HOLLYWOOD SLEEPER - Celebrity Cheese & News

Hollywood to Rewrite Men’s Roles for Women?

2015-09-12T11:07:00.001-04:00

George Clooney Wants Hollywood to Rewrite Men’s Roles for Women

Eliza Berman @lizabeaner

Clooney and "Our Brand is Crisis" co-producer Grant Heslov cast Sandra Bullock in a role originally written for a man to play

George Clooney may not have the cure-all for sexism in Hollywood, but at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday, he proposed one surprising simple solution: Rewrite roles originally intended for men to be played by women.

In reality, it was Sandra Bullock, not Clooney himself, who inspired this line of thinking, The Wrap reports. When Bullock read the script for Our Brand Is Crisis, a film about an American political consulting firm managing a presidential campaign in Bolivia, she identified a role she was interested in playing.

The problem? The role, loosely based on real-life political consultant James Carville, was written for a man to play.

Bullock called Clooney, the movie’s co-producer and her Gravity co-star, to inquire about retooling the part so that she might play it. According to Clooney, as soon as Bullock requested to play the part, the movie began moving from development toward production.

Many women in Hollywood have been outspoken about the lack of interesting roles for women in film. Their reports are backed by research, including a 2015 study from San Diego State University that found that women comprised just 12% of protagonists in the highest-earning films of 2014.

Bullock is one of a handful of top actresses playing gender-switched roles in upcoming movies. Emily Blunt’s FBI agent in Sicario, out Sept. 18, was originally conceived for a man, as was Julia Roberts’ part in the forthcoming Secret in Their Eyes.

“There’s a lot more out there if people just started thinking,” Clooneysaid after Our Brand Is Crisis, which hits theaters Oct. 30, premiered in Toronto.

Raven-Symone Comes Out as Gay with Tweet: “I Can Finally Get Married!”

2013-08-02T17:51:00.003-04:00

Raven-Symone Comes Out as Gay with Tweet: “I Can Finally Get Married!”

Raven-Symone has come out of the closet as gay.

“I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you,” she tweeted on Friday.

A rep for the actress further tells Gossip Copthat “Raven is not getting married,” but “was just supporting the fact that she heard on NPR that more states legalized gay marriage today.”

And the former child star also tells us, “I am very happy that gay marriage is opening up around the country and is being accepted.”

“I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage,” she continues. “I, however am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to.”

Speculation about the star’s sexuality has circulated for a while, and back in May 2012 she took to Twitter to address the rumors.

At the time, she declared, “My sexual orientation is mine, and the person I’m datings to know. I’m not one for a public display of my life… However that is my right as a HUMAN BEing whether straight or gay. To tell or not to tell. As long as I’m not harming anyone.”

Lea Michele breaks silence on Cory Monteith's death

2013-07-30T21:52:00.002-04:00

Lea Michele breaks silence on Cory Monteith's death

The last time Lea Michele's Twitter followers saw an update from the "Glee" star was on July 13, when the unthinkable happened. The 26-year-old's on- and off-screen boyfriend, Cory Monteith, was found dead at 31.

In the days since, Michele's co-stars have one by one expressed their griefover losing Monteith. On July 29, Michele broke her silence and joined the chorus with a statement of her own.

"Thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love & support," she tweeted, along with a happy photo of herself with Monteith.

"Cory will forever be in my heart."

Monteith and Michele had starred on "Glee" since its 2009 premiere, portraying the unlikely pair of jock Finn Hudson and overachiever Rachel Berry. Their evolving relationship and its eventual romantic turn was a bedrock storyline on the Fox comedy, and their off-screen lives soon mimicked those of their characters.

The pair publicly began dating in 2012, and Michele stuck by his side whenMonteith voluntarily entered rehab earlier this year.

"I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this," she said when he sought treatment for substance addiction. "I am grateful and proud that he made this decision."

According to E!, the actress recently said in an interview with Marie Claire Mexicothat Monteith showed her just as much support.

"(H)e is the best person I know, he has made my life so incredible and I am so thankful for him, and not only to have him as a partner but also as a coworker," Michele reportedly said. "It is important to have someone that supports you and encourage you, someone that makes you feel that you are unstoppable, that you can do anything in the world because you have him."

On July 13, Monteith was found dead in a hotel room in Vancouver, Canada. A coroner later ruled that the actor died from a mixed drug toxicity that included heroin and alcohol.

'They're going to kill me,' Michael Jackson told son

2013-07-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

Prince Jackson Speaks...
By Alan Duke

Michael Jackson often cried after talking to AEG Live executives as he prepared for his comeback concerts, his oldest son testified Wednesday.

"After he got off the phone, he would cry," Prince Jackson testified. "He would say 'They're going to kill me, they're going to kill me.'"

His father told him he was talking about AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips and his ex-manager, Dr. Tohme Tohme, Prince said.

Prince, 16, began his testimony Wednesday morning in his family's wrongful death lawsuit against Jackson's last concert promoter, AEG Live.

His first 30 minutes on the stand were filled with videos and photographs of Jackson with his children, but then the questioning by Jackson lawyer Brian Panish focused on the last weeks of his father's life.

Prince testified that Phillips visited Jackson's rented Los Angeles mansion and spoke aggressively to Dr. Conrad Murray the night before his father's death.

"He was grabbing his elbow," Prince said. "It looked aggressive to me. He was grabbing by the back of his elbow and they were really close and he was making hand motions."

He couldn't hear what Phillips was saying to Murray, he said.

Michael Jackson was not there because he was at his last rehearsal, Prince said. He called his father from the security guard shack telephone to let him know Phillips was there. His father asked him to offer Phillips food and drink.

Prince said that was his last conversation with his father.

"Sorry kids, your dad's dead"

Prince recounted the day his father died four years ago. He saw his father "hanging halfway off the bed, his eyes were rolled back," when he ran into the bedroom where Dr. Murray was doing CPR in a futile effort to revive him, he said.

Paris followed him up the stairs, "but we kept pulling her down the stair," he said.

"She was screaming the whole time saying she wants her daddy," he said.

At the hospital later, Dr. Murray told them "Sorry kids, your dad's dead," Prince testified.

Prince was 12 when the pop icon died, but he said his father confided in him about whom he trusted and didn't trust and what he feared as he prepared for his comeback concerts.

Michael Jackson's three children -- Prince, Paris and Blanket -- and their grandmother Katherine Jackson are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which contends AEG Live is liable in Jackson's death because the company hired, retained or supervised Murray, the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Murray told investigators he gave Jackson nightly infusions of the surgical anesthetic propofol to treat his insomnia. The coroner ruled the singer died of an overdose of the drug.

AEG Live executives allegedly created a medical conflict of interest that pressured Murray to pursue the dangerous treatments so Jackson would be rested for rehearsals, while ignoring warning signs that his health was failing, Jackson family lawyers argue.

AEG Live lawyers contend that it was Jackson who chose and controlled the doctor and that company executives had no way of knowing what treatments Murray was delivering.

Prince Jackson's 16th birthday gift: A career

AEG Live lead lawyer Marvin Putnam's cross-examination of Prince lasted just 25 minutes. It centered on trying to discredit his testimony about Phillips' visit to his home and about cash payments that Prince said his father gave Murray at times.

Prince stood by his story about the Phillips and Murray encounter, although he conceded it could have been two nights before his father's death and not the last night.

The toll of losing their father

Prince's testimony gave Jackson lawyers a chance to show jurors the emotional toll suffered by Jackson's children, which they would have to put a dollar figure on if they conclude AEG Live is liable in their father's death.

"I can't sleep at night," Prince said. "I have a hard time sleeping." The death left him "emotionally distant from a lot of people" for a while, he said.

He's missed sharing with his father "the first day of going to school, having the first girlfriend, being able to drive," Prince testified.

While Paris Jackson's suicide attempt and hospitalization was not brought up in court -- and it is unclear if jurors learned about it in the news -- Prince did speak about his sister.

"I think out of all of my siblings she was probably hit the hardest because she was my dad's princess," he said.

Prince said the questioning of Paris by AEG Live lawyers over two days in March was painful for her. "She had some problems before, after and, I assume, during," he said.

"She definitely is dealing with it in her own way," her brother said.

Paris, who was 11 when her father died, is not available to testify in person in court because she is hospitalized for psychiatric treatment.

While he and his sister no longer want to celebrate birthdays because "it's not the same without" their father, Blanket, now 11, does, Prince said.

"Right now, I don't know if Blanket realizes what he lost," he said. "He was so young. He is still growing up just like I am and he doesn't have a father to guide him."

AEG Live attempted to compel Blanket, the youngest child, to testify, but the judge rejected its request after a psychologist said it would harm the boy.

Changing the world?

Jurors watched a home video of Michael Jackson questioning his three children about how they planned "to change the world" when they grow up.

Prince testified that the video was made at Christmas.

"What's Christmas mean?" Jackson is heard asking his children.

"Love," Blanket responded.

"Who's Blanket going to be to change this world?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know," Blanket, who appeared to be about 5 at the time, answered.

"What does Paris want to do? Be honest search your heart," Jackson said.

"Help the poor," she answered. Paris also said she would like to be a gymnast.

Prince told his father he aspired to be a movie director and architect because he liked "making things."

Private details revealed

Prince, who said his grade point average is 3.68 at the private school in Sherman Oaks, California, at the end of his sophomore year. He is a member of the National Honors Society and received artistic awards at school, he said.

Marc Anthony Sings “God Bless America” For MLB All-Star Game

2013-07-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

Twitter Loses Its Damn Mind After Marc Anthony Sings “God Bless America” For MLB All-Star Game (via BuzzFeed.com)

Here is a Marc Anthony explainer for those who are confused.

Adrian Carrasquillo

First, a primer. This is Marc Anthony. You may know him because of his high-profile marriage to Jennifer Lopez, which ended in 2011. He’s a New Yorker, born and raised.

2. He first performed at Madison Square Garden in ‘92. He is the top-selling salsa singer in history but also had English-language crossover success, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 charts and being a part of Total Request Live’s “Top 99 of 1999” show.

3. He performed at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 and at the president’s Inaugural Ball earlier this year.

4. Now he does stuff like make hilarious videos with Pitbull. Hilarious and successful, because this video has 417 million views. Which is all to say, Marc Anthony is a mainstream guy.

5. So when the All-Star Game came to Citifield in Queens, New York — which is literally one of the most diverse places on Earth — the Puerto Rican Anthony was chosen to sing “God Bless America.” Diversity, New York, America, right?

6. Wrong.

7. He’s actually Puerto Rican! Born and raised in New York, which is one of the 50 states in America.

8. Ahh, classic mistake. The issue of identity. Some prefer Latino, others Hispanic, many would say Puerto Rican-American, Puerto Rican or American. Not Spanish.

9. Pure class.

10. Unfortunately, no.

11. Many obviously came to the defense of Anthony, but since the reasons to do so are so obvious, here’s a comment from Tony Hernandez, the founder of the Immigrant Archive Project, who brings some perspective.

12. So to recap: Marc Anthony likes to sing, dance, and wear shiny suits. He’s also American and can sing “God Bless America” in packed stadiums or at home in New York and it’s totally cool. You might even say it’s quintessentially American.

James Franco in The Wizard of Oz

2011-08-22T11:26:00.002-04:00

'Oz: The Great And Powerful' Gets Synopsis, New Details

Though the Yellow Brick Road didn't lead to Anaheim over the weekend -- instead, it was snaking through the film set in Detroit -- director Sam Raimi and star James Franco sent over to the D23 convention a video that gave a quick first look and some new information about their upcoming "Wizard of Oz" prequel.

Titled "Oz: The Great and Powerful," the film, which began shooting last month, casts Franco as Oscar Diggs, a huckster magician who gets swept up in a storm and delivered to the beloved land of Oz. Boasting a cadre of major co-stars -- his assistant will be played by Zach Braff, while the land's witches include Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz -- and a director who specializes in epic, special effects-driven films, the project is in its early stages, but still offered some concept art for the fans and press members in attendance.

Here's a snippet of ComingSoon.net's detailed summary of those early pieces of art and video:

Concept art included several images of the lush, emerald green hills of Oz, with the yellow--but not always bricked--road winding it's way throughout. The impossible geography of Oz showed through as well, with arching rock formations seemingly miles long and a mountain shaped like an elephant. Pictures of the Emerald City showcased an art deco influence.

Disney also re-released an official synopsis for the film, which is due out March 8, 2013.

Walt Disney Pictures' fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot--fame and fortune are his for the taking--that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity--and even a bit of wizardry--Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Hilary Duff Announces Pregnancy

2011-08-15T10:47:00.000-04:00

Hilary Duff Announces Pregnancy

A baby's on the way for Hilary Duff and husband Mike Comrie. The actress announced she's pregnant on her official website Sunday.

In a special first anniversary post, Duff, 23, wrote how she can't believe how fast time has flown by with Comrie, who plays ice hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and added the happy news.

“We also want to share the exciting news that… BABY MAKES THREE!!! We are extremely happy and ready to start this new chapter of our lives," she wrote.

News of her pregnancy comes as a surprise, considering she recently told Access Hollywood that she feels she's too young to have kids just yet.

“We talk about it. Yes, we’re excited to do that, but I think I want to work a little more. I’m tossing around the idea of making another record… We want it, and we’re excited for it but think it can wait a while longer… He is supportive of me. We both are excited to do that, but he knows I’m still young," she said.

Duff, who got her start on the Disney Channel's "Lizze McGuire" series, married Comrie on August 14, 2010.

Ryan Reynolds: 'The Change-Up' Star's Hottest Moments

2011-08-09T14:35:00.000-04:00

Ryan Reynolds: 'The Change-Up' Star's Hottest Moments

Ryan Reynolds is no stranger to Hollywood these days. He’s changed bodies with Jason Bateman, fought to save the planet and even wooed Sandra Bullock on the big screen -- all without breaking so much as a sweat.

You’d think being named PEOPLE’s “Sexiest Man Alive,” last year would make this Hollywood hunk a little uncomfortable, but Reynolds said he just went with it.

"Well, there was a little moment of disbelief, and then you kind of settle into it. Really, you just have to go with the flow,” he said about the honor.

Earlier this year, Reynolds also opened up to Details about hitting his A-List stride.

"I'm really f**king lucky that I hit it late," he told the magazine. "None of this happened to me in my early twenties, so I didn't configure myself at an early age in the audience's mind as one guy."

In his latest summer flick, Reynolds switches lives -- and bodies -- with Jason Bateman for a “Freaky Friday”-esque, R-rated romp in "The Change-Up."

"I don't think there's any point in making it any other way," Reynolds told HitFix about the raunchy film's rating. "The R rating is the reason that I'm here. [We] do all the things you wish you could have seen in those other movies.”

We don't know about you, but we can't get enough of this Hollywood hunk, so we put together some of our favorite -- and, of course, hottest -- Reynolds moments. Check out the slideshow below!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/07/ryan-reynolds-because-hes-hot_n_920517.html

Shakira's Very Surprising Secret Talent

2011-08-09T14:32:00.000-04:00

Shakira Golfs: Colombian Singer Has Game

As Chubbs would repeat to Happy Gilmore, "It's all in the hips." And while, presumably, she didn't have a tragically one-handed former pro for an instructor, Shakira's hips definitely do not lie.

The Colombian popstar has a great many skills, the most prominent of which, of course, is her powerhouse voice that belts out tunes in a multitude of different languages. And while her patented belly dancing techniques prove that she has ample physical prowess, it may surprise the casual fan that she's an ace golfer, too.

Is there anything she can't do?

In the video below, part of blog keeping track of her current tour, we get a glimpse of Shakira's day out on the course in Mexico, where she shows off both her solid short game and picture-perfect swing. She's actually been honing it for years, having spoken back in 2009 about her knack for the game.

“I love golf,” she said (via ShowBizSpy.com). “I’m really bad at sports, believe it or not. If you threw a ball at me, you would probably break my face because I have no reflexes whatsoever. But in golf, you just need concentration, of which I have plenty, and hip swing is very important.”

Tiger Woods, meet She-Wolf.

WATCH:

Big Boi Arrested On Drug Charges In Miami

2011-08-08T10:59:00.000-04:00

Big Boi Arrested On Drug Charges In Miami: OutKast Rapper Had Ecstasy, Viagra

MIAMI — Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi has been arrested in Miami on charges of illegally possessing drugs including ecstasy and Viagra pills.

The rapper, whose real name is Antwan Patton, was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia on Sunday. According to the Miami-Dade County Corrections website, the 36-year-old Patton was also carrying MDMA, which is the main ingredient in Ecstasy.

The rapper was booked around 1:30 p.m. on $16,000 bond.

Phone and email messages were left for Big Boi's publicists.

Big Boi is best known as half of the groundbreaking rap duo OutKast, which includes Andre 3000. The Atlanta-based group won six Grammys and churned out six platinum-plus albums, including "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," which sold over 10 million copies.

Emma Stone: Hollywood's New Favorite

2011-08-05T11:33:00.000-04:00

Emma Stone: Hollywood's New Favorite
By Emma Koonse

Emma Stone is quickly becoming the most in-demand actress in Hollywood, and this summer alone stars in three feature films.

Stone’s growing popularity is credited to her hit movie “Easy A” from earlier this year, and to this summer’s “Friends with Benefits,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” and “The Help,” in which she plays the lead role.

The 22-year-old remains untainted by her mounting fame, and told New York Metro, “What’s important is the people in your life – your family and friends, love you completely and entirely, that they’re always making fun of you and making you feel like a little bit of an idiot.”

In the upcoming super-hero flick “The Amazing Spider-Man,” Stone plays Gwen Stacy- the love interest of Andrew Garfield’s character, Peter Parker.

She admits having to extensively research her role in “Spider-Man,” telling NZCity News, “I didn’t know much about Spider-Man other than watching the first three movies and every Halloween spending time with the boys who were dressed up as him!”

About her co-star whom she is now reportedly dating, Stone says, “Andrew is one of the most giving actors I’ve ever worked with.” She claims that the 27-year-old actor helped her become a better actress while filming “Spider-Man.”

“If I needed to get to a place of love or sadness in a scene, he’d leave messages on my phone to replay, or slip lines off camera for a different reaction than what was scripted. He gave me so much to react to,” said Stone

In her interview with Teen Vogue the starlet also revealed that her aspirations go beyond acting. “I have dreams of being a producer, being behind a camera, eating seven tacos for every mean, and making movies that affect people the way they affect me,” she said. “I don’t even need to be in them. I really like acting, but I feel like if a day came…”

Stone’s third movie of the summer, “The Help,” hits theaters on August 10th.

Vanessa Minnillo's Estranged Mom Didn't Know She Was Getting Married

2011-08-04T14:06:00.000-04:00

Vanessa Minnillo's Estranged Mom Didn't Know She Was Getting Married

Vanessa Minnillo's life might seem like a fairytale, but Starmagazine reports, it's not so perfect -- her own mother wasn't even at her recent wedding.

The magazine caught up with Minnillo's estranged mother Helen Bondoc, who abandoned her daughter more than 20 years ago. Bondoc told Star she didn't even know Vanessa was getting married.

“I didn't have a clue that Vanessa was getting married. I still think about her all the time, and I still love her dearly," she said.

Minnillo was only 9-years-old the last time she saw her mother. Bondoc dropped Vanessa and her adopted brother off at their father's house and told him to keep them.

Minnillo, an actress and TV personality, married former pop star and current host of NBC's "The Sing Off" Nick Lachey in July after five years of dating, and the two are already planning to start a family.

Lachey told E! Online that family is very important to the couple and he's sure kids will be around the corner.

Katy Perry Ties With Michael Jackson's Hits Record ... But Will She Beat It?

2011-08-04T14:04:00.000-04:00

Katy Perry Ties With Michael Jackson's Hits Record ... But Will She Beat It?

Diva Katy Perry continues her reign, officially tying the Billboard Charts record with the Michael Jackson with her fifth No. 1 single to pop off her platinum-selling 'Teenage Dream' album. Previously, only Jackson yielded five chart-toppers off a single album, 'Bad.'

Clearly, the singer-turned-Smurfette is living the dream, raking in the mostMTV Video Music Award nominations this year and endlessly capturing the media's attention -- one sexy outfit and new hairdo at a time.

With her No. 1 video-assisted hits -- the teen bash-themed 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)', the Candyland adventure of 'California Gurls,' the alien-esque 'E.T.' and the pyrotechnic-breasted femme-power anthem 'Firework' -- the pop princess is not afraid to embrace her girlie side and outta-this-world ambitions.

Do you think Katy Perry will dethrone the King of Pop with another No. 1 hit?

Miley Cyrus Drops $4 Million On New California Home

2011-08-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

Miley Cyrus Drops $4 Million On New California Home
By Ann Brenoff

Disney star and Queen of Teen Pop Miley Cyrus just bought herself a nifty 5,173-square-foot Studio City house, spending $3.9 million. Ah, to be young and rich and be able to move real estate around like chess pieces.

The mid-century style house that she just added to the collection was built in 1952 and occupies a lot of 1.15 acres -- all walled and gated. The home in the Los Angeles neighborhood is listed with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, but that likely includes an attached guest suite. The main house has a large master suite with a sitting room and fireplace, a spa bathroom with steam shower, walk-in closets and a wall of windows that open to a view patio. Just don't expect to be able to see anything from the street. (But the video below offers a look inside.)

There is a double-sided fireplace that connects the dining room and family room and sliding glass doors in the dining room that lead to a deck and covered patio.

Cyrus, who is all of 19 and best known for her role as the title character in the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana," already owns a compound in nearby Toluca Lake, Calif., that she purchased in 2007 for about $5.8 million. She also reportedly bought and sold homes in Florida within the past year.

What recession?

Mariah Carey In A Swimsuit Post-Babies

2011-08-03T11:35:00.001-04:00

Mariah Carey In A Swimsuit Post-Babies

Mariah Carey has debuted her post-babies swimsuit body on Twitter.

"Ocean work out! It's been a loooong time since I've been in the ocean(said like "OPEN"in cruise control)" she wrotewith the photo below.

Mariah gave birth to twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in April.

Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux In Hawaii

2011-08-02T09:17:00.002-04:00

Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux In Hawaii

Jennifer Aniston and beau Justin Theroux landed in Hawaii for a romantic getaway Sunday and got right down to business by getting lei’d.

According to X17Online.com, the twosome arrived to the tropical paradise via private jet to enjoy some R & R.

The couple first made headlines this spring when they were spotted out together, and it looks like it’s full-steam ahead on the realtionship front.

According to reports, the couple is planning to move in together and are supposedly “pre-engaged.”

PHOTO:

Bradley Cooper To Replace Mark Wahlberg

2011-08-02T09:14:00.000-04:00

Bradley Cooper In 'The Silver Linings Playbook': To Replace Mark Wahlberg

Some big Hollywood scheduling conflicts have Mark Wahlberg now looking for some silver linings.

Deadline reports that Wahlberg is leaving the starring role of "The Silver Linings Playbook," the big screen adaptation of the Matthew Quick Novel that was to be his reunion with "The Fighter" director David O. Russell. As it turns out, it's the schedule of his hand-chosen starlet love interest, Jennifer Lawrence, that is causing the exit; because she's in the middle of filming "The Hunger Games," production on this film had to be pushed back -- when Wahlberg will be busy shooting another film.

In his stead, it looks like Bradley Cooper will grab the role, as he's already in talks to sign on. He'd play a man who attempts suicide, goes to rehab and ends up living with his mother. According to Quick's website, he, "formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife Nikki."

Lawrence will play the young woman who pursues him once he's back in New Jersey.

Few in Hollywood have had as good a year thus far as the handsome 36-year old; he opened his first solo vehicle, "Limitless," to the top of the box office in March, and his ensemble, "The Hangover, Part II," set a record for R-rated comedies at the box office in its first weekend. Thus far, it has made $563 million globally.

Currently, Cooper is in upstate New York shooting "The Place Beyond The Pines" with Ryan Gosling, and will later take on a motion capture version of "Paradise Lost," in which he'll play Lucifer.

Cooper is also in the midst of writing a full script for a big screen adaptation for the "Hyperion" novels.

As for Wahlberg, he's got plenty of other films on his plate; he just finished wrapping up workon the Seth MacFarlane comedy, "Ted," with Mila Kunis, and is readying to star in a Thanksgiving-themed laugher with Will Ferrell. He's got a buddy action comedy with Jonah Hill, "Good Time Gang," in pre-production; he's rumored to star in "Billy Jack,", as well as thatsequel to "The Fighter."

There's also the matter of the film in which he'll star instead of "Silver Linings"; for that information, and much more, including word of a major acting legend also joining the cast,

click over to Deadline.

'The Dark Knight Rises' Set Photo Spoilers: Batman, Bane Battle

2011-08-01T11:51:00.000-04:00

'The Dark Knight Rises' Set Photo Spoilers: Batman, Bane Battle

As the nation gears up for next summer's final, epic chapter in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Pittsburgh is getting a sneak preview of all the action.

The stand-in for Gotham (replacing Chicago in Nolan's first two films), the Steel City is hosting a large chunk of the production for the film, including some battle scenes that were shot over the weekend. Taking place at Carnegie Mellon University, the heroes and villains were out in full force -- and so were the paparazzi, providing scintillating photos that tease and sometimes spoil some of the plot.

We seen Christian Bale, as Batman, taking on Tom Hardy's Bane, the masked man in the jacket. He's an inmate at Arkham Asylum before busting out and taking the other prisoners with him, as shown in another photo. Also pictured are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as Gotham special assignment cop John Blake, and Marion Cotillard as Bruce Wayne employee Miranda Tate. Not pictured are Anne Hathaway as Catwoman or Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon.

Bane is supposed to be super-sized, which he certainly is not in the photo; perhaps CGI will give him the mass needed to break Batman's back, as he does in the storyline for the film.

We also get a first look at Batman's Batmobile tumbler, including video of three of them being driven in the streets, as well as zoomed out video of a gigantic battle scene.

To see the film's teaser trailer, click here.

Al Pacino's Daughter Arrested In New York

2011-08-01T11:47:00.000-04:00

Al Pacino's Daughter Arrested In New York

NEW YORK -- The 21-year-old daughter of actor Al Pacino has been arrested on a drunken driving charge in New York City.

Police say Julie Pacino was stopped at a traffic checkpoint on West Houston (HOW'-ston) Street in Manhattan at 1:05 a.m. Saturday.

Police say Pacino's blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit for driving. Her exact blood-alcohol level was not immediately available.

Pacino is being held at the Manhattan Detention Complex pending arraignment. No information on an attorney was immediately available.

Julie Pacino is Al Pacino's daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. An agent for the actor didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

Julie Pacino graduated from Tappan Zee High School in suburban Rockland County in 2007 and went on to the University of California at Los Angeles. She was a softball standout at both schools.

Analeigh Tipton's Star Rises

2011-07-29T12:23:00.000-04:00

Analeigh Tipton's Star Rises In Hilariously Awkward 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.'

On set and preparing for her first starring role in a major motion picture, getting ready for scenes with stars like Steve Carell and Julianne Moore, you can understand why Analeigh Tipton would be a little bit anxious. Luckily, that's exactly what her directors wanted.

"She's a nervous person in general," Tipton says of her character in "Crazy, Stupid, Love.," the star-studded ensemble romantic comedy out Friday, "and it was a great excuse to be nervous without anybody noticing. Like, 'Yeah no, I'm acting, I'm being a really good actress, I'm super nervous!'"

Tipton, a 22-year old model/actress and relative newcomer, plays Jessica in the film, a 17-year old babysitter for the children of Julianne Moore and Steve Carell, on whose character, Cal, she develops an adorably fumbling secret crush. As a serious student of the art of acting and a newcomer in a cast that also includes Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei, Tipton took the opportunity to learn as much as she could from each established star.

"Julianne is this bubble of energy and she is so much fun and smiley and happy on set," she remembers fondly in in a conversation with The Huffington Post. "Emma, I learned a lot from Emma, because I really look up to her, she's my age and she's so accomplished and she's funny and she's smart and she's just kind of, willing at comedy, she really puts everything into it and that's priceless. You can't judge yourself, you have to just go at it and she really does."

Working with Carell in particular proved very valuable for Tipton, providing her both with opportunities in front of the camera, and later, with the raw footage of the day's work.

"I got to try a lot of different improvisations on set. With Steve, he kind of delivers a little bit of something each time," she explains. "And then he'd go back and he'd watch himself on video, and most actors don't like to watch themselves. For me, I'd never seen myself act, to go back and watch myself, it was a very useful tool for me, because I was like, oh, I'm making this face, or I could do this more, and I learned that I was a little more subtle. Directors would say 'Just be more animated!' I realized that I could go really over the top but it would come off in a good way, in a funny way - hopefully."

Indeed, Tipton's Jessica is a main pipeline of comic relief in the film. Harried and sweet, she cautiously pursues Cal once he announces his imminent divorce, stealing scenes with her effort to bridge their age gap -- and fend off his 13-year old son Robbie, who has declared her his soulmate. Jessica nervously fidgets with assorted braids, tosses skinny arms about and, sometimes, says more with the movement of her lips than the words that come from behind them. She's certainly never presented as a girl operating with access to a deep well of cool; Tipton insists that that part of the role came naturally, proudly listing her geek credentials.

"Just this weekend, I spent my weekend rock climbing and playing laser tag. And for the midnight release of Harry Potter, I completely dressed up in full garb," she readily admits, giggling. "I'm kind of a huge dork, I have a bumper sticker that says, 'So Jedi.' Composure comes and goes with me and I think that, it was definitely heightened on set, they would say, 'More awkward! More awkward!' and that's so much fun to play."

Still, that part, at least, is not entirely acting, she says.

"I kind of do this awkward body language because, growing up, I had a really hard time expressing myself vocally," Tipton admits. "I'm a writer, so I can write things honestly, but when it comes to actually try to say something, I would just use my hands, and [think], 'if I move my hands like this, then maybe you can try to understand what I'm trying to say.' So it paid off later when creating Jessica."

At one moment in the film, Jessica pursues advice from a more popular girl, uncomfortably asking for tips on flirting with men; her room at home has, until she tears it down, a poster of kittens on a brightly painted wall, a reminder of her youth despite all effort.

"My character is so relatable, because she's this 17, going on 18, going on to college girl who wants to be seen as a woman," Tipton said. "And this little boy, Robbie, reminds her that she's a babysitter in high school, that [he] is much closer to her age than his dad, and he is a constant reminder of what she can't achieve, and what she wants to be considered as a woman -- she doesn't want all this child stuff around her."

Once again, this character motivation wasn't much of a stretch for Tipton.

"I think looking back on when I was 17, I wanted to be an adult so badly that I did the stupidest things and I got angry over the silliest moments and they were so important to me then and I could definitely relate to Jessica in that way," she remembers, a 22-year old talking as if those heady teenage years were a lifetime ago.

To be fair, you couldn't blame Tipton for speaking about those teenage days like they're ancient history; she's experienced and learned a lot over the last few turns of the calendar.

Having moved out to Los Angeles at 18, intent on becoming a writer, she remembered having pangs of regret about her Jessica-like need to be an adult.

"When most of my friends were going to college dorms and parties, I was down living in a little apartment in LA that I would have to vacuum -- I have a cat and a dog -- and it was a very different -- I didn't get to go home during summer," she remembered. "And I definitely looking back I was kind of like, I just want to be regular... I was doing all this cool stuff, but there's something that's part of me like, I kind of missed out on the frat parties that stupid mistakes that kids make, that I went into adulthood faster."

On the other hand, when those hard partying college kids put down the solo cups and ping pong balls during the week, there's a good chance they were watching Tipton on TV and seeing her in magazines.

Amidst the writing, she found herself on "America's Next Top Model," impressing the judges all season and making it to the top three in 2008. The next few years were spent taking the modeling world by storm, before shifting over to the acting world with a guest appearance on "The Big Bang Theory." Tipton made her film debut in last winter's action hero comedy, "The Green Hornet," with Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz, setting up this big feature role.

Viewers will see a lot of Tipton from here on out; she's got top roles in two upcoming indie films: "Samaritan," a drama about the relationship between a student and a suicidal girl, and "Damsels In Distress," a comedy with Greta Gerwig and Adam Brody. Her small screen career will continue as well, as she features in the third season of "Hung."

And looking even further long term, having began her career as an aspiring writer, Tipton hasn't left that dream in the shadows of her new stardom. She's working on two very different feature film scripts: an animated film about zombies (one of her favorite subjects to muse on), and a dramedy about sisters.

"[It's about] two sisters being in shitty situations, and really having to find yourself, and finding your acceptance of life, even when life is pretty shitty," she explains. "It's not necessarily a happy comedy, but, it's sort of a dry, witty... it explores the rare relationship between sisters and girls, and it really focuses on what it's like to just kind of be a girl today. And not have, the Hollywood fairy princess story. I don't want to write about those. I want to write about all the gray that happens."

Luckily, just as with her acting, she's got some of the best teachers in the world. Tipton graciously remembered conversations with "Crazy, Stupid, Love." writer Dan Fogelman about film writing, with the Hollywood veteran recommending a pile of books on the subject. Then there was the motivation provided by her peers.

"When I shot 'Damsels in Distress,' I was surrounded by the young actresses who were part of the mumblecore movement, like Greta Gerwig," she enthused. "They're so inspiring as writers -- they're just writing the scripts, they're not perfect, but they're based in reality. They're so amazing to me, and it was so inspiring."

Of course, it's not totally a one-sided deal; Tipton is already giving back to the next generation of stars coming in behind her.

Having felt bad about having to yell at and shoot down Jonah Bobo, the kid actor who plays Jessica's adorably tireless 13-year old pursuer, she rewarded his perseverance as they finished filming a major scene, a harsh rejection in the school yard.

"The last take that he was going to be in, that was going to be wrap, that was going to be picture wrap," she laughs while remembering. "And so we did it, and I yelled at him and I'm supposed to walk away, and I actually, I told the directors that I was going to do this beforehand, his mom to a bunch of pictures beforehand, and I pulled him in to a big kiss, and I just held the kiss for an incredibly, uncomfortably long time."

The way things are going for Tipton, he might want to hang on to those pictures.

Eva Longoria Puts In Time On Stripper Pole

2011-07-28T14:49:00.000-04:00

Eva Longoria Puts In Time On Stripper Pole

They don't call it method acting for nothing. In preparation for her forthcoming "Desperate Housewives" steamy strip scene, Eva Longoria is putting in some hard time on the pole.

“Eva Longoria did a private pole dancing/striptease class with S Factor founder, Sheila Kelley, a few mornings ago at the Hollywood S Factor studio,” an eagle-eyed source tells me. “But it’s not just for her work-life that Eva is toning up her already amazing body. With her new, younger boyfriend, Eduardo Cruz, getting hot and heavy, the 36-year-old beauty is working out hard on the latest celebrity fad that is taking Hollywood by storm.”

Teri Hatcher, Kate Hudson, Marisa Tomei and Heather Graham have all been spotted training at the new hotspot to keep their already flawless bodies camera-ready.

“Eva moves like a slinky panther,” trainer Sheila Kelley tells me. “She’s feminine to the core.”

Meowwwwwww.

Lady Gaga Hollywood block party set for tonight despite near-riot

2011-07-28T14:45:00.000-04:00

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Lady Gaga Hollywood block party set for tonight despite near-riot

Wednesday night’s near-riot on Hollywood Boulevard sparked by the cancellation of an impromptu block party surrounding the premiere of a film about the Electric Daisy Carnival isn’t stopping Lady Gaga and TV show host Jimmy Kimmel from going ahead with an outdoor bash of their own Thursday night in Hollywood.

A spokeswoman for the show said a section of Hawthorn Avenue behind the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!”studio will be closed while Lady Gaga performs on the outdoor stage used periodically for concert performances.

Gaga, who was a guest judge on Wednesday night's episode of ABC-TV's "So You Think You Can Dance," is scheduled to sing her new single, “You and I,” after she chats with Kimmel, who has previously closed streets in Hollywood for performances by Jay Z, Depeche Mode and Coldplay. Also slated for Thursday’s Kimmel show: “Cowboys & Aliens” co-star Harrison Ford.

Kimmel’s studio is next door to the El Capitan Theatre and virtually across the street from Grauman’s Chinese Theater, where fans showed up and clashed with police after getting word on Twitter of a block party outside the private, invitation-only "Electric Daisy" film screening Wednesday night. Two people were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism.

Piers Morgan's Career May Be Coming to an End

2011-07-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

Piers Morgan 'Knew About Phone Tapping'

Piers Morgan has come under pressure after a recording emerged of him apparently admitting to knowledge of phone hacking during his time editing the Daily Mirror.

During an appearance on the BBC’s Desert Island Disks in 2009 Piers Morgan admits to presenter Kirsty Young he has knowledge of phone tapping and using “third parties” to get stories. He said: “I make no pretence about the stuff we used to do.”

The transcript of the exchange is below.

Young: And what about this nice middle class boy who would have to be dealing with, I mean, essentially people who rake through bins for a living, people who tap people’s phones, people who take secret photographs and do all that very nasty down in the gutter stuff?

Morgan: Yeah.. Well to be honest let’s put that in perspective as well, not a lot of that went on.

Presenter: Really?

Morgan: A lot of it was done by third parties rather than the staff themselves. That’s not to defend it because obviously you were running the results of their work. I’m quite happy to be parked in the corner as tabloid beast and to have to sit here defending all these things I used to get up to. I make no pretence about the stuff we used to do. I simply say the net of people doing it was very wide and certainly encompassed the high and low end of the newspaper market.

LISTEN:

The CNN host has become a top target in the phone hacking scandal, with multiple reports accusing him of having knowledge of hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004. A former Mirror journalist, James Hipwell, told the Independent that the practice was "endemic" and that it was "inconceivable" that Morgan did not know about it.

Morgan has vociferously denied every single charge. In one tweet, he wrote, "I've never hacked a phone, told anyone to hack a phone, or published any stories based on the hacking of a phone." He has also noted that Hipwell was jailed for manipulating the stock market and calling him a far from credible witness. He also had a scalding exchange with an MP who inaccurately said that he admitted to employing the practice in his memoirs.

However, the recording has come to light after news on Tuesday that the Daily Mirror, the paper Morgan formerly edited, has launched an internal review into phone hacking.

George Clooney, Ryan Gosling In Political Thriller

2011-07-27T08:45:00.000-04:00

'Ides Of March' Poster: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling In Political Thriller

If Washington is Hollywood for ugly people, why not just pretty up that side of the American discourse, too? After all, if we're going to have to watch bravado-filled speeches and dishonest cable news interviews, why not have some eye candy, too?

Using imagery from the 2008 election, in which Barack Obama raised, however briefly, the spirits and hopes of a nation, this George Clooney joint -- it was adapted into screenplay, directed by and starring the already-outspoken star and advocate -- explores the juxtaposing constants of public inspiration and private flaws in politics.

Clooney stars as a Presidential candidate with seemingly all the momentum, and Ryan Gosling his "up-and-coming" press secretary who, per the official synopsis, "finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency."

Speaking to USA Today, Clooney said that he had to wait a few years to produce the film, waiting for inevitable cynicism to creep back in after the elation following President Obama's election. The noted liberal made it about Democrats to, in part, avoid accusations of bias, though it doesn't quite stick to party lines.

"Of course it's political; it takes place during a primary," he told the paper. "But it's more about process than platform."

He also noted that, 'Republicans hate the beginning of the movie, the Democrats hate the end. So we're good."

The film, which co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, is set to open the Venice Film Festival on August 31st; for more, click over to USA Today.

Clooney also stars in upcoming dramedy, "The Descendants," which will play at the Toronto Film Festival, while Gosling's "Drive" will also take the screen in Canada in September. Gosling can be seen this weekend in much lighter fare, the romantic comedy, "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

Timberlake to Gaga: Hollywood courts social media

2011-07-26T13:06:00.000-04:00

Timberlake to Gaga: Hollywood courts social media

When you think of Bono or Lady Gaga, the term "Silicon Valley entrepreneur" hardly springs to mind.

For now, at least. The U2 frontman and pop sensation join Justin Timberlake and Ashton Kutcher among the growing ranks of celebrities who, rather than employ their star power to hawk consumer products, are increasingly driving high-tech investments.

Hollywood has always held a certain fascination for the monied elite, from Wall Street bankers to Middle Eastern oil sheiks. Now, it seems Hollywood is returning the favor and dabbling in a bit of capital resource-allocation of its own.

Timberlake made waves in late June when he bought a stake in ailing social network Myspace alongside digital advertising company Specific Media. The actor-singer will play a crucial role in revitalizing the web company.

"We live in a world of brands," said Howard Bragman, a public relations executive and founder of the strategic media agency Fifteen Minutes. "A handful of smart celebrities and their reps realize that all the areas where they can flex their marketing muscle are financial opportunities."

Savvy celebs are trying to fuse entertainment and social networking, closing the gap between performer and fan. That may well be the key to future success, according to Bragman.

Lady Gaga -- perhaps the most visible star on the social web -- teamed up with Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's Tomorrow Ventures to invest in Backplane, slated to launch in the last week of August. Backplane -- a sort of social network for rabid fans of everything from football to, yes, pop music -- has raised over $1 million in funding.

"Celebrities, above all others, have to understand the importance of new media in order to survive. Social media platforms, in particular, are where celebrity careers either thrive or decline," said Johanna Blakley, managing director at the University of Southern California's Norman Lear Center.

"Timberlake's bet on Myspace is a risky one, but it signals an acknowledgment that buying into the entertainment business these days means buying into new media, not old media."

BEST AND WORST

Gaga has a double-digit percent slice of Backplane and a seat on the board, according to CEO and Founder Matthew Michelsen, who says he represents the pop diva in her Silicon Valley tech ventures.

The best way to understand Backplane is to look to football fans Michelsen calls facepainters -- the ones in the stands. The site goes beta in late August among Gaga's fans, whom she calls "little monsters," according to Michelsen.

"You don't know if those people are the president of a Fortune 500 company or the UPS man," Michelsen said. "We want to provide a platform for them to interact around their love. It could be their favorite football team. It could be the little monsters. It could be Harley Davidson riders."

Timberlake has been active in start-ups like Apple iPhone gaming app developer Tapulous and Particle, which develops micro-video application Robo.tv, through the digital investment wing of his business empire, Tennman Digital.

With Myspace, however, the former 'N Sync member is not just putting his face on a product or bankrolling a venture. He gets an office, a staff of six, and a leadership role, according to Specific Media CEO Tim Vanderhook.

Timberlake isn't the only Hollywood royalty either making a serious push into technology.

Ashton Kutcher, who got his start in "Dude, Where's My car?", has made a string of seemingly savvy investments from location-based social web Foursquare to Flipboard apps for the iPad. Most recently, his investment in Airbnb -- a website that matches travelers looking for a cheap room with homeowners looking to rent out -- won endorsement when venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led a $112 million round of financing for the fast-growing company.

But while some celebrities may be eager to develop their brand by demonstrating boardroom savvy, critics say a few investments may have been misplaced.

There "arguably might be another tech bubble," said Christopher Smith, director of USC's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. "Once your shoe-shine person starts talking about stock deals, it's time to sell."

Irish rocker Bono of U2 fame is one of five co-founders of Elevation Partners, alongside former Apple CFO Fred Anderson and Silver Lake Partners co-founder Roger McNamee. He has an undisclosed amount of his own money invested in the fund.

But in 2010, Bono was dubbed the "worst investor in America" by blog 24/7 Wall St, and his firm's investments in Palm -- since taken over by Hewlett Packard -- Forbes Inc and Move.com have been roundly panned.

"Not every association works, but in the best cases they raise the profiles of the projects they are involved with, entice other investors and inspire consumers," Bragman said.

"The key is authenticity. They have to choose associations that are credible and organic if they wish to succeed."