Movieline has dropped an exclusive report claiming that they have it from an inside source close to Spider-Man 4 that all the previous rumors of The Lizard and/or Black Cat serving as the villains for Sam Raimi’s next Spidey film are totally off the mark.
So who will be the principal villain(s) in Spider-Man 4, according to Movieline? That’s where things get a bit odd (even more so than the Black Cat rumors).
According to this exclusive report (which is being backed by our friends at First Showing), actor John Malkovich is being eyed for a role as The Vulture, a classic Spider-Man foe whose power is a flight suit with razor-sharp wings. Ok, so maybe that isn’t so odd: Malkovich as The Vulture is one of those head-slap, “Should’ve thought of that” casting choices we all see with 20/20 hindsight. However, news that Anne Hathaway (previously rumored for a role as Black Cat) is being eyed for a role as “The Vulturess” have fans around the ‘Net scratching their heads in confusion.
Even more confusing, is the rumor that Hathaway would still be playing the character of Felicia Hardy; in the Spider-Man comics, Hardy was the alter-ego of Black Cat. The Vulturess would be a brand new addition to the Spidey Universe (as far as I know), and if Hathaway is indeed being eyed for the role, it raises a lot of questions (and a few alarms) that I believe we should toss out here and now:
* Would The Vulture and Vulturess be a team? * If they were a team, would Hathaway be Malkovich’s daughter, or (gross) his wife/lover? * Do we really need two villains with the same exact power? * Why use the Felicia Hardy character just to introduce a new villainess? * Wouldn’t having a Bird and Cat as villains just be cooler? Now I can understand why (from a studio exec’s perspective) having Black Cat in Spider-Man 4 might seem like a bad idea: the character is too reminiscent of Catwoman, who is still a viable villain for Chris Nolan’s next Batman film. Catwoman is, of course, much more well-known than Black Cat, which could make BC a hard sell to a movie audience who can’t tell their Cat ladies apart.
It’s this same line of reasoning that has me believing Movieline when they report that their same source has confirmed that Dylan Baker’s Dr. Connors will absolutely NOT be appearing as The Lizard in Spider-Man 4 (though Baker will be back as Connors). The source states that studio execs were put-off by the thought of such an outlandish villain appearing in a Spidey film – though in the last installment, they did have an alien goo and a big pile of sand as villains, so what kind of hairs are they really splitting?
Cameron Diaz has a guilty secret — she often steals items from movie sets and uses them to create her own disguises.
The Charlie’s Angels beauty admits she has collected a number of items of wardrobe from her movies, which she uses to disguise herself while out in public.
“I’ve enjoyed taking home some of the costumes from movie sets, in particular when I played Lotte in Being John Malkovich,” she said. “That was really fun because I had these brown contact lenses and this crazy wig and I would go shopping as Lotte.
“People didn’t even want to help me.”
Diaz, 36, recently revealed she’s keen to make a third Charlie’s Angels film.
“People ask me about it all the time,” she said. “I would love to do it. It’s just a matter of us getting off our butts and doing it. Totally lazy! Our work ethic sucks, all of us.”
Asked if she thinks her co-stars in the film — Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore — would return for another movie, Diaz said, “I would love to do, but I have no idea. It’s not anything real. There’s no tangible evidence in my life.”
This preposterous Cameron Diaz thriller offers a promising premise: a mysterious box bestows riches in exchange for killing a stranger. But then it dumps in existentialism, government conspiracies, aliens, nosebleeds, deformities—and dresses it all in ugly '70s polyester fashions and geo-print wallpaper. Blecch. The Bigger Picture: Bring back the giant rabbit! Director of the lyrical, haunting Donnie Darko (but then the critically panned Southland Tales) Richard Kelly just can't seem to catch lightning again—especially not in this empty Box.
Instead, lightning strikes sinister Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), a smooth-talking, Bond-worthy baddie. Sporting a gaping CGI burn hole in his face, Steward presents a bizarre box and proposition to Virginia couple Arthur and Norma Lewis (James Marsden and Diaz, with an unconvincing Southern accent). If they press the button on top, they'll get $1 million—but also murder someone they don't know. Of course, this offer comes with rules—and their eventual actions contain consequences.
What should've been a taut suburban fright-fest is a failed morality experiment and Twlight Zone retread. The increasingly ludicrous plot, loosely based on Richard Matheson's classic short story "Button, Button" (as was a Twilight Zone ep), wanders into alien territory—literally—with nonsense involving Mars transmissions, Steward's posse of mind-controlled drones (zombies?), and clunky speeches about humanity and sacrifice.
Unintentionally funny moments abound, including Arthur's face-off with a nose-bleeding Librarian of the Damned, who forces him to choose a pathway to salvation. For some reason, said salvation involves huge water pods—and a later sacrificial ceremony involves a bubbling swimming pool.
Set in 1976, the pic plays like silly '60s sci-fi—but with a sizeable budget for special FX and actors (though none of the above impress). Langella's presence does class things up a bit, but he gets saddled with awful lines like, "I have done nothing. I am just a vessel."
This is one Box that should've been left on the shelf.
Days before she begins her blessed award-season run with an appearance at next week's Country Music Assn. Awards, country darling Taylor Swift will make a stop in New York to host "Saturday Night Live." NBC has posted Swift's teasers for the show, which come complete with the requisite Kanye West joke.
Here's hoping that means it's out of everyone's system. Swift will pulling a double shift on this weekend's "Saturday Night Live," playing host and musical guest.
Next Wednesday, Swift will compete for entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards. The prize has gone to Kenny Chesney four of the past five years, but Swift is the undisputed country star of 2008-2009, and Pop & Hiss wouldn't bet against her. She set a Billboard record this week, scoring eight cuts on the single's chart, the most ever in a single week by a female artist.
Taylor Swift is still breaking records with her self-titled debut album. But her latest album Fearless — which she just re-released last week — is also still resonating with audiences. It's been incredibly successful and launched Swift into the mainstream pop-music stratosphere. Swift appreciates all the success and attributes it to the honesty she shows in her songwriting.
"I think with Fearless and with my first album, I've just written songs about what I go through. I was a teenager in the music industry and so you have a lot of people pitching you songs that are kind of older than what you've been through," she explained to MTV News. "But I always kind of insisted on writing my own songs and writing songs about the period of time I was actually going through in life."
She explains that for her, it's not about looking ahead for material — it's about seeing what's going on right there in front of you. "I write in real time. I try not to go too far ahead of myself," she said. "I guess 'cause my songs were so personal, people were able to relate to them."
Many fan favorites are found on the album, but she has included new songs, such as the bright "Jump Then Fall." "It's really bouncy and happy and lovey," she said. "It's got this really cool banjo part that's, like, bouncy and ... I don't know, it just has a really good feel-good vibe to me."
In 1981, Tom Cruise gained his first film role: a small part in Endless Love, which starred Brooke Shields. He also had a larger part alongside Sean Penn in Taps, also released in 1981. Two years later, Cruise was cast in The Outsiders, a Francis Ford Coppola film that also starred Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe. Also in 1983, Cruise appeared in Losin' It, with Shelly Long and Risky Business, which is widely credited as the film that brought Cruise to the public eye. His fourth film of the year was All the Right Moves.
After featuring in Ridley Scott's fantasy picture, Legend, Cruise was cast by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson to appear in Top Gun. It has been reported that Cruise initially turned down the offer but helped to alter the script and eventually took the part. The film opened in 1986 and was the highest grossing film of the year, making over $350 million worldwide. The same year, Cruise starred in The Color of Money, for which co-star Paul Newman won an Oscar.
Two years later, Cruise starred in another two highly successful films. The first was Cocktail, a light-hearted tale in which he played a bartender. The second was Rain Man, which also starred Dustin Hoffman. Rain Man won four of the eight Academy Awards for which it was nominated. This success was continued when Tom Cruise received more Academy Award nominations, this time for his role in Born on the Fourth of July.
Tom then went on to star in Days of Thunder and Far and Away, two films in which he co-starred with his future wife, Nicole Kidman. These were followed with his role in A Few Good Men, with Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson. He then gained a role alongside Gene Hackman in The Firm, based on John Grisham's best-selling novel.
In 1994, Cruise featured in Interview With The Vampire, based on Anne Rice's novel. Brad Pitt and Christian Slater also starred in the film, but Anne Rice was overtly critical of the decision to cast Cruise in the film.
Two years later, Cruise produced and starred in Mission: Impossible, a remake of the 1960s TV series. The film was the third best-selling movie of the year, grossing over $456 million. He then earned another Academy Award for his role in Jerry Maguire, which featured his infamous line "Show Me the Money!"
view image>>> In 1999, Cruise starred alongside Nicole Kidman (to whom he was still married) in Eyes Wide Shut. The film was Stanley Kubrick's last venture before he died and took two years to complete. Magnolia was released in the same year and Cruise earned a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award Nomination for his role in the film. The next year, Cruise reprised his role in Mission: Impossible in the sequel, directed by John Woo. This was followed by Vanilla Sky, Steven Spielberg's Minority Report and the Last Samurai.
2004 saw Cruise deviate from his usual good-guy role, in Michael Mann's Collateral, in which he played a hitman. He worked again with Spielberg, in War of the Worlds, the third highest-selling film of 2005. The next year, he starred in the third installment of the Mission: Impossible trilogy. In 2007, he starred in the drama, Lions for Lambs with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Tom Cruise: Personal Life
Tom Cruise's first marriage was in 1987, to Mimi Rogers. They divorced in 1990. It is believed that it was Rogers who introduced Cruise to Scientology, the religious sect of which he is now a figurehead.
In 1990, Cruise remarried, to his previous co-star, Nicole Kidman. The pair adopted two children, Isabella and Connor. Kidman later became pregnant with their first child, but the couple separated months before their 10th anniversary and Kidman suffered a miscarriage shortly after the split.
In 2006, Cruise married the actress Katie Holmes. They have a daughter, Suri together.
Mariah Carey posted a message on her Twitter, denying rumor that the male stalker she plays in upcoming "Obsessed" music video is a portrayal of Eminem. "I am NOT at any point in the video playing a specific person. I'm dressed as a 'stalker' in 3 different ensembles," so she wrote.
In another post, Mariah explained about the male character she portrays, "It was fun playing 'JoJo'(the stalker/doorman/photographer's asst) The photographer is played by the world famous, legendary...(Guess who!)." Minutes later, she gave another clue, "Hint: he is mentioned several times in one of my favorite movies 'The Devil Wears Prada'.."
Prior to Mariah's denial, her husband Nick Cannon has debunked speculation suggesting she wanted to fire back at the Slim Shady who previously mocked her in a song titled "Bagpipes in Baghdad".
He told MTV, "People keep saying ['Obsessed'] was directed at certain people. To be completely honest, she did the record 'cause she's a huge fan of this movie 'Mean Girls' and there's a line in the movie where one of the girls is like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?' She says that at the beginning of the song, and that's where the concept came from. But you know, art imitates life."
"Obsessed" is one of the songs set to be listed in Mariah's upcoming new album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" which is slated for August 25 U.S. release. Its music video is directed by Brett Ratner, and will be debuted in "America's Got Talent" on July 15.
Beside filming the video for the song's original version, Mariah Carey also shot a video for its remix version. The singer revealed, "So, there are 2 videos for 'Obsessed' the original, and the remix feat. Gucci Mane. Both have a storyline where I play several parts." On what to expect from this video, a source close to the video production shared, "There is definitely new hotness in the Remix that is not in the original."
Ever wonder if stars think about their onstage costumes differently than their red carpet fashion? Carrie Underwood certainly does. “I feel like I can wear anything when I’m onstage,” the December cover girl tells Lucky.
And that doesn’t just include clothes. Carrie admits, “I love playing around with makeup–it’s trial and error, mostly error.” So where does this fearless fashion philosophy come from?
Perhaps from Carrie’s country style icon Dolly Parton. “I would never attempt to pull off Dolly’s wardrobe, but her confidence is enviable. She always makes it work!” But she does like to bring her love of country into her wardrobe, explaining “I like pairing cowboy boots with unexpected things, like cute dresses.
You can be ‘country’ and still be stylish–I would wear them regardless of what kind of music I sang.” And while Carrie loves the glitz and the glam onstage, “in my downtime, nothing beats a great pair of sweats.”
Her sweats of choice? “Sweatpants from Victoria’s Secret Pink are my main closet staple–they’re affordable, and they make nine-hour bus rides bearable.” To read more on Carrie’s fashion philosophy and shop her wardrobe must-haves, pick up the December issue of Lucky, on newsstands November 4, and visit luckymag.com.
"V" star Scott Wolf tells "Extra" the new show might be a remake, but original fans of the 1983 sci-fi miniseries "Visitors" won't be disappointed.
Wolf says he's "excited" for the fans. "They're going to be getting their show back... in a pretty great, updated way," he explains.
In the new series, an alien arrives on Earth with seemingly good intentions. Morena Baccarin plays Anna, the leader of the extra-terrestrial visitors, and says not everything is as good as it seems. "We're going to offer technological advances and health care. Then you start to realize maybe that's not all that's going on." Baccarin jokes, "I love that aliens have to come down and give us health care."
Walking along the Vancouver backlot where the new V is being shot, Elizabeth Mitchell (best known as Lost's Juliet) is noting that when it comes to taking time to promote her new series, "It's worth it. Most of the time, you want to build the hype so something less than adequate can be put out there and people will swallow it.
But in this particular case, we're like, 'Just watch it!' That's all we really want you to do is actually just turn on your television and watch it, because then you'll want to watch the next one. You're going to think it's good. Otherwise, I wouldn't be out here saying, 'It's really good!'"
Brad Pitt says he is in the market for a new motorcycle.
The actor, in Tokyo to promote his latest movie, Inglourious Basterds, said he trashed his favorite bike recently while trying to escape overzealous photographers.
"I had a little mishap," he said. "No injuries, except my ego. I was trying to get away from some paparazzi and instead gave them a good story. It was my favorite bike, so that is really sad."
Pitt, a well-known motorcycle buff, was involved in a minor accident in Los Angeles last month after a paparazzo reportedly cut him off in traffic. He said that while he is in Tokyo he will be looking for a replacement.
"I will definitely be looking at motorcycles," he said. "You've got some of the best builders right here."
view image>>
Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino, premiered in Tokyo on Wednesday. As a promotion gimmick, Japanese movie viewers will be given a money-back offer if they are bored after watching the first 60 minutes of the revisionist World War II swashbuckler.
Pitt said he felt lucky to be chosen as the movie's leading man — Tarantino had initially planned to cast himself in that part.
view image>>
"We had heard about this script for about eight years before it came my way, so it had taken on a mythical dimension," he said. "I was doubly flattered because Quentin originally wrote the part for himself."
Inglourious Basterds follows a band of Jewish American soldiers, led by Tennessean Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt), who hunt Nazis with the goal of not just killing them but scalping them and sometimes carving swastikas into their foreheads.
"What made me want to make the film is simply that I like war movies," said Tarantino, who joined Pitt and other cast members at a news conference. "The initial idea sometimes is really as simple as wanting to make a war movie or a car chase movie. The rest goes from there."
