Pop Culture Buzz

ARTICLE FROM COMINGSOON.NET

After months of rumor and speculation, Variety confirms that 20th Century Fox plans to keep the “Alien” franchise alive with a prequel film that will be directed by original helmer Ridley Scott. The announcement that Fox has hired a writer comes just two months after the 30th Anniversary of Scott’s original sci-fi horror film which launched a series of movie sequels, a number of comic books, and two movies that pit the Aliens against Fox’s other creature franchise, “The Predator”. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts has been hired to write the prequel after the studio was impressed by his work on two space thrillers, both for Keanu Reeves, called “Passengers” and “Shadow 19″.

(ARTICLE FROM COMINGSOON.NET)

USA Today has published new images from Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” featuring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Also included are three more pieces of concept art.

The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.

I’ve heard rumors of this, but this week SNL star Will Forte confirmed that not only is a movie version of his popular “MacGruber” sketch happening, he’s already finished writing it. Forte appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and was introed with a Saturday Night Live “MacGruber” clip and to the tune of the “MacGruber” theme song.

Fallon wasted no time in asking whether there’d be a “MacGruber” movie and Forte confirmed, “John Solomon, Jorma Taccone, and I just finished writing it. We’re gonna make it in Albuquerque. It’s me and Kirsten Wiig and cast to be determined.”

It’s been at least 10 years since the “The Ladies Man” came out, so Lorne Michaels must be itching to bring another hit SNL skit to the big screen. In case you’ve missed out on the genius that is MacGruber, I’ve include a few of his best moments below:

Warner Bros. is bringing Stephen King’s landmark horror novel “It” to the big screen! Many, many people are afraid of clowns. Many of us developed this phobia after reading Stephen King’s “It”, or by watching the 1990 ABC miniseries. (Yes, I was one of them, and I still can’t look at a picture of Tim Curry as Pennywise without shivering). As a fan of the book, and a lover of gory horror films, this is great news!

Dave Kajganich (who is also creating a “Pet Semetary” remake) has been hired pen the script, which follows a group of kids called the Losers Club that encounter a creature called It, which preys on children and whose favorite form is that of a sadistic clown called Pennywise. When the creature resurfaces, the kids are called upon to regroup again, this time as adults, even though they have no memory of the first battle. The novel is set in 1958 and 1985, though the feature version will be set in the present day.

“It” was the best-selling book of 1986 and in 1990 was turned into an ABC miniseries that starred John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Tim Reid, Annette O’Toole and Richard Thomas. Tim Curry played Pennywise. The 1990 ABC miniseries was a pretty loose adaptation of King’s novel, which has long been considered unfilmable.

Of course, Warner Bros just recently released a similarly unfilmable story (you might have heard of it — a little film called “Watchmen) into theaters, so they must feel as though they can tackle anything. And who knows? Maybe they can. Personally, I’ll be too busy hiding under my bed at the thought of seeing “It” again to find out.

The official one-sheet poster of Pixar next upcoming film “Up” has been revealed! “Up” is an upcoming computer-animated 3-D film being produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It will be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and is scheduled for release on May 29, 2009. The film is directed by “Monsters, Inc.” director Pete Docter and features the voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai and John Ratzenberger. It is the first Pixar film to be presented in Disney Digital 3-D.

WATCH THE “UP” MOVIE TRAILER HERE:

The most exciting thing about the internet is all of the free content. I have been dreaming of a day when TV shows, movies, news and other kinds of multi media would be free just like television is. Well folks, that time is finally here with the launch of the website called Fancast.com

I am endorsing this site for many reasons but mostly because this idea has been a long time coming. Finally we can surf the web and get crisp, cool content without the hassle of a membership or charges! Read more about what Fancast.com has to offer below.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT FANCAST.COM

Fancast offers the best TV and movies online and the best way to watch them!

On Fancast.com consumers get instant access to the best TV, movie and entertainment information available, including free full length videos from top networks and movie studios. Fancast houses more than 4,500 hours of streaming free full length content, and more than 5,600 episodes from more than 100 video providers including top networks and movie studios. In addition, Fancast offers a download store for consumers to rent or purchase movie and television content.

Fancast is the ideal entertainment site to access the best collection of TV shows and movies for free. As the Web increasingly becomes a place to watch video content, Fancast continues to entertain fans with content from the top broadcast and cable networks and movie studios. Hit shows on Fancast from top networks:

NBC
ABC
CBS
FOX
WB

CLICK HERE TO VISIT FANCAST.COM

Heroes
The Office
30 Rock
The Biggest Losers: Family
My Name is Earl
Lipstick Jungle
Night Rider
Kath & Kim
Desperate Hous.
Dancing w/ Stars
Grey’s Anatomy
Ugly Betty
Extreme Makeover
Private Practice
Samantha Who?
Pushing Daisies
Dirty Sexy Money
Brothers & Sisters
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Survivor: Gabon
Without a Trace
NCIS
How I Met Your Mother
The Unit
Numb3ers
House
The Simpsons
Prison Break
Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles
Bones
Family Guy
King of the Hill
American Dad
Friends
Everwood
Gilmore Girls
Jack and Bobby
The OC
One Tree Hill
Mad TV
Smurfs

CLICK HERE TO VISIT FANCAST.COM

Fancast.com is the first video aggregator to offer exclusive cable content from cable networks like Californication from Showtime. It is the first online site where users can watch, manage and locate entertainment on multiple platforms wherever it lives on TV, on demand, online, on DVDs or in the movie theater.

Fancast is the only site that offers new and retro TV videos with a complete editorial package of entertainment content from more than 11 million pages of information. On the home page not only will you find great content, but the site offers the latest news and gives suggestions on what’s hot that day and even what TV shows you need to catch up on.

Users can rely on Fancast time and time again for the newest entertainment content, retro TV shows and movies, features, extras and the latest news from Hollywood on the Fancast blog.

Fancast.com is a great source of entertainment information that can also be used as a resource for those who follow the world of entertainment. Fancast has more than 80,000 photos and 11 million pages of entertainment information from multiple databases.

Fancast.com will continue to evolve as an entertainment destination to enhance the end-user experience. The site will continue to grow its functionality aligned with the roadmap we announced at CES in January. Fancast is a great tool for entertainment consumption because it lets you know where to watch programming and reminds you when to catch your favorite shows and movies.

Fancast is the only Web site that will tell users where and when the content they want is playing and how they can watch it on Fancast, on TV, On Demand, in theaters or on DVD. Fancast seamlessly connects viewers to Fandango to purchase movie tickets and to the new Fancast store to download or rent titles.

On Fancast users can search for and find video content and entertainment information they’re looking for on more than 11 million Web pages including information on more than 50,000 television shows, 80,000 movies and 1.2 million people combining multiple sources of entertainment information.

Fancast’s new “notify me” tool allows users set email preferences, including reminders for when a new episode of their favorite show is on Fancast or on linear TV. Fans can manage those selections though the site’s notification and features section.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT FANCAST.COM

Below is the official word on the rumored “Ghostbusters 3″ film that has been trying to get off the ground in Hollywood for years. Names like Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller and Seth Rogan have been rumored as possible new comers to the project with the original cast returning from the first two films (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis & Ernie Hudson).

Any way you look at it this is great news for movie fans from the 80’s that have been waiting for this announcement. The first two “Ghostbuster” films bring up such great summertime memories. I hope this film lives up to the expectations fans have. No one wants another soggy sequel like “Indiana Jones 4″.

CLICK HERE FOR THE VARIETY.COM ARTICLE:

Columbia Pictures is getting serious about scaring up a new installment of its huge blockbuster “Ghostbusters” franchise.

The scribes, who are Emmy- nominated for their work on “The Office,” just set up another picture at Columbia, selling their spec script “Bad Teacher” to the studio for Jimmy Miller to produce.

Todd Solondz is one of my top ten movie directors of all time. He has written and directed three of my all time favorite films; “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Palindromes” and “Happiness”. All of Solondz’ films have been dark and somewhat controversial so I suspect this new piece in his series will be no different.

Variety magazine has reported that Solondz will be making another film in his revealing suburban tales anthology. Read the article below:

New indie production and finance shingle Werc Werk Works has stepped in to fully finance and produce writer-director Todd Solondz’s next film, an untitled part-sequel, part-companion piece to his controversial dark comedy “Happiness.”

The film is scheduled to begin principal photography in October in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Casting is currently under way.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY ON VARIETY.COM

WATCH THE “PALINDROMES” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

WATCH THE “WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

WATCH THE “HAPPINESS” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR “CORALINE” BELOW:

Henry Selick’s latest project announces that stop-motion is back in style! Selick’s last feature-length project (”James & the Giant Peach”) was over a decade ago, while it’s been 15 years since he revolutionized the medium for modern audiences with “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.

“Coraline” is the 2008 animated stop-motion fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman’s novella of the same name. It will be animated and co-directed by Henry Selick and is scheduled to be released in theaters on February 6, 2009.

Selick’s return to the movie fold comes in the form of Coraline, a marriage of his knack for dark whimsy and novelist Neil Gaiman’s gently twisted sense of humor. The plot details a young girl named Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) and her descent into a fantastical alternate reality that will require all her brains and resources to escape out of and back into our world.

“James and the Giant Peach” is a genius piece of animation, “The Corpse Bride” was WAY underrated and we all know “Nightmare Before Christmas” is a classic, so this new tale is highly anticipated in my little world. Animation is my all time favorite genre of film and Selick is considered a god amongst the folks at Dreamworks Animation, Disney AND Pixar if that is telling you anything. I cannot wait, enough said.

WATCH A SNEAK PEAK OF “CORALINE” BELOW:

MOVIE STILLS FROM THE 2009 ANIMATED FEATURE “CORALINE”

You have to give credit to Paris Hilton for poking fun at herself. This spoof “ad”, which is a direct response to McCain’s use of her image in a recent Presidential ad campaign, was put together by the folks at funnyordie.com (co-owned by Will Farrell). It just goes to show Paris is only good at playing the part of herself. This clip is hi-larious though, check it out and spread the buzz!

This “reality film”/documentary was a huge hit at the Sundance festival this past winter. I am skeptical that a reality film genre will do well in the age of huge special effects extravaganzas. This trailer has peaked my curiosity and it may well be a great rental on Netflix. Does anyone else find it odd that a movie titled “American Teen” doesn’t showcase a single minority? Read the film synopsis below:

AMERICAN TEEN is the touching and hilarious Sundance hit that follows the lives of four teenagers - a jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geek — in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. We see the insecurities, the cliques, the jealousies, the first loves and heartbreaks, and the struggle to make profound decisions about the future.

Filming daily for ten months, filmmaker Nanette Burstein (ON THE ROPES, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE) developed a deep understanding of her subjects. The result is a film that goes beyond the enduring stereotypes of high school to render complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood.

WATCH THE “AMERICAN TEEN” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

The poster for “American Teen” may look familiar to some 80’s teen movie fans…it is an obvious homage to the seminal 80’s teen movie “The Breakfast Club” written and directed by John Hughes (see the picture below).

(STORY FROM VARIETY MAGAZINE ONLINE)

Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno�? is ready for summer heat. Universal will release the film on May 15, 2009. So far, there are no other R-rated comedies near that date. Like “Borat”, the title character of the 2006 box office hit, Bruno is one of a trio of characters created and played by Cohen in TV skein “Da Ali G Show.�?

As Bruno, Cohen pretends be a flamboyant fashion and celebrity journalist from Austria who interviews unwitting members of the public who believe Bruno is a real person. Twentieth Century Fox’s “Borat�? was a box office hit, grossing $128.5 million domestically in an early November release. The film also garnered Cohen a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a comedy.

Already set to open on May 15 is Sony’s “The Da Vinci Code�? sequel “Angels & Demons�?; a week later, on May 22, Warner Bros. opens “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins,�? while Fox unspools family comedy “Night at the Museum II: Escape From the Smithsonian.�?

The first “Night at the Museum,�? released over Christmas in 2006, grossed $250.9 million domestically and $323.2 million overseas. “Bruno” may just get the targeted R rated comedy audience with not another comedy in sight for weeks. But don’t expect it to be anywhere as huge as Ben Stiller’s “Night at the Museum II”.

WATCH A CLIP OF “BRUNO” ON “DA ALI G SHOW” BELOW:

WATCH A CLIP OF “BRUNO” ON “DA ALI G SHOW” BELOW:

(STROY FROM IESB.NET)

In a time when Hollywood appears to be creatively bankrupt, it was just a matter of time before studios started looking back at the 60’s and 70’s for other properties to exploit. Producers Sid and Marty Krofft recently revealed that a few of their classic kid’s television shows will next be seen in your local theater.

Put this news in your pipe and smoke it!!

FROM COMINGSOON.NET

Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation have obtained the motion picture rights to “The Smurfs”. The parties will develop a dynamic, live action/animated major motion picture based on the iconic and lovable sky blue colored classic characters.

David Stem and David Weiss are in negotiations to be brought on board to write the screenplay. Stem and Weiss are the award-winning screenwriters behind “Shrek” 2 and 3, and other notable animated projects including “The Rugrats Movie”, and “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”

Commenting on the announcement Belgrad said, “The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world. These classic characters have entertained millions of people and several generations all over the world for more than half a century. We’re very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the other Smurfs in all of their ‘three apple tall’ glory.”

“Through Animation and Imageworks, our visual effects and character animation studio, we have an extraordinary capability to mix animation and live action having created a number of fully-realized CG characters in live action films from ‘Stuart Little’ to ‘Spider-Man 3,’” said Osher. “We couldn’t be more delighted or excited about working together on The Smurfs motion picture.”

“The entire team at Sony Pictures Animation is tremendously excited to team with our colleagues at Columbia Pictures and Kerner Entertainment in bringing the Smurfs to the big screen. This is our first hybrid film and we’re excited to expand our creative initiatives in this direction” said Minghella, president of production for Sony Pictures Animation.

Best known in the U.S. for the long-running Hanna-Barbera cartoon, the Smurfs were created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, known throughout the world as Peyo. The Smurfs — originally called Les Schtroumpfs in French — were created for a Belgian series of comic books, first as minor characters, but soon taking on a life of their own.

The peaceful little characters were featured in a best selling line of statuettes (selling over 300 million worldwide), models, games, toys, theme parks, and, of course, the immensely popular television series.

Running as part of NBC’s Saturday-morning lineup from 1981-1990, the cartoon was a huge critical and commercial success, twice winning Daytime Emmy Awards(r) for Best Children’s Entertainment Program, running for 256 episodes, and inspiring seven specials.

The Hollywood Reporter says that counterculture icon Emily the Strange is on the road to the big screen, with Dark Horse Entertainment president Mike Richardson coming on board to produce a feature film that would tell the origin of the gothic figure and her four mysterious cats. Skateboarder Rob Reger created the character in the early 1990s.

“Emily’s” connection with Richardson comes from the comic book line Dark Horse publishes. The company began publishing the title in 2005, with “Emily the Strange #1: Chairman of the Bored,” which was followed by several other popular miniseries.

“Emily herself is very appealing little girl, there’s an edge to her,” Richardson said. “There is something very alluring to her image; people see it and respond to it immediately.”

Richardson, who’s been a producer on such films as “Hellboy” and its upcoming sequel as well as “30 Days of Night”, said he and Reger will be looking for a filmmaker who “gets the character.”

The project has not yet set-up at a studio, though Universal is a contender as Dark Horse has a first-look deal there. It has not been determined whether the movie will be live-action, animation, or a combination of the two.

In addition to the backstory and her cats, the movie will also have 13 new characters with names like Earwig, Umlaut, McFreeley and Officer Summers. The story forms the basis of an “Emily” young adult novel, which will be published next year by HarperCollins.