After narrowly trailing How to Train Your Dragon is yesterday's weekend box-office estimates, actuals reveal that Kick-Ass did in fact beat the month-old family flick by a margin of $19.8 million to $19.6 million. Are you any less underwhelmed? I didn't think so. [The Wrap]
When Dede Allen passed away Saturday at age 86 following complications from a stroke, Hollywood lost one of its most influential craftspeople of the last 50 years. While cutting films for Sidney Lumet, Arthur Penn, Paul Newman and an eclectic handful of others from John Hughes to Nick Cassavetes, Allen brought an uncanny knack for perspective and time to her work; she could make an otherwise unremarkable close-up seem positively spring-loaded based on its proximity to the shots around it and the measured use of silence. Many of her most extraordinary efforts aren't available online (e.g. the psychotic church revival in Rachel, Rachel, the foot chase in Serpico), but a few quick clips -- some better known than others -- demonstrate the talent we lost.
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· Everyone's doing Vogue: first, Sue Sylvester, now, Meryl, Penelope, Kate, Naomi, Julianne and Gwyneth on the cover of Paris Vogue.
· Police were called when Alexander Skarsgaard got into a "fracas" (my favorite word!) with paparazzi at Coachella.
· "I think people think we've been sort of doing secret casting," says Peter Jackson of the semi-delayed The Hobbit, who confirms that the film isn't even greenlit yet.
· We basically knew that Aziz Ansari would host the MTV Movie Awards, but now it's confirmed.
· Rutger Hauer. Hobo with a Shotgun. Yes.
"You do it."
"No, you do it."
"I really think you should be the one covering it."
There is a game of Hot Potato that we've played at Movieline HQ over the past few months, and it has to do with a gross little movie called The Human Centipede.
How do you know you've made it as a comic actor? Your name is attached to the long, long-in-development remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Sacha Baron Cohen is the new comedian granted temporary custody of the project, which would find him playing a daydreamer with some very exciting fantasies. Here's another fantasy: that this movie will ever be made. [Pajiba]
As the cover girl for the new issue of Harper's Bazaar, Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up in yet another amazing interview full of juicy quotes, revelations and vaguely out-of-touch-with-humanity observations about life in general. Despite the troubling disclosure that the actress is no longer attached to play Nicole Kidman's wife in the transgender-trailblazer biopic The Danish Girl, there is plenty else here to get truly excited about -- all phrased in Paltrow's inimitable, "Did she actually just say that?" patois. No, really -- Movieline wants you to choose the real Paltrow snippets from the quotes after the jump. No prizes for high scorers, alas; this luxurious zen is all the reward you can really expect.
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It was no surprise that Fox's Glee won a GLAAD award this weekend for best comedy. After all, the breakout series prides itself on embracing sexual diversity, from Rachel Berry's two-father family to Kurt's unrequited crush on Finn. So when writer/co-creator Ryan Murphy, himself openly gay, took the stage on Saturday to accept the award at the Hyatt Regent Century Plaza Hotel, he delivered a moving acceptance speech about the value of inclusion before lobbing a few juicy season two spoilers into the audience.
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Happy April 19, 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 frankly, we're verging on national-holiday level momentousness here: James Franco is having a birthday.
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Patton Oswalt's loss is Nick Thune's gain this week on Beach Lane, the NBC comedy pilot which did some mysterious last minute cast shuffling last week after a table read. Comedian Thune, best known for his parts in Knocked Up and Unaccompanied Minors, will assume Oswalt's former role of an irresponsible millionaire heir given the job of running his struggling small-town newspaper. Matthew Broderick will co-star as a celebrity journalist enlisted to help. [Deadline]
· Harvey and Bob Weinstein didn't likely see Kick-Ass this weekend either -- they were locked in negotiations with Disney to reclaim the Miramax brand they launched 31 years ago. The discussions came during their five-day window of exclusivity, during which the brothers -- funded largely by backers Ron Burkle, Fortress Investment Group and Colbeck Capital Management -- are expected to close a deal for around $625 million. Chill the champagne! Just make sure it's the cheap stuff. [Variety]
A literary legend may land at the movies (in 3-D, of course), an L.A. scandal gets the screen treatment, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
Perhaps! At least if you believe Page Six. According to the New York Post gossip staple, George Lopez was not keen on moving his show from its 11 p.m. time slot to make room for Conan O'Brien, but "was told that if he wasn't supportive, his show would not be renewed." Worse, if Lopez Tonight were to get canceled, Conan's production company would get to develop a midnight program, so "it's in Conan's best interest for Lopez's show to fail." Naturally, TBS has denied this and rep for Lopez said it was all "fabricated," but you have to assume Jay Leno is laughing pretty hard right now. [Page Six]
File this under specious at best: A commenter over at /Film named "Stan" claims that he was in attendance for a secret industry screening of Terrence Malick's oft-delayed Tree of Life in Austin recently. Of the film, he says that it's "worth the wait." And while Life is "literally 97% done," it won't "make Cannes." So, basically, what everyone has known for the last month. Got it. [/Film]
For a second straight weekend, the box office tea leaves won't be fully read until Monday when final figures are released, but for now: Bow to Dragon! In its fourth week, the animated hit jumped from third place to first to capture the weekend crown, besting assumed winner, Kick-Ass. Those who still think the R-rated comic book movie isn't a major disappointment, should probably stop now. Strap on a codpiece, drop a few c-bombs and enjoy some weekend receipts.
Forget the Godfather of Soul! According to Forbes, the hardest working man in show business is -- drumroll please -- Seth Rogen! Huh? The financial magazine has come up with a list of the ten most industrious actors in Hollywood and Rogen tops the list by virtue of the fact that he appeared in 12 films released between January 2005 and December 2009 which grossed $20 million or more. There's a rub, of course: Forbes counts his voice work in Shrek the Third, Horton Hears a Who! and Kung-Fu Panda among the 12 -- and $20 million is a low bar -- but it's still rather impressive. Plus, here's guessing Sony feels a lot better about The Green Hornet after reading this. The top-ten after the jump.
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If it weren't for Twitter, how would celebrities tell the lowly public what their next move was. Following in the steps of Pam Grier, Lady Gaga has announced that she'll be appearing on American Idol during May sweeps: "See you on American Idol. MAY 5th, Little Monsters." Why May is in all-caps -- and why she calls her followers "Little Monsters" -- is unclear, but who cares! Here's hoping for a reenactment of "Telephone" with Ellen DeGeneres doing the Beyonce part. [@ladygaga]
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