Cameron Crowe is the director behind memorable movies from Almost Famous to Jerry Maguire, but this holiday season, he took on a new challenge with the family-friendly We Bought a Zoo. We caught up with Cameron at the recent junket for the movie in NYC, where we talked about why he felt it was time to put out a feel-good film, the unique and musical method he used to inspire performances from his cast, and why leading man Matt Damon made the movie happen. Check out our interview with Cameron and catch We Bought a Zoo in theaters this weekend!
Matt, Scarlett, and Elle Reveal Big Holiday Plans at Their NYC Premiere
The stars of We Bought a Zoo gathered in NYC last night for their big premiere. Matt Damon walked the carpet with his wife Luciana close behind, as Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning showed off their lovely dresses. Elle picked a white Louis Vuitton number, while Scarlett went with the opposite in black Dolce & Gabbana. We caught a minute with the three stars yesterday, with Elle telling us about her holiday plans. She'd love a film camera for Christmas, and aspires to stop biting her nails in 2012! Scarlett, meanwhile, is looking to catch up on her sleep during her holidays. Matt is planning to take a break with his family, including his four daughters. Matt's latest movie, Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe's first-ever family film, hasn't earned him points with the little ones, though. He said that his kids definitely do not think he's a cool dad! Stay tuned for our report from the scene later today on PopSugar Rush.
Matt Damon Takes a Trip to the Zoo With Cameron Crowe
Ready for some fantastic midweek movie news? Matt Damon is in talks to star in We Bought a Zoo, which Cameron Crowe recently signed on to direct.
Damon's character is a father who moves his family to England in order to run a zoo (hence the straightforward title). I love myself some Cameron Crowe, but the director hasn't lent his magic touch to a movie since Elizabethtown — waaay back in 2005. The fact his return film is going to pair him up with the dreamy, talented Matt Damon is just icing on the cinematic cake.
Interestingly, Crowe didn't write the original script for We Bought a Zoo (boo), but Aline Brosh McKenna, the screenwriter behind The Devil Wears Prada, did (yay!).
Link Time — Charlie Sheen Is the Highest Paid Actor on TV
- Charlie Sheen is staying on Two and a Half Men, getting paid $2 million per episode — TV Squad
- The 20 most pointless episodes of Lost — Vulture
- 20 old flames from Sex and the City — TrèsSugar
- How do the real Cullens of Twilight stack up to the movies? — Moviefone
- Surprise, surprise: Pirates of the Caribbean 4 will be in 3D — Hit Fix
- Gidget is getting a reboot — Movieline
- A live-action version of Cinderella is coming our way — The Wrap
- Cameron Crowe goes back to directing with We Bought a Zoo — Cinematical
- James Franco will return to General Hospital — Soapnet
- Vanessa Williams joins the cast of Desperate Housewives — TV Guide Magazine

- Charlie Sheen is staying on Two and a Half Men, getting paid $2 million per episode — TV Squad
- The 20 most pointless episodes of Lost — Vulture
- 20 old flames from Sex and the City — TrèsSugar
- How do the real Cullens of Twilight stack up to the movies? — Moviefone
- Surprise, surprise: Pirates of the Caribbean 4 will be in 3D — Hit Fix
- Gidget is getting a reboot — Movieline
- A live-action version of Cinderella is coming our way — The Wrap
- Cameron Crowe goes back to directing with We Bought a Zoo — Cinematical
- James Franco will return to General Hospital — Soapnet
- Vanessa Williams joins the cast of Desperate Housewives — TV Guide Magazine
Stiller and Witherspoon to Pair Up for Cameron Crowe Movie

There's no real information about this project — not even a title — besides the following:
- It's a "romantic comedy adventure."
- Cameron Crowe is directing for Columbia Pictures.
- Reese Witherspoon and Ben Stiller are set to play the lead lovebirds.
Well, the Cameron Crowe part could be pretty awesome. He's responsible for bringing us Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous (I can ignore Vanilla Sky and Elizabethtown).
But is it bad that the first thing I thought of when I saw this news was, Oh, man, I so don't want to see Reese Witherspoon have to kiss Ben Stiller? Does anyone else find this pairing slightly odd? I mean, she's an Academy Award-winning actress and
he's. . . Ben Stiller.
