Dunst Finds New Motivation in SPIDER-MAN 2
Kirsten Dunst, who reprises the role of Mary Jane Watson in the upcoming sequel film Spider-Man 2, told SCI FI Wire that her character will take more charge of her life. "Now she has her own place in New York, and she's getting married," Dunst said in an interview. "She's working and doing her own thing. I scream a lot less in this one."
Dunst felt Mary Jane's progression in the sequel is natural, considering her conflicted background. "Look at her family and what she came from, this abusive male in the house and this mother who's an alcoholic," she said. "I don't think Mary Jane was the most secure woman to begin with, so she was a little bit more like, I guess you could say, a damsel in distress [in the first film]."
Dunst also confirmed that Mary Jane's fiance is John Jameson, son of Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (again played by J.K. Simmons). John is played by actor Daniel Gillies. "[It's] just a different guy to kiss," Dunst said. Columbia Pictures will release Spider-Man 2 on Jul. 2, 2004.
Seinfeld buzzes to 'Bee Movie'
Jerry Seinfeld has inked a deal for his first major project since retiring his top-rated NBC sitcom in 1998.
The comedian is set to write, produce and star in the CGI-animated film "Bee Movie," Variety reports.
Dreamworks' Steven Spielberg, who had been discussing animated film ideas with Seinfeld last summer, was sparked to his idea to set a comedy in an anthropomorphized world of bees, a structured metropolis that resembles Manhattan.
Seinfeld has begun writing the project, and will voice the male bee. It will take approximately three years to complete the project.
Thurman Partakes of Travolta's 'Cool' Chili
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - "Pulp Fiction" dance partners Uma Thurman and John Travolta will reunite on the big screen to take care of business.
The pair will star in "Be Cool," the sequel to 1995's "Get Shorty," based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, according to industry reports.
Travolta will reprise his role as Chili Palmer, a former mobster who discovered a knack for Hollywood wheeling and dealing. In "Cool," Palmer looks to the music industry for new movie ideas. Thurman plays Edie, a widow who takes over her husband's record label, crossing paths with Palmer. The pair inevitably runs afoul of Russian gangsters, the law and aspiring entertainers.
Danny DeVito once again portrays actor Martin Weir, and The Rock will play a bodyguard who dreams of stardom.
"Cool" is scheduled to begin shooting in early 2004.
Travolta, 49, will next appear in the comic book adaptation of "The Punisher" next April. Thurman, 33, returns as The Bride in the second "Kill Bill" installment in February, and stars opposite Ben Affleck in John Woo's "Paycheck," which opens Christmas Day.
Bonus, Repurposed 'Simple Life' Comes to FOX
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - FOX's reality take on "Green Acres," "The Simple Life" has the network rolling in greenbacks. Looking to fill some scheduling holes, FOX has gone into repurposing mode.
FOX will add a bonus new episode of the series on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The episode will follow stars Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as they learn yet another lesson about how the other half lives during their temporary sojourn in Arkansas. More specifically, the gals will try their hands at cattle herding and hilarity will inevitably ensue.
For viewers who have had other things to do during the show's first run, FOX is offering a variety of opportunities to catch up. On Thursday, Dec. 11 the first two episodes will be reaired. Then, just in time for New Year's Eve Eve, FOX will do a mini-marathon featuring four episodes to air starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
The show's premiere last Tuesday (Dec. 2) drew more than 13 million viewers, topping the night's other high profile premieres, including NBC's "The Tracy Morgan Show." A new episode the following night improved on those numbers.
Paris and Nicole will be presenters on FOX's telecast of "The 2003 Billboard Music Awards" on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Following an appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend (Dec. 6), it appears that Hilton's experiment with avoiding extra publicity and the public eye lasted roughly a week.
Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze file for divorce after 4-year marriage
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Filmmakers Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze are splitting after four years of marriage.
Coppola, director of this year's Oscar hopeful "Lost In Translation", filed divorce papers Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. She cited "irreconcilable differences" and said the couple separated in May. They have no children. The couple reached the decision to divorce "with sadness," Coppola's publicist, Bumble Ward, said in a statement.
Coppola, 32, wrote and directed "Lost in Translation", starring Bill Murray, and the 2000 drama, The Virgin Suicides.
Jonze, 34, whose real name is Adam Spiegel, is the director of the 1999 cult classic Being John Malkovich, and last year's Adaptation.
'Idol' Winner Studdard to Release CD
NEW YORK - "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard gets his turn to reclaim some of the spotlight from friendly singing rival Clay Aiken when his album, "Soulful," is released Tuesday.
With his oversized frame and booming, soulful voice, Studdard would seem to be a tough guy to overshadow. Yet ever since he captured the TV talent contest last May, he's been upstaged by his twig of a runner-up, Aiken.
Aiken's single, "This is the Night/Bridge over Troubled Water," released at the same time as Studdard's "Flying Without Wings/Superstar," was tops in sales. Rolling Stone magazine put Clay on its cover first. It was Aiken who sang at the World Series and Miss America pageant. And Clay's album was rolled out first, becoming an instant best seller in October.
Now Studdard finally gets his turn when his disc is released by J Records.
The apparent popularity disparity has some fans of the "Velvet Teddy Bear" — as Studdard has been dubbed — in a tizzy. But ask the man himself, and he responds with a shrug.
"Everybody has their time in the spotlight, and it's Clay's time to shine right now," the 24-year-old told The Associated Press during an interview in his hotel suite. "He has his album out that's selling tremendously well, and I'm proud of him.
"Of course, I would want to have the same success. Every artist wants to be a multiplatinum-selling artist, so I'm looking forward to selling a lot of CDs as well, but I'm not going to hate on Clay just because he's doing his thing."
Studdard's thing is primarily R&B with a little hip-hop and gospel, unlike the pop-centric albums from Aiken and last year's "American Idol" winner, Kelly Clarkson.
"I'm not a pop artist, so I think that's like the difference between me and the rest of the artists that have left the 'American Idol' thing," said Studdard.
The Birmingham, Ala. native doesn't veer too much from the formula that established him. Clive Davis, J Records' founder and the executive producer of "Soulful," says it was important to stay true to Studdard's R&B roots.
"I saw the pride in the black community, that this was the first 'American Idol' who was a black person, so therefore we wanted to honor and do right by Ruben," he said.
However, he took pains to note that he felt the album would have pop success.
"Every so often, you do get an artist who is multi-format, and I think Ruben can be that kind of artist," Davis said.
The hefty Studdard was an early favorite in the competition with his powerful, soulful tenor, which recalled greats like Luther Vandross. He became so popular that even the clothing he wore with the Birmingham area code, 205, became a hot seller.
Yet when the competition was finally decided, he faced stiff competition from Aiken, who in many ways seemed Studdard's polar opposite — a white, lanky guy with a nerdy image and a voice made for Broadway.
Out of nearly 24 million votes cast by telephone, Studdard won by only 130,000. The margin was so slim, some Aiken fans demanded a recount. And when the pair toured with other "Idol" contestants, it seemed Aiken's popularity continued to soar while Studdard faded into the background.
Dave Karger, who wrote a cover story on Aiken for Entertainment Weekly, says one reason the media seemed to be more enchanted with Aiken was personality.
"He's much chattier than Ruben, and I think from a media point of view, he has proven himself to be a more appealing interview subject," Karger said. "Ruben ... is much more reserved, and just much more quiet, and I think because of that, people in the media have assumed that he has nothing to say."
Indeed, it's hard to get anything too revealing out of Studdard. Though polite and charming, he reveals only what he needs to during an interview, giving short answers in his low-key manner.
He admits he's "always just in chill mode. ... Some reporters think I'm real soft spoken and all this other stuff, but that's just who I am. Everybody wants you to change, to acclimate to them. Especially with the media. Everybody's like, 'Ruben's too soft spoken. He should talk up!'"
Both Studdard and Aiken are on record labels run by Davis, a veteran hitmaker, who says that he's shipping 1.4 million copies of Studdard's album in anticipation of a smash: "The orders for Ruben are slightly higher for what they are for Clay."
"Clay was everywhere because Clay had an album out," said Davis. "We knew that we were building a major album for Ruben. There's no show that Clay was on that Ruben will not be on."
Studdard also says that as the winner of the competition, he had more commitments than Aiken, giving the runner-up more time to do other interviews and boost his profile. Also, "I was on the cover of Rolling Stone too," Studdard says.
Studdard also has something Aiken does not: a Grammy nomination, for best male R&B vocal performance.
But if Studdard is annoyed, upset or worried about the attention Aiken has received, you'd never know it. He refuses to be baited into a rivalry with his friend.
"People always ask me if I'm upset that Clay's on (the covers). No I'm not upset. If I was the runner-up, I'd want to be on all the magazine covers too, and people would be just as pissed off at me doing stuff," he says. "It is a media thing. It's been given way more hype than it should have ever received."
Here are the other new CD Releases for Tuesday, December 9, 2003:
* AVANT Private Room (Geffen)
* BILLY RAY CYRUS The Other Side (Warner)
* CHRISTINA AGUILERA The Voice Within (CD Single) (RCA)
* CRYSTAL METHOD Born Too Slow (CD Single) (V2)
* EARL SLICK Zig Zag (Sanctuary Records)
* FEFE DOBSON Fefe Dobson (Island)
* HOOBASTANK The Reason (Island)
* HOWLIN' WOLF The Howlin' Wolf Story (Arista)
* KELIS Tasty (Arista)
* KELLY CLARKSON The Trouble With Love Is (CD Single) (RCA)
* MADONNA Nothing Fails (CD Single) (Maverick)
* NICK CANNON Nick Cannon (Zomba)
* OUR LADY PEACE Our Lady Peace Live (DVD Video) (Sony)
* RYAN ADAMS Love Is Hell Pt. 2 (Lost Highway/Universal)
* RYAN MALCOLM Home (Vik)
* SIMPLY RED Home: Live In Sicily (DVD) (Warner)
* THE OFFSPRING Splinter (Columbia/Sony)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Gotta Love The Holidays (Warner)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Love Don't Cost A Thing OST (Hollywood)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Ultimate Dirty Dancing (BMG Heritage)
* WESTSIDE CONNECTION Terrorist Threats (Priority)
Ozzy Osbourne Badly Injured in Crash in England
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rocker Ozzy Osbourne underwent emergency surgery at a hospital in Britain after suffering serious injuries in an all-terrain vehicle crash on the grounds of his estate in Buckinghamshire, his publicist said on Monday.
"During examination, doctors found that Ozzy had broken his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in his neck," publicist Cindy Guagenti said in a brief written statement, which added that the injuries were not considered life threatening.
"Ozzy is currently undergoing emergency surgery to lift the collarbone which is believed to be resting on a major artery interrupting blood flow to his arm," Guagenti said in the statement. "Surgeons are also working to alleviate some bleeding into his lungs."
The 55-year-old heavy metal rocker was injured while riding the all-terrain vehicle during a day off from promoting his new single, a duet with his daughter Kelly titled "Changes."
Local police said that a man had been injured after an accident on a so-called quad bike but would not confirm that it was Osbourne -- who stars with his wife Sharon and two of their children on the MTV reality series "The Osbournes."
The Birmingham, England-born Osbourne first shot to fame as lead singer of Black Sabbath.
The Couch Potato Report
This week in The Couch Potato Report I'm going to say nice things about two of the worst movies of 2003.
There is an old adage that says: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
If I were to adhere to that all I would have for you in this week's Couch Potato Report would be the titles of the two biggest films being released.
I'd just say: "The two new films that are out this week are BAD BOYS II and GIGLI. Enjoy the movies and I'll see you on the couch."
But I can't just do that. I have to say something about these films, without being negative and proclaiming them two of the worst films of 2003.
Yes, since I have to be nice, I can't tell you that these two films are nothing but a complete waste of your time.
Nor can I exaggerate for comedic effect and state that after watching either BAD BOYS II or GIGLI you'll have to take a shower to get the stench of them off of you.
Nope, I can't say those things. I have to be be nice.
Here goes.
Bad Boys II is the sequel to the 1995 release that launched the movie careers of two then-TV stars named Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
The original BAD BOYS was an entertaining action film about two police partners in Miami. Smith and Lawrence both became big movie stars because of their great chemistry and the film was an unexpected surprise.
But that was the original BAD BOYS...now, lets see what I can say that is nice about the absolutely dreadful BAD BOYS II.
Hmmm...I've got it! BAD BOYS II, a movie that sees the Miami cops on the trail of drugs and a ruthless drug lord, isn't as bad a GIGLI. Yes, that's it, that's what I'll say, and its nice. The nice thing that I will say about BAD BOYS II is that it isn't as bad a GIGLI.
Don't get me wrong, BAD BOYS II is an absolute waste of time. But if you like things that blow up loud and blow up real good, at least you might find something worthwhile for some of the otherwise excruciating 2 hours and 27 minutes that the film runs.
No, BAD BOYS II isn't as bad as GIGLI. But few films are.
But to be totally honest, its easy to pick on GIGLI. The Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez vehicle was universally panned by critics and moviegoers alike when it was released a few months ago. And when the Worst Of 2003 lists start to come out in the next few weeks expect to see this movie on or at the top of almost every one of them.
Yes, it is easy to pick on this film about a kidnapping mobster who falls for his female cohort.
Very easy!
But I want to say something nice, or I shouldn't say anything at all.
Okay, something nice about GIGLI...oh! I've got it! At 2 hours and 1 minute, GIGLI is almost a half an hour shorter than BAD BOYS II! Yes, that’s it! That's nice!
So if you happen to find yourself watching this dreck, as you sit through the implausible scenarios, the excruciating overacting by Christopher Walken and Al Pacino in their brief cameos, and the idiotic dialogue, you can rest secure in the knowledge that this movie, although much worse than BAD BOYS II, is 25 minutes shorter.
And there you go, I have managed to say nice things about two of the worst films of 2003! I didn't think I was going to be able to do it.
To recap my niceties, BAD BOYS II, although it is a horrible movie, isn't as bad as GIGLI. And GIGLI, one of the worst films of 2003, isn't as long as BAD BOYS II.
Should you be curious to see just how bad they are BAD BOYS II and GIGLI are, they are both available at your local video store to rent and own right now.
COMING NEXT WEEK
Some movies that are actually worth seeing.
Seabiscuit - This true story was one of my favourite movies of 2003. It's the story of an undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the three-man team behind it but also those of all of America as well. (Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper)
Freaky Friday - A Mother and daughter swap bodies and lives in this remake of the 1976 Jodie Foster classic. (Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon)
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen - A Legion of superheroes try to defeat a masked madman's plans in this almost a great movie. (Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson)
Rugrats Go Wild - The Rugrats call upon the Thornberrys when stuck on desert isle. (Lacey Chabert, Nancy Cartwright, Elizabeth Daily)
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you on the couch!