O for those innocent times when a few eerie parallels between Delgo and Avatar represented the extent of James Cameron's alleged creative thievery. If only we could go back to that pure era before the King of the World had pilfered from a short story or Ferngully or Dance With Wolves or A Man Called Horse himself or, this time around, some Russian sci-fi hardliners calling for a restoration of Cold War hostilities.
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· Why is Oprah interviewing Adam Lambert? I don't remember him being a part of It's Complicated.
· Screenwriter Kerry Williamson is going to adapt the Kay Scarpetta book series for Angelina Jolie. Assertive, lesbian-adjacent crime solving? Whoever would think of Angelina Jolie for such a film!
· Elton John is not going to join American Idol. Yet. He and Ellen would be quite the gay coup, though.
· Rue McClanahan is in a nursing facility, recovering from a November stroke. Get well soon, Rue.
· Bryan Cranston is joining the packed cast of John Carter of Mars. You're in it too! Congratulations!
Thanks to sometimes-Movieline-contributor Dan Kois for compiling a list of all your favorite film critics' most hated films of the year over at Vulture. The usual suspects -- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, All About Steve, Old Dogs, The Lovely Bones, and The Ugly Truth are well-represented. Then there are the backlash bunch: Precious, Up in the Air, Avatar and even Crazy Heart make appearances. There's the twee-hateful -- Away We Go and Paper Heart -- popping up like a notebook doodle again and again, and our own Michelle Orange fingers The Hangover. (Loved it? Try watching it again, on video, without anyone around.) But you know what they say: One person's trash is another person's treasure! [Vulture]
All right everyone, it looks like Ghostbusters 3 is actually a go: a script's been written, the returning cast is tentatively confirmed, Ivan Reitman will be directing, and Sigourney Weaver is ready to spill secrets. Enjoy this honeymoon period while it lasts, because Ghostbusters 3 is a project full of potential peril. Here are ten bits of advice that the filmmakers ought to take if they want to avoid a final product that crashes under the weight of its own rebooted nostalgia:
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Bill "The Sports Guy" Simmons, an ESPN columnist and former Jimmy Kimmel Live! writer, tweeted this a little over an hour ago to his million subscribers: "FYI: Next week is Conan's final week hosting the Tonight Show. His staff is trying to book big guests so he goes out with a bang. It's true." Simmons is best friends with Kimmel and pretty plugged in to the late night circuit, so we'd categorize that information as relatively solid.
Meanwhile, Nikki Finke has just learned over the Ari Emanuel red phone that Jeff Zucker, the upwards-failing, fire-breathing child king of NBC Universal, has all but declared war on the deposed late show host:
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Buzzy shows like Party Down and Spartacus are helping Starz come into its own as a pay-cable destination, but the network's TV adaptation of Crash may be about to get the ax. The second-season show never really caught fire, and with star Dennis Hopper ailing, THR reports that Starz might simply call it a day. Somewhere, Ennis del Mar is excitedly passing this news on to Jack Twist's shirt. [THR]
Shooting for Nispel the Rebootian's remake of Conan is set to begin March 15 in Bulgaria, reports Deadline. Only problem: They still have no hulking, impenetrably accented barbarian to headline the show. They said the director had narrowed it down to Twilight cruise on-board entertainment Kellan Lutz and Stargate: Hunklantis star Jason Momoa for the title role, but producers Millennium and Lionsgate are reportedly holding out for a "better established" name. If they're going after who we think they are, he is newly available, and has proven surprisingly ferocious in his recent battles with supreme foe, Leno the Toot-Hornian. [Deadline]
Just when we thought we were zeroing in on Roman Polanski D-Day, the L.A. County District Attorney's office has asked for a delay of that Jan. 22 hearing that could potentially result in Polanski's sentencing. The hold-up is related to jurisdictional issues too convoluted to delineate here; let it suffice to say that Team Polanski objected and accused the D.A. of stalling yet again while its client rotted in luxurious chalet-arrest in Switzerland. Developing... [Variety]
Above, the poster for Mother, the upcoming murder mystery from Korean director Bong Joon-ho. Something of a departure for those of you whose only exposure to Joon-ho was with post-modern monster flick The Host, Mother tells the story of an older single mom (the accomplished Korean actress Kim Hye-ja) who supports herself and her simple-minded adult son by selling ginseng and performing unlicensed acupuncture. When her son is accused of murder and thrown into prison by a lazy police department, she undertakes her own investigation, stopping at nothing to clear his name. Many films claim Hitchcock as an influence, but the suspenseful, psychosexual Mother earns the reference, an enormously satisfying whodunit propelled by Kim's enthralling performance. Mother opens March 12.
Movieline has learned that Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Neil Jordan's twisty Irish fantasy Ondine, one of our bidding-war favorites from last year's Toronto International Film Festival and what appears to the final unreleased catalog cast-off from the defunct Paramount Vantage. Alas, it's not likely to be the version that premiered up North.
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· Daniel Craig is in talks to replace Robert Downey Jr. in Cowboys & Aliens, the Jon Favreau-directed graphic novel adaptation that lost Downey earlier this week. The British actor would play a horseman doing battle against an alien invasion of the Old West; DreamWorks and Universal hope the film will kick-start a new franchise with Craig in charge. And why not? You won't be seeing another 007 film for a while, and anyway, a guy's gotta get his action kicks in before Sam Mendes gets a hold of him. [Deadline]
Sony narrows down directors for Spider-Man, Paramount will make a sequel to anything, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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· And voila! The trailer for The Ghost Writer, the political thriller from Switzerland's most infamous chalet-detainee, who approved a final cut just a few weeks ago in time to open the Berlinale international film festival. And what to make from this brash, pulpy glimpse at Roman Polanski's latest? I've watched it twice now, and I still have no idea. It's almost as if it's been edited together by a cat. [RowThree]
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One of the most bracing elements of the upcoming comic book adaptation Kick-Ass is Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), a 12-year-old superheroine who indulges in some decidedly R-rated mischief like graphic villain-garroting and "c***"-laced bon mots. A recent clip of Hit Girl in action has begun to spark controversy, but at least Lionsgate can point to a long history of cinematic children engaging in inappropriate (and often sociopathic) behavior. Here are nine other kids who blazed a bloody trail for her:
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· An eclectic crew of entertainers including Emile Hirsch and Jessica Biel hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro's Uhuru Peak this week to raise awareness about the global water crisis.
· Conan O'Brien is at least going to go out with a bang, as he pulled in a 1.7 rating last night (to Letterman's 0.9).
· Heidi Montag has announced that she's addicted to enlarging her breasts, while Hugh Hefner has announced the departure of his blond twin girlfriends. I think I know a way to make both parties happy!
· Ivan Reitman has confirmed that he'll be directing Ghostbusters 3.
· Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina Ali isn't slumming it anymore, raking in a small fortune in book and movie deals. Not selling your children has an upside!
So far, Up in the Air has coasted through awards season with its timely tale of selfish human-resources mavens who gradually learn there are better things in life than traveling around the United States expediting mass layoffs. This perception could get a little out of hand, according to one of the industry's real-life veterans who has launched a new PR defensive against Hollywood.
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