January 04, 2007

Taking some days earlier than its scheduled theatrical release on March 23, 2007, crime thriller "The Lookout" will delightfully encounter its world premiere on March 9 instead as the flick has been selected as the opening film at this year's South by Southwest film festival.

Set to be distributed under Miramax Films banner, the picture is both written and directed by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Scott Frank and features ensemble cast of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, and Isla Fisher with Walter F. Parkes, Laurence Mark, Gary Barber, plus Roger Birnbaum producing.

Grammy-winning producer will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is taking on Michael Jackson.

The red-hot producer has been speaking about his work with Jacko on the once-crowned King of Pop's planned U.S. comeback album, due before the end of 2007.

Continuing its tradition in recognizing lauded works and names in show business that has been running since 1990, the Producers Guild of America has unveiled the list of contenders for its 2007 PGA Awards, formerly known as the Golden Laurel Awards, scheduled to be presented on January 20 in Los Angeles.

For top honor of Best Theatrical Picture, the organization cast its picks on "Babel", "The Departed" "Dreamgirls", "Little Miss Sunshine", and "The Queen" as the nominees while included "Cars", "Flushed Away", "Happy Feet", "Ice Age: The Meltdown", and "Monster House" to be those in Best Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures category.

The 4th season of "Making the Band" will soon begin.

In an announcement posted online, rap mogul P. Diddy says that the casting of the reality show begins on January 17th, comprising seven cities per total, including Los Angeles, Houston, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and New York.

Wyclef Jean has just had a new task to complete as he's been appointed by Haitian President Rene Preval as a roving ambassador to promote the troubled country's image abroad.

"We wish we could have several Wyclef as roving ambassadors because the country could have gained so much," Foreign Affairs Minister Renald Clerisme said.

Never gets tired to take challenging roles, George Clooney has given positive sign to star opposite Robert De Niro in cop saga "36", De Niro himself spilled the bean to MTV.

A remake of French movie "36 Quai des Orfevres" starring Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil, the project concerns a pair of detectives who attempt to solve a series of armored car robberies with a promotion going to whomever catches the perpetrators. Filming is scheduled to start in New York later this year soon after De Niro finishes shooting "What Just Happened?" for 2929 Entertainment.

It sad to say that "The Megan Mullally Show" is finished after less than five months. NBC Universal Television Distribution confirmed Wednesday Jan 3rd, that the low-rated program has been canceled and production has been halted.

Reason behind the encounter is obvious, its low ratings. The hour-long show, which launched in September, is averaging a 0.8 household rating season-to-date, in which anything below a 1.0 is generally considered problematic.

Mario Lopez is about to give hand at new task along with the coming of the new year. The actor, who starred in "Dancing With the Stars," is set to host the 2007 Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas.

Event organizers confirmed his taping to be the event's host Wednesday Jan 3rd. The pageant, produced by Don Mischer Productions, will take place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Jan. 29 and will air on CMT.

Riding on the huge success "Mr and Mrs Smith" has scored in the big screen, a TV series based on the flick is about to come up to the surface as ABC has delightfully given the project green light to enter production, Variety has revealed.

Being eyed as a fall 2007 contender, the show is planned to have its pilot episode shot in March with Doug Liman and Simon Kinberg reprising their duty as director and writer, respectively. Both of them will also executive produce alongside Dave Bartis, who is known for his producing work in "The O.C."

R&B singer Omarion leads the last pop album chart for 2006, having his latest LP "21" sold 119,000 copies across the United States in the week ended Dec. 31, such amount that immediately brings the Epic release to the top spot of US pop album charts. This isn't the first time that Omarion leads the Billboard 200 as he previously scored No. 1 album with his 2005 solo debut "O" with 182,000 copies in its first week.

Following him on the 2nd spot is Akon's "Konvicted" which bounces eight places from last week position, taking in another 112,000. The soundtrack for "Dreamgirls" amazingly soars 28 places to No. 3, sold another 104,000 units. Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead" falls to No. 4 on 101,000. Rounding out the Top 5 on the charts is Young Jeezy's "The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102" with 92,000 copies.

Looks like it will be some time more before moviegoers can see "The Time Traveler's Wife" in theaters. Variety has reported that New Line Cinema has decided to not using the screenplay penned by Jeremy Leven and appointed "Deep Impact" scribe Bruce Joel Rubin to rewrite it instead.

So far, the project has already had Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Nick Wechsler on producers' seats with "Flightplan" helmer Robert Schwentke being attached to direct. Meanwhile, "Mean Girls" star Rachel McAdams is still in negotiations to take the female lead role.

Probably it will be one of the most high-profile features The Weinstein Company has ever got within grasp. The studio is reported to have successfully secured the rights to distribute Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" around North America as well as in the U.K.

Timed with the U.S release of the movie, which is set for later this year, a soundtrack containing dozens of Dylan's compositions will also be launched. The album has already been supervised by Randall Poster plus Jim Dunbar and will feature voices of notable artists like Willie Nelson and Yo La Tengo apart from that of the legend himself.

Life is getting more and more difficult these days for Whitney Houston. After getting through rehab and divorce battle, the Grammy-winning pop star is now forced to sell her things as an attempt to pay debt.

The sale, to be held at A.J. Willner Auctions on January 9, has been ordered by the New Jersey Superior Court. The things to be sold among others include, hundreds of her stage costumes, intimate apparel, and other personal belongings.

Prince is invading the world of tabloid. Talk is heating up that the music legend is planning to launch a magazine.

The publication is said to be named 3121, after the nightclub and restaurant venture currently in place at Sin City's Rio Hotel and Casino.

"Godzilla" star Hank Azaria, also known for his voice works in "The Simpsons", is set to embrace his feature directorial debut. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Forest Hills-born actor is currently engaged in talks to helm "Outsourced", a layoff comedy project coming from Columbia Pictures.

Produced by Eric Gold, the feature focuses on two workmen of an American factory who venture south of the border to get their jobs back when the factory is shut down and transported to Mexico. No words yet on production date.

As soon as she was reported collapsed in a Las Vegas club during New Year's Eve celebrations and had to be carried out by security, Britney Spears quickly raised speculation after another that she has checked into rehab. The once-famous pop singer reportedly checked into an exclusive spa "for some R&R".

Per MSNBC, many have assumed if rehab is next for the pop beauty. Elsewhere, Life & Style weekly reported that Spears quietly checked into Sanctuary, a spa in Arizona, on New Year's Day. "With these celebrities, 'exhaustion' sometimes means something else and a little rest at a spa sometimes actually translates into something a little more serious," a source was quoted as saying.

Mike Myers sure knows how to keep himself busy for months ahead. The New York Times has revealed that the funnyman has already had three new film projects in his hand which include two comedies about a relationship guru and office worker under siege by robots also a drama revolving around Keith Moon, known as the deceased drummer of The Who.

Among these three, the first one seems to be Myers' priority at the moment as his agent, David O'Connor, has openly stated that there were two completed drafts of the script along with advanced discussions with Paramount Pictures and the possibility of sequels.

Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson are an item no more. The pair who made headlines with their affair after starred together in "You, Me and Dupree" has reportedly called it quit.

Rumors on the street say that it is Kate who ended it up because Owen wouldn't commit. Moreover, it is also said that the actor refused to join Kate for New Year's in Aspen.

Getting stalled for awhile as it failed to meet a 2006 release as planned, New Line Cinema's prehistoric shark tale "Meg" delightfully has landed a second chance to get developed. Variety has learned that the project may finally move forward this year with an aim to be filmed in spring for a summer 2008 release, at the earliest.

Based on the Steve Alten's book series, the picture originally was under Disney before its rights went to New Line in 2005. It initially was intended to be made for $75 million, but when the estimated budget came in much higher, mostly due to the f/x, the latter studio decided to put the movie on hold.

Announced by its president Dann Gire, the Chicago Film Critics Association revealed their picks for the recipients of their 2006 CFCA Awards held Thursday, December 28, 2006.

Coming out as the big winner was the twist-filled mob saga "The Departed" which snatched the top honor of Best Picture along with two other prizes of Best Director for Martin Scorsese and Best Adapted Screenplay for writer William Monahan.