The already messy Mel Gibson/Oksana Grigorieva case is turning into a full-on circus, complete with porn stars, threats of violence, and an alleged vehicular homicide attempt. While Gibson hasn't won any allies lately, new accusations again suggest that neither side's hands are clean. Violet Kowal, a Polish porn star rumored to have been involved with Gibson, and her bodyguard Nikko Riley have claimed that their lives were threatened after refusing to fabricate evidence on behalf of Grigorieva in her abuse case against Gibson.
more »
· Well, not really. Danny Devito stars in this Funny or Die video written and directed by -- do not adjust your screen resolution -- David Mamet. It's an "Inside the Actors Studio" parody, and by the end of it, you won't even remember your favorite curse word. [Funny or Die]
more »
Gasp! In what could only be described as predictable, Casey Affleck has admitted that the Joaquin Phoenix "documentary," I'm Still Here, is fake. The director spoke with the New York Times and confirmed that everything from Phoenix's appearance with David Letterman to the childhood home movies that are shown at the beginning of the film was planned, staged and carefully edited to create the most unsettling movie possible. Ahead Movieline dives into Affleck's confession and tries to parse out what he's really trying to say.
more »
Freddie Mercury just got a whole lot taller. Our sister site Deadline reports that Sacha Baron Cohen has been set to play the late Queen singer in a biopic that is currently being scripted by Peter Morgan (The Queen). The film is set to shoot next year, just in time for it to never, ever share a multiplex marquee with My Brother Borat. What do you think: perfect casting, or too on-the-nose? [Deadline]
This weekend sees the release of the gritty, critically acclaimed heist movie The Town, where Ben Affleck carries the action not only in front of the camera in the lead role, but also behind the camera as the film's director. Indeed, some of the greatest movies ever made were directed by actors who also appeared in their films -- consider that highwater mark set by Orson Welles with Citizen Kane -- but how have cinematic multitaskers like Affleck, George Clooney, Clint Eastwood and others fared over the past decade?
more »
He'd been threatening this for a while, but Erkin Rakishev has finally delivered: The Kazakh filmmaker is well underway on My Brother Borat, the unauthorized sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen's 2006 blockbuster (and source of much loathing in Kazakhstan) Borat. And now there's video proof to go around -- in addition to fighting words from Rakishev himself, who will defend his country's honor in court if he has to.
more »
· Freida Pinto gets her Top Chef on in a new photoshoot for GQ, and while Padma Lakshmi might give her a run for her money when it comes to unlikely kitchen attire, I think even she would draw the line at oiling herself up to this extent. (Imagine Tom Colicchio's disapproving stare). Click through for a closer look and more Buzz Break.
more »
Rejoice! Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project -- a documentary about exactly what it sounds like -- has found a theatrical taker in IFC Films. It's the distributor's third deal of the week after TIFF acquisitions Super and Cave of Forgotten Dreams. According to a press release just over the Movieline transom, director Barry Avrich's film is "a powerful, uncensored, no-holds-barred account that traces Weinstein's path from concert promoter on the cold streets of Buffalo to his first trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where he arrived with one pair of pants and closed his first movie deal, to winning an Oscar, and breaking the bank with his first $100 million film." Swoon. [IFC Films]
And you thought you were underpaid. Director Peter Hewitt has quit the indie production of Sweet Baby Jesus because he allegedly hasn't gotten any checks from producer Philippe Rebboah. Said Hewitt: "I kept giving Rebboah the benefit of the doubt but he never paid me." Once a new director is "hired," the film will star Pixie Lott as a '70s version of Mary, who comes to Bethlehem, Md. to have the possible Second Coming. Sharon Stone was in talks to play Mary's mother. Of course. [Deadline]
Also in this morning's Hollywood Ink: Kevin James climbs into the Octagon... Olivia Wilde makes a Change with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman... from Machete to Tarantula for Danny Trejo... and more ahead.
more »
The long-awaited reunion of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and a bunch of really fast cars is going to be even bigger than expected. Literally. IMAX corporation just announced that Universal will release the fifth installment to The Fast and the Furious series, Fast Five, in IMAX theaters across the nation. This one finds Walker and Diesel up against federal agents and a corrupt businessman in Rio de Janeiro. The only way to beat them? Racing. If IMAX theaters can just install some of those rumble seats that didn't quite save Terminator Salvation, we'll be in business. [Coming Soon]
After a relatively slow start, distributors at the Toronto Film Festival have started buying films like it's pre-recession Sundance. There's something for everyone in the latest batch of acquisitions: an offbeat coming of age story, an ultra-violent serial killer movie, a 3-D cave documentary and more! Read on to see who picked up what and when you can see it.
more »
· In a new Armani underwear ad, Megan Fox undresses (and then dresses) with abandon. What's her motivation? Desire? Deception? The stress of a pricing game with Diablo Cody and yours truly? Stanislavski scholars, help us out here. [YouTube]
more »
If your name is Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, or Jim Parsons... congratulations! Today, Warner Bros. TV awarded you exceptionally large bonuses for your work on the Big Bang Theory that will ensure you are each millionaires ten times over by the time the seventh season ends. And if your name is not Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, or Jim Parsons, these salary details will probably depress you. Consider yourself warned!
more »
Erstwhile Oscar co-host and current banjo player Steve Martin has taken the leap and signed up for a Twitter account. "It's new to me," he told the NY Times. "I just started yesterday, or the day before. At first I thought, oh, this will be an awful thing to do. And then I actually talked to Tom Hanks, and he said it's actually kind of fun. So I decided to try it. Now I lie awake at night, dreaming up Twitters. It's a little bit of a problem." Looks like he's gotten the hang of it so far. Follow away! [NYT/ArtsBeat]
