A Star is (Re)Born!

Hollywood most definitely believes in reincarnation. Just look at the never-ending parade of remakes. Moviemakers don’t even have to go back that far in search of subjects. We’ve got a remake of Footloose (ugh) coming out this fall, a remake of Dirty Dancing that's in the works (guess everyone’s agreed to pretend that Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights never happened, eh?)...they’re even rebooting the Spiderman franchise a mere four years after Tobey Maguire peeled himself out of the suit.

But there’s one movie in particular that has never seemed to be able to rest in peace: A Star is Born. It has had numerous incarnations over the years and Hollywood doesn't seem to be sick of it yet! I’ve only seen one version - the original. Released in 1937, it starred Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress taken under the wing of an alcoholic has-been actor played by Fredric March.

The '37 one was the first-born, if you will - yet it’s not even the first search result for A Star is Born in IMDb. That honor goes to the 1954 musical remake, starring Judy Garland as the wide-eyed wannabe and James Mason as her movie star mentor whose own career is on the downward slide.

Cut to 1976 and the story is updated with Barbra Streisand as an up-and-coming singer who falls for a fading rock star (Kris Kristofferson).

Now it’s 2011 and Clint Eastwood is looking to put his own spin on the decades-hopping flick. Get this - Beyonce is being touted for the starring role. First it was rumored that Will Smith might play opposite her, then it was Leonardo DiCaprio, now it’s being reported that Christian Bale is considering the role. But the Oscar-winner has a lot of other options on his plate, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets crossed off the list soon too.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Beyonce’s a good choice? Who would be a good male lead? Dunno about you but I can totes see Hugh Jackman in the role.

It's Always the Quiet Ones!

Shhh! Hear that? It's the sound of Oscar buzz rising up out of the silence. The silence of this particular movie - The Artist. Believe it or not, it's a new silent film set to hit theaters October 19th. It premiered at Cannes this year to rave reviews and has even been garnering some early awards season chatter. The black-and-white film is set in the 1920s and follows a silent movie star dealing with the impending rise of talkies. The official trailer was just released, and I couldn't keep it hush-hush. So check it out, and tell me your thoughts!

Chaplin Family Tree

Nearly 100 years after Charlie Chaplin silently but swiftly captivated the film world with a cane, a bowler hat and a keen understanding of slapstick, his granddaughter awaits her turn in the spotlight. Yup, Charlie Chaplin has an actress granddaughter - her name’s Oona Chaplin. She’s 24 and doesn’t have many credits to her name as of yet, but here’s why you should pay attention: According to Access Hollywood, she’ll appear on the second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones - a buzzworthy show that’s racked up a ton of Emmy noms this year. Plus, with a family tree like hers, she’s sure to go far.

Get this: In addition to having Charlie Chaplin for a granddad, Oona’s grandmother and namesake Oona O’Neill (above) was the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill. Chaplin married Oona O’Neill in 1943, when he was 54 and she was just 18. Can’t say the marriage was a sham though - they had eight kids together and remained married until Chaplin’s death in 1977.

Oona’s parents are actress Geraldine Chaplin (below) and Chilean cinematographer Patrico Castillo. No need to ponder her path - sounds like it’s predestined!

Marilyn Gets a Poster!

Behold! It’s the official poster for My Week with Marilyn, the film I’ve been excited about ever since I found out Michelle Williams was on board as the iconic blonde bombshell. Incidentally, the film was recently announced as the centerpiece of the 2011 New York Film Festival and will premiere on October 9th (the fest runs from September 30th through October 16th). The NYFF is also presenting special screenings of the 1959 epic Ben-Hur and Nicholas Ray’s 1973 film We Can’t Go Home Again. Needless to say, I’m itching to get tickets.

Whatcha think of the poster? FYI, it's a recreation of Monroe's arrival in London to begin filming on The Prince and the Showgirl.

Source

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!