God news, people, our Catie is back! Although I wasn't at all interested in the upcoming remake of the ROCK OF AGES musical
film, now I'm definitely watching it: according to "Deadline" Catherine Zeta Jones will join the cast of the film, about a small town girl who wants to make it big in Los Angeles, which already includes Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Russel Brand and Paul Giamatti. Catherine will play the main negative character in the film, a hardcore, moral conservative who wants to shut down rock’n roll in the city of Los Angeles. Since the film will have loads of 80's music, Catherine will sing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" from Pat Benatar and "We're Not Gonna Take It" from Twisted Sisters.
SHORT HEADLINES Now this is quite a surprise: according to fresh rumors, Vin Diesel could take the famous TERMINATOR role in Universal's new sequel. Apparently
the FAST FIVE director Justin Lin could helm the new movie in the sf saga and Vin could be his lead man. *THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA sequels have been officially confirmed even before the premiere of the two potential summer blockbusters. *Emily Blunt's charming husband John Krasinski has joined NOBODY WALKS, a film which will follow a week in the life of a Los Angeles family who invite a young, charismatic artist into their home, only to find her disrupting their lives.
Today, I'm bringing you a trailer for the upcoming film BRIDES MAIDS starring Jon Hamm, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wigg (who's in the lead role although she seems to be the weakest link in
the cast, and I'm not sure where they found her) and Dianne Wiest. The film which premieres next month follows a simple and poor girl whose life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as her maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, she bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals trying to find her way among the colourful group of rich and snobbish bridesmaids. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show her best friend and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.
Since I know most of my readers like HUNGER GAMES saga, here are new casting updates on the film adaptation. After Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson have taken the three lead roles in the story that will follow a cruel futuristic world in which teens have to fight in arenas, the project has new additions to the cast: style icon Elizabeth Banks will play Effie, the pink-haired chaperon to Katniss and Peeta, while young Leven Rambin and Jack Quaid (the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan) will play Distric 1 tributes Marvel and Glimmer.
SHORT HEADLINES *Ah, finally some nice face in Baz Luhrmann's THE GREAT GATSBY adaptation. According to rumors he has offered Isla Fisher the role of Myrtle, a married woman having an affair with Tom Buchanan who will probably be
played by Ben Affleck. Leonardo DiCaprio will be Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire is Nick Carraway, and Carey Mulligan is Daisy. *Breathtaking Rebecca Romijn has joined GOOD DEEDS, as a businesswoman who left her career to be a mother. Beside her, the film will see Tyler Perry as a man who falls for a struggling single mother (Thandie Newton) just days before his wedding to a powerful woman (Gabrielle Union). *It appears that one of J.J. Abram's (STAR TREK) secret projects is ZANBATO, an epic with swashbuckling robots with swords, which will also be inspired by Japanese history.
And today, you can also check out the first trailer for Jim Carrey's upcoming new comedy MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS. Premiering this June and starring also Angela Lansbury and Carla Gugino, it follows a house painter Mr. Popper who pens a letter to a team of Arctic explorers, and gets surprised after receiving a penguin in the mail. Later, after making his mischievous new pal a cozy new home in the freezer, the hapless Mr. Popper comes into possession of a playful female penguin as well. Before long Mr. Popper finds himself surrounded by a growing family of the flightless birds, and begins training them to perform in a traveling show dubbed Popper's Performing Penguins.
Jason Statham, one of our favourite action heroes with a good heart :) has taken a new role: Helen Mirren's husband, director Taylor Hackford will helm PARKER, and Statham will take the lead role in the story about a disciplined thief who lives by a strict code of conduct. He never steals money from people who actually need it, although he will strike back with a vengeance if he is crossed. The movie about a charming thief will be based on the books by Donald E. Westlake.
Today, thanks to "Beyond Hollywood" you can check out first pics of Christian Bale from the shooting of Zhang Yimou's (HERO) new epic drama NANJING HEROES. I've already wrote about this movie which will chronicle the slaughter of thousands of Chinese citizens
by the Japanese troops in the city that was the nation’s capital back in 1937. Bale will play a priest named John who saved many innocent people by working with German businessman called John Rabe. With the budget of $90 million it will be one of the most expensive Asian films ever. The film will be shot about 40% in English and the rest in Chinese.
Now, this also sounds like an unusual but charming film. Coming out in USA in just a few weeks, THE VINTNER'S LUCK starring Jeremie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel, and two Oscar nominees Vera Farmiga and Keisha Castle Hughes (who's acting I've never
liked), tells the compelling tale of Sobran Jodeau, an ambitious young peasant winemaker and the three loves of his life: his beautiful and passionate wife Celeste, the proudly intellectual baroness Aurora de Valday and Xas, a fallen angel, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Sobran which endures for many years. A fantastical creature with wings that smell of snow, Xas turns out to be an unconventional mentor. Under his guidance Sobran is forced to fathom the nature of love and belief and in the process grapples with the sensual, the sacred and the profane - in pursuit of the perfect vintage. Set in 19th century France, the film was shot on location in France and New Zealand.
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I must admit Alfonso Cuaron has returned my interest in his upcoming project GRAVITY when he kicked Robert Downey Jr.
from the cast and gave the male role to George Clooney beside Sandra Bullock who took the lead role after it was turned down by Rachel Weisz and Angelina Jolie. According to "Collider" the shooting of this sf epic movie should start later this May in UK. Using innovative technology and artsy visual approach, the film will tell the story of a female astronaut, the lone survivor of a space mission, who desperately tries to return to Earth, and reunite with her daughter. The $80 million production will see her racing against time in the middle of dark universe. George Clooney will play the captain of the ship who has a pivotal role in the story.
Although I'm not overly amazed by HOT IN CLEVELAND show, I must admit it does have one huge huge quality - amazing Betty White as crazy but adorable Elka :) And it seems Elka will get even crazier at the end of the first season, since she will have a cat fight with, believe it or not, Doris Roberts, whom we remember as annoying and manipulative mother from EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. She will appear in HOT IN CLEVELAND as a woman who had an affair with Elka's husband in the past, but since she still makes her angry, Betty White will get into a huge physical fight with her :)
Now this could be interesting to those who like American literature.A production has just started on BIG SUR, in whichFrench actorJean-Marc Barr will play Jack Kerouac. According to "MovieWeb" Josh Lucas has been cast as Neal Cassady, with Kate Bosworth playing his girlfriend Billie. The story will follow Jack Kerouac's move from New York to Northern California where he tries to rediscover himself while writing his famous work "On the Road". The semi-autographical tale will also cover Kerouac’s battle with fame, his battle with drugs and his relationship with Cassady’s mistress Billie. Anthony Edwards, Rahda Mitchell, Stana Katic and Balthazar Getty are also in the cast.
I wanted to take a moment to send support and love to the most amazing woman in Hollywood, our dear Welsh queen Catherine Zeta Jones. As you probably know a few days ago she went to a
clinic in order to solve her bipolar disorder. As a truly magnificent and kind person she always has been she didn't hide this from the public, wanting to show that having a psychological problem isn't something to be ashamed of. As you know we haven't seen Catherine in cinemas for almost four years know (Ever since her refined and profound role in NO RESERVATIONS) because she had to deal with too many personal issues of her husband Michael Douglas. His problems with his ex wife, with his drug using son and his cancer have put Catherine in some really difficult situations with which she had to deal beside raising their two little kids. So let us send some positive energy and love to our Catherine, may she return to us as soon as possible with her stunning beauty, dignified personality and mesmerizing charisma.
SHORT HEADLINES According to "MovieWeb" Robert Zemeckis will produce the movie adaptation of crazy book HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK. The film, which won't be for kids, will be based on the tongue-in-cheek survival guide to help garden gnome owners prepare for and ward off an imminent invasion from the menacing lawn statues. *According to latest rumors, Disney is currently negotiating with Ryan Gosling to take the title role in THE LONE RANGER. If he accepts it, he will star beside Johnny Depp, whose Tonto will actually be the lead character in the film unlike the previous versions. Before this, Gosling is doing LOGAN'S RUN remake, and Depp is doing DARK SHADOWS film adaptation.
A film which just started playing in US cinemas, earning positive criticism, is French historical adventure THE PRINCESS OF MONTPESIER, starring Melanie Thiery and two of my favourite French actors Gaspard Ulliel (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT) and Lambert Wilson (MATRIX, CATWOMAN). Gaspard Ulliel plays a cunning warrior who is in love with Marie de Mezieres (Mélanie Thierry) and although she loves him as well, her father arranges Marie to marry the Prince of Montpensier (Grégoire Leprince Ringuet). When the Prince is sent off to war, he leaves his new bride with his loyal friend Chabannes (Lambert Wilson). When he returns from war, along with Duc d'Anjou (Raphaël Personnaz), all four men become smitten with Marie and vie for her affections.
And you could all pop over to our dear Lynda Young and vote for her blog as the best one in whole Australia! :)
Now this sounds like a potentially interesting project. HBO is preparing TV series based on Neil Gaiman's book AMERICAN GODS which describes a battle between two different God-like factions. One set of Gods is based on myths and legends who became real because the human race believed in them at one time. They're starting to disappear, and are being replaced by a new set of Gods that are a manifestation of America's preoccupation with technology, celebrity, media and drugs. The main character will be an ex-con who gets mixed up in this war when he unwittingly decides to join a conman who turns
out to be a dieing deity gathering troops for the final battle.
Today you can also check out stunning first picture from the set of Brian Singer's JACK THE GIANT KILLER showing Ewan McGregor in full armor as the captain of the royal guard. The film will follow young man Jack (Nicholas Hoult) who unwittingly breaks a long standing peace between the humans and giants when he goes after a princess who the giants kidnapped. Beside McGregor and Hoult, the cast also includes Bill Nighy, who will play the two-headed leader of the giants, and Stanley Tucci, who will play the main villain.
And are you super excited about the grand premiere of HBO's new epic fantasy series GAME OF THRONES which starts this Sunday, April 17th? If not, check out this stunning clip which could change your mind. The beautiful video depicts the first meeting of brute Dothraki leader Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) and Daenerys Targaryen, whose brother promised her to the horseback savage in order to use his people to regain the throne of Westeros. During the prescreenings of the show everyone was so amazed and breathtaken that apparently the second season has already been ordered even before the Sunday start of the first one. The second season will follow George R.R. Martin's novel "A Clash of Kings from" his "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga.
Hugh Laurie in a less grumpy and cynical role than usual? Why not, it could be a pleasant change especially for those who aren't really fans of his popular show HOUSE. He will play the lead
role in the film adaptation of Lloys Jones' novel MISTER PIP which follows Mr. Watts, the last white man left on the war-torn island of Bougainville. Asked to open a school there, he reads the kids his favorite novel, "Great Expectations" and bonds with them over the book, which sheds some perspective on their own difficult lives. The film will be directed by Andrew Adamson (SHREK, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA).
SHORT HEADLINES Gorgeous Olga Kurylenko has joined Aaron Eckhart in THE EXPATRIATE, about a former CIA agent who tries to reconnect with his young daughter but
discovers that his assistant is really an assassin trying to kill him, and must go on the run with his daughter. Olga Kurylenko will play a spy and his former love who helps them escape. *British director Mike Newell is preparing a new film adaptation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, and he apparently wants young Jeremy Irvine (from Steven Spielberg's upcoming WAR HORSE) and Helena Bonham Carter in the lead roles. As you know it's a story about a young orphan who suddenly enters the life of luxury, thanks to a mysterious lady benefactor.
Today you can also check out the first trailer for sf action RISE OF THE PLANET OF APES with James Franco, Freida Pinto and John Litgow which comes out this August. With the usage of groundbreaking special effects used before in AVATAR, the new
version of the RISE OF THE PLANET OF APES is an origin story set in present day San Francisco, a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction and science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. I must admit I found the trailer rather bad and boring, and the films doesn't seem like something which could refresh the old saga.
