Here’s the final poster for Twilight. I’m not crazy about it. I don’t like the way that at first glance Edward/Robert Pattinson appears to be sort of vaguely looking at the ground instead of either at the camera or Bella/Kristen Stewart. I guess if you get really close and stare at it for a while or look at a much larger version, you can see that he is actually looking at the camera (at least with one eye?), but still, I just think there’s a disorganized look to it. It’s also kind of…well, boring. I think I read somewhere (forget where, apologies) that the person doing the poster art wanted to “keep the focus on Bella and Edward.” I understand that, it probably makes sense from a marketing POV, but it also means that compared to some of the great movie posters in history, it’s artistically lacking.

Also, MTV posted the soundtrack listing; that will be out on November 4th, presumably on iTunes and all the other usual outlets, legal and illegal. Here it is:

Muse - “Supermassive Black Hole”
Paramore - “Decode”
The Black Ghosts - “Full Moon”
Linkin Park - “Leave Out All the Rest”
MuteMath - “Spotlight” (”Twilight” mix)
Perry Farrell - “Going All the Way (Into the Twilight)”
Collective Soul - “Tremble for My Beloved”
Paramore - “I Caught Myself ”
Blue Foundation - “Eyes on Fire”
Rob Pattinson - “Never Think”
Iron & Wine - “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”
Carter Burwell - “Bella’s Lullaby”

Oh look, Robert Pattinson had a song make the final soundtrack cut. This is just like Patrick Swayze singing “She’s Like the Wind” on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.  

Captain America is looking for a decent apartment in the Manhattan Beach area, preferably within easy commuting distance of Raleigh Studios.

Variety reports that Marvel Studios has announced its plans to film its next group of comics-hero movies at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, California. The shoots for Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, and The Avengers should carry on into 2011.

This may seem like a big, “…uh, who cares? It’s SoCal, of course movies shoot there.” But it actually is a big deal, because a lot of other locations have aggressively courted filmmakers by putting together things like packages of enormous tax credits. Louisiana, New Mexico, and Connecticut, are just a few of the states that have managed to attract a number of large productions recently–think of Terminator: Rise of the Machines in New Mexico and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button in Louisiana, for example. With those in mind, it wouldn’t have been out of the question for Marvel to film in one of those places–not to mention international spots such as Canada, Australia, or even a place like Pinewood in London. It’s a big commitment that means a lot to the industry in the LA area. And it also means if you’re into these films and want to try to get a job on one, you should go hang around the Raleigh complex.

Just a reminder, the tentative release dates for the films are: Iron Man 2 on May 7, 2010; Thor on July 16, 2010; The First Avenger: Captain America on May 6, 2011; and The Avengers on July 15, 2011.

What started as on and off rumours turned in to widespread speculation and then finally concrete facts: Tron was getting a sequel. But while the emergence of Tron 2 was enough to get the fanboys wetting their pants, there was still the question of who would be in it? Could they really manage to get original star Jeff Bridges back for the sequel, even though he’s now pushing 60?

Way back in November of last year saw the first rumblings that Bridges may indeed be once again being sucked in to a videogame. He seemed keen, and so did everyone else. Now it has been confirmed that Bridges will indeed be the star of Tron 2, and his reasons for signing up to the project are quite simple.

He told The Guardian:

“[Tron 2 is] another unique, wild experience that was too good to turn down. Engaging in that world again feels just like it did all that time ago. Basically, I’m still a child, I love being childlike, and here was another chance to play with these crazy toys. And the cutting-edge technology makes it exciting. Doing the teaser trailer for Comic-Con, I had my first experience of motion capture. And that’s turning the industry on its head. It’s amazing being part of that.”

“When we made Tron there was no internet, no cellphones. But now we have motion capture, so I think we’ll get a far more successful version of the story, which is someone literally getting sucked into a video game. When we did King Kong in the 70s, one minute you’d have a shot of Rick Baker in this big suit and then you’d cut to this 80ft stiff model, and they looked nothing alike. Compare to that Peter Jackson’s King Kong the technology is there and they did a wonderful job. I thought they created a beautiful Kong. So I hope that’ll be the same for Tron.”

So bridges signed on the dotted line purely to be a part of the whole Tron saga once again. Good for him. I agree with him also that Tron 2 should be able to utilise the new technology invented since the first movie to become an even better version of the original.

The only question mark remaining is whether the technology will actually take away from the appeal somewhat. Personally, I love motion capture and special effects-laden blockbusters, but I can see the argument for keeping Tron old-skool.

It may have taken 20 years for a fourth movie in the Indiana Jones series to turn up, but it’s looking likely we won’t have to wait quite so long for the fifth. In fact, it could be happening sooner than we all think.

The original trilogy of movies was phenomenally successful, but George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford knew when to go out on top. But when the chance presented itself for another film in the series, they all willingly signed up, and the result was the very mixed but ultimately brilliant Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. The title of the film may have been ridiculous, as was some of the plot, but it still turned out to be the best Indy film yet.

And now we could be about to get a fifth. In an interview with The LA Times, Ford claims that Lucas “is in think mode right now.” He added:

“It’s crazy but great,”

“It’s automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it’s not surprising that some people want to do it again.”

If George Lucas is thinking anything, then it’s probably how many zeroes he could add to his bulging bank balance by inflicting another Indiana Jones movie on us. But, as cynical as I may be over the motives behind it, I’d still go and see it, and probably love every minute. Unless of course there’s a fridge being nuked again.

Indiana Jones is certainly a character that could endure the test of time. While Harrison Ford may be getting a bit too long in the tooth to keep swinging his way through adventures, there’s a ready made replacement waiting in the wings in the form of Shia LaBeouf. What are the chances of Mutt Williams and The Desperate Sequel happening I wonder?

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Johnny Depp had agreed to once again don his pirate costume to play Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean 4. Some were surprised Depp had signed up for the film, but there may have been one huge reason behind him doing so: the phenomenal pay check.

Digital Spy reports that Depp is set to pocket an incredible $56 million for returning to the franchise that has made him probably the best known actor in the world today. This huge sum of money is the highest ever given to an actor up-front for a movie, dwarfing the $50 given to Tom Hanks for agreeing to appear once again as Robert Langdon in Angels and Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code.

A source said:

“The first three films have earned $2.7billion at the box office. It’s no surprise that Disney executives want Jack back and they are willing to pay big bucks to get him.”

It’s almost impossible to conceive of a Pirates movie without Captain Jack so if that’s the sum of money that was required to draw Depp back in to the franchise, then so be it. It’s a shame Keira Knightley doesn’t seem to have been swayed by the money on offer though, as she definitely makes the movies more pleasurable on the eye.

I’m sure the pay wasn’t the only reason Depp came back but it must have helped in some small way. There’s also the possibility that Depp just enjoys his work so much that he wanted to be part of what is clearly going to be a hugely successful blockbuster yet again.

David Duchovny has checked out of the rehab center where he was being treated for sex addiction.

His lawyer, Stanton Stein, says, “David is out of rehab and about to start a new movie. He successfully completed his treatment.”

David checked into the facility to treat his addiction in August. During that time, it was rumored that he cheated on his wife, Tea Leoni previously, and thus was the reason he sought treatment.

It doesn’t help that he plays a character who is also addicted to sex. Congrats on your completion of rehab, David. I hope all goes well now that he’s out.

Packed to the Rafters is an awesome show - there I said it - I love it. I’m not sure why because it’s fairly formulaic, but there’s just something about it that’s fun, emotionally connecting and great to watch. The characters are lovable and the actors do a great job. I was thrilled when I heard a Seven Network spokesman had stated a second season is “more than likely”. And why wouldn’t it be, the Rafter family are raking in around 2 million viewers a week to join them in their quirky drama.

The series starts Rebecca Gibney as matriarch of the Rafter family (Julie Rafter). Her husband is played by Erik Thomson (Dave Rafter) and other notable family members include Michael Caton as Ted Taylor (Julie’s dad) and newcomer Hugh Sheridan as son Ben Rafter. Adding to the cast shortly is one Mr Craig McLachlan, he of ex Neighbours and one hit wonder fame. Ironically McLachlan will be playing a has been pop star in the series.

A show like “Packed to the Rafters” deserves some kudos because it’s a shining light in a sea of cop shows, lawyer shows and reality shows. Here’s hoping it continues to do well.

Christian Slater is one of those actors that seems to flit and float between film and TV without too much notice. He’s probably hoping new NBC series “My Own Worst Enemy” will change all that when it airs in the Fall (US).

Slater takes on the roles of Henry Spivey and Edward Albright. Henry Spivey is the middle-class office worker with the life in the burbs. He’s got a wife, a couple of kids, a dog and is your average Joe. Edward Albright on the other hand is a bit of a super spy, he’s a bit like Sid Bristow in Alias, he can speak all manner of languages, he’s trained in weapons and unarmed combat and is a bit of a killing machine. 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill.

It’s sort of a modern day take on the classic Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde story (thus the first names of the characters) and it looks pretty cool. If it sounds like your thing, there’s a cool Q and A with Slater about his role over at SciFi Wire.

James Nesbitt has landed yet another dramatic role. He’s set to play the lead in new BBC drama series “Occupation”. The series follows three men and their experiences in the Iraq war and how that experience affects their day to day lives.

The series has been in the works for some years and has finally reached fruition. Occupation is being filmed in Northern Ireland and Morocco and is set to air on BBC One some time next year next year. Hopefully it will be yet another hit for golden boy Nesbitt.

Meet Minnie Driver’s newest addition, Henry Story Driver!

The actress added this picture to her Myspace page of her new baby. He’s so adorable!

David Spade fessed up to dating Heather Locklear last year, and now he’s said that he has texted her to check up on her after she was arrested for DUI recently.

He said, “I texted her to check on her. I think things get blown out a lot of proportion. She’s always solid and always a great person. And I think people understand she’s in a tough situation and she does her best. I think there’s no one that doesn’t feel for her or have nice things to say about her in my experience.”

Think David wants to hook back up with Heather? Or is he just being a good friend?

It was definitely a nice gesture for him to get in contact with her to make sure she’s okay. I agree that Heather has gone through a lot, but she’s not getting the negative press that Denise Richards has. For that, she can be thankful.

Charlize Theron is set to head to court later on this month in a $20 million lawsuit, because she’s claimed to have reneged on an endorsement contract for a Swiss watch company.

Raymond Weil claimed Charlize was supposed to wear only their watches and no others. They’re saying that she was only supposed to wear their watches between October 2005 through December 2006, and she was seen wearing a Dior watch at a film festival in March 2006.

She’s set to go to Federal court by the end of the month. The Swiss company is seeking $20 million, which they’ve estimated to have paid out in advertising deals.

Samantha Ronson has finally paid out almost $87,000 to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. A court odered Sam to fork over the dough in reference to her lawsuit from last year against him. She sued him for libel after he claimed that the cocaine found in Lindsay’s car was actually hers. The court disagreed with Samantha and ordered her to pay his court costs, which is what she did Friday, to avoid having to go back to court to discuss how she was going to pay.

Perez does have a way of opening his big mouth against celebrities, but on the other hand, they are in the public eye, and some would say they are fair game. I’d like to say that this was a first amendment victory for all bloggers, but I really don’t like Perez, so I won’t.

The highest bidder will have the chance to knock the crap out of Michael Lohan in a charity boxing match that is set to last three rounds. Is anyone besides me thinking that Samantha Ronson is going to do this? Or maybe even his own daughter? That would be so funny if Lindsay decided to do this just to take a few swings at her old man.

The Long Island Fight For Charity will take place on November 24, 2008 at the Hilton Long Island in Melville. The event consists of ten boxing matches of amateur fighters. The fights will benefit charities such as the Long Island Community Chest and Family Residence & Essential Enterprises.

If you want to submit an offer, you can do so at boxing@lifightforcharity.com. Bids are starting at $5,000, and afterwards an interview process will take place. Enjoy beating the crap out of Lindsay Lohan’s dad!

Amy Winehouse was contacted by the Church of Scientology’s celebrity center in L.A., because they think they can help her with her addictions.

The religion has a program called Narcanon that they want to use to help Amy with her drug problems.

A friend of Amy’s said, “She’s had a call from the celebrity branch of the Church of Scientology. She thinks they got her number through one of the American music producers who worked on her Back to Black album. They told her they wanted to help her beat drugs and could tailor-make a program so she wouldn’t have to go to a residential center. She liked that idea because her husband Blake is out of prison soon and wouldn’t want to be away from him when he’s finally freed.”

I think she should do whatever it takes to get herself clean, even if it is that scary wackjob cult.

Maybe this picture will help me remember who Jesse Eisenberg is.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that Jesse Eisenberg is in talks to join the cast of Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland.  Woody Harrelson is already set to star in a story of survivors in a world overrun by zombies. THR says in their description that said survivors find “friendship and redemption” while surviving, which I guess is what will set it apart from all the other “survivors in a world overrun by zombies” movies. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote the script.

Eisenberg is up for the role of Flagstaff, a “terrified shut-in whose cowardice makes him an expert at surviving zombies, but who is forced out of his shell to join the band of survivors.” In other words, in the common “band of mismatched people who are forced to work together,” he’s taking on the traditional role of the geek/loser/social outcast  who has an odd skill that suddenly makes him the hero.

I never remember anything about Eisenberg until I see his list of credits (including The Squid and the Whale and Rodger Dodger). I seem to easily confuse him with a number of other Jesses.

If, like me, you’re unfamiliar with the oeuvre of Ruben Fleischer, Slashfilm found out that he has directed a number of music videos, commercials, and short films, some of which they have posted here.

There’s nothing about this movie that sounds terribly wrong, just a feeling that it’s been done before–both with and without a comic spin. I guess my only other comment is that Woody Harrelson seems to be working a lot lately, and that’s not much of a comment. I am struck dumb with ambivalence.

Getting a comment about his films from Guillermo del Toro is like pulling teeth…out of butter.

ComingSoon has coverage of Guillermo del Toro’s talk at the New Yorker Festival this weekend (CS nicely refers to him as Guillermo “I’m making The Motherf****** ‘Hobbit’” del Toro) and as we all know, Guillermo being Guillermo means a wealth of chattiness and as much information as he can give away without the suits fainting.

So Guillermo, want to tell us anything about your prep for The Hobbit?

“I find you have to discipline yourself to write in the morning, and then watch and read in the afternoons stuff that seems relevant, even in a tangential way. For example, reading or watching World War I documentaries or books that I think inform ‘The Hobbit,’ strangely enough, because I believe it is a book born out of Tolkien’s generation’s experience with World War I and the disappointment of being in that field and seeing all those values kind of collapse. I think it’s a turning point that you need to familiarize yourself with. I’m starting. Peter Jackson is such a fan of that historical moment and obsessive collector of World War I memorabilia, and he owns several genuine, life-size working reproductions of planes, tanks, cannons, ships! He has the perfect obsessive reproductions of uniforms of that time for armies of about 120 soldiers… each. I asked him which books he recommended… because I wouldn’t be watching ‘Krull’ or ‘The Dark Crystal,’ I need to find my OWN way into the story. That’s the same way I did ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ or ‘Devil’s Backbone,’ by watching stuff you wouldn’t think about.

“All my life I’ve been fascinated by dragons. I was born under the Chinese sign of The Dragon. All my life I’m collecting dragons. It’s such a powerful symbol, and in the context of ‘The Hobbit’ it is used to cast its shadow through the entire narrative. Essentially, Smaug represents so many things: greed, pride… he’s ‘the Magnificent,’ after all. The way his shadow is cast in the narrative you cannot then show it and have it be one thing, he has to be the embodiment of all those things. He’s one of the few dragons that will have enormous scenes with lines. He has some of the most beautiful dialogues in those scenes! The design, I’m pretty sure that will be the last design we will sign off on, and the first design we have attempted. It is certainly a matter of turning every stone before figuring out what he looks like, because what he looks like will tell you what he is.”

Krull? Wow, that’s a movie you don’t hear about enough…or maybe you do.

So, Guillermo, we hear you’re a huge fan of Frankenstein and plan to make your own version. Comments?

“I’m not doing ‘Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.’ I’m doing an adventure story that involves the creature. I cannot say much, but it’s not the central creation story, I’m not worried about that. The fact is I’ve been dreaming of doing a ‘Frankenstein’ movie since I was a child. The one thing I can promise is, compared to Kenneth Branagh, I will not appear shirtless in the movie!”

We thank you for that, Guillermo, and to be honest, kind of wish Kenneth had shown the same restraint.

Can you tell us anything more about The Hobbit? Any specific details? Apparently not–del Toro jokes that Warner Brothers “has a sniper in the theater.” And then he proceeds to go on and talk more:

“There will be different sensibilities involved in this movie than there were in the original trilogy. First of all, because we have the travelogues in ‘The Hobbit’ which goes to places and variations on races that were not addressed in the trilogy. My belief on the ‘Wargs’ issue is that the classical incarnation of the demonic wolf in Nordic mythology is not a hyena-shaped creature. It is a wolf. The archetype is a wolf, so we’re going to go back to the slender, archetypical wolf that is, I think, the inspiration for Tolkien. Listen… if we were having a drink two years from now I would spill the beans, because I’m a pretty easy guy about spilling the beans, but I can’t in this instance I can’t because it’s three years from now… believe me, I am jumping up-and-down inside this fat body!”

You’re jumping up and down in your fat body, and that sniper/WB exec has fainted dead away.

I think it’s safe to say that we won’t lose sight of del Toro for years while he buries himself in making The Hobbit films. He likes to share too much.

Tough street Chihuahas claw their way to the top of the box office.  

In a weekend jam-packed with new releases, Beverly Hills Chihuaha broke out of the pack to take first place at the box office. The talking dog tale (tail?) earned $29 million from 3215 locations.

Last week’s number one, Eagle Eye, came in a solid second with $17.7 million. We can’t stop Shia LeBeouf, we can only hope to contain him. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, another of the week’s new film, came in third on the list with $12 million. Variety says this is a bit of a disappointment, but the producers shouldn’t worry too much. This movie will no doubt enjoy a long life on DVD, watched by teenagers who believe in it way too much. Its soundtrack will be played endlessly by hipper-than-thou, undoubtedly misunderstood adolescents who are sure that it speaks to them in a unique way. Before there was Nick and Norah’s, there was Garden State, and before that The Breakfast Club, and so on and so on. Each generation has its own little movie. It’s the film circle of life.

Romantic cure for insomnia Nights in Rodanthe came in fourth with $7.3 million, and Appaloosa, the Viggo Mortensen-Ed Harris western came in fifth with $5 million from 1,045 screens. The horse opera played a limited engagement for two weeks and is now opening nationwide. I’m betting on it having a nice, steady, long run.

It’s Oscar season, so we have awards-bait films opening small. Rachel Getting Married, the critical darling starring  Anne Hathaway and directed by Jonathan Demme, did nicely with $302,934 for a $33,659 per location average from nine theaters. Bill Maher’s faith-questioning doc Religulous opened on 502 screens, earning $3.5 million for a $6,972 per location average. And in a shocking upset, no one was struck by lightning and killed for seeing it.

As for the other new movies opening this weekend, well, things were pretty bleak. Flash of Genius took in $2.3 million at 1,098 theaters for a weak $2,120 per screen average. Blindness made $1.2 million from 1,690 locations for a $1,185 per screen average.

And who in Hollywood do you NOT want to be tomorrow morning? Anyone who had anything to do with How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which earned $1.4 million from 1,750 theaters for a mortifying $801 per screen average. Ouch.

Little Britain US hit the air last week and picked up a fairly good audience. The US version of “Little Britain” starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas brought in around 4.8 million viewers when it aired on BBC America on Friday at 9.30pm.

It’s not all good news however with some critics panning the series as just not funny. One writer for a British news site states “Walliams and Lucas have spent so much time deciding which frocks to wear, they’ve forgotten write any gags. And their desperation to be outrageous is now just shockingly tedious.” and it seems he’s not alone in his views.

There’s no telling how the show will go, with its new US based charactership, but one has to wonder, has that ship now sailed?

Channel 10 Australia has axed “90210″ without so much as a thought for its viewership. The “Beverly Hills 90210″ spin-off series hit the ratings skids in Australia and channel 10 thought it best to just arbitrarily whip it from their schedule.

If you like your numbers - the pilot of “90210″ brought in around 840,000 viewers (not bad for Australia, but not superb). The episode that aired last week brought in around 616,000 essentially losing a quarter of its viewership since it debuted.

A Channel 10 bigwig was quoted as saying “90210 is an excellent show, that clearly resonated with a younger audience, but it didn’t have the kind of numbers needed to stay in this intensely competitive environment.” and then added so we took it off air without so much as a warning to its fans, even after we hyped it up to the max!.. Well he never really, but were he being completely honest he would have.

Apparently Channel 10 Australia may play the remaining episodes Summer 09 as filler… how kind of them.