Archive for November, 2010

Johnny Depp claims Disney hated Jack Sparrow

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Jack Sparrow from Pirates Of The Caribbean

Johnny Depp has admitted that Disney executives were initially unhappy with his portrayal of Pirates of the Caribbean antihero Captain Jack Sparrow.

During an interview for Vanity Fair Depp apparently joked that one Disney executive even had to ask whether the character was intended to be gay.

“All my characters are gay,” the actor reportedly told her. “[That] really made her nervous.”

Depp went on to receive an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the series’ flagship character in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Depp will next appear alongside Angelina Jolie in The Tourist, which will be released in cinemas December 10.

Eliza Dushku joins ‘Bird Dog’ pilot

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Eliza Dushku departs a Los Angeles salon

Eliza Dushku has been announced as the star of a new TNT pilot.

Dushku, who appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse, has joined TNT’s new series titled Bird Dog, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Bird Dog tells the story of a cop duo made up of a father and daughter. Dushku will play the daughter, while the father role is yet to be cast.

According to Deadline, Dushku’s character is estranged from her father, a New York City cop, until he turns up as her new partner. Together, they solve crimes in a sleepy Pacific Northwestern town while building their own relationship.

Dushku most recently featured in The Big Bang Theory as an FBI agent.

James Franco, Anne Hathaway confirmed for 2011 Oscars

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Anne Hathaway at the 'Alice in Wonderland'

James Franco and Anne Hathaway have been confirmed as the hosts for the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony.

Earlier today, it was suggested that the pair would be named by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as the stars who will present the 83rd Oscars event.

This evening, show producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced that Franco and Hathaway have agreed to front the awards.

Cohen and Mischer said that the actor and actress “personify the next generation of Hollywood icons”, and that they hoped the ceremony would allow the pair to “showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world”.

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‘Hobbit’ production begins in New Zealand

Monday, November 29th, 2010
Peter Jackson

A selection of photographs published by a British magazine suggest that production of Peter Jackson’s long-awaited adaptation of The Hobbit is now underway.

According to Coming Soon, photos have begun circling the internet from a film preview in Total Film magazine, depicting a construction of protagonist Bilbo Baggins’s home Bag End.

The images indicate that work has now begun on reconstructing and redesigning a number of the film sets used for Jackson’s epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy, in order to ensure that there is continuity between the films.

The Hobbit films are scheduled to begin filming in early 2011, with the first film expected to be released in December 2012.

‘Star Wars’ director Kershner dies at 87

Monday, November 29th, 2010
Irvin Kershner

American film director Irvin Kershner has died at the age of 87.

Kershner was best known as the director of second Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.

According to Yahoo News, Kershner’s goddaughter Adriana Santini confirmed his death earlier today following his long illness.

As well as directing the most popular instalment in the long-running science fiction series, Kershner also helmed Robocop 2 and unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again.

Despite his advanced years, Kershner was still working on a number of film projects at the time of his death.

Eve Myles moving to LA for ‘Torchwood’

Monday, November 29th, 2010
Eve Myles

Eve Myles has revealed that she plans to move to Los Angeles when Torchwood: The New World begins filming in the US.

The star, who plays Gwen Cooper on the sci-fi series, told Wales On Sunday that she and partner Bradley Freegard have recently purchased a house near a famous LA landmark.

“We are going to be living in the Hollywood Hills, literally underneath the Hollywood sign. It looks like something out of Austin Powers,” she said.

Myles continued: “It’s a step back in time to Hollywood in the 1960s. It’s really, really retro. It’s had one owner and it’s been kept exactly as it was.”

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Naked Gun actor Leslie Nielsen dies in Florida hospital at age 84

Monday, November 29th, 2010

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Leslie Nielsen, who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in “Airplane!” and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in the “The Naked Gun” comedies, has died. He was 84.

His agent John S. Kelly says Nielsen died Sunday at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale where he was being treated for pneumonia.

Nephew Doug Nielsen, who lives in Richmond, B.C., says his uncle had been hospitalized for about the past 12 days and died in his sleep.

Friends and wife, Barbaree, were by the Regina-born actor’s side.

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‘Deathly Hallows’ continues to top US box office

Sunday, November 28th, 2010
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 has managed to remain at the top of the US box office for Thanksgiving weekend.

The latest offering in the long-running franchise benefited from the extended five-day weekend and took in $76.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $220.4 million.

Disney’s latest 3D film Tangled entered the charts at two with a respectable $69 million, followed by DreamWorks Animation’s Megamind with $17.3 million.

Musical film Burlesque, starring Christina Aguilera and Cher, enters in fourth place with $17.2 million while Denzel Washington thriller Unstoppable rounds out the top five by taking $16 million.

Next weekend, the likes of I Love You, Phillip Morris and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan will receive a limited release along with a wider release for western film The Warrior’s Way.

The US box office top ten in full:
1. (1) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – $76,300,000
2. (-) Tangled – $69,000,000
3. (2) Megamind – $17,300,000
4. (-) Burlesque – $17,200,000
5. (3) Unstoppable – $16,000,000
6. (-) Love & Other Drugs – $14,000,000
7. (-) Faster – $12,200,000
8. (4) Due Date – $7,300,000
9. (5) The Next Three Days – $7,800,000
10. (6) Morning Glory – $5,900,000

Michael Bay denies ‘Transformers 3’ 3D issues

Sunday, November 28th, 2010
Michael Bay

Director Michael Bay has denied rumours that the next film in the Transformers franchise is experiencing problems with its 3D filming.

According to reports, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is being shot entirely with 3D cameras and has been experiencing issues because of this.

“We have problems with our 3D? Really?” Bay wrote on his website’s message board. “Come into my edit room and I will show you beautiful 3D.”

“There has never been a live action show that has pushed the boundaries of 3D like Transformers 3,” Coming Soon quotes Bay as saying. “I actually loved shooting in 3D.”

In Bay’s statement, the director also hinted that the first teaser trailer for the film will launch at cinema showings of Tron: Legacy and The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader.

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is scheduled to be released on July 1, 2011.

‘Zombieland 2’ to feature another cameo

Sunday, November 28th, 2010
Zombieland

Columbia Pictures are reportedly in the midst of searching for a “superstar cameo” for their upcoming sequel to Zombieland .

The company are hoping to replicate the success of the first film, which featured Bill Murray in a memorable cameo as himself.

According to Collider, some of the names currently rumoured for the part include Harrison Ford and Anthony Hopkins.

Following the supposed leaks, Zombieland 2 director Ruben Fleischer tweeted that the rumours were false, but failed to clarify whether he was referring to the rumour of a cameo in the film, or simply the names suggested for the part.

It has also been revealed that the sequel will focus on more of a single lead villain than the first film.

Zombieland 2 will be shot in 3D, but a release date for the film has yet to be announced.