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.

Elementary, My Dear Movie Fans

Summer’s It Man Robert Downey Jr. is set to star in Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie’s feature drama about the fictional detective, according to Variety.

This latest incarnation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character is based on an upcoming comic book from producer Lionel Wigram, which portrays Holmes as less stuffy and more adventurous, using physical prowess along with intellect to solve mysteries. Downey reportedly signed on to the Warner Bros. project after seeing Ritchie’s latest version of the script.

I guess this means Downey’s next project isn’t Brett Ratner’s Playboy, after all.

Ritchie’s project is set to start production this fall, ahead of a recently announced, presumably more comic Sherlock Holmes movie starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell.

Photo: LibertyFilmFestival.com.

Getting His Chaps in Orbit

Jeez, I escape to L.A. for a few days, and that’s when Daniel Craig decides to make news.

The actor is mulling over taking the lead role in Cowboys & Aliens now that Robert Downey Jr. has left the movie to focus on the Sherlock Holmes sequel.

Which reminds me: I still have to go see Sherlock Holmes.

Directed by Jon Favreau (the Iron Man movies) and produced by Steven Spielberg, the movie’s about an alien invasion within the setting of the 1800s Wild West.

Photo: LeTintinMovie.com.

The Badass Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, opening on Christmas Day, looks hella good.

It’s like the director said, “And I can divorce...for inspiration.”

The movie stars Robert Downey Jr. in the titular role, Jude Law as Watson, and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler.

Photo: Warner Bros.

A New Kind of Sherlock

Sometimes I just heart PBS.

Coming up next on the network’s Masterpiece Mystery addicting schedule is a modern-day-set take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes character titled, simply enough, Sherlock.

The sleuth, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, now roams the streets of contemporary London as the world’s first consulting detective, one who works with his new roommate, Afghanistan war vet James Watson (Martin Freeman) solving all manner of complicated crimes.

Three feature-length episodes of Sherlock will premiere on PBS beginning on Oct. 24:



With luck, we’ll get plenty more Sherlock for years to come.

Victorian Sherlock

Their arrival is nigh.

This winter, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman’s Dr. John Watson will see their adventures on the BBC import Sherlock set in Victorian times, because why not.

Check out the first trailer for the Christmas special (in Great Britain), which also will have a theatrical run and then make it to America early in 2016, more than likely:



Different, fresh, and must-y, huh?

Back From the Dead

He’s alive!

And like, duh.

I mean, we didn’t really think Benedict Cumberbatch’s amazing Sherlock Holmes had actually died at the end of the second season series of the terrific BBC/PBS joint Sherlock, did we?

’Cause – oh, thank goodness! – he most certainly did not. Click here for a given-at-Comic-Con explanation, from the mouth of the Cumber-stud himself, as to how his character managed to pull that fast one over us.

And get ready to see him and Martin Freeman’s Dr. John Watson again...in 2014.

Urgh. Just a little bit longer now.

Totally worth the wait, though.

Photo: HuffingtonPost.co.uk.

Dr. Watson’s Boyfriend

Remember the hot butler Gaurau from Sex and the City 2?

Well, he’s headed to the Manhattan inhabited by Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu’s Dr. Joan Watson on TV’s Elementary.

See, Gaurau’s portrayer, the quite-handsome Raza Jaffrey (who was seen on last seasons Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), has been cast as this (recurring) anti-Sherlock love interest for Liu.

The third season of Elementary will debut late in October.

Photo: HarikaDizi1.com.

Yet Another Sherlock

Make some room, Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch: Jonny Lee Miller is coming back to the tube as Sherlock Holmes.

The erstwhile Eli Stone will play the sleuth for a CBS pilot titled Elementary.

Miller will play a modern-day version of the iconic detective in the reboot, which will be set in Manhattan.

Photo: ScreenCrave.com.

Sherlock Hotness

Looks like Guy Ritchie didn’t walk away with just a cool $76 million (that’s a lot of Kabbalah Water!) in divorce settlement money from his soon-to-be-ex Madonna – he also walked away with an obsession for all things buff.

How else could you explain the look he has Robert Downey Jr. going for on his upcoming Sherlock Holmes?

Ritchie’s grittier take on the famous sleuth arrives in theaters next year.

As for this year, although it had been speculated that he and the former “missus” would spend Christmas together for the sake of their kids, her rep has said, “Madonna will be spending the holidays in London. But, it is doubtful she will be spending it with the ex.”

So much for a Christmas miracle.

Photo: E! Online.

Update: Did Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s longtime mouthpiece, speak out of turn when she said Guy Ritchie would walk away with at least $76 million in the couple’s divorce settlement? Does someone need to have her antennas checked?

In a Dec. 17 joint statement, the singer and the director said that, “We have tried to maintain a dignified silence regarding the details of our divorce for the last few months whilst accepting the obvious media interest.

“A misleading and inaccurate statement, specifically in relation to the sums of money involved, was wrongly issued to AP this week.

“The financial details of the settlement will remain private, save to say that both of us are happy with our agreement. Our primary concern, like any co-parents, is the care and well being of our children.”

Thread carefully, Rosenberg!

I Almost Was Golden

So I capped my week in Los Angeles by not going to the Golden Globes last Sunday.

It was weird being in the natural habitat of the stars while they were out there being their fabulous selves, first going to the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards to kiss each other (good going, Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep) last Friday, and then to the Globest just seven minutes away from where I’m (still) staying on Sunday.

And although I wasn’t at the Beverly Hilton, I did watch and thought it was great to see Mo’Nique (pictured at right) win for Precious, loved that Bullock took home her first Globe for Best Actress (in a Drama) for The Blind Side, and got a kick out of the fact that, obviously, the Hollywood Foreign Press likes their quirky (and know who will give a good speech) since they gave Robert Downey Jr. some hardware for Sherlock Holmes.

But I probably should reserve judgment, though, since I haven’t seen the movie yet, huh.

Moving on....

I was sorta shocked that Avatar beat The Hurt Locker in the Best Drama and Best Director races, and that on the TV side Glee won its little heart out, and Julianna Margulies was named Best Actress for her dramatic work on The Good Wife.

Click here for a complete list of winners.

On an aside, being in L.A. gave me the chance to catch up with family and friends, spot Derek Hough validating his parking ticket at The Grove, see Tinseltown for the first time, go to a taping of Chelsea Lately (the one with the guys and girls from Jersey Shore), spot Ryan Cabrera up in the hills, eat super-great food (I see what all the fuzz is about when it comes to In-N-Out, for instance, and adored Michael Mina’s XIV), do lunch (because you do lunch here) a few tables away from Vanna White, hike for the first time and spot Famke Jannsen, get a great pair of pants at a great sale, wait for a table next to Danielle Panabaker, have brunch in front of Bryan Singer, stand in line for the restroom next to maybe-Adam Brody, and spot Alice in Wonderland star Mia Wasikowska, who just cut her long locks, as I power-walked by a café.

It also allowed me have a total blond moment when I showed up at LAX ready to fly back to Miami on Monday night, only to find out that my flight back is scheduled for Tuesday night.

I had to consider it a hilarious dress rehearsal.

Only in L.A.

Seriously, that has never happened before.

Photo: EW.com.

Unstoppable Woman

Whoa, Jessica Chastain is redefining being a working actor in Hollywood.

The white-hot actress, who had a banner 2011, is going to make 2012 another one for the books. She’ll be making her Broadway debut this fall, and now comes word that she is in talks to join Joel Edgerton in Kathryn Bigelow’s film about the takedown of Osama bin Laden.

Chastain would play a field intelligence analyst whose work helps lead the SEAL Team 6 to getting the terrorist.

Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Green Lantern) and Édgar Ramírez (Domino, the miniseries Carlos) reportedly are circling the project as well.

Photo: Reuters.com.

Well Poe-sitioned for a Break

Christopher Egan, the cutie who starred on TV’s Kings, is going to sex up Edgar Allan Poe.

The Aussie has been tapped to headline the 1804-set Poe for ABC, a show that reportedly will have an element of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, an element of steampunk, and a real sense of fun.

Natalie Dormer (Showtime’s The Tudors) will play one of the author’s two crime-solving sidekicks, a journalist working at a newspaper in Boston.

Photo: CourierMail.com.au.

Ladies Reunited

Well, I guess this must mean they liked working together.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows co-stars Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace have signed on to share the spotlight in Passion, Brian De Palma’s English-language adaptation of the French psychodrama Crime D’Amour, which originally featured Kristin Scott-Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool) as a conniving boss and her ambitious protégé.

De Palma and his leading ladies are expected to begin work on the independently financed project in Europe this coming spring.

Photo: GossipHat.com.

The Truth About Charlie Mortdecai

Charlie Mortdecai. He is one of those guys who just sounded so good on paper. However, as the subject of a movie, well...he flat-out suuucks.

Consider the pitch for Mortdecai, the movie based on the Kyril Bonfiglioli character: He’s an anti-hero art dealer on a race against the clock to recover a stolen Goya that’s said to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

What sets Lord Mortdecai apart – yes, he has a title to boot – from the lot is he’s a Brit-ccentric bon vivant (his quite elaborate and ridikolous mustache is the proof of it!) with a rather large...tax debt (gotcha!), and he is played by Johnny Depp.

What could possibly go wrong!

Everything, as it turns out.

There is nothing amusing about Mortdecai. The movie – directed by David Koepp, an esteemed popcorn screenwriter who now probably will be encouraged to stick with screenwriting – wears its Ocean’s-esque aspirations on its stylish sleeve. And yet, it fails, spectacularly, to reach the levity or smarts of the George Clooney vehicle, the poor thing.

Mortdecai, as it turns out, is the only person capable enough to recover the painting, which may have caught the attention of an international terrorist ring. And, natch, that of some Russian thugs, although I am not entirely clear on that part (I may have gone sleepy-bye-bye for a bit). The fact that MI5 comes to him for assistance should be, well, OK...you know how Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes is like, this necessary evil to the authorities on his show?

Well, Mortdecai’s more like, a really annoying evil. Should be fun – but he ain’t. At all.

Shame then that Depp proves incredibly tiresome and, worse, beyond-boring as the idiosyncratic character (he’s an amoral horndog...with a heart!). ’Cause if we know anything about the actor that’s that he commits to a role. Even worse, the movie is a thankless affair for his supporting cast, which includes a hammy Gwyneth Paltrow (she plays his posh wife Johanna), Paul Bettany as his devoted manservant, a fellow named Jock Strapp (yes, seriously), Ewan McGregor as the government agent who hands him his mission papers, and Olivia Munn as a nymphomaniac billionairess who has designs of her own on that Goya.

Mortdecai is an entertaining offering by all means, but, in actuality, it’s the opposite. Fingers crossed this will be the last time Depp’s allowed to play an amalgamation of tics passing as a would-be one-of-a-kind persona created for the screen for a while.

And, please, let this be a lesson for my girl G.P. If it’s too good to be true – and again, this did sound kinda foolproof – then, clearly, it could be.

That being said, Gwyn, if someone comes at ya offering you a part in a star-studded remake of an Academy Award-winning Argentinean film, uhm, do not pull out of that, by GOOPness gracious.

My Rating *

Photo: Lionsgate Films.

Girl with the English Sleuths

Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is going to play the female lead opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes 2.

This will be Rapace’s first English-speaking role.

Details about her role are scarce, but word is she’ll play a French Gypsy.

Production on the sequel is set to begin this fall.

Photo: Tribune.ie.

Not-So-Obvious Casting

Lucy Liu is getting Elementary.

The erstwhile Angel of Charlie and current star of TNT’s Southland has scored the role of Watson on the modern-day take of the Sherlock Holmes property that CBS is developing for the fall.

Liu joins Jonny Lee Miller in the project.

Photo: StarPulse.com.

It’s the DI-VO-RC-E for the MA-DO-NN-A

After months of speculation, Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, announced a few minutes ago that the singer and her husband, Guy Ritchie, will divorce after 7 1/2 years together.

A statement e-mailed to The Associated Press from Rosenberg said that the couple had agreed to divorce, and requested the media maintain respect their privacy. Yeah, good luck with that one.

The statement, co-signed by Ritchie’s representative, said the couple had not agreed to a settlement.

I wonder what M will say tonight when her “Sticky & Sweet Tour” stops in Boston. She’s either going to be totally aloof about the news or she’s going to be moo-dy, meaning she’ll pop a string or two from her guitar and she’ll stick to the script until she’s blue in the face.

The whole thing is sad, really. Expect a new album full of breakup songs from the Queen of Pop in the next couple of years, though.

Photo: SaysWhoLive.com.

Update 1: It was only a matter of time until the Alex Rodriguez business was unearthed again. UsMagazine.com is reporting M and A-Rod are “definitely romantic.”

Update 2: Meanwhile, Guy Ritchie spent the day working on Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. in London. Ritchie is said to be “sort of relieved that it's all out there [now].”

Update 3: At her concert in Boston, M is said to have dedicated “Miles Away” to “the emotionally retarded. Maybe you know some people who fall into that category. I know I do.”

Ouch. That’s a change of tune if I ever heard one. Effective way to promote your new single, though.

Update 4: Which breakup anthem should Madonna add to her “Sticky & Sweet” set list, EW.com is wondering.

One of her own hits, like “Bye Bye Baby,” or “The Power of Goodbye,” or “You’ll See” – or Beyoncé’ “Irreplaceable”? Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”? Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”? No Doubt’s “Ex-Girlfriend”? Or how about pal Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River”?

Click here and vote.

U.N.C.L.E. Stud

How friggin’ James Bond-esque does Henry Cavill look as The Man from U.N.C.L.E.?

The man o.k.a. Man of Steel is starring in Guy Ritchie’s upcoming adaptation of the 1960s NBC show (instead of Tom Cruise), as Napoleon Solo (what?), a CIA agent who partners up with Armie Hammer’s Illya Kuryakin, a KGBer, in a story that reveals the origin of the crime-fighting United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.

Hugh Grant, Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), and Alicia Vikander co-star in the Cold War-era-set movie, which is set for an Aug. 14 arrival in theaters.

Photo: EW.com.

Girl Will Be an Action Woman Soon

Noomi Rapace, thestar of the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is ready for her next role.

The actress, who’s playing the female lead in next month’s Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, is teaming up once again with her Dragon Tattoo director Niels Arden Oplev for the thrilling actioner Dead Man Down, which is to co-star Colin Farrell.

She will play a seductress bent on revenge against an underworld crime boss.

Production is set to begin early next year.

Photo: Zimbio.com.