Leonard Nimoy begins a long and prosperous life, though his singing career tribbles us still. Plus, tough guy James Caan comes out swinging, the Best Picture that almost wasn't, and the sci-fi cultists of Heaven's Gate reach for the stars.
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· Anderson Cooper may swim with Great Whites, but he'll probably want to shore up that life insurance policy for his four-part Scientology investigation. [Wrap]
· It's not entirely clear who to pity more in this lookalike situation. Probably Travolta. [Daily What]
· Lips Together, Teeth Apart canceled due to what Megan Mullally's doctor calls "acute mercurial poisoning." [Deadline]
· Wired's Joshua Bearman profiles master thief, Gerald Blanchard, who Jeff Wells thinks is a movie waiting to happen. [Wired]
· Anaheim wants your fanboy dollars. [/Film]
· Puppies eating ice cream. [Buzz Feed]
The "Holy Crap, They Want That Director For Breaking Dawn?" roundelay took another wild spin this afternoon as Stephen Daldry was reportedly added to the group of filmmakers short-listed for the climactic Twilight Saga entry. He joins a formidable crop of talent rumored in one way or another to close the franchise, including Sofia Coppola, Gus Van Sant and Bill Condon. What's to make of all of this? Well, that's where Movieline's Oddsmaking Dept. comes in.
Mere nanoseconds after their second-season premieres, Showtime's Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara have been renewed for third seasons. Nurse Jackie premiered to a 13% increased viewership over its series debut, while Tara's new numbers mirrored its impressive premiere. Can we expect crossover promotion in the next year? Nurse Jackie successfully sedates all of Tara's "alters" except Buck, who she fancies for a roll in the linens? Emmy nominations all around.
[Zap2It]
Apparently the groundbreaking concept of Flop Insurance hasn't quite caught on with the lobbying arm of Hollywood. The MPAA has officially asked regulators in Washington to prevent the opening of a futures exchange based on domestic box-office receipts, which it says would effectively legalize gambling on one of America's most volatile marketplaces. And frankly, studios have enough to contend with these days without having to worry about whether Harvey Weinstein covered the spread on The Company Men.
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John Singleton will officially join Catherine Hardwicke, Robert Rodriguez, Garry Marshall, Chris Weitz, David Slade and the handful of others in that elite Hollywood directors' club who've had the honor of saying, "OK, Taylor, let's do it again, but gimme a little more." He'll direct Taylor Lautner in the thriller Abduction, set to shoot this summer in Pittsburgh before production begins on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Better luck next time, Ericson Core. [Deadline]
· And here we have a teaser poster for the third season of True Blood. I don't see Alexander Skarsgard anywhere on this. Click for bigger.
· Fallen angel Katherine Heigl takes responsibility for her bad reputation in EW: "I allowed myself to be perceived [as ungrateful] because I was being whiny and I was griping and because I made these snarky comments...I'm just so disappointed in myself that I allowed it to slip. I let myself demean something that was actually very beautiful and very important."
· Tom Cruise and Reese Witherspoon might play a rodeo champ and a country queen in the upcoming Paper Wings. We'll let you guess who's doing what role.
· John Corbett is apologizing for his big Sex and the City 2 lie to us. Too little too late, John!
· Says James Franco in his new short fiction story: "I wish I was Mexican, or Hebrew, I mean Jewish, I mean Israeli, or Mexican Jewish, or Mexican Jewish gay, because it can be so boring being you sometimes, and if you were the most special thing like that, it could be really great." Indeed.
In its continuing effort to rebrand itself as an actual channel (as opposed to a televised programming schedule) the TV Guide Network has picked up broadcasting rights to Showtime's Weeds. Beginning in September, non-premium cable subscribers can watch a censored version of the series starring Mary-Louise Parker as a suburban pot-dealer. The network has also picked up right to air Curb Your Enthusiasm and Ugly Betty. [TV Guide]
Death-throe dementia can take on troubling forms, and nowhere is that more so the case than with mortally wounded trade publication Variety, who've responded to their dire diagnosis of ad-sales anemia and severe staff-hemorrhaging with a bizarre cocktail of paywalls and payola. But things appear to have taken a turn for the worse.
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After employing inscrutable episode titles throughout the show's run ("Ab Aeterno" is only the latest example), the producers of Lost have finally revealed the series finale's title in this week's Lost podcast. Are you ready for this? It's called "The End." OK...that's referencing on some ancient Sumerian god-myth or something, right? [TV Guide]
The 3D-cinema boom is, at this moment, as hot as any fad to ever hit Hollywood. It sounds like kind of an intellectual flatline -- perhaps even a bit of stating the obvious -- until you realize the implications, from bleeding-edger Jeff Katzenberg pouting about too much competition to Michael Bay being the lone voice of reason in a race to three-dimensionalize everything. But in all this media hyperspeed, expect viewers to witness the most dramatic consequences starting tomorrow -- before they even enter the multiplex.
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Recently filed court papers say the 73-year-old actor-director-artist Dennis Hopper is in irretrievably dire straits. He's destitute from divorce, too frail (barely 100 pounds!) from prostate cancer to undergo continued chemotherapy and unable to earn funds through acting roles. Hopper's film festival is on indefinite hiatus. Meanwhile, his estranged wife says he's profited well over the $45,000 he claims from having sold artwork in recent years; she reportedly refuses to settle for his $5,000-per-month alimony limit. Now he's accused her of stealing artwork. Sounds like someone needs some of Mo'Nique's sugar right about now. [PopEater]
An open letter in an Italian newspaper has ignited yet another round of interest in the curious case of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the legendary (and legendarily challenging) filmmaker who was found savagely beaten and murdered in 1975. A male prostitute confessed and did the time three decades ago, but suspicions have lingered, and today folks are wondering anew: Did he really do the crime?
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· Perhaps someday, when we reconsider the most important paycheck roles of all time, Angela Bassett will make an appearance. The actress can only hope so, as she's going to be a regular in the Green Lantern franchise for a while to come in the role of government agent and Lantern regular Dr. Amanda Waller. The report goes on to note that Bassett is also still developing her directorial debut United States, so there's the "one for them" half of a certain old Hollywood saw to consider as well. Shooting is underway in New Orleans. [Variety]
Matt Bomer gets Anna Faris's Number, an odd contender emerges to direct Mission Impossible IV, and mor Hollywood Ink after the jump.
Sarah Jessica Parker's born to greatness! Let's revisit her breakthrough. Plus, the roll-out of the color TV you neither needed nor could afford, Sylvester Stallone's crowning awards glory and the birth of Wiki!
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