Hollywood And AussieWood Movie And Celebrity News - 2nd March 2012

Hollywood And AussieWood Movie And Celebrity News

'Ocean's Eleven' most popular movie remake...

'Ocean's Eleven' has been chosen as the best movie remake of all time in a recent poll.

The movie, which is based on an original 1960 film, hit screens in 2001 and went on to gross over 450 million dollars worldwide.

It sees Clooney lead an all-star cast of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts in an attempted casino robbery in Las Vegas.

Danny Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Clooney has been dating former WWE wrestler - diva Stacey Keibler for over 6 months and they attended the Oscars together.

Leading man Clooney was up for a Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards.

And despite losing out on the Best Actor accolade, Clooney's girlfriend Stacy Keibler made sure he went home with an Oscar of his own as her dress appeared to have been inspired by the statuette.

Attending her first Academy Awards on Clooney's arm, Keibler looked stunning in a gold Grecian-style Marchesa creation.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: George Clayton Johnson (1960 story), Jack Golden Russell (1960 story)
Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts

Top 10 Best Remakes...

1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
2. The Mummy (1999)
3. King Kong (2005)
4. The Italian Job (2003)
5. Cape Fear (1991)
6. The Parent Trap (1998)
7. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
8. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
9. Scarface (1983)
10. Alfie (2004)

Top 10 Worst Remakes

1. Arthur (2011)
2. The Wicker Man (2006)
3. Fame (2009)
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
5. Clash of the Titans (2010)
6. Planet of the Apes (2001)
7. Piranha 3-D (2010)
8. House of Wax (2005)
9. Freaky Friday (2003)
10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis arm wrestle...

Hollywood tough guys and action heroes Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis challenged each other to an arm wrestle during a recent night out.

The actors were enjoying a meal with their respective wives when they started arguing about who was in better shape.

Stallone, 65, challenged 56-year-old Willis to an arm wrestling match and the pair then swept aside glasses, cutlery and plates to lock arms and start their fight.

Diners at nearby tables were initially stunned but as as they recognised the wrestler like actors they started cheering and Willis and Stallone grunted, groaned and wheezed for several minutes.

However, the men's wives were not impressed and asked them to "break it up", which they duly listened to.

It's understood that soon after their meal, Stallone went into hospital to have an operation on his shoulder, although it is not thought to have any link to his night out with Willis.

A Media Man agency spokesperson said "We suspect this may be another elaborate publicity stunt by Team Stallone, although we can't prove it. Stallone fans will recall that only a week ago Stallone was photographed in a hospital bed alongside long time mate Arnold Schwarzenegger, both nursing the same injury, and Arnold took a photo for the world to see. Well, as least the cast of Expendables 2 is doing well, and it seems that they sure as heck know how to promote a movie".

Action movie fans take note however that in the filming of the original Expendables WWE wrestling legend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin did break the neck of Stallone for real, or so the story goes.

James Bond studio makes £3.9m loss...

Pinewood Shepperton studios slumped to a £3.9m loss in 2011 after it failed in an attempt to build replicas of Paris, New York and Amsterdam on green belt land.

The studios enjoyed record revenues of £50.7m in 2011, up by 17 per cent after it filmed scenes for movies such as The Hobbit and the next James Bond film, Skyfall. But it took an exceptional charge of £7.1m reflecting five years of costs for its "Project Pinewood" application, which officials turned down in January. This pushed the company, which is majority owned by the property group Peel Holdings, £3.9m into the red, after profits of £5.8m the previous year.

Project Pinewood would have seen the creation of a "purpose-built" film set with 1,400 permanent homes inside the streetscape buildings at Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. The project would have cost £200m and created almost 1,000 jobs in the next 10 years, with 420 affordable homes offered inside the film sets. But it was fiercely resisted by campaigners.

The Pinewood and Shepperton studios have been home to more than 1,500 films in the last 75 years, while the two studios and the company's Teddington site have hosted more than 600 television shows.

Clooney talks Brad Pitt friendship...

George Clooney doesn't spend as much time with Brad Pitt as people think.

The 50-year-old 'Descendants' actor - who went head-to-head with Brad for the Best Actor award at Sunday night's (26.02.12) Oscars, before losing out to Jean Dujardin - admits that contrary to popular belief, they only get chance to catch up every couple of months.

He said: 'People think Brad and I hang out all the time, but the truth is that we see each other very rarely, maybe a couple times a year.

'I've had great fun spending time with my friend again over the awards season.'

But George says that when they do get to meet, he has nothing but admiration for the 'Moneyball' actor - who is raising six children with partner Angelina Jolie.

The former 'ER' star - who is dating former wrestler Stacy Keibler - told The Advocate: 'Not only do I enjoy him as a person and respect his talent, but I also love what he does in the world. I can't speak highly enough about how hard he works at making the world better. I'm very proud to call him my friend.'

Aussie actor Jai Courtney secures role in Die Hard film...

Australian actor Jai Courtney has landed a potential career making role as Bruce Willis's son in the next instalment of the Die Hard franchise.

Courtney, 25, has had roles in Packed To The Rafters and Spartacus: Blood and Sand and also filmed a modest role in the Tom Cruise action drama flick One Shot.

He will star alongside Willis in A Good Day To Die Hard, the fifth Die Hard franchise.

The movie is expected to hit the big screen early next year.

Russell Crowe in Talks to Join Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’...

Russell Crowe has expressed interest in taking on the title role of director Darren Aronofsky‘s new project, “Noah”.

Based on the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark, the movie will be Aronofsky’s first since the critically acclaimed “Black Swan”. While following some of the classic plot points of the original tale, “Noah” will approach the story from a new perspective. This modern Noah will be played as a man who has a deep love for earth and it’s inhabitants, but who is heartbroken over the way humans have taken advantage of the planet.

When asked about the film’s religious connotations, Aronofsky responded, "I don’t think it’s a very religious story. I think it’s a great fable that’s part of so many different religions and spiritual practices. I just think it’s a great story that’s never been on film. I want to make a big event film, and I think it can be that."

The director, who arrived on to the scene with 1998's “Pi”, has made it clear from the start that he wanted Crowe on board. When the “Gladiator” star found out he was being eyed for the film, he coyly tweeted to his fans, “And I’m eyeing him right back…whole lot of eyeing."

Other names that were thrown around for the role included Liam Neeson, Christian Bale, and Michael Fassbender. The project received big buzz even before Crowe’s involvement, after it was announced that its budget would be a substantial $130 million.

Noah is due to start filming this July and will hit the cinema in 2013.

Mel Gibson completes anger management...

Australian Mel Gibson has completed a course of court-ordered anger management therapy as part of his probation.

The movie star pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge, relating to an alleged attack on ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in 2010, and was sentenced to three years’ probation, 16 hours of community service and 52 weeks of counseling to curb his infamous temper.

He fulfilled the community service requirements last year and has continued to impress Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner with his efforts by completing additional therapy sessions too.

Popular entertainment news website TMZ has reported the actor will finally be off the hook if he stays out of trouble for two more years.

Gibson is understood to be looking to release his movie 'Get The Gringo' via Icon Film Distribution Australia. Icon is planning a traditional theatrical release despite North American plans to launch an exclusive video-on-demand (VOD) offer.

The US deal will result in the action-thriller being distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment from May 1 on DirecTV, which will charge $10.99 per home viewing, according to Deadline.com. A wider release on Blu-ray, VOD, and digital download will be rolled out after one month.

In a statement, Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn said: "As digital distribution evolves, we are constantly looking at new ways to bring the consumer greater access than ever before to our movies. Reaching nearly 20 million households on the DirecTV premium platform offers us an opportunity to explore innovative approaches like this one for Get The Gringo."

Icon Film Distribution is set to release the film in Australia on May 12.

Wrestling Legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper In Fancypants Movie...

Fancypants is a 2011 film directed by Joshua Russell and starring Patrick Gleason, Roddy Piper, and Robert Carradine. Featuring Nick Turturro, Richard Kind, and introducing Jackson Dunn.

It is a comedy/drama about a professional wrestler who is afraid of conflict in real life. He is nearing the end of his career and finds out he has one fan left in an 8-year old boy, who hides a secret that will change Leo's life forever. The film was shot entirely on location in Chicago.

The film won Best Feature at the 2011 Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida, and was an official selection at the 2011 Seattle True Independent Film Festival.

Roddy Piper is also rumoured to be one of the house-mates in upcoming WWE reality TV show, 'Legends House'.

The Four Horsemen Including Ric Flair To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame 2012; Jim Ross Tweets - 27th Feb 2012...

Ross on Ric Flair’s Birthday: Happy Birthday to Ric Flair. Naitch called me this past week to catch up. He’s got a great opportunity with Coca Cola’s energy drink along with his state lottery work. I went on You Tube and checked out Ric’s TV commercials for the lotteries he promotes and they were hilarious.

Some of my fondest memories in the business involve Ric Flair and I’m so blessed to have been able to broadcast not only many Ric Flair bout but @ShawnMichaels bouts over the years, too as they are widely considered the two, best, all around pro wrestlers ever. That’s a debate that will rage on until the end of time but no one can intelligently say that Naitch and HBK aren’t on an abbreviated list of the best ever.

Keep checking Street Corner and the Media Man blog network for more on these developing news stories and more.

News

Marvel Entertainment Movies: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, The Wolverine and Ghost Rider - February 2012

Hollywood is continuing its lover affair with superhero themes, movie revamps and the like, and Australian fans are lapping it up with the superhero jackpot bonanza.

This year we're looking at a bush tucker bag of sequels, prequels, remakes... you name it. The Hollywood studios will be pumping out their best efforts in order to make as much money as they can muster, and who can blame them.

Entertainment kingpin Marvel Entertainment are going to be spinning out their “The Amazing Spider-Man”, hitting us hard with "The Avengers", "Ghost Rider" is about to ride into "Sin City" Sydney, Australia, and then there's Australia's favorite son, Hugh Jackman back in "The Wolverine".

The Warner Bros. - DC Comics tag-team is going to attempt to combat that Marvel onslaught with the next instalment of Batman - "The Dark Knight Rises", but most tipsters are picking Marvel to win the movie superhero fight over DC Comics this year, but time will tell.

Here’s a peek at some of this year’s coming attractions...(US dates)

Nicolas Cage provides a winter warm-up with “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (Feb. 17), returning as the bounty hunter from hell on a mission to rescue a child from the devil.

“The Avengers” (May 4), teaming Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

Next is “The Amazing Spider-Man” (July 3), with Andrew Garfield taking over as Peter Parker in director Marc Webb’s new take on how a mutant spider bite turns a teen into a web-slinging hero.

Christian Bale returns as Batman in “The Dark Knight Rises” (July 20), director Christopher Nolan’s third and final tale of the well to do vigilante with all the cool gadgets. Anne Hathaway joins the cast as Catwoman.

After the late Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” Nolan went with a lesser-known villain: This time, it’s Bane (Tom Hardy), known to comic-book fans as the brute who breaks Batman’s back and puts him in a wheelchair.

The Avengers are assembling...

Disney released more stills from its superhero superteam movie reving up fans who are eagerly awaiting the answers to the age-old question, who would win in a fight between The Incredible Hulk and The Mighty Thor.

The first image shows Captain America (Chris Evans) in full updated costume and shield, flanked by Avengers teammates Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Joahnsson), the three heroes walking as if they mean business. The second still is slightly less dramatic, simply showing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) gripping a conference room chair, pondering heavy thoughts next to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).

"When you walk out of your trailer and you bump into Chris Hemsworth with the cape on and you see Downey in the Iron Man suit and that’s when you really get excited and you start geeking out a bit,” Evans told The News last year from the film's New Mexico set.

Fans are already starting to geek out, more than two months before the film's May 4 (U.S) release date.

The Marvel Studios movie, which is directed by fanboy favorite Joss Whedon, unites three franchises (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk) within an even bigger franchise that’s expected to be one of the biggest box office hits of all time.

Avengers News cont...

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.

Marvel Release Dates Updated (U.S)

In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November 15, 2013.

Andrew Garfield as Spiderman Featured in an Avengers (English, 2012) Cameo...

Mumbai, Feb 13, 2012 - A few days ago we reported the rampant Internet rumor that Andrew Garfield’s Spiderman would be featured in an Avengers cameo. All of this was built off a statement made by actress Jenny Agutter who has a small role in the Whedon production. Well, we’ve stumbled across another source who confirms Spider mans cameo in Avengers.

“This will be similar to how Wolverine made a quick cameo in X-Men: First Class and Sony’s going to make sure to promote their new Spiderman movie any way they can. Andrew (Garfield) isn’t a widely known actor so they want to get his face on everything, including The Avengers even if it’s for a couple seconds.”

This is an absolute multiple bonanza for the superhero fans.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The movie is to release in India on 27th April, 2011.

The Wolverine Gets Release Date...

It is official, a sequel to that 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie will be coming to a theatre near you on or around July 26th 2013 (depends if your in the U.S, Australia or elsewhere). After months of production delays, including replacing Darren Aranofsky as director, that cigar smoking, 'bub' saying, furry Canadian Logan will once again rip things up. The film sequel is running with the title: The Wolverine and will take Logan to Japan where he finds a forbidden romance and the Silver Samurai to deal with. Hugh Jackman has already praised the script as being "one of the best we've ever had." This is good news for those fans and critics who felt the first Wolverine movie offering could have been better. We trust that director James Mangold and Hugh Jackman deliver on this to keep both Marvel hardcore and casual fans happy. What the critics will think is anyone's guess, but as a few stars have noted - movies are made for fans (not critics).

'Ghost Rider' movie controversy; Red hot back story...

The new "Ghost Rider" movie's ticket sales are not very strong, but the controversy raging in the comic-book community is like a mega fireball.

The story begins back in 1972, when the flaming motercyclist was created at Marvel Comics by writer Mike Friedrich, editor Roy Thomas and artist Mike Ploog. Comics creators in those days - and often today - don't own anything they create for the major publishing houses, because of a contract called "work for hire." But when the first "Ghost Rider" movie came out in 2007, Friedrich sued Marvel for partial ownership of the character on a technicality - which would result in a windfall from the movie.

He desperately needed the money. Friedrich, now 69, is unemployed, broke and suffering from liver problems. He has been getting through the days by selling autographed "Ghost Rider" items at conventions as a paid guest, which according to documents amounted to a total of $17,000.

But ownership of trademark and copyright isn't something that comics publishers take lightly. Both of the major comic publishers (ala Marvel and DC Comics) make more income from licensing their library of characters than they do selling comic books. Here's the thing: According to U.S. law, failure to defend a trademark can lead to losing it.

So Marvel - and parent company Disney - went after the lawsuit, including a countersuit demanding the $17,000. They were victorious. In December, the court threw out Friedrich's suit and ordered him to pay Marvel. Also, his future income was constrained, in that he can sign and sell only "Ghost Rider" material that he buys retail.

The creative and fan community responded with fury. Blogs across the Internet excoriated Marvel, or started petitions for the $17,000 to be forgiven. Steve Niles, creator of "30 Days of Night," led a charge on Twitter and set up a Facebook page for contributions (www.steveniles.com/gary.html). Creators such as Gail Simone ("Batgirl") and Jill Thompson ("Scary Godmother") tweeted encouragement. Longtime creators'-rights champion Neal Adams was one of many who auctioned original art, with proceeds going to Friedrich.

As you might expect, there were calls to boycott the new film, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." That might have contributed to the film's disappointing third-place finish on its opening weekend in the U.S, with $22 million at the U.S box office.

If the movie did well, it would still be overshadowed by the back story - comics creators and fans rising up like a tidal wave to help one of their own.

What a red hot and real superhero story.

Check out the "Support Gary Friedrich" Facebook page (www.facebook.com/supportgaryfriedrich) for more.

Marvel Comics and Movies Alive And Well At Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment...

Marvel superhero fans - great news... more superhero themed online games rumoured to be soon hitting PartyCasino. Stay tuned to the Media Man network for more on that.

If it sounds like 2012 is going to be a pretty good year for superhero movies, both on an entertainment front (for fans) and business angle (for studios etc), that's because it is. Enjoy brigadiers, and as Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say - Excelsior!