Shortly after outing herself as a stoner at her 19th birthday party, Miley Cyrus proved that her interests and causes are diverse…by releasing a video in which she offers her support to Occupy Wall Street. Naturally!
“Hedy didn’t drink. She didn’t like to party. Her idea of a good evening was a quiet dinner party with some intelligent friends where they could discuss ideas — which sounds so un-Hollywood, but Hedy had to find something else to do to occupy her time.” In his new book Hedy’s Folly , author Richard Rhodes sheds light on the little-known side hobby of Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-American actress, Golden Age screen siren, and… inventor.
Sure, they’re not box office champs , but the Muppets’ resurgence as competitive marquee stars is reason enough to scan Twitter for the best tweets about Jason Segel’s new film. Who will top this week’s tally? Join us for a quintet of quips that will make the Swedish Chef throw his wooden spoon in glee.
Oldboy producer Roy Lee recently spilled some vague details on Spike Lee ‘s Josh Brolin -starring remake, promising a “darker” retelling of Park Chan-wook’s Korean thriller also adapted from the original manga. “It’s very similar, but we’ve added new elements. Or, Mark Protosevich has come up with new elements to it that will throw off the audience who have seen the original movie because there are new characters and new situations that present themselves in a way that changes the story but eventually go in the same direction.” Sure, Spike. Let me just go get my hammer… [ Collider via Slashfilm ]
Among the most admired (and controversial ) films of 2011 is also one of the most striking New York-set movies in years: Shame , director Steve McQueen’s unflinching glimpse inside the life of Manhattan professional Brandon Sullivan ( Michael Fassbender ) as he struggles with sex addiction and his reckless sibling Sissy (Carey Mulligan). The quotidian nature of Brandon’s routine — subway commutes, nondescript office work, late-night jogs — not only mask his emotional freefall, but belie the everyday tensions, pleasures, challenges and privileges associated with living in one of the world’s most intoxicating cities. Now you can tryst where Brandon trysts, drink where Brandon drinks, and brood where Brandon broods thanks to Movieline’s interactive Shame location map.
For some moviegoers, Nicolas Winding Refn ‘s Drive was the movie of 2011 (ditto that soundtrack). Nevertheless, over at Nerve, Jett Wells echoes the sad realization of many a Drive -loving Oscar-watcher: Academy Award nominations are about as unlikely for the stylish crime pic as a clean getaway is for Ryan Gosling ‘s boyish, near-mute anti-hero.
I’m still a little sour with Steven Spielberg after he tried shilling the abysmal Cowboys & Aliens with a bunch of smarty-pants soundbites , but I’ll let him slide in case War Horse turns out to be fabulous. In this new, highly edited Q&A from MSN , Spielberg talks about the new movie, purposely casting an unknown as a lead, and the miraculous work of John Williams. All sounds good so far. But will we be left wanting? Or whinnying?
It’s the week after Thanksgiving which means that it’s time to start firing up some holiday playlists. Here to help is Scarlett Johansson , whose virtual duet with Dean Martin hit the Internet today. Is their posthumous rendering of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” creepy? A little. A necessary addition to the holiday track canon? Not at all. But random? Completely! In honor of this Christmas-time cut, let’s review five of the other most random celebrity holiday recordings to confound the masses.
In the latest episode of the pop culture-masticating internet sensation Verbal Vogueing , Louis Virtel tackles teen idoldom through the ages. Does Justin Bieber deserve those lesbian doppelganger slams? Can any of the Twilight kids escape Louis’s wrath? Did he just drop a Karen Carpenter joke so hard I nearly LOL ed-up my lunch onto my computer screen? Oh yes. He did.