Actor and multimedia DIYer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to make his directorial debut opposite fellow newbie director Scarlett Johansson in an untitled comedy co-produced under his own hitRecord Films banner. The pic, shooting in April, also stars JGL as a Don Juan-type ladykiller seeking to reform his ways; the actor-director also wrote the script. So yes, it's time to face facts: That kid from Third Rock from the Sun is officially way, way more accomplished than you. [Deadline]
"We must treat these dog characters with the same respect we show human characters... no condescension, no looking down, no breaking character for the sake of a gag." And that, my friends, is part of the reason why Walt Disney's legacy on film has stood the test of time. After the jump, find deleted scenes and a nifty video culling notes from Disney's story meetings with collaborators on 1955's Lady and the Tramp.
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Lana Del Rey's 15 minutes may be nearing their end (she did just postpone her tour after tanking on SNL), but she's got one last charge towards relevance up her sleeve; just check out her new jam inspired by The Hunger Games called, simply, "Hunger Games." So Lana. So Katniss. "This District smells like rat piss/My name is Katniss/I play the Hunger Gaaaaames..."
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Chances are at least a few of your casual conversations about Bridesmaids have revolved around the scene in which Melissa McCarthy is forced to use a bridal shop sink as a toilet. The true beauty of that scene was Kristen Wiig’s Annie, sweat-drenched, trying to stay composed while she was berated over choosing a restaurant that caused some serious gastrointestinal horrors for the ladies. Not to suggest that McCarthy doesn’t deserve the praise; she’s a terrific actress (Sookie forever!).
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Anticipating total Valentine's Day box office domination by competitor The Vow -- the Rachel McAdams-has-amnesia-and-can't-remember-she's-married-to-Channing Tatum weepie -- Fox has shifted their McG-helmed spy love triangle action rom-com This Means War again back to Friday, Feb. 17 to avoid being slaughtered. The Reese Witherspoon/Chris Pine/Tom Hardy romp is still sneaking into theaters on Feb. 14 for a limited pre-opening run, but who are we kidding: Channing Tatum + tears + pining is the way to go, especially if there's no shot at Hardy and Pine running off together in each others' arms. [Deadline]
Sunday night, hacker group Anonymous worked its way into 78 email accounts belonging to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his ministry officers. Among the discoveries: Damning emails that suggest Assad was trained to manipulate facts in his ABC News interview last year with Barbara Walters, in which he denied that his government was targeting its own citizens in violent clashes that have rocked his country for nearly a year. And to think, it all might've been prevented if Assad and his tech guys had heeded the lessons of information security learned from Mel Brooks' Spaceballs...
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A gaggle of right-wing functionaries is furious with Clint Eastwood and Chrysler, with no less than Karl Rove calling out the actor-director-inspirational halftime huckster for a Super Bowl ad that Rove and others perceived as a thinly veiled reelection endorsement for President Obama. Wait, what?
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Maybe you can't quite ask Woody Harrelson anything, but at least he has a forthcoming contemporary in Russell Crowe. The Oscar-winner recently leveled with fans on Twitter, acknowledging his and Liam Neeson's interest in Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah while putting a swift, certain and severe end to speculation that he may participate in a RoboCop.
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Robert Rodriguez is firing up the Troublemaker machine once again for the sequel he promised from the closing credits roll on 2010's Machete, although this time around things sound decidedly less pointed and political for Danny Trejo's edged blade enthusiast. Machete Kills "finds Machete recruited by the U.S. Government for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man. Machete must battle his way through Mexico to take down a madman cartel leader and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet with a weapon in space. Machete takes on an army in an effort to dismantle a plan for global anarchy." Is it too early to lobby for Chris Walken, a bald guy with a cat, a dude with diamonds in his face (or heck, Lindsay Lohan's real boobs) to play said baddies? [Deadline]
As previewed earlier today for select audiences around the globe, here's Sony's brand spankin' new theatrical trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man. (Find my full detailed Spider-Man preview Q&A recap, including descriptions of the sizzle reel that has not yet been released, here.) Take a look and weigh in, Spidey fans -- is this the version of the Marvel superhero we both need and deserve?
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Here's a doozy to add to the annals of great PR stunts gone wrong: Last Friday, Woody Harrelson took to Reddit to promote his latest film, Oren Moverman's Rampart, in which he gives a pretty terrific and tough performance as a corrupt L.A. cop. Harrelson's been an open book to the world in the past, so why not sit him down for a session of "Ask Me Anything" with the users of the internet's arguably most powerful (and famously no bullshit-taking) community?
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Forget blowing a million or more on a Super Bowl ad; the day after upcoming tentpoles John Carter, Battleship, and G.I. Joe targeted football-watchers with pricey TV spots, Sony went after niche fans with an international simulcast screening of new footage and a 3-D preview of the new Amazing Spider-Man trailer set to hit tonight at midnight PT. Though it included some unfinished visual effects, the sizzle reel featuring 30-40 percent new footage (according to a rep for the studio) hinted at the scope and darkly humorous tone of the Marc Webb-directed reboot.
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Four lives, one fateful night -- tensions run high in this April's 96 Minutes, in which two college friends (Brittany Snow and Twilight's Christian Serratos) clash with a pair of Atlanta teens (Evan Ross and J. Michael Trautmann) after a carjacking gone wrong. Filmmaker Aimee Lagos makes her feature debut with 96 Minutes following her award-winning short Underground, again examining what happens when class and social lines collide; after the jump, Lagos takes us through 13 moments from the shooting of her film.
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In a world where Spike Lee has his own variety of Absolut and Will Ferrell devotedly shills for Old Milwaukee, it's important to point out when the intersection of celebrities and booze actually results in something encouraging. Take Charlize Theron, who was photographed Sunday carrying some of America's finest craft beer to a Super Bowl party. A whole case of it.
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It was cute a few weeks ago, but now it's just sort of embarrassing: "As a six-time undefeated middleweight world karate champion, I have a pretty good idea what makes a warrior. And there’s presently one particular presidential candidate in the political ring who wears those gloves better than the others. Even when he’s knocked down, he has astounding agility and rebound. It’s one thing to enter a ring with a single opponent, but what if you had to enter with three: one candidate with unlimited reservoirs of wealth and two titans of political swing to back him? That is exactly what former Speaker Newt Gingrich is facing right now." [WND]
