BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 2/18

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:30:08 -0800

Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd are in talks to star opposite Reese Witherspoon in James L. Brooks's untitled romantic comedy. - ComingSoon
Ashton Kutcher is in talks to play a star NFL quarterback who trades bodies with a 12-year-old boy in the comedy Traded. - Zap2It
Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black are teaming up for a new Comedy Central show, Michael and Michael Have Issues. - The Hollywood Reporter
Robert Rodriguez is set to write and direct the futuristic thriller Nerverackers. - Variety
Law and Order: Criminal Intent and In Plain Sight will return to USA on April 19. - TV Guide
Martin Lawrence may star in Back to America, a comedy in which a working-class man from Queens discovers he is heir to the throne of an African country and travels there to claim his birthright. - ComingSoon
Halle Berry is set to star as the international jewel thief at the heart of the film Who Is Doris Payne. - Variety
A&E has picked up an MC Hammer reality show called Hammertime. - TV.com
Brothers & Sisters star Dave Annable has been cast in the romantic comedy Wedlocked opposite American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee. - The Hollywood Reporter

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Movie News Roundup: Watts, Fox, Another 300 Movie and More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:46:17 -0700

According to The Guardian, Naomi Watts will play one of King Lear's daughters in the next film adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley will take on the roles of the other two daughters to Anthony Hopkins's King Lear.
Matthew Fox is in talks to star in yet another one of Hollywood's comic book-turned-movies, Billy Smoke, about "an elite hit man who's nearly killed during a botched job and realizes that his only way to find redemption is to rid the world of all assassins."
Hollywood Reporter writes that Helena Bonham Carter will have a "small but pivotal role" in the fourth Terminator movie.
A follow-up to 300 is officially in the works, with Frank Miller currently writing the graphic novel on which it will be based. Though he's not committed yet, 300 director Zack Snyder is "definitely interested" to see what Miller comes up with. It's unclear whether the new installment will be a prequel or a spinoff, Variety reports.
Robert Rodriguez is casting his lady Rose McGowan yet again, this time for a new film version of Red Sonja, a story based on the fearsome woman warrior created by Robert E. Howard and later adapted for Marvel Comics, Variety writes.
According to Hollywood Reporter, four more ladies (Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis and Zoe Bell) have joined Drew Barrymore's directorial feature Whip It, starring Ellen Page. The movie is based on the novel Derby Girl.

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The Results Are In: (Re)cast The Jetsons!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 May 2007 16:53:31 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

As I mentioned last week, Robert Rodriguez is in talks to shoot a live-action movie version of "The Jetsons." So, as a twist on the usual recast challenge, I asked you to come up with a cast for Rodriguez's project. Some of my favorite picks were your ideas for George and Rosy. I love the idea of Steve Martin as George, like several of you suggested, though jadenirvana's pick of Jason Bateman hit on my soft spot for the former "Arrested Development" star.

And as for Rosy, I love that dropstar chose Joan Rivers, LilPeaPod picked Rosie O'Donnell and Linda McP put down Ellen Degeneres. Nicely done, all!

Overall, however, my favorite cast list comes from Elsinore. Congratulations, Elsinore! To see who Elsinore picked as well as a lineup of the cast, read more

Elsinore's cast:
George: Stephen Colbert
Jane: Marcia Cross
Judy: Kristin Bell
Elroy: Dylan or Cole Sprouse
Rosy: Megan Mullally

And, yes, I agree with bugness... Danny Devito seriously resembles Mr. Spacely.

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 12 May 2007 08:31:41 -0700

Robert Rodriguez is in talks to direct a live-action movie version of "The Jetsons." Given the chance, which actors would you cast in a Jetsons movie?
If you enter my Kevin Michael giveaway, you could win an exclusive EP.
Check out my rundown of summer comedies and then vote for the one that looks most promising.
Relive the awesome moment when Ellen called ABC's president of entertainment to ask if "Private Practice" will have a run for real. Meanwhile, I've been mulling over whether "Grey's Anatomy" is bad for women. What do you think?
Check out this music video for Lavender Diamond's sweet, springtimey song "Open Your Heart."
Georgia Rule definitely does not rule, but I still love Felicity Huffman. A lot.
I totally have the scoop on fall TV: what kinds of pilots are being proposed, rumors about which shows may be alive for another season, and which might be canceled.

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(Re)cast The Jetsons and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:52:55 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I just brought you news that one of Robert Rodriguez's next projects is going to be a live-action version of "The Jetsons," and katiey424 mused that we should think up who should play the characters. What a great idea! So go to it: Who should play George, Jane, Judy, Elroy and Rosy the Robot in a live-action "Jetsons" film? I am leaving out the dog.

Technically, of course, this is not really a "recast" since there have never been actors playing live-action versions of the Jetsons characters, so this is a new kind of casting challenge! Please note that this is all in good fun and the winner of this challenge will not (or most likely will not) see his/her cast in the actual "Jetsons" movie once it's made. I repeat: this is just a game. Okay, cast it up!

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, May 15, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Characters to recast:
George Jetson
Jane Jetson
Judy Jetson
Elroy Jetson
Rosy the Robot (let's just say there will be someone at least giving her a voice)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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Robert Rodriguez's Future Project: The Jetsons?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:21:18 -0700

Where does a director with Grindhouse and Spy Kids on his resume go next? Possibly to the future! At least, the future as envisioned by a 1960s cartoon. According to Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez is in talks to direct a live-action version of the "The Jetsons" for Warner Bros.

At the same time, the director - whose highly entertaining Planet Terror was the far better half of Grindhouse - is also considering another TV-inspired project. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

At the same time, the helmer has met with Will Ferrell and Universal execs for helming duties on "Land of the Lost," based on the 1970s Sid and Marty Krofft fantasy TV series to which Ferrell is attached to star.

While no offers have been made, sources say "Jetsons" has the edge because its script, whose latest draft is by Adam Goldberg ("Fanboys"), is further along.

At first, it seemed pretty odd that Rodriguez would follow Grindhouse (not to mention Sin City and Once Upon a Time in Mexico) with a movie based on a cartoon. But then I remembered Spy Kids, which I haven't seen but I hear is excellent, so read more

In fact, the more I get to know his work, I'm increasingly impressed by Rodriguez's versatility as a director. With Sin City, Rodriguez crafted a very creative method for adapting a graphic novel, and though "The Jetsons" is a cartoon, I could see him coming up with a very cool look for that movie, too.

Unfortunately, the very first thing that came to mind when I heard this news was the absolutely dreadful big-screen version of The Flintstones that came out in 1994. Man, was that movie bad. I just hope that whomever ends up directing "The Jetsons" movie remembers what happened to "The Flintstones."

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Grindhouse: A Clever Experiment That Succeeds

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:47:32 -0700

Should you spend three hours of your life indulging two directors’ fanboy fantasies with a parade of gross-out humor, awkward pacing, bad acting, and obscure movie references?

Yes, you absolutely should.

As you've probably heard by now, Grindhouse is actually two movies in one: Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. But it's also an ambitious attempt to recreate an obsolete experience - seeing a double-feature at a '70s B-movie parlor, complete with trailers, missing film reels, scratched frames, and the freedom to applaud ass-kicking moments and "ew" over icky ones.

In this regard, collaborators and comrades Rodriguez and Tarantino are entirely successful, and it's highly entertaining to watch how they pull it off, so

I know a lot of you are approaching Grindhouse with total disinterest, but the intentionally over-the-top movie is actually quite thought-provoking. Each director interprets the challenge differently, which makes the film pairing that much more captivating.

The first movie, Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is pure homage - a zombie movie with a modern-day terrorism twist - and, in my opinion, the more successful of the two. It has all the trappings of a B-movie, including choppy editing, a pointless plot, even B-list actors, including Freddy Rodriguez as a vigilante and Rose McGowan as a go-go dancer on a mission. The acting is at once terrible and brilliant - Stacy Ferguson (aka "Fergie") couldn't act her way out of a backseat, and for that reason, she is expertly cast as a troubled motorist.

The problem with actual bad movies is that they have the potential to be really boring. What's impressive about Planet Terror is that it feels authentic without actually being bad. Much the way John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China was both campy and entertaining, Rodriguez manages to make tired B-movie tropes - cliched dialog, blood and guts that might have been purchased at Spencer Gifts - feel surprisingly novel.

But while Planet's influences are obvious, Tarantino’s contribution, a sort of tribute to stunt-people called Death Proof, is harder to get your head around. Much the way that Kill Bill took the martial arts movie and Tarantinofied it, Death Proof gathers inspiration from car-chase films and horror flicks to invent what feels like an entirely new genre.

Oddly, Death Proof also plays like two movies in one, and like Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, the action unfolds in what looks like a fictional era, blending a '70s aesthetic with modern conveniences like cell phones. Set and shot in Austin, TX - in what feels like an excuse for Tarantino to namecheck lots of local restaurants - the first half follows a group of freewheeling gals on a night out, and though it turns out to be a horror movie, it forgoes the dramatic tension that normally imbues horror movies, so the format feels entirely unfamiliar.

The same thing could be said for part two, which follows another group of girls only tangentially related to the first group. Working on location for a movie, these women - including Kill Bill stunt-woman Zoe Bell, playing herself - morph the movie from horror film into women's revenge flick in a way that's entirely unexpected and also quite jarring.

It would be an impressive trick, but in my opinion, Tarantino doesn't quite pull it off. Rather than work in his favor, the odd pacing makes the disparate plots feel unfinished. At the same time, the trademark Tarantino banter in cars and diners feels watered down compared to some of the genius scenes in Reservoir Dogs and other Tarantino movies. However, I will say that Death Proof feels unlike anything I've ever seen on the big screen - and also like one of those cases where I should wait to see the director's cut.

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Will You See Grindhouse?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:33:43 -0700

Grindhouse, the new double-feature from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, is probably one of the most buzzed-about movies so far this year. But the violent B-movie homage isn't for everyone. Stay tuned for my review, and until then, tell me: Do you think you'll see it?

Grindhouse: Worse Than An R Rating?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:22:38 -0700

Grindhouse, the new double-feature from directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, has been getting tons of buzz. But now, it's not all for the right reasons: Page Six is reporting that the movie is likely to get an NC-17 rating unless it gets some significant editing. Hardly surprising, since the two movies - Planet Terror and Death Proof - are an homage to 1970s theaters known for showing films featuring uncensored violence and sex. According to the New York Post article:

The Weinstein Company, which is releasing the picture April 6 through its Dimension Films arm, needs an R rating for the flick to get into mainstream theaters. But, "some of it is so graphic and outrageous for a major Hollywood studio, there's no question it's headed for an NC-17 without big cuts," says a Page Six operative, who got a sneak peek at the most over-the-top footage.

A Dimension rep declined to comment, but I have a feeling this controversy will blow over soon. Regardless, I'm still really excited for what sounds like a pretty cutting-edge, if utterly grotesque, movie. To watch the trailer, read more

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The Best of ShoWest 2007

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:26:26 -0700

ShoWest, which wrapped up its annual event in Las Vegas yesterday, might just be the sexiest "trade show" around. The industry event is where film producers, movie theater owners, and, of course, Hollywood stars come together to celebrate the big moneymaking projects they have on tap.

This year, the big buzz swirled around Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, for which Jerry Bruckheimer unveiled the trailer and which could help make 2007 box-office returns even bigger than 2006.

Grindhouse was also impossible to ignore: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, who each directed one half of the double-feature horror flick due out April 6, were honored with ShoWest's Best Director award for 2007. To see the rest of the winners, read more

Grindhouse picked up several awards, including Supporting Actor of the Year for Freddy Rodriguez and Supporting Actress of the year for Rosario Dawson, who will also star in Sin City 2. Here's who else won big.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Directors of the Year
Don Cheadle, Male Star of the Year
Kirsten Dunst, Female Star of the Year
Rosario Dawson, Supporting Actress of the Year
Freddy Rodriguez, Supporting Actor of the Year
Emma Roberts, Female Star of Tomorrow
Shia LaBeouf, Male Star of Tomorrow
Jerry Weintraub, winner Producer of the Year
Raman Hui and Chris Miller, Animation Directors of the Year
Steve Carell, Comedy Star of the Year
Bruce Joel Rubin, Screenwriter of the Year

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