The 2006 CIA historical thriller The Good Shepherd didn't totally wow the critics and I've heard many viewers complain that the movie is too long and not all that interesting. Even so, the Robert DeNiro-directed project did earn an Oscar nod and it boasts a stellar cast.
Now DeNiro is talking sequels — yes, plural. Variety continues:
De Niro said he would like to make two sequels to CIA Cold War drama The Good Shepherd — one bringing the action forward from 1961 to 1989, the other following its hero, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), up to the present day.
Martin Scorsese will be a producer on the sequels as well.
Do you want to see continuations of Edward Wilson's story? Or was the one Good Shepherd enough?
The results of the latest TV Weekcritics' poll are out, and Lost has claimed a spot at the top of the list. Critics ranked the show first for the six months starting in January, beating out The Wire for the No. 1 slot. The show apparently won by a wide margin, claiming a spot in the top five on almost every list submitted.
Because of the writers' strike, it's even tougher than usual to compare this Summer's list with the Winter rankings that found Pushing Daisies at the top; that show didn't air a single episode in 2008, so it didn't qualify. But there were still a few interesting changes to note, including the jump of The Office from No. 8 in the Winter to No. 4 now. But 30 Rock came in at No. 3, leapfrogging over The Office for the first time to claim the title of highest-ranked comedy on the list. Three CBS comedies — How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and The New Adventures of Old Christine — also ranked in the top 25.
On the worst side, The Moment of Truth topped the list, prompting one critic to proclaim, "This is the worst in every category into which it can be fitted." I just have to feel a little sorry for poor The Return of Jezebel James, though — sure, it didn't come close to expectations, but was it really worse than Secret Talents of the Stars?
Also, one show managed to make both the best and worst lists. To see what it was — and debate the best and worst — just read more
Summer is a great time for picking up those books you can never seem to get to during the rest of the year. I know many of you are working your way through your reading lists, and this month, I'm giving away something that I hope will make your Summer reading experience even more delightful.
Every week this month, I'm giving away a $150 credit toward a membership at BookSwim, which is a Netflix-type service for books. You can use the credit any way you want: Get five books at a time for six months, two books at a time for almost a year, whatever combination you prefer! You can read more about how the service works over here.
All you have to do to enter is log in to your TeamSugar account and take this quiz about recent bestsellers. It doesn't matter how you score — just by taking the quiz, you're entered! You must take the quiz before 5 p.m. PDT on Sunday, July 13. If you don't win, don't worry — I'll post a new quiz each Monday till the end of July. If you don't have a TeamSugar account, what are you waiting for? Go here to sign up. For the official rules, click here — and good luck!
I can't wait to see what comes out of Tim Burton's imagination when he applies it to the classic Alice in Wonderland story with his live-action/motion-capture (like the Beowulf animation, plus live actors) adaptation. But of course, even with Burton's creative genius, casting is still (almost) everything. So who could play the innocent young Alice who goes on such a trippy adventure?
Rumor has it a virtually unknown 23-year-old actress named Ryan Nikole Parker will take the role — though apparently Evan Rachel Wood was initially supposed to have it and she backed out.
Perhaps a fresh face will be perfect for this part, so there are no preconceived notions about what our new Alice will be like. But if you had your druthers, who could you see playing a Tim Burton-y Alice?
If you're anything like me, you're back at work today after a long weekend of fun, trying to get back in the groove but needing a boost that even coffee can't bring. Luckily, I've found something to perk me up, and I have hopes it will work for you, too.
I've already admitted my love for Hellboy, the big, goofy red guy whose second movie hits theaters on Friday. Hellboy 2 has me psyched partially because of director Guillermo del Toro's awesome visual storytelling, but I also love how adorable and bumbling Hellboy himself (played by Ron Perlman) can be.
Well, some smart executive has also picked up on Hellboy's more endearing qualities, producing a series of videos with Hellboy playing video games with NBC's Chuck, being interviewed by Inside the Actor's Studio's James Lipton, and even doing a "The More You Know"-style public service announcement with a cat. They've already had me giggling at my desk all day. You can see a whole bunch over here, but if you just want to see my favorites, read more
Seeing all the publicity around Kit Kittredge: An American Girl has me thinking about how normal the film's young star, Abigail Breslin, seems. She's already got an Oscar nomination and some headlining roles under her belt, and so far it's hard to imagine her winding up like so many other young actors these days, getting attention for their downward spirals rather than their stellar performances. So, as a plea to keep Breslin on the up-and-up, I thought it would be fun to check out some young stars who made good. No, they didn't all win Oscars; some had dark years or briefly faded out of the spotlight. But overall, they grew into seemingly nice people with Hollywood careers to be proud of. To see some potential role models for Breslin, just hit "Start."
Kristin Cavallari went with a black-lace, bra-baring top at The Breeders' Cup Winners Circle Event in LA. She paired it with black skinny pants, and kept things neutral with beige patent pumps and a matching clutch.
By Malene Birger
Arizona
Too Faced