Spielberg Anoints a Star

Vanity Fair anoints a young generation of leading men

(NEWSER) - They're pretty, they're talented, and they're all the rage. Vanity Fair presents seven hot new young things.

1. Shia LaBeouf: Transformers, Indiana Jones
2. Kevin Zegers: Transamerica, The Jane Austen Book Club
3. Michael Pitt: Dreamers, Last Days, Silk

Lucas spent 15 years persuading Spielberg and Ford of new idea

(NEWSER) - It seems like a sure thing: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, in on 13 of the 100 highest-grossing movies ever, revive the billion-dollar Indiana Jones franchise. But Lucas spent 15 years trying to convince Spielberg and Harrison Ford to do Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, due out May 22. Why the discord? It all came down to what Hollywood calls a MacGuffin, Vanity Fair reports. More»

Really? 'Hot Tub Time Machine' is the best we can do?

(NEWSER) - “2010 very possibly is the worst year in the history of motion pictures,” declares Joe Queenan in a hilarious Wall Street Journal piece bemoaning the downfall of American cinema. You know things are bad in Hollywood when:

• “Shia LaBeouf—who looks a bit like the young George W. Bush” is being passed off “as the second coming of Tom Cruise.”
• The top contenders for Next Big Action Star are Jake Gyllenhaal and Adrien Brody. “None of these are logical heirs to the throne abandoned by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone. They may not even be legitimate heirs to the throne vacated by Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.”

'Harry Potter' star banked $41M, ranks just 14th among moneymakers

(NEWSER) - Emma Watson made more money last year than any other actress in the world. The Harry Potter star banked over $30 million from acting and modeling jobs; she has worked on ad campaigns for Burberry and People Tree. Watson ranked 14th on Vanity Fair 's list of Hollywood's top moneymakers, well below fellow Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who made $41 million last year. At No. 6, Radcliffe is the highest-ranked actor, below a who's who of superstar producers. More»

Roger Corman, Gordon Willis, John Calley share the spotlight

(NEWSER) - A mere 65 years after her unforgettable screen debut, Lauren Bacall has won an Academy Award. The honorary Oscar was a high point of a ceremony last night in Los Angeles that also celebrated the careers of filmmaker Roger Corman, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and producer John Calley. "I can't believe it, a man at last!" the 85-year-old Bacall joked as she hoisted her new hardware. More»