All About That Dialogue!

So last weekend I was flipping through the channels and - surprise, surprise - I landed on TCM. All About Eve was on, right at the part where Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is furiously ranting in the theater after finding out that Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) was made her understudy. It’s not the first time I’ve seen the film, but again it struck me - this script had bite. (Joseph Mankiewicz’s Best Screenplay Oscar was well-deserved.) The dialogue - especially Margo’s lines - was crackling. Literally pops right off the screen. I swear you can almost see sparks flying from Bette’s mouth when she talks.

Almost everyone knows the movie’s famous line, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!” But I wanted to document some others, if only for the fact that while I was watching, I kept saying in my head, “I need to write that down!” I’ve also included some handy notes on how to work these lines into your everyday life. It might get you some weird looks - or it might get you cast in Broadway play. Not quite sure, haven’t tested it...but here goes.

Next time a guy asks to buy you drink, respond the Margo way: “I'll admit I may have seen better days, but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut.”

Next time someone accuses you of being insensitive, call upon this exchange between Bill (Gary Merrill) and Margo: Bill: Have you no human consideration? Margo: Show me a human, and I might have!

Next time someone points out your ego, tell it like Addison DeWitt (George Sanders): “We all come into this world with our little egos equipped with individual horns. If we don't blow them, who else will?”

Next time someone tells you shut up, throw ‘em this Margo gem: “Peace and quiet is for libraries!”

Next time someone comes on too strong, say what Bill said to Eve: “What I go after, I want to go after. I don't want it to come after me. Don't cry. Just score it as an incomplete forward pass.”

Ooh zing!

Wanna learn more about All About Eve? I recommend the book All About All About Eve by Sam Staggs. You’ll learn juicy tidbits like how Bette Davis’ unfortunate case of laryngitis gave Margo her signature whiskey-throated rasp, plus you’ll find out what she really thought of her costars. In the meantime, what are some of your fave lines from All About Eve?

Crowning McQueen!

Way back in the blog - we’re talkin’ January 2009 - I told you about a potential Steve McQueen biopic that was supposedly in the works. Well today I can officially tell you that it’s...still in the works. But! There have been some new developments.

In my first post I mentioned some possible candidates for the “King of Cool,” including Daniel Craig (my fave pick at the time), Damien Lewis and Cam Gigandet. Now, the Hollywood Reporter is revealing that Jeremy Renner and his production company have put the wheels in motion to finally get this McQueen flick rolling. Renner seems to be a good fit. I never considered him at the time because, well, who the hell knew who he was before The Hurt Locker? But he could certainly play a hellraiser - which McQueen was in his day. Let’s just hope we’re not sick of him before this movie makes it to the screen. After all, Renner has at least four new films coming down the pipeline: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Bourne Legacy (yup, he’s replacing Matt Damon), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (huh?) and Ice Age 4. Ok, so he also clearly has McQueen’s active nature. Full speed ahead!

Siren Centerfold: Elizabeth Taylor (2/27/32 - 3/23/11)

I heard about Elizabeth Taylor’s passing today along with the rest of the world, and I immediately knew the tributes to this Hollywood icon would be instant and endless. Because it wasn’t just the death of an actress - it was the end of an era. And while I’m aware my own personal tribute will get lost in the sea of all the rest, it’s simply an On the Marquee necessity to commemorate such a beautiful, talented, tragic figure.

Taylor was many things to many people. The truth is, some knew her as Liz “White Diamonds” Taylor, others knew her as a perpetual husband-trader (9 in all), some knew her as a fervent AIDS activist and still others may have only recognized her as being one part of Michael Jackson’s eccentric entourage. But to most she was the gorgeous girl with the violet eyes who dominated Hollywood with her roles in films like A Place in the Sun, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Giant, Cleopatra and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

To honor her, I bring you an old On the Marquee standard - the Siren Centerfold.

Strikingly beautiful from a young age, Taylor made her first movie appearance in 1942's There's One Born Every Minute, at the age of ten. Two years later, National Velvet turned her into a bonafide child star.

Taylor was the epitome of Hollywood royalty. She was the first actress to earn $1 million for a movie role (Cleopatra) and she's also owned some serious bling, including the 33-carat Krupp Diamond. Not to mention she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.

Though she may not always have been loyal to her husbands, Taylor was a loyal friend. When her bestie, actor Montgomery Clift, was in a nasty car accident after leaving a party at her house one night, Liz was the first one on the scene and saved him from choking on his own broken tooth.

"If someone's dumb enough to offer me a million dollars to make a picture, I'm certainly not dumb enough to turn it down," she once said.

We'll miss you, Liz!

Ethical Entertainment?

So director George Lucas apparently thinks he has the power to raise the dead. He’s certainly a high and mighty presence in Hollywood, but he ain’t no God. Here’s the deal: A bizarre rumor began floating around the internet back in December that the Star Wars creator has been buying up the rights to dead movie stars, so he can “bring them back” with the use of new technology. Imagine James Dean and Marilyn Monroe co-starring in a new film together. Weird, right? And kind of creepy.

A Lucasfilm spokesperson quickly shot down the story, but according to ABC News, it might not be as far-fetched as we think (or hope). CMG agency, which has represented the estates of such late movie legends as Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Errol Flynn and Bette Davis, said they have indeed reached out to Lucasfilm. No word on whether any definitive deals have been made, though.

Up until now, dead stars have appeared only as digital cameos in films - like Laurence Olivier in 2004’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, or Marlon Brando in 2006's Superman Returns. Could a digitally rendered likeness of one of these films greats carry an entire movie? Or, more importantly, would anyone even see a movie like this? It’s almost like cloning or cryogenics - it prompts ethical debate. Shouldn’t we preserve the memories of these stars and just leave well enough alone? Computers can capture their likeness, but not their essence. It’s like when Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Inception realizes his dream wife will never be the real thing. “I can't imagine you with all your complexity, all your perfection, all your imperfection,” he says. Yup, these digital characters would be just a shade, and therefore just not good enough.

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Valentine With Heart

Michelle Williams is my idol. There, I said it. We’re both September 9th Virgos, so maybe that has something to do with it, but mostly I admire her for her exceedingly brave and interesting screen work. And her adorable pixie haircut. And quirky-cute fashion sense. You get the idea.

In her latest film Blue Valentine, which opened Dec. 30th, she gives perhaps the rawest performance of her career opposite Ryan Gosling. They play a couple whose relationship is on the brink of collapse, and we see their love story play out in both the past and present. I had the privilege of covering the press junket for the film, and got to ask Williams about a project I’ve mentioned several times on the blog - her role as Marilyn Monroe. The role is daunting to say the least – Marilyn is the iconic bombshell, after all – and Williams realizes that. When I spoke to her, she had just completed the film My Week with Marilyn about two weeks earlier and she said she still had “one foot in it.” I got the impression that the roles she takes on are generally hard for her to shake (she said she even kept her character’s wedding ring from Blue Valentine).

When asked why she decided to step into Marilyn’s shoes, she considered her answer very carefully.

“Because I am a glutton for punishment,” she said before searching for a more complete explanation. “A few things. Because for some reason I won’t let myself shrink from a challenge and I think that’s how I find myself in these situations, making these movies. While my intellect is saying ‘Retreat, retreat, retreat,’ my heart is already there. Luckily, I guess, that’s the stronger decision making mechanism and that’s what ultimately wins. I think when I read something I like to have two reactions going at the same time - one is an inkling that I can play that part and the rest is that it’s a mystery and it compels me to untangle it. So they’re kind of opposed to each other, but if they’re both up and running at the same time, that’s how I make a decision.”

From the looks of things, her heart hasn’t steered her wrong yet.

James Franco Wants to Revisit Rebel

James Franco just can’t shake the James Dean connection. Back in 2001, the actor won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Dean in a made-for-TV movie (the resemblance and mannerisms were uncanny). Now, he’s taking on a project about Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause co-star, Sal Mineo. Franco optioned the rights to Sal Mineo: A Biography and is interested in writing and directing a screen version. The book details Mineo’s life as a rising young star in films like Rebel and Exodus (1960) as well as his conflicted sexuality, friendships with Dean and Natalie Wood and his untimely murder at the age of 37. Hmm...wonder if Franco's gonna reprise his role as James Dean for this one.

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A Pirate Meets The Thin Man!

So I think maybe I’m a little psychic. Or maybe just super intuitive.

Way back in February of last year I wrote a post about franchises, focusing specifically on The Thin Man series and also referencing the shoulda-stopped-after-one Pirates of the Caribbean series. Little did I know over a year later these two franchises would be magically combined! How is this mash-up possible you ask? Picture Johnny Depp as Nick Charles, the cocktail-sipping, fast-quipping detective originated by William Powell, and you’ll get what I mean.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, it seems Warner Bros. is remaking the 1930s-through-40s franchise (six films over 13 years) with Captain Jack Sparrow himself in the lead role. Word is, Depp’s been trying to convince his Pirates 4 director Rob Marshall to direct him on this film too. Mind you, all of this is still in its early stages - there’s not even a script yet. But it’s an interesting prospect, no? We already know Depp has wit and swagger - plus he can rock a thin mustache.

Who do you think will snag the role of Nora, Nick’s sassy, wealthy wife and partner in solving crime, originally played by Myrna Loy? Cate Blanchett? Or am I just saying that because I believe she can do no wrong?

Two franchises merging into... a remake. Hollywood's really working overtime, isn't it?