. [LAT/24 Frames]
Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Paul Haggis contemplates Russell Crowe's Equalizer... Brett Ratner goes Communist... Sharktopus is a semi-hit... and more...
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The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) found that True Blood was the most inclusive show for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters. Their "Where We Are on TV" study went on to say that the overall number of LGBT characters on broadcast networks is also steadily rising. So True Blood fans: After so watching much sex and violence, you can at least pat yourself for being tolerant and politically correct. The flip side? True Blood simultaneously contributes to the over-representation of vampires, which by my calculations are featured in television and film more prominently than any other minority group. [Deadline]
George Lucas has announced plans to spend the next six years personally supervising the stereoscopic 3-D conversion of the entire Star Wars series. The first entry will hit theaters in 2012, with a new entry coming out each consecutive year. But even if you're pumped to give Lucas more money, this sounds like a bad news/good news scenario. Check out the details after the jump.
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· It was only a matter of time. Ben Stiller's esteemed showbiz parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara are starring in a new web series called Stiller & Meara where the two discuss topics like Facebook, Jersey Shore, or whatever comes to mind. Mark Zuckerberg's humbling may begin here. [Yahoo]
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