Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez are BFFs . And now they have something unfortunate in common. Gomez faced numerous death threats when her relationship with Justin Bieber first went public – and now Swift is undergoing the same disturbing treatment. Taylor was spotted getting cozy with Harry Styles backstage at The X Factor on Thursday. Are they an item? It’s possible. Is hand-holding a valid excuse for threatening the life of a stranger? We don’t believe so, but a few One Direction fans have taken to Twitter and posted such unsettling messages as: “I’ll murder Taylor Swift. She will not date my Harry.” “If u dating my harry, I kill u.” We’re guessing/hoping these are empty threats, but come on people. Access to a keyboard does not give you an excuse to sound like a psychopath.
Wednesday morning’s round of five stories you should know also include a new thriller role for Maria Bello. Skyfall momentum continues in the U.S. box office, passing a threshold. And on the heels of Hollywood recognition, a director’s foreign-language pic is heading to the U.S. 1. Channing Tatum Named Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 How could Tatum not win the 2012 Sexiest Crown after starring in and being the creative force behind box office stripper success Magic Mike ? People magazine gave Tatum the 2012 title. “My first thought was, ‘Y’all are messing with me”I told [my wife] Jenna after we’d been in the bathtub washing our dogs because they’d gotten skunked.” People reports . 2. Jack Nicholson Tapped for Robert Downey Jr.’s The Judge Warner Bros is hoping to court the very picky actor to play Downey’s father. The project will star Downey as a successful attorney who returns to his hometown for his mother’s funeral only to discover that his estranged and Alzheimer’s-stricken father, the town’s judge, is the murder suspect. The man sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before. Nicholson is not a shoe-in. He has made only three movies since 2003, THR reports . 3. Maria Bello Set for James Wan Thriller The story revolves around the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Bello), question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, believed to be haunted. Will Canon ( Brotherhood ) will direct the pic from producer James Wan’s concept. Wan co-created the successful Saw and Insidious franchises. 4. Skyfall Crosses $100M in the U.S. The latest James Bond has been a box office hit overseas and it’s seen its fortunes continue Stateside. It took in $11.3 million on Veterans Day combined with $90 million over the Friday – Sunday weekend, giving it a $101.9 million total. The global come as of Sunday was $518.6 million, Deadline reports . 5. The Deep Heads to U.S. Theaters U.S. rights to Baltasar Kormakur’s The Deep will head to Focus Features. His film Reykjavik-Rotterdam is being re-made into Contraband starring Mark Wahlberg and he is currently directing 2 Guns starring Wahlberg and Denzel Washington. The Deep is Iceland’s foreign-language Oscar submission, Deadline reports .
Also in Thursday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs: Christoph Walt is in talks to star in a Muppets sequel; Kathryn Bigelow ‘s Zero Dark Thirty officially gets new nationwide release; And a Brad Anderson thriller finds a U.S. release. Harrison Ford, Zac Efron Eye You Belong to Me Directed by Rob Reiner, Ford would play a psychiatrist who faces hard times after one of his female patients commits suicide. But he bonds with her brother James (Efron), but the situation becomes complicated when he lets James into his life and he begins seducing his wife and daughter. Rob Reiner will direct, The Wrap reports . Jennifer Garner Eyes Drama Dallas Buyers Club Garner is in talks to star in the drama alongside Matthew McConaughey. The story revolves around a man who was given six months to live after contracting AIDS in 1986, but lived another six years by illegally smuggling medicine into the U.S. and giving drugs to other sufferers too, Deadline reports . Christoph Waltz Eyes The Muppets Sequel Waltz would play an Interpol inspector in the Europe-set comedy. James Bobin who directed the 2011 Muppets film is returning to direct the follow-up, THR reports . Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty Goes Wide in January The Osama bin Laden pic will do awards season qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles on December 19th in order to build word of mouth. It will add markets January 4th before going nationwide on January 11th. The title will now avoid the Christmas crush, including five high-profile roll outs, THR reports . Thriller Eliza Graves Heads to U.S. Theaters Directed by Brad Anderson ( The Machinist ), the movie is about a new physician who arrives to apprentice at a mental institution where he falls in love with a patient under circumstances that are more complicated than they seem. Production begins in 2013, Deadline reports .
Also in Thursday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs: Christoph Walt is in talks to star in a Muppets sequel; Kathryn Bigelow ‘s Zero Dark Thirty officially gets new nationwide release; And a Brad Anderson thriller finds a U.S. release. Harrison Ford, Zac Efron Eye You Belong to Me Directed by Rob Reiner, Ford would play a psychiatrist who faces hard times after one of his female patients commits suicide. But he bonds with her brother James (Efron), but the situation becomes complicated when he lets James into his life and he begins seducing his wife and daughter. Rob Reiner will direct, The Wrap reports . Jennifer Garner Eyes Drama Dallas Buyers Club Garner is in talks to star in the drama alongside Matthew McConaughey. The story revolves around a man who was given six months to live after contracting AIDS in 1986, but lived another six years by illegally smuggling medicine into the U.S. and giving drugs to other sufferers too, Deadline reports . Christoph Waltz Eyes The Muppets Sequel Waltz would play an Interpol inspector in the Europe-set comedy. James Bobin who directed the 2011 Muppets film is returning to direct the follow-up, THR reports . Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty Goes Wide in January The Osama bin Laden pic will do awards season qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles on December 19th in order to build word of mouth. It will add markets January 4th before going nationwide on January 11th. The title will now avoid the Christmas crush, including five high-profile roll outs, THR reports . Thriller Eliza Graves Heads to U.S. Theaters Directed by Brad Anderson ( The Machinist ), the movie is about a new physician who arrives to apprentice at a mental institution where he falls in love with a patient under circumstances that are more complicated than they seem. Production begins in 2013, Deadline reports .
It is no surprise that Oliver Stone is an Obama supporter, but he is giving out equal criticism to both candidates for not discussing climate change in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which lashed the Northeast this week. Stone is promoting his documentary series The Untold History of the United States and a new book. “I was a little disappointed at the third debate when neither of them talked about climate control and the nature of the situation on Earth,” Stone said during an interview with the Huffington Post . “I think there’s kind of a weird statement coming right after … this is a punishment … Mother Nature cannot be ignored. That’s all I thought about.” Stone said that his Showtime documentary miniseries – which tracks the reasons behind the Cold War, President Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan and changes in America’s role since the fall of Communism – has been one of the most arduous projects he’s undertaken, calling it “love work.” The series is accompanied by a book of the same title, co-written by Peter Kuznick, a history professor at American University. Stone spent $1 million of his own money on the $5 million project, which will be shown in ten episodes. “There’s this attitude that we ‘deserve’ to be in charge,” Stone said. “I don’t believe in that … We act as if we have this right of kingship — we act as tyrants.” “We learn the history of the victors,” added Kuznick. “We learn this triumphant version of history, that the United States is the shining city on the hill.” Stone said that The History of the United States may have once aired on PBS, but the public television network has become too scared to take it on. “They’re so politicized they can’t say anything – they’re scared of their own shadow,” he said adding, “”this Pro-American experience type stuff, where it has to be about America and America has to be the point of making the movie.” [ Source: Huffington Post ]
You’re a procrastinator. You waited until the last moment to figure out your Halloween costume, and now you need ideas, fast — preferably ones that will impress your fellow movie nerds. Fear not! Here are 9 easy-ish cinephile-ready costumes inspired by some of this year’s most memorable films… CLOUD ATLAS What do six interconnected characters in six time periods spanning from the 19th century Pacific to the future where Tom Hanks speaks the true-true have in common, despite wildly divergent costumes and fake noses and whatnot? THAT BIRTHMARK. Draw on your own Cloud Atlas comet mark of the Chosen One anywhere – your shoulder, the back of your head, your left butt cheek — and you’re set. The best part: You can literally look like anyone and it still works. Just whatever you do, do not attempt futuristic Asianface . PITCH PERFECT Here’s a group costume for you and 5-6 of your multi-culti friends: Dress campus casual and walk around in a pack all night singing pop songs a cappella and challenging random strangers to riff-offs while shouting Pitch Perfect -isms like “Aca-awesome!” SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS To channel Colin Farrell or any of his eccentric cast mates in Martin McDonagh ‘s madcap crime comedy, all you really need is one key accessory: A Shih Tzu. Carry the pooch around all night and you’re set. Bonus if you do it in a Christopher Walken accent . If you happen to resemble Tom Waits , a white bunny is a lot less costly to procure. THE MASTER Joaquin Phoenix ‘s hunched, feral Freddie Quell can be achieved with just the right attire, posture, and off-kilter touch of insanity. Start with a button-down shirt tucked into pants pulled up to an Ed Grimley-level and slouch your shoulders forward. Carry a few makeshift beakers and jars with you and wherever you go, mix a batch of your special potions from assorted household liquids while pacing and licking windows. And voila ! SKYFALL If you’re a dapper dan who happens to have a Tom Ford fitted suit pressed and hanging in the closet, Halloween’s a cinch: Dress to the nines, grab a Heineken, and spend the evening fixing your cufflink like a boss . PROMETHEUS Don’t have a futuristic space suit lying around the house? No worries, ladies. Strip down to a white bandeau bra and panties, spatter yourself with black creature goop and run around screaming as if there’s a giant space monster right behind you. Lug around a decapitated mannequin head for extra emphasis. You might be cold, but you’ll be the baddest lady in the universe. MAGIC MIKE Fellas can get in on the scantily-clad action too, although the women of the world may prefer it if you have Channing Tatum’s abs and sense of rhythm. Maybe a speedo-vest-cowboy hat combination, a la Matthew McConaughey? Or a g-string, for those who dare? Bring along a boombox and have Ginuwine’s “Pony” queued up. You might even make some cash in the process. THE COMEDY Don your trust-fund hipster polo and boat shoes and walk around making a joke of everything a la Tim Heidecker (of Tim and Eric fame) in the new pic The Comedy ; singing the infectious mantra “No no tip” will really tie the outfit together, although anyone who hasn’t yet seen the movie will just think you’re a giant douche. THE GREY Fish a dirty long-sleeved thermal out of the laundry, smear a few smudges of fake blood on your face, and tape broken minibar bottles to your fists and you’re prepped for action, Liam Neeson-style . Plus: You get to drink the contents of those minibar bottles first, and you’ll be ready for any wolves that may cross your path. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Avril Lavigne’s ex-husband Deryck Whibley and his girlfriend Ari Cooper dressed as Avril and her fiance, Nickelback singer, for Halloween. And cross dressed. Here are some of the weirder celebrity Halloween costumes we’ve seen … Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger got engaged this summer; few knew they were even dating. For Halloween, Deryck was Avril, and Ari was Chad. The above photo was Tweeted. The really funny part? Kroeger saw the pic and Tweeted back to the Sum 41 frontman: “Hey Deryck loved the costumes! we were going to dress up as you guys this year but all the parties had celebrity themes haha! -CK” Deryck Whibley? Served.
Fergie’s been through a lot. In addition to overcoming drug addiction, she and Josh Duhamel have weathered multiple cheating allegations during their nine-year relationship. Fergie on Oprah’s Next Chapter “It was difficult,” she said on Oprah’s Next Chapter, for an interview airing this Sunday on OWN, crediting the hard times for her union’s present strength. “When you go through difficult times, it really makes you stronger as a unit, as a partnership. It does for us, anyways. Our love today is a deeper love, definitely.” “We’re stronger today definitely because of anything difficult that’s happened with us. We deal with it, we communicate; communicating’s the most important thing.” That’s not exactly a denial of Josh cheating with Nicole Forrester , is it? No. But Duhamel joined her on OWN to show how much he loves her. “Obviously I love to watch her perform and I love all the music, and I was attracted to her initially because of… how sexy she was and the hotness,” Duhamel said. “But we haven’t been together for nine years because of that. It’s because she’s, you know… we grew up in very similar ways, you know?” “We’ve both had to work for what we got. We’re both Catholic. There were a lot of things that were really compatible. But at the end of the day, she’s just an amazing girl.” Cute.
Britney Spears’ former “manager” Sam Lutfi is finally getting his day in court. In suing for defamation and money he feels he earned during their partnership – her dark period of 2007-08, not coincidentally, Lutfi is making some shocking allegations: Britney Spears: MTV VMAs 2007 Spears took a massive amount of amphetamines the night she was strapped to a gurney and placed on a 5150 hold, according to Sam Lutfi . On January 28, 2008, Britney had an amphetamine prescription filled; she took 6-8 pills early in the day, and several more later and went off the rails. Lutfi’s lawyer said he tried to get Britney to meet with a psychiatrist days before she was 5150’d, but she refused, despite having been a mess for months prior to that. She certainly was in the throes of a downward spiral throughout 2007. Speaking of … Sam claims he tried to talk Britney out of her disastrous performance at the MTV Awards in 2007 (above), because she was overweight and didn’t rehearse. Spears was so paranoid that her hair contained traces of the hardcore drugs she was using that Britney shaved her head to hide possible “evidence.” Britney was a serious crystal meth addict. Sam’s lawyer, Joseph Schleimer, had a field day yesterday, somehow claiming that his client repeatedly told Britney she needed to get off drugs, to no avail. Schleimer says Sam: Tried to enlist a whole team of people to help her. Brought in a drug-sniffing dog and found meth. Was attacked by Britney’s dad Jamie Spears. Introduced Britney to fiance Jason Trawick . As for Sam’s managerial role, Schleimer says Britney approached HIM and offered 15 percent of her earnings – $800,000 a month when she wasn’t on tour, way more when she was. Britney’s side has yet to respond to these allegations, most of which are patently false and the rest are legally flimsy at best. Good luck proving any of that. How can a hard ass drug addict be competent enough to sign or agree to any financial deal? Isn’t that just undermining your own case there Sam?
