In an age of Battleship movies and Carmen Sandiego features, it's no surprise that another kid-friendly nostalgia icon, the bespectacled title traveler of Where's Waldo, is purportedly getting his own movie. MGM bought the rights to Waldo, and that could mean a feature adaptation of the smiley boulevardier's exploits is in our near future. I don't know how a man in a striped shirt who gets lost in crowds can sustain an audience's attention for a full movie, but here are five possible storylines I'd tolerate.
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Ridiculously, obscenely short four-hour jail sentences notwithstanding, Lindsay Lohan's legal woes have cost more than just her professional respectability and reputation; one expert guesstimates that the actress's 20+ court appearances have wasted "millions" for the people of California. "It has likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars," attorney Vikki Ziegler told Fox News. "It costs tens of thousands of dollars per court appearance for all the clerks, the security, and those court reporters who get paid by the page," adds former federal prosecutor Michael Wildes. "Plus it diverts the administration of justice for other matters." Truth. Besides, how can anyone get on processing Kim Kardashian's divorce when LiLo keeps hogging the spotlight? [FoxNews]
Word from the American Film Market has Jessica Chastain attached to star as Princess Diana in Caught in Flight, a developing project about the late royal's "secret affair" with heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan, "who was said to be the love of her life." And according to those who've seen the script, the beloved Princess of Wales is not depicted so flatteringly. Incoming Daily Mail artillery in 5... 4... 3...
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Awww, money-loaded celebrity caper Tower Heist didn't pull off the swindle of the century this weekend. Shame. Let's make ourselves feel better by mocking Tower Heist with some lords of Twitter, shall we? Join us as rank the best five tweets about Tower Heist, Harold and Kumar, and returning champion Puss in Boots.
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As noted here last week, James Bond has officially joined the Twitter era with the @007 handle. Which is to say: James Bond marketing has officially joined the Twitter era, with the first picture from the first day of filming -- the actual first take, ZOMGGG -- published this morning. And it's kind of filthy.
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Happy Monday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: A major Hollywood player isn't as major as it thought... Matt Dillon and Julia Stiles find Pleasure with Mike Figgis and Neil LaBute... Miley Cyrus heads off to Transylvania... A few scat-ttered thoughts (ahem)... and more.
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Listen closely and you can hear the womp wooommp coming out of Universal HQ from miles away -- that's the refrain of the day as Tower Heist underperformed its way into second place behind the incredibly resilient Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots. Faring as well as could be reasonably expected in both films' shadows, find the latest Harold & Kumar installment. Your Weekend Receipts are here.
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One can only imagine what scorchingly candid observations Universal boss Ron Meyer will soon make about his studio's Tower Heist, which is currently more than 30 percent off the pace originally projected for its opening-weekend grosses. America wasn't racing to the latest Harold & Kumar film either, choosing instead a family-friendlier 3-D confection that may yet emerge at the top of the box-office charts. Your Friday Box Office is here.
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It was a week for real talk 'round these parts at Movieline HQ, with everything from Halloween to Lindsay Lohan's latest legal woes bringing everyone to terms with the truth. Like the fact that no matter how many Halloweens you live through, you'll never match Heidi Klum's level of kookiness. Then the awful truth about the monster flop The Wolfman broke, and America's favorite sparkly vampire dropped some cineaste science all over the Twilight crowd. What's going on around here?
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At the press conference for J. Edgar, which premiered last night at AFI Fest to mixed, often hilarious reviews, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts joined director Clint Eastwood, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and producer Brian Grazer fielded questions about the very issues that make the biopic seem difficult to make: the ambiguity surrounding both Hoover and his confidants' personal lives. Movieline culled the best five quotes from the panel, one of which involves 81-year-old Eastwood's on-set brawling.
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In this weekend's Tower Heist, Eddie Murphy stars as as a benevolent crook who helps a few Ponzi scheme victims attempt to recover their money. So how did a Brooklyn-area stand-up transform himself into an '80s comedic superstar, an unexpected dramatic talent and this February, an Academy Award host?
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I was traveling all day as Movieline's report from the Savannah Film Festival picked up steam around the blogosphere, but early on it was clear that two polar-opposite reactions were building in response to Universal Studios chief Ron Meyer's comments about his studio's well-publicized (at least, outside of the studio) recent flops. Either you love his blazing moment of candor -- because we've all thought the same about most, if not all, of the woeful Universal films mentioned -- or you despise what he stands for. But Meyer is a businessman, the President and COO of one of the largest movie studios and theme park conglomerates in the business. Should more filmmakers and studio heads follow suit?
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Thanks to all who entered Movieline's Caption This contest for the chance to attend the L.A. premiere of Tarsem's Immortals -- after the jump, see which entries won over Movieline's editors with their snappy stylings. And remember, each winner gets a pair of tickets to the premiere, so it's not too late to lobby them to bring you as their plus-one. Just sayin'. Read your winning captions after the jump.
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The first image of Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt has emerged from the behind the scenes of Hyde Park on Hudson, director Roger Michell's tale of the great president's royal visitors (and concurrent extramarital dalliance) in 1939. ""I wouldn't have done it without him," said Michell of the long "dance" to get Murray. "But after a year of waiting, I received a wonderful text that said, 'Yes, I'll do it.'" And here you have it. Chime in with your thoughts after a browse through the rest of today's Buzz Break.
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J. Edgar is undoubtedly one of the flashiest Oscar contenders this year. With Clint Eastwood's direction, Dustin Lance Black's script, and the well-pancaked melodrama of Leonardo DiCaprio, Judi Dench and Armie Hammer, we're dealing with a formidable award-attractant group. But was the film's quality worthy of opening AFI Fest this year? Movieline saw J. Edgar last night -- along with a bunch of other critics, bloggers and assorted plebes -- and we're not quite sure. Here are the first 140-character reactions to the movie. (We threw in some comedian takes for the hell of it.)
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