Alexander Payne, who hasn’t directed a movie in the five years since Sideways became a breakout sleeper comedy and turned “merlot” into a bad word (and won him a screenplay Oscar), recently announced he’ll serve as guest director of the 2009 Telluride Film Festival. By tapping Payne for the post previously held by the likes of author Salman Rushdie and documentarian Werner Herzog, festival organizers are sending the signal that they’re interested in taking the Labor Day event in a younger, hipper direction. The selection of films to be screened at the festival, including those selected by Payne, won’t be announced until shortly before opening day on Sept. 4.
Archive: June 2009 (21-30 of 41)
Jun 15
2009
10:37 PM ET
'Sideways' maestro Alexander Payne to be 'guest director' of Telluride Film Festival
- Comments +
- Add comment
Jun 15
2009
08:40 PM ET
Robert Pattinson: On the scene at his New York movie shoot (sans vampires)
Robert Pattinson’s new movie, which is tentatively titled Remember Me, began filming in New York City this afternoon. As an exasperated crew member was overheard complaining, “They might as well call it Paparazzi and ‘Tweens, ’cause there’s more of us than them!” It was a fair statement considering how the crowd had swelled substantially (a rough estimate of 200) outside of NYU’s Silver Center of Arts & Science, after fans had texted and called their friends to get to downtown Manhattan, like, omigod, right now!
The scene in question was of Pattinson (wearing a plaid shirt and donning those now-trademark sunglasses between takes) walking down the street while talking to a friend, smoking a cigarette, and holding a cup of coffee (he’s versatile!). During one scene, the actor who plays Pattinson’s friend mockingly yelled, “Have a good day, sweetheart!” as he walked away.
Oh, how the hundreds of girls who lined Washington Square Park would have loved to yell that to the Twilight star — though the couple of “I love you Robert!”s and “I love you Edward!”s that squeaked in will inevitably make for some tough sound editing. Members of the mostly young, female crowd, some of whom had skipped school and arrived at the scene as early as 9 a.m. to watch their beloved Pattinson, said they had been tipped off by onlocationvacations.com. While the crowd mostly kept calm during filming, once the movie broke for lunch, a flood of girls chased Pattinson as he was escorted to his next location. So will this wreak havoc on Remember Me‘s fliming or will the cast and crew simply have to up the security/location ante?
Jun 15
2009
03:21 PM ET
Megan Fox Q&A: Her comic-book obsession, her raging libido, and more...
On her recent statements against Disney, for Olivia Wilde, and about her raging libido.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You recently were quoted saying “F— Disney” for how they handled the Miley Cyrus blow-up about her Vanity Fair photo. Did you regret that?
MEGAN FOX: No, when I said ‘F— Disney!’, I f—ing meant that! Because I was defending Miley Cyrus and all these young kids that they basically enslave and then basically s— on when something goes wrong publicly. The fact that they made Miley Cyrus apologize publicly for a photograph that she took with Annie Leibovitz is outrageous. They should have had a Disney rep on the set who was watching over it, because it’s Annie Leibovitz. She’s known for doing a certain kind of photography. And they didn’t. And that’s their fault. To force a 14- or 15-year-old girl to come out and apologize like she’s done something wrong is not acceptable. If you ever watch the Disney Channel, they’re selling sex. All the girls on these shows have on full Pussycat Doll makeup, they’re wearing tight-ass leather pants, and they’re dressed up like these little cupcakes. So what they do on their network is so much worse than what Annie Leibovitz did, which was a beautiful photograph.
What about when you said, ‘I have the libido of a teenage boy’?
I don’t think that’s true. I mean, I think within a certain relationship I can be extremely sexual, but at the same time, because I’m a loner, once I’m alone, I can go weeks, months, forever without a boyfriend and be perfectly fine. So I don’t think I’m a sex addict, no.
What about when you came out and announced that you wanted to sleep with actress Olivia Wilde?
She’s completely gorgeous and I would totally date her. But come on, she’s married!
Do you know her?
I’ve met her. And I basically apologized if I embarrassed her when I said that. She said she thought it was funny. I just think she’s beautiful and very interesting looking. I just love her.
On the rigors of shooting a Michael Bay film like Transformers:
What was the hardest part of making Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen?
The physicality of it. We shot for over a hundred days and there was not one day of shooting that we didn’t run. We were running all day, every day. And I was in five-inch pumps and motorcycle boots. It’s physically daunting. I know that sounds ridiculous, because you’re making a movie, but it really is hard.
People say Michael Bay is more interested in explosions and special effects than his actors. True?
That’s true. He thinks it’s funny to put his actors through Navy Seal boot camp to make a movie. And it’s not even necessary for the job! It amuses him.
So he’s kind of sadistic?
100 percent!
And you made fun of Shia LaBeouf because he was studying his lines on the set?
Yeah, he was pacing back and forth and taking it really seriously, and I said, ‘We’re making Transformers 2! Have you even read the script? What else do you need to do?’ But it was really smart on his part because he was trying to find truth in what was on the page. And if that page isn’t good, then it’s the actor’s job to make it good. So he was doing his job; I was not.
On her upcoming horror comedy, written by EW columnist Diablo Cody:
Tell me about your next film, Jennifer’s Body…
I don’t even know what genre to call it. It’s like a horror, dark, inappropriate comedy — a throwback to Heathers and Jawbreaker. It’s a movie about how scary teenage girls can be.
Sounds like you didn’t have trouble researching that one…
Right, exactly. The basic story is that this rock band sold their souls to get a record deal and they need to do a virginal sacrifice. And they come to a small town and they pick me out because I’m a 16-year-old and they think that surely a 16-year-old from a small town is a virgin. But in reality, I’m a huge slut. And they sacrifice me and it goes wrong. And I’m taken over by a demon and I have to feast on flesh and I start eating boys to stay alive. And it’s also about this friendship between me and my best friend, who is this homely girl, which Amanda Seyfried is not, but they make her look that way. And we have a pseudo-lesbian, f—ed-up, twisted friendship that is caught in the middle of all this insanity that is going on.
That sounds kind of awesome.
It’s the best script I’ve ever read. I hope it turns out good. Diablo is a twisted mind.
On her comedy chops:
Do you think there’s a double standard between men and women in this industry?
Totally. If you’re billed as a comedian, people will accept anything you say as light-hearted and not with intent behind it. But if you’re supposed to be a serious actor, which for some reason I’m expected to act like, people expect me to take myself seriously and not have a sense of humor. So they don’t read what I say as a joke.
Do you think you would be a good comedic actress?
Yes.
If you got a Judd Apatow script, do you think you could knock it out of the park?
Completely. Yes. I’m completely confident in that, yes.
On being a comics nerd:
You’re really into comic books, how did pick up that habit?
My sister used to collect comics when I was a kid, so I got obsessed with it through her. And I really like to draw so I’m obsessed with with a lot of the artists that do comic books. It’s just a good world. It makes me feel good. I love Comic Con. I loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was such a big part of my childhood. I just enjoy it. I don’t know how you couldn’t enjoy it.
Do you have a favorite comic?
Well, Fathom was one of my favorites [Fox may star in a film adaptation currently in development]. Danger Girl can be ridiculous, but sometimes it’s funny. Midnight Nation is really interesting.
Do you like nerdy guys, too?
Totally. I like funny guys and those, for some reason, tend to be nerdy guys.
More Megan Fox:
Megan Fox: ‘Fallen’ Angel
Megan Fox: 8 EW Exclusive Pics!
Megan Fox and her little black dress: Hotter than Angelina Jolie?
Jun 14
2009
04:12 PM ET
'Hangover' hangs on to the box office lead with $33.4 million
weekend, making the boys-night-out romp the first movie of the summer
to hold the top spot for two weeks in a row. A super-slim 26% decline
(based on Sunday estimates) suggests great word of mouth and repeat business for the pic, which has already made $105.4 million and is
now widely expected to cross the $200 million mark in the coming weeks.
The Hangover‘s stiffest competition was another holdover, Disney/Pixar’s Up ($30.5 million).
The animated adventure saw its total gross balloon to $187.2 million in
its third weekend, putting it on track to outshine last year’s hit WALL-E, which made $223 million. But Up‘s biggest payday is likely still to come. The movie has yet to open overseas, where Pixar titles often double their hauls (WALL-E made
over $300 million in foreign countries, while 2007′s Ratatouille cooked
up a sizzling $414 million to complement its $206 domestic take).
Despite two A-list names above the title, the John Travolta/Denzel Washington thriller The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
landed in the C-slot at the weekend box office with a soft $25 million
debut. John Travolta opted out of the film’s promotional tour on
account of his recent family tragedy, leaving Washington to plug the
film solo on Letterman and at the film’s premiere. Accordingly, the
movie opened pretty much in line with past Washington action pics like Déjà Vu ($20.6 million) and Inside Man ($29.0 million), falling way short of the $43.6 million bow of 2007′s American Gangster, when the actor shared top billing with Russell Crowe.
Rounding out the top five are Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum 2, which
added $9.6 million to its collection for a $143.4 million total, and the Will Ferrell dud Land of the Lost, which
dropped 51% for a $9.2 weekend haul and a $35 million cumulative gross.
But there’s no doubt about the week’s biggest loser: Eddie Murphy’s Imagine That
landed with a thud in the sixth-place spot, with just $5.7 million and a
disastrous $1,894 per-site average from over 3,000 locations. It’s the summer’s biggest bomb so far,
although it actually marks a slight improvement for Murphy, whose Meet
Dave opened to a dismal $5.3 million last July.
Be sure to check back next week, when Sandra Bullock (The Proposal) takes on Jack Black and Michael Cera (Year One) for the box office crown—with The Hangover gunning for a hat trick in the number one spot.
More Box Office news:
‘Hangover’ tops Friday box office with $10.4 million
‘The Hangover’ is a hit: What’s it mean?
Box Office Preview: Will ‘The Hangover’ hold off ‘Pelham 1 2 3′?
Box Office Report UPDATE: Final numbers give ‘The Hangover’ No. 1 spot over ‘Up’
‘The Hangover’ hits a $16.5 mil jackpot on Friday
addCredit(“Hangover: Frank Masi”)
Jun 13
2009
05:35 PM ET
'Hangover' tops Friday box office with $10.4 million
After a surprise first-place finish last weekend, Vegas comedy The Hangover is in the lead again with a commanding $10.4 million Friday gross. That was plenty to trump the week’s biggest new release, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, which came in third with just $8.3 million. The John Travolta-Denzel Washington thriller lost the second-place spot to Disney/Pixar’s Up, still flying high in its third weekend. But the weekend’s real loser looks to be Eddie Murphy’s Imagine That, which limped into sixth place with a weak $1.8 million from more than 3,000 screens. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the final weekend grosses.
More Box Office news:
‘The Hangover’ is a hit: What’s it mean?
Box Office Preview: Will ‘The Hangover’ hold off ‘Pelham 1 2 3′?
Box Office Report UPDATE: Final numbers give ‘The Hangover’ No. 1 spot over ‘Up’
‘The Hangover’ hits a $16.5 mil jackpot on Friday
Jun 12
2009
05:48 PM ET
James Bond update: MGM and EON Prods. hire writers for next movie
Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) along with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the screenwriters behind the last two Bond films, Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, will be charged with crafting the script for the 23rd James Bond film. Daniel Craig is set to reprise his role as James Bond in what has become the longest-running franchise in movie-making history. Morgan is currently working on an HBO special called The Special Relationship and the Dreamworks film Hereafter and will focus on Bond after he completes those two projects. Purvis and Wade have collaborated on the last four Bond films and are currently working on the sequel to The Brazilian Job.
Jun 11
2009
10:24 PM ET
'The Hangover' is a hit: What's it mean?
When director Todd Phillips found out that The Hangover had bounced Pixar’s Up from the No. 1 slot — and completely annihilated Will Ferrell’s Land
of the Lost — he was in Ireland for the film’s Dublin premiere. “They gave us a standing ovation after the screening, which I’ve never seen before,” Phillips tells EW. “I think everyone was drunk.”
Back in America, even sober audiences are cheering. The bawdy bachelor-party
flick — which was co-produced and co-financed by Legendary Pictures and cost
just $31 million to make — hauled in an unexpected $45 million in its opening
weekend. Only two other R-rated comedies have opened to bigger numbers: Sex
and the City ($57 million) and American Pie 2 ($45.1 million). But both of
those were well-known franchises with huge built-in fan bases. All Hangover had
was journeyman supporting actor Bradley Cooper, L.A.-based comic Zach Galifianakis, and The Office’s Ed Helms. Oh, and a tiger.
Because Warner Bros. had no stars to sell, it relentlessly flogged the movie itself. The studio screened the film more than 400 times and sent the cast around the country to college campuses and other hit-making locales. They also showcased the film’s irreverent humor (Mike Tyson’s rendition of Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight,” for example) in age-restricted online videos and plastered the actors’ day-after mugs on posters all over the country.
So what does The Hangover’s phenomenal performance mean? First of all, that the buzz is still building. The movie brought in another $7 million on Monday, and
is now on track to earn at least $200 million. Director Todd Phillips and his Old School writing partner Scot Armstrong began developing the sequel more than
two months ago, though they remain mum on any details. (“I don’t want to put it
out there,” Phillips tells EW. “We’ll get attacked.”) And — thanks to this and
the Judd Apatow films — Hollywood may be willing to take more chances on
comedies without marquee names attached. “It’s good to know that you don’t have
to have stars [to get audiences],” says WB marketing president Sue Kroll. “But
if you don’t, you better have a great movie.”
Hangover‘s next test will be this weekend’s Denzel Washington, John Travolta-starrer The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. Check out our box office predictions for our prediction of how it will fare.
Jun 11
2009
09:00 PM ET
Box Office Preview: Will 'The Hangover' hold off 'Pelham 1 2 3'?
1. The Hangover: $31 million
With last weekend’s surprise R-rated comedy hit doing phenomenal mid-week business–its M/T/W take has been an unbelievable $20 million–Warner Bros is poised for a second weekend in the number one slot. The studio has even added theaters to its count, hoping to secure that top spot for its sophomore session.
2. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3: $27 million
Sony has done a last minute advertising blitz with this Tony Scott-directed actioner so it could gross more than originally predicted. Targeting its male audience during baseball and the NBA finals is a smart move but will that demographic come out on opening weekend? They are crucial for the film to deliver and if they fail to show up, Up could take the second spot for a second weekend.
3. Up: $26.4 million
The film has grossed $151 million and with more kids getting out of school, that number is destined to keep moving upward. It’s likely to soar past Ratatouille‘s $206 million for total domestic gross but whether or not it will reach as high as Wall-E’s $223 million remains to be seen.
4. Land of the Lost: $9 million
Let’s hope for Will Farrell’s sake that the Brad Silberling-directed film drops only 50% its second weekend in theaters. Even if it’s just so he can come back to promote another movie. Because really, his promotion is guaranteed to be a good time, even if his movies seem to be getting worse every time. Lost has only grossed $24 million since opening last weekend.
5. Imagine That: $8.5 million
It’s going to be a tough weekend for former movie stars. Tracking is suggesting that only moms and their kids are interested in Eddie Murphy’s family comedy, and unfortunately, that interest is pretty meek. It seems that the family audience is rather sated with a plethora of fare — Up, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – that they really aren’t looking for another take on the absent-dad-makes-good theme that’s suggested in Imagine That. Maybe it will surprise us, but reviews have been mediocre and that’s never a good sign when moms are making the movie-going decisions.
addCredit(“Hangover: Frank Masi”)
Jun 10
2009
04:43 AM ET
'Alien' prequel Update: Fox won't greenlight without Ridley Scott directing
EW has confirmed that an origins story for the 1979 sci-fi classic is being actively developed. But who will direct the high-profile project? Ridley Scott planned to produce — but not direct. Instead, he tapped first time filmmaker Carl Rinsch, best known for his futuristic TV commercials. (It’s rumored Rinsch is romantically linked to Scott’s daughter, Jordan; neither returned calls for comment.) But Fox, the studio that owns the rights to the franchise, seems to have other ideas. Sources tell EW that the studio is not interested in greenlighting a prequel unless Scott himself takes the helm.
Jun 7
2009
05:33 PM ET
Box Office Report UPDATE: Final numbers give 'The Hangover' No. 1 spot over 'Up'
ORIGINAL TEXT (from 6/7/09): Buoyed no doubt by repeat business and premium 3-D ticket prices, Disney/Pixar’s Up lifted past the bona fide surprise hit The Hangover to be the first film of the summer to hold at No. 1 for two straight weeks at the box office. Well, maybe. Early estimates from Hollywood.com Box Office have Up grossing an estimated $44.2 million to The Hangover‘s $43.3 million, a less than $1 mil difference that gives the R-rated comedy a chance to push to the top spot once actual figures are released tomorrow. Regardless of the final numbers, Up‘s estimated total gross of $137 million places it firmly in the upper echelon of Pixar earners.
Even if The Hangover doesn’t pop enough of Up‘s balloons to become No. 1, stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis as well as director Todd Phillips (Old School) have a lot to celebrate. Not only did the film pull in an outstanding “A” CinemaScore rating, the craziest-bachelor-party-ever dude-fest managed to draw in just about as many women as it did men. That bodes well for the film’s staying power through the rest of the month, where its stiffest comedy competition will be the high-concept, ancient times Jack Black/Michael Cera flick Year One in two weeks.
And if Land of the Lost‘s box office fate is anything to go by, Black and Cera should be concerned. Will Ferrell’s high-concept comedy under-performed, grossing just $19.5 million for third place — nowhere near the star’s best opening weekends. Worse yet, the film earned a dismal C+ CinemaScore average; audiences ages 35 to 49, ostensibly the age group that would best remember the original 1970s kids TV series on which the film is based, gave it a D+. Ouch.
My Life in Ruins, star Nia Vardalos’ return to movies after a five-year absence, opened to just $3.2 million on 1,100 screens — which, actually, is slightly better than My Big Fat Greek Wedding‘s first weekend in wide release, but it’s probably best not to expect Greek lightning to strike twice. By contrast, the indie road dramedy Away We Go weathered mixed reviews to bank an estimated $143,000 on just four screens, for an outstanding $36,000 per-screen average.
Meanwhile, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian took fourth place with $14.6 million, a solid 40 percent drop for a $127.3 million three-week total. Star Trek continued its fantastic run, dropping just 33 percent with $8.4 million for fifth place and $222 million overall. Sam Raimi’s horror-fest disappointed again, dropping 54 percent in its second week for a 7th place finish of $7.3 million (its cumulative total is $28.5 million). And Angels & Demons — which slipped to 8th with $6.5 million in U.S. box office for a $116 million stateside total — broke past $400 million in global earnings, making it the highest grossing film worldwide for 2009.
More from EW:
‘The Hangover’ hits a $16.5 mil jackpot on Friday
‘The Hangover’ makes me wonder if I care about kittens more than humans
‘Drag Me to Hell’: Why didn’t it do better?
Maya Rudolph: Brilliant and beautiful in ‘Away We Go’
Box office preview: ‘Hangover,’ ‘Land’ battle for second place
Mini Doc Jensen: ‘Lost’ meets ‘Land of the Lost’
- Prev
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- Next
Latest News
- Demi Moore: 911 call from home released
- 'Big Bang' vs. 'Idol': Tight ratings race
- Sundance '12: Star portraits, day 6
- Will Ferrell...in a telenovela?: First Look!
- 'The Voice': Exclusive sneak peek!
- 'Gossip Girl': 'Gasp' moment on Monday
- 'Ferris Bueller' returns in Super Bowl ad?
- Robert Hegyes, 'Kotter' costar, dies
