Keeping Up with the Times

In order to drum up some buzz for its upcoming season, Fox will “tweet-peat” last season’s penultimate episode of Fringe and the pilot episode of Glee this week, meaning the network will broadcast the reruns with real-time commentary from the shows’ producers and stars.

The Fringe father-and-son duo of John Noble and Joshua Jackson will tweet during the show’s Thursday rerun (@FringeOnFox), while on Friday, Glee’s Kevin McHale and Lea Michele will tweet a director’s cut of the show’s pilot (@GleeOnFox).

Fox will run a scroll of the commentary of these tweets, so you don’t have to be on Twitter to read the feeds – they’ll be right there on your TV.

I’m almost seduced by this idea. Almost.

On a Glee-related note, Columbia Records will release multiple soundtracks from the upcoming first season of the show.

Glee: The Music, Volume 1, featuring cast covers of songs by artists from Neil Diamond to Kanye West, will be available on Nov. 3. The Glee cast’s cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” from the May pilot, was an iTunes smash.

Photo: Boston.com.

Update: And in more Gleeful news: We have us a track list for the first Glee soundtrack!

License to Wed

Congratulations and best wishes go out to John Krasinski (Away We Go) and Emily Blunt.

The undercover lovers – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of the couple posing on a red carpet together – have confirmed they’re engaged via his rep.

Up next for Krasinski is the debut of his first directorial effort for the big screen, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, this fall. Blunt will next be seen in next year’s The Wolfman.

Photo: AccidentalSexiness.com.

Just Because, Pt. 48

David Beckham practiced his game on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., yesterday.

And the point of this is?

That I didn’t mean it when I said he was out. His out-ish.

Photo: UsMagazine.com.

R.I.P. DJ AM

Adam Goldstein, a.k.a. DJ AM, was found dead in his New York City apartment today.

The cause of death has not been released by the medical examiner, although an NYPD source said there was no apparent evidence of foul play.

However, drug paraphernalia has been reported to have been found in Goldstein’s apartment. The DJ had battled addiction in the past, and in 2008, he narrowly escaped death a jet crash with Blink 182’s Travis Barker. He is said to have been struggling with the emotional and physical aftermath of the incident.

Goldstein was 36 years old.

Photo: NYTimes.com.

Update 1: Click here to read reaction from celebs such as Lindsay Lohan, Katy Perry, Diddy, DJ Samantha Ronson, Ashton Kutcher, Ryan Seacrest, and Perez Hilton, among others.

Update 2: Now click here to read what Mandy Moore had to say about the news. Moore and Goldstein dated back in 2007 and had remained close friends.

Death Should Take a Holiday

Dear Hollywood,

The Final Destination? In 3D? Seriously?

I’m go glad I saw this one at a press screening, otherwise I’d be writing the studio asking for a refund on behalf of everyone who in the theater with me – and also every sucker who’s going to go see this not-hot mess this weekend.

The fourth entry in this tired franchise is a shameful attempt at making a buck. The filmmakers should be embarrassed they made this movie, and the actors that they so-called acted in it. (Hey, Nick Zano – Zach Morris called. He wants his hairstyle back.)

There was nothing inventive about the deadly scenarios in which the characters found themselves in this more-ludicrous-than-you’d-think-thanks-to-the-3D flick – each death seemed to be a derivation of the previous one.

Worst still, the gimmick of the 3D makes the movie look even cheaper than it already is.

Hollywood, you so need to give up on the Final Destinations.

It’s gotten sad. And I don’t have anything else to say about except: Do not see this flick, people. Take a nap instead. I’ll do you plenty more good.

My Rating - ****

Photo: Warner Bros.

Summer Sets on the Dollhouse

Whedonverse vet Summer Glau is joining Dollhouse this fall as Bennett, a Dollhouse employee who shares a past with Eliza Dushku’s Echo.

The Firefly, Serenity, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles actress will appear alongside Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber – as well as Angel’s Alexis Denisof – on the show’s promises-to-kick-ass sophomore season.

Which means, Joss Whedon fans, that we must pay our respects by watching the show, of course, but also by pushing the powers that be for Joss Whedon Day, a day during which we do nothing but pledge our undying devotion to the man who gives us so much TV joy.

Who do we talk to about that?

Photo: Whedon.info.

Superdowngrade Much?

Brandon Routh has been cast on Chuck for a multi-episode arc.

Yeah – Chuck, the TV show.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I live for Chuck. But Routh played the Man of Steel in Superman Returns…he was supposed to be the next It Boy. A TV show, however beloved and cool and Season Passed it is, still is a TV show.

But, hey – I welcome him.

Routh will play Shaw, a mysterious new spy who takes control as the new leader of Operation Bartowski, becoming a mentor to Chuck (Zachary Levi) and a rival in his affections for Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). He will first appear in this fall’s fourth episode.

Photo: VanityFair.com.

Update: Chuck seems to be turning into a bit of a Superman catch-all.

Smallville vet Kristin Kreuk is also joining the show for multiple episodes as Hannah, a girl Chuck meets on a flight to Paris.

Ms. Lively Goes to Town

Ben Affleck is following up his behind-the-camera turn in Gone Baby Gone with The Town, an adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves.

The actor-writer-director has tapped Gossip Girl star Blake Lively to join Jon Hamm (AMC’s Mad Men), Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) in the ensemble piece.

Chris Cooper is in negotiations to come on board, too.

The story follows a bank manager (Hall), the career criminal (Affleck himself) who stole more than her heart, and the dedicated FBI agent (Hamm) trying to bust the crook and his gang, of which Renner is a part.

Lively will play Renner’s sister and Affleck’s troubled ex-girlfriend. (Cooper would play Affleck’s father.)

Photo: People.com.

R.I.P. Sen. Kennedy

Another chapter in American politics came to a close yesterday when Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy passed away at age 77 after a battle with brain cancer.

“We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives,” a Kennedy family statement said today, “but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever.”

In a statement, President Barack Obama said: “An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time.”

Kennedy was one of six senators in U.S. history to serve more than 40 years – he was known as the “Lion of the Senate” – and played a major role in civil and voting rights, as well as healthcare reform.

For decades, the Kennedys have transcended Americana, and not for nothing they are referred to as American royalty.

Camelot has lost one yet another of its MVPs – Sen. Kennedy’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics, died Aug. 11 – and for that today I am sad.

Photo: CNN.com.

The Gayest Gossip

Blair’s in for a surprise. (Or is she?)

Gossip Girl gossipers have confirmed that the CW show will feature a third-season episode in which Ed Westwick’s Chuck Bass kisses another man who is neither Chace Crawford nor Penn Badgley.

Neal Bledsoe, and up-and-coming actor guest-starring in episode 6, will play Westwick’s “romantic” interest, Josh Ellis, NYU’s head of freshman affairs – a man of particular interest to Blair (Leighton Meester).

But is our former Queen Bee gonna get more than she bargained for? We’ll have to watch to find out, won’t we….

Photo: TheInsider.com.

I Have No Words

I.

Could.

Die.

Now.

People – I can barely type looking at this Daniel Craig-and-Hugh Jackman-in-Broadway’s-upcoming-A Steady Rain preview photo.

Like I said, it’s as if chocolate and pizza decided to come together.

And the best part is I’m going to have of that. I literally just printed my ticket to go to New York to see the two actors together on stage next month.

In the Keith Huff play, Jackman plays Denny, a patrolman with a racist streak and violent temper, while Craig, in his Great White Way debut, portrays Joey, a recovering alcoholic and gentler soul who may not be as docile as he first seems. The production sees the two recount a few harrowing days on the job and their very different accounts of a police call that quickly went south.

Believe when I tell you that my date with Craig, his porn-stache, and Jackman at the end of September is the only thing that’s keeping me going. They better not pull a Lauren Graham on me!

Photo: EW.com.

Update: How Mr. Brainwash is the welcome page of A Steady Rain’s official Web site?

You know a Madonna fan saw the cover of Celebration and decided to give props.

Nostalgia, Pt. 33

Now, this is a comeback I didn’t expect at all: TLC are set to play a show for the very first time in seven years.

Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, the two remaining members of TLC – Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died in a 2002 car accident – will head to Las Vegas in October to perform as part of Justin Timberlake and Friends benefit concert.

Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, and Ciara are also on the ticket. But really, it’s all about TLC.

Because we could all use a little TLC.

I mean, “Waterfalls” – hello! And “No Scrubs.” And “Unpretty.”

Put your lighters up for Left Eye, y’all.

Photo: People.com.

Mind-blowing to Say the Least

The teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Inception – opening next summer! – just blew my mind:

Inception @ Yahoo! Video

Not much is known about the thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, and Ellen Page, other than it’s described as “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.”

My likey!

Michael Moore Sticks It to Wall Street

The upcoming Capitalism: A Love Story is really not that grim, or so filmmaker Michael Moore would have you believe.

“It’s a crime story,” Moore has said. “But it’s also a war story – about class warfare. And a vampire movie, with the upper 1 percent feeding off the rest of us. And, of course, it’s also a love story. Only it’s about an abusive relationship.”

So take a look at the doc’s trailer, which gives us a glimpse of “what happens when Wall Street tanks and the government bails.”



You gotta love Moore.

Capitalism: A Love Story opens on Oct. 2. Watch it and weep, fat cats of America.

Most Likely to Succeed

As if we or his High School Musical co-stars needed a reminder….

In case questions linger as to why Zac Efron is the only one who has achieved a modicum of box office success after life as a Disney franchise power player, there he was last week, showing it all off on the set of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.

Somewhere Corbin Bleu is crossing his fingers that we’ll be able to see the behind-the-scenes drama of The CW’s The Beautiful Life (here’s looking at you, Mischa Barton) and that the show hits.

Photo: People.com.

Let’s Go to Pandora?

I’ve been singing Sam Worthington’s (Terminator Salvation) praises for months, so I was thrilled when I saw an Esquire cover story on the Aussie wondering if he’s the greatest actor of our time.

Up next for Worthington is Avatar, which, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know is James Cameron’s decades-in-the-making next movie.

He plays wheelchair-bound former Marine Jake Sully, and the movie is set in the 22nd century on the alien moon Pandora.

How the two come to interact was one of the spoilers revealed last Friday during Avatar Day, a worldwide sneak peek at Cameron’s hotly anticipated 3-D epic opening in December. Read on at your own discretion….

Photo: SciFiWire.com.

Becks, You’re Out!

Emporio Armani Underwear can keep David Beckham – it’s all about Jamie Dornan for Calvin Klein now.

And, oh yeah: Eva Mendes’ also in the CK ads.

Google Dornan triple-pronto, especially his Visionaire photos for more...lots more.

Photo: StyleByMe.net.

What Was Madonna Thinking?

So I was checking out the track list for Madonna’s upcoming greatest hits album, Celebration, earlier this week, and was happy to see several oldies but goodies among the 36 songs selected for the double-CD.

You know, like “Everybody,” and “Open Your Heart,” and “Cherish,” among others, which are sprinkled in between more recent fare like the title track and “Hung Up” and “4 Minutes.”

But then I was like, what the what!

First all, the songs are not arranged in chronological order. Faux pas!

And, I mean, no “True Blue”? Hello!

Oh, and I’m sorry, but “Sorry”?

“Jump” would’ve been so much better.

Just take a look at M’s “Confessions Tour” performance of the song:



This fan would’ve liked to see the unheralded hit get its much-deserved due.

From Chicago to Broadway

Cheyenne, Daniel and Hugh, and Jude – move aside, there’s a lady coming.

Catherine Zeta-Jones reportedly will join the legendary Angela Lansbury in an upcoming revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.

Lansbury had agreed to play Madame Armfeldt, but she didn’t want to shoulder the production all on her own – although she could have – so she…suggested that producers line up another star to play her daughter Desiree.

That was Zeta-Jones’ cue right there.

The Chicago Oscar winner, though, was supposed to star in a Great White Way production of Women on the Verge, based on the Pedro Almodóvar film, but balked at having to audition.

A Little Night Music is set to open in December.

Photo: NachoFoto.com.

Amanda’s Stamp of Approval

The TV goddess has spoken: The Melrose Place reboot premiering on The CW doesn’t suck.

Heather Locklear reportedly is in talks (again) to reprise her roles as Amanda Woodward on the new show now that she’s seen and liked the pilot.

Do it, Heather – it’ll make us all so happy.

Photo: BittenAndBound.com.

An Education

In the harmless late-summer entry Post Grad, Alexis Bledel plays Ryden Malby, a recent college graduate whose life isn’t playing out just like she thought it would right after graduation.

If I was a recent grad myself, I could feel pressured by this movie, you know, by the expectation not to feel like Ryden…like a big ol’ loser.

But, thankfully, I graduated from college a few years ago, so there’s no fretting, and I can enjoy the movie for what it is: a feel-better-som’in’-will-turn-up movie with no pretense of excellence.

Not that the movie sucks.

Not at all – Post Grad knows its place in the canon of teen/young adult movies, and it knows it’s a showcase for Bledel, who, by the way, must have the bluest, most drawing eyes in the world (they’re crazy blue, like a tropical beach blue), and, more importantly, it knows that the audience will find some enjoyment in it.

It doesn’t push its luck much, and aims to be a movie the entire family can watch. It plays it safe – a bit ironic, since ultimately, it pushes Ryden to take a risk.

But let me not get ahead of myself.

Ryden has just survived four years of higher ed, and she’s bushy-tailed-excited about entering the work force.

She has her sights set on a fancy publishing company because she likes to read – she wants to discover the next great American novel (so glad the filmmakers didn’t make her a fashion magazine wannabe) – but her dreams are dashed when her college rival gets the job over her because she knows someone who knows someone….

Hey, that happens, kids, so kudos to the movie for putting it out there.

Forced to move back home with her eccentric family – dad, (Michael Keaton), is a luggage retailer/bumbling entrepreneur, her cute-moppet little brother communicates via hand-puppet, her grandma (Carol Burnett) is obsessed with her own death, and her mom (Jane Lynch) is all of their straight man – Ryden’s at a quarter-life crossroads.

Discouraged by her job prospects, broke, and without a car (too bad the whole Cash for Clunkers thing is not an option), the girl’s in the dumps so bad she doesn’t even realize her BFF Adam (TV’s Friday Night Lights) is totally in love with her…but not quite so bad that she doesn’t fall for her hot Brazilian neighbor (Rodrigo Santoro) for just a little bit.

Post Grad is about a girl figuring it all out. We’ve all been there, right? So, hey, if you’re looking for some light fare at the movies this weekend, this one’s for you.

If anything, you’ll get to see Bledel, who has taken everything she learned at the Rory Gilmore School of Being – if you don’t get the reference…ew – and turned it into a winning performance.

She and her eyes are worth the price of admission alone.

My Rating ***

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Two Weeks Only

Michael Jackson fans ought to be happy about this one.

Rehearsal footage from the late King of Pop’s never-happened “This Is It Tour” is being packaged to open in movie theaters around the world for a two-week October run.

Tickets for the exclusive engagement will go on sale in most cities beginning on Sept. 27.

“This film is Michael’s gift to his fans,” said Kenny Ortega (High School Musical), the tour’s director-turned-the movie’s director.

“As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique, and very special. It’s a very private, [an] exclusive look into a creative genius’s world.”

Michael Jackson THIS IS IT will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena.

Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the movie’s drawn from more than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show.

It’s a small consolation for MJ fans, but it certainly will make them happy.

Photo: Guardian.co.uk.

Update: Evidently, MJ will finally be buried on Sept. 3 and now on what would have his 51st birthday on Aug. 29.

Yet Another Reason Why I Should Discover the Galacticasphere

Buffy the Vampire Slayer MVP James Marsters is joining the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica set to debut on SyFy early next year.

The erstwhile Spike will play a dangerous terrorist leader by the name of Barnabus Greeley in a minimum of three episodes.

Project! I must catch up with the underappreciated show ASAP so I’m not lost when Caprica begins airing.

Photo: EW.com.

The Avengers

The studio behind Quentin Tarantino’s brutal, oft-hilarious, and intense Inglourious Basterds will have you believe the film belongs to Brad Pitt, who, yes, does things you’ve never seen him do before in it, but it is my firm belief that QT’s revision of WW II belongs to the little-know Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, my first choice for Best Supporting Actor of the year.

Waltz steals the film with his turn as the smooth, if sadistic SS Col. Hans Landa (a.k.a. “The Jew Hunter”).

Seriously, the man’s mesmerizing, and although his character’s charmingly vile, you can’t help but root for Team Landa while watching the long-yet-riveting film.

It’s funny how sometimes I think the length of a movie is its biggest flaw, but with Tarantino I can never get enough.

The visual language he uses is addictive.

Inglourious Basterds begins early into the German occupation of France. Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at Landa’s hand, narrowly escaping and fleeing to Paris where she builds herself a new life under a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.

Elsewhere in Europe, Lt. Aldo “The Apache” Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish American soldiers (which includes Eli Roth and B.J. Novak from TV’s The Office) to perform swift, shocking acts of retribution against the Nazis.

A Tennessee hillbilly, Raine has a wild hunger for Nazi scalps, and he wants his band of basterds to deliver 100 each.

In order to succeed, the squad joins Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), a German actress and undercover agent, and a British film critic-turned-spy (Michael Fassbender, distractingly handsome as ever) on a mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich.

Fates converge under Shosanna’s cinema marquis, where she plans to carry out a revenge plan of her own at the premiere of a Nazi-propaganda film starring a German war hero played by Daniel Brühl who’s crushing on her, and the rest is not history.

Because, after all the thrilling intensity of the film’s 152 minutes, Hitler gets his and…then some.

Tarantino has pulled off the ultimate Hollywood rewrite making the film, delivering what can best be described as a revenge fantasy.

“My characters didn’t exist,” the writer-director has said, “but if my characters had existed, they could have changed the outcome of the war.”

Inglourious Basterds is fiction – and Tarantino – at its ballsiest best.

And I cannot wait to see it again.

If anything, you know, so I catch another glimpse of Sönke Möhring. That, and it’s the best perfect summer-to-fall transition.

My Rating ****

Photo: The Weinstein Company.

Preview the Celebration

For weeks now, Madonna’s been teasing us with bits of the following promo, but now we’ve got a full minute to get pumped about the upcoming Celebration – and even get a first look-see at the video for the title track:



Update: Mark your calendars, subjects.

The video for “Celebration” will premiere on Sept. 1.

Yeah!

This Is Lycanthropy

The trailer for the oft-delayed Wolfman (due out next February) is out tomorrow, so those of you who go see Inglourious Basterds will get to see it, too.

Or, you can just watch it here today:



What do you think – is it worth the wait?

Do Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt have a hit in their hands?

Are werewolves the new vampires?

Lost Gets a Hawkes

This news excites me and makes me sad all at the same time.

I’m thrilled that production on the sixth and final season of TV’s Lost is moving along, but at the same time, it saddens me to think that the end of one of the medium’s most challenging, intriguing, and satisfying offerings is, indeed, quite near.

John Hawkes, best known for playing Sol Star in HBO’s Deadwood, reportedly has been cast in the final season of the ABC show as a character named Lennon.

Described as “the spokesperson/translator for the president of a foreign corporation,” Lennon is a “wily negotiator [who’s] far more powerful than his lowly position would seem to indicate.”

Sounds like trouble. And I cannot wait to see what he brings to the table.

Photo: HBO.com.

Update: Lost also has cast Japanese superstar Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai) in a “significant recurring” role.

Whitney Does Oprah

The Queen of All Talk Shows Oprah Winfrey has tapped the Queen of All Would-be Comebacks Whitney Houston to help her kick of the 24th season of her eponymous show on Sept. 14.

And this being Oprah, the guest stint is being billed as “the most anticipated music interview of the decade.”

In other words: It’s Whitneeeeey!

Photo: NYDailyNews.com.

Papi’s Kids

Ricky Martin brought out his 18-month-old sons Valentino and Matteo for a day on the beach recently, and he decided to share the experience with the media.

Which is fine, fine, fine since he doesn’t peddle his kids every chance he gets – and it gave us an excuse to look at his niceties.

Cute kids…and cute daddy!

Photo: PerezHilton.com.

Now I Get the Sweater…

Last month, True Blood hottie Ryan Kwanten was spotted walking around L.A. wearing a sweater – in the middle of summer.

I didn’t get it, but I didn’t question it, either. Because Kwanten’s H-O-T in whatever they put on him.

OK, so I knew it was for a photo shoot, but I was just not getting it. You know, paparazzi shots hardly ever do stars justice….

Turns out, the look was for a story in GQ that is just smokin’-looking. Click here to see the Armani Collezioni sweater (and more) under the right circumstances.

And yeah, I could’ve used the official photo of Kwanten in the sweater – but isn’t this one so much better?

Photo: Men.Style.com.

Britney Stays Up Late

Pop’s reigning comeback princess Britney Spears will appear on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight to deliver the Top 10 List.

It will be Spears’ first appearance on the show post-meltdown…uhh…I mean, in nearly three years.

The entertainer will kick off the second American leg of her successful “Circus Tour” on Aug. 20.

Photo: People.com.

Update: You go girl, with your bad bikinid self!

Daddy Day Care

Twilight star Cam Gigandet traded his kilt for a diaper bag yesterday when he took his baby mama and his 4-month-old daughter Everleigh Ray shopping in Los Angeles.

All together now: Aawww!

Photo: People.com.

Mandy as a Spokeswoman

Mandy Moore has done a FunnyOrDie.com video…in which the singer hawks…Red Bull Energy Douche.

Ladies, if you want to take the world by the balls, this is the product for you:

Red Bull Energy Douche with Mandy Moore from Mandy Moore

I like it when Moore uses variations of the word “f---.”

She’s not that innocent, you know.

Roman Holiday

I love me some Kristen Bell, so I’m not going to dwell on the fact that her movie When in Rome was supposed to come out this month but has been pushed back to January.

I said I’m not…so don’t you, either, OK. Moving on….

In the movie, Bell plays Beth a disillusioned-with-romance ambitious New Yorker who travels to Rome, where she plucks magic coins from a special fountain.

Since she’s disillusioned with romance, the coins, of course, attract an assortment of odd suitors, including a sausage merchant (Danny DeVito), a street magician (Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder), and an artist (Will Arnett). Dax Shepard and his insane abs are in the movie, too, btw.

But, when Nick, a persistent reporter (Josh Duhamel), throws his hat in the ring, the woman begins to wonder if his love is the real thing.

Aw, cute….

I can’t wait to see Bell as a big-screen leading lady in the rom-com.

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.

When Estelle Met David Guetta

So, is French DJ David Guetta trying to rule the dance floor or what?

First, he and Kelly Rowland told us what happens “When Love Takes Over,” then he and Akon sang about a “Sexy Bitch,” which is not about Paris Hilton, and then he got “Crazy” with will.i.am.

Guetta’s on a roll, alright, and now he has Estelle singing about “One Love” (which, btw, is the title track of his latest CD).

I gotta feeling that his CD’s gonna be a good one full of fun, dance-y stuff….

Photo: EW.com.

Brad Goes Bad

Brad Pitt reportedly has joined the cast of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes.

But, wait – isn’t Sherlock Holmes opening like, four months?

Well, it was.

The movie was due out in December, but has been pushed back to 2010 after Ritchie saw the first edit.

For whatever reason, the director is said to have decided he wanted more – not more hotness, I’m sure, what with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law already in the movie – and called up the star of his 2000 Snatch to come on board as a villain.

Pit is set to arrive in London tomorrow to begin filming scenes as Moriarty, a nemesis of Holmes’.

Photo: GossipBoulevard.com.

Update: False alarm! Pitt will not be joining Sherlock Holmes, after all. The rumor was first put out there by the Daily Mirror of London.

“The report is completely inaccurate,” said a studio rep. “Brad Pitt is not joining the cast of Sherlock Holmes and we’re extremely pleased with the production.”

The rep also said the movie will come out as planned on Christmas Day, and that a few days of additional shooting have been scheduled for extra scenes and pick-up shots, as well as to perfect some of visual effects elements.

Well, at least I got to use this photo of Pitt, huh.

Kisses Don’t Lie

Madonna celebrated her 51st birthday living it up – as well she should – in Portofino, Italy, with a couple of BFFs (Dolce & Gabbana) and her new bf (Brazilian model Jesus Luz).

M may not be confirming nor denying anything – that’s how she rolls – but clearly, she’s found her Jesus, alright.

Good for her!

Photo: DrownedMadonna.com.

Simply Irresistible, Pt. 55

2009 has been rather kind with the whole breaking new hunks thing – take a look at Chris Hemsworth and Sam Worthington if you don’t believe me.

Not wanting to miss out on the studly action, this Friday’s Inglourious Basterds will introduce us to Sönke Möhring.

Sure, you’ll be watching the movie because of one Mr. Brad Pitt, but trust me, about halfway through the movie, you’ll notice Möhring. The German actor plays a Nazi soldier Pitt’s head Basterd comes across and sends back to Hitler with a special message.

Möhring may not have much screen time, but his face…lemme tell ya, his face deserves a movie all to its own.

Photo: Schillereck.com.

Go Ahead and Make Fun of GOOP

The folks at FunnyOrDie.com have recruited SNL’s Abby Elliott to spoof Gwyneth Paltrow’s now-infamous making-chicken video.

Elliott, who has some spot-on impressions of Angelina Jolie and Kirsten Dunst in her young repertoire, doesn’t do G.P. all that well, but she captures her essence, and plays up her perceived cluelessness and name-dropping for laughs.

The video hits its stride when the actress playing the actress is shown crying next to an oven to the tune of Coldplay’s “The Scientist”:

Gwyneth Paltrow Makes Chicken Goop.com with Abby Elliott from Abby Elliott

Paltrow’s clearly not an idiot, though. She’s tapped onto the zeitgeist with GOOP. The proof is in the spoof.

Area 51

Today’s Madonna’s 51st birthday.

Let’s have us a “Celebration”, mofos.

Long live the Queen!

Photo: Madonnalicious.com.

Update: Click here to see how M celebrated in Poland.

It’s nice to hear we’ve changed her life, too.

My Idol MJB

Mary J. Blige has signed on to be a guest judge on American Idol next season.

Go, Mary! If anyone should school those wannabes it’s gotta be the undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, right?

Good timing, too. I think MJB’s releasing a new album in November, so the timing is perfect since the ninth season of the hit Fox reality competition show premieres next January.

Photo: TVGuide.com.

Uh, Excuse Me, G.P.…

Dear Gwyneth Paltrow,

What’s with the no GOOP this week?

Photo: Zimbio.com.

Ever After

Earlier this summer, Hollywood offered us an adaptation of My Sister’s Keeper, an adaptation of a beloved piece of chick lit starring Cameron Diaz that had everyone who saw it (but me) crying like someone had kicked a puppy in the face but ultimately failed to connect with critics and a blockbusting audience.

Cut to today, which brings us another movie version of a novel aimed, mostly, at the ladies: The Time Traveler’s Wife, a Brad Pitt-executive produced adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s best-seller starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana.

Early on into the movie, McAdams is shown smiling that gorgeous smile of hers, dimples for all to see and try to resist. It’s part of the reason I enjoyed the movie so much.

That, and the occasional flash of Bana’s amazing Aussie a--.

Ah yes, Bana’s amazing Aussie a-- makes a few darkly lit appearances, for he is, of course, the titular time traveler: One moment he’s there, fully dressed, and then the next he’s gone backward or forward in time, his clothes remaining as a sign that he’s left gone AWOL.

Well, there’s some logic to it: His Henry has a “genetic anomaly” that causes him to skip around through time without warning, which is troublesome, you see, since he and McAdams’ Clare always have and always will be in love.

Talk about trying to sustain a long-distance relationship, huh.

But try they do, so they marry and give the whole happily ever after thing a go. Only problem is Henry’s condition makes it quite difficult for the couple. Soon, they’re faced with questions of what to do when it comes to having a family, which makes for the most heart-wrenching sequence of the movie. (It is not easy for them, to say the least of it.)

If The Time Traveler’s Wife has anything to say, though, it is people really need to cherish the love they keep bringing into each other’s life – you never know when it’s just going to go poof! and disappear.

Timeline-wise, I didn’t think the movie was inaccessible, although I suspect keeping up with the intricacies of Lost’s exhilarating fifth season may have had something to do with that, you know…if I could keep up with that and all…. So the time travel wasn’t quite as challenging.

But that’s just me.

I did have a bit of a hard time with all the treacle, but even that grew on me. And that’s a testament to McAdams and Bana, especially her.

She makes anything and everything she’s in so much better.

She wears the melancholy of The Time Traveler’s Wife well, and makes it, well…better.

My Rating ***

Photo: New Line Cinema.

A Little Something Special, Featuring Alexis Bledel’s New Movie

I love, love, love Alexis Bledel (TV’s Gilmore Girls), so you so know that when Fox Searchlight Pictures called and asked if I wanted to give away 25 tickets for an advanced screening of her new movie, Post Grad (opening on Aug. 21), I immediately and totally said yes.

So here I am, offering tickets to whomever wants them. The screening is Monday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m., at AMC Aventura. Each ticket’s good for two peeps, so get them while they’re hot.

In Post Grad, Bledel plays recent college graduate Ryden Malby.

Ryden has just survived four years of higher ed, but when she’s forced to move back into her childhood home, the stress of dealing with her eccentric family, landing a job, and finding the right guy leaves her with little time to ponder where her life is truly heading.

We’ve all been there, right?

The movie co-stars Zach Gilford (TV’s Friday Night Lights), Michael Keaton, Rodrigo Santoro, Jane Lynch, and Carol frakkin’ Burnett, so you know it’s going to be something special.

I gotta say, from the trailer looks quite cute and angsty and funny, so I can’t wait to see it.

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Just Because, Pt. 47

Boy, can he kick!

David Beckham pulled a hammy move while warming up a couple of days ago at the Amsterdam ArenA in the Netherlands.

Becks and his English teammates played a friendly match against the Dutch, which they tied 2-2.

Surely, they would’ve won had he kicked and stretched shirtless.

Such a sight could make anyone lose focus….

Photo: People.com.

Will Demi Go Wild?

Agents, publicists, and teams of Hollywood handlers must be shaking in their Jimmy Choos and whatever’s the power shoe for men: Twitter’s gonna put them out of business.

Twitter newbie and Man vs. Wild host Bear Grylls sent Demi Moore a message asking her if she’d be up for doing a Woman vs. Wild special.

Earlier this summer, Grylls teamed up with Will Ferrell for a Men vs. Wild special that aired shortly before the actor’s Land of the Lost opened, and, evidently, he already has tapped Ben Stiller to appear on the show, so a Moore guest-stint wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

That is, of course, unless Grylls actually gets to talk to her. His original message didn’t immediately reach the actress because he didn’t send it out correctly – but she did get it. Eventually.

“Did he ask me?” she replied to the follower who forwarded her Grylls’ request.

She should totally do it, right? I mean, she’s already taken on macho army men and stripper poles on screen. A little wilderness should be a walk in the park.

Photo: TheInsider.

Leighton’s Loss Is Estelle’s Win

Last night, Cobra Starship were on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien where they performed their hit, MTV VMA-nominated “Good Girls Go Bad” – sans Leighton Meester, who is featured on the track and its video.

But no, the band and the actress aren’t feuding or anything. I don’t think. She probably was just busy on the New York set of Gossip Girl.

So, Estelle stepped to the beat. That’s what it’s for, after all:



It would’ve been so cool if Meester had been able to be there, though.

Eclipse King

I don’t usually write about the comings and goings of the Twilight productions – because A) I’m not a 12-year-old girl (no matter what I say sometimes about Daniel Craig, or Hugh Jackman, or Chris Hemsworth, or…well, pick anyone else), and B) I could floss with that franchise.

But the news of Jack Huston’s casting in Eclipse, the Twilight Saga’s third movie, as Royce King II, a human who lived during the Great Depression and used to be Rosalie’s (Nikki Reed’s character, right?) fiancé, was too handsome to pass up.

Huston is Hollywood royalty – he’s the grandson of director John and nephew of actors Anjelica and Danny – but soon, he’ll be a king of the tweendom.

The actor, btw, also will appear on ABC’s Eastwick this fall.

Photo: Frillr.com.

E I E I O

Jennifer Lopez is working on a new rom-com called The Back-up Plan, but from the looks of it, the movie’s clearly all about the Alex O’Loughlin’s pecs and abs.

The star of TV’s dearly departed Moonlight co-stars in the movie that’s surely about La Lopez getting herself in some sort of predicament and whatnot.

O’Loughlin also drives a tractor, shirtless, and looks mighty fine doing so, which begs the question – when does The Back-up Plan open?

Photo: EW.com.

I Guess This Makes “SVU” More of a Noel

Scott Foley is going to guest-star on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit next season.

The erstwhile Felicity star is going to play a real estate agent involved in a murder investigation in the fall’s fourth episode.

“I’ve been a fan of the show for a long time,” he said. “And the character was fully developed with addictions and problems both personally and professionally. Plus…it’s SVU, come on!”

I hear ya, cutie.

Photo: TVBoyfriends.com.

Step Into Another World

The trailer for Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a.k.a. Heath Ledger’s final film, is out.

In the fantasy, about a traveling theater company, Ledger portrays an outsider named Tony who promises to take the show beyond anyone’s imagination.

Also featured in the trailer are Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who signed on to play incarnations of Ledger’s character after his death:



The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus opens in theaters on Oct. 16.

All About the Girl

You have to see (500) Days of Summer.

It’s just that simple. You have to see this amazing film for three simple reasons: Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Zooey Deschanel. And it’s a story about love, and it rocks.

Tom (Gordon-Levitt) is a greeting-card writer and a hopeless romantic.

He’s caught completely off-guard when he meets Summer (Deschanel), an assistant at his company with whom he’s fallen completely in love, and even more so when she dumps him.

Director Marc Webb takes us on a beautifully soundtracked journey – the music includes, among others, the Smiths (a Tom and Summer fave) and Carla Bruni. He approaches this task with a hipster’s touch, which is truly effective given the jump-through-time narrative of the film.

One moment we see what was going on in the couple’s relationship at Day 488, the next we see them meet on Day 1, and so on and so forth. Surprisingly, this doesn’t make (500) Days of Summer confusing at all – it makes it real.

People never remember their relationships they way they should, with logic. We don’t have a rearview mirror in which to look back at what we did, and certainly, we don’t have a tape recorder on which to push Play to hear what we said.

We only have ourselves and how we felt.

As Tom reflects back on his 500 days with Summer, he tries to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in so doing, he rediscovers his true passions.

We should all be so lucky, huh.

Go catch (500) Days of Summer. It’s truly the most original film I’ve seen all year.

My Rating ****

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

90210-Oooh

There’s a new boy enrolling at West Beverly High this fall – Trevor Donovan – and here’s your chance to get to meet him.

Get to it – he’s got “big and meaty”…man hands – so click here.

Now.

90210 comes back on Sept. 8.

Photo: Google.com.