BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 1/30

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:30:33 -0800

ABC has ordered Lauren Graham's comedy pilot, while CBS wants pilots from three dramas. - The Hollywood Reporter
Over a month after Disney passed on The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 20th Century Fox has picked it up. - E! Online
Leonardo DiCaprio's production company will produce a biopic about James Bond creator Ian Fleming. - The Hollywood Reporter
There's a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror-thriller The Thing in the works. - Variety
Emily Blunt and Jason Segel are joining Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels. - ComingSoon
Ellen Barkin will star in a half-hour comedy pilot for HBO. - Variety
Oscar-nominee Viola Davis will join Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in the psychological thriller Law Abiding Citizen. - ComingSoon
Channing Tatum has been tapped to star in an adaptation of the David Morrell novel The Brotherhood of the Rose. - Variety
Madonna will crank up her Sticky & Sweet tour again this Summer with about 25 more shows, which will add to the total of what's already the top-grossing tour ever by a female or solo artist. - Billboard

2009 Sundance Spotlight: Brooklyn's Finest, The Informers, 500 Days of Summer

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:30:39 -0800

While I won't be heading down to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival this year, I will be sorting through the humongous pile of festival entries to share with you some of the films I think look most promising. From quirky documentaries to talented young filmmaker debuts to a potential runaway hit, Sundance is filled with entertainment possibilities. Here are today's selections:

Brooklyn's Finest
Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Brooklyn's Finest just became this year's first sale at Sundance. Apparently "Senator Distribution nabbed North American rights . . . on Saturday night, 24 hours after its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. . . Senator says it will release the film in the fourth quarter for awards consideration." According to Senator president Mark Urman, the company "went into aggressive pursuit right after Friday's screening." Wow! All of this spells good things for the cop drama which features a stellar cast (Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin). The plot is described as: "Three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths." The guy responsible for the screenplay has a unique and intriguing story himself (you can read about it here). No clips available just yet, but now that it's been purchased I'm sure we'll hear and see much more about this film in the future.

Two more great-looking movies, with talented folks like Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Mickey Rourke, if you read more.

The Informers
Well, the long-awaited movie adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's collection of short stories is upon us. The movie, starring a whole lot of people from the '80s and early '90s (most notably Mickey Rourke, continuing his amazing career comeback) is about LA in the '80s in all its beautiful, indulgent, moral-decaying glory. The Informers also includes Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Billy Bob Thornton, Chris Isaak, and the late Brad Renfro (his final role). I have mixed feelings about this movie, but then again, any trailer that includes a song by A Flock of Seagulls deserves a chance in my book.

FYI: The trailer for The Informers below is not suitable for work due to some topless ladies. Proceed with caution:

500 Days of Summer
Oh, man. Could these two be cuter together? I think not. I was so excited when this casting news first came out and I'm even more thrilled that the movie's premiering at Sundance (to not-bad reviews so far) and has a release date (July 24) and now has a super cute teaser trailer (see below!). At first glance, the movie's description sounds like a little tale of unrequited love (boy loves girl, girl doesn't believe in love) but here's the part that got me really curious: "energized by dance numbers, split screens, and two dynamic performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel." Dance numbers? Why not?! Check out the trailer below and for additional clips, click here.

Photos courtesy of Sundance

Buzz News Roundup, 7/28

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:30:49 -0700

Citing a lack of stories to tell in a second season, HBO won't be bringing back Tell Me You Love Me after all, Zap2it reports.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Ridley Scott's Nottingham movie (starring Russell Crowe as Sheriff of Nottingham and Sienna Miller as Maid Marion) has been "indefinitely postponed."
Alexis Bledel and Scott Porter are joining Julio DePietro's romantic comedy The Good Guy, ComingSoon reports.
Harvey Keitel will play a detective in ABC's Life on Mars, marking the first time he's taken a regular TV role, the New York Times reports.
Billboard has the news that Coldplay's album Viva la Vida climbed back to the top spot on the U.K. charts.
Showtime is developing a drama about Studio 54 called Studio, writes Hollywood Reporter.
Ellen Barkin, Ving Rhames and Rob Corddry will star in the indie comedy Rogues Gallery, Variety writes.
Family Guy showrunner David A. Goodman will adapt Blatant Comics's Last Blood into a horror film, according to ComingSoon.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Nelly will guest-star on CSI: NY as a club owner.

Source

Ocean's Thirteen: Analog Heroes In A Digital World

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:59:21 -0700

At the beginning of Ocean’s Thirteen, security systems expert Roman Nagel (Eddie Izzard) consults Danny (George Clooney) and Rusty (Brad Pitt) on how best to infiltrate the ultra high-tech security system at The Bank, a luxury hotel/casino set to open on the Vegas strip. As Roman tries to explain the system in tech-speak, it’s clear Danny and Rusty are out of their element. “I like you two,” says Roman. “You’ve got style, brio. But you’re analog people in a digital world.”

No matter how high-tech the revenge shenanigans get in Ocean’s Thirteen, it is precisely this “analog” quality - the old-school loyalty, humor, and charm - that keep us rooting for these thieves and cons. Fast-paced and fantastically convoluted, Ocean’s Thirteen (like its two predecessors) is almost all exposition. The journey to the sweet moment of revenge against wicked casino kingpin Willy Bank (Al Pacino), in other words, is the bulk of the film. Their revenge may be high-tech, but their values are old-fashioned. Like Ocean’s 11, in which Danny’s motivation is as much about getting his wife Tess back from Bellagio owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) as it is about robbing Terry’s casino, Ocean’s Thirteen is about men who want to save their stricken friend Reuben, no matter what the cost. Although there's a bit of a lag in the middle, and an unfortunate sexist misuse of Ellen Barkin as Bank's right-hand woman, the fact that they have a fantastic time doing it makes it a joyride for us viewers as well, so read more

Ocean's Thirteen begins with Rusty hearing the news that Reuben has had a heart attack and is in critical condition after being screwed by Bank. After visiting the unresponsive Reuben, Rusty and Danny begin scheming their revenge. Willy Bank’s hotel/casino, The Bank, is the new crown jewel in his empire of casinos. He and the built-like-a-brick-house Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin) run a tight ship and aim to make, well, bank on opening night.

What Bank and Abigail don’t know is that Ocean’s crew is going to treat The Bank like a fun house. In order to bankroll this over-the-top revenge job, they are helped by the unlikeliest of protagonists: Their once arch-enemy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). As long as they steal Bank’s diamonds, Terry claims, he’ll pay for everything. So, using their collective wiles, they rig, bribe and digitally maneuver their ways into ruining The Bank's opening night. And how will they get into the insanely impregnable vault where the diamonds are held? Old fashioned seduction: Send in “Lenny Pepperidge” (Matt Damon, with a ridiculous fake nose) to seduce Abigail with some special love potion he puts on his neck.

"There’s a code among people who have shaken Sinatra’s hand," Reuben says in disbelief to Bank when he’s getting screwed. As charming as that “old fashioned” code of loyalty is, part of it seems to include the notion that “broads” are just trouble. As a result, with the exception of Abigail, who is called a "cougar," humiliated and ultimately dispensed with, Ocean’s Thirteen is largely a world without women. In spite of this and the lag in the middle, Ocean’s Thirteen is loads of fun.

Top Ten Ladies of Summer

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:01:40 -0700

I recently brought you my list of the Top Ten Gentlemen I am most excited to check out on the big screen this summer, and now I'm turning my attention to my favorite ladies. And no, John Travolta simply doesn't cut it for either of the top ten lists. Honorable mentions, however, include the entire cast of Evening (Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, etc.) and Leslie Mann whose pixie-voiced crassness in Knocked Up just about killed me. But I digress. On with the list of ladies...

No. 10: Jessica Biel
Jessica's summer flick, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, may not end up being my cup of tea, but there is no denying that the hyper-fit starlet is everywhere these days. Her relationship with Justin Timberlake is certainly catapulting her to A-List gossip status, but she has been getting these coveted roles without the help of anyone bringing SexyBack. Plus, it's hard not to root for a girl who could definitely beat most of our Boys of Summer in a fight.

To see the rest of our top 10, read more

No. 9: Nikki Blonsky
Hollywood newcomer Nikki Blonsky is about to shake things up in Hairspray alongside John Travolta. I don't know how awesome Hairspray will be - the clip I've seen of the film so far is fun but also makes me blush and cringe - but I have to say Miss Blonsky definitely has that "je ne sais quoi" that makes her irresistible to watch.

No. 8: Keira Knightley
What Top Ten list would be complete without little bird-boned Keira Knightley and her winsome toothy grin? Even dressed as a pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End she can't hide her dainty ways. Starring opposite two of my Top Ten hunky guys, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp, I have that envy-resentment thing going on towards Knightley.

No. 7: Jennifer Lopez
Ah, J.Lo. Since she's starring this summer alongside her real-life husband Marc Anthony in El Cantante, a movie about the origins of salsa music in America, I should make some kind of comment about her spicing up an already overheated summer lineup or something but... nah. The always stylish Jennifer is hot, apparently unable to learn the lesson of not co-starring with real live lovers, and in a movie this summer, so she makes the list.

No. 6: Mandy Moore
I've been a die-hard believer in Mandy Moore's comedic chops ever since seeing her in Saved! so her upcoming License to Wed could suck and I'd still go see it. Well, I'm also going to see the ever-adorable John Krasinski, so there's that. As long as it's not A Walk to Remember-depressing, I'm there.

No. 5: Michelle Pfeiffer
Starring in not one, but two summer movies (Hairspray, Stardust), Michelle Pfeiffer is once again the lady of the hour. In Hairspray she plays Velma Von Tussle, the catty, overbearing stage mother to Brittany Snow's character, Amber. In Stardust she plays a witch intent on staying young and beautiful, which is funny because she really looks young for her age. Pfeiffer is kind of getting up there but still looks like she's my age, and she seems rather spry. It's freaky.

No. 4: Angelina Jolie
Kudos to Angelina Jolie. She's saving the world, one underprivileged child at a time and she's making the important films, like A Mighty Heart which opens June 22. The reviews from Cannes, where the film premiered, have been largely positive, with most critics giving props to Jolie for her sensitive portrayal of Mariane Pearl, whose husband Daniel was brutally murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Somehow the rebellious wild child who wore a vial of Billy Bob's blood around her neck has almost seamlessly transformed into a doting mother. In my eyes, Jolie is a strong, elegant and intelligent lady.

No. 3: Isla Fisher
Like Michelle Pfeiffer, Isla has two movies coming out this summer: Wedding Daze (aka The Pleasure of Your Company) and Hot Rod. One has to do with marrying a stranger and the other deals with mountain biking. I'm hoping Hot Rod will be like that '80s movie Rad. Anyone remember that one? No? Anyway, Isla is perhaps my favorite young actress right now for how well she mixes sweet 'n goofy, and I think she might secretly be a genius. Plus, she and her fiance, Sacha Baron Cohen, are possibly expecting their first child, which is cute enough to make even me a little sentimental.

No. 2: Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin is one tough broad. I love watching her in movies, and since she doesn't do too many, it's a treat to see her this summer in Ocean's Thirteen. Moreover, every interview I read only further endears me to her. In this week's Entertainment Weekly, for example, she asserts, "Hollywood likes a girl who looks like men can make her cry, and I'm not that girl." How cool is she? Her tough-sassy-sexy thing got her the coveted role of being the only lady in a cast of hot men, and it got her the Number 2 spot on my list.

No. 1: Katherine Heigl
Knocked Up is an awesome movie - I'm officially saying that now (and you can read why in my review later... wait for it...). Part of its success is Judd Apatow's writing but a large part is the cast, most notably Katherine Heigl. There's just something natural and down-home about her that I find charming. I hesitate to say girl-next-door because that seems weirdly porny, but she does remind me of someone I'd want as a friend. So, I give my new friend Katherine Heigl the Number 1 spot on my Top Ten Ladies of Summer list.