Weekly Entertainment News

[FH]

Cayden Boyd is Shark Boy
Source: ComingSoon!
Cayden Boyd will star in Robert Rodriguez's upcoming Miramax/Dimension action film The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl, reports Variety.

He will play a boy whose imaginary superhero friends come to life and join him on adventures. Filming begins this month in Austin, Texas for a Summer, 2005 release date.summer 2005.

Boyd appeared in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Mystic River.

[FH]

Lisa Kudrow & Courteney Cox Head for HBO
Source: ComingSoon!
Former Friends stars Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox both have new shows lined up at HBO. Kudrow is attached to star in Comeback for Sex and the City producer Michael Patrick King, while Cox is in advanced talks with the channel to develop a drama series project with Nick Cassavetes.

The Hollywood Reporter says the Kudrow project has already received a greenlight for a pilot from HBO and is now in the casting stage. Kudrow will play a one-time sitcom star who is trying to revive her career. Kudrow and King co-wrote the script for Comeback and will executive produce the pilot.

In the Cox project, she would star as an actress on a comeback trail and adjusting to life as a recovering alcoholic. Cassavetes is expected to write and direct the pilot, should a deal be completed. Cox's husband, actor David Arquette, would also be involved as an executive producer alongside Cox and Cassavetes.

[FH]

Flight of the Dead to Film at Studio Babelsberg
Source: ComingSoon!
Marco Mehlitz and German film fund and production outfit Cinerenta are bringing Lions Gate zombie film Flight of the Dead to Studio Babelsberg, reports Variety. Thanks to the recent postponement of Mission: Impossible 3, which was set to shoot there this summer, Mehlitz was able to get Flight of the Dead into the studio.

The film follows the tale of two zombies being shipped back to their homeland after they are captured. But when the deadly creatures come unexpectedly to life aboard an airplane, the begin to wreak high-altitude havoc. The original draft of the "Flight" screenplay was written by Gary Parker and Tom Lavangnino, with rewriting done by Dunning and Lorenzo Ozouri.

Although Mehlitz exited Cinerenta in July to set up his new company, Lago Film, at Babelsberg, he'll continue to handle Cinerenta's current slate, which includes chillers Cave, The Woods and The Devil's Rejects: House of 1,000 Corpses 2.

Cinerenta also works closely with Michael Ohoven's L.A.-based Infinity Entertainment. As part of their strategic relationship, Infinity selects projects for Cinerenta to produce and oversees development and production. Ohoven also executive produced Cinerenta's upcoming Mr. Ripley's Return (based on Patricia Highsmith's novel "Ripley Under Ground") and Robin Williams starrer The Final Cut, as well as The Woods and Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects."

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Fuller on the Chainsaw Massacre Prequel
Source: ComingSoon!
Producer Brad Fuller talked to Zap2it about the upcoming prequel to New Line's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which will explore Leatherface's family and how they became serial killers. Talking from the set of The Amityville Horror remake, Fuller revealed some secrets about the film.

"It won't have any of the young actors from the first (like Jessica Biel), this is a prequel. But there will be a group of teen and young adults in their 20s who make an unfortunate decision to end up in this town."

He said the production hopes to explain the story of the murderous family. "The old man had no legs, we hope to answer questions about that. We hope that you'd eventually be able to watch the two movies together and it will explain a lot of questions that were unanswered."

Fuller added that he's not sure Andrew Bryniarski will play Leatherface again. "It's a very physical part," Fuller says. He does hope that R. Lee Ermey, who played Sheriff Hoyt, will return. "He elevated that movie in much the same way as Philip Baker Hall does with 'Amityville'".

[FH]

Ghost Rider Movie Scoop!
Source: SuperheroHype!
Scooper 'BIGGUN' tells us he received word from writer/director Mark Steven Johnson about the Ghost Rider movie adaptation starring Nicolas Cage:

MSJ revealed the look of Ghost Rider and its villains. He said on GR's appearance "Don't worry about the look of G.R. He's hard core classic, just like Tex drew him."

And for the villains "The only truth to any of these rumors is that you can expect Blackheart and Mephistopheles to appear."

[FH]

Another look at The Thing from The Fantastic Four

[FH]

Sky Captain Takes Flight
Source: E!


Sky Captain soared to the top in a weekend box-office derby that saw fellow newcomers Mr. 3000 make it to second base and Wimbledon double-fault in fourth.

The retro-style, computer-graphics-heavy Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow finished the weekend with an estimated $16.2 million. Starring Jude Law as a heroic aviator, Gwyneth Paltrow as an intrepid reporter, Angelina Jolie as a military commander and the late Laurence Olivier reconstituted by modern computer magic as a super villain in charge of a robot army, the film opened in 3,170 sites, where it averaged $5,100 per theater.

While the take for the big-budget Paramount movie certainly isn't blockbuster, box-office tracker Paul Dergarabedian of Exhibitor Relations says he thinks the studio "made the right move" by opening the PG-rated release after the summer rush. Dergarabedian says doesn't know whether the PG rating proved a help or a hindrance, but "there were so many unique things about this film, I think the studio should be pleased that it opened as number one with over $15 million."

Bernie Mac's Mr. 3000 didn't come close to registering as a hit, but its $9.2 million haul was good enough for second. The PG-13 Disney comedy about a veteran ball player stepping back up to the plate to try to secure his place in the record books, swung into 2,736 arenas, where it averaged $3,363.

That was actually a tad lower per-site average than the weekend's other sports-themed movie, the romantic comedy Wimbledon, which finished in fourth with $7.8 million. Starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany as love-means-having-to-say-you're-sorry tennis aces who get it on at the prestigious tournament, the PG-13 Universal release volleyed into 2,034 sites, averaging $3,835.

Last week's top movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, dropped a huge 61 percent to third place while remaining at 3,284 sites. Averaging $2,741 per cinema, the R-rated Screen Gems zombie-busting movie earned $9 million to biring its two-week total to $37.3 million.

Falling less sharply was New Line's PG-13 thriller Cellular. The Kim Basinger thriller dipped only 32 percent from second to fifth place with $6.8 million for a two-week tally of $19.7 million.

In limited release, the top per-screen average belonged to A Dirty Shame, John Waters' irreverent play on sexual follies. The Fine Line release, slotted in at just one location, made $33,000.

At 10 sites, Sony Pictures Classic's R-rated Head in the Clouds, starring Charlize Theron and beau Stuart Townsend entwined with Penélope Cruz in a ménage à trois romance in World War II Europe, averaged $5,170 for $51,695.

And at six sites, SPC's more favorably reviewed romantic drama about love in the time of war, Zelary--an R-rated import from the Czech Republic starring Anna Geislerova--averaged $5,162 for $30,970.

Overall, the top 12 movies grossed an estimated $66.1 million, up 5 percent from last weekend, but down 27 percent from this time last year, when the vampire flick Underworld was the top movie. The normal post-summer slump is more severe than usual at the moment, due to the severe weather conditions in many states--and possibly by the earlier than usual debuts of fall television programming.

Here's a rundown of the top 10 based on Sunday estimates; final figures are due Monday:

1. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, $16.2 million
2. Mr. 3000, $9.2 million
3. Resident Evil: Apocalypse, $9 million
4. Wimbledon, $7.8 million
5. Cellular, $6.8 million
6. Without a Paddle, $3.7 million
7. Hero, $2.9 million
8. Napoleon Dynamite, $2.4 million
9. Collateral, 2.3 million
10. The Princess Diaries 2, $2 million

[FH]

Macaulay Culkin Busted
Source: E!



Apparently, Macaulay Culkin really is a Party Monster.

The former child star was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail Friday afternoon on drug possession charges, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department.


The Home Alone actor was processed at the jail around 6 p.m. CT; he posted $4,000 bail before his eventual release around 7:30 p.m., according to Oklahoma City Police Captain Jeffrey Becker.

Around 4 p.m. Friday, Culkin and a buddy were traveling down Interstate 44 in northeast Oklahoma City. The two New York City pals were pulled over for driving 70 mph in a 60 mph zone.

After a cursory search of both the driver and Culkin, the arresting officer asked permission to look through the car, and both reportedly gave consent. The officer discovered 17.3 grams of marijuana in the vehicle, handcuffed Culkin and took him to jail.

Becker told E! Online Friday night that in addition to Culkin's marijuana charge, the actor was also booked on possession of eight Xanax pills and 32 milligrams of Clonazepam, a potentially addictive sedative used to treat seizures.

Culkin was not in possession of prescriptions for either drug, said Becker.

After a four-year run in the early 1990s as one of Hollywood's most powerful child actors, Culkin saw his career torpedoed by family troubles.

In 1995, his father and manager, Kit, and mother, Patricia, split (they'd never married) and began a bitter war over Macaulay's millions and custody issues. Soon after, Culkin--who once commanded $5 million for films such as Home Alone 2: Lost in New York--was more likely to be sighted in a New York nightclub than on a movie set.

The 24-year-old has been trying to make a comeback of sorts lately, with a starring role in the 2003 indie hit Party Monster and a well-received performance in this year's Saved.

Culkin has a few projects brewing this year, although none appears to be film related. He has reportedly been working on a project called Junior for Miramax Books, described by the publisher in May as "part memoir, part rant, part comedic tour-de-force." Also, trade reports in February said Culkin was set to star in his first sitcom, Foster Hall, but the Conan O'Brien-produced show didn't make the fall schedule.

[FH]

Gimli to take over for Beethoven on STAR WARS EPISODE 3: REVENGE OF THE SITH?
Source: Ain't It Cool News
Hey folks, Harry here -- we've been hearing the news of Gary Oldman exiting stage left on George Lucas due to his grievances regarding George's SAG violations, and due to those grevious issues, he felt unable to continue with Grevious.... But one grumpy dwarf later and all is well? We'll see...
Hey, long time reader, first time (et cetera).

Sorry to bug you with something you've probably already gotten 60 emails about, but since you haven't published it yet, I thought I should let you know.

Many residents of Brisbane, Australia (myself included) recently got the chance to meet, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies (Sliders, Lord of the Rings) and Penny Johnson Jerald (24, Star Trek: DS9), amongst others, at the Brisbane Supanova sci-fi convention.

I (like most people) went to meet Samwise Gangee, but the most interesting thing happened during Rhys-Davies' session. Someone asked if he would be doing any more voice work after playing Treebeard in LotR, or something along those lines. He said:

"I'm doing some next month, in fact. Let's say the working conditions are ...Grevious."

Now I'm not sure if that's an exact quote, but he certainly did drop that last word. He seemed to give a little wiggle of the eyebrows too, though it might just be my imagination. Not sure if many others picked up on it, but I heard people talking about it at university this morning. Word travels fast, I guess. And if it means what I think it means.... wow.

Gary Oldman, eat your heart out ^_^

Hope this helps,

-Alastair "HappyBob" Craig

[FH]

Britney Spears Marries Kevin Federline
Source: MTV

Britney Spears is married ... again.

The pop star and fiance Kevin Federline married Saturday in a private ceremony at a Studio City, California, home, according to wire reports.

Spears and dancer Federline reportedly surprised their families and 20 to 30 guests with the nuptials. The bride wore a white strapless dress and the groom sported a traditional tuxedo in the nondenominational ceremony.

Spears and Federline announced their engagement in June and gave a preview of the wedding in her new video.
For the singer, this is her second wedding this year. She married high school sweetheart Jason Alexander in a spur-of-the-moment ceremony in Las Vegas in January, but it was annulled 55 hours later.

Saturday's marriage makes Spears a stepmother, as Federline has two children with actress Shar Jackson.

[FH]

First Look at Sue Storm in Fantastic Four!
Source: ComingSoon!

USA Today has published this first picture of Jessica Alba as Sue Storm in 20th Century Fox's anticipated Fantastic Four adaptation. Here's how they describe the four members...

• Jessica Alba, 23, star of TV's Dark Angel, is Sue Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman, who has a romance with Reed.

• Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, 30, goes from Lancelot in King Arthur to scientist Reed Richards, whose Mr. Fantastic has the ability to stretch.

• Chris Evans, 23, currently seen in Cellular, is Sue's bro Johnny, a cocky pilot who turns up the heat as the Human Torch.

• The most recognizable face is also the most covered. Veteran actor Michael Chiklis, 41, of TV's The Shield, will grumble his way through the role of Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, a boulder-bodied mound of power whose battle cry is "It's clobberin' time!"

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Scary Movie 3 Team Tackles Superhero!
Source: ComingSoon!

Dimension Films has set its Scary Movie 3 team of David Zucker, Craig Mazin and Robert Weiss to tackle Superhero!, reports Variety.

The trade says the comedy will poke fun at the multitude of superhero films, from Spider-Man to next summer's Batman Begins and Fantastic Four. Mazin will script, Zucker will direct and Weiss is producing.

The trio also is continuing work on Scary Movie 4, which is a Dimension priority given that the third film made $110 million.

Dimension Films co-chairman Bob Weinstein and co-presidents Brad Weston and Andrew Rona signed them to work on both the Superhero! and Scary Movie 4 scripts at the same time. It is considered likely that Superhero! will go into production next spring, with Scary Movie 4 to follow.

[FH]

Hewitt Directing Allen in Zoom's Academy
Source: ComingSoon!
Pete Hewitt will direct Tim Allen in Zoom's Academy, a Revolution Studios comedy about an out-of-shape former superhero called back into action to save the world, reports Variety.

The film, written by Adam Rifkin and rewritten by Jordan Roberts, is set to start production in late Spring.

The movie is based on the Jason Lethcoe graphic novel "Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted." Hewitt most recently directed Garfield: The Movie.

[FH]

It Ain't Easy Being The Thing!
Source: SuperheroHype!
Superhero Hype! has learned from inside sources that Ben Grimm actor Michael Chiklis may have wished by the end of filming Fantastic Four that they had gone with a CGI Thing rather than prosthetics.

Apparently after the first week of filming, the ever lovin' blue eyed actor started really feeling the effects of the suit. The bulky costume, with its big hands, feet, etc., is so thick that the actor can't feel anything the entire time he's in the costume. Chiklis has experienced a sensory deprivation, of sorts. Adding to the discomfort is the fact that no cooling system was added to the costume. Between takes they are having to break it open and cool him off with fans.

As you may have seen from recent pictures the costume has a retro look more faithful to the earlier "lumpy" incarnation of The Thing. Despite the hardships, Chiklis and the production are pressing on.

[FH]

NEW CD RELEASES FOR SEPTEMBER 21, 2004
Source: The Movie Poop Shoot





Action (Punk Core)

Eric Andersen The Street Was Always There (Appleseed)

Anti-Depressive Delivery Feel Melt Release Escape (Lasers Edge)

Apollo’s Fire/Jeanette Sorrell Scarborough Fayre (Koch)

AZ Final Call (Koch)

Aly Bain/Phil Cunningham Another Musical Interlude (Dunya)

Steven Bernstein Diaspora Hollywood (Tzadik)

Blank & Jones Perfect Silence (EP w/bonus DVD) (Varèse Sarabande)

Blind Boys of Alabama There Will Be Light (produced by Ben Harper) (Virgin)

Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men Love & Bombs (w/bonus DVD) (Yep Roc)

Don Byron Ivy-Divey (ICE #210) (Blue Note)

Daniel Cartier Revival (Endurance)

Steven Curtis Chapman All Things New (Sparrow)

Chiara Civello Last Quarter Moon (Verve)

Client City (Mute)

Dan Colehour One for the Old Man (DreamWorks Nashville)

Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains The Big Eyeball in the Sky (ICE #210) (Prawn Song)

Colossal Welcome to the Problems (Asain Man)

Converge You Fail Me (Epitaph)

Elvis Costello Il Sogno (Deutsche Grammaphon)

Elvis Costello The Delivery Man (Lost Highway)

The Cramps How to Make a Monster (Vengeance)

Sara Davis Buechner Mujeres Espanolas ("Women of Spain") (Koch)

Ernest Dawkinski New Horizons Ensemble Mean Ameen (Delmark)

Willy DeVille Crow Jane Alley (Eagle Rock)

The Dollyrots Eat My Heart Out (Dionysus)

Don’t Look Down The Fear in Love (Nitro)

Dosh Naoise (EP) (Anticon)

Jimerson Douglas White Christmas (Amerimusic)

Paul Dunmall Moksha Big Band I Wish You Peace (Cuneiform)

The Dwarves Must Die (Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Kahil El’Zabar and David Murray We Is, Live at the Bop Shop (Delmark)

Elevator Division Years (Second Nature)

Far Corner Far Corner (Cuneiform)

Fat Day Unf! Unf! (Load)

Fattburger Work to Do (Shanachie)

Feverdream Freeze! (Coalition)

Fiver Let It All Fall Down (Devil in the Woods)

Floorian What the Buzzin (Bomp)

Chris Foreman’s Deep Blue Organ Trio Deep Blue Bruise (Delmark)

Al Franken ‘The O’Franken Factor’ Factor: the Very Best of (Liberal pundit/comedian’s radio show) (Artemis)

Jan Garbarek with Kim Kashkashian and Manu Katche In Praise of Dreams (ECM)

Gasoline Fight Useless Piece of Weaponry (CD EP) (Thick)

The Go Find Miami (Morr Music)

Green Day American Idiot (Reprise)

Clive Gregson Long Story Short (Gadfly)

Jessica Harper Hey, Picasso (Rounder)

Lalah Hathaway Out Run the Sky (Pyramid)

Ray Herndon Livin’ the Dream (ICE #210) (Compendia)

High Contrast High Society (Breakbeat Science)

Zach Hill and the Holy Smokes Masculine Drugs (Suicide Squeeze)

Hot Water Music The New What Next (Epitaph)

Ironhorse Bring It On (V-Tone/Compendia)

Jack-O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers Loose Diamond (Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Jacki-O Poe Little Rich Girl (ICE #204) (TVT)

Je Ne Sais Quoi We Make Beginnings (Coalition)

Richard Leo Johnson Trio Poetry of Appliance (Cuneiform)

Scram Jones Loose Cannons (Vs.)

Jump5 Dreaming in Color (Sparrow)

k-os Joyful Rebellion (Astralwerks)

Karate Pockets (Southern)

Keb’ Mo’ Peace...Back by Popular Demand (Epic)

Kiernan/Black/Munelly Irish Unplugged (Dunya)

E.G. Kight Takin’ It Easy (Blue South)

King Diamond Deadly Lullabyes Live (two-CD set) (Metal Blade)

Paul Krassner The Zen Bastard Rides Again (Artemis)

Krumbsnatcha Let the Truth Be Told (Golden Eyes)

Talib Kweli (MCA/Rawkus)

Lair of the Minotaur Carnage (Southern Lord)

The Legends Up Against (Lakeshore)

Adrian Legg Inheritance (Favored Nations Acoustic)

Lil’ Romeo ROMEO-LAND (Koch)

Los Reactors Dead in the Suburbs (Rip Off)

Lotus Nomad (Harmonized)

Luciano Lessons of Life (Shanachie)

Malady (ex-members of City of Caterpillar and pg.99) Malady (Level-Plane)

Brian McKnight Gemini (Motown)

Memphis I Dreamed We Fell Apart (Paper Bag)

Buddy Miller Universal United House of Prayer (ICE #210) (New West)

The Moore Brothers Now Is the Time for Love (Plain)

Bishop Paul S. Morton Dealing with Impossibilities (Light/Tehilla)

Mr. Doctor Documentary (Epidemic)

The Muffins Double Negative (guest members of the Sun Ra Arkestra) (Cuneiform)

Grady Nichols In the Fullness of Time (Compendia)

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Welcome to Woody Creek (DualTone)

NOFX The Best Songs Ever Written (By Us) (Epitaph)

Octet Cash & Carry Songs (Plain)

Orbital Blue Album (ATO)

Jeff Parker and Scott Fields Song Songs Song (Delmark)

Penny Arkade Not the Freeze (Sundazed)

Perpetual Groove All This Everything (Harmonized)

Po’ Girl Vagabond Lullabies (Nettwerk)

Johnny Polonsky The Power of Sound (Loveless)

Poster Children On the Offensive (Hidden Agenda)

Raven-Symone This Is My Time (Hollywood)

Red Lights Flash (Austrian punk 4-piece) Free... (A-F)

Diane Reeves Christmas Time Is Here (Blue Note)

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines Goin’ Home (Tone-Cool)

River City Rebels Hate to Be Loved (Rolling Stones backup singer Lisa Fletcher guests) (Victory)

Riverside Out of Myself (Lasers Edge)

Charlie Robison Good Times (DualTone)

Robotnicka Spectre en Vue (Bloodlink)

RTX Transmaniacon (Drag City)

S. Puking and Crying (Suicide Squeeze)

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival John Harbison Quartet No 4 (Koch)

Sy Scott Sychotic (Universal)

Elliot Sharp Radio Hyper Yahoo (Gaff)

Solvent Apples and Synthesizers (Ghostly)

Stiv Bators Disconnected (Bomp)

Sukilove You Kill Me (Hidden Agenda/Parasol)

Skye Sweetnam Noise from the Basement (includes a cover of Blondie’s "Heart of Glass") (Capitol)

The Ten Tenors Larger Than Life (Rhino)

These Arms Are Snakes Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeos When Its Antelope Goes Home (Second Nature)

Thieves You Hold the World Like a Gun (Lowatt)

Kevin Tihista’s Red Terror Wake Up Captain (Parasol)

Chris Tomlin Arriving (Sixsteps)

Tsunami Bomb The Definitive Act (Kung Fu)

Twinemen Sideshow (Hi-N-Dry)

Keith Urban Be Here (ICE #210) (Capitol Nashville)

Vader The Beast (Metal Blade)

VHS or BETA Night on Fire (Astralwerks)

Vineyard Music Winds of Worship (Vineyard)

White Lights (w/Buffi Aguero of the Subsonics) Gifts from Strangers (Two Sheds)

White Willow Storm Season (Lasers Edge)

Gary Wilson Mary Had Brown Hair (Stones Throw)

Amy Winehouse Frank (Universal)

Howard Wooden Friends Gone By (Gadfly)

Yang A Complex Nature (Cuneiform)

Year Future The Hidden Hand (CD EP) (Gold Standard)

Yo Gotti Back to the Basics (TVT)

VA 13 Ways to Live (Red House)

VA A Latin American Baroque Christmas (Jade/Milan)

VA cEllabration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins (Smithsonian Folkways)

VA Disney’s Karaoke Series: Christmas (Walt Disney)

VA Disney Princess: The Ultimate Song Collection (Walt Disney)

VA Invictus Hot Wax Gold (Hip-O)

VA Off Target ((w/Feverdream, Wolves, The Rites, Vorhees and others)) (Coalition)

VA The Late, Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered (Gammon)

VA Women of Latin America (Putumayo)

OST American Pimp (Hughes Brothers documentary; w/bonus DVD, Raw Outtakes & The Hard Truth) (Shout! Factory)

OST Lightning in a Bottle (ICE #210) (Columbia/Legacy)

OST Motorcycle Diaries (Deutsche Grammophon)

OST Mr. 3000 (Bernie Mac movie) (Hollywood)

DVD Pennywise Home Movies (Epitaph)

DVD Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band 2003 Tour (Rhino)

DVD Testament Concert: Live in Milan (Eagle Vision)