Weekly Movie and Music News

[FH]

Savini in Talks for Land of the Dead
Source: ComingSoon!
According to The Horror Channel, Tom Savini this weekend said he is in talks for a role in George Romero's Land of the Dead.

In the film, which starts shooting this October, the zombies having taken over the world and those left alive are confined to a walled-in city that keeps out the corpse corps. Anarchy rules the streets, with the wealthy insulated and living in fortified skyscrapers.

The drama revolves around a group of scavengers who must thwart an attempt to overthrow the city while the dead are evolving from brainless slow-moving creatures into more advanced creatures.

Savini is in talks to play one of the leaders of a salvage team that goes out to search for supplies and/or survivors, says the site. Romero is also eyeing Asia Argento (XXX) for a role in the movie.

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Todd Hollenshead Talks Doom
Source: ComingSoon!
Game Daily has published a new interview with id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead in which he talks about the upcoming big screen Doom movie adaptation. Here are several clips from the interview:

GameDAILY: What is the latest status of the movie? I know the first deal expired after a year. Can you run through the process?

Todd Hollenshead: The script is close to final and we're very happy with it. Universal is in the process of casting and pre-production now. With every passing day I become more and more confident that we will see DOOM at movie theaters before the end of next year.

GD: What are your hopes and goals in terms of bringing Doom to the big screen?

TH: I want to see the movie be true to what the legacy of the DOOM games mean to fans. Scary, intense, lots of action, and consistent with what we've done in the games. However, movies and games are different media, so some things will and should be different. I'm not looking for "DOOM 3: The Movie" and that's not what it will be. The script is not based on the DOOM 3 story, but is based on the DOOM universe, so fans will see plenty in the movie that they will recognize from the game.

GD: Do you have a time frame in terms of when you'd like a script completed and when the film might hit theaters?

TH: The script is very close to final already. I'll be ecstatic if it's out by the end of next year. But I'm like other fans: the sooner the better!

[FH]

Kevin Smith Plans Clerks Sequel
Source: ComingSoon!
Writer/director Kevin Smith (Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl) announced on Friday that he has begun work on a sequel to Clerks, his independent classic from 1994.

The $27,000 movie, shot at night in a store where Smith worked, chronicled the adventures of Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), two guys who talk about life, death, sex and movies while working at neighboring stores.

The sequel picks up 10 years later, reports the Associated Press. "It's about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s," says Smith. "Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exact situation, but in a place where it's time to actually grow up and do something more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk about sex. It's: What happened to these dudes?"

A new 10th anniversary DVD of Clerks debuts Sept. 7, and Smith said working on that three-disc set inspired him to write about what became of those characters. The sequel, titled The Passion of The Clerks, is set to begin shooting in January. Miramax Films, which distributed the first film, will do the same for the follow-up.

Smith is also writing the screenplay for The Green Hornet, but no longer thinks he will direct it. The Clerks sequel has moved to the top of his to-do list. Both O'Halloran and Anderson are signed on, and Jason Mewes will return as stoner Jay.

[FH]

Hero Slays Anacondas
Source: E!
Hero made mincemeat of all box-office foes this weekend, notably those pesky Anacondas, not to mention the evil Suspect Zero and the dreaded Super Babies: Baby Geniuses 2.

The Chinese import, a mystical saga of the mythical battles which created a kingdom that is the biggest grossing film ever in that country, raked in $17.8 million, according to preliminary studio estimates Sunday, triumphing over all comers at the weekend box office.

Oscar nominated as Best Foreign-Language Film in 2003, Hero has wowed critics for the magical beauty of its multifaceted storytelling and martial-arts choreography. Directed by Zang Yimou, starring, among others, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, and promoted by superfan Quentin Tarantino, the PG-13 Miramax release proved there's a big audience for subtitled films, averaging $8,765 per site at 2,031 theaters.

Cut down to size was Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid with $13.2 million in second place.

Screen Gems' PG-13 supersized snake sequel, starring Johnny Messner and a cast of unknowns in place of the 1997 original's Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and Eric Stoltz, was squeezed into 2,905 sites to average $4,544. (Anaconda opened in first place with $16.6 million in 1997, averaging $6,767 per 2,456 sites. It eventually grossed $65.5 million.)

The weekend's other two newbies struggled to make the top 10. Paramount's R-rated Suspect Zero, a serial killer thriller starring Ben Kingsley, Aaron Eckhart and Carrie-Anne Moss, slipped into the 10 spot with $3.4 million. The R-rated Paramount entry average $2,267 at 1,500 theaters.

Sony's butt-kicking kiddies sequel Super Babies: Baby Geniuses 2 earned a tot-sized $3.3 million in 11th place. The PG film, starring the aforementioned Jon Voight, along with Scott Baio and Vanessa Angel, crawled into 1,276 sites to average $2,586.

With modest sums for even the leading players, it was a low-grossing weekend overall, typical for the final dog days of summer. The top 12 movies registered a 31 percent drop from last weekend.

Contributing to this week's overall malaise was the 63 percent plummet of last week's top movie, Exorcist: The Beginning. The devil tale was down to fifth place, earning just $6.7 million to bring its two-week gross to $30.8 million. Down less drastically was Without a Paddle, dipping one spot to third, where the buddy comedy earned $8.7 million to bring its two-week total to $27.8 million.

Here's a rundown of the top 10 films as compiled by Exhibitor Relations from Sunday estimates; final figures will be released Monday:

1. Hero, $17.8 million
2. Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, $13.2 million
3. Without a Paddle, $8.7 million
4. The Princess Diaries 2, $8 million
5. Exorcist: The Beginning, $6.7 million
6. Collateral, $6.3 million
7. Open Water, $5 million
8. Alien vs. Predator, $4.8 million
9. The Bourne Supremacy, $4.6 million
10. Suspect Zero, $3.4 million

[FH]

Gloria Singer Laura Branigan Dies
Source: E!
Laura Branigan, the Grammy-nominated singer who shot to fame with her 1982 anthem "Gloria," died of a brain aneurysm Thursday at her home in East Quogue, New York. She was 47.

Branigan's death was confirmed by her Website, LauraBraniganOnline, which said she died in her sleep.


Her brother Mark Branigan told the Associated Press that she had complained to a friend that she'd been suffering from a headache for about two weeks, but failed to seek medical treatment before her death.

Originally a back-up vocalist for Leonard Cohen, Branigan hit it big in the early '80s as a solo artist on the strength of signature hit, "Gloria," off her 1982 self-titled debut album.

The song, a remake of a '70s Italian pop ditty, remained on the Billboard charts for an astonishing 36 weeks and garnered her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocalist, the first of four Grammy nods in that category over the course of her career.

Her follow-up, 1983's Branigan 2, spawned two more Top 10 hits: "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You," a power ballad cowritten by a then-unknown Michael Bolton, and "Solitaire." The title track off her next release, 1984's Self-Control, reached the Top 10, while another single, "The Lucky One," peaked in the Top 40.

Altogether, Branigan recorded seven albums, including 1985's Hold Me and 1987's Touch, which Top 40 singles "Spanish Eddie" and the ballad "The Power of Love," respectively.

Branigan also contributed songs to several movie soundtracks, including "Imagination" on Flashdance, which earned her a second Grammy nomination. Her tunes also turned up on the soundtracks to Ghostbusters, Coming to America, Body Rock and Salsa.

Branigan also racked up several acting credits, including a guest stint on CHiPs, and several low-budget films, the 1985 sorority farce Mugsy's Girls (aka Delta Pi) and the 1988 drama Backstage.

Born on July 3, 1957, in the upstate New York town of Brewster, Branigan began performing in her senior year of high school when she snagged the lead role in a musical production.

Following graduation, she decided to pursue a career in entertainment and moved to Manhattan where she attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts.

After touring Europe with the Canadian-born Cohen, she signed a solo record deal with Atlantic Records in 1982.

While Branigan's popularity waned in the '90s, she remained on the pop-culture radar. In 1994, she teamed up with David Hasselhoff for a duet titled "I Believe," which was featured on the soundtrack to Baywatch.

The following year, she issued The Best of Branigan, a collection of 13 of her best known tracks.

She suffered a personal loss in 1996 with the death of her husband, Lawrence Kruteck. She largely retired from performing in the late '90s, before returning to the studio in 2001.

Branigan continued her comeback the following year with a star turn as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical, Love, Janis.

Her most recent album was the 2002 greatest-hits compilation, The Essentials. Earlier this year, a CD single featuring several remixes of "Gloria" was released.

Branigan is survived by her mother, two brothers and a sister. A funeral service is scheduled for Monday.

[FH]

Chris Evans talks Fantastic Four
Source: DarkHorizons
Whilst out promoting "Cellular", the last of the "Fantastic Four" who had yet to really speak about the film finally discussed it. LatinoReview was onhand for the interview with Chris Evans about his role:

Right now the film is mostly dialogue scenes with the action elements coming in later. Evans confirmed he's going to be in a harness a lot of the time for the flying parts. He also confirmed that Chiklis' The Thing will be a fullb ody makeup suit - " was talking to the director's assistant the other day. He said you look at it and it looks real. You get close, you'll be like, 'It looks like rock.' I can't wait to see it. I'm so psyched".

In regards to the outfits, Evans says "The beauty is the Fantastic Four uniform is this form fitting blue outfit. So they make these really cool, blue almost like wetsuits, but since we all don't have the perfect bodies for these wetsuits, they gave us muscle suits. These little suits that you put on first that have rubber muscles that are actually form fitted to our bodies. They do these body casts and then they add muscle in certain places where it's needed. So you put on this muscle suit and then you put on this blue uniform and you just walk around like you're chiseled out of stone, so it's great. I'm happy"

[FH]

Details on Batman: TAS Vol. 2 on DVD

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Savini on Land of the Dead
Source: DarkHorizons

'Red Menace' sat in on a Q&A with horror legend Tom Savini last night in Toronto where the man was talking to a convention crowd about his role in George A. Romero's upcoming 'Land of the Dead' movie. Here's a few details:

"Shooting will be in Toronto starting in early October and apprently Romero has been spending his days location scouting around the city. Savini also talked about how he will have a large role in the film playing a character who goes into the the zombie infested world to get supplies for wealthy survivors.

The coolest part he mentioned was that he would also be reprising his role from the original 'Dawn of the Dead' (the Biker Gang guy) that died and fell into the fountain in the mall- who has since become a zombie. He said that he will actually kill his zombie self in the new film.

There was also talk of using several CG zombies to sort of update the effects and show the audience things that a guy with makeup on could never pull off. Lastly he said Romero has made it clear his zombies will slow moving, as compared to the 'fast zombies' like in the 'Dawn' Remake, the way Romero always did it".

[FH]

In "Who Gives A Shit" News...

Jay-Z, OutKast Wrap Up MTV VMAs
Source: E!

Jay-Z may have "99 Problems," but winning Moonmen ain't one.

The rapper, who claims to be retiring from hip-hop, got a fitting sendoff Sunday night at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards winning four of the six categories he was nominated in: Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography.
Jay, real name Shawn Carter, even got a good luck gold watch, courtesy of Dave Chappelle and a Times Square vendor. Sniff.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

OutKast's Andre and Big Boi threatened to overtake Jay-Z's final (or not) farewell, tying him with four nods for their "Hey Ya!" clip, including the night's biggest prize, Video of the Year, along with Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Special Effects and Best Art Direction.

Also angling for Jay's mike was Usher, who won bookend Best Male and Best Dance Video trophies for "Yeah!" featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris. The night's only other multiple winner was No Doubt's "It's My Life" for Best Group and Best Pop Video.

While Usher failed to make it a threepeat, losing Best R&B Video to Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You," the singer gave himself props for beating out Justin Timberlake's "Senorita" in the Best Male Video category. "I guess there ain't really no comparison between me and Justin no more right? There's no competition between me and Justin, I'm setting the record straight."

Of course, if they were had given out a Best Abs award, the Confessions singer would likely be a shoo-in for that too. Usher ripped off his shirt four minutes into the show under a rain shower, taking the title "most exposed artist of the evening."

And that was about as wild as it got. Because even as the celebration took place in Miami, a city J.Lo dubbed the steamiest and sexiest on the planet, the music network and its flunkies were on their best behavior, without any "wardrobe malfunctions" or same-sex smooches.


In fact, Britney Spears didn't even show this year, but then her single, "Toxic," failed to take any of the four categories it was nominated in.

Even Chappell kept it clean, despite joking that his appearance was MTV's "biggest mistake you made since Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl."

The comedian was just one of a group of presenters and announcers MTV tapped to move the show along, which resulted in a bizarre mix of personalities, such as Alexandra and Vanessa Kerry and Barbara and Jenna Bush each stumping for their fathers as part of the network's Choose or Lose campaign.

Also on hand, Ashley and fresh-from-rehab Mary-Kate Olsen, who thanked everyone for their support over the last few months, Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson, a super skinny Shaquille O'Neal, Jon Stewart and the Reverend Al Sharpton, who pushed voting for the Viewer's Choice Award, which went to Linkin Park for "Breakin the Habit."

Meanwhile, Bruce Willis arrived at the awards show on P. Diddy's yacht, along with Mase and Naomi Campbell--boats beating limos as the preferred mode of transportation to the VMAs. And cameras caught Lopez watching the festivities while holding hands with Marc Anthony.

But back to the tunes. Music videos may seem to be a thing of the past on MTV but the network never fails to rock the house come awards time. Only 14 Moonmen were actually awarded during the three hours-plus ceremony, which was largely devoted to performances.

Ashlee Simpson kicked off the preshow with "Pieces of Me," while big sis Jessica sang "With You" in prime time--but lost Best Female Video to Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl." Kanye West got a little help on "Through the Wire" from Chaka Khan; Keys paired up with special guest Stevie Wonder for her hit "If I Ain't Got You"; and Christina Aguilera debuted her jazzy number, "Tilt Ya Head" with Nelly.

But the strangest musical collaboration had to be the cult-like Polyphonic Spree, a rock choir that performed in rainbow-colored smocks that almost made you miss Jackson's pierced nipple flash.

Here's a rundown of the 2004 VMA winners:


Video of the Year: OutKast, "Hey Ya!"
Best Male Video: Usher with Lil' Jon and Ludacris, "Yeah!"
Best Female Video: Beyoncé, "Naughty Girl"
Best Group Video: No Doubt, "It's My Life"
Best Rap Video: Jay-Z, "99 Problems"
Best R&B Video: Alicia Keyes, "If I Ain't Got You"
Best Hip-Hop Video: OutKast, "Hey Ya!"
Best Rock Video: Jet, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
Best Pop Video: No Doubt, "It's My Life"
Best Dance Video: Usher with Lil' Jon and Ludacris, "Yeah!"
Best New Artist in a Video: Maroon 5, "This Love"
Viewer’s Choice: Linkin Park, "Breakin the Habit"
MTV2 Award: Yellowcard, "Ocean Avenue"
Best Video Game Soundtrack: Tony Hawk's Underground, Activision

[FH]

Tarantino Eyes Full-Length Kill Bill Release
Source: ComingSoon!
USA Today talked to Quentin Tarantino about the success of Hero in theaters. The film was billed as "presented by Quentin Tarantino" and took the top spot with an impressive $18 million this weekend.

Tarantino also talked about the strong sales of Kill Bill Vol. 2 on DVD, which was released on August 10th and has remained at the top since while reinvigorating sales of Kill Bill Vol. 1.

The sales bode well for Tarantino's dream to bring a full-length Kill Bill to theaters. A film that combines the separate movies could happen as soon as early next year.

"It's not just like slapping the two together," he says. "There are slight changes, and it has an intermission, like a '60s movie."

Tarantino adds that a subsequent ultimate Kill Bill DVD would have a new collection of extras. "It won't make these two (current DVDs) obsolete. We have put everything we could on volumes 1 and 2, but I have all this cool stuff we have from over the course of a year and a half making (the films)."

[FH]

Sky Captain Cast Ready for a Prequel
Source: ComingSoon!
Paramount Pictures will release the anticipated Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow into theaters on September 17, and Angelina Jolie tells ComingSoon.net that they are already thinking about the next step.

Jolie says that if the special effects action-thriller, written and directed by Kerry Conran, is a success at the box office, then the cast is ready to make a "Sky Captain" prequel. Jolie plays Franky Cook, commander of an amphibious squadron, who aids Sky Captain (Jude Law) and chronicle reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) in an attempt to stop Dr. Totenkopf from destroying the earth.

Angelina mentioned that the prequel would cover such things as her romance with Sky Captain (she's his old flame in the Sept. 17 film), why she has an eye patch, and much more.

Jolie added that she will not be doing any more "Tomb Raider" movies, saying that she's done everything with the character that she could.

Stay tuned for lots more from Jolie and the rest of the "Sky Captain" cast.

[FH]

Paramount Pictures Enters Area 51
Source: ComingSoon!
Paramount Pictures has acquired worldwide film rights to Midway Games' upcoming video game Area 51. Christine Peters (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) will produce the live-action thriller in collaboration with Midway. The game is scheduled for release in March for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

The game features the voice talent of David Duchovny, Powers Boothe, and Marilyn Manson. "Today's top games must deliver a complete and engrossing entertainment experience," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer at Midway, about the game. "By utilizing the voice talents of some of Hollywood's most recognizable names combined with stunning graphics and sound, 'Area 51' will deliver a polished experience in all phases on par with the best games available."

David Duchovny (The X-Files) voices the game's lead character Specialist Ethan Cole, a special forces soldier specializing in hazardous materials investigations. Powers Boothe (Deadwood) provides the voice of Major Bridges, while infamous recording artist Marilyn Manson will deliver an unforgettable performance as Edgar, the gray alien.

In the game, the U.S. Army has received a distress signal from Area 51 where a viral outbreak has just shut down the research facility and the automated quarantine procedures have locked all scientific and military personnel inside.

A small Special Forces unit including Specialist Ethan Cole of the HAZMAT (hazardous materials) Division is sent to investigate. As Cole, players will delve into the massive levels within the confines of Area 51, discovering a deadly mutagenic side effect of the virus that controls the minds of those infected, as well as an ancient alien colony buried beneath the facility. Players will uncover the truth behind chilling conspiracies as they come across the remnants of the extraterrestrial crash at Roswell, alien autopsies, and the faked lunar landing. Cole must solve the enigma of Area 51 before the viral mutagen is released and irrevocably mutates all life on Earth.

Featuring online capabilities of up to 16 players, "Area 51" is the only action-packed 1st person shooter set in the U.S. government's most secret and secure military facility. Players' online "Area 51" experience will be enhanced with game modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Humans vs. Alien Mutant Team Deathmatch.

[FH]

Vaughn and Wilson are Outsourced
Source: ComingSoon!
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson will star in Outsourced, a comedy pitch by new writer Timothy Dowling for Columbia Pictures, reports Variety.

The project is about an American factory that is shut down and moved to Mexico, which prompts two men from the production line to venture south of the border to get their old jobs back.

Dowling, a graduate of USC's School of Theater, wrote the short film George Lucas in Love. Vaughn and Wilson can be seen together in the upcoming romantic comedy, The Wedding Crashers, which New Line will release on April 29.

I wonder if Ben Stiller and/or Will Ferrell will make a cameo?

[FH]

Goyer Pacts with WB for Two Comic Book Movies and Soylent Green Remake
Source: SuperheroHype!
Variety reports that Batman Begins writer and Blade: Trinity writer/director David Goyer has signed a one-year first-look writing, producing and directing deal with Warner Bros. Pictures...

Goyer, who penned the "Batman" pic for helmer Christopher Nolan, has not identified any projects under the deal and will stay in his current production offices at the Jim Henson Co.'s headquarters in Hollywood.

One possibility is a remake of futuristic thriller "Soylent Green," though no deal is in place. Goyer is expected to develop two comicbook-related properties with DC Comics.

Though the deal is for an initial one-year term, WB has the option to extend the deal a further two years.

His new deal replaces his former first-look pactpact, which expires this year, at New Line. Under that deal, he penned the "Blade" films and most recently wrote and directed the third pic in the series, "Blade: Trinity," for the studio. "Trinity" is in post-production for a December release.

You can read the complete articles, which talks about more projects Goyer has in the works, by clicking this link.

[FH]

Is Jim Caviezel Superman?
Source: SuperheroHype!
Comic book writer Mark Millar has posted on his official website that "The Passion of The Christ" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" star Jim Caviezel is the new Superman...

You remember I told you to relax about Superman? That a very, very trusted and experienced director we'd all love was coming over? That McG was just a blip? That everything would be fine?

Well, my same good buddy has informed me that, as of last Thursday night, Mister Jim Caviezel is officially the new man of steel and what a perfect choice he is. Expect an announcement shortly. Also, this Superman Returns thing was just for the press release. The movie itself is called SUPERMAN (Reeve's was called SUPERMAN THE MOVIE) and it's starting everything from scratch. Brainiac. Krypton. Robots. Alien super-cities.

We'll have to wait and see if Warner Bros. confirms this. Bryan Singer is directing the film for a Summer 2006 release.

Caviezel's manager, Beverly Dean, previously said that the actor would be interested in playing the role. "Would he like to do it? He loves Superman. But the truth is there has been no offer, the script isn't even finished - but absolutely he'd be interested."