January 12, 2006
Julia Roberts May Abandon Children
Charlie Wilson's War, the film based on a Texas congressman who teams with a CIA operative to arm the Afghan rebels that would eventually become the Taliban, may add another big-name to its cast:
Mike Nichols and Julia Roberts are making battle plans.
The Closer director is negotiating to direct Charlie Wilson's War for Universal, with the former film's leading lady considering leaving the kids with the nanny to star.
The film already boasts a script by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin with Tom Hanks in the lead role. With star power like this, I smell Oscar! Or it may be the smell of parental neglect. Or "Julia Funk," a smell rumored to circle Julia Roberts at all times. One of those three.
Julia Roberts Going to War? [Empire]
Previous Entries
Car "Tranforms" Into Robot, Amazes Onlooker
What appears to be ILM test footage for Michael Bay's upcoming Transformers project has found its way online. The clip, which shows a car transform into a robot to the amazement of Dave Matthews, is already being called a fake by many viewers. Some dispute comes from the sprocket holes seen on either sides of the video, which wouldn't be visible if run through a projector, and wouldn't be present if projected digitally. Others claim the footage is of a car actually turning into a robot and symptomatic of a larger problem: lots of cars turning into robots. Then what will we drive? THEN WHAT WILL WE DRIVE??
Answer: Robot Cars!
More Than Meets The Eye [BaDonGo.com]
Satan Is Chubby, Short
20th Century Fox has released the first image of Damien from John Moore's The Omen remake, The Omen 666. In the film, an American official realizes that his son, Damien, may literally be the Antichrist. Most surprising to the official is that Evil incarnate sports a bowl cut.
Oscars, Trix For Kids
MSNBC reports that this year's Oscar nominees may be the youngest in history:
The Golden Globes and the year-end critics' awards have led the way to honoring fresh talent in medium-budget independent productions, while the Hollywood guilds, including the Writers' Guild, the Screen Actors' Guild and the Producers' Guild, appear to be following in the same Oscar-forecasting direction.
Most indicative of the new, young direction of Hollywood is the prominence of character-driven, edgy storylines, and that everyone has a MySpace. Among the youths favored for nominations are Scarlett Johansson, 21, Jake Gyllenhaal, 25, Keira Knightley, 20, and a talented fetus known only as, "Lil' Pinky."
Tarantino Invented James Bond
According to the Sunday Mirror, Quentin Tarantino has said he is quite upset about the upcoming Bond movie, Casino Royale, because he conceived many of the ideas being used. From the article:
I'm annoyed that the James Bond producers never even called me up to talk to me about it because I can tell you they would not be making Casino Royale if I hadn't talked about it first.
They should have called me. Especially since they are taking my idea and they are taking the publicity I gave them towards that idea. They should have at least out of courtesy had coffee with me.
Among the ideas stolen from Q.T.: James Bond having cool inventions, James Bond shooting people, James Bond having sex with various women, James Bond driving cool cars, James bond fighting a rich, sophisticated villain with an extensive organization of thugs, and saying, "Bond. James Bond."
Among the ideas not stolen: Extensive anime sequences and Samuel L. Jackson.
Tarantino Furious With Bond Producers [Digital Spy]
Bite Into Hard Candy (Not Literal Hard Candy)
The trailer for Hard Candy has been released on IFILM, and it's sure to stir up some debate. The movie follows a 32-year-old man who uses the Internet to seduce a 14-year-old girl into meeting him and coming to his home, where he finds she may not be as innocent as she first seemed.
Because of the controversial nature of the film, some parent groups are concerned about the film's release, worried for both the sexual content and the fear that other girls may attempt to be vigilantes. Also upset by the film were pedophiles, who hoped it would be more of an instructional video.
Trailer [IFILM]
