June 11, 2007

Jumping in front of the camera again after his last stint of voicing the titular character in "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties", Bill Murray has signed on to topline "City of Ember", one of the early titles to come out from Fox-Walden, Variety has learned.

Also picking up Toby Jones and Saoirse Ronan in the cast lineup, pic is based on the Jeanne DuPrau young adult novel which tells about an insular, dark place where the only light comes from street lamps. When the power source begins to fail, two teenagers embark on a search for clues that will unlock ancient mysteries about the city.

Taking over the hold from 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures has obtained distribution rights to Happy Madison-produced comedy "Strange Wilderness" and has scheduled it for a January 25, 2008 release.

Starring Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, and Justin Long among others, pic finds Zahn and Covert play the hosts of fictional wildlife TV show "Strange Wilderness" which is threatened to get shut down because of bad ratings. Intending to save the program, the two then hatch a scheme to find the one animal worth of vast attention - Bigfoot.

The fourth film version of John Katzenbach's book is about to come up. Variety has reported that producer Elliott Kastner is on the move to develop "The Madman's Tale" based on Katzenbach's 2004 novel of which film rights he has acquired through his Cinema Seven.

Presenting a fresh plot and storytelling, the original concerns a man released from an asylum who is facing his own inner demons as he is flooded by a memory of a murderer he met in the institution. Story about him was told in two parallel parts, one during his time in the asylum and the other after he is released and feels compelled to author a book on the events surrounding that murder.

Drawing in a potential material to his clutch, Gus Van Sant reportedly is going to make "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" his next directing project with Lance Black to pen the screenplay.

Pic is an adaptation of Tom Wolfe's hallucinogenic tome which details a cross-country road trip that "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author Ken Kesey orchestrated with a group called the Merry Pranksters. It will focus on Kesey and include events that occurred after the road trip.

With Zach Braff's decision of not taking part in "Fletch Won", speculations have begun to arise on who will take the coveted role, and coming up as the one mentioned on the matter surprisingly is Joshua Jackson.

Words coming from IESB.net state that the Canadian actor is in line to play the titular character in the long-gestating project with Steve Pink reportedly being plotted to direct in replacement for Bill Lawrence, who also penned the film's script.

Turns out the guy behind "The Losers" won't be McG for Warner Bros. Pictures appears to have assigned "Fantastic Four" helmer Tim Story to handle the directing matters on the movie instead, Variety has confirmed.

An adaptation of the DC-Vertigo's gritty comic book by Andy Diggle and Jock aka Mark Simpson, the project has already had Jamie Vanderbilt onboard to work on the script from a first draft penned by Peter Berg, who initially was plotted to be the flick's director. The latter is also set to produce alongside his Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, John Cameron, Akiva Goldsman, and Kerry Foster.

Not only surprising fans with sudden announcement on new album, musical group Beastie Boys also comes up with a fresh style on new album. "The Mix-Up" is confirmed all instrumental.

Those who are within Beastie's mailing list received the following e-mail : "OK, here's our blurb about our new album -- it spits hot fire! -- hot shit! it's official... it's named THE MIX-UP. g'wan. all instrumental record. "see i knew they were gonna do that!" that's a quote from you. check the track listing and cover below. you love us. don't you?"

With the reason of an unspecified family problem, LL Cool J will pass the 15th Annual Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest. Not only missing the date, it was reported that the rapper will scrap off any summer dates he is scheduled to perform.

Organizers of Sumfest announced last week that LL Cool J has cancelled his July 20 gig through a rep. Published on Jamaican Observer was: "We have just been advised by LL Cool J's management that due to a family problem, LL Cool J has been forced to cancel all his summer dates and hence he will not be performing at Sumfest."

Excelling with his solo career and being a good helping hand to other artists, Ne-Yo is still terrified upon helping pop king Michael Jackson. The singer who received the recommendation from Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am feels that he wouldn't be able to bring back the "Thriller" sensation.

"I'm not trying to top Thriller," Ne-Yo said in a statement. "Anybody trying to top something that's already been done is fighting a losing battle."

Giving response to Gerard Butler's remark earlier pointing out his doubt on whether he would really take part in "Watchmen", helmer Zack Snyder has stated to MTV that he will find out a way to have the "300" star kept sticking to the project for sure.

"Yeah, we'll find a spot for him," the Green Bay-born filmmaker told the music network at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards red carpet. "They'll let him [off the other sets for a while]; he's not gonna get out that easy."

Responding to Marilyn Manson's "copycat" accuse, My Chemical Romance took it pretty easy. The band laughed off the fact that the accusation comes from a Marilyn Manson.

Frontman Gerard Way told Rock Sound magazine, "If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit but usually it is comments from someone with a new record to promote so the remarks ring hollow." He then added, "We still haven't found someone that has knocked us down that we need to take seriously."

Progress does run smooth on "Westworld" as "Breach" scribe Billy Ray has openly admitted that he is on works to pen the screenplay for the project, set up by Warner Bros. Pictures in association with Jerry Weintraub Productions.

Revealing the tidbit to SciFi.com, the man, however, claimed that no director is attached yet and that he will not take the position in the flick though offers have actually been made to him.

Sequel title apparently still becomes the dominating part in attracting moviegoers' attention as "Ocean's Thirteen" is now taking its turn to reign over the weekend domestic box office ended June 8, 2007.

Superbly selling $36.1 million worth of tickets in its first three-day run, the follow-up to 2004's "Ocean's Twelve" automatically shoves last-week champ "Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End" to second rank for the latest installment of Disney's hit seafaring tale series is unable to fare higher than $21.1 million this time.

British act Iron Maiden was hailed at 2007 Download Festival as they closed the event on Sunday and pulled the largest number of audience in the three days event. While audience nodded to their tunes, the heavy metal band admitted 'challenge' before taking the stage.

Bassist Steve Harriss told NME.com, "We're really looking forward to playing here tonight because we've only done four shows before this one. So it's going to be a bit nerve wracking and edgy but that's good because I think we need a challenge like that." Next thing, the band got on stage and performed the hit "Different World" from "A Matter of Life and Death" (2006) to a screaming crowd.

Sundays and Tuesdays are visitation days for female inmates at the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles, and Paris Hilton made use those days the best way she could. On Sunday June 10th she chose sister Nicky Hilton and former boyfriend, Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos to meet with.

Upon their arrival, the jail officers had the other inmates in the crowded visiting area pushed aside so that the heiress cold have more privacy. Nicky had little to say to reporters and paparazzi as she's leaving the slammer. She was overheard telling sister Paris to "be strong".

Of what can be considered a rare moment, The Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger joined his also-a-singer-brother to sing in front of a small crowd. It happened late last month but the buzz is not high 'till now.

Not so known Chris Jagger was hitting the stage with his Atcha! Blues band when his more famous brother Mick popped his head in the southwest London pub named Bull's Head. Upon taking a break, Chris who noticed his brother's arrival persuaded him to take the stage.

It almost two years that Christina Aguilera married her husband, music marketing executive Jordan Bratman. And just now talk is heating up that the pop singer is pregnant with their first child together as she's been spotted visiting a maternity doctor recently.

Visited a maternity doctor at NY's Maternal Fetal Medicine Association, a practice known for their expertise in high-risk pregnancies and state-of-the-art ultrasounds, on Thursday June 7th Aguilera was seen casually dressed and sporting dark sunglasses with Bratman by her side.