Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized today at London’s King Edward VII Hospital, Palace sources confirm to E! News, for symptoms related to gastroenteritis. Her Highness is expected to remain under physician care for about 48 hours for this stomach infection, says press officer James Roscoe. “She went to the hospital today at around 3 p.m. GMT. She is in good spirits, besides the symptoms of gastroenteritis,” Roscoe says . “Doctors are saying she should be in hospital for a couple days.” The 86-year old monarch has canceled a trip to Rome as a result of the illness. We wish the Queen a speedy recovery and we encourage Royal fans to check out these Kate Middleton photos while they pray for her well-being.
Jack may have slayed a giant, and even come out on top of this weekend’s box office, but he still anchored the first dud of 2013. Indeed, Jack the Giant Slayer earned $28 million on Friday and Saturday, but the big budget fantasy adventure was made for over $150 million and will not come anywhere close to recouping that investment. It was an especially weak weekend overall for Hollywood, as Ed Harris and David Duchovny anchored an historically terrible Phantom . That drama was made for $18 million and opened to $465,000 on 1,100 screens. Total. Here’s a look at the top five: Jack the Giant Slayer – $28 million Identity Thief – $9.7 million 21 and Over – $9 million The Last Exorcism Part II – $8 million Snitch – $7.7 million
MTV News gathers a conclave of scientists to sound off on beanstalks, giants and floating islands. By Amy Wilkinson Ewan McGregor, Eleanor Tomlinson and Nicholas Hoult in “Jack the Giant Slayer” Photo: Warner Bros.
Critics praise Bryan Singer’s action-adventure for hulking giants and large-scale action. By Josh Wigler Ewan McGregor in “Jack The Giant Slayer” Photo: Warner Bros.
Now that Ewan McGregor has voiced his enthusiasm for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again, Disney should make it so. The actor, who’s out promoting Jack The Giant Slayer told MTV News that he thought reprising his role as the Jedi Master was “a good idea” and had clearly done some thinking about where an Obi-Wan standalone movie could fit into the about-to-be-rebooted Star Wars franchise — the gap between Episode III and IV “before Alec Guinness, there’s that period where he’s in the desert….That might be my window there, to tell that story.” McGregor said that he didn’t know what Obi-Wan actually did in the desert, but added: “We could make up some stuff.” Actually, there are plenty of sanctioned Star Wars stories that cover Kenobi’s time in exile in the Tatooine desert — some of which have him communing with the spirit of his mentor, Qui-Gonn Jinn (who was played by Liam Neeson in Episode I ) — so the writers wouldn’t have to star from scratch. But even if there wasn’t all that material out there, bringing McGregor back is an excellent idea. Although I’d love to see Harrison Ford finally get his Han Solo death scene, Disney clearly wants these new Star Wars movies to appeal to young demographics, and there’s nothing musty or dusty about McGregor. He’s one of the finest actors of his generation, and, with the exception of the emotional climactic scenes of Episode III , his talents were largely wasted in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. An Obi-Wan standalone movie could not only right that wrong but add a cinematic backstory to the character that would give Guinness’ performance in Episode IV even more dramatic heft. What do you think, Star Wars fans? Let me know in the comments, and while you’re mulling it over, here’s the clip of McGregor voicing his enthusiasm for picking up the lightsaber again. [ MTV News , USA Today ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Klaus Kinski, Rondo Hatton and Shemp Howard will always be giants in my personal pantheon of great character actors. And now, I swear, they are giants. Their distinct mugs seem to have inspired the facial characteristics of a couple of the really big guys in Jack The Giant Slayer . Every time I see the poster for the movie (check out the featured photo above), I can’t help but think of Kinski in Werner Herzog’s Aguirre: The Wrath of God. The computer-generated character’s name is General Fallon. He’s voiced by Bill Nighy and appears to have a second head, which calls to mind Shemp Howard from the Three Stooges or, possibly, Lionel Standing from Frank Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town . When I gaze upon the craggy face of another giant, Fye, I get a blast of nostalgia from even farther back. That CGI character’s features recall a thinner lipped Rondo Hatton, the 1930s and ’40s character actor and B-Movie icon who turned his acromgegaly into a movie career that landed him parts in the Sherlock Holmes movie The Pearl of Death , Spider Woman Strikes Back and House of Horrors . Do you see what I see? Let me know if you agree in the comments section and whether any of the other CG giants remind you of flesh-and-blood actors. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
