· Real Housewife Kelly Bensimon posed for the cover of the next Playboy, and is probably the only woman not besmirched by John Mayer in the pages within.
· A human body was found on the property Christian Bale rented while making Terminator: Salvation. And it wasn't even Shane Hurlbut's!
· Jamie Bell, Dame Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins and Imogen Poots are joining Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre, already set to star Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska.
· Moviefone's list of the 25 worst romcoms ever is really just keeping a space warm for Valentine's Day, methinks.
· Amanda Bynes has a Benetton vagina that would make John Mayer proud. Someone's been internalizing her Hairspray role.
Thankfully, the news that Alec Baldwin had threatened and/or attempted suicide early this morning turned out to be little more than a "misunderstanding on one person's part," according to his spokesman. That "one person" appears to be his 14-year-old daughter Ireland, who called 911 after the actor and Academy Awards co-host was "unresponsive" following an argument between the two. And that "misunderstanding"? Oh, nothing... just Kim Basinger spreading a rumor that her ex-husband promised to swallow a bunch of pills. Allegedly.
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The appearance of Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo in a Vacation-themed Super Bowl commercial symbolized a feel-bad moment for most of those involved; from Chase's manic mugging as Clark Griswold to the mute D'Angelo to the resurrection of the Family Truckster to the viewers at home who actually got the cultural reference, there was plenty of despondency to go around. But we're learning today that salvation -- or quite possibly just another cynical, schematic Hollywood cash grab -- may be afoot.
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The world woke up to a devastating blow this morning with news that fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London apartment at age 40, from what police are saying was a suicide. The son of a cab driver, McQueen got his start on Saville Row, where it became quickly obvious he wasn't going to fit in. (One legend has him sewing an obscenity into the lining of a coat he was tailoring for Prince Charles.) He then began to forge his own path, flipping a finger to notions of good taste while injecting the international fashion scene with a potent dose of his signature style, consisting of equal parts whimsy, danger and flare. His fashion shows were legendary for their incorporation of technology, theatrics and controversy -- he once sent a double amputee down the runway in a pair of hand-carved legs and boots -- and before long his designs were popping up on the backs of Hollywood's more adventuresome leading ladies. What follows are some of those looks -- some triumphs, some legendary misses, but almost always something worth talking about.
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Neither Alicia Silverstone nor director Amy Heckerling have hit careers highs lately that could match their 1995 comedy Clueless, so fifteen years later (gasp!), the two are reteaming for Heckerling's new bloodsucking love story Vamps. Silverstone will star opposite Krysten Ritter in the tale of two modern-day female vampires whose romantic entanglements threaten their eternal youth. Perhaps this is the project that Heckerling and Silverstone had been discussing last year, which sparked talk of a Clueless sequel? As if. [Screen Daily]
· Eventually director Jim Sheridan will actually finish the thriller Dream House as opposed adding a cast member every month or so. But at least the casting is sort of entertaining, too, with Rachel Weisz now signing on as the wife of a man (Daniel Craig) thrust into action when he learns their new home once was the site of a triple homicide. Naomi Watts co-stars as a neighbor presumably nervous about the event's impact on her resale values, going to any lengths to preserve the secret next door. Or maybe she simply wants to borrow their weed eater. It could be anything. Shooting is underway. [THR]
Susan Sarandon follows a legend, an unlikely trio (including Pierce Brosnan) find God, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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· You know what needed a name? The spectator sport in which you sit back and watch John Mayer fart out Twitter apology after Twitter apology about his offensive, narcissistic Playboy interview. I say, old chap! Nice volley. [@johncmayer]
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The Jay Leno Show may have slipped off the air last night without an official farewell from its host or NBC, but it won't be buried without a few words by Movieline. After all, we've watched this $375 million disaster from the moment that Jay Leno pulled his orange Prius into the 10 PM time slot as he deflated his ratings, totaled his network's name and then jumped from the burning wreckage, saving himself, but not his trustworthy passenger, Coco. Sometimes brave decision makers end up looking dumb, and that is certainly the case for Jeff Zucker and associates. But let's focus on the positive with these nine moments that will forever live on in our memories, even after The Jay Leno Show has been disassembled and sold for parts.
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The following is a one-act play, taken from the transcript of a Good Morning America appearance by JENNIFER GARNER and JESSICA BIEL on February 20, 2010.
(The actress playing JESSICA BIEL should speak without affect. The actress playing JENNIFER GARNER should be easily excited and love to move! The actress playing ROBIN ROBERTS should be insane.)
This work will play the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011.
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Saturday Night Live vet Molly Shannon will join the cast of Glee as a "busty 45-year-old new astronomy teacher and badminton coach"/"Sue Sylvester rival" Brenda Castle. I'm bracing myself for trenchant barbs about where Brenda can shove a shuttlecock already. Now, what about the remaining two members of SNL's late '90s lady troika? Sue Sylvester could easily seek the advice of a life coach played by Cheri Oteri, of course, but inserting herself within the drama of Ana Gasteyer's last film, Dare, is tricky. [EW]
Tomorrow, America's he-sweetheart Taylor Lautner turns 18, and that can only mean one thing: That we can now share with you the best of the plentiful, Taylor-themed slash fic available on the web, free from the worry of arrest. So join us now as we examine some of the latest and greatest examples of the burgeoning genre, in easy-to-digest, Cliffs Notes form.
Title: Edward's Eyes
Summary: It's two weeks after the action of New Moon ends. Bella returns from Italy, and plans to meet Jacob at an ice cream parlor to break the news that she's gotten back together with Edward. However, she gets hit by a scooter crossing the street and dies. At her funeral, Edward approaches his former shapeshifter enemy and asks if there's anything he can do. Jacob wipes away his tears and says, "Maybe." Later that night, surrounded by over 80 candles of varying heights, the two make intermonsterspecies love.
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You're Rob Marshall, and Penelope Cruz just managed to snag you one of the few Oscar nominations allotted for awards also-ran Nine. How do you repay her? With a role as Jack Sparrow's "foil and equal" in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, of course. Character details and plot are scarce, but the movie is rumored to include the fountain of youth and a studio investigation into "whether it can be 3D to get in on some of that Avatar cash money." [Heat Vision]
When your salary is $1 per year, it can be hard to buy a break. Ask Jeffrey Katzenberg, the DreamWorks Animation boss hoping to rebound from last spring's relatively moribund Monsters Vs. Aliens property with next month's How to Train Your Dragon. Everything looked great, with his family film ready to go up against Clash of the Titans in a nice bit of counterprogramming. And then, as fate (and Hollywood) would have it, Warner Bros. yanked the rug -- and, more literally, a few thousand 3-D screens -- out from under him by making Titans 3-D. Katzenberg's fury is making the rounds today, but as the Prophet of the 3-D Revolution, shouldn't he have seen this coming? Moreover, didn't he just ask for this last fall?
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· Anyone think Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof is feeling a wee bit touchy after last night's episode?
· Ellen Degeneres's first stint in the American Idol judging seat resulted in a mild ratings gain.
· There is just too much happening in this John Mayer interview with Playboy for us to even begin parsing it.
· An I Love New York contestant has been convicted of murder. VH1 sure knows how to pick 'em!
Drive, a novel about a stunt/getaway driver snapped up by Universal as a possible action vehicle (honk) for Hugh Jackman, has changed hands. Off the project is Neil Marshall, director of The Descent, and taking his place is Bronson director Nicolas Winding Refn. That's according to Refn himself, who dropped the tidbit into a conversation with Empire. And who'd replace Jackman? "Hopefully...Ryan Gosling." Sounds good -- just someone's going to have to break the news to Channing Tatum that his dream stripper-biopic director is otherwise occupied. [Empire]
