Read a new piece from The New Yorker by David Sedaris entitled “Undecided” HERE.
M. Night Shyamalan’s New Horror Film Project
M. Night Shyamalan and Media Rights Capital have formalized the first project in their three-picture deal to hatch horror films, reports Variety, They’ve set Brian Nelson (30 Days of Night) to write Devil, a film that will be directed by Quarantine helmers John and Andrew Dowdle. The supernatural thriller is based on an original story by Shyamalan, who’ll produce with Sam Mercer under The Night Chronicles banner. The Dowdle siblings will be executive producers. The film will be PG-13 and will begin production next year. MRC set The Night Chronicles as a financing and production partnership with Shyamalan in July. The company’s goal is to generate one genre film per year over three years, with Shyamalan hatching the ideas and overseeing the selection of talent the creative direction.
Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau & Don Cheadle Suit Up for The Avengers
Marvel Studios has sent out the following two-part production update for Iron Man 2 and The Avengers!
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND JON FAVREAU SUIT UP FOR MARVEL STUDIOS’ THE AVENGERS AND IRON MAN 2
As part of his four picture deal with Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. is appearing as Tony Stark in THE AVENGERS motion picture, as well as reprising his starring role as the larger-than-life leading character in IRON MAN 2. Jon Favreau will return to direct the sequel to the blockbuster IRON MAN, which to date has grossed over $578 million worldwide, as well as executive produce THE AVENGERS.
DON CHEADLE WILL STAR AS RHODEY IN IRON MAN 2
Marvel Studios is pleased today to confirm that an agreement has been finalized with award-winning actor Don Cheadle to take on the role of Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes in Marvel’s IRON MAN 2 due in theaters on May 7, 2010. In casting Cheadle, Marvel replaces Terrence Howard who appeared in the role of Rhodey in IRON MAN.
Cheadle is also signed on to perform the same role in THE AVENGERS and subsequent installments of the IRON MAN franchise.
“We are very excited about working with the extraordinarily talented Don Cheadle as we expand the role of Rhodey in Iron Man 2. It has already become apparent as we prep the movie for production, that the dynamic between Robert and Don will take Iron Man 2 to new heights,” said Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios.
Based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero, IRON MAN 2 continues the story of this summer’s box office blockbuster IRON MAN, the first feature film produced independently by Marvel Studios. IRON MAN 2 will be produced by Marvel Studios’ President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Denis Stewart.
In a movie event, THE AVENGERS will bring together the super hero team of Marvel Comics characters for the first time ever, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they’ve ever faced.
The highly anticipated sequel to IRON MAN will be released in theatres on May 7, 2010 and THE AVENGERS will be released July 15, 2011. Both films will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. (From ComingSoon.net)
In honor of Halloween, some Shining Trivia
Classic Kubrick, classic Nicholson. Released in 1980, the Shining was one of the first films (and definitely the most famous of these early movies) to use the newly-invented Steadicam. It was a camera that was weighted, which allowed for smooth movement even in smaller spaces. Here is some trivia regarding this classic spooky movie.
Jack Nicholson’s visitors on the London set of the Shining included Anjelica Huston, Mick Jagger, George Harrison, John Lennon and Bob Dylan.
Other actors considered for the Jack Torrance part were Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams (can you imagine?) and Harrison Ford. Nicholson was always the first choice, though. DeNiro later said the movie gave him nightmares for a month. Stephen King didn’t like any of those choices and tried to talk Stanley Kubrick into using Jon Voight or Jack Palance.
Diana Vreeland is pretty much the reason the movie was able to continue shooting. Jack’s back was bugging him from a previous movie injury and he was popping all kinds of pills to try to alleviate the pain. Nothing worked and he was starting to get worried that his pain was going to have to halt production. The fashionista heard about this while at dinner and promptly left her meal and had Jack’s driver take her to a pharmacy, where she purchased two back plasters. Then she went back to the eatery, commanded that Jack drop trou and applied the plaster right then and there. It worked, and the film was finished.
Jack Nicholson claims he wrote the scene where Jack Torrance writes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” over and over and over. “That’s what I was like when I got my divorce,” he said.
It got baaaaad reviews: Variety said it was the “biggest box office disappointment since Exorcist II”, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner said it was “completely fake and banal” and the Wall Street Journal said it failed not only as a horror movie, but as any other genre as well.
The famous “Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny!” line was improvised.
Although most exterior shots were done at the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon, all of the interiors were a movie set. Kubrick refused to film in the States if he had to, since he was an ex-pat. At the time, the movie set was the largest ever built.
Stephen King didn’t care for much of the Kubrick version, which is why he made his own T.V. miniseries version in 1997. Among other things, he didn’t agree with the casting of Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance. He pictured Wendy as a blonde, cheerleader type who had clearly never known any type of hardship – pretty much the opposite of Duvall. He cast Rebecca DeMornay in the 1997 version, which, you have to admit, fits King’s original vision much better.
Donuts And Bacon ‘08
Not to be confused with…
Click on either t-shirt to order.
Awareness Test
The World’s Weirdest Vending Machines
Spaghetti Trees
When this report was broadcast on the BBC in 1957, hundreds of people phoned in asking how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. More hoaxes can be found HERE such as the left handed Whopper, the baseball phenom Sidd Finch and the Taco Liberty Bell.
MTVMusic.com
For all of you haters out there griping about how MTV doesn’t play music videos anymore, here’s something to calm the waters. Check out MTV’s new website MTVMusic.com — their new online catalog that finally opens up MTV’s massive music video archive.
While MTV.com has always been a source for the latest music videos, MTVMusic.com offers up a more in-depth library, including over 16,000 videos, “Unplugged” performances and exclusive MTV concert footage. And if a video you’re looking for isn’t there yet, check back regularly as more and more vids are added daily.
Footloose Remake On The Fast Track
After watching Zac Efron and director Kenny Ortega deliver a $42 million opening weekend for “High School Musical 3,” Paramount Pictures has fast-tracked “Footloose,” hoping to get the film ready for Efron and Ortega to start production next spring.
The studio has brought on “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” director Peter Sollett to rewrite the Jon Hartmere script and hired Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to join Dylan Sellers as producer.
Unlike “HSM3,” “Footloose” will aim for an older teen and adult demo. Efron is just about set in a deal that will pay him a mid-seven-figure salary and give him script approval.
Zadan and Meron are established producers of musicals “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” the latter of which was Efron’s first feature. Zadan also was a producer of the original 1984 “Footloose.” They join Sellers, who has put two years of work into the musical with Ortega.
While Sollett rewrites the Hartmere script, the studio is working on new songs that will complement some of the memorable original tunes. Though the Herb Ross-directed film wasn’t a musical, screenwriter Dean Pitchford wrote lyrics for songs that included the Kenny Loggins title song as well as “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “Almost Paradise” and “Holding Out for a Hero.” At least some of those tunes are expected to be in the new movie.
“Footloose” spawned one of the biggest-selling soundtracks of its era and made a star of Kevin Bacon. (From Variety)
