• Marcus Nispel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) has signed on to direct the Conan the Barbarian update. James Earl Jones better return as Thulsa Doom, the Snake Lord or we're not interested.
• Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is already accounting for 21 percent of online ticket sales. And 100 percent of Michael Bay-related jokes.
• An autopsy report ruled out suicide in the death of David Carradine.
• Gay rights groups are starting to take issue with Bruno. If someone wasn't offended, Sacha Baron Cohen wouldn't be doing his job right.
• The first photo of Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett has surfaced. The costume folks had an easy time that day.
• Experts predict that The Hangover and Up will duke it out for the top spot at the box office again, while Taking of Pelham 123 could fall behind. Audiences wanting original stories? Must be the heat.
• Hugo Weaving will return as Elrond, Lord of Rivendell for Guillermo del Toro's The Hobbit. Update your fan fiction accordingly.
BIZ
William Morris Agency Mistakenly Leaks Its Salary Figures
from Defamer by Hamilton Nolan
An executive of hotshot talent agency William Morris made the mistake of faxing a memo containing the salaries of many of the firm's highest-paid employees, and now it's all up on the internet.
TCM starts social networking Web site
DreamWorks' plan to raise $325 million in lender financing -- part of a funding scheme covering at least three years of film production -- is now oversubscribed with verbal commitments, and its bankers soon will begin closing on the loan syndication.
PMK Loses Will Smith To Pat Kingsley; Signs Gore Verbinski, Tom
Ford, 'Thor'
by Nikki Finke
For a long while, it was unclear whether PMK/HBH and Will Smith would keep some biz relationship. But Hollywood's biggest movie star did follow Pat Kingsley to her new consulting biz where she's been mentoring the actor's new in-house marketing exec at his production company Overbrook.
Renee Zellweger Leaves CAA For WME
So, technically, Renee Zellweger is going back to Brandt Joel and Jenny Rawlings, her two agents formerly at Endeavor.
Major Hollywood Prop House To Shutter
Twentieth Century Props in North Hollywood is giving up because of the recession and Hollywood labor strife after almost 4 decades in the biz.
Luc Besson to build mega studio
Film News: Facility to lure Hollywood blockbusters to Paris -- Luc Besson's EuropaCorp and Tarak Ben Ammar's Quinta Communications are partnering to launch Paris Studios, France's first modern, mega movie studio.
FESTIVALS
CineVegas fest rides out tough times
Film News: Event's condensed format rallies indie filmmakers -- While few American cities have been spared the hardships of the current recession, the impact on Las Vegas -- which counted the housing surge, corporate conferences and tourists' disposable income as its very lifeblood -- has been especially cruel.
Monte Carlo fest mad for 'Mad Men'
from Variety.com
International News: 'Wolves,' 'Flesh' win for miniseries -- Lionsgate's "Mad Men," Gallic family comedy "Desperate Parents" and Blighty docudrama "The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall" were the big winners at the 49th Monte Carlo TV Festival, which wrapped Thursday.
MOVIES
Daily Box Office: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wide openers must deal with 'Hangover'
from Hollywood Reporter by By Carl DiOrio
"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" and "Imagine That" open wide this weekend, but the fight for No. 1 could prove to be a rematch between "The Hangover" and "Up."
What happened to films made for grown-ups?
Universal Takes a Gamble on R-Rated Movies
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Universal Pictures, which will release only R-rated films for the rest of the summer: Michael Mann's "Public Enemies," Judd Apatow's "Funny People" and Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno." No other studio in recent memory has made such a bold bet on grown-ups during the summer, especially in the midst of a family-film renaissance.
Rumor: Stephen Sommers Fired From G.I. Joe?
A number of sites today are pushing forward the story that G.I. Joe director Stephen Sommers has been locked out of the film's editing room, based on a post from film producer Don Murphy's message board (now removed), as noticed by Latino Review.
Video:
Anna Paquin Talks 'X-Men' Spinoff
It Wasn't Kids Who Catapulted 'Museum' Over 'Terminator'
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- "'Family' is no longer code for 'kids only,'" said Shawn Levy, director of the megahit "Night at the Museum" and its recent sequel, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."
Chris Pine or R.Pattz: Who Plays Lance Armstrong?
Man on His "Moon": Duncan Jones Pulls Off Sci-Fi for $5 Million
Pixar has another instant classic on its hands with its latest cartoon offering. As big a fan as you may be -- and as much as you may think you know what's up with "Up" -- there is a deleted plotline that may surprise you.
'Twilight' Star Kellan Lutz Eager to Take On Freddy in
'Nightmare on Elm Street' Reboot
We have complicated tastes here at the MTV Movies Blog. While it's easy to find a horror website devoted to all things Freddy Krueger, or a Twilighter site breathlessly counting down the days to "New Moon," you might not see that chocolate-and-peanut-butter combination crossing paths very often in a single place.
TELEVISION
'View' co-host Joy Behar to start cable talk show
Ratings: 'SYTYCD' and 'Wipeout' perform well with monster
episodes
Fox's summer juggernaut So You Think You Can Dance swept Wednesday night with its first in-house performance show featuring the Top 20 contestants. ABC followed closely behind in total viewership with a two-hour installment of Wipeout
'My Name is Earl': No go for TBS
Studio statement says: ''In the final analysis we simply
could not make the economics work''
Al Gore's Current TV has received a green light to go north with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Eric Roberts joins cast of 'Crash'
Eric Roberts is joining the cast of Starz's series "Crash." On the second season of the Lionsgate TV-produced drama, Roberts is joined by five other new cast members, Dana Ashbrook, Linda Park, Jake McLaughlin, Tess Harper and Julie Warner.
Barney Frank Cuts CNBC Interview Short
Rep. Barney
Frank appeared on CNBC this morning, ahead of today's executive pay hearing. "We'll try to keep it brief so
you can do the job you're there to do," said Mark
Haines at the beginning of the interview.
McCain defends Palin against Letterman joke
MUSIC
Top Online Song and Video Downloads
Aerosmith keeping in touch with young fans
NEW YORK (AP) -- Aerosmith may be nearly 40 years old, but the group is staying connected with younger audiences....
The Black Eyed Peas Snag Top Spot On Hot 100
The Black Eyed Peas hold on to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but there's plenty of drama elsewhere on the chart from Kings of Leon, Drake and Mitchel Musso.
SPIN Mag Goes Crazy With Free 'Purple Rain' Tribute Album
SPIN magazine is going crazy with its July issue, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Prince's "Purple Rain" with a comprehensive oral history of the film and album and a free downloadable tribute that features nine bands doing song-for-song covers of the record's classic tracks.
Madonna to hold two gigs in Israel
Fleet Foxes nab Mojo award, Yoko Ono honored
Prince Refuses Surgery On Religious Grounds
from Spin magazine's Daily Noise by Eric Nowels
Prince is no stranger to diamond (and pearl) studded accessories. But the fact
that the Purple One has recently been stepping out with a bejeweled cane is
reportedly not about making a fashion statement.
Chastity Bono Undergoing Sex Change
"Chaz," says a rep, "has made the courageous
decision to honor his true identity"
Bret Michaels: Liza Minelli Would Have Gotten An Apology
Bret Michaels just posted these gruesome pics of his busted ass face after a prop at the award show came down and cracked him in the kisser at the end of a live performance Sunday night.
