Imagine the above, with a round white boy (in, I hope, the same duds). Or one round furry dude panda.
It was inevitable, really. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Jack Black and Cee-Lo (of Gnarls Barkley) have covered Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting" for Black's upcoming Kung Fu Panda. At the very least, it should be a bit better than Chris Tucker's version for Rush Hour 3.
Cee-Lo says: "It was inspiring and an honor to have the opportunity to reintroduce the record to a brand new audience, sprinkled with a little of me on top." Meow! However, I really doubt that their cover will inspire young tykes unfamiliar with the song to find out that it's a Carl Douglas tune, and go out to hear more of his music. In reality, we can probably wait 10 years and then hear people say: "Hey, isn't 'Kung Fu Fighting' that Jack Black song?"
You can hear the track on May 27th by picking up the soundtrack or downloading it. As for the film, which also uses the voices of Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and Dustin Hoffman, it's coming out on June 6.
Fidel Castro might be showing up as a character in Steven Soderbergh's Che flicks, but it looks like his daughter, Alina Fernandez, is getting a bit more involved in the movie biz. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Crash co-writer and Oscar winner Bobby Moresco is bringing her story to the big screen. Fernandez will consult, Moresco will possibly direct it, and the project is currently out to writers. However, this won't be a straight biopic.
It seems that her story will somehow be intertwined with the stories of others, like Crash, to "show the Cuban and American perspectives and ideologies along with Fernandez's story." Basically, she's the product of an affair Castro had while married to his first wife. She "spent her childhood in the country's shadow, only learning at age 10 that the man who visited her at night and whom she saw on TV every day was her father." In the '90s, she disguised herself as a Spanish tourist and fled to Spain, and then the US, where she now lives.
Fernandez is involved to try "to make people be a little more aware of how glorious we are and how many limitations we have." I'm sure that will depend on how the film is portrayed and then perceived by audiences. I happened to really dig Crash, but many people were put off by it, so it'll be interesting to see if this project takes on a different tone to circumvent comparisons.
There's been a lot of buzz as Oliver Stone's W goes Speedy Gonzalez towards its impending October release. I'd say that it's mainly due to the kickass cast -- maybe not for being the perfect representations of today's political heads, but for being a collection of really great actors.
But still, the project makes me think back to other Dubyas in the entertainment ether. Brolin is certainly not the first. This might not be as old as some Stars in Rewind posts, but I couldn't resist adding a little Will Ferrell presidential fare to this sunny Tuesday. You know, sun and "so-called global warmings" go together. This happens to be one of my favorite blips by Ferrell, and I hope you enjoy it!
Really, who cares about a place where penguins can have an orgy? Nature needs to listen to us!
Bit by bit, we get closer to the soon-to-be-sped-through biopic on George W. Bush, W-- remember, although it hasn't been completely cast, and is just one day into production, it will hit theaters this October. We've got Josh Brolin as Dubya, Elizabeth Banks as Laura, Rob Corddry as Ari Fleischer, James Cromwell as George Sr., Ellen Burstyn as Barbara, Thandie Newton as Condoleeza, Ioan Gruffudd as Tony Blair, and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell.
And now, Empire reports that Scott Glenn is going to play former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It's a fair likeness, and not half as surprising as Brolin being Bush. It's also a fair casting move considering Glenn's previous work, from his CIA director in The Bourne Ultimatum, to his Jack Crawford in Silence of the Lambs, to his Lieutenant Richard M. Colby in Apocalypse Now.
But really, even with potential script issues and questionable likenesses, I'm completely charmed by this cast and hoping that it won't be one of those huge ensemble stinkers. I'm not even particularly interested in more Dubya, but I can't resist a film that has both Burstyn and Wright.
While the creative bits of my brain are hoping for comic greatness, I'm thinking that this upcoming feature is one of those projects that holds a lot of promise, but falls under the weight of all the dreamed-of possibilities. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Fable Works is producing a new computer-animated feature called Cereal Heroes, which will get characters designed by Kim Possible'sStephen Silver.
David Meinstein is writing the script, which focuses on "cartoon cereal box-mascots who are mistakenly brought to life when a plan to replace the world's fallen superheroes with characters from comic books goes awry. They soon find themselves on the run in an unfamiliar world that only they can save from destruction." My big question is whether they will be recognizable cereal heroes, fake cereal heroes, or faux replicas of cereal heroes? However, while the hopeful part of me would imagine that Silver's character designs would be for the other characters in the film, I imagine he'll be creating the cereal heroes. Getting the rights to all would be insanely expensive, but it would be free advertising, and probably the only obvious product placement that I could get behind. Can you imagine Snap, Crackle, and Pop bringing down baddies with Cap'n Crunch, Count Chocula, the Trix Rabbit, a certain Leprechaun, Tony the Tiger, and the rest?
The film is currently scheduled to hit screens in 2010.
We're just over a week and a half away from seeing Harrison Ford run around as Indiana Jones for the first time in almost twenty years in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and hopefully not collapse in an arthritic fit. Of course, that means putting out a collection for Indy buffs to buy -- just in time for a late-night triple feature before the big release. However, unlike the Die Hard re-do, which stripped tons of extras away, and other releases that just fill up landfill space, there is a perk in this whole money-grab: aside from getting them as a collection, you can pick them up for the first time separately.
That's music to my ears, since I detest Temple of Doom, and would be happy not to see it again. Pick up one, pick up a few, or pick them all up in the Adventure Collection, which is just the three special editions in a fancy cardboard box. Each disc has a bunch of extras -- intros, interviews, special effects, storyboards, and more. Some is old footage, but there's lots of new bits as well -- including a look at Skull on the Last Crusade DVD. Buy the Collection | Buy Raiders | Buy Doom | Buy Crusade
Back in January, I alerted you to writer/director Rupert Wyatt's latest film called The Trail, which was set to start shooting this spring in New Mexico. Written by Wyatt, Trail is about a few soldiers on a base in New Mexico who get led on a trail by a Native American woman to help her brother, "who has been badly hurt in mysterious circumstances." Now the film is heading into production this September, and Variety reports that two other films are getting added to the mix.
Through Paramount Vantage, he will adapt Samuel Logan's book, This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha. The book is about a girl named Brenda Paz, who was a teen member of the MS-13 gang. When she became an informant for the FBI, she was killed by fellow gang members. This should be a pretty personal account, as it's getting made with the cooperation of her court-appointed guardian, Greg Hunter, who was not only her defense attorney, but her friend.
Also up for filming is a flick at Warner Bros. called Slipping Into Darkness, which Blake Masters is adapting from Peter Blauner's novel. This one is a "cat-and-mouse thriller about a cop who, 20 years after sending a teenage to jail for life, watches him freed on a technicality."
Between informants and friendships, freed-killer thrillers, and soldiers heading into mystery, Wyatt has his hands full. In the meantime, we can wait for Think Film to release his film The Escapist, which debuted at Sundance this year.
It looks like Natascha McElhone is now getting her chance to shine. For the most part, the actress has had co-starring gigs in films like Laurel Canyon, FeardotCom, and Solaris, but has been overshadowed by her bigger-name co-stars. Heck, even in Californication, David Duchovny steals the show. But now the tide might be turning as she's getting a headlining gig.
Variety reports that she's going to star with James Purefoy in Marleen Gorris'Heaven & Earth for Focus Films. The film, which was written by Malcolm Kohll and Marsha Levin, will focus on "Britain's first female doctor, James Miranda Barry (McElhone), who was forced to disguise herself as a man in order to practice medicine." But of course, it can't just be about the medicine. Set in the early 19th century, the film will focus on her love affair with the governor of Cape Town, Lord Charles Somerset (Purefoy).
It's disappointing that they're focusing on the romance rather than her achievements, but at the very least, it should be an opportunity for McElhone to show off her acting chops. Production is currently scheduled to begin on December 10 in the UK, and will shoot in Cape Town, South Africa in January.
What's with this new obsession with love and taxi cabs? The other day, I was flipping through the channels and stopped on some really bad show about dating. At one point, they start talking about some cabbie in New York who fixes up people in his cab. He's nice, and chats up his patrons, and then some of them leave him cell phone numbers so he can contact them with love matches. An interesting idea -- although it's far from the safest method out there.
But this isn't the only cabbie romance on the airwaves. The Hollywood Reporter posts that DreamWorks has picked up a rom-com spec called Shared Fare from Stacey Harman (Jingle Belles). Instead of a cupid cabbie, "the idea is based on a true experience had by Benderspink executive Langley Perer, who ended up dating a guy she split a cab with on a short trip."
As for what kind of rom-com this will be, the director circling the project should give you an indication: Brian Robbins. Does this mean Eddie Murphy will sign on, since he's starring (and has starred) in Robbins' three most recent films? Or better yet, will marketing teams descend upon cabbies and make them all budding cupids before the film's release? Or start cheap female cab fares in a sort of Ladies' Night-on-wheels marketing scheme?
Alas, like always, I see "Sasha Alexander" and immediately mix her up with Sasha Jenson, the sex fiend from Dazed and Confused. For some reason, I do this every time I see her name. But since it isn't Jenson, let's get back on track. Sasha Alexander, who you might remember from Wasteland or her stint as Gretchen Witter on Dawson's Creek, has picked up an indie gig for herself. Variety reports that she's got a role in Tenure, which stars Luke Wilson and Gretchen Mol as two professors who, well, compete for tenure. But she's also got roles in He's Just Not That Into You and Yes Man, so we should be seeing more of her in the near future.
Meanwhile, Variety reports that Rob Kerkovich, who got to play one of the many partygoers in Cloverfield, is getting a more prominent gig, and one that shouldn't be putting him in monster's way. He's landed a role in Bart Freundlich's The Rebound, which stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha. (This is that May/December romance flick.) Kerkovich will play a stoner co-worker of Bartha's character. Ah, that sounds like just the sort of company a single mom would want to keep with her new younger boyfriend.
I guess there is always room for another weird form of time travel. A big blue box has been making time travel fun for years on Doctor Who, and now we're getting a wet and wild version. The Hollywood Reporter posts that MGM has picked up a new comedy project by Josh Heald called Hot Tub Time Machine. Doesn't that sound like something right out of the '80s? I could totally see it as a follow-up to Weird Science.
Anyway ... the flick is said to follow "a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot rub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their 'mojo.'" Methinks there will be no room in this feature for time travel rules and paradoxes -- this is sounding like the sort of project that will throw time travel law to the wind ... or maybe not!
MGM exec Cale Boyter says: "We're always looking for ways to stand out from the rest of the pack in today's crowded marketplace, and what better way than to combine hot tub debauchery and the complications of time travel." Oh, the ultimate geek adventure -- perfecting youthful ways whilst trying not to complicate time travel. What I don't get is how this works -- are they going back in time to watch themselves secretly and try to re-tap into their lost lasciviousness? I get the feeling it won't matter; I'm betting this flick will be all about the boobs and booze.
With the end of this month comes final confirmation: Can Sex and the City make it as a feature film? To continue to whet our Sex appetites, a whole slew of clips popped up over on the net. Above you can check out the, erm, fleshed out waxing clip from the trailer, and after the jump there's a wedding announcement, that Cinderella clip, some "coloring," home shopping, and Carrie getting a little bit too "pat on the head," "I've been there" preachy with Jennifer Hudson.
As someone who enjoyed the show (whilst ignoring the idiotic fashions and some of the crappy men), this is looking to be the sort of film that will appeal to fans ... although it will be a little different than its skin-risque HBO roots. A few years passed and now it seems that we won't be getting the usual fleshy shocker from Samantha -- rumor has it that the only woman who celebrates full-flesh is Cynthia Nixon. It's too bad that age seems to be making the women cling to the clothing, but then again, that's SatC for you -- partially stereotype-breaking and partially stereotype-clutching.
It looks like Frank Sinatra's youngest daughter and film producer, Tina Sinatra, has let the cat out of the bag. While talking with Sun Media recently, she discussed a new biopic on the way, from Universal, that would focus on dear old Rat Pack Dad. She started by cryptically saying that the man who would take on the film was "the most prominent Italian-American filmmaker" in Hollywood. First, they guessed Coppola, and then Martin Scorsese. Later, she confirmed that it was, indeed, Marty.
But according to Sinatra, this won't be a big gangster picture. The movie will show him innocent of true involvement with the Mafia: "I don't want him to be driving the getaway car. That would not be fair. But I trust him (Scorsese) implicitly." It seems that Scorsese is in "a reflective period and is willing to present the truth about her father." From the way Sinatra is talking about Marty's involvement, it sounds like he is in final negotiations, but hasn't yet signed.
Should this all get squared away and signed, it will be at least the sixth celebrity name added to Scorsese's roster in the last 4-5 years. There was Bob Dylan in 2005, then the Rolling Stones with Shine a Light, plus the upcoming George Harrison and Bob Marley docs, and The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.
But what say you? Are you ready for Scorsese to take on Sinatra?
It was supposed to be a story about a British dude who ticks off the celebrity and Vanity Fair masses, relayed in a voice that charms some, but annoys many. But then the first short little trailer for How to Lose Friends and Alienate People popped up, and as Christopher Campbell said last December, "the trailer makes How to Lose look like a Ben Stiller comedy."
Now the international trailer has hit the waves, and yes, indeed, it still looks like a Stiller comedy -- right down to the dog accidentally flying out the window. Where's the snark? (Okay, snark without cute undertones.) I was expecting bitterness, not slapstick -- a questionable lead, not a seemingly innocent Simon Pegg. At least it's got some Danny Huston without the vampiric language and sharp teeth.
Still, I don't know what to think anymore. My world is all askew, because Kirsten Dunst's moments in the trailer actually seemed more interesting than Pegg's bumbling shenanigans. The film will hit screens this fall.
Oh, David O. Russell. The man is completely imbalanced: physical confrontations with George Clooney on set, putting Christopher Nolan in a headlock, going on a tirade towards Lily Tomlin, and arguing with James Caan about whether it's possible to choke and cough at the same time. But say what you will about his stability, he puts out some pretty damn good films.
This week's double feature is all about his deliciously talented imbalance. If you're not up for wildly colorful car racing or crappy-looking weddings in Vegas, maybe some Iraq-set comedy and over-the-top existential intervention is more up your alley. Oh yes, I'm talking about the wildly fun Three Kings and one of my favorite giggle-inducing comedies of all time -- I Heart Huckabees.
Fidel Castro might be showing up as a character in Steven Soderbergh's Che flicks, but it looks like his daughter, 
Bit by bit, we get closer to the soon-to-be-sped-through biopic on George W. Bush, 
While the creative bits of my brain are hoping for comic greatness, I'm thinking that this upcoming feature is one of those projects that holds a lot of promise, but falls under the weight of all the dreamed-of possibilities. 
Indiana Jones -- The Adventure Collection
Back in January, 
It looks like 
What's with this new obsession with love and taxi cabs? The other day, I was flipping through the channels and stopped on some really bad show about dating. At one point, they start talking about some cabbie in New York who fixes up people in his cab. He's nice, and chats up his patrons, and then some of them leave him cell phone numbers so he can contact them with love matches. An interesting idea -- although it's far from the safest method out there.
Here's some Monday nibblets for you:
I guess there is always room for another weird form of time travel. A big blue box has been making time travel fun for years on Doctor Who, and now we're getting a wet and wild version. 
It looks like 
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Cannes 2008 in Pictures: Day One -- Movie Posters Everywhere
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