The Week's Round Up
Last week FOXInsider was invited to an exclusive one off screening of FX's new show from HBO Generation Kill. Not only did I hang out with its creator Ed Burns, but I sparred with Marine Rudy Reyes (ok maybe not sparred but we definitely locked eyes). Here are some pics from the night's frivolities...Pencil it in to your 2009 diaries, Gen Kill January 25th on the FX channel.
Still recovering from the party, I spent most of the weekend on my sofa watching the 6th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. A huge fan of Larry David (I have yet to find a show that tops Seinfeld and Curb) and you can probably hear my teeth grinding as I write this...I came across what just might be the best blog this side of the pond, with the exception of FOXInsider, called Curb This. The premise: take the theme music from CYE and add it to a particularyly tense moment of a film. My favourite so far is The Shining. Perfect for a Monday pick me up-be sure to
check it out.
And finally, I hope you've been tuning in to FX to watch Burn Notice Sunday nights! Its lead Jeff Donovan stars in the new Eastwood flick the Changling opposite Angelina Jolie about some child mix up. BN is soon to reach its culmination so get watching before its too late! Sundays 9pm.
Pitbull Verses The Rottweiler
Oprah Winfrey is not amused with Sarah Palin. The Pit-bull promised to talk to Oprah on her TV show but after talking to every other talk host decided to snub Oprah "I said I would be happy to talk to Sarah Palin when the election was over...I went and tried to talk to Sarah Palin and instead she talked to Greta [Van Susteren]. She talked to Matt [Lauer]. She talked to Larry [King]…But she didn't talk to me." Surprising since Palin has recently signed a multimillion dollar book deal. Oh great more incoherent ramblings from the less than eloquent “Hockey Mom” With Oprah’s shows contract signed until 2011 and recently being top in the Hollywood reporters Power 100 list not to mention the highest paid I don’t think the Palin pit-bull should mess with the Oprah Rottweiler!
Tilda A Fan Of Toilet Humour
From Ice Queen to alcoholic lush. Tilda Swinton is certainly versatile and an actress completely in control of her career. “When oh when will Tilda Swinton ever do anything she doesn’t want to?” a casting agent once bemoaned the answer to that is never. Often seen as reserved and almost like her Ice Queen Role this is more a physical similarity rather than her actual personality. "I think I'm funny a lot of the time - but other people don't see it. Maybe people get put off by tall people with serious expressions. Tilda recently likened herself to a “clown” not an actress and that what she does is “so much less than acting - it's dressing up and playing and being in communication with the director, and that's it.” Well her role as an alcoholic in Julie directed by Erick Zonca certainly comes across as very grueling and intense but once again Tilda dismisses this as more clowning than acting. So what’s the reason for such a convincing exciting performance? "Shooting 17-hour days over six-day weeks, everybody with dysentery - it made that film." Guess you can’t argue with that!
It's Ground Hog Day
Wow its true Hollywood really has run out of ideas, with more remakes on the horizon confirmed it seems originality has flown straight out the window and flown far far away so far it seems to have migrated and not come back! So just confirmed remake number one is Romancing the Stone. This is going to be a Fox remake (not sure why as the original is so good) of the 1984 Michael Douglas classic. The writer Daniel McDermott has been confirmed but no producer as of yet. McDermott is also doing a remake of the 1973 film Soylent Green. Set in 2022 a New York detective discovers a gruesome secret about the people’s obsession with the food stuff Soylent Green. Turns out they are all a bunch of cannibals! Next up “They Live” the 1988 John Carpenter cult film where he will be one of the executive producers. This sci fi remake is about a guy who happens to find a pair of glasses that let him see that most of the people in authority are actually aliens, which makes quite a bit of sense if you ask me. What with Russell Brand in Dudley Moore’s “Arthur” and “Creature from the Black Lagoon” the list of remakes just gets longer and longer.
I Watched The Da Vinci Code And Saw The Light!
Jessica Simpson Famed for her voice and general lack of attire has decided she wants to go to college to study religion. The singer left school at 16 to pursue a career as a singer on the Christian music scene. However after starring in the MTV reality show newlyweds (following her and her now ex husband Nick Lachey in the build up to their wedding) she left the light and decided to tread the path to damnation also known as the U.S pop scene. Not famed for her intellect (famously she could not tell the difference between chicken and tuna in a can even when eaten) it is not perhaps surprising that the inspiration for her sudden move into academia is because of a documentary on Dan Browns Da Vinci Code that she watched eight times! Though with a minister father let’s hope someone will be able to help her with her homework.
Art Imitating Life
Russell Brand the rakish recently disgraced radio 2 presenter certainly has no plans to go into hiding and lick his wounds. Instead the former drug and sex addict is in development of a remake of the film Arthur. The film follows the drunken hedonistic lifestyle of “Arthur” as he has to decide between the poor working class girl he loves and the rich society heiress. Brand who having done a runner to Hollywood is working together with Larry Brezner who among many things recently produced HBO’s Little Britain USA. The original film starred Dudley Moore who was nominated for an Oscar and John Gielgud who won an Oscar as best supporting actor. Brand has been a busy boy of late. We will see him in the latest Adam Sandler film “Bedtime Stories” and in Julie Taymor’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Tempest (where he will also be playing a hedonistic drunk.)
Professor Hankey The Christmas Pooh
At Brooklyn College there is a new 14 week course students can now take called “South Park and Political Correctness.” This seemingly unusual course has proved very popular with students who dismiss it being a bit of a joke and instead one pupil describes “it has the pulse of America more than anyone else” “its proof you can learn in unlikely places” I would agree with him with studies on characters such as Cartman and Mr Garrison and not forgetting Mr Hankey the Christmas Pooh the bottom of a toilet does seem an unlikely place indeed to find a wealth of information. However the discussions sparked by the cartoon do have a slightly more serious edge with topics such as war, religion and assisted suicide, all of which are touched on in the cartoon. However with degrees in the Beatles, white water rafting and ranching I guess a BA in South Park isn’t totally crazy after all. I’m just holding out for a degree in Family Guy maybe a BA in Stewie!
Twighlight Is Hair Raising!
Rob Pattinson star of the Hollywood box office smash Twilight and Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter admits he doesn’t wash his hair! "I don't have much of a sense of personal hygiene or styling or anything. I gave up washing it a while back." Very nice indeed. Not like his Harry Potter co star Daniel Radcliffe who enjoys a bit of pampering and glam. He has admitted his dream role would be to play a drag queen just because it “would be an excuse to wear loads of eye makeup” What will Emma Watson (Hermione) make of all this as it has been recently revealed she is to replace Kiera Knightley as the Face of Chanel Perfume “Coco Mademoiselle”. Chanel has been dressing her at all her recent events to integrate her into the fashion house. Seems she may need to chuck a couple of bottles Pattinson’s way and make sure Radcliffe keeps his hands off her frocks!
Ross "Devasted"
Ricky Gervais has spoken about his pal Jonathan Ross being “devastated” (over the infamous radio two show in October) but that he is certain he will bounce back once his suspension is lifted on the 24th of January. Ricky admits he has had his own controversy during last year’s “Fame” tour where he made jokes about killing prostitutes only months after the Ipswich murders. Last year Keith Harris the ventriloquist refused to appear on “extras” claiming Gervais wanted him to become a racist bigot and that the script was “pure filth” Gervais speaks out “I don’t want to do something I’m ashamed of. I’m proud of my work. Some people will find things offensive.” His at times risqué behavior has not affected him state side however as he is quickly becoming the golden boy of America appearing in Hollywood film Ghost Town and HBO commissioning an American version of Extras. If edgy off the wall comedy is your thing be sure to catch FX commissioned new show No Signal starting February 5th. With sketches such as America’s Next Serial Killer, Granny Porn and Pimp up my Wife. Fingers crossed FX won’t be getting into too much trouble just steer clear of Fawlty Towers jokes!
All Hail Caesar!
So the rumours are true Fox are producing a new Planet of the Apes film. It has been written and will be directed by Scott Frank () whose screen plays include Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” and who recently wrote and directed the critically acclaimed “The Lookout”. They are looking at February as a possible start date as Fox are very keen to restart this possibly rather lucrative franchise. The new “Apes” film is going to be a prequel to “Planet of the Apes” called “Caesar”. It will take the story back a thousand years to the present day where those darned scientists just can’t leave things alone and have to keep tinkering with everything. Frank does not want this to be a bunch of blokes in ape costumes running around the streets of Manhattan. Instead as much as possible the genetics side of it will be based on scientific fact, taking current theories and turning them into film reality. It will be based around a chimp called Caesar (the kind of messiah worshipped in the other Apes films) and his journey through human genetic testing and ultimately the decisions he takes triggering mankind’s downfall. He is also not keen on talking apes so our leading character may be using sign language throughout the film in fact may not be there at all as Frank has expressed it seems more than likely he will be entirely special effects (bit like King Kong’s little brother I guess.)
Reluctant Heart Throb
Jeffery Donovan appearing in hit show Burn Notice on FX also stars in the latest Oscar tipped movie “Changeling”. He explains what a pleasure it was working with Angelina Jolie and how she uses her fame to highlight terrible situations happening to people all over the world. On the other hand Donovan would like a career a little less in the spotlight “if I can work in this business for many years and people still not know my name, I’ll be happier than working very few years in this business and everybody knowing my name.” He also does not want to lose touch with his theatrical background having had a decade long career on and off Broadway. He has just appeared in the French farce “Don’t Dress for Dinner” in Chicago. Funnily enough it was here for the first time that he was actually spotted by a woman in a restaurant “I’m sorry, are you Jeffrey Donovan?” It’s one of the first times someone said my name Donovan surprisingly admits. We shall see if this is going to be possible with a hit TV show and a Hollywood movie directed by Clint Eastwood under his belt I imagine he may have to start practicing that signature very soon to satisfy hoards of screaming girls!
Dressage Barbie
Is Katie Price unstoppable? I’m beginning to think that maybe she is. Her latest triumph was at the Horse of the Year Show. It seems Jordan has been training hard in the art of dressage (dancing for horses) and is even hoping to compete in the 2012 Olympics! The often famously snobbish world of horses was at first horrified when to the sound of “Mysterious Girl” Katie with flowing locks and a sparkly top hat entered the arena to compete. However much to everyone’s amazement she was pretty good, controlling her incredibly well trained super flashy Ferrari style horse (called Glamour Girl) guiding her through a series of tricky maneuvers. The former glamour model has been riding since the age of seven and many feel after her appearance at the UK’s largest equestrian event has earned the right to be there. Of course as always Katie being the business woman she is she was there to promote her new horse clothing range and the children’s charity Hoof which she is the face of. Who knows what we are in store for next, “never underestimate Pricey” Jordan quoted after the event. As if we would dare?!
Check it out!
“Hassling The Hoff”
David Hasslehoff has created a sculpture of the planet earth made entirely by images of his face! The former Baywatch star has stretched images of himself to create the world’s oceans and used smaller Hoffs to create the countries. What with “Saviour” written at the top in gold it all sounds a very discreet modest little piece of art. He jokes that it is all meant to be ironic though on a serious note one has to admit “...I played a role in the fall of the Berlin wall and American culture...it’s interesting to see your influence on the world translating into a globe.” However if you think that maybe his ego has inflated to almost the size of the planet earth itself never fear you can kick the crap out of him and not get into trouble. Just get the new computer game “Pain” and players can hit and hurt a virtual Hoff. He said: "The idea of 'hurting The Hoff' or 'hassling The Hoff' was just hysterical to me. I don't know why, I think it was from growing up watching the Three Stooges and the idea of hurting yourself was funny to me."Mmm what with his “Savior Globe” and the game “pain” I’m sure Freud would have a field day!
The Curse Of Sherlock
S
o it seems that Guy Ritchies Sherlock Holmes film is cursed! On Friday a gas tank blew up shutting down the set and then the leading man Robert Downey Jr is knocked out cold. He was knocked about by an extra in a fight scene. Apparently it was all rather nasty with Downey Jr drooling blood and having to be revived by medics. The star then had to have his inner mouth stitched up. A source from the set reported “Robert was accidentally caught on the chin by a thundering hook. He went flying and was out cold. He didn’t want to go to hospital and kept trying to get up. He’s a trooper. But there have been lots of other problems too.” Spooky stuff now who could possibly want to jinx anything involving Guy Ritchie? The mind boggles.
Iraq's Got Talent
Record label “The Fallen” utilizes the skills of the U.S army in Iraq by tapping into the wealth of talent that exists all over the army camps in Iraq. Like Rudy Reyes from FX’s new show Generation kill (a former U.S marine starring in the show) this record label can see there is more to these soldiers than just tanks and big guns. The label was set up by Iraq veteran Sean Gilfillan who realized there was some great rapping, singing and recording going on unnoticed in the deserts of Iraq, “but they couldn’t realize both passions”. After being constantly turned down by every bank under the sun Gilfillan remortgaged his house and scraped together just enough money to launch the label. Now coming up to its third year it not only makes enough to cover its costs it is even able to donate to various army charities. Iraq veterans with talent are something FX has already tapped into with HBO’s Generation Kill starting January 25th. Here Rudy Reyes plays himself in the marine story of a Battalion in the Iraq war. Not only does Rudy act in the series but was also the military advisor to the show. Be prepared for an action packed start to the New Year, but what’s next? I for one would be very interested in Battalion Ballets or Marine musicals!