If you can't trust your late night talk show hosts, who can you trust? Hot on the heels on director Casey Affleck's admission that I'm Still Here isn't really a documentary of Joaquin Phoenix's descent into Amish-bearded madness, it's been revealed that David Letterman was in on the hoax as well.
Perhaps jail time and rehab really did change Lindsay Lohan. After coming up positive for drug use in her court-mandated drug test, I think we were all girded for the usual litany of excuses -- not my pants, not my drugs, I drink a lot of kombucha, I accuse my parents, and so on. But, mirable dictu, Lindsay's taken full responsibility. And that's not all!
British funnyman and noted Dame Helen Mirren bathmate Russell Brand was arrested yesterday at Los Angeles International Airport after roughing up a paparazzo all in the name of chivalry. Or something.
It just suddenly got so 2002 up in here as Ben Affleck ruled the Friday box office with his Beantown heist flick, The Town. Easy A had to settle for a Gentleman's B, Devil was stuck in a purgatorial third and poor Justin Long just really wants this year to be over already. Your Friday Box Office is here.
Movieline was in the grip of madness this week, split as we were between two countries and smashed by the speeding onset of the fall movie and TV seasons. It was insane -- but if you could just see the output it yielded, you'd know it was worth it. Oh, wait! You can, here in Movieline's Week in Review. Click through and reminisce, and be sure to stop by this weekend for more of the smooth cultural stylings of Dixon Gaines. Have a good one!
· A clip has surfaced that features the acting debut of rapper du jour Nicki Minaj (the one with the "Your Love" song that samples Annie Lennox) in an independent film called Stuck on Broke. My verdict? She's a better musician than actor, but I'm thrilled to see her wearing anything but that atrocious purple droid suit from the VMAs. [Worldstar Hip Hop]
It's been a ball, but my time at Movieline has come to an end. I've been hired as the new Movie Editor for New York Magazine's sterling entertainment blog, Vulture, and while I'm excited to move on, there's plenty I'm going to miss.
· The Big Bang Theory is extending its production hiatus following the leg injury Kaley Cuoco suffered while riding a horse. She's still expected to make a full recovery. Also in Buzz Break today, Oprah goes book clubbing, Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband rears his un-famous head, and America's Got Talent's champion touches us all.
Maybe those 333% raises were warranted? Just last night, CBS warmed up The Big Bang Theory's new Thursday night home by airing a two-hour marathon that crushed its new competition. The Chuck Lorre sitcom boasted nearly twice as many viewers as the season premiere of The Apprentice on NBC and over twice as many viewers as new episodes of The Vampire Diaries and Nikita on the CW. [Deadline]
"In many ways you could say that [Joaquin] Phoenix and [Casey] Affleck are some of the most important artists of their age because they have shown us just how difficult it is to pull something off, especially if you have no talent for the type of creation you are attempting in the first place. They deserve to be recognized as such." Oh, Jesus. The implications of this logic for Uwe Boll are going to be huge. [The Awl]
As if there weren't enough hype, buzz and breathless anticipation surrounding the release of David Fincher's The Social Network, here comes your first listen of the film's musical score, from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The Nine Inch Nails frontman has released a five-song sampler of the 19-track album to his website and it's...pretty awesome. Think Radiohead circa-"Kid A" mixed with The Dust Brothers and you'll have a pretty solid idea of what to expect. After the jump, take a listen to the first track, "Pieces Form the Whole."
Congratulations to the 21 hardcore Lost fans who risked blood clots and other serious health and boredom-related complications to sit through all 121 episodes at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square this week. And to the 80 or so fans who dropped out over the four-day marathon event -- in spite of paramedics on hand -- better luck next time. The Sun reported last month that the first 280 fans would be allowed to participate in the London event. BBC News notes that only a hundred or so Londoners actually showed up to attempt setting the world record -- for longest continuous cinema sitting. [BBC]
Here's your first look at candid director John Cameron Mitchell's olive branch to the mainstream, Rabbit Hole, which stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a couple dealing with the accidental death of their 4-year-old son. The clips definitely give us a sense of Kidman's performance, which is already being touted as Oscar-worthy. Judge for yourself after the jump.
Also in this morning's Hollywood Ink: A Mad Men star will appear in Superman... Pinocchio gets a totally necessary live-action reboot... fire can't stop The Darkest Hour... and more ahead.
Don't look now, but there are 33 titles experiencing a new release today in either New York or Los Angeles. Some among them are opening wide, others have a slightly more limited roll-out to other cities, and some are merely stopping over on their ways to DVD. Ready or not, we've hit the fall movie season. Read on for Movieline's weekly box-office and new-release roundup.
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