In what seems like a smart move for everyone involved, Disney has hired Edgar Wright ( Scott Pilgrim, Shaun of the Dead ) to direct Johnny Depp in The Night Stalker , a feature remake of the 1972 ABC made for TV movie of the same name and the series spin-off it inspired. The property follows reporter Carl Kolchak, whose investigations into criminal happenings lead him to all manner of supernatural villains; Depp will star as Kolchak, which sounds promising given Wright’s proven track record in genre work, even if it feels like similar stories have come and gone of late with nary a blip (the Vegas-set, vampire-themed Fright Night remake, for one). Despite the commercial disappointment of Scott Pilgrim (which nevertheless, it should be noted, went on to become a cult hit), the film demonstrated Wright’s strength of vision and knack for refreshing, energetic storytelling — qualities woefully lacking in Depp’s last few projects, with the exception of Rango . Even in the well-loved and storied character of Jack Sparrow in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean there was a glint sadly, noticeably missing from Depp’s eyes. Call it passion, or inspiration, or energy; Depp can pull off a starring turn in his sleep, but he’s at his best when paired with directors with strong creative visions. Meanwhile, the Disney gig also seems like a step up for Wright, who co-wrote The Adventures of Tintin and is attached to Ant-Man but has yet to shake off the specter of Scott Pilgrim . But assuming a decent writer is tapped to pen a script, and assuming Disney finds a way to sell it better than it has this season’s big budget pic John Carter , Night Stalker could give all involved a strategic career boost. Fingers crossed! • Disney Taps Edgar Wright To Helm Johnny Depp In ‘The Night Stalker’ Feature Redo [Deadline]
‘If you like a movie, heck, you can call it ‘Dirt,’ ‘ Andrew Stanton says of dropping ‘of Mars’ from the title. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Taylor Kitsch in “John Carter” Photo: Disney After decades in development limbo, the hero of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel, “John Carter of Mars,” will finally find his way onto the big screen with the guidance of director Andrew Stanton . But when he gets there, he’ll have dropped the “of Mars.” After a rather controversial title change, the classic title “John Carter of Mars” became the shortened and genre-neutral “John Carter.” For fans of the original Burroughs novels, this came as a move away from the beloved source materials, and Stanton admitted to MTV News’ Josh Horowitz that the change concerned him initially as well. “At first, I bristled, to be really honest. You can’t control people’s first impressions as much as you’d like,” he said. “There are just a lot of people that assume that it’s this weird astronaut/ space thing when you have ‘Mars’ in the title.” The change took time to accept, but with it, Stanton found a new angle of the story to explore. “Even then, I wasn’t going to be swayed, but then I realized, ‘Wow, the movie’s really about a guy that becomes John Carter of Mars,'” Stanton said. “I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but then I sort of thought, ‘All right, so now that actually makes sense. Maybe I can pull something that I haven’t seen people do in a movie before.’ ” But what’s in a name? Stanton said that if he made a movie people can love, then not much. “My feeling is, if you like a movie, heck, you can call it ‘Dirt,’ and they’ll call it whatever for the rest of the time it exists,” Stanton said. The title change was among Disney’s several marketing choices that took heat from fans. But Stanton said he understands the challenge of marketing one of his unorthodox films, like his last movie, “WALL-E.” “Disney’s been changing hands, so it’s been a little bit of all hands on deck, but I feel we’re finally in good hands and we’re settling in,” Stanton said. “It’s not like anything else exactly. I’m used to giving Disney movies that they’re not used to selling, so I knew it would be a bumpy road, to be fair to them.” What do you think of Disney’s decision to drop “of Mars” from the title? Leave your comment below!
Join Josh Horowitz and Christina Garibaldi with your favorite celebs, starting 5 p.m. Sunday on MTV.com. By Kevin P. Sullivan Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images MTV News has been your go-to source for everything Oscars leading up to the big night, and when it comes time to hand out the Academy Awards, we’ll be right in the center of the action to bring you what you need. MTV News’ Josh Horowitz and Christina Garibaldi will come to you live from the red carpet outside the Kodak Theater this Sunday, February 26, talking to the stars, bringing you the fashion and celebrating all things Oscars. The live stream from the red carpet will begin on MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT and run right up until the beginning of the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET. To join the live conversation, tweet @MTVNews with the hashtag #Oscars to share your thoughts and ask questions of your favorite celebs. During the two and a half hours of coverage, you’ll be sure to hear from not only the nominees, but the rest of Hollywood’s biggest stars. MTV News will be your one-stop shop for the biggest stars on Hollywood’s biggest night. In the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards, MTV News has had everything you need to know heading into Oscar night. Every day, we will be bringing you new predictions and analysis of the awards show and giving you all the inside info to take home the pot in your Oscar pool. It all starts live on MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT. The MTV Movies team has the 2012 Oscars covered! Stick with us for everything you need to know leading up to the awards show, and on Sunday, February 26, tune into MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET for our two-and-a-half-hour red-carpet live stream and updates on the night’s big winners. To join the live conversation, tweet @MTVNews with the hashtag #Oscars. Related Videos 2011 Oscars Red Carpet Interviews Related Photos 2011 Academy Awards Red Carpet
21 sets a new high mark for post-Grammy sales. By Gil Kaufman Adele at the 2012 Grammys Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Adele is starting to make this look a little too easy. And also, who out there doesn’t own 21 already? After all, they’ve had a full year to get their act together. In the same week that she celebrates 52 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, all of them spent in the top 10, the singer set yet another high-water mark when she notched the biggest sales week yet following her Grammy Awards comeback . In the wake of her six-for-six night at the awards show, Adele rolled up her biggest sales week to date, moving 730,000 copies, more than doubling her previous high mark of 399,000 for the week ending December 25, 2011, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. The last album to sell more copies in a single week before Adele’s big jump was Lil Wayne , whose Tha Carter IV moved 964,000 in August 2011. To put her giant leap into perspective, in her 52nd week on the charts, Adele moved the third-highest amount of product of any artist in the past year, surpassed only by Lady Gaga ‘s Born This Way (1.1 million) and Weezy, and coming in ahead of highly anticipated chart bows by Drake (631,000), Coldplay (447,000), Jay-Z and Kanye West (436,000), Lady Antebellum (347,000), Beyonc
MTV News’ resident Lohan defender explains how returning to ‘Saturday Night Live’ may be the first step in her career comeback. By John Mitchell Lindsay Lohan Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images I’ve long been a defender of Linsday Lohan . I root for her success and am eternally hopeful — and thus often disappointed — that she will get it together. When people slam her, mock her long, long list of troubles , I can always be called upon to email them a link to Robert Downey Jr.’s biography, which has many parallels to Lohan’s but differs because it also contains the phrase “.357-caliber Magnum handgun.” Downey’s list of troubles easily eclipses Lohan’s (at this point, anyway), but he managed to fully recover and go on to become one of the biggest stars on the planet, starring in enormous box-office hits like “Iron Man” and “Sherlock Holmes” and earning Oscar nominations for films like “Tropic Thunder.” She’s not entirely out of the woods just yet, but she’s been earning “glowing” reports on her probation progress and was recently announced as the host of “Saturday Night Live” on March 3. A series of good signs and the first truly positive news out of Camp Lohan in a long time. When word of Lohan’s hosting stint on “SNL” was announced, I was incredibly pleased. For many reasons, it seems like a smart move, and if she pulls it off, it could be the first step (of many necessary steps) toward a real career comeback. Here’s why:
The Academy Awards are not a contest, the humble nominees might demur, taking the high road through the gory scrum that is awards season. But do you really think, say, Glenn Close wouldn’t cut a bitch for an Oscar? Alas, the odds are against her, literally; online books have her at as much as 100:1 odds to win her first statuette for Albert Nobbs . Take a peek at how the internet’s enterprising bookies have handicapped the 84th Academy Award nominees and adjust your bets accordingly. Oscar wagering is, of course, a natural byproduct of Hollywood’s biggest night. After all, for some folks the Academy Awards are the sporting event of the season, and this Sunday is moviedom’s Super Bowl – the night our nation gathers around the tube to watch favored players, decked out in uniforms of black tie and couture, nodding gamely at the competition along the red carpet while hoping to be the one holding the hardware aloft in triumph at the end of the night. So whether or not you play along at home with your own Oscar pool or go in for the big bets, these odds should give you an extra leg up on predicting this weekend’s winners. This year the odds made by the experts line up for the most part with the prognostications of the awards watchers who contribute to the Gold Derby Oscar handicap (including Movieline’s S.T. VanAirsdale, whose latest Oscar Index can be found here ). That said, who among us isn’t rooting for at least one or two upsets on the big night? The Artist has had a lock on Best Picture for months, and odds reflect the near-certainty that it’ll take home top honors. Running a distant second, according to the bookmakers and the pundits, is The Descendants , while Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the near-unanimous choice among betmakers and pundits for last place. Best Picture (Best odds selected from multiple sites via Oddschecker.com.) 1/9 The Artist 28-1 The Descendants 25-1 The Help 25-1 Hugo 50-1 War Horse 100-1 Midnight in Paris 100-1 Moneyball 100-1 Tree of Life 100-1 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Likewise, put money on The Artist ’s Michel Hazanavicius to win Best Director (1/6 at Bodog.com) and you won’t get much on a win, but bet on Terrence Malick (66-1 at Ladbrokes) and the dark horse could pay-off handsomely. A little more excitement is to be had in the Best Actor category, where favorite Jean Dujardin is fending off George Clooney in a close-ish race. And over in Best Actress, the ladies are duking it out in the more exciting category of the season, where Viola Davis reigns over Meryl Streep but a winning wager on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ’s super, super dark horse Rooney Mara could be huge (303-1 at Betfair). Meanwhile, the pundits and the betting experts differ the most in Best Animated Feature, where the clear favorite is Rango ; Oscar watchers betting with their hearts and minds (and knowledge of Academy voting habits) peg Puss in Boots and A Cat in Paris as the likeliest winners behind Rango , but betmakers put the odds on Chico & Rita in the case of an upset. Want less predictability in your Oscar betting game? You can also bet on which designer will be worn by the Best Actress winner (odds in favor of Stella McCartney, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent). For a full look at the odds on the Oscars in multiple categories, head to Oddschecker . [ Oddschecker , Gold Derby ]
The years since Lohan’s last ‘Saturday Night Live’ hosting gig have been filled with turmoil. By John Mitchell Lindsay Lohan Photo: FilmMagic For the first time in a long time, the universe seems to be working in Lindsay Lohan’s favor. The actress has been confirmed as host of the March 3 episode of “Saturday Night Live” and has reportedly booked the role of film legend Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime movie “Liz and Dick.” Recently, she’s been lying low and working to finish the community service she was sentenced to following numerous probation violations relating to past DUI arrests and charges she shoplifted a necklace from a Venice, California, boutique in early 2011. Her most recent probation progress reports from Los Angeles Superior Court judge Stephanie Sautner have been “glowing,” and there’s been some indication she may even be on track to complete the requirements of her probation early, according to Radar . Lohan last hosted “SNL” in April 2006. She’s hosted the legendary sketch-comedy show three times, receiving mostly positive reviews for her stints on the show. But a lot has happened to the starlet in the years since. Let’s take a look at where she was when she last hosted the show and the turbulent years since. When Lindsay Last Hosted ‘SNL’ When Lohan last graced the famous Studio 8-H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, she was promoting her star vehicle “Just My Luck” and the Robert Altman-directed “A Prairie Home Companion.” Lohan received a career-high paycheck of $7 million for the rom-com, which was helmed by Donald Petrie, who was working in the genre that brought him great success with “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Miss Congeniality.” The role was intended to be the bridge that carried Lohan from her child-star past into adult roles but failed to catch fire at the box office, grossing a disappointing $17 million. While it didn’t perform particularly well in theaters either, “Companion” earned warm reviews and, importantly, landed the actress accolades from two of the film industry’s most respected veterans, the late Altman, the legendary director of “MASH,” “Nashville,” “Short Cuts” and “Gosford Park,” and Meryl Streep, who complimented Lohan’s acting skills in W magazine, saying, “She’s in command of the art form” and “completely, visibly living in front of the camera.” While trouble was brewing in her personal life at the time, with rumors of drug use, hard partying and eating disorders already plaguing the then-19-year-old actress, Lohan still had some of the most highly esteemed people in her industry rushing to her defense. Later that same year, she earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of the sprawling cast of “Bobby.” Just a month after her “SNL” appearance, concerns about her partying came to a head when she was hospitalized on the set of “Georgia Rule.” Her reps claimed “she was overheated and dehydrated,” but Morgan Creek Productions executive James G. Robinson famously called her bluff and did so very publicly, penning a letter that was quickly made public calling the actress “irresponsible and unprofessional” and stating, “We are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called ‘exhaustion.’ ” The actress soldiered on, but not for long. In January 2007, production on her much-maligned and financially unsuccessful film “I Know Who Killed Me” was suspended when she entered the hospital to have her appendix removed and again less than a month later when she entered the Wonderland Center, a lavish treatment facility for substance abuse that caters to a celebrity clientele. It was the first of several court-ordered and voluntary stays in rehab. Soon after, she withdrew from a planned film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “A Woman of No Importance” and was released from the independent film “The Edge of Love” after the director was not able to secure insurance for Lohan to star. Lohan’s Legal Troubles Begin The tumult that has plagued Lohan since early 2007 is as well-publicized as it is seemingly endless. For all intents and purposes, the legal troubles that continue to plague the actress really began in May 2007, when she was arrested for driving under the influence. We’ve briefly catalogued those troubles below: May 26, 2007 : Lohan is arrested after crashing her Mercedes into a shrub and curb in Los Angeles at 5:30 a.m. and is charged with misdemeanor DUI. She immediately re-enters rehab, this time at Promises Treatment Center in Malibu. July 24, 2007 : The actress is again arrested for DUI , this time following a brief car chase through Santa Monica. When police search Lohan, she is found to have a small amount of cocaine in her pocket. People reports that she was wearing an alcohol-detection ankle bracelet at the time of her arrest and was booked for DUI, possession of cocaine, transporting a narcotic into a custody facility and driving on a suspended license. In August, Lohan reaches a plea deal that includes one day in jail (though she ultimately only serves 84 minutes), 10 days of community service, completion of an 18-month alcohol-education program, hundreds of dollars in fines and 36 months of probation. February 2008 : Lohan re-creates Marilyn Monroe’s famous “Last Sitting” in a controversial photo shoot for New York magazine. Unable to secure acting roles, reportedly because production companies can’t afford the high cost of insuring her, she launches a line of leggings, 6126 (Monroe’s birthday), and a spray-tan line, Sevin Nyne, in collaboration with Sephora. October 16, 2009 : Lohan is more than an hour late to a probation hearing in Beverly Hills for a progress review on her two DUI cases and receives another year of probation due to failure to complete alcohol-education classes as required. June 8, 2010 : A judge issues an arrest warrant for Lohan after she violates a court order to not consume alcohol while wearing a SCRAM alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet. The warrant is recalled after she posts $200,000 bail. July 6, 2010 : Lohan is sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in rehab for violating her probation in her DUI cases. July 20, 2010 : The actress is taken into custody to begin her jail term. She serves only 14 days of the 90-day sentence due to overcrowding and is taken immediately to UCLA Medical Center to begin her court-ordered rehab. She is again released early and permitted to continue her treatment on an outpatient basis. September 24, 2010 : Having failed a drug test, Lohan’s trial is revoked and she spends a day in jail before being released on bail. A few days later, she is sent on justice sequence to the Betty Ford Center, where she remains for three months. February 9, 2011 : Barely free for a month, Lohan is charged with a burglary after walking out of a Venice, California, boutique with a $2,500 necklace still around her neck. She pleads no contest, but as any violations of the law constitute a violation of her probation, she is sentenced to 120 days in jail, 360 hours of community service at a Los Angeles women’s shelter and 120 hours service at the L.A. County morgue. Due to jail overcrowding, she serves house arrest instead, wearing a tracking ankle monitor for 35 days. While underneath house arrest, her monitoring bracelet detects trace amounts of alcohol in her system, which under further investigation are not deemed a probation violation, so she receives no additional punishment. October 19, 2011 : After Lohan fails to complete her court-ordered community service, Judge Sautner revokes the actress’ probation and sends her to jail, telling the actress that if she wants to stay out of a corrections facility, she needs to complete 16 hours of community service at the morgue before her next hearing. She is again sentenced to jail November 7, this time for 30 days, but is released after just a few hours due to overcrowding. Following her latest brush with the law, the actress seemed to decide that enough was enough. She’s reportedly been diligent about completing her community service so she can get back to work as an actress and has received positive notices from the judge. Rumored to be experiencing financial difficulties due to her inability to work, Lohan accepted a $1 million deal to pose for the January issue of Playboy. Her photo shoot for the men’s magazine was, unsurprisingly, inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s shoot for the same mag. The issue was released early after the photos leaked online and was enormously successful, reportedly even selling out in some markets . Lohan’s March 3 appearance on “Saturday Night Live” will be her first acting gig since Robert Rodriguez’s 2010 film “Machete.” Are you rooting for Lindsay’s comeback? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Lindsay Lohan: Crime And Punishment Related Photos The Highs And Lows Of Lindsay Lohan Related Artists Lindsay Lohan
It must feel so great to be the only one out of all those girls he’s been chopping down to get a ring… According to Page Six reports : Jessica Biel showed off what appeared to be her engagement ring during a “Saturday Night Live” afterparty in New York, according to a new report. It is thought to be the first time the 29-year-old actress has been seen wearing the ring since she got engaged to her long-term boyfriend, 31-year-old Justin Timberlake, over the Christmas holidays, People reported. Biel and Timberlake were “very lovey all night and kissed a few times” during a party Saturday at Ristorante Asellina, a source told the magazine. “Bridesmaids” and “SNL” star Kristen Wiig and actress Amy Poehler, who were also at the party, “loved the ring and chatted [Biel] up about it,” the source added. The couple dated on and off for about four and a half years. They split up in March 2011 amid rumors that Timberlake, a six-time Grammy winner, had a fling with actress Olivia Munn. They reconciled a few months later, and Timberlake reportedly proposed in late December during a trip to Wyoming. We’re sure whatever Justin gave her, it has to be better than Derek Jeter’s “gift.” Photo Credit: WENN More On Bossip! Breezy And His Boo Thang Hit The Beach… Do You Believe She’s Not Threatened By His RihRih Reunion? Happy Birthday, MJ! A Gallery Of Iconic Michael Jordan Images Through The Years From Baller To Hole-y Jeans Lover You’re Fired!: Check Out The Wild Card Stars On This Season’s “Celebrity Apprentice” We Saw The Signs: Couples We Knew Were Doomed To Fail Before Even They Did
Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Kristen Wiig, Michael Winship, Paul Feig, Rachel Dratch, Terence Winter at 2012 Writers Guild East Coast Awards at BB King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. Hollywood.TV was on the red carpet to interview all the stars of the night! “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
Amanda Peet, Zooey Deschanel, David Benioff, Amy Poehler, Eric Roth, Kaui Hart Hemmings, Tate Taylor, Brenda Strong, Matthew Weiner, Vince Gilligan, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, Alexander Payne at 2012 Writers Guild West Coast Awards at The Hollywood Palladium. Hollywood.TV was on the red carpet to interview all the stars of the night! “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
