• Michael Jackson's This Is It is already tearing up the box office, taking in $2.2 million on its opening night. Surprisingly, that's about half what the budget was for Jackson's Captain EO.
• The longer international trailer for James Cameron's Avatar has surfaced online. Look for a Sigourney Weaver cameo, and try not to watch the rest without rolling your eyes.
• Jessica Biel is attached to star and produce the raunchy comedy F***ing Engaged. Ah, isn't that precious. They think the title isn't going to be changed to something generic like "Wedding Bell Blues."
• Tony Scott is attached to direct a biopic about the founder of Chippendales Steve Banerjee. Seriously, look it up. It's a dark, surprisingly fascinating story.
• Brad Pitt and Josh Brolin are in consideration to star in Go Like Hell, a racing movie from Fox. And another movie that's likely to be retitled to something like, "5 Fast 5 Furious."
• A deleted scene from Star Trek featuring Klingons has turned up online.
• Peter Berg is no longer attached to direct Dune. The studio reportedly wants District 9 director Neill Blomkamp to take over. Perhaps he can make Dune not mind-numbingly boring.
BIZ
Composers consider unionization
Music News: SCL mulling affiliation with Teamsters Local 399 -- For the first time in more than a decade, composers and lyricists working in film, TV and videogames are considering unionization.
Digital cinema still a work in progress
from Hollywood Reporter by By Carl DiOrio
Execs seem almost embarrassed about the prospect of promising too much too soon regarding digital cinema. Too late.
SAG rejects tentative videogame deal
from Variety.com
Technology News: Guild asks companies to return to
bargaining table -- Members of the Screen Actors Guild have rejected a
tentative deal with videogame employers, prompting the guild to ask the
companies to go back to the bargaining table.
AWARDS
from Entertainment Weekly's News Briefs by Jeff Labrecque
Fox's popular new musical-comedy, Glee, has won a Diversity Award
from the Multicultural Motion Picture Association.
Baz Luhrmann's "Australia" snubbed in home film
awards
from Reuters: Entertainment News
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian director Baz Luhrmann's
outback epic "Australia" was passed over on Wednesday for the top
film awards in his home country, presented by the Australian Film Institute.
FESTIVALS
Steve Martin and His Banjo Join MerleFest Lineup
from Paste Magazine
That wild and crazy guy Steve Martin is hopping aboard the
MerleFest lineup.
FILM
Daily Box Office: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
from Box Office Mojo - Current Box Office Results
Paranormal Activity tops Tuesday's box office with $1.7 million
'This Is It' grosses $2.2 million
Music News: Michael Jackson docu sets new record -- Sony's Michael Jackson concert pic "This Is It" grossed an estimated $2.2 million in Tuesday night shows at the domestic box office, a record for any Tuesday in October.
Bugliosi's 'Bush' book adapted as film
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
DETROIT, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A documentary based on Vincent Bugliosi's book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" is to be released in U.S. theaters next year, NAFTC Studios said.
Billy Bob Thornton, Dwayne Johnson team for 'Faster'
from Entertainment Weekly's News Briefs by Wendy Mitchell
Billy Bob Thornton will star with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in action drama Faster, Variety reports.
Sam Worthington searches for humanity in 'Avatar'
from Los Angeles Times - Celebrity News
Forget the flying dragons and giant blue aliens, Sam Worthington is in search of human life amid all that extraterrestrial spectacle of "Avatar."
Is Neil Marshall Going to Replace Peter Berg on Dune?
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
A new and curious rumour suggests that Peter Berg is no longer attached to the
next big screen adaptation of Dune and the studio are shopping around
for a new director.
TELEVISION
Ferguson finishes taping late show by flashlight
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ...
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson had to finish taping his program by flashlight on Tuesday after high winds knocked out power at CBS Television City in central Los Angeles....
NBC takes Tuesday lead with 'Loser'
from The Live Feed by hollywoodreporter
With CBS in repeats once again, NBC took the lead Tuesday night with "The Biggest Loser"
Catholic League Angered By Larry David Peeing On Jesus
from Entertainment on HuffingtonPost.com by The Huffington Post News Team
On Sunday's 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' Larry David was taking a "new pill" that caused him to urinate with excessive force.
'Melrose': Amanda's first scene!
from EW.com: Today's Latest Headlines by Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello's exclusive sneak peek of Heather Locklear back where she belongs, set to air Nov. 17
Comedy Central picks up ABC's 'The Goode Family'
from Entertainment Weekly's News Briefs by Wendy Mitchell
Comedy Central has picked up repeats of ABC's cancelled
animated series The Goode Family, Variety reports.
Ausiello: 'Brothers & Sisters' shake-up!
from EW.com: TV
Michael Ausiello confirms the ABC series' two showrunners are out in that role,
replaced by a longtime ''B&S'' writer
'The Office': Meet 'Subtle Sexuality'
from EW.com: TV
EW exclusive First Look: A taste of Kelly and Erin's video for ''Male Prima Donna,'' their girl group debut
from Hollywood Reporter by By Nellie Andreeva
Following his seven-episode arc on "The Office," Idris Elba has teamed with "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer David Eick on a legal drama for NBC.
TV Ratings: 11 p.m. news down 26% vs. last year -- The latenight news wars are heating up in Los Angeles.
Parent group says violence against women on TV is up
from USATODAY.com Television - Top Stories
A group that monitors violence in prime-time television says it's concerned about women being more frequent targets.
MUSIC
Jam For the Ladies: Lilith Fair Returns
from NYT > Most Recent Headlines by By Dave Itzkoff
Lilith Fair, that vintage-1990s concert series that emphasized female artists, is planning a comeback next year.
Jackson's hometown pushes for museum, hotel
Michael Jackson's father and the mayor of Gary, Indiana, want to build a museum, hotel and performing arts center in the Jackson family's hometown, a spokeswoman for the mayor said.
Lady Gaga Says She Gave Adam Lambert The 'Perfect' Song
from MTV News
Track that didn't fit Gaga's voice will appear on 'American Idol' alum's For Your Entertainment.
'New Moon' tops U.S. album chart
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" soundtrack is No. 1 on the U.S. album chart, Billboard.com reported Wednesday.
U2 to play at Brandenburg Gate
from BBC News | Entertainment | World Edition
Rock band U2 are to stage a free concert at the Brandenburg Gate to mark 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Owl City: The Biggest 'Total Nobody' With A Top 10 Single And
Album
from MTV News
'The past six months have been nothing but a colorful, brilliant blur,' Adam Young tells MTV News of his 'Fireflies'-driven success.
Adam Lambert Defends Album Cover as "Deliberately Campy"
from Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily by Daniel Kreps
Reaction to Adam Lambert's debut album cover has certainly been strong.
Florence and the Machine Make U.S. Debut
from Spin magazine's Daily Noise by Matt Kiser
On paper, flame-haired 23-year-old Brit Florence Welch seems just one of a dozen would-be divas to wash up on our shores this year.
ETC...
Miley Cyrus voted worst celebrity influence of 2009
from Reuters: Entertainment News
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Miley Cyrus, one of Disney's hottest stars of the past three years with hit records and hit films, has been voted the worst celebrity influence of 2009 by the very people who made her a star, tweens and teens, according to an online poll on Wednesday.
Stars All a-Twitter That This Is It Is It!
from E! Online - Movie News
She may be 77 years old, but Elizabeth Taylor is nothing if not a trendsetter.
Michael Jackson's close friend was the first to twitter her review of the
star's final performance,...
Jackson skin doctor makes claim
from BBC News | Entertainment | World Edition
A dermatologist who treated Michael Jackson is making a claim against his estate over unpaid bills for treatment given towards the end of his life.
'Shrek the Musical' headed for DVD release
from Entertainment Weekly's News Briefs by Wendy Mitchell
DreamWorks Animation is planning a DVD release of its Broadway show Shrek the Musical, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
