If you need further evidence that Marvel is winning the battle against DC on the comic-book movie front, consider the latest Internet chatter about the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Latino Review , which knows how to work that fan boy beat, reports that Marvel has inquired about the availability of both Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler for the movie, which is slated to hit theaters on Aug. 1, 2014. It’s unclear what roles Marvel envisions these actors playing, but Latino Review and other blogs have been guessing Rocket Raccoon (whose creation was inspired by the Beatles’s White Album song “Rocky Raccoon”) and the tree-like Groot are the most plausible, since both are reportedly in the Guardians of the Galaxy script. Given these two superheroes’ non-human appearances, they’ll probably exist as computer-generated characters , and if I’m doing the casting, I’d want the shape-shifting Carrey to play Groot because the character bears a resemblance to the Grinch, which the actor already played (in Ron Howard’s obnoxious adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book), and Sandler as Rocket. Sandler’s biggest hit in a long time was as the voice of the CGI Count Dracula in Hotel Transylvania last year, so I suspect he’ll be up for the gig. Even if Marvel casts just one of these guys, or some equally funny dude, it’s an astute move because, while the costumes and action sequences in these comic-book movies are fun, it’s the humor that gives them soul and makes them — so far — superior to the DC equivalent. Yes, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy was exceptional, but, given the choice, I’ll take Robert Downey Jr.’s satisfyingly smart-ass portrayal of Tony Stark and Iron Man every time. [ Latino Review , io9 ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The release of the first issue of a three-part prequel comic to Star Trek Into Darkness has lent some credence to the theory that the true villain of JJ Abram’s upcoming movie is not Khan or Gary Mitchell , but rather Robert April, the very first captain of the Starship Enterprise. HitFix’s Drew McWeeny first raised the idea late last year after Abrams’ Bad Robot held a press day for the feature, which hits theaters in May, and now Brandon Connelly at Bleeding Cool has posted panels from the prequel comic which feature April. Star Trek Into Darkness screenwriter/producer Roberto Orci has said that the film’s will be a canon character, and April is. He was introduced in the animated Star Trek series that ran for 22 episodes in 1973 and ’74. As McWeeny notes below, although Bad Robot has not confirmed that April figures in Star Trek Into Darkness , the plot of the animated episode that featured April appears to dovetail with aspects of the movie that have been revealed so far: He first appeared in the animated series, and in the episode where he appeared, it was established that he was was the first Captain of the Enterprise, even before Pike. He was much older in the episode, “The Counter-Clock Incident,” which you can watch right now if you have NetFlix Instant. In that episode, everyone on the Enterprise starts to age backwards, and by the time they’re all kids, unable to fix the problem, only April and his wife are still old enough to figure out how to reverse the process. April figuring out that mechanism for how to control aging and even reverse it could be an important part of the plot for “Star Trek Into Darkness.” If you saw the first nine minutes of the film in front of ” The Hobbit ,” then you already know that the film opens with a London couple driving to the hospital where their daughter lies immobilized, and from the few shots we see of her, she appears to be aging too rapidly. At the end of that scene, her father (Noel Clarke) steps outside for some air, and that’s when Cumberbatch shows up and tells him, “I can cure her.” As McWeeny points out in his post, Peter Weller , who’s also in STID could very well turn out to be April instead of Cumberbatch, who Abrams has chosen to identify simply as John Harrison . Whoever he turns out to be when the movie finally premieres, one thing is clear: this whole who-is-Benedict-Cumberbatch? mystery is brilliant guerrilla marketing on Bad Robot’s part. Here’s the revealing comic panel that Bleeding Cool posted. It’s the final page of the first issue of Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness. [ HitFix , Bleeding Cool ] More on Star Trek Into Darkness : ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: Cumberbatch’s Identity, Carol Marcus, And A New ‘Trek’ Villain Theory Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The release of the first issue of a three-part prequel comic to Star Trek Into Darkness has lent some credence to the theory that the true villain of JJ Abram’s upcoming movie is not Khan or Gary Mitchell , but rather Robert April, the very first captain of the Starship Enterprise. HitFix’s Drew McWeeny first raised the idea late last year after Abrams’ Bad Robot held a press day for the feature, which hits theaters in May, and now Brandon Connelly at Bleeding Cool has posted panels from the prequel comic which feature April. Star Trek Into Darkness screenwriter/producer Roberto Orci has said that the film’s will be a canon character, and April is. He was introduced in the animated Star Trek series that ran for 22 episodes in 1973 and ’74. As McWeeny notes below, although Bad Robot has not confirmed that April figures in Star Trek Into Darkness , the plot of the animated episode that featured April appears to dovetail with aspects of the movie that have been revealed so far: He first appeared in the animated series, and in the episode where he appeared, it was established that he was was the first Captain of the Enterprise, even before Pike. He was much older in the episode, “The Counter-Clock Incident,” which you can watch right now if you have NetFlix Instant. In that episode, everyone on the Enterprise starts to age backwards, and by the time they’re all kids, unable to fix the problem, only April and his wife are still old enough to figure out how to reverse the process. April figuring out that mechanism for how to control aging and even reverse it could be an important part of the plot for “Star Trek Into Darkness.” If you saw the first nine minutes of the film in front of ” The Hobbit ,” then you already know that the film opens with a London couple driving to the hospital where their daughter lies immobilized, and from the few shots we see of her, she appears to be aging too rapidly. At the end of that scene, her father (Noel Clarke) steps outside for some air, and that’s when Cumberbatch shows up and tells him, “I can cure her.” As McWeeny points out in his post, Peter Weller , who’s also in STID could very well turn out to be April instead of Cumberbatch, who Abrams has chosen to identify simply as John Harrison . Whoever he turns out to be when the movie finally premieres, one thing is clear: this whole who-is-Benedict-Cumberbatch? mystery is brilliant guerrilla marketing on Bad Robot’s part. Here’s the revealing comic panel that Bleeding Cool posted. It’s the final page of the first issue of Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness. [ HitFix , Bleeding Cool ] More on Star Trek Into Darkness : ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: Cumberbatch’s Identity, Carol Marcus, And A New ‘Trek’ Villain Theory Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Ana Ivanovic is a tennis player….a female tennis player unlike that Williams sister who like the movie Ladybug (RIP BRANDIS)…..is clearly a genetically modified player who barely passes the hormonal level of a woman….but who daddy had the insight to make a woman with a blade in the garage when she was a kid….in order to live out his tennis dreams…. Ana Ivanovic is a tennis player….like many female tennis player…all fit…and elegant…and lovely…making you wish you were a country club WASP…..who grunts like she’s getting fucking blasted hard….and flashes her panty ass all day….when not showing off a sweaty cameltoe vagina….or rocking hard nipples like in this pic from the Australian open…. All this to say…women’s tennis is my favorite….a highly erotic experience…. TO SEE THE REST OF THE PICS FOLLOW THIS LINK
Seeing Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters play searing rock ‘n’ roll with onetime teen idol Rick Springfield wasn’t exactly on my bucket list prior to Friday night’s epic Sound City Players concert, but I will die a happier man now that I’ve witnessed such an unexpected — and unexpectedly thrilling — team up. Springfield’s set with Grohl and the Foos was the high point of a marathon concert that featured performances by a slew of musical artists who appear in Sound City because of their connection to the now-defunct studio. Among them were Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Fear leader Lee Ving , Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Alain Johannes, Slip Knot’s Corey Taylor, Masters of Reality’s Chris Goss and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic , who got a hug from Grohl when he took the stage. Check out Movieline’s Photo Gallery of Grohl and The Foo Fighters’ Sundance show. “It’s going to be a long fuckin’ night — you know that,” Grohl told the audience with a big grin as he and the band took the stage just after 9:30 and invited the first of the night’s guests, Johannes, to strap on his guitar. Instead of a tightly curated series of group singalongs, the show became a sprawling series of mini-concerts that focused on the work of the artists who were on stage at that time. For instance, Nielsen’s time on stage saw the band — with Grohl on drums, Novoselic on bass and Slipknot’s Taylor on vocals — do spirited versions of Cheap Trick’s “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Surrender,” the latter with the participation of the well-lubricated crowd , which offered up the “Mommy’s all right, Daddy’s all right, they just seem a little weird,” portion of the chorus. Springfield’s set resonated even more with Sundancers judging from how violently their dancing and jumping shook the club’s floor. It was an extended moment of pure rock bliss in which all the labels that get applied to music in terms of what’s cool (Foo Fighters) and what’s not (Rick Springfield) fell away and infectious, enduring pop music was celebrated for its essence. Grohl introduced the former General Hospital actor as “the one, the only, fucking Rick Springfield,” and the band played together on a number of the former pop star’s 1980s radio hits, “I’ve Done Everything For You,” “Love Is Alright Tonite” and “Jessie’s Girl.” And watching the beatific look on punk pioneer-turned-Foo-Fighter Pat Smear’s face as he played along to these Top 40 hits was indisputable proof that a good song is a good song. As Grohl said archly between songs: “You’ve cracked the code, Rick Springfield. You’ve figured out how to write the perfect song. Goddamn you.” Meanwhile, Springfield rose to the occasion of playing with one of the most balls-out rock bands in show business. In Sound City , he reveals somewhat sheepishly that Pat Benatar’s husband Neil Giraldo was pulled into the recording studio to lay down the famous guitar riff to “Jessie’s Girl” because the song’s producer didn’t think Springfield’s playing was up to snuff.” But that humiliation was very much in the past at Friday’s concert. Onstage at Park City Live, Springfield behaved like a bona fide guitar god as he traded licks with Grohl. The Foo Fighters and their enthusiastic leader would play on long after Springfield left the stage — and a remark by one of the evening’s grizzled rock veterans put the concert and the movie that spawned it in perspective. John Fogerty was the next-to-last guest star on stage, and during a set that included CCR’s “Born on the Bayou,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Fortunate Son,” he told the crowd that the Sound City documentary and concert had come together because of Grohl’s “almost child-like love of music.” May he stay forever young. More on Sound City : SUNDANCE: ‘Sound City’ Premiere Finds Dave Grohl Rocking With Rick Springfield
No live music was played, but the Saturday afternoon premiere of Dave Grohl’s Sound City documentary — about the fabled-yet-scuzzy Van Nuys, CA recording studio of the same name where Nirvana , Neil Young , Fleetwood Mac, Rick Springfield , Rage Against the Machine and Fear recorded landmark albums — felt like an all-star rock concert. Fans stood on street corners near the Marc theater, where the film debuted, offering to purchase tickets from anyone with a spare, and the musical artists who turned out to watch the documentary, included former Creedence Clearwater frontman John Fogerty, Grohl’s former Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic (pictured on the right) and Pat Smear, Springfield and Stevie Nicks, most or all of whom are expected to play with Grohl in a live show later tonight on Main Street in Park City. Before the screening, Grohl called the film “the most important thing I’ve done artistically,” and at the Q&A session that followed the movie, noted that the digital revolution, which transformed music industry (and essentially killed Sound City, which did things the analog way) enabled him to become a filmmaker and tell the story of the recording studio’s rightful place in rock ‘n’ roll history. “I made a movie. It’s shocking, really,” Grohl said. “Next, I’ll be flying your plane to Dulles.” Grohl and Sound City got an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end, and the people in the audience around me seemed to really be rocking out to a segment that has the surviving members of Nirvana playing with former Beatle Paul McCartney . The part of the movie that rocked my world, however, was when Grohl performed the gritty “The Man That Never Was,” with Springfield. Like a number of other performances, the song, which was co-written by Springfield, Grohl and others was recorded on Sound City’s fabled Neve console, which the Foo Fighter bought for his own 606 Studios when Sound City closed its doors as a commercial recording business in 2011. Grohl said these songs will be released on a Sound City album in March. I especially loved it when, after the performance, Nevermind producer (and Garbage drummer) Butch Vig tells Springfield: “You got some darkness in you, boy!” Springfield also turns out to have been an important part of the studio’s history and vice versa. He recorded his 1981 Working Class Dog there, which contained his breakthrough hit “Jessie’s Girl.” The success of that album was important to Sound City’s success. Springfield was also managed by Sound City’s original owner and even met his wife, Barbara Porter, who was an assistant there. I’m hoping that Springfield performs with Grohl on Main Street tonight, and that, as a result, Sundance sees a warp in the time-space continuum. See you on the other side. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The world premiere of comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone will open the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival . The festival, which launches its 20th anniversary event March 8th, also unveiled a number of other films and highlights Tuesday. Starring Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi , The Incredible Burt Wonderstone follows superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Buscemi) who have raked in millions of dollars and reign over the Las Vegas strip. Illusion is their mainstay, but the biggest thing they’re hiding is their growing dislike for each other. Complicating matters, they face increasing competition from a street magician ( Jim Carrey ) whose gaining fame as their show begins to appear tired. But things could get back on track if Burt can get a check on his out-sized ego and remember what made him fall in love with magic in the beginning. In addition to The Incredible Burt Wonderstone , SXSW unveiled a handful of titles that will debut at the festival, which takes place March 8 – 16 in Austin, TX. SXSW veteran Joe Swanberg returns with his comedy that blurs the line between “friends” and “more than friends,” Drinking Buddies . Also on tap are Alex Winter’s documentary on the rise of Napster, Downloaded as well as Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers . Good Ol’ Freda chronicles the never-before-told story of The Beatles’ secretary, Freda Kelly and the re-make of the 1981 cult hit Evil Dead by Fede Alvarez are also among the titles revealed Tuesday. SXSW will also host conversations with Matthew McConaughey and Jeffrey Tambor as part of its conference. Other guests include The Black List founder Franklin Leonard and AMC News host and Huff Post Live producer, Jacob Soboroff. “Everyone knows that we like have a good time at SXSW, and our 20th year is already well on track with smart, stylish and highly entertaining work,” said SXSW Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson in a statement. “Though this is just a taste of what SXSW 2013 will have to offer, what better way to get the party started than with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which had us laughing our heads off, despite an 8am Monday viewing.” SXSW will unveil the bulk of its lineup January 31st. SXSW’s announced titles and highlights: Downloaded (World Premiere) Director: Alex Winter Downloaded is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Napster and the birth of the digital revolution. It’s about the teens that helped start this revolution, and the artists and industries who continue to be impacted by it. Drinking Buddies (World Premiere) Director/Screenwriter: Joe Swanberg Weekend trips, office parties, late night conversations, drinking on the job, marriage pressure, biological clocks, holding eye contact a second too long… you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston Everyone’s Going to Die (World Premiere) Director/Screenwriter: Jones A modern British story about coming home, getting by and the redemptive power of feeling you’re not alone. A story where porn hotlines rub shoulders with sexy beavers on rollerskates; where the past is laid to rest, two lives are changed and nobody, finally, is going to die. Cast: Nora Tschirner, Rob Knighton, Kellie Shirley, Madeline Duggan (United Kingdom) Evil Dead (World Premiere) Director: Fede Alvarez, Screenwriter: Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues Five friends, holed up in a remote cabin, discover a Book of the Dead that unwittingly summons up dormant demons, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left to fight for survival. Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore Good Ol’ Freda (World Premiere) Director: Ryan White Good Ol’ Freda tells the story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager asked to work for a young local band hoping to make it big: The Beatles. Their loyal secretary from beginning to end, Freda tells her tales for the first time in 50 years. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (World Premiere) Director: Don Scardino, Story by Chad Kultgen & Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley As superstar Vegas magicians and former best friends Burt and Anton grow to secretly loathe each other, their long-time act implodes, allowing an ambitious rival street performer the big break he’s been waiting for. Cast: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, with Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini and Jim Carrey Spring Breakers (U.S. Premiere) Director/Screenwriter: Harmony Korine Four college girls who land in jail after robbing a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation find themselves bailed out by a drug and arms dealer who wants them to do some dirty work. Cast: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine Announced Highlights from the 2013 Conference: A Conversation with Matthew McConaughey – An in-depth discussion with the incredibly fascinating actor, whose career continues to evolve in exciting and unexpected ways, including his bold choices with recent projects like Magic Mike, Killer Joe, Bernie and Mud. Humanizing Heroes: Storytelling Beyond Sports – The leading authorities behind some of today’s most notable sports films, Connor Schell (ESPN Films), Ken Rodgers (NFL Films) and Ross Greenburg (Ross Greenburg Productions), discuss the evolution of storytelling in sports filmmaking, its influence on pop culture and its continued resonance across all cultures and backgrounds. Bates Motel: Story to Screen with Carlton Cuse – In a Special Event combining the SXSW Film Festival and Conference in one, attendees will get an exclusive first look at the pilot of Bates Motel, the thrilling new series from A&E. Following the screening, Executive Producer Carlton Cuse (Lost) will sit down with A&E Marketing EVP Guy Slattery for an inside look and Q&A on the process for bringing this contemporary prequel to life. Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop – Jeffrey Tambor continues the tradition of his much loved acting and life workshop by returning to SXSW Film 2013. Part one-man show, part seminar, part question and answer and endlessly entertaining, Jeffrey’s hilarious and empowering presentation inspires the viewer to discover the artist within.
Ryan Gosling hasn’t saved any lives on the streets of New York lately, or gotten the bottom of the whole Area 51 aliens debate that we know he’ll solve one day. So, in the mean time, let’s take a look at these Wait! What? Internet reports that he almost became a member of the Backstreet Boys . Gosling was a member of the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Club in the mid-1990s — along with Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake — and he did inspire a coloring book last year, so it’s not much of a leap to imagine him wearing lightning-bolt sideburns and an all-white ensemble and using his hands demonstratively as he sings. The thing is, if you look at the Celebuzz video clip that started the blogosphere a-humming, at no point does Gosling say that he wanted to be part of the boy band. Ryan Gosling Talks Backstreet Boys Based on my minimal experience interviewing Gosling, the actor is adept at using his well-developed sense of humor to disarm and even befuddle reporters and junketeers who get him in the hot seat. The only thing Gosling really says in the clip below is that, during his Mickey Mouse Club days, he lived in the same apartment complex as Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean , who was talking about starting the band. The rest of Gosling’s spiel seems to be a self-deprecating riff on how wrong he was that the Backstreet Boys wouldn’t make it. And then there’s the telling last line of his interview: “I don’t know what they’re doing. I try not to think about it,” Gosling says. Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean Talks Ryan Gosling Those comments are now being interpreted as an indication that Gosling almost joined the band, thanks, in part, to the artful comments of McLean, who added some fuel to the fire in this interview with TMZ , and revealed that he and Gosling work out at the same gym. (They must use different trainers.) To that I can only say, if you were a nostalgia act at 35, you’d want a little bit of Gosling’s heat to rub off on you, too. Ryan Gosling’s Interview Skills Surpass Backstreet Boys’ Dance Moves As further proof that Gosling is really talented at using humor to manipulate an interview, I submit this video of the actor charmingly dominating MSN TV ‘s James Rocchi. His moves are way more advanced than anything the Backstreet Boys ever busted onstage. [Celebuzz, TMZ , MSN ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Oh, that Arnold Schwarzenegger . Even taking on the infamous Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) , the ex-Governator did things the Arnold way . From pimping his action movie comeback The Last Stand to delighting the internetz with handwritten (via iPad) quips and quotes (” It’s not a tumor! — Arnold “) to taking the briefest of political detours as he set fanboy hearts a’flutter, Schwarzenegger proved he’s still got what it takes to charm the fickle masses. (We’ll see if they vote this weekend where it really counts: At the box office.) Arnold, who returns to the big screen in Korean director Kim Jee-Woon’s contemporary Western The Last Stand this Friday, on which directors he’d still love to work with : “I would like to work with Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg . Also Sam Raimi would be great to work with.” Regrets — I think we can imagine Arnold has a few. But can you guess his greatest regret of all? “I most regret not doing The Rock . I love the movie, and it turned out well. When it was offered to me there was only an 80 page script with a lot of handwriting and scribbles and it didn’t seem fully baked. But they obviously did a fantastic job.” You know, typing on a keyboard can be so cumbersome. (Plus, anyone’s assistant/intern/publicist can do it on their behalf… just sayin’.) So Arnold took to his iPad to bang out some handwritten AMA answers in glorious Arnold cursive. Like this confirmation that the already-confirmed Twins sequel is indeed happening : The eternal question: ” Is it a tumor? ” Of course, the former California governor had to balance things out with some politi-speech real talk about the Republican party : “The most important thing is that we need to be a party that is inclusive and tolerant. We can be those things and be the party we always have been. We need to think about the environment — Teddy Roosevelt was a great environmentalist and people forget Reagan was the one who dealt with the ozone layer with the Montreal protocol. We also need to talk about healthcare honestly — Nixon almost passed universal healthcare. We need to have an talk about immigration and realize you can’t just deport people. We need a comprehensive answer. We also need to stay out of people’s bedrooms. The party that is for small government shouldn’t be over-reaching into people’s private lives. Mainly, we need to be a party where people know what we are for, not just what we are against.” …but he brought it back around to the important stuff : Would you rather fight 100 duck sized Predators or 1 Predator sized duck? “I would choose the 1 Predator sized duck instead of dealing with 100 duck-sized Predators. I’ve already fought a Predator-sized Predator so I am confident I could handle the duck.” [via Reddit ] Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Rihanna did a set of seven covers for the latest issue of Complex , celebrating her seven albums. And as you can see, they turned out pretty good, but next time they might want to consider letting Rihanna be her own photographer. I’ve seen her work on Instagram , and her portfolio is very impressive . Related Articles: Rihanna Has Paris Hilton Boobs Rihanna’s Got Milk Rihanna Knows How to Get Me Going Rihanna’s Breasts Might Be A Little Cold
