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Samuel L. Jackson: A Snakes on the Plane Sequel “Would Be Bigger Than Original”

Roger Friedman
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Samuel L. Jackson: A Snakes on the Plane Sequel “Would Be Bigger Than Original”

The great Samuel L. Jackson is known for many films, but his all time stand out cult hit is “Snakes on a Plane.” Rarely has a bad film been so enjoyable. At this week’s premiere of Wong Kar Wei’s “The Grandmaster,” Jackson and I speculated about a sequel to “Snakes.” Jackson said, “A sequel would be bigger now than the original. Because no one knew the original. Now they’d be up for it and expecting a lot.” He’s right. There are two ways a sequel could go, he agreed. “Either Rats on a Plane, or Snakes on a Train. Or both!” As yet, no one has proposed either except for us.

Jackson wasn’t the only major name at “The Grandmaster” premiere. Susan Sarandon, Oscar winner and ping pong magnate, showed up to see the most lyrical, imaginative and poetic martial arts movie ever made. She and Jackson were each very interested in spending time with the director as well as stars Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang. Famous fashion designer Anna Sui installed herself at the head of a main table at Royalton restaurant ’44’ and accepted visitors, which was pretty weird. Natasha Lyonne and the very odd Judah Friedlander were among the guests.

But mostly people couldn’t stop talking about “The Grandmaster,” which will be Hong Kong’s entry for the Academy Awards this year. Wong Kar Wai has made probably his best and most expressive film, a masterpiece that will startle martial arts fans. It is not violent. And in its third section, martial arts all but give way to a romantic aspect and a history lesson. That’s because “The Grandmaster” traces the history of Bruce Lee’s teachers up to his introduction. It may be the most exciting action adventure film of the year. It’s without a doubt the most artistic. “The Grandmaster” opens on August 23rd.

 

Music: Robin Thicke Displaced by Civil Wars, Justin Timberlake Tweets Track List for New Album

Roger Friedman
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Music: Robin Thicke Displaced by Civil Wars, Justin Timberlake Tweets Track List for New Album

Robin Thicke only got one week at number 1 with his “Blurred Lines”album. After a strong number 1 debut last week, “Blurred Lines” was succeeded by a new album from folkish duo The Civil Wars. The latter group has broken up since recording the album. But Adele is their pal and she sent out an endorsement Tweet to her followers. That did the trick. “Blurred Lines” fell 63% in its second week to third place– even though the single remains a massive hit and the song of the summer. Interscope should really get “Ain’t No Hat for That” out as a single, with a great video….

Meantime Justin Timberlake Tweeted out the track list for his “20/20 Experience Part 2” due on September 30th. The songs are: Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want), True Blood, Cabaret, TKO, Take Back the Night, Murder, Drink You Away, You Got it On, Amnesia, Only When I Walk Away, Not a Bad Thing. I’m a little disappointed there’s no “Holy Grail” without Jay Z. But “Take Back the Night” is terrific. Looking forward to this second set.

 

Justin Timberlake – Take Back The Night from Celestine on Vimeo.

Early Look: Joseph Gordon Levitt Addicted to Porn in “Don Jon”

Roger Friedman
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Early Look: Joseph Gordon Levitt Addicted to Porn in “Don Jon”

There are only a handful of reviews for “Don Jon” on Rottentomatoes.com, all from festivals. I was a little suspicious of Joseph Gordon-Levitt writing and directing himself in a first feature about a musclebound nitwit from New Jersey who’s addicted to porn. Right away you think, I’m not sure if I want to see that. Right?

So guess what? “Don Jon” — which has quite a cast including a knockout performance from Julianne Moore and lots of fine turns from star names like Scarlett Johansson, Tony Danza, and Glenne Headley — is quite the success. You wouldn’t think a movie about masturbation, complete with crumpled tissues, would be much good. Or that you might describe it as “sweet.” But JGL has done exactly the right things– he’s made a bunch of eccentrics incredibly likable.

JGL plays Jon, who is basically into cars, women, working out and porn. (He also loves cleaning his own apartment.) He cannot stop watching porn. He says real sex doesn’t measure up, and he has plenty of real sex with babes he picks up at clubs. His parents– Danza and Headley–worry about his lack of a relationship. Then he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson, hilarious) for whom he falls head over heels. But she is out to change him, slowly but surely taking everything that makes Jon unique in a non-Jersey Shore way.

Into the mix comes Julianne Moore as Esther. She and Jon meet in night school, where Barbara has sent Jon to improve himself. Moore was cited from Sundance as giving the memorable performance in the film. She’s spectacular in everything she does, so no one is surprised. But there’s a beautiful nuance to her work here. I doubt “Don Jon” will get to the Oscar level. But Moore deserves the Indie Spirit Award without a doubt. She is just lovely.

And that leaves JGL, maybe the future Batman, a star of “Inception.”  He could have played Jon as a dimwit or The Situation, or any number of cliches. He doesn’t. Jon is extremely accessible, learning just enough about himself as the movie proceeds. Plus, JGL’s directing is fluid, and he gives many scenes to the other actors — in particular Danza and Headley. It was great to see them back on the screen.

So keep an eye out for “Don Jon.” It’s coming in early fall from Relativity. And it’s going to be a big hit on the indie circuit.

Debbie Rowe “Getting Ready for Court” in Michael Jackson Trial

Roger Friedman
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Debbie Rowe “Getting Ready for Court” in Michael Jackson Trial

For the second time in a decade, Debbie Rowe is taking the stand for Michael Jackson. She’ll testify in the Jackson wrongful death trial, as a witness for defendant AEG Live. But as she did in 2005, Rowe will come as a hostile witness, and likely make statements that are damaging to the side that’s called her. She Tweeted yesterday:

AEG’s lawyers may ask her a wider range of questions than in 2005, however, perhaps even trying to ascertain the true biological nature of her children with Jackson. She will also be asked about Jackson’s drug abuse, especially during the time she worked for his Demerol injecting dermatologist, Arnold Klein.

The AEG lawyers may also ask about Rowe’s financial arrangements with Jackson over the years.

Stay tuned…

Angelina Jolie Casts Finn Wittrock in “Unbroken,” Her Second Directing Job

Roger Friedman
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Angelina Jolie Casts Finn Wittrock in “Unbroken,” Her Second Directing Job

EXCLUSIVE Angelina Jolie is starting to cast the players in “Unbroken,” her second directing effort. The film was written by Joel and Ethan Coen, with a polish by William Nicholson (“The Departed”). Jolie, I’m told, has cast Finn Wittrock to join Jack O’Connell in the World War II thriller. O’Connell plays Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by the Japanese forces during the war. Wittrock will play one of the soldiers in Zamperini’s outfit. Wittrock is currently filming “The Normal Heart” for HBO. Two seasons ago on Broadway he played Happy in Mike Nichols’ “Death of A Salesman” with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield. “Unbroken” starts filming in early 2014.

Comedy Legend Carl Reiner Books “Two and a Half Men,” Tweets Love for “The Butler”

Roger Friedman
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Comedy Legend Carl Reiner Books “Two and a Half Men,” Tweets Love for “The Butler”

Keeping up with Carl Reiner isn’t easy– at 90, he’s a busy guy on Twitter. The creator of “The Dick van Dyke Show” (which launched a generation of pop culture on TV thanks to “Mary Tyler Moore” and its offspring) has some announcements and pronouncements. He’s just booked an episode of “Two and a Half Men,” which means we’ll see this comedy genius on the same screen as Ashton Kutcher. (Oh, how I wish Morey Amsterdam could be there with Reiner!)

 

Also, Reiner recently reported a short hospital stay: “No tweets for 1 wk due to food poison .Threw up 20 times- spent 5 days in hospital, Home now. Suggest U turn down tainted food if offered.” And he loved “The Butler”:

 

The Original Story: Ben Affleck Met with Lindsay Lohan In Rehab

Roger Friedman
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The Original Story: Ben Affleck Met with Lindsay Lohan In Rehab

This is funny. TMZ, Access Hollywood, and Yahoo! are all running this story about Lindsay Lohan getting a visit in rehab from Ben Affleck. None of them credit the source, which was this column. So here’s a flashback from August 6th:

Exclusive: I told you last week that Lindsay Lohan was “circling” a role in Ben Affleck’s next directing project, called “Live By Night.” Affleck’s publicist emailed me to say that I was lying and everything I wrote was untrue.

Now I can tell you that Affleck actually visited Lindsay in rehab on one of her Sunday visiting days. They did talk about “Live by Night” and the part of Emma. This is from a different source than the first one, and it was just a coincidence that they each spoke to me. Affleck’s publicist now adds: “It’s still not true. She hasn’t been considered for any role and won’t be in the movie.”

Oh well. I disagree. I don’t know why there’s such reluctance to confirm this. Ben put Blake Lively on the map with “The Town.” Offbeat casting often works out. And no one says Lindsay Lohan can’t act. If she’s clean and sober, she’ll be great. And Affleck, who’s one of the nice guys, knows that rehab can work. He did it in 2001 for alcohol and came out a winner.

http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/08/06/exclusive-ben-affleck-visited-lindsay-lohan-in-rehab-to-talk-about-movie-role

Lady Gaga and Cher Together: More “Leaked” But this One’s a Hit

Roger Friedman
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Lady Gaga and Cher Together: More “Leaked” But this One’s a Hit

Great pop dance record. Lady Gaga’s daily unreleased track! The song is written by Lady Gaga with producer RedOne and was intended for Cher’s upcoming album. But someone leaked the proper version today with both ladies warbling their brains out. Someone had better put this out and fast. It’s a hit, you can really dance to it. It’s so amped I’m having sugar shock. The song is called “The Greatest Thing” and that pretty much describes it. If you like a song with an old fashioned hook, this is it.
PS The finished track will only appear on Cher’s new album, not on Gaga’s ARTPop. And it only has Cher’s vocals. Gaga isn’t on it.

Sony Takes Another Hit: “Elysium” Falls to Number 2 on Monday Behind So-So Comedy

Roger Friedman
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Sony Takes Another Hit: “Elysium” Falls to Number 2 on Monday Behind So-So Comedy

Sony took another hit or two today with some bad news about “Elysium”: on Monday night the Matt Damon sci fi flick finished second to Warner Bros.’ much disliked comedy “We’re the Millers.” And that’s not all: after the weekend’s numbers were counted, it turned out “Elysium” did less well than originally thought.

“Elysium” didn’t quite crack the $30 million mark as thought, coming in around $200K short. Neill Blomkamp’s $150 million feature  is shaping up as a box office failure despite excellent marketing and good reviews. That makes it Strike 3 for Sony’s summer of discontent along with “White House Down” and “After Earth.”

Monday is a cruel day because it’s adult night at the movie after a weekend in which kids rule the roost. On Mondays you can tell how movies for adults will do–and in this case, “Elysium” is suffering. On Monday, adults took a chance on a sitcomish comedy with Jennifer Aniston over people in the future living on a floating steering wheel.

Can Larry David Make Rock Group Chicago Hip Enough for Rock Hall?

Roger Friedman
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Can Larry David Make Rock Group Chicago Hip Enough for Rock Hall?

For years fans of Chicago, the horn based ensemble rock group, have struggled with one question: how to get the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Every year the group is omitted from the induction list despite a raft of massively popular hits that are played over and over on classic oldies radio.

Now Larry David, the epitome of hip, has based a whole subplot of his HBO film “Clear History” around Chicago. The result is a soundtrack issued today on Relativity Records which includes “Saturday in the Park,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?,” “If You Leave Me Now,” and “Colour My World.” That doesn’t even include “Beginnings,” “Feeling Stronger Every Day,” “Just You and Me,” “Wishing You Were Here,” “Make Me Smile,” or all the later, poppier hits with Peter Cetera at the center.

Cetera may be the problem. Chicago’s history sort of runs from 1969 to 1975 as the original group, and then post-that with Cetera’s syrupy sound replacing the blue eyed soul and strong brassy horns. But really, Chicago deserves induction just for its first three or four albums. Maybe the Larry David connection will help. It can’t hurt.

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