Joaquin Walks Away From Acting

Ex-actor awkward, embarrassing on show

(NEWSER) - A nearly comatose Joaquin Phoenix appeared on The Late Show last night, and his vacant stares and one-word answers forced David Letterman to resort to openly mocking him, Gawker reports. Phoenix—who may or may not be engaging in an elaborate publicity stunt—at one point stuck his gum underneath Letterman’s table. The host ended the interview with, “Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.” More»

Actor-turned-rapper says he has made his last film

(NEWSER) - Actor Joaquin Phoenix insists he really has quit Hollywood for hip-hop, AP reports. He’s made his last movie and is busy recording rap tracks in his home studio, said the star. Rumors that the career change was actually an elaborate practical joke swirled after video emerged of Phoenix rapping almost inaudibly and falling off a stage in a Vegas club. More»

(NEWSER) - Joaquin Phoenix really is a struggling rap artist, a rep tells MTV. “The transition from one career to another is never seamless,” the actor’s publicist says. “He intends on exploring his musical interests despite speculative, negative, or positive reactions.” The statement is in direct contrast to rumors that Phoenix and brother-in-law Casey Affleck are staging the meltdown as an elaborate media hoax. More»

Phoenix' rap career might just be a show

(NEWSER) - Joaquin Phoenix's transformation from Oscar-nominated actor to bumbling rapper may be a prank meant to satirize media coverage of pompous actors, Entertainment Weekly reports. “He said, ‘It's a put-on. I'm going to pretend to have a meltdown and change careers, and Casey [Affleck] is going to film it,’” a source close to the actor said. More»

Nearly 8 years from his last hit, Arnold says he's still got it

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, and even at age 63, the longtime action star says he's ready to return to the high-octane heroics and disemboweling that made him famous. "I can step very comfortably into the entertainment world and do an action movie with the same violence that I've always done," he said in the LA Times . "I can have the same amount of heads coming off—and any other body parts—and as far as that goes, I don't blink." The former California governor would not comment on specific rumors, only saying, "The calls are coming in." More»