Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Guys and Dolls...and Guy
Ritchie has apparently been throwing around the idea of making a musical for some time now, and the idea of doing Guys and Dolls “really tickled him,” a source told the British newspaper The Sun. The source adds: "He is torn between keeping the script true to the original in New York and taking it to familiar surroundings in London." Once you have Jason Statham on board, you should probably just stop worrying about staying “true to the original.” You’re already pretty far gone. Thank God he’s not married to Madonna anymore. He may have tried to throw her in, too.
Quick Quips for May 28th
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The Terrible Tweets

Taylor is 77-years-old. Have you ever seen someone at that age try to work a computer? Cable TV is still a source of confusion for most of those people. My mother is 59-years-old and has trouble finding her email, for crying out loud.
The point I’m trying to make is this: there’s no way that Taylor is the one doing the tweeting. Which newly-hired inter, then, thinks that Taylor has enough computer-savvy fans to warrant a Twitter page in the first place.
Hell, I don’t even use Twitter because I’m sick of new technology. I capped out at Facebook. Andrea handles the tweets (as well as any advancement in the Internet social networking world here on out). If I’m too old for this crap, there’s no way it’s worth the time for Taylor to have one.
Source
Quick Quips for May 27th
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Quick Quips for May 26th
Matinee Man: James Stewart

Last week was James Stewart’s birthday, and while it would have made sense to have him as our Matinee Man then, alas, life got in the way (dontcha hate when that happens?) and the post got delayed. But being that yesterday was Memorial Day, Stewart – a former veteran – is still an apropos choice. Better known to the public as Jimmy Stewart, the guy was an unlikely movie star. His often geeky, down-home persona was the exact opposite of the suave, romantic leading man, but audiences loved him in films like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Shop Around the Corner and The Philadelphia Story. And if you've ever turned on the TV around Christmastime, we guarantee you've seen his face in the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life.
As for being named our Matinee Man, Stewart - always the self-effacing star - would probably flash us that shy, "aw shucks" smile. And that’s precisely why we love him. In my opinion, he was one of the first to make geek look good. See for yourself:

When Stewart won the Best Actor Oscar in 1940, he sent it to his father in Indiana, Pennsylvania, who kept it in his hardware shop for 25 years.

Stewart was a true "regular guy." He shunned Hollywood glamour and avoided buying expensive clothes and fancy cars.

He was also super-protective of his privacy. When a family of tourists decided to camp out on his front lawn, his came out of his house and promptly turned on the sprinklers.
While filming the emotional “let me live again” scene It’s a Wonderful Life, Stewart was so moved that began crying for real. Rather than risk losing the moment’s authenticity by shooting more takes, director Frank Capra created close-ups by enlarging frames of the long shot.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Quick Quips for May 22nd
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Quick Quips for May 19th
Who Would Play...Natalie Wood?

A few weeks ago Andrea introduced (some of) you to Natalie Wood – the Miracle on 34th Street cutie turned West Side Story hottie turned conspiracy theorist centerfold when she tragically drowned off the side of her and her husband’s boat. Naturally, this sparked one of Andrea and my favorite games: “Who Would Play.” In this case: Who Would Play Natalie Wood in a film about her life.
We surprised ourselves by coming up with not just one, two or three, but four Natalie Wood look-a-likes. Here are the contenders, in no particular order except for Katie Holmes, who goes first because she’d never get the job anyway (we’d need someone who can actually act).
So, yes: Katie Holmes, whose only chance to get the part comes from her marital ties to Tom Cruise – the head of Scientology and, in turn, the head of Hollywood. Looks-wise, Holmes would easily be molded into a young Wood.
Catherine Zeta Jones. Because, really…
And then Andrea was all, “What about Katharine Heigl” and I said, “What? No.” And then she posted these pictures and I was all, “Holy crap.”


My dark horse, though, is Jeanne Tripplehorn. I’ve loved this chick (in a totally platonic way) since I saw her in Sliding Doors as the skanky ex-girlfriend-slash-other woman who Gwyneth Paltrow’s spineless boyfriend goes back to while cheating on Paltrow in the first place. She played the part perfectly. I hated her. Anyway, you may not agree with me, but tell me Tripplehorn couldn’t pull it off after looking at these:
The Cannes-Do Spirit!

Films shown at the first-ever festival included Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend (starring Ray Milland), David Lean's Brief Encounter (a British flick starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard – and no, it’s not about aliens), George Cukor's Gaslight (starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer) and Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman). Add those to your Netflix – Cannes knows how to pick ‘em!

This year, the festival opened with Disney/Pixar’s Up. Plus, American films like Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (starring Brad Pitt) and Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock (starring Liev Schreiber and Emile Hirsch) are in contention for the Palme d’Or. But since neither of those has been released yet, get into the Cannes-do spirit by checking out the flicks from festivals past! And since we can’t be here, it’s the next best thing. Sort of.
Source
Monday, May 18, 2009
Quick Quips for May 18th
Friday, May 15, 2009
Quick Quips for May 15th
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Scorsese & Sinatra!
Well this is quite a coincidence. On Monday, I interviewed actor Ben Barnes (more on that later) and we spoke about his hidden singing talents. He told me he used to sing Frank Sinatra classics, and I joked with him about starring in a Sinatra biopic. Little did I know one was actually in the works! I’d like to believe my telepathic abilities had something to do with it.
Variety announced yesterday that a little director named Martin Scorsese (ever heard of him?) is on board to direct a film about the life of Ol’ Blue Eyes. And although they haven’t cast a lead yet, rumblings are that it could be Scorsese go-to guy, Leonardo DiCaprio. No singing talents needed – all the music in the film will come from Sinatra’s real recordings, kinda like in Ray.
We’ll be keeping a close watch on this one. What do you think? Do you think DiCaprio’s a good choice to play Sinatra? Sounds like it could be Oscar-bait, no?
Ed Note: According to Deadline Hollywood's Nikki Finke, Universal's first choice for the role might be Johnny Depp. Hmm...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Quick Quips for May 13th
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Katharine Hepburn Was a Tough Biotch...And We Love Her For It!

1. She refused to play the Hollywood “game,” rarely posing for pictures or giving interviews. She also preferred pants to skirts, and often wore no makeup. A far cry from other actresses of the day – or today for that matter! What celeb nowadays could get away with not giving interviews?!
2. Her cheekbones.
3. Despite her wealthy upbringing in Connecticut, she didn’t mind getting down and dirty. The self-proclaimed tomboy golfed, swam, played tennis and perfected the screwball comedy pratfall.

5. She said things like this: “If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.”
Smarter than Your Average Woman

Take Hedy Lamarr, for example. The 1940s MGM actress - famous for roles like Delilah in Samson and Delilah - was not only beautiful…chick was a scientist! True story. We know this, of course, because Rachel Weisz is allegedly being considered to play Lamarr in an upcoming indie film about the undercover scientist’s life. Face Value will focus on Lamarr’s private life as an early pioneer of what would eventually bring us cell phones and internet and all that stuff.
I’m not a fancy scientician or anything, so bear with me as I cut and paste the following words from The Hollywood Reporter. Lamarr helped “to create a method of changing frequencies – known as frequency-hopping – that became a forerunner to modern wireless communications.”
Tah dah! A woman with beauty and brains. And in the ‘40s, to boot.
Quick Quips for May 12th
-Robert Downey, Jr. (who should know)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Quick Quips for May 11th
Friday, May 8, 2009
Quick Quips for May 8th
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Matinee Man: Sir Richard Burton

You may be asking why I would choose such a character to be today’s Matinee Man. Simple, really. I was inspired by Jack Bauer, who has proven to me that it is possible to save the world (and Brooke Shields), one stiff drink at a time. Unless, of course, you’re an unsuspecting Christmas tree minding your own business in a hotel lobby.
Anyway, Richard Burton.
The man began drinking his way through film sets in 1949 with The Last Days of Dolwyn all the way through 1984, when he finished up with Nineteen Eighty-Four. Of course, the almost forty years of booze had caught up to him by then. He was reportedly in terrible shape and had to wear a neck brace around set. But the man was married to Elizabeth Taylor twice so, you know, all that drinking may have been a necessity.
I don’t care what any of you say, though. There’s a direct correlation between a guy’s looks and the amount of crap he can get away with. Burton was hot enough in his day to make the constant flow of alcohol permissible. And with that, here he is (was?): Sir Richard Burton:




“I rather like my reputation, actually, that of a spoiled genius from the Welsh gutter, a drunk, a womanizer, it’s rather an attractive image.”
Siren Centerfold: Anne Baxter



She was the granddaughter of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Now that's a hairdo!

She was initially cast in All About Eve when Claudette Colbert was still set to play the Bette Davis role. Anne got the part because of her resemblence to Colbert. When Colbert broke her back, Davis stepped in.
Quick Quips for May 7th
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Back to Basics!

Plus, take a look at these stars of yesteryear, who all started out singing yet ended up successful on the silver screen.

Frank Sinatra: Old Blue Eyes started out as a saloon singer in Hoboken, New Jersey, then found work as a band singer with The Hoboken Four, before breaking out in his first big movie hit, Anchors Aweigh (1945). Proving he wasn’t just a song-and-dance man, Sinatra won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for From Here to Eternity in 1953.

Elvis Presley: Before he was dubbed the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis sang locally in Memphis, Tennessee as “The Hillbilly Cat.” He signed with RCA in 1955 and in 1956 he was cast in his first movie role in Love Me Tender. From there, Elvis starred in 33 films, including Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Viva Las Vegas (1964).

Doris Day: Doris began singing with local bands after an accident derailed her dancing career. She toured with the Les Brown Band at age 15. One day her agent talked her into taking a screentest, which lead to her first movie, 1948’s Romance on the High Seas. Popular films like Calamity Jane (1953) and Pillow Talk (1955) followed, as well as several hit records, including “Que Sera Sera.”
Quick Quips for May 6th
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Another Dimension for Films


Sound familiar? Cut to over 55 years later and the gimmick is booming once again. This time, it’s to compete with the threat of the dreaded Internet. (Wolverine leak, anyone?) 3-D has been a go-to trick studios will use in order to get more seats in the theater. And, hey, as cheesy as it is, it works. Let’s count the recent number of 3-D films, shall we? There was Journey to the Center of the Earth, Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour and My Bloody Valentine 3-D, to name a few. And then there are the 3-D films yet to be released: Disney Pixar’s Up, Final Destination 4: Death Trip, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Avatar.
(Psst… it even works on TV. A February episode of the NBC gem Chuck shot in 3-D gave the show it’s highest ratings of the season.)
Who knew this silly experiment from the ‘50s would turn a profit decades later? You can thank House of Wax for those goofy glasses, and for bringing movies of today to new depths.
Quick Quips for May 5th
Monday, May 4, 2009
For Mr. Flag’s Secretary

The plot reads like so: Baby Jane Hudson (Davis) was a child star who overshadowed her sister Blanche (Crawford). Baby Jane then becomes an alcoholic while Blanche rises to stardom. Baby Jane cripples Blanche in a drunken, jealous rage by hitting her with a car only to end up caring for Blanche for the rest of her life while she tries to rebuild the fragments of her gin-soaked career. Reads like a Lifetime movie, no? Essentially, it’s about the jealousy of two women who couldn’t stand each other. How appropriate to cast two actresses who took unveiled swipes at each other throughout the better parts of their careers.
While I don’t understand why Davis thought Crawford was talentless (she really wasn’t horrible, and she’s a good crier), I must admit that Davis does steal the show. If you’ve never seen Baby Jane, you can imagine Davis’ performance like that of Jack Nicholson in The Shining: an absolute, terrifying, sick fall into insanity played so well that all you can do is laugh at the brilliance of the role. Davis is - hands-down - my new classics obsession.
...where we got gift bags filled with chips...