Filed under: Action, Casting, Paramount, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Remakes and Sequels

The seas haven’t been smooth for used-to-be-totally-loved shortie Tom Cruise. Lions for Lambs didn’t help his career commercially, and Valkyrie continues to have problems, so of course, thoughts would turn to his popular fluff fare. There have been some rumors about Mission: Impossible 4, and according to Slashfilm, an insider has told Life & Style Magazine: “Tom will make M:I 4 once Paramount greenlights the script. There will most definitely be another Mission: Impossible!”

This could be pure rumor just as much as fact, but I imagine it’s true. There’s only so long Cruise can stay relevant in the tabloids unless he gets back on track professionally, or jumps on some more couches. But I wonder if it could, or will, be a hit. Excitement has moved to other franchises, and while number three still brought in some cash, it’s gross was under the money pulled in by the first two.

So, the question becomes: What could Paramount do to make this film relevant, other than re-starting the franchise with a new actor? Should this be a story about passing the torch? Is there a way to make people visit the film in bigger hordes? Should Tom Cruise give up, or is there a different franchise that might help his career?

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Filed under: Action, Casting, Paramount, RumorMonger, Dreamworks, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

Either Erik has missed his calling as a casting agent, or maybe he just knew something we didn’t. A few weeks ago, Erik oh-so casually mentioned that Jonah Hill would be perfect for the new comedic sidekick role in Transformers 2. Entertainment Weekly now reports that Hill is in early talks to play sidekick to Shia LaBeouf (early speculation is that he will play LaBeouf’s college roommate) in the follow up to the summer blockbuster. I might not have been a big fan of the so-called comedy in the first Transformers flick, but at least if Hill does sign on, he’ll be able to pull off some snappy rapport with LaBeouf.

Remember, Transformers 2 is still a Michael Bay film; and as to be expected, the man has not been able to shut up about it. Proving that sometimes too much self-promotion really can be a bad thing. Originally, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Ehren Kruger had been hired to write the script, and the tone was going to be “darker, and moodier.” Unfortunately, Bay couldn’t keep his hands to himself, and he has since proclaimed that he has written the script, and that it is awesome. Something tells me if Bay is in charge, we are going to have a lot more jokes about robots peeing on each other. If nothing else, it will dovetail nicely with Hill’s love of body-fluid humor.

Continue reading Jonah Hill in Talks for ‘Transformers 2′

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Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels

Like we doubted it for a second! But I always love hearing from Sir Ian McKellen, he’s just so gracious and charming. Empire caught him at the Speed Racer premiere, and made him speak the words to quicken the hearts of all Middle Earth fans. “Yes, it’s true,” he said. “I spoke to Guillermo in the very room that Peter Jackson offered me the part and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role. Obviously, it’s not a part that you turn down, I loved playing Gandalf.”

And Gandalf loves being onscreen. “We talk occasionally and he’s looking forward to coming out of retirement, yes. Guillermo will be getting around to starting the script in about six weeks when he’s finished filming Hellboy 2.”

As to how they will finagle two movies out of one book, even Gandalf isn’t privy to the inside information, but he’s not at all worried. “Well I’ve read The Hobbit so I’ve got a good idea of what the story would be. But as to how it’s going to work over two films and what’s going to happen on screen, well Guillermo has not got down to working out the major details yet - I can tell you it’s going to be amazing though.”

Continue reading Yay! Sir Ian McKellen Confirms Gandalf’s Return In ‘The Hobbit’!

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Filed under: Casting, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips

Remember these tots, Tia and Tony? In 1975, they made an Escape to Witch Mountain to get away from a money-hungry millionaire. Now The Hollywood Reporter has posted that both Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann will be returning for Disney’s reimagining, Race to Witch Mountain. Of course, they’re a little too old to play Tia and Tony, so that job is for AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig. Instead, Richards will play “a waitress at a roadhouse called Rays, in a town called Stony Creek,” while Eisenmann plays a sheriff.

Also added to the cast are Tom Everett Scott (Because I Said So), Chris Marquette (Fanboys), Billy Brown (Cloverfield), and Cheech Marin. The first three roles are all sorts of special — Scott plays a medical specialist, Marquette plays a computer specialist, and Brown plays a military specialist working for the bad guy. Cheech, meanwhile, is a helpful mechanic.

There’s nowhere, however, to race right yet. The film is getting released next Spring.

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Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Dancing With The Stars, Episode Reviews

(S06E14) Going into tonight’s Dancing With The Stars results show, fans had one question on their minds. Would Cristián continue to dance after his injury, or would he withdraw from the competition? Naturally we had to wait until the very end of the show to have that question answered. The ballroom kids were replaced by Kenny Mayne and Def Leppard–definitely an adults’ night.

Continue reading Dancing With The Stars: Week 7 results

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Filed under: Late Night, TV Royalty, Programming, TV on DVD, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free

Here’s who’s on the late night shows tonight.

• Charlie Rose: a discussion of the Presidential race and religion
• The Daily Show: Newt Gingrich
• The Colbert Report: Anne Lamott
• The Late Show with David Letterman: Robert Downey, Jr. and Alicia Keys
• Jay Leno: Dr. Phil and Natasha Bedingfield
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Vanessa Williams and Cinematic Orchestra
• Tavis Smiley: David Mamet and Andrew Bridge
• Late Night with Conan O’Brien: Jeff Garlin, Dax Shepherd, and The Kills
• The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Kathy Griffin, Emily Deschanel, and Morrissey
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Chelsea Handler and Serj Tankian

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Filed under: CSI, Celebrities, Reality-Free

CSI star Gary Dourdan was arrested at 5:21 AM and charged with suspected possession of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and maybe other drugs as well.

He was arrested in Palm Springs, CA when police saw him sleeping in his car early in the morning. When they got to the car and investigated further, Dourdan was arrested for the above offense. He’s out on bail.

This arrest will trigger approximately 327 different jokes about the CSI gang helping him and tests being done on the car, etc. Now we just have to figure out whether he’s leaving CSI (official word is that Dourdan and the studio came to an understanding on his departure) because of his drug use or (as Keith wonders) he’s doing the drugs because he’s leaving the show.

Chicken, egg.

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Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free

The Beverly Hills 90210 spin off was looking for an actress in her 60’s who could play an actress and alcoholic. Who better for the role than Arrested Development’s Jessica Walter? After all, she is an actress and her AD role of Lucille Bluth required that she pretends to be drinking/drunk in a lot of episodes!

TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly confirmed earlier today that the actress was cast in the lead role of Tabitha Mills, an actress who had her career prime in the 70s and who is now best friends with a liquor bottle. Worried about his mother’s well-being, her son Harry moves his family to Beverly Hills.

Continue reading Jessica Walter joins the 90210 cast

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Filed under: OpEd, Saturday Night Live, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Reality-Free

I’m not here to argue for or against the comedic talents of current box-office champs Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. No, what I’m here to ask is: why do people dislike them so much? I’m not talking about people who just say that the two of them aren’t funny; I’m talking about people who think that the two of them were the worst thing to happen to SNL, the comedy genre, and the entertainment world in general.

Case in point: this somewhat obtuse essay praising Poehler on Slate.com. In the process of reviewing Poehler’s cartoon, The Mighty B!, writer Troy Patterson goes through some verbal gymnastics, like calling the ASSSCAT show she puts on at the UCB Theater “a Dadaist party trick,” among other head-scratching terms. But what’s interesting is the virulent reaction his review gets in the comments section.

Continue reading What’s with the Fey and Poehler hate?

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Filed under: American Idol, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Dancing With The Stars, Judges

The rumor that Paula Abdul will be a contestant on Dancing With The Stars has been floating around for a while now, and gained a little more steam with Paula’s recent appearance on the show. Now, along with all the fan chatter, we are getting reactions from some of the people involved with the show. Our pals over at TV Guide sent along a press release for their upcoming issue, which you can find in its entirety after the jump, with quotes from Carrie Ann and Bruno.

In a nutshell, Bruno thinks she would win. Carrie Ann says that Paula is fragile and won’t realize how much pressure is on her until she’s signed up and can’t get out. I asked DWTS pro Jonathan Roberts about it Monday night and his take was that he would be surprised to see Paula compete on the show because of her extensive dance background. He added that he thinks Paula has been around reality TV enough that she would know what she is getting into. I say, good or bad, it’s a spectacle waiting to happen. What do you think? Click on through for a poll, and to sound off in the comments.

Continue reading Should Paula Abdul join Dancing With The Stars?

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