Without having his up and coming film Star Trek even open in theaters, Chris Pine has become one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities.  Currently, he is best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abram’s soon to be release Star Trek reboot.

The buzz around Pine’s career, however, has started to extend beyond the realm of Star Trek – a while back there there were also reports of Pine being offered the role of Green Lantern.

Now he’s in talks to star in the remake of the classic ’80s television show The A-Team.  Joe Carnahan is directing the remake and has approached Pine to team up with him.

MTV Movies Blog reports:

Carnahan gave Pine his first big break as an action star with the 2006 film “Smokin’ Aces,” and now that the director has been handed the keys to the high-profile film adaptation of the Mr. T show, Pine has been reminding the filmmaker that “A-Team” was one of his favorite TV shows growing up.

However, Pine has no desire to play Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, the role that seems perfectly suited for the chiseled Pine.  Instead Pine says that he’s campaigning to play the role of Capt. H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock otherwise known as the crazy dude on The A-Team.

In regards to being asked to play “Faceman” Pine remarked, “No, Murdock is my man.” He went on to express his favoritism for the crazy character by saying: “I love Murdock.” Pine’s hope is to develop another crazy character like the one he played in Carnahan’s Smokin’ Aces.

For now, Pine says that the script is in development and he’s waiting to see what role he’ll assume in Carnahan’s The A-Team.  What’s sure is that he’ll definitely play a pivotal role as one of the members of the crack commando unit he loves so much!

Source: MTV Movie Blog

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I’ve read all the Harry Potter books except for the last, which I’ve decided to wait on. Despite liking the books, I have never really been a big fan of the Harry Potter film franchise--that is until I got a load of the first trailer for  Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince,  which is looking pretty amazing.

Now Warner Bros. has released the international trailer for The Half-Blood Prince on YouTube.  It’s reported to be the same as the Japanese trailer, but without the Japanese voice-over.  I suppose that makes sense, since the entire universe does not understand Japanese.

The new international trailer is as awesome as the first, and almost makes me excited to see exactly how the film depiction of The Half-Blood Prince is going to turn out. However, I think it’ll take more than a couple of trailers to truly get me going.

What do you think, is the movie version of The Half-Blood Prince going to be an apt representation of the book?  Should I be excited to see it on the silver screen or should I stick by my guns and keep to the books?

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince is slated to hit theaters on July 17, 2009.

Source: You Tube

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Public Enemies tells the story of “Robin Hood” bank robber, John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) who simultaneously became a hero to the recession laden American public while making himself public enemy number one. Eventually becoming the purveyor for the institution of the FBI by J. Edgar Hoover and it’s top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale).

And we have the second trailer for the up and coming Johnny Depp film for you right here.

The initial trailer for Public Enemies was sort of hit or miss, as it genuinely showed that the film had promise, but the video look of the trailer was problematic for some.  The video look in the first trailer is no longer an issue in the second and I think it also does more to tell the main gist of the story: To have the FBI capture John Dillinger and make him pay in a way that will frighten anyone with the hopes of emulating him.

I guess the marketability of the film actually comes down to the fact the story itself is really incredible and the cast is beyond all star (Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, & Channing Tatum).

[See post to watch Flash video]

In all honesty, I geniunely liked the first trailer and the more peeks I get of Public Enemies the more excited I am to see it.  The film looks like an awesome portrayal of the golden age of crime in America, which is never boring.  I just hope Michael Mann upholds the integrity of the truth of John Dillinger’s life while still selling a potential blockbuster like this to the public.

Public Enemies opens July 1, 2009.

• New Public Enemies Featurette
• New ‘Public Enemies’ Poster: Why So Serious?
• Slick New Trailer For Public Enemies Starring Johnny Depp
• Red Carpet Premiere for ‘Public Enemies’
• Public Enemies Review
• Two New Public Enemies Clips

Hollywood is famous for putting out competing films about a similar topic or character, which is exactly what’s happening with Napoleon.

The epic French Emperor currently is a figure in two movies that are in pre-production.  The first film is the historical romance Napoleon and Betsy with Harry Potter star Emma Watson attached. The second being Betsy and the Emperor based on the children’s book by Stanton Rabin, which former Godfather star Al Pacino has signed on to play the gutsy Frenchman.

Napoleon and Betsy takes liberties with the story – having a young girl fall in love with the French emperor (which will most likely play out well with “Tweens”). The latter film Betsy and the Emperor will stay closer to the actual known history between Betsy and Napoleon. However, since it is based on a children’s book, the storyline is much more majestic.

According to Cinematical.com Betsy and the Emperor is:

“Based on the true story of Betsy Balcombe, Rabin’s tale follows the 14-year-old as she breaks out of her family’s fear of Bonaparte and becomes his friend while he’s exiled on St. Helena. The relationship is based in fact, but the book then adds a bunch of flair with accidental death and hot balloon adventures.”

It’s being said that Pacino has wanted to play the stout French emperor for some time, but I cannot imagine that his ideal role included fairy tale themes.  Then again, can he really be picky after the disaster that was Righteous Kill?  Perhaps even the great Pacino should be forced to go back to the drawing board after an absolute failure.

What do you think? Is Pacino trying to get out of his comfort zone or is he taking the role out of sheer desperation to play Napoleon on the silver screen?

Source: Cinematical

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• Live-Action ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Film Headed to Theaters

When Disney initially dropped the footage for the up and coming Tron flick at Comic-Con last summer it was titled TR2N. Since then there have been rumors running around the internet saying the film had been retitled Tron 2.0, and then just plain old Tron 2. However, during the Disney presentation at ShoWest it was revealed that the actual title of the film will just be… TRON.

There is a new logo for TRON, which Slashfilm.com site-runner Peter Sciretta attempted to recreate from what was shown:

For a non-graphic designer it isn’t half bad and gives a decent representation of what Disney has in store for Tron. As for giving the sequel the same name as the original movie, I don’t exactly know how I feel about that. It’s sort of strange because it might be confusing for the general population. Maybe they will alter the title some time before the movie goes to theaters by adding some sort of tagline to the film to help distinguish it from the original.

However, I can’t say that making more of a buzz around the movie by confusing the sequel from the original is too stupid, either. Whatever gets people talking, right?

What do you think about Disney’s move to keep the Tron sequel titled the same as the original?

Source: Slashfilm

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For those not in the know, ShoWest is a convention for theater owners where studios pimp out their movies with the hopes of making a mark regarding their up and coming films. Yesterday, at ShoWest in Las Vegas studios decided to give one another a run for their money. Warner Bros. president Alan Horn showed clips of Terminator Salvation and the new Harry Potter. Both were things we’ve seen before and nothing particularly special.

Horn then introduced the trailer for the comedy The Hangover, which the audience seemed to really enjoy as they broke into laughter, and the action-comedy Sherlock Holmes.  Robert Downey Jr. was there for the unveiling of the film’s trailer. He joked with the crowd and explained that he chose to do this film after the mega success of Iron Man. The trailer itself is said to be classic Guy Ritchie with a mix of action and comedy tied together with a certain supernatural element.

At the Disney panel, they announced that the new Tron film will be in 3D, as well as, asserting that the film will be called just “Tron.” In addition to that they showed the trailer that was originally brought to the public back at Comic-Con. They also dropped the news that Toy Story 1 & 2 will be rereleased in October for a limited engagement in 3D, as well as Beauty and the Beast, but it’s release date will be in February of 2010.

In total, Disney/Pixar have 17 theatrical 3D films planned for release between 2009 and 2012. Included on this list is Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, which will also be released on IMAX 3-D.  They did not show a trailer for Alice In Wonderland, but showed stills from the film including the already seen photo of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and new shots of the Cheshire Cat and it’s smile oddly reminiscent of the Joker.  Finally, we got a glimpse of the Queen of Hearts’ Castle, which happens to resemble the Disneyland Castle.  Way to highlight the Disney iconic logo.  However, the middle part of the castle is appropriately shaped in a giant heart.

Up was also shown again, as it has been at every major movie event for the past few months.  At this point I have seen the first 45 minutes of Up more times than I have seen most of my favorite films.  Still the film does not miss the mark.  It continues to shine in a way that makes the story and characters both believable and relatable.

All in all, the footage shown at ShoWest has been pretty impressive.  Perhaps that has something to do with the 3D wow factor or the fact that most of the movies being marketed there are already highly anticipated films with mega blockbuster potential.

What do you think?  Which films are you excited to finally be hearing more about?

Sources: Collider, IESB.net, SuperHeroHype.com, HitFix, and AintItCool

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• First Look: Tim Burton’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’
• Alice In Wonderland Teaser Trailer Online! (Plus New Posters)

Ever since Baz Luhrmann announced his plans to do a remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, there’s been tons of speculation on how he’ll choose to tell the story and how the roles will be casted. Most importantly, which two actors will Luhrmann choose to play the male leads, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby.

There’s been some buzz about Luhrmann bringing back actors he’s collaborated with in the past to help tell the epic story of Jay Gatsby and his long lost love, Daisy Buchannan. However, Luhrmann says he’s not currently focusing on casting, but rather the overall direction of the film. If he is casting from a pool of actors he’s worked with before, though, there’s a chance that Leonardo DiCaprio may be brought in to play the film’s narrator, Nick Carraway.

If this is the case, casting DiCaprio to be the film’s driving force instead of the tragic antagonist, Jay Gatsby, would be sort of strange. The 1974 version of The Great Gatsby used film great Robert Redford to play Gatsby. DiCaprio has the same sort of presence, acting abilities and looks to make an already sympathetic character beloved once again for a new generation.

Luhrmann has also said that he’s currently focusing on the relevance of the story in today’s current economic climate. Luhrmann revealed to MTV News:

“It’s a great story,” he said. “A great iconic story and if you think about it, it truly reveals the time we’re in. It might explain a bit of what we’ve been through. If you reread it now you’ll see how powerful and meaningful it is in this time.”

Regardless of who Luhrmann casts in the film, one thing’s for sure: Luhrmann will do (IMO) what he does best and create a film that pays homage to a period in time, while still upholding the integrity of the story’s initial intent. Let’s hope this actually happens. Most of the time when a classic story is adapted for film the intent of the author is sacrificed in order to create a box office smash.

What’s your take on Baz Luhrmann directing The Great Gatsby? Do you think Leonardo DiCaprio would make a better Gatsby, Carraway, or neither? Let us know in the comments!

source: MTV Movies Blog

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Quantum Of Solace, the 2008 follow up to the incredibly successful Bond film, Casino Royale had a lot to live up to. Casino Royale completely revamped the Bond industry with a stellar, action packed story line, and the introduction of Daniel Craig as the new face of James Bond.  So it was really important for Quantum Of Solace director Marc Forster to make sure his installment lived up to the pressure and the hype.

Sadly, I feel like Quantum Of Solace had all the makings of a great James Bond film, but somehow fell short.  It wasn’t that I hated the film, because I didn’t, but I knew that I could get up and stop watching the film and not be phased by missing any part of it.

Without a doubt the car chase in the beginning was probably the best overall action part in the film.  However, the last scene where Bond must save Camille (Olga Kurylenko) from a roaring fire came across as really cheesy.

As for the quality of the Blu-ray, it was impeccable.  I was immersed in all aspects of what was going on in the film because the picture and quality were so beautiful and dynamic.  The title sequence was really slick and appealing to the eye.  It was both beautiful and sharp, as well as indicative of the isolation Bond undergoes in this film, which went along perfectly with the general themes of QoS.  However, I really disliked the title sequence song, Another Way To Die written and performed by Jack White and sung with Alicia Keys.  It just felt odd and out of place.

This is a list of QoS’s Special Features:

• “Bond on Location” 24-minute Special Feature
• Start of Shooting
• On Location
• Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase
• Director Marc Forster
• The Music
• Crew Files
• Jack White & Alicia Keys “Another Way to Die” Music Video
• Theatrical Trailers

Like the rest of this film, the special features did not really feel that special.  It was an amalgamation of promotional clips that I had already seen prior to the release of the film.  I suppose if you were really interested in the different sites and locations in which the film was made you could enjoy a small aspect of the Special Features, but overall they were a giant disappointment.  Most of them were things you could have found online right before or after the release of the film.

From a technical aspect the picture and audio quality were incredible, but the overall lackluster story and the emphasis on Bond as a tortured man out to get revenge made the movie come across as silly.  Bond ends up losing all his credibility as an Intelligence Agent because in most of the film he’s not suavely seducing the ladies, but acting like one of them.  The movie is worth a watch because it’s entertaining enough, but it certainly did not live up to the expectations set by Casino Royale.

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• Could James Cameron Start ‘True Lies 2′ Next Year? [Updated]

Earlier this week it was reported that Forest Whitaker had to drop out of The Expendables due to a scheduling conflict. Then it was immediately reported that 50 Cent would be replacing Whitaker as Hale Caesar in Sylvester Stallone’s up and coming project.  And now, Ain’t It Cool is reporting that Sylvester Stallone himself has said 50 Cent is out and the role will go to former San Diego Charger and actor Terry Crews.

In an exclusive interview with Stallone Ain’t It Cool said:

“For quite some time, the role belonged to Forest Whitaker, but a push in the schedule made it impossible for the Ghost Dog to continue with the film. Then I received a call, informing me that rapper, 50 CENT aka Curtis Jackson, had stepped into the role. Then Sly sent me an email regarding that casting, that I updated the story with. Well… today, I get woke up with a very enthusiastic call from Stallone, who has recast the role of Hale Caesar for a final (hopefully) time.”

Relatively unknown by name, Crews is easily recognizable for both his size (a towering 6′2″) and menacing grin.  He was most recently Agent 91 in Get Smart and will star in the highly anticipated Terminator Salvation.  It sounds like Crews is totally perfect for the role.  I actually remember him most for his role in the relatively terrible Wayans Bros film, White Chicks. Crews is a much better choice to replace Forest Whitaker.  Not to put down 50 Cent, but I am sure he’d he out of his league, if you know what I mean.

Source:  Ain’t It Cool

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Well, I have never been an out of work actress with a very famous roommate. However, I am oftentimes an out of work writer, and if the person I lived with was in Watchmen I’d totally give up writing to help exploit their career for a quick buck.

Besides, the world needs fanboys and fanboys need motivation to pursue their quests (whatever they may be), so this one is for the fanboys, in honor of the lengths to which they’ll go to in order to support something.  Even if that includes paying someone’s roommate to watch them sleep or shower.

I thought this was pretty funny. I mean, I’ve seen more hilarious things in my day, but it’s good for a chuckle if you’re an avid Watchmen fan or if you know anyone who is. Actually, if you have ever met a fanboy at any point in your life you’ll laugh. I did.

What do you think?

Source: Funny or Die

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Sylvester Stallone has been making some additions to the cast of his up and coming film The Expendables. Actor and WWE alum, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and horror actress Charisma Carpenter have been added to the lineup of an already all-star case including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Forest Whitaker, Mickey Rourke, Danny Trejo and Eric Roberts.

Variety reports:

WWE alum “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Charisma Carpenter have been added to the cast of “The Expendables,” starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. Cast includes Mickey Rourke and Jason Statham.

Austin recently wrapped fight pic “Damage” and inked a TV development deal with Original Media and Caliber Media. Carpenter just completed horror pics “House of Bones” and “Vivid.”

The film, that Stallone is writing, directing and starring in is about a band of the world’s best mercenaries thrown together by leading world governments in order to take down a ruthless dictator in South America. However, they arrive in South America only to realize they’ve been sent on a suicide mission because they were literally looked at as “expendable.”

The more I hear about this film the better it sounds.  This is totally the sort of film that I love to watch.  The cast alone could make a Lifetime original film interesting so I can’t wait to see what they do with exciting, and action packed subject matter like this!  Plus, a little more Jason Statham action is always appreciated by this broad, cough.

What do you think of this movie’s action-packed cast so far?

Filming begins for The Expendables on March 28, 2009

• Brittany Murphy And David Zayas Join ‘The Expendables’
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• The Expendables Promo Trailer
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• ‘The Expendables’ Gets A Spring Release Date
• Awesome New Images From Stallone’s ‘Expendables’

With only one day until the release of Disney’s Race To Witch Mountain remake, the studios have released 6 exclusive clips, which we have for you to see.  Race To Witch Mountain is directed by Andy Flickman and stars Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Alexander Ludwig, Tom Everett Scott, Christopher Marquette and Cheech Marin and Garry Marshall.

Fans of the original should already be excited about the updated movie’s release, but now even more because these clips actually make the movie seem even more promising than before.

In this scene Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) drops Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino) off at a sci-fi convention in Las Vegas where she is an expert on extra terrestrial life.  Before she exits the cab she gives him her card in case he decides to check out her panel.

In this next clip, Dr. Donald Harlan (Gary Marshall) talks about how vicious aliens are to the alien children before explaining to them where the government might have taken their spaceship.

Here, Jack, Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (Annasophia Robb) narrowly escape the clutches of government officials while being chased in a casino.

Then Seth and Sara tell Jack that they do not want to involve him in their quest anymore as it could prove to endanger him, but Jack relents and goes inside the fridge anyways.

In this one Jack uselessly tells Sara to use her telepathy and explain to their four legged passenger that he does not want to make a bathroom stop.

And the final clip is one that’s in the trailer and we’ve all probably seen at this point.  Jack is being chased by government vehicles while Seth blends through the taxi and uses his body as a human shield to take out one of the SUVs chasing them.

I wasn’t really a fan of the first movie.  Somehow I never really cared for it in my childhood and never got back to becoming interested in it in my adulthood.  However this remake actually looks really interesting.  Don’t gag, but I have to admit that I am sort of charmed by “The Rock” or whatever his name is these days, and after watching these clips I would give this film a fair chance in a theater.

Of course if it turns out to be terrible I’ll totally destroy it cause I’m an equal opportunity critic.

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During Walt Disney Company’s annual meeting a small glimpse of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter from Tim Burton’s unreleased Alice In Wonderland was shown momentarily during a montage of clips. Apparently shareholders were impressed with what they saw judging by the barrage of oohs and ahhs that accompanied the brief glimpse of Depp’s character.

The Carpetbagger Blog describes what was seen:

“Victorian top hat, crimped hair that sticks straight out, and swirl of brightly colored make-up on his eyes, cheeks and lips that resembled the blur of a pinwheel blowing in the breeze.”

If I didn’t know any better I’d say Burton and Depp came together to help portray on film the Mad Hatter many have only been able to dream of. I suppose a dash of the preposterous and a sprinkle of “acid flashback” can do that when you’re dealing with that sort of character.

However I am sad to announce the photo will not be made available. After the meeting, a Disney spokesperson said that an exclusive interview with director Tim Burton and concept art from Alice In Wonderland would be available for $15.95 in the launch of “Disney Twenty-Three,” a quarterly magazine also introduced at that same meeting.

This movie sounds awesome. I mean super awesome. Although there is some fear in my heart after the travesty that was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, now that I’ve heard this all my faith is in Tim Burton. Not to mention he was recently quoted as saying: “It’s kind of a mixture of some distorted live action and animation. I’m not sure what to relate it to. It’s kind of new territory for me.”

New territory for the guy that established a whole arena of new territory with his early work Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands means I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Honestly, I am so excited with the prospect of something new and different that I’ll probably be absolutely shattered if this movie isn’t absolutely original and innovative.

How’s that for having a high standard?

Alice in Wonderland is scheduled to open on March 5, 2010.

• First Look: Tim Burton’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’
• Deeper Look Inside Tim Burton’s ‘Wonderland’
• Alice in Wonderland: Meet The Caterpillar
• New Alice In Wonderland Character Shots
• Alice In Wonderland Official Site Plus Script Review
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Wes Craven is synonymous with the horror genre. From Freddy Kreuger to the mutant monsters in The Hills Have Eyes and everything between, he’s been making nightmarish movie magic for over 40 years.

And now the film that catapulted his career, The Last House On The Left, has being remade with Craven as producer and newcomer Dennis Iliadis directing.

There are some spoilers below, so consider yourself warned…

The story line remains similar: A young girl is brutalized by a group of convicts on the lamb, who leave her for dead and after an accident of their own, seek refuge in her parents’ home. Once the parents realize who they’re boarding they decide to get their revenge.

Craven spoke to Sci Fi Wire about the remake and the differences between the two films, including the daughter making it home in the remake:

“Well, I think there are a bunch of things that happen that are different. To me, the fact that she makes it back just makes it not only into a revenge [movie], but a protection-of-the-child film, which I think is very powerful. I don’t think it spoils. I don’t think it’s like a soft ending or anything like that. There’s certainly no feeling that any of those people are going to be the same again, but, to me, it adds a complexity to it, because it’s not only a revenge but it’s protection of her. I’m sure everybody will know at a certain point everything about the film, so I don’t think it’s giving away some big secret.”

In addition, he added:

“In this one, it’s more about the child somehow survives, and they have to do something to protect the child. The element of revenge comes at the very end, where the father does something he doesn’t have to, just to get revenge “

Craven also talks about the merciless ways in which Iliadis has the parents take out their revenge.  He says that during a scene where a garbage disposal is used that it was “just inspired, just visually” and that the sequence will eventually be looked upon as a classic example of the horror genre.

Speaking of the horror genre, Craven talked about how the remake in both the acting and storytelling is just so powerful that is aptly blends the horror genre with the drama genre saying, “Dennis describes it as drama with horrible things in it, and I think that’s kind of what it is. It’s a horrific drama.”

Without giving too much away, I think Iliadis’ remake of Craven’s classic horror film has enough new elements in it to give the film a much fresher and updated feeling to it, without losing the sense of terror, anger and grief.  Although, there is the added bonus of the protection of the child, as she makes it home in the remake.  It’ll be interesting to see how everything plays out, as well as, seeing exactly how Iliadis’ has the parents take out their revenge on the convicts, which sounds like it will be all sorts of awesome!

The Last House on the Left opens this month on Friday the 13th.

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Steve Carell is undertaking another inevitable comedy gold mine project. Since he’s already tackled virginity, (The 40 Year Old Virgin), and mental retardation (Anchorman), he’s now set to play a man with testosterone problems in Hi-T for Warner Bros. Pictures. Carell is set to star and produce the comedy through his production company Carousel Productions.

The project will be produced by Vance Degeneres and Charlie Hartstock, Carell’s partners at Carousel Productions. As we as, Bob Cooper who’s been working on this project since it was in development at New Line Cinema. The screen play is being written by Kim Barker who’s most recent project was the comedy License to Wed.

Hi-T is a comedy about about a man’s life after an accident that forces him to take testosterone injects and causes him to have incredible mood swings.

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Newly established Paramount Vantage has once again reached over to Viacom in order to do a partner project with Comedy Central. Together, the companies have obtained dual rights to the Trey Hamburger supernatural comedy novel, Ghosts/Aliens. Their plan is to develop both as a series and a feature film.

The novel, released in November, revolves around two potheads and their decision to search for both ghosts and aliens and the hijinx that ensues. Executives stated that the projects could be developed simultaneously. Phil Johnston was tagged to write the script.

Regarding producers The Hollywood Reporter indicated:

Scott Aversano, the former MTV/Nick Films execs who recently exited his overall deal on the Paramount lot, will produce with partner Carrie Beck; Aversano was a producer on another key Comedy Central property, the film version of “Team America: World Police.

This is the second collaboration between the network and the specialty unit, the first being Beat Kip. Comedy Central president Lauren Corrao said she plans to continue with this train of development as she aims to expand the networks feature film development.

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Former child star Jackie Earl Haley (most recently known for portraying Rorschach in Zach Snyder’s Watchmen) has been cast to co-star in the up and coming Fox series Human Target.  Haley will be joined by co-star and Pushing Daisies alum, Chi McBride.

Human Target is based on the DC comic of the same name about an enigmatic freelancer, Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), who provides a very specialized form of personal security by assuming the identity of his client in order to shield them from harm.  Thereby becoming the literal “human target.”

Haley is tapped to play Chance’s contact and information gatherer.  McBride will play Chance’s business partner and friend.  This will be another Warner Brothers project for both.

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Candyland, the iconic children’s game is coming to the big screen with even bigger behind the scenes talent. It will have an original story line, which comes as a shock amongst most of the legions of remakes being churned out in Hollywood.  I guess with an original idea it’s fairly easy to get top Hollywood talent to sign on to a film – the screenplay is being written by Tropic Thunder’s Etan Cohen and directed by Kevin Lima, the brains behind the widely loved Disney film, Enchanted.

Candyland’s executive producer and CEO of Hasbro Brian Goldner talked about his plans with MTV News:

“Imagine if you took that basic idea of going to a better place, and then allowed the audience to go to that same place together.  But then you come to find out, like every other place that’s promised to just be all better and all sweets and candy, you come to find out there’s actually some controversy there as well, that of course the stars of the movie have to solve for.”

Goldner stresses that the tale is “very human and very natural,” which I guess would make sense if we were not talking about a magical land that is made of candy.  Still, with the helming of the film story being told by Cohen there is a lot to hope for, especially, after his mega blockbuster, Tropic Thunder.  That was more than an action/comedy about Hollywood and movie making – it showed the nuances of the film industry in a way that broke things down for the viewer with little knowlodge of the “industry,” without compromising the story line or the laughs it brought.

In the same way, Lima made a film that could’ve been extremely annoying, and let’s face it animated musicals are oftentimes obnoxious and rarely relatable.  His particular ability to make the Enchanted material both refreshing and engaging drew a very wide audience.

In all honesty, I am sort of excited to see where this film goes.  Since it’s based on a children’s game I know it will have basic elements of the game, but there really isn’t much of a story associated with Candyland so I’m excited to see what Cohen comes up with and how Lima expresses his vision.  Oh and mostly, I am excited to see who they’ll be casting in the film.

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Twilight actress Kristen Stewart is set to portray rock star Joan Jett in the up and coming biopic about Jett’s all girl band, The Runaways.  Also set to star is Dakota Fanning who’ll be playing Cherri Currie, lead singer of The Runaways.  The story is about Currie’s time as lead singer with the band, which she joined when she was only 15 and the lifestyle that ensued.

Variety has announced:

At 15, Fanning is the same age Currie was when she made her debut with the Runaways as the lead singer who belted out hard-edged tunes like “Cherry Bomb.” Currie became caught up in drugs and a hard-partying lifestyle.

It’ll be interesting to watch Fanning take on this role as this is her initial foray into a more adult role.  She’s recently done The Secret Life Of Bees and Push, but nothing remotely as adult in nature as this role will obviously require.  The transition from child star to adult actor is always a daunting task, but probably more so when you’ve had acclaimed success like Fanning.

This film will definitely be something that I’ll want to see, and not only because I’m interested in the subject matter, but to see if Fanning can pull it off.  Moreover, I think it’s going to be one of those pivotal roles that will change the direction of her career.  So it’ll be fascinating to see where this role will take her in her career as it is an obvious choice to transition herself from what she’s done in the past as a child actress and into more adult roles.

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A scene that’s been ingratiated into pop culture is the Mac vs PC ads, which inspired the debate: Which is truly greater (obviously skewed towards Apple)?  We don’t really care about that particular debate, however it’s inspired something so much greater:

Wolverine vs. Rorschach (or Watchmen vs. X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

Aligning all the conceptions that we have about the two makes for a hilarious display of each character’s flaws as well as their strengths -- including the line that made me laugh non-stop: “So does that mean both of our movies combined will cause people’s skulls to cave in from sheer awesomeness?”

Anyway, check it out and envelop yourself with the, um, awesomeness.

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