House Bunny joins illustrious company
Entertainment Weekly Aug 23, 08 4:18 PM CDT
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With The House Bunny hitting theaters, Entertainment Weekly looks back at history’s greatest films with Playboy connections: The Asphalt Jungle : Marilyn Monroe debuted here a couple years before gracing Playboy’s first cover. Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! : Directed by Russ Meyer, the Playboy photographer sometimes called “King Leer.” Macbeth: Roman Polanski and Hugh Hefner’s friendship ended over this Playboy- produced adaptation.
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PRODUCT REVIEWS
A drive-in movie buff takes tech for a backyard test run
Esquire Aug 19, 08 8:26 PM CDT
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Though the drive-in movie theater has gone the way of the buffalo, Barry Sonnenfeld writes in Esquire , with the right projector you can recreate the outdoor film experience in your back yard. But take notice: A projector is only as good as the screen it’s projecting on, so make sure it’s quality. The three best for outdoor use:
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Variety Aug 17, 08 6:44 PM CDT
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Hollywood spoof Tropic Thunder bombarded the box office this weekend by banking $26 million in top spot, Variety reports. Batman flick The Dark Knight fell to second but raked in $16.8 million and became the second-highest grossing domestic pic ever. Filling out the top five were Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Mirrors , and Pineapple Express , Bloomberg reports. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristinia Barcelona debuted on 692 screens and came in tenth.
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Spears hopes next Tarantino film will turn her career around
Daily Telegraph (UK) Aug 6, 08 11:31 AM CDT
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Britney Spears will appear in Quentin Tarantino’s remake of the 1965 cult classic Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! as a lesbian stripper with a penchant for murder, the Daily Telegraph reports. Spears' character will encounter a young couple in the desert, murder the boyfriend and kidnap the girlfriend—and make an appearance in a lesbian sex scene or two. No report on whether Madonna's signed on.
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Risqué humor draws smaller crowds, but stars can cut loose
Associated Press Aug 5, 08 8:45 PM CDT
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Movie studios are gambling on R-rated comedies more than ever as audiences open up to raunchier humor and stars push to showcase their talent in a less restricted setting, the AP reports. PG-13 flicks almost always draw bigger crowds, but R-rated features like Sex and the City , Wedding Crashers , and Knocked Up are proving that more risqué comedies can still do well.
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Star has 'chip on shoulder' after she skipped university
Daily Telegraph (UK) Aug 3, 08 8:06 PM CDT
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Oscar nominations? Check. Intelligent, literary roles? Check. College education? Not so much. “I am completely uneducated,” Keira Knightley told the Daily Telegraph, which “leaves you with a slight chip on your shoulder.” To battle intellectual insecurity, the Atonement star, who is dyslexic and dropped out of school at 17, says she reads voraciously.
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Conservatives push Marriott to drop pay-per-view sex flicks
St. Petersburg Times (Russia) Jul 23, 08 9:20 PM CDT
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Conservatives are pressuring Marriott to remove adult films from its pay-per-view programming, saying porn doesn't jibe with the hotel chain's commitment to families, the St. Petersburg Times reports . "It's corporate greed,'' said the head of a Christian group. Marriott contends nixing the flicks isn't so easy: It owns only a few of the 3,000 properties operating under the brand.
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OPINION
Blogger looks at actors who never parlayed breakout roles into full-on stardom
The Playlist Jul 22, 08 4:13 PM CDT
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James Caviezel has gone from playing Jesus in Passion of the Christ to “a dragon hunter from another planet” in next year’s Outlander , Spencer Martin notes on the Playlist. Who else should have fire their agents for such moves? Heather Graham. Success: Drugstore Cowboy, Boogie Nights, Austin Powers. Failure: Committed, Say It Ain’t So, Miss Conception . Lucy Liu. Success: Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill. Failure: Lucky Number Slevin, Code Name: The Cleaner.
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Critics give Disney
2 thumbs down for show's new direction
Chicago Tribune Jul 22, 08 6:24 AM CDT
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Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper are calling it a day with At the Movies , reports the Chicago Tribune . Insiders say Disney plans to revamp the 33-year-old show and give it more of a Hollywood focus. Ebert, who holds the trademark for the show's signature thumbs up/thumbs down format, has vowed to take his thumbs elsewhere. Roeper hinted he would be joining him.
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$66.4M first day for 'The Dark Knight' shames last Spidey's $59.8M
Associated Press Jul 19, 08 1:34 PM CDT
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Batman sequel The Dark Knight raked in $66.4 million in its first 24 hours, easily sweeping past the previous mark of $59.8 million opening day set last year by Spider-Man 3 , the AP reports. With a showing like that, Dark Night is poised to surpass Spidey’s opening weekend record of $151.1 million. Heath Ledger’s much-buzzed-about turn as the Joker is helping lure fans.
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Sequel tops box office with $35.9M
Variety Jul 13, 08 6:28 PM CDT
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army burned up the weekend box office while moviegoers hesitated to Meet Dave , Variety reports. Hellboy banked $35.9 million, followed by Hancock with $33 million, Journey to the Center of the Earth with $20.6 million , and Wall-E with $18.5 million. Meet Dave , one of Eddie Murphy's lowest-grossing openers ever, earned just $5.3 million.
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No more movies for Clooney's crime franchise, Cheadle says
OK! Jul 12, 08 3:37 PM CDT
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George Clooney and friends won’t be pulling off any more heists on the big screen, OK! reports. Asked whether he would act in an Ocean’s 14, co-star Don Cheadle replied flatly, “No. Done. It’s a wrap.” Steven Soderbergh's star-studded series, now apparently scrapped after three films, has grossed more than $1 billion since Ocean’s 11 debuted 7 years ago.
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Superhero flick is third-biggest holiday opener ever
Variety Jul 6, 08 4:29 PM CDT
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Superhero comedy Hancock raked in $107 million over the July 4th weekend and became the third-biggest holiday opener ever, Variety reports. The weekend's other big debut, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl , sputtered in 8th spot with $3.6 million. Filling out the top five after Hancock were Wall-E , Wanted , Get Smart , and Paramount summer laffer, Kung Fu Panda .
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glossies
Tweener still candid despite Oscar nod and new starring role
Vanity Fair Jun 17, 08 11:37 AM CDT
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Pint-sized Abigail Breslin swears that her Oscar nod and whirlwind career have barely changed her life, Vanity Fair reports. She will admit that her best supporting actress nomination for Little Miss Sunshine “was really exciting," but so are the 12-year-old's veterinary dreams. “I got to ride a sea lion, and I got to play with pelicans and lizards" in her latest film, she said. "It was awesome."
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