1. Sam's Boots Were Made for Walking
With just a month to go until “Avatar” makes him one of the biggest -- and bluest -- stars in the movie world, Sam Worthington's having himself a fun victory tour of his native Australia. This week he was named “Man of the Year” by the Down Under version of GQ magazine and lauded at the Inside Film Awards. Showing he's keeping it real, Sam wore his “lucky” old workboots -- the ones he kept on during the entire “Terminator Salvation” shoot -- to both the magazine's glittering function and the awards show and after-party. When a paparazzi called him on it, the rising star's response was colorful. “Mate, f---ing ease up, f---ing take it easy, or that's the last pic you get,” he said as a joke. “They're f---ing comfortable. Why wouldn't I wear them?”
2.McG's Sub Sinks -- for Now
A few months back, we fretted that uber-hack McG was making a new blockbuster version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and suggested he look to cheapie schlocker “30,000 Leagues Under the Sea” for inspiration. Now, it appears the gods -- Neptune, Poseidon, Walt Disney execs -- have seen the light and pulled the plug on the $150M production. Yes, a script by Michael Chabon may have been interesting, but McG? C'mon, we're still smarting from what he did -- other than give an inkling of Sam Worthington's potential as “Mad Max” -- in “Terminator Salvation”.
3. Edgar Pissed Wright Off
And who can blame him? The Brit co-writer-director of “Shaun of the Dead," “Hot Fuzz” and the much anticipated “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World” is a lovely chap and an avid cinephile. So what the hell was the Times doing ripping off -- as in, printing without permission -- the heartfelt obituary he wrote for actor Edward Woodward and passing it off as a piece he'd penned for them? Adding insult to injury, they edited the piece sloppily. Follow it here.
4. More Violence! More Suffering!
Ah, test screenings, is there anything they can't do? “The Lovely Bones” -- which I reckon could be shaping up to be the Dark Horse of the Oscar season -- is near enough completion that Peter Jackson felt comfortable showing it to a test audience. Their feedback led him to recut the film to include “more violence and suffering” for one particular character. I'm guessing it's not the film's narrator, Saorsie Ronan. If it is, well, scrap the preceding Oscar sentiment.
5. "Twilight" Mash-Ups
“Twilight” reviews are everywhere -- and they suck! Fans are everywhere -- and they don't care. Youtube Twi-mockery mash-ups are everywhere! Enjoy one of the best:
6. Puppet People Brought Down Nixon
This week I chatted with Bert I. Gordon, the writer-director-producer who in the 1950s thrilled a generation of kids with B-grade monster flicks like “Earth Vs.
