I guess having that locked-in release date of August 10, 2011 is just what Steven Spielberg needed to really commit to making War Horse his next film. The Playlist hears that he's gone ahead and cast Verge alum Eddie Redmayne in the story of a farmer's son who longs to be reunited with his favorite horse during the first World War. I'm guessing that Eddie isn't the horse (though it certainly might make things a little more interesting). [The Playlist]
Don't get your hopes up, Better off Ted fans, but there is a chance that ABC will air two previously unseen episodes of the canceled series. The network has scheduled Game Seven of the NBA Finals on June 17, but if the game is not necessary, ABC will fill the 8pm time slot with the Better Off Ted installments "It's My Party and I'll Lie If I Want To" and "Swag the Dog." The underappreciated series starring Jay Harrington was officially canceled last month. [HitFix]
The Year of the C-Word rolls on! Either that or 13-year-old Kayla Manson saw Kick-Ass one to many times. On Thursday's edition of The Today Show, young Kayla -- who, in plot reminiscent of Heathers, is accused as an accomplice after her boyfriend allegedly attempted to murder her best friend -- manage to drop not one, but two c-bombs on national television while she recalled the text messages sent back and forth between the victim and the accused boyfriend. Said Meredith Vieira to the completely unfazed teenager, "We just have to be careful with our language, but that's all right, sweetheart." And somewhere, the c-word continues his Joe Camel-like quest to corrupt the nation's youth. Your move, c**ksucker. The now-edited video -- skip ahead to 1:03 -- after the jump.
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Not the current pope, alas, who could actually use some conservative hagiographical spin right about now, but the previous pope -- John Paul II, whose efforts to combat totalitarianism through faith are chronicled in the Gingrich-produced documentary Nine Days That Changed the World. The former House Speaker and Georgia Republican has traveled with the film to the late pope's homeland of Poland, where he spoke Wednesday of the political change that Catholicism can effect under Communist regimes in Cuba and China. And, one can only presume, in America, where the film will make the university rounds this fall just in time to combat the Obama-flavored socialist scourge jockeying for public office. Hold it just a second, Newt -- I thought you were a Baptist?
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Dina Lohan has confirmed that her daughter is seriously contemplating joining the next season of Celebrity Apprentice because "Donald [Trump] is a friend of the family." According to the New York Post, Lindsay cannot commit until NBC agrees to shoot around her production schedule, which includes shooting the porn star biopic Inferno. Earlier this week, Linday's father Michael Lohan hinted that he was also being courted for the series. [NYP]
Maybe the Les Grossman movie isn't such a bad idea after all. With only three weeks to go until release, the box-office tracking on Tom Cruise's Knight and Day is apparently inline with what the tracking was for Killers prior to its release. Gulp. Were it to disappoint, the heavily hyped and budgeted summer tentpole would join -- oh, just about every other heavily hyped and budgeted summer tentpole in 2010. In fact, the only movie that might live up to its advanced buzz is Jonah Hex. The comic-book adaptation is also tracking poorly, which should come as a surprise to not one person on earth. When does Inception come out again? [Deadline]
If that Jason Bateman/Dustin Hoffman kiss-cam smooch left you wanting more, you're not alone. "Well, it was great for me," Bateman told Us. "He's got very soft lips." Alas, though he claims he wasn't the one who initiated the kiss -- "Oh, Dustin kissed me!" -- Bateman feels he's been left in the lurch. "[Hoffman] hasn't called me! He hasn't sent me anything!" [Us]
· To the extent that The A-Team has a script, it was reportedly patched together by a total of 11 screenwriters including Kevin Broadbin, Bruce Feirstein, Jayson Rothwell, Laurence M. Konner and Mark Rosenthal, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, [inhaaaale] Skip Woods, Joe Carnahan & Brian Bloom, and Mathew Carnahan. So don't think of it as any old bucket of shit cynically thrown on pop culture's wall -- this is a painstakingly crafted tapestry. A painstakingly crafted fecal tapestry, but still. Credit where credit is due. [Deadline]
Michael Sheen and Toni Collette find Jesus, Tim Burton and John August may (still) re-team, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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· Sen. John McCain reached out to his favorite Jersey Shore cast mate today on Twitter. I'll only be concerned if McCain starts wearing Filthy Couture garments to award shows. You can't be Snooki and J-WOWW's biggest fan, John. [People]
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Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables is supposed to be a tribute to the R-rated action flicks of the eighties, but according to Hollywood Elsewhere, Lionsgate is pressuring Stallone to revise the film for a PG-13. Dubbed-over curse words and fight scenes that cut away from brutal impalings? Now it's a tribute to the USA network versions of the R-rated action flicks of the eighties. [Hollywood Elsewhere]
I guess we have no choice in this matter. The Les Grossman film that Tom Cruise had been promising is a go, according to a statement released by Paramount today; Ben Stiller will produce, while Scott Pilgrim vs. the World writer Michael Bacall will adapt. I think this makes Tom Cruise our new Mike Myers. Upgrade or downgrade? [Coming Soon]
When Marc Webb was announced as the director shepherding the Spider-Man reboot, many fans hoped he would cast his 500 Days of Summer star Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role of Peter Parker. Alas, the 29-year-old is a little too old for Sony's high school hero, but according to our sister site Hollywood Life, Gordon-Levitt may get his chance to play a highly anticipated comic book character after all.
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The Paul Rudd/Steve Carell comedy Dinner for Schmucks has been pushed back from July 23 to July 30, where it'll go up against Zac Efron's Charlie St. Cloud. You may recall that the Vanessa Hudgens vehicle Beastly just moved out of that date so as not to pit the two lovebirds against each other. Why stop there? Efron should really get to work seducing Rudd in an effort to, uh, maximize his opening. (I'm sorry.) [Deadline]
· The shiny new poster for AMC's Rubicon has a touch of Don Draper styling. I already sense a fruitless side-plot with an obsessive schoolteacher.
· Conan O'Brien and Jack White are cooking up something special for a show tomorrow night. My bet's on a Carpenters medley.
· Jane Lynch is quite flattered when dudes approach her on the street and announce that they'd like to bang her. Just like you!
· Some movie producer put out a Craigslist ad seeking a hot young actor to walk around in a Speedo and serve drinks. Fear not, young thesp: Part of the compensation is "your own bedroom and a shared bath."
· Lauren Graham could nab her first Emmy nom this year. Lorelai Gilmore's vindication will be televised.
Though ABC's broadcast of the third NBA Finals game scored the night's highest ratings, Glee's season finale drew 10.9 million viewers, making it the highest-rated entertainment program of the evening. We all knew Vocal Adrenaline was going to trounce New Directions at regionals, right? It's season one! Where would this series go if they won everything too early? At any rate, it's already time for a spinoff series starring Jamie Lynn Spears called Drama where she vies to play Madam Ranevsky in the winter performance of The Cherry Orchard. [THR]
