Take this with the comically large grain of salt it most certainly deserves, but: Chicago Sun-Times celebrity journalist Bill Zwecker reports that Oprah Winfrey is at the top of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences list to host the 84th annual Academy Awards in 2012. Winfrey's hosting duties could possibly come with an OWN-only behind-the-scenes component, in an effort help the ratings-deficient cable network. If this comes true, hopefully Olympia Dukakis winds up in the front row. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Nearly three weeks after Natalie Portman gave birth to a baby boy, People has confirmed that the Oscar winner and her fiancé Benjamin Millepied have named their son Aleph, which is also the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Portman and Millepied met on the set of Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan in early 2009. Congratulations to the happy family. [People]
Wondering how Paul Thomas Anderson and David Schwimmer could be forever connected? Try Upton Sinclair. In a new interview with Empire Online, Schwimmer confirmed that he has "commissioned an adaptation of The Jungle," Sinclair's 1906 novel about immigration and the meat-packing industry. Fingers crossed this latest Sinclair film adaptation works as well as There Will Be Blood. [Empire]
Sports Illustrated looked back on 22 years of Major League by interviewing nearly everyone involved in the making of the sports classic with one notable exception: the incarcerated Wesley Snipes. Not that he would have wanted to contribute anyway. "A couple years after Major League I saw Wesley," recalled co-star Corbin Bernsen. "I said, "Hey, man, they're gonna make Major League II!" And he was like, 'You're gonna do that?' And I thought, 'Wow, how quickly they forget.' He'd become Wesley Snipes. That rubbed me the wrong way." [Sports Illustrated]
Spoiler alert and all, but still: truth. "And now the Chicago genocide began. We saw no less than 17 fleeing citizens disintegrated by attacking Decepticons into blood fog. Then, in a big set-piece action scene, 14 more people were disintegrated. At that point, the freaking Autobots finally decided to show up, and they freaking pulled off a Decepticon's limbs. Now, if this movie was rated R and actually awesome, they would have beaten the Decepticon to death with his own arms and legs. Stupid PG-13 rating." [EW]
Because Adam Sandler needed another swimming pool, he's agreed to voice Count Dracula in Hotel Transylvania. Sandler will be joined by Kevin James (Frankenstein), Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon (a couple of werewolves), David Spade (Quasimodo) and Cee-Lo Green (Murray the Mummy) in the animated 3-D comedy from Sony. [THR/Heat Vision]
It's hard to believe that Hollywood studios are reluctant to make comedies anymore -- after all, three have already been released this summer to big box office -- but that's apparently the case. Citing falling DVD revenues and flagging international grosses, the Los Angeles Times reports that comedy budgets are being slashed around town. "Because of the weakening DVD market, even when we love the material it doesn't make sense for us to make a creatively risky or daring comedy for much more than $25 million," Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad said. Comedy writers currently building a set piece around 3-D robots from space, get back to the drawing board. [LAT]
True story: "[T]here's a spray-tanned John Malkovich going real big; an absolutely bonkers physical comedy endurance routine from Ken Jeong; Frances McDormand vacillating between phone-in and terrifying commitment as a chief spook; a big and effortlessly campy John Turturro splatter-painting of a performance. That is a lot of actors trying things without much supervision and, to be fair, they're all winners in the losing battle of man versus machine." [The Awl]
You read that right: Stephen Bannon, whose Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated has drawn critical ire across the aisles, says an uncut version of his film will be released on demand following its PG-13 theatrical release July 15. The new cut will depict even more of the dastardly violence and vulgarity the former Alaska governor/vice presidential candidate has suffered during her rise in the public eye, including "crucifixions, lynching and suicides" sourced from social media. Pulling a classic double dip! Looks like Hollywood and its hateful methods aren't all despicable, eh?[THR]
Movieline trivia: We really like Brooklyn Decker! She's smart, cool, unpretentious, and now she's going to add a necessary blast of down-to-earthiness to director Kirk Jones' What to Expect When You're Expecting, playing a wife who "sails through her pregnancy with twins, much to the consternation of her friends." Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez co-star, and I'm looking forward to their consternation. Shine on, Brooklyn! Shine on! [Deadline]
Oscar-winning Juno scribe Diablo Cody will make her directorial debut with Lamb of God, about a conservative woman who loses her faith and goes to Las Vegas to sin it up -- which kind of sounds like Kristen Wiig's character from Paul, only (let's hope!) even naughtier. Cody also wrote the script and will re-team with producer Mason Novick, who produced Cody-penned films Juno, Jennifer's Body, and the forthcoming Jason Reitman-directed comedy Young Adult. [THR]
Michelle Yeoh, the star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies, was booted from Burma last week for working on director Luc Besson's biopic The Lady, about Nobel Prize winner and Burmese government protester Suu Kyi. Burmese authorities blacklisted Yeoh for her "presumed support" of Kyi, who spent almost 15 years in house arrest. If Yeoh should fight for her right to visit Burma, I hope she storms the shores with Sheryl Crow's defiant Bond theme. [Moviefone]
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay may not be able to coax that Anchorman sequel into development any time soon, but the pair could be collaborating on another comedy starring Ferrell as a narcissistic professional. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has just picked up Swear to God, a pitch from Due Date writers Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland. Ferrell is attached to star as a self-involved "hedge fund manager who thinks he has seen God." McKay would produce and possibly direct the feature under the pair's production shingle Gary Sanchez Productions. [Deadline]
Coen brother stock actor John Turturro told the AV Club that not only would he love to make a big screen spin-off for his Big Lebowski bowler Jesus Quintana, but he has already written up some notes. "Joel and Ethan don't really want to do it, but if I can get them to approve my outline, which I think they liked [...] there's a very good chance of making it." Until then, you're just going to have to settle for those DirecTV commercials for your Lebowski reunion fix. [AV Club]
In an new interview with Sports Illustrated for the magazine's "Where Are They Now?" issue, embattled warlock lover Charlie Sheen admits to using steroids before shooting Major League. "Let's just say that I was enhancing my performance a little bit," said Sheen. "It was the only time I ever did steroids. I did them for like six or eight weeks. You can print this, I don't give a fuck. My fastball went from 79, to like, 85." Contenders looking for bullpen help down the stretch might want to check-in on Sheen; dude's got some free time. [Sports Illustrated]
