Comedy Central's Tosh.0 has not only been picked up for a second season; it's been picked up for the largest episode count in the network's history. The show, which features comedian Daniel Tosh's sardonic commentary on viral sensations, has been given an additional 25 episodes. Tosh has also signed on for his own stand-up special and the crushing need to escape to another continent sometime next year. [Variety]
Minutes ago, the first trailer for Iron Man 2 was released online. To be honest, we're not exactly sure what the hell is going on in it, apart from Mickey Rourke appearing to be hard at work at his scrapbooking station while mumbling something about a "femily of teeves end boochers." But one thing is for certain: When it comes to the most anticipated blockbusters of 2010, there's no touching the 'Man for grumpy, slack-faced grimaces. This trailer's grimace game is ridiculous! Click on to see what we mean!
Of the many crimes foisted upon humanity by the faceless filmmaking syndicate known as Hollywood, perhaps none are as loathsome as the subpar remake. A practice that hearkens back to the dawn of cinema (little known fact: the Lumière Bros.' 1898 Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat was actually a remake of the far superior train-arriving-at-a-station movie Tout Abord le Choo Choo! from twenty years prior), it seems that the 21st Century has brought something of a Golden Era for truly craptastic, reconfigured cinematic entertainments. After the jump, we run through 11 of the best worst Hollywood remakes, and invite you to add your own in the comments.
Roy Disney died today at age 79, and though his uncle Walt's contribution to film is well-known, Roy accomplished almost as much behind the scenes. Not only did he help revive Disney's fortunes by kickstarting a new animation era that began with The Little Mermaid, but he was a boardroom tour-de-force, unseating corporate regimes and clashing with executives like Michael Eisner, who he essentially forced out of the company in 2004. You were a tough son-of-a-gun, Roy. Rest in peace. [LAT]
· After making Love Happens and now Bounty Hunter (that's the new poster on the right, click for bigger), I'm more convinced than ever that Jennifer Aniston chooses projects based on one specific criteria: "Does this sound like it could be one of the fake movies from Funny People?"
· They finally caught the guy who uploaded Wolverine to the internet...they just don't know how the hell he had it in the first place.
· Mr. Skin has released his Top 10 Nude Scenes of 2009, and Eva Amurri's stripping skills (which she did not learn alongside her mother) topped the list.
· Sofia Coppola and Thomas Mars are expecting their second child.
· People are protesting Avatar's "heterosexual arrogance." I'm not entirely sure what that means, except that I'm pretty certain "heterosexual arrogance" is a footnote in the new James Cameron biography.
Quentin Tarantino likes to pay homage to other directorial greats, and according to THR, he's taking some real-life inspiration from Jean Renoir: "I intend to quit at 60," said the 46-year-old. "And I'm going to do exactly what he did. I'm going to write novels and cinema literature, stuff like that." You may mourn the loss of potential sequels to Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds, but I cry for Tarantino's future withdrawal from wacky talking dog commercials for Japanese TV. [THR]
Swiss authorities announced today that the country's Justice Ministry would make a decision regarding Roman Polanski's pending extradition some time early next year. The filmmaker, currently under house arrest at his Gstaad chalet, will continue to appeal against his return to the US. Meanwhile the percentage of a chance that Polanski might resolve this in time to make February's recently confirmed Berlinale premiere of The Ghost Writer remain fixed right around zero. [AP]
After 15 years and a few hundred million dollars of tinkering and experimentation, James Cameron is sick of hearing about what it cost to finally get his visionary Avatar in front of moviegoers. "I don't think it means jack sh*t," Cameron told THR, blowing off production estimates that now reach $300 million. "To be perfectly honest, I think the studio has generated the myth about its costs to help in the selling of the movie. I have seen this happen with Terminator and True Lies and Titanic, and it helps the film become a must-see film. By the way, doesn't that mean it's a bargain to see such an expensive film for the same amount it costs to see any other film? It's the deal of the century!" Sort of? Does this mean we can adjust for inflation and sneak into Paranormal Activity for free? [THR]
· As we rocket toward the end of the '00s, time is running out to determine the greatest casting rumors of the decade. Thankfully we have the producers of Down and Dirty, the long-planned adaptation of Peter Biskind's celebrated indie-film tome Down and Dirty Pictures, to wallop the competition with word that Vincent D'Onofrio is in talks to play the book's mad, evil genius Harvey Weinstein. Ever the Method actor, D'Onofrio will immediately commence touting his performance for Oscar consideration. [Screen Daily]
A Swedish blockbuster finds its own Type-A Hollywood savior; Chris Columbus sidesteps wizards for a change, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
The video for Leona Lewis' Avatar anthem "I See You" is gliding through the internet like an iridescent pterodactyl. Was this also 15 years in the making, because the inspiration behind Leona's lighting seems more akin to the an American Idol runner-up's Skittle-colored galaxy. The video, after the jump:
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Jersey Shore's Snooki is gaining ground as a recognizable one-name personality, mostly thanks to the left hook to the face she suffered in the coming attractions (even if MTV has promised to cut the moment from the series entirely). But the network's beehived "guidette" is quick to point out the silver lining in her shiner: "It definitely brought us closer together. It definitely brought us together as a family. We have each other's backs and it was a positive." See that, girls! [People]
The new poster for Christopher Nolan's Inception has been released and...hey, it looks a little familiar. The vast, wet cityscape. The figure with his back to us, palming a weapon. The kerning! Yes, the Inception poster may read "From the Director of The Dark Knight" at the bottom, but you'd hardly need a magnifying glass to know that at first glance. Did Leonardo DiCaprio ever tell you how he got those scars?
The full poster, after the jump:
· Why yes, that is Mad Men's Rich Sommer (dressed as a baby) standing with Weird Al Yankovic. And why wouldn't it be?
· Quentin Tarantino has begun listing his top movies of 2009, and sadly, there's not an Anything Else-level head scratcher among them.
· Calvin Klein wants to make musclebound Twilight actor Kellan Lutz its new, underwear-clad Mark Wahlberg.
· Here is your important IMDb comment thread of the day, concerning Mel Gibson's upcoming take on the British miniseries Edge of Darkness: "Will He Kiss His Daughter's Dildo in the Remake?"
· James Cameron almost died while making The Abyss, the new book The Futurist reveals. So take that, Ed Harris!
· Their words, not mine: Al Pacino has optioned Philip Roth's recent novel The Humbling for a film adaptation, also roping in Barry Levinson to possibly direct the story of "an aging and irrelevant stage actor who finds hope of renewal through a younger woman." In one of those moments of miraculous Hollywood serendipity, Anna Kendrick's excited agent and a wholly disgusted Manohla Dargis spat their morning coffee onto their desks after hearing the news. [NYT]
In the Heights and Creature from the Black Lagoon get their directors, Paramount milks its library, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
· The Courier Mail has a first look at Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, featuring Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian and Russell Crowe as Maximus. One more picture of Robin with his merry men, after the jump:
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