Forget the Internet users forced to watch a 59-year old receive fellatio on the now-infamous Hulk Hogan sex tape . A lawyer for Bubba the Love Sponge – the DJ accused by this wrestler of leaking the video and facing a lawsuit from his ex-BFF as a result – says there’s only one victim in this case: Bubba the Love Sponge. “I don’t understand how you can sue a victim and I don’t understand how you can sue your best friend,” the attorney tells E! News of Hogan’s recent legal filing . “I’m hopeful we never get served and can work together to find out [what happened with the tape]. I am convinced Bubba had nothing to do with it. And I don’t believe [ Heather Clem ] had anything to do with it. So let’s find that party who has caused harm to everyone. That is our objective, our hope.” On Monday, Hogan filed a $100 million suit against Gawker Media for releasing footage from his sexual escapade, and reportedly is also planning to hit Bubba with a lawsuit – but this lawyer says he hasn’t received any documents yet. Hogan served as the best man at Bubba’s wedding and is also the godfather to his son. “The reality is that these guys shouldn’t be fighting each other. They should be fighting the person who stole it, released it and those who broadcast it,” concluded the attorney. “I don’t know what his objective is in suing Bubba. We will respond if and when we are served.” Don’t you just hate it when sex tapes get in the way of a long-time friendship?
America’s Next Top Model will reach a milestone next summer. The reality series has been renewed for a 20th cycle and will return to The CW in mid-2013, but with a pretty major twist: Men will actually compete against women this time around! Prepare those looks of Blue Steel, fellas. America’s Next Top Model has been banished to Friday nights by the network and is in the middle of its 19th season. This edition features college students vying for a cash prize and a modeling contract. It also features Tyra Banks, as self-serving an as irritating as ever.
In a sea of lumpy Spandex, half-assed Harry Potter costumes and face paint, Bruce Campbell set quite a sartorial standard at New York Comic-Con on Saturday. The square-jawed actor — who’s currently seen in the USA Network cable TV series Burn Notice but built a hardcore following by playing the character of Ash in Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking 1980s The Evil Dead comic-horror trilogy — wore a beacon-like red tuxedo jacket and complementary black-and-red patent leather shoes. The colorfully candid Campbell was on hand at the Javits Center to draw attention to the remake of Evil Dead that he, Raimi and Rob Tapert are producing. (The three were producers of the original films as well.) Set for an April 12, 2013 release by Columbia Pictures’ Screen Gems division, Evil Dead will mark the feature debut of Uruguayan commercial producer Fede Alvarez and feature young cast that includes Jane Levy ( Suburgatory ) and Jessica Lucas ( Cloverfield). The screenwriters include Raimi and hyper-stylist Diablo Cody ( Juno ). Like the original, the remake is about a group of young friends in a remote cabin who discover The Book of the Dead and, one by one, succumb to its evil. But, as Campbell tells Movieline, the comparisons end there. Read on to find out how the movies will differ, what Campbell really thinks of basketball shorts, actress Jane Levy’s performance, CAA agents and George Lucas’ decision to tweak his Star Wars movies. And if you haven’t seen Panic Attack!, the short film that got Alvaraez the Evil Dead job, it’s posted below. Movieline: Those shoes are something else. Do you own them or did you rent them? Campbell : These are mine, baby. They’re beautiful. It’s Comic-Con. C’mon, let’s step it up! I’m trying to encourage other people who go to Comic-Con: Put on a nice shirt –and pants, too. While you’re at it, could you press your fucking t-shirt? And what you think about the basketball shorts? Should we just get rid of those? I’m trying to class this joint up a little bit. How will Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead compare to the original? Higher quality production, better actors, better special effects and a different telling of a similar story. You’ve still got your five kids and a nasty book in an isolated cabin. Is there an Ash? Nope. There are no similar characters whatsoever. And we wanted that. That was intentional. We didn’t want anything compared to anything. We didn’t want to put any burden on any actor to act like Ash or to imitate him. I hear you turned down a cameo in the movie. Nobody said “yes” or “no” to anything, so that’s false. We discussed it as filmmakers: Would it be worth it? Should we do it? But the tone of the movie is dead serious. It’s not jokey enough. This not a funny movie. If there’s laughter, it’s nervous laughter. There will not be ha-ha laughter. None. It’s a full-on old-school horror movie with make-up effects. Alvarez got this gig because of his short film Panic Attack! That’s what got us started. Fede is a Uruguayan filmmaker. He made commercials, Pepsi commercials. He does Panic Attack! in his spare time. He puts it out there on a lark. It went viral. Three weeks later, he was literally in Spielberg’s office. He met everybody. His agents are CAA now. I can’t get those assholes on the phone. How did he get on Sam Raimi’s radar? Sam was one of his meetings. They liked each other. Sam wanted to develop Panic Attack! into a feature, but that got bogged down. Fede was a big fan of Evil Dead , and so he pitched a story that we all liked. The three of us — myself, Sam Raimi and Rod Tapert — decided to get back involved in this and support this guy. He’s a very smart, talented guy. I mean, he really is too smart for his own good. [A man in basketball shorts walking through the conference room distracts Campbell.] See? Basketball shorts. Would it kill him to put on a pair of pants? I hate how right I am. I’m glad I wore long pants. You were talking about how the Evil Dead remake came to be. So that’s how it was born. It could have gone either way, you know. The guy had never made a feature film before. He’s telling a story longer than a 60-second Pepsi commercial. That’s a big challenge, and he succeeded on many levels. His actors are good and solid and give great balls-to-the-wall performances when they have to. Fede was also very mature about the whole thing. He’s very respectful of the genre. He’s not making fun of it. He’s not punking it — he’s just telling his version of it. And he didn’t over-shoot it. He didn’t over-edit it. It’s such a well-edited movie, and that’s pretty rare. Most movies — the editing sucks. Like, they’ll never hang on a full sentence. They’ll come in halfway through. They’ll cut away after ten seconds. There’s a lot of shitty work out there. Where did you shoot the movie? We shot it in Auckland, New Zealand because we did all the Hercules and Xena shows down there. The Kiwis are top-notch workers; great crew members. So, we just gave Fede all the support that we could possibly give him — a better budget, qualified crew members, good actors. We liked his script and we left him alone. You don’t need to sit over a guy’s shoulder. You turning up on the set would probably be pretty intimidating. I sat in on the auditions, and some of the actors that came in were like, Nyaaaaaa! I felt bad because the idea was not to freak them out. It was to let them know that we’re into it and we’re taking it seriously. And I just think we pulled the right actors. Jane Levy — I’m going to crown her the new Ash myself. She’s got it. She’s got it. You never know, either. We thought she was good in the room, but you get on a film set and what are they like? Are they tough? Are they pussies? Are they assholes? Are they crazy? What were you? Tough. And Jane was a tough little shit, too. Really tough. I asked her in the room: “How are you with extensive special effects for an extensive period of time. Have you ever done that?” No. “Well, do you know what that’s going to be like?” What’s it like? It’s the fucking worst experience you can think of. It’s terrible for your skin. You’re an hour and a half, two hours putting it on. You shoot a 14-hour day, and it’s a hour to take it off. Then you start the whole damn thing over the next day. This goes on for 10 weeks. I wanted to hang myself after those movies. And we pushed every actor to the limit. Jane, we pushed her over the edge. So, she’s the new Ash. You said it, not me. You said you were going to crown her the new Ash. If they want me to crown her, I’ll crown her — because I support her. I’m really impressed with what she did. Could this be a trilogy in the way that the original Evil Dead movies were? Easy, but you have to talk to Fede about that because I don’t know if he would do it. He’s got lots of crazy ideas. I want to go to double bills. The original Evil Dead paired with the remake. It would be a great midnight double bill. Alamo Draft House, Austin, Texas. Lines around the block — I’m telling you. I’ll go introduce it myself. If you could fix anything about the original Evil Dead movies, what would you do? I wouldn’t because that’s pussy filmmaking, man. It is. You see the garden hoses shooting shit? Yep, that’s right! We did the best we could, pal. In 1979, we got the movie in the can for $85,000. You’re going to get what you get. We’re not George Lucas going back to fix our effects. Sorry man, you blew it. You got to get over it. You can’t obsess like that. That’s cheating. What’s next for you? I’m finishing Burn Notice . I’ve been six years on that spy show for USA. It’s been a fun show. That’s my day job, and it eats up seven months out of my life. So the other five months I don’t feel like doing anything. The last break I just worked on developing a bunch of new scripts because you can’t do stuff without scripts. I’ve got three new ideas that I got written up last year. I like all kinds of genres. I want to do a few more little low-budget movies. I love low-budget movies. Are there any recent horror movies that you like right now? I don’t watch movies — it’s the weirdest thing — because I feel like I’m going to work. I see actors looking at their marks. I see them cheating to the camera. I see out -of-focus shit. I see a lousy shot. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
One Million Moms is at it again. The anti-gay organization, which has taken exception to Ellen DeGeneres and The New Normal in the past, is now setting its sights on The Fosters , an upcoming ABC Family series produced by Jennifer Lopez. The drama will center on a multi-ethnic family headed by a lesbian couple. One Million Moms – which has not actually seen the show, of course – is urging folks to write in their objections to the network and have released a statement on their website that reads: A premiere date has not been set, but One Million Moms wanted to sound the alarm about this new series. It will be airing on the network soon unless we do something about it. They are in the beginning stages. ABC Family reported the comedy-drama pilot, working with the title The Fosters, is about two women raising a “21st century,” multi-ethnic mix of foster and biological kids. While foster care and adoption is a wonderful thing and the Bible does teach us to help orphans, this program is attempting to redefine marriage and family by having two moms raise these children together. One Million Moms is not sure how the explanation will be given on how the biological children were conceived. None of this material is acceptable content for a family show. Hollywood is continuing to push an agenda that homosexuality is acceptable when scripture states clearly it is a sin. As Christians, the Bible also says that we must speak up against sin. If we remain silent then we are guilty of sin also. What do you think, THGers? Are you on board with this protest? Or might One Million Moms being overreacting by about one million percent?
This week’s DVD releases include “lesser” but no less entertaining movies by two American mavericks working in their favorite genres: Robert Altman satirizing an American institution with an ensemble cast so large it practically needs the old Cinerama process to get everyone on the screen, and Joe Dante mixing laughs, jolts and teens in peril. HIGH: A Wedding (Anchor Bay; $9.98 DVD) WHO’S RESPONSIBLE: Written by John Considine, Patricia Resnick, Allan Nichols and Robert Altman; directed by Altman; starring Carol Burnett, Lillian Gish, Vittorio Gassman, Mia Farrow, Paul Dooley, Dina Merrill and Lauren Hutton. WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: It’s the wedding day for Dino Corelli (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) and Muffin Brenner (Amy Stryker), but the happy couple don’t steal focus in Altman’s hilarious 1978 follow-up to Nashville . The class divide between the two families — Dino’s related on his mother’s side to the wealthy, snobbish Sloan clan while the nouveau-riche Brenners own a truck stop — provides the crux of the comedy, though all sorts of intriguing subplots, tropical storms, sexual secrets and all-around inappropriate behavior pop up throughout the happy day. With this many farcical goings-on in one huge mansion, it’s no surprise that Altman later turned this script into an opera. WHY IT’S SCHMANCY: While critics often dismiss A Wedding , given that it comes on the heels of the director’s masterpiece, it’s a biting, bracing comedy that ranks among the great screen satires of the 1970s. If you’ve ever been to a big wedding, you know the phenomenon of not knowing who everyone is, and this film requires at least a few viewings before you can nail down all the relationships among the 48 — twice as many as Nashville ’s 24 — characters. You’ll find those viewings to be rewarding, since there are so many hilarious performances and oddball supporting characters that you might miss the first time you watch. WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT (AGAIN): This title was mostly lost in the shuffle for years. It was originally available on DVD only in a 2006 Altman box set with three other titles before becoming a solo release with little fanfare the following year. Now that Anchor Bay is giving A Wedding another go, movie fans who missed this gem in the Altman oeuvre have a chance to check it out. (Extras-wise, there’s but one featurette, and someone needs to release that opera on DVD, too.) LOW: The Hole (Big Air Studios; $14.99 DVD, $20.99 Blu-Ray) WHO’S RESPONSIBLE: Written by Mark L. Smith, directed by Joe Dante; starring Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, Teri Polo, Bruce Dern, Dick Miller. WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: After moving into a new house, brothers Dane (Massoglia) and Lucas (Gamble) discover a trapdoor held shut with a half-dozen padlocks. Consumed by curiosity, they open it, only to find a seemingly bottomless cavern on the other side. They soon realize that the hole knows what you fear most, and with the help of next-door neighbor Julie (Bennett), they fight to overcome their deepest terrors. WHY IT’S FUN: The Hole has that overly-bright look you’ll recognize from cable movies and low-budget direct-to-DVD flicks, but nobody juggles comedy and horror like Dante, the man behind both Gremlins films, The Howling , Piranha and Matinee . Even if he’s working on the cheap, he’s still inventive and funny, and the film offers some effective frights and charming performances (particularly from Bennett and Gamble), all wrapped up in a moral not unlike the one currently being offered up by ParaNorman . WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT (AGAIN): Minimally released in U.S. theaters, it’s more than likely that you missed this one during its all-too-brief run on the big screen. So, this DVD is your only chance to see the movie at all, even if the handful of extras offered here are pretty thin gruel. Alonso Duralde has written about film for The Wrap , Salon and MSNBC.com. He also co-hosts the Linoleum Knife podcast and regularly appears on What The Flick?! (The Young Turks Network) . He is a senior programmer for the Outfest Film Festival in Los Angeles and a pre-screener for the Sundance Film Festival. He also the author of two books: Have Yourself A Movie Little Christmas (Limelight Editions) and 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Advocate Books). Follow Alonso Duralde on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Sahara Davenport, a former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race whose real name is Antoine Ashley, has passed away from unknown causes. He was 27. Logo, the network behind the reality series, confirmed the passing on its Facebook page this morning and released the following statement regarding Davenport: “He was an amazing artist and entertainer who’ll be deeply missed by his Logo family. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, especially his boyfriend Karl [Westerberg], in their time of need.” Westerberg – who competed on season three of the same show as Manila Luzon – released a duet with Sahara in December 2011 of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Davenport was eliminated on the sixth episode of Season 2. “Shocked and heartbroken over @SaharaDavenport,” RuPaul tweeted. “Never occurred to me that we’d ever lose one of our girls. I see them as immortal.”
Please O…none of us want another Perry Produced/Written sitcom. Is it just us or is this a bad move for her and the OWN Network? We’ve got to hand it to Oprah…her network was falling so far in ratings many of us were wondering if OWN would still be on air right now. But with shows like Super Soul Sunday, Oprah’s Lifeclass, Iyanla, Fix My Life, and her Next Chapter interviews, the network was has bounced back and reported numbers in the double-digits this past quarter. So what’s her next step? She’s bringing scripted programming to the network and she’s turned to Tyler Perry…(kill us now). OWN sent out a press release recently and they’ve confirmed that the network has entered into a partnership with Perry, who is set to produce ‘scripted’ material for the channel: Los Angeles, CA – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today an exclusive partnership with Tyler Perry, the award winning actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and producer, to become his singular destination for all new television series and projects, including two new scripted series for the network to premiere in mid 2013. These will be the first original scripted series for OWN and Perry will executive produce, write and direct both series. The announcement comes as OWN’s momentum and ability to draw new viewers continues to grow. The network closed its third consecutive quarter of year-over-year, double-digit ratings gains across primetime and total day in the key women 25-54 demo (+63% and +70% respectively) and saw triple-digit ratings growth in September. Perry’s popular television series “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” “Meet The Browns” and “For Better Or Worse” have been massive hits with record-breaking ratings. Perry had his first foray into television in 2007 with the hit series “House of Payne,” which premiered as cable’s biggest comedy debut ever. The series remained basic cable’s top-rated sitcom only until the premiere of Perry’s second series “Meet The Browns.” “I have been looking forward to the day when we would be in the position to enter the world of scripted television. That day has come,” said Oprah Winfrey, CEO, OWN. “We are all energized by the opportunity to collaborate with Tyler who has a proven track record for producing highly successful cable series. He has an incredible ability to illuminate life stories and characters in his unique voice and inspires and encourages people all over the world.” “It’s a dream realized to partner with Oprah and bring scripted programming to OWN,” stated Perry. “She has accomplished so much with the network and I’m excited to work with her to be a part of its continued growth.” “Bringing Tyler Perry exclusively to OWN is a major coup. Today’s announcement demonstrates the power of the Oprah brand to attract some of the biggest names in television and film to OWN,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications. “OWN’s growth over the past nine months has been nothing short of phenomenal and, with the continued support of our advertising and affiliate Partners, this bold move into scripted entertainment positions OWN to continue that momentum going forward.” What do you think about this collab? Is Oprah trying to reach out to the black community via Perry? And will he step outside of the box and not give us show(s) like House of Payne, Meet the Browns, and For Better or Worse? Images via WENN
Pregnant singer spotted in a gold wedding band, magazine reports. By Kara Warner Adele on the cover of Life & Style Weekly Photo: Bauer Entertainment Network
