Archive: May 2009 (121-130 of 345)

May 19 2009 01:32 AM ET

'Thor' gets its villain: Tom Hiddleston signs up for Marvel movie

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Categories: Movies

Marvel Studios announced today that Tom Hiddleston will play villain Loki in the upcoming production of Thor. The casting reunites Hiddleston with Thor director Kenneth Branagh, with whom he starred in last year’s Wallander and worked on a recent London production of Chekhov’s Ivanov. Thor, slated for May 2011, reportedly stars Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) as soldier Thor, who triggers an ancient war, and is cast down to Earth as punishment. 

May 19 2009 12:06 AM ET

George Clooney satire 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' lands a buyer

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Categories: Movie Biz

The George Clooney-starring comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats has finally found itself a buyer: Overture Films. Goats, which was made by Clooney’s production company, Smokehouse, and directed by his producing partner, Grant Heslov (the cowriter of Good Night, and Good Luck), began production in October and wrapped in January. It’s based on Jon Ronson’s 2004 book of the same title, and centers on a beleagured reporter (Ewan McGregor) who meets a special forces agent (Clooney) who reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to use paranormal powers to end war as we know it. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges costar. The studio has not yet determined a release date for the film. 

May 19 2009 12:02 AM ET

'Milk' screenwriter Dustin Lance Black to direct Liam Neeson and Jennifer Connelly

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Categories: Movie Biz

Dustin Lance Black, who just won an Academy Award for his Milk screenplay, will direct Liam Neeson and Jennifer Connelly in his feature directing debut, What’s Wrong With Virginia. The project, based on a script by Black, centers on a psychologically disturbed mother (Connelly) who has been entangled in a 20-year secret love affair with a highly visible Mormon sheriff (Neeson), who is running for a state senate seat. TicTock Studios will finance the picture and produce alongside Killer Films. Milk director Gus Van Sant will exec produce. Production is expected to begin at the end of summer in Michigan.

May 18 2009 11:24 PM ET

'Star Trek': NASA beams up movie to space station astronauts

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Categories: Movies

When not repairing the Hubble telescope, the space station astronauts managed to get some first-run recreation: They watched the new Star Trek movie. The Associated Press reported today that American astronaut Michael Barratt requested the film, which all the astronauts watched after dinner on Friday. Barratt and the others piled into the space shuttle’s node, strapped their feet to the floor, and viewed the action blockbuster on a small computer screen, with a specially adapted version of the film that took NASA five hours to reformat. 

May 18 2009 08:59 PM ET

Mel Gibson's girlfriend pregnant with his child

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Categories: Movies

Mel Gibson’s girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, is pregnant with Gibson’s child, TMZ is reporting. Grigorieva is in her second trimester, TMZ says it has learned. The Passion of the Christ director recently split with his wife of 28 years, Robyn Moore, with whom he has seven children. Moore filed for divorce on April 13.

May 18 2009 06:56 PM ET

'America's Next Top Model': Exec producer blames 'economy' for Paulina Porizkova's firing

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Categories: Television

Nearly a week after Paulia Porizkova revealed that she was fired from her job as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, executive producer Ken Mok issued a statement essentially confirming Porizkova’s assertion that Mok and fellow exec producer Tyra Banks let Porizkova go because the show had "gotten too fat and they needed to cut some fat and the fat was me." Said Mok: "The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cutsindustry wide; and America’s Next Top Model is not immune to these financiallychallenging times. We’ve had to make significant cuts in every area of theproduction and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts. Tyra, whopursued Paulina to join the show as a judge multiple times, was incrediblysaddened by the decision the show was forced to make. We really enjoyed workingwith Paulina, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

Talk about it on PopWatch:
Paula Porizkova fired from Top Model: When will the recession end?

May 18 2009 06:34 PM ET

Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam to be first guests on 'The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien'

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Categories: Television

Land of the Lost star Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam will be Conan O’Brien’s first guests when he takes over the reins of The Tonight Show from Jay Leno, NBC announced today. O’Brien’s debut is scheduled for June 1.

May 18 2009 04:12 PM ET

Update: Woody Allen settles American Apparel lawsuit for $5 million

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Categories: Lawsuits

Woody Allen has settled a suit he filed against trendy clothing company American Apparel, and the company will pay him $5 million for using his image in advertising, Reuters reports. "I am told the settlement of five million dollars I ambeing paid is the largest reported amount ever paid under theNew York right to privacy law," Allen said outsideManhattan federal court where the case was supposed to be heard this morning. Allen claimed his reputation was damaged and the image was used withoutconsent, while American Apparel founder Dov Charney told reporters thecase was about "the dignity of ideas." He continued: "I am not sorryfor expressing myself."

Allen was expected to testify in New York court today to support the suit, according to the Associated Press. Allen originally sued American Apparel last year for $10 million, claiming the company didn’t have permission to use his likeness in a 2007 advertising campaign which depicted him as a Hasidic Jew along with Yiddish text meaning "the holy rebbe." The image American Apparel used was a doctored shot from his Oscar-winning movie Annie Hall.

May 18 2009 04:03 PM ET

'Survivor: Africa' winner Ethan Zohn battling cancer

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Categories: Television

Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn, 35, has been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s disease, according to People. Zohn began chemotherapy to treat the disease on Friday, May 15. He tells People, "This is the ultimate game of Survivor and there’s really only one outcome, and that’s to win. There’s no other option."

May 18 2009 03:28 PM ET

Ryan O'Neal: Second installment of 'Farrah's Story' in the works

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Categories: Television

This morning on the Today show, Farrah Fawcett’s longtime partner Ryan O’Neal said that they’re filming more footage for a follow-up to Farrah’s Story, last Friday’s documentary on NBC that chronicled the Charlie’s Angels star’s fight with cancer and premiered to nearly 9 million viewers, according to a report on MSN. "We haven’t stopped filming," O’Neal said via telephone from his home, "and we’re going to make a second installment on her life." O’Neal, along with Fawcett’s best friend and documentary collaborator Alana Stewart, added that Farrah watched the documentary at home and was revived by it. “Whenwe began watching it Friday night, she had [a] very low pulse,” O’Neal told Today host Meredith Vieira. O’Neal claims Fawcett’s pulse got stronger during the airing until it was fully normal. “It kept going up and up and up,” O’Neal said. “It was wonderful…We’re going to have to show her one of her films every night.”

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