September 15, 2005

Francis Lawrence isn't a legend. Well, at least he could later on be one as he has signed on to direct the long-time-shelved "I Am Legend," which is based on Richard Matheson's classic horror / sci-fi novel of the same title. The story actually had been filmed twice before, but neither one could gain success.

Now, as Lawrence is going to direct, let's hope it will result better as he has planned to rewrite the script over the next few months, with filming due to start sometime next year. "I Am Legend" follows Robert Nevill, the last living man on Earth who struggles to survive in a world full of vampires.

American actress Lynda Carter, best known as the star of the 1970s fantasy adventure TV series "Wonder Woman" will join the London cast of "Chicago" on Sept. 26. Her joining in the film, which will mark its 8th anniversary in London on Nov. 18, has been confirmed by its producer Wednesday.

Carter will make her London stage debut in the role of the jail matron, Mama Morton. She later on can be seen in "Chicago" at the city's Adelphi Theatre for a six week run which starts September 26.

Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt is about to make his fanatics, females to be more specific, screaming. The actor plans to thrill them with his being naked scene in his upcoming movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

For the film, which he's currently shooting in Canada, Pitt is reportedly planning to show off more of his skin than that he did in his 2004 movie "Troy." A source revealed "(In the script) a fully nude Pitt baths himself with a washcloth while standing in a tub. This is a pretty long nude scene for any actor."

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed Wednesday they will, in 2008, produce a sequel to the computer-animated comedy "Madagascar." Considering the film first version success, its upcoming sequel will again reunite Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith, who voiced characters Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra and Gloria the Hippo in the original film.

In addition, Katzenberg also confirmed a direct-to-video release starring "Madagascar"'s scene-stealing penguins in 2009 and a short film starring the marine birds that will play next month before Aardman Animation's "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

Warner Bros. Pictures' "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," engages the like of Shane Black as director, and Joel Silver as producer, has been chosen as the opening-night film at the 9th annual Hollywood Film Festival, to be held on Oct. 18. The film, a Silver Pictures production, stars Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.

Serving as the film's exec producer is Susan Levin and Steve Richards with Carrie Morrow as co-producer. The festival, which screens at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, runs from Oct. 18-24.

Standing still despite the ups and downs on the chart, Kanye West still on top. The rapper's second album "Late Registration," holds onto the top spot of Billboard 200 albums chart this week, selling another 283,000 copies. This is the second week for him to do so. At No. 2 is 50 Cent's "The Massacre," which moves 154,000 CDs, six months after the original's release.

The Rolling Stones, in time, follows at No. 3 as their latest, "A Bigger Bang," moves 129,000 units. The band is followed by the Black Eyed Peas' "Monkey Business," which jumps from No. 6 to No. 4, and Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi," which remains at No. 5. At No. 6 is Tony Yayo's solo debut, "Thoughts of a Predicate Felon."

Sing "I'm not a girl, yet a mother." You would probably in the near future hear Britney Spears sings so as the pop star has just given birth to a baby boy Wednesday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital. Per American magazine Us Weekly, the baby reportedly to be called Preston Michael Spears Federline, was born by Caesarean section at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center in California.

Further the magazine claimed Spears was taken to the hospital early on Wednesday morning local time with a police escort and accompanied by her husband, dancer Kevin Federline. The child is Spears' first, Federline's third. He has had two children from his previous relationship with actress Shar Jackson.