· Alexander Skarsgard appears (Shrek-less, alas) on the cover of the new issue of VMan.
· The Taylor Lautner vehicle Stretch Armstrong now has Nicholas Stoller on board to rewrite Stretch Armstrong and Rob Letterman set to direct.
· Might there be a copyright-invoking end to all those Downfall parodies? Hitler's not gonna like this!
· After Leonard Nimoy wraps up his Fringe arc, he promises to retire from acting. Yet Jim Belushi continues.
· Kurt Russell, Adrian Brody, and Sharon Stone have attached themselves to Rupert Wainwright's Waco. I assume Stone will be playing David Koresh.
After a resurgent season that brought us the long-awaited Seinfeld reunion, HBO and Larry David have decided to move ahead with an eighth go-around of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Says David: "After much soul searching -- and by the way, it was nowhere to be found -- I have decided to do another season of Curb. I look forward to the end of shooting, when I can once again resume the hunt for my elusive soul. I know it's here somewhere or perhaps in the rugged mountainous regions of Pakistan." In other television news, NBC renewed Parenthood for a second season, though they didn't make an Osama Bin Laden joke while doing so. [HitFix, Variety]
The move to Washington, D.C., was supposed to the beginning of Kal Penn's new idealistic career in politics. Early this morning it turned nightmarish as the Harold and Kumar series star was reportedly robbed at gunpoint while walking in the city. The assailant took Penn's wallet and other personal property; he wasn't otherwise harmed. Naturally the only response to this in the moment, "What would Neil Patrick Harris do?", but too little too late. [TMZ]
As a bourbon and tobacco guy myself, I harbor some envy for an entire marijuana-smoking subculture that has a full day dedicated to honoring its favorite pastime. For that sector's moviegoers, 4/20 (based on the shorthand derived from the time of day legendarily associated with ganja intake) this year boasts a few events around the country that might put your quasi-holiday over the top:
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Boy, is now just the best time to be an actor in your twenties? So many roles! The latest one up for grabs was the male lead of the Amanda Seyfried thriller Girl with the Red Riding Hood, and it's gone to Skateland star Shiloh Fernandez. The 25-year-old was once thisclose to being cast in Robert Pattinson's role in Twilight, so it's nice for director Catherine Hardwicke to give him another shot. Also, he has a tattoo on his ass. So, there's that. [THR]
Superbad and Adventureland director Greg Mottola got the call from Paramount to adapt Important Artifacts, a romcom-to-be based on the novel Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry. Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman are attached to star as a photographer and food columnist who have a brief affair resulting in the titular collection. Clever, etc. [THR]
Happy April 20, dear reader! Time to join Movieline on another breezy expedition through the historical arcana and milestones that helped shaped the pop culture you know and love today. And warm up your singing voices, because there are plenty of birthday boys and girls to serenade. Read on for the happenings you need to know.
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Jay Leno may have successfully avoided commenting on Conan O'Brien's new TBS venture last week, but the reigning Tonight Show champion was no match for an Access Hollywood reporter staking out the TV Land Awards red carpet this weekend. There to present an award to Bosom Buddies (for a reason unbeknownst to us, and probably everyone in attendance that night), Leno finally spoke out about Conan's move to cable... and it was everything you thought it would be.
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· From Traffic to Che to even The Wolfman, Benicio Del Toro has clearly had enough of the meaty, dynamic roles that have defined his last decade of work. Time to have some fun! Enter Cameron Diaz and An Ex to Grind, a romcom based on the 2005 book of the same name about a married couple whose sudden power shifts in their relationship result in a laff-riot divorce battle. I feel like there must be a drinking game where you'd be crawling on all fours before this cast pairing ever naturally crossed your lips -- or if there isn't, then there should be. In any case, Hollywood always wins. [Deadline]
Another, more iconic book lands on the development track, Todd Phillips sets up a Web site to make you famous, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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· Don't let the "jokes" in this video fool you; Kelsey Grammer is plenty serious about The Right Network, a new conservative channel devoted to promoting "all that is Right in the world." Here, he lists a whole bunch of bad, not-so-Tea-Party-friendly things to give you the impression he understands the nation's woes. In case you're placing bets, he doesn't bring up Hank. [Gawker]
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It finally happened: after weeks of teasing, Movieline's big ol' iPad giveaway handed out four copies of Apple's shiny, brand-spanking new device (no, not that one). As for that fifth free iPad...that's where we have an unexpected, suspenseful twist.
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Kiefer Sutherland was sitting outside of a London strip club last Thursday morning at 4 A.M.: drunk, sore from being manhandled by bouncers, and exhausted from robot-dancing the night away. In a scenario straight out of a Bizarro World 24, the actor had only a few hours to sober up before promoting his Sundance bomb Twelve on one of Britain's most popular talk shows. How did the real-life Jack Bauer fare?
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Get ready for the Approval Matrix, a new television series from Bravo that literally rips a page from New York Magazine. The in-development show will feature four rotating pundits who categorize that week's pop culture news into the four quadrants employed by the magazine: Highbrow Brilliant, Highbrow Despicable, Lowbrow Brilliant and Lowbrow Despicable. Bravo (which, by the way, fits somewhere between the Lowbrow Brilliant and Lowbrow Despicable on the grid) says that "celebrity guests" (translation: Bethenny Frankel) will visit the show to offer their own opinions on news. Best Week Ever, anyone? [The Wrap]
How do you say "international clusterf*ck" in Icelandic? That's easy: Eyjafjallajokull. This language lesson is brought to you by the country's volcano of the same name, whose ongoing eruption has frozen air travel into, out of and around much of Europe. And today, by extension, the movie business is experiencing a bit of a pinch.
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James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli had a lot of goodwill and momentum coming out of the 2006 franchise reboot Casino Royale; since then, however, there's been nothing but trouble. Roger Michell was originally in negotiations to direct Quantum of Solace, then dropped out (Marc Forster eventually replaced him), while writer Paul Haggis rushed to finish his script before the WGA strike. The resulting film was coolly received. Now, the make-or-break follow-up has run into an even bigger obstacle.
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