Transformers 2 director Michael Bay is taking Paramount to task for the way the studio is promoting his summer flick, name-dropping Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer in a bitter email to executives, TMZ reports. The May 4 missive criticizes Paramount for an "abject failure" of a campaign: "…I have been waiting, and waiting for the anticipation of an 'event movie' to make it into the 'public zeitgeist.'" He goes on to say that Bruckheimer told him "a studio that does not make [the opening of a movie] an event…. will get bitten in the ass. … Besides my good friend Steven [Spielberg], Jerry has made a lot more successful movies then (sic) all of us." But TMZ also reports Bay was clearly more pleased by June 6, when he sent the studio a far more laudatory email, saying, "Paramount is like family. Thank you all for busting your butts and bringing your 'A game' for the release of Transformers."
Archive: June 2009 (131-140 of 373)
Perez Hilton claims assault, will.i.am denies
Gossip blogger Perez Hilton posted a series of Twitter messages early this morning claiming to have been assaulted by the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and his bodyguards. Hilton was in Toronto attending the MuchMusic Awards. At one point he wrote: "I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke." His last message was from an hour ago when he wrote, "I'm going to try and nap a bit." He has not yet posted about it on his blog PerezHilton.com, but will.i.am has already posted a video response, denying that he hit Hilton.
UPDATE: Perez Hilton just posted a video on his blog, giving his account of the incident — here he says that it was a Black Eyed Peas manager, not will.i.am, who hit him — and responding to will.i.am's video. Hilton's lawyer Bryan Freedman tells EW that they're "in the process of investigating the incident."
Rhianna set to take stand today in Chris Brown case
Rhianna is prepared to testify at Chris Brown's preliminary hearing today, which would mark the first time she publicly tells her side of what happened the night her boyfriend allegedly assaulted her, CNN reports. The star may be questioned by Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, about the couple's Grammy-night argument in a rented Lamborghini that, according to charges, turned violent. Though Geragos has said he wanted to avoid a public trial, plea-deal talks failed and a judge last week rejected his request to delay the hearing. The 20-year-old Brown pleaded "not guilty" to felony counts of assault and making criminal threats; he could face up to four years and eight months in prison if convicted. Cameras will not be allowed in today's hearing, which determines whether there is enough evidence against Brown to go to trial.
Brad Pitt film 'Moneyball' put in turnaround
Just days before it was to begin shooting, Brad Pitt and Steven Soderbergh's baseball drama Moneyball has been put in turnaround, Variety is reporting. According to the report, Columbia Pictures president Amy Pascal made the decision on Friday after reading the final draft of the script, by Oscar-winners Soderbergh and Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List), deeming it too different from earlier versions. The film was scheduled to begin shooting Monday, June 22. Pascal's move means the filmmakers may scramble to find another distributor (Variety says Warner Bros. and Paramount are possibilities). If they're unsuccessful, the film, based on Michael Lewis' 2003 book about Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, may be delayed or even scrapped completely.
Madonna's daughter Mercy arrives in London
Madonna's newly-adopted toddler was flown from her home country of Malawi to London, arriving yesterday, People.com is reporting. The singer was granted the adoption of the three-year-old girl, named Mercy Chifundo James, on June 12. Along with daughter Lourdes and sons Rocco and David Banda (who is also from Malawi), Madonna now has four children.
Simon Cowell responds to Susan Boyle controversies
In an article in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, Simon Cowell has responded to several controversies surrounding the most recent season of Britain's Got Talent, including ones involving Susan Boyle and crying tykes on TV. With regards to Boyle, who ended up placing second in the competition and entered a mental-health clinic soon after, he says, "When the dance group Diversity won, I looked over at her face and thought: 'Christ, she doesn't know how to deal with not winning…' Last week, I met [Boyle's family] in my London office and I asked them: 'Tell me honestly; did we do right or did we do wrong?' What I meant was, was it right to allow Susan to carry on performing in the show once it became clear that she was finding it stressful? And they said, unanimously, that we did the right thing." As for 10-year-old Hollie Steel, the sobbing BGT contestant given a second chance to perform after she forgot her lyrics, he says: "I thought giving Hollie a second chance was the right thing to do. Yet, ironically, I have had more complaints about Hollie being allowed to perform twice than anything else on the show. Isn't that incredible? It's certainly very confusing. Sometimes, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't." He also addresses several former contestants on his other British show, The X-Factor, who claim they haven't been treated well since being on the program.
Report: Steve Jobs had liver transplant, still set to return to Apple this month
Apple CEO Steve Jobs had a liver transplant two months ago, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. An Apple spokesman would not confirm the procedure, but released a statement: "Steve continues to look forward to returning to Apple at the end of June and there is nothing further to say." Jobs, 54, has been on a medical leave of absence since January, after the diagnosis of a hormone imbalance that was "robbing" his body of proteins and causing an alarming weight loss turned into a health issue that Jobs described as "more complex than I originally thought." Jobs' health first made news in 2004, when he underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.
Report: Katie Holmes to appear on 'So You Think You Can Dance' finale
Katie Holmes will perform in a "Broadway does Hollywood" number on the August 6 season finale of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, E! News reports. A source tells E! she dons a hat, a leotard, and tights for a rendition of Judy Garland's "Get Happy," choreographed by Tyce Diorio and directed by Nigel Lythgoe.
More So You Think You Can Dance coverage:
Read our SYTYCD episode recaps
Follow Cat Deeley's 'SYTYCD' EW.com blog
Guess who will be sent home this week in our SYTYCD Prediction Challenge
Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek to divorce
Actors Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek have filed divorce papers to end their 16-year marriage, People.com has reported. The pair, who were married in August 1992, have three children, ages 12, 9, and 6. Whitford won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001 for playing Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on The West Wing, while Kaczmarek received seven consecutive Best Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her role as mom Lois on Malcolm in the Middle.
Stephen Baldwin leaves 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me out of Here!'
Stephen Baldwin has quit the NBC reality series I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!, according to Access Hollywood. Details of the actor's premature exit from the show were not immediately available. He had been a strong contender to win I'm a Celebrity…, which ends next week. Three other contestants have left the show early.
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