· Summit Entertainment wants to be in the Naomi Watts business! Days after announcing it had acquired the rights to the star's Valerie Plame drama Fair Game, it landed a deal to distribute The Impossible, co-starring Ewan McGregor. Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, the film is based on a true story stemming from the deadly tsunami of 2004 and will begin production in August. I know, I know -- "But that's Impossible!" Save it for the crew T-shirt. [Deadline]
Josh Lucas has his most formidable co-star yet, John Singleton sticks with the kidnapping plots, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
more »
And Jon Cryer breathes a sigh of relief. Despite publicly declaring that he wants to leave Two and a Half Men, sources are "cautiously optimistic" that star Charlie Sheen and CBS are on the verge of agreeing on a two-year extension, which is the same length of time that the network is committed to Chuck Lorre's series. Sheen hopes to have this deal -- and a plea deal with the Aspen prosecutors -- completed by the CBS upfronts on May 19. [Deadline]
That's not a misprint: Despite being another five days away from release here in the states, Paramount opened Iron Man 2 in most foreign countries over the weekend and scored an estimated $100.2 million. For reference, that's a 26% increase from the original and is just one of the many signs that Iron Man 2 will probably break the $158.4 million opening weekend record held by The Dark Knight. Might be a good idea to pre-order those opening night tickets now. [LAT/Company Town]
Always remember: If you're in need of a quick buck, find some decades old horror franchise to resuscitate, make it more violent and -- if you can -- put it in 3D. A Nightmare on Elm Street hit two of those three benchmarks (here's hoping the sequel is in 3D!) and, not surprisingly, cruised to an easy victory at the box office in this calm before the Iron Man 2 storm. Pop an Ambien and grab a blanket, it's time for some weekend receipts.
more »
Take that Steve Martin! Alec Baldwin told reporters at last night's White House Correspondents' Dinner that he would be hosting the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 15th. Fittingly, that will mark the fifteenth time he's handled the duties, tying him with Steve Martin for the most in the show's history. And somewhere, Steven Seagal waits by the phone for Lorne Michaels' call. [TV Guide]
How's this for a sweeps week stunt? The recovery of Poison frontman Bret Michaels is progressing so well that doctors think there's a chance he could make an appearance on the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice, just in time for Donald Trump to fire him. Hey, brain aneurysm or not, the Donald doesn't tolerate missing work. [THR]
What does a guy do after the Broadway show he's starring in gets canceled because of his performance and then he's removed from a comedy pilot after the first table reading? Well, if he's Patton Oswalt, he scours the Internet to find out if disingenuous no-talents are stealing his stand-up material! Oswalt took to MySpace -- God love you, Patton, but really: MySpace? -- to out a pathetic joke stealer named Nick Madson, a Colorado comedian who did Oswalt's routine at a club in Iowa on Wednesday. Needless to say: Someone get Madson a helmet.
more »
Add Barack Obama to the list of people funnier than Jay Leno. While the president brought his B-minus game to the open mic night that is the White House Correspondents' Dinner -- never mind the massive oil spill in the Gulf that threatens the environment or the car bomb in Times Square that threatens national security, what's the deal with airplane food? -- Leno could barely muster a chuckle from the assembled political luminaries, wonky nerds and Hollywood stars. It got so bad, he was even forced to pull out the "this is a tough room" card, the mating call of every bombing hack comic. And oh, the multimedia jokes: All that was missing was "Monkey Picks the YouTube Clip." Thank goodness then for President Obama, who made the night more than tolerable. After the jump, the president's seven best moments. Try the veal!
more »
What do a kufi hat-wearing James Cromwell, Jeffrey Wells and thousands of Heineken bottles have in common? They were all present at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival Awards Wrap Party last night. And while the name of the event was a bit misleading -- the main Tribeca awards were announced Thursday -- there was one piece of hardware handed out: the Heineken sponsored audience award, which went to the rock documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Because if there's one thing everyone knows about New Yorkers, it's their fierce love of prog rock. After the jump, the top-ten audiences choices -- congrats to all the winners.
more »
The reports of Disney screening the first 65 minutes of Toy Story 3 at college campuses around the country has been circulating since March, so what better time than now for the New York Times to realize they exist. In an article yesterday, the Paper of Record reports on the screenings from the front line -- ie; college campuses where students are screaming "No!" when the projector cuts out right before the film's climax.
more »
Haven't gotten around to reading Star, Peter Biskind's biography of Warren Beatty? Better question: Hadn't even realized it exists? Well, you're not alone. The industry-anticipated book has bombed with regular readers since its release in a way that recalls Ishtar or Town and Country. So what happened? Look no further than the introduction.
more »
Sad news for fans of Botox'd freedom fighters. Sylvester Stallone told Empire magazine that he's no longer interested in furthering the story of John Rambo: "I think Rambo's pretty well done. I don't think there'll be any more. I'm about 99% sure." So you're saying there's a chance! Have no fear, however, Stallone said the lack of Rambo in his life will allow him to concentrate on more important things. Like a sequel to The Expendables. Please contain your excitement. [Empire via Coming Soon]
What a bad week for endlessly quotable, early aughts frat pack comedies. First Anchorman 2 gets shoved into a glass case of emotion, and now Ben Stiller says Zoolander 2 isn't happening. "Ron Burgundy and Derek Zoolander looking to appear in sequels. Both men destitute, without means or intellect to fund their own comebacks." Apparently in the eyes of Paramount, Hansel has gone from "so hot" to "so tepid." [@RedHourBen]
No, you aren't dreaming. That is the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street sitting atop the box office chart today with a ridiculous $15 million Friday night gross -- a horror genre record $1.6 million of which came from midnight screenings on Thursday. For reference, that's more than the rest of the top-ten grossed combined. However if you think Elm Street proves audiences will literally see anything with a suffocating marketing campaign, there's Furry Vengeance. The Brendan Fraser disaster opened with a Monkeybone-like $2 million on Friday to land in fifth. At least some people still have standards. The top-five ahead.
more »
