The Leaders of the Catholic League are reportedly outraged that Britney Spears may be in talks to play the Virgin Mary in a satire film called, “Sweet Baby Jesus,” about a pregnant 19-year-old who gives birth to her child on Christmas Eve and the Catholic group are appalled that Britney would even be considered for the role.
“She is seriously miscast. She would be better suited to play the lead role in a flick called Monica (as in Lewinsky). If she did, the Catholic League would be delighted to send her a box of cigars.”
Forbes.com lists Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe has being Hollywood’s most overpaid actors because their films flop too often for the studios to see any real profit.
Kidman was said to have raked in an estimated $15 million for her role in “The Golden Compass,” however the film only grossed $26 million uring its first week of release.
Forbes cites Russell Crowe as being the least deserved of his paycheck. For each dollar he got paid, Russell Crowe ‘s films averaged $5.00 of gross income.
Others with less than stellar returns this year were Jim Carey, Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler.
The Critics’ Choice Awards nomination have been announced and will air live January 7th on VH-1.
Michael Cera received two nominations in the best young actor category for his work in “Juno” and “Superbad,” while Jason Reitman’s “Juno,” earned six nominations, ”Atonement,” “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Hairspray” are all nomianted for five awards each.
Cate Blanchett is in the running for both best actress and best supporting actress for her work in ”Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and ”I’m Not There.” Amy Adams has also been nominated for two awards for her work in “Enchanted,” and for the song, “That’s How You Know.”
On Monday, actor Will Smith was honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. I love these pictures of Will Smith - they show exactly why he’s one of my favorite actors. He’s got personality, energy and a mega-watt smile you can see from space. Not only that, but he’s a great actor, too.
Too bad Tom Cruise had to show up and ruin everything. Is it just me or are Tom, Katie and Suri all sporting the same haircuts these days?
“The Golden Compass,” the controversial film starring Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards, made it’s debut on Friday and came out on top, earning $26.13 million dollars and making it the front runner in box office sales over the weekend. The film, based on books written by British author Philip Pullman, has drawn much criticism from religious groups who believe it pushes an atheist agenda.
According to Box Office Mojo, ”Enchanted,” with sales of 10.71 million came in second, followed by ”This Christmas,” which earned $5 million.
“Fred Claus,” which had dropped into sixth place, rebounded back into fourth with $4.66 million, followed by “Beowulf” ($4.4 million), ”No Country for Old Men” ($4.23 million), ”August Rush” ($3.53 million), ”Hitman” ($3.48 million), “Awake” ($3.3 million) and “Bee Movie” ($2.61 million).
tinab | Films, Gossip | Thursday, 22 November 2007
Rumor has it that Catherine Zeta-Jones dropped out of her latest movie, “Nine,” after director Rob Marshall refused to make her the leading lady.
Zeta-Jones was scheduled to play the character of Claudia - the muse of film director Guido Contini in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical - but sources say she pulled out after Marshall allegedly refused to make her role bigger. The film also stars Javier Bardem, Sophia Loren and Penelope Cruz.
According to a spy:
“Catherine asked if writer Michael Tolkin could enlarge her part, but Rob politely told her the script couldn’t be changed so dramatically. It’s an ensemble story. It always has been.”
However, other say Zeta-Jones just wasn’t into the film - or her character:
“She was never 100 per cent committed to Nine. She had a meeting with Rob. She’d love to work with him again. But she felt she’d done the same sort of role in Chicago. The script wasn’t an issue.”
Although she’s seen but never heard playing the cello in the new film, “August Rush,” Keri Russell spent months learning to play the difficult instrument, anyway. The music in the film was performed by professional musicians and set to Russell’s actions, so it looks like she’s really playing those compositions - but she’s not.
“You’re never just OK at the cello. You’re like a child prodigy at the cello, performing at the New York Philharmonic. So, I went from ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ to Bach solos in about 12 weeks. Many, many hours a day just to be able to fake the fingering…I was doing compromised versions of the Cs and the Gs, but pretty much following along and that was an extreme part of doing this film.”
So has the new mom kept up with her cello playing?
“I’d love to say that I did, but I have not. But, I will, some day. It takes a lot of work, but they’re exquisite, even just to look at.”
In the film, Russell plays a cellist trying to reunite with the son she was misled to believe died at birth.
Jennifer Garner is in final negotiations to co-star with Ricky Gervais in the new comedy, “This Side of the Truth.” Garner is currently starring in the Broadway revival of “Cyrano de Bergerac” opposite Kevin Kline and you can catch her in the film, “Juno” in January.
Gervais is the writer and star of the TV show “Extras,” as well as the original British version of “The Office.”
Set to start filming in the spring with Matthew Robinson directing, “This Side of the Truth” takes place in a world where nobody ever lies. Gervais, who co-wrote the script with Robinson, will play the one man who learns how to fib and uses his unlikely power to get ahead at work and court a woman (Garner) who is way out of his league.
Attorney’s for Tom Cruise have threatened to take legal action against magazines that run unflattering pictures of him which have been taken on the set of his new film, “Tropic Thunder.” The photos, which feature Tiny Tom in a fat suit, were snapped on the set of Ben Stiller’s new movie and shopped around to various magazines last week. Stranger yet is the fact that Cruise isn’t even listed among the film’s cast members over at Internet Movie Database. Just what’s up with that? Is the fact that he’s in the film supposed to be some big secret?
Anyway, INF, who it seems is the original source for the portly pics, has since sent the following letter to the publications, in which the photo agency states:
The pictures, which were shot by an INF staff photographer, show Cruise in a fat suit and chest wig on the set of ‘Tropic Thunder.’ … While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we have decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately.
A magazine editor told Courtney Hazlett, who writes for MSNBC’s The Scoop, that the last few days have been less than normal:
“It was crazy. We had at least four calls from publicists and two legal letters on Friday. All they did was draw more attention to the picture.”
While some say the reason for the chaos surrounding the pictures is that Cruise’s camp doesn’t want him to be seen looking fat and bald, another theory is that Tom wants his cameo in the film to remain a surprise.
At the risk of being sued, I’ll refrain from posting the photos here, but if you haven’t seen at least one and are inclined to do so, you can check it out over at Holy Candy .
Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, has been named “Miss Golden Globe” and will assist in the upcoming Golden Globe Awards ceremony. The title reserved for the daughter of a celebrity, traditionally helps out during the telecast.
Rumer who is 19, will appear during the 65th annual event honoring the year’s best in television and film on January 13th.
President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Jorge Camara, said in a statement that he’s delighted to have Rumer on board:
“We are delighted to have Rumer Willis join us to celebrate The 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Since both of her parents have enjoyed successful entertainment careers in the acting profession, she is doubly qualified to serve as Miss Golden Globe.”
Rumer - who was named after the British novelist Rumer Godden - made her film debut when she was just five years old in the film, ”Now and Then.” She continued acting alongside her parents in such films as “Striptease,” “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Hostage” and will be seen in the upcoming films, “I Know What Boys Like” and “From Within,” both to be released next year.
