WEIRDLAND

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Returning to the hotel in Paris

July 14 - Jake &Reese returning to their Hotel in Paris. Pictures by Iheartjake.com

San Diego Comic-Con

"The San Diego Comic-Con starts in just over 11 more days, which means it's time to yet again gear up and prepare for one hell of an adventure in the world of comics. While the last few years have featured everything from Spider-Man 3 to 300 to Iron Man to Superbad, this year doesn't look as immensely impressive, but is instead spotted with a few highlights. Presentations this year include: The Day The Earth Stood Still, Max Payne, Red Sonja, RocknRolla, Ninja Assassin, Punisher: War Zone, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Watchmen, The Wolfman, The Spirit, Terminator Salvation, Pixar's Up, Pineapple Express, Friday the 13th, Wes Craven's 25/8, and much more!

11:30-1:00 The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne - Stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, plus director Scott Derrickson and producer Erwin Stoff, present an exclusive look at The Day The Earth Stood Still, Fox's contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Max Payne himself—Mark Wahlberg—will be on hand with Mila Kunis, Ludacris, and director John Moore to discuss turning the game's noirish, hard-hitting, and complex world and characters into a movie event. Hall H

2:00-3:00 Red Sonja: One-on-One - Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), Rose McGowan (Grindhouse), Doug Aarniokoski (2nd unit director, Resident Evil 3) and David White (Undisputed 2) are teaming up to bring back the red-headed warrior woman known as Red Sonja. Room 6CDEF

3:00-4:00 Disney: Race to Witch Mountain - What secrets does Witch Mountain hold? Stars Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino and director Andy Fickman talk about the mysterious, paranormal activity around Witch Mountain. Hall H
San Francisco Marriott Hotel.
10:00-12:00 World Premiere! Mutant Chronicles - Special "work-in-progress" feature film screening hosted by stars Thomas Jane (The Mist), Ron Perlman (Hellboy II), and Devon Aoki (Sin City). This is the first public showing in our hemisphere of this steampunk action-adventure. A disparate squad of former enemy soldiers undertakes a suicide mission deep into the seething heart of the otherworldly mutant scourge bent on human extinction. Unrated, uncut, unreal. Q&A with cast, director Simon Hunter (Lighthouse), and producer Edward R. Pressman (The Crow). Room 6CDEF

Sunday, July 27th:

11:30-12:00 Focus Features: Hamlet 2 - Featuring appearances by Steve Coogan (24 Hour Party People, Night at the Museum and the upcoming Tropic Thunder), Elisabeth Shue (Adventures in Babysitting, The Karate Kid), writer Pam Brady (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Team America: World Police), and writer/director Andrew Fleming (The Craft, Dick). There will be other surprise appearances, so don't miss it! Ballroom 20

12:00-12:45 Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Comedy legends Harold, Kumar, and NPH (Kal Penn, John Cho, and Neil Patrick Harris) appear live and in-person ato talk about the creation of their latest masterpiece—Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay—available on DVD on July 29. Ballroom 20

1:00-1:30 Friday the 13th - Sneak a peek at the new movie retelling the original Friday the 13th about teenaged summer camp counselors who are systematically slaughtered by a mysterious killer. Ballroom 20

1:30-2:30 Rogue Pictures - Rogue Pictures presents select footage, key cast members, and filmmakers from its upcoming 2009 slate. Scheduled appearances include writer/director Wes Craven, discussing his suspense thriller 25/8, and writer/director David Goyer, discussing his supernatural thriller The Unborn. Ballroom 20".

Source: www.firstshowing.net

Rachel Cohn on "Nick and Norah"

Rachel Cohn on Nick and Norah: The following are questions answered in her myspace blog:

Q: How did you feel when you were told that they were turning N&N into a movie?Is the plot changing a lot? Who the hell is Lethario on IMDB? Can we know some of the songs on the soundtrack? I know Bishop Allen and Project Jenny/Project Jan.
A: ECSTATIC! But I didn't really believe it, until the first day we visited a shoot on Ludlow Street (see: David's awesome "On Ludlow" lyrics on pg. 113 of N&N) on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and we saw all the trucks, trailers, seemingly gazillion production crew running around coordinating Yugos and vans and taxis and actors, and freaking lights being brought down from a CRANE. Then, I started to go, WHOA, this is actually happening!
Also, meeting supernice Superbad star Michael Cera, and seeing him in the "Salvatore" jacket, in a Yugo, also made clear this dream was real!

The plot is essentially the same as the book (two broken-hearted, straight edge bridge-and-tunnel teens meet at a punk show in Manhattan, and fall in and out of love throughout that same night wandering the city), but the main difference is probably that Nick and Norah's friends have bigger, broader and very, very funny stories in the movie, and the places Nick & Norah go change somewhat (although they did film a scene at the restaurant Veselka – same as the book! – and guess who got two extras sitting at a table behind Michael Cera and Kat Dennings? David and me!)
"Lethario" is not someone from the book. He's in the music club scene that opens the movie, and he becomes part of the group's adventures throughout the night. He's played by the very cool Jonathan B. Wright, one of the stars of one of my personal favorite shows on Broadway, Spring Awakening. (insert fangirl *squee*) I don't know about the soundtrack! I do know it's something all the filmmakers care very much about, so I'm betting it's going to be just as good as all the amazing people working on it.

Q: What will the Nick & Norah movie be rated? Do we know?
A: They're aiming for PG-13. Which seems hard to believe if you remember the language (and certain, ahem, scenes in the book), but I do think the filmmakers have very creatively and subversively figured out how to get that rating without sacrificing the spirit of the book. And I say this as the person who maybe most wanted all those F-bombs to stay in the movie. But they've made it work! No f*!$ing kidding!

Q: Why Kat Dennings?
A: Having met her and watched her film scenes as Norah, I can only answer back with another
Q: How could Norah be played by anyone but Kat Dennings?
I seriously, honestly, truly couldn't be happier that she was cast as Norah. If anything, her only "flaw" is that she's too beautiful! I imagined the Norah in the book to be not so glamorous looking, but hey, this is the movie version we're talking about. And the coolest thing about Kat is that even if she doesn't look exactly the way we imagined Norah in the book, I am telling you for sure for sure that in personality, she is PERFECT. She's got exactly the right attitude, humor and vulnerability. I couldn't love her more as movie Norah. And I feel that way about all the cast; while not all of them looked the way I pictured them in the book, in personality, they were all so well-chosen, but also, each actor made the characters their own. The movie is the movie and the book is the book...and I think each character/actor does and should stand independently on their own in each separate version.

Songs Mentioned in "Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist"

Q: Are you planning on using all or most of the music from Nick and Norah's Playlist in the movie?
A: I'm pretty sure some of David's great Nick song lyrics make it into the movie. And just a reminder that I have playlists for Nick & Norah and Naomi & Ely posted on iTunes. To find them, go to the iTunes Music Store, choose the Music section, then go to the "iMix" link on the side, and type in my name, David's name, or either of the books' titles to find the playlists. Hope you enjoy them!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Michael Cera (Stand by me)

"The Dark Knight" premiere in UK

Maggie Gyllenhaal attending to "Late Show With David Letterman" - July 16, 2008. Arriving at the Jon Stewart show, July 17.The Dark Knight - UK Film Premiere, London, July 21. Maggie and Peter outside the Dorchester hotel, July 20.

"Twilight" trailer and Michael Welch


"Pineapple Express" TV spots




Source: www.movieweb.com

Interview to Christopher Nolan


Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Girl with ice cream

Hilary Duff.Rachael Taylor.

American Teen

"AMERICAN TEEN" is the touching and hilarious Sundance hit that follows the lives of four teenagers - a jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geek – in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. We see the insecurities, the cliques, the jealousies, the first loves and heartbreaks, and the struggle to make profound decisions about the future. Filming daily for ten months, filmmaker Nanette Burstein (ON THE ROPES, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE) developed a deep understanding of her subjects. The result is a film that goes beyond the enduring stereotypes of high school to render complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood. Hannah Bailey is smart and beautiful, but a misfit in her high school. She is a liberal, atheist living in a traditional, Christian, conservative town and dreams of moving to California after graduation. Colin Clemens is the star of the high school basketball team - and in Indiana, basketball is everything. Colin is under enormous pressure this year playing not only to make his town, his school, and his father proud, but for a college scholarship. Jake Tusing is considered to be a nerd in high school. Though quite funny and charming one-on-one, he is painfully shy in group situations and crushed with self-doubt. In his senior year he vows that nothing will stand in the way of him finding a girlfriend. Megan Krizmanich is the student council Vice President and the youngest daughter of a prominent local surgeon, anxiously awaiting word from Notre Dame University admissions. Wealthy, pretty, smart and popular, she rules her high school - just don’t get on her bad side. When Megan’s peers challenge her authority, she can’t help but take action, even if it means risking her future. Mitch Reinholt is an attractive and charming Varsity basketball jock with a soft side. When he puts his social status on the line, avoiding his popular friends for dates with artsy Hannah Bailey, he strains to maintain his reputation while discovering a new side of himself. With extraordinary intimacy and a great deal of humor, AMERICAN TEEN captures the pressures of growing up – pressures that come from one’s peers, one’s parents, and not least, oneself".
Source: www.joblo.com

Source: www.americanteenthemovie.com

New affiliate: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Online

We have a new affiliate site with Jake Weird, dedicated to the beautiful and classy actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whose main roles are: Young Evelyn in "The Ring Two" (2005), Gwen in "Sky High" (2005), Susan in "Bobby" (2006), Wendy in "Final Destination 3" (2006), Ingrid Superstar in "Factory Girl" (2006), Heather in "Black Christmas" (2006), Lucy in "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007), Lee in "Death Proof" (2007), and in the upcoming "Make It Happen" (2008) as Lauryn and"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (2009) as Ramona Flowers.

The Joker and Rachel Dawes

"The true strength of the final complete performance of Ledger's life lies in his much longer monologues. You see, you may think he's playing The Joker, but he's actually playing the Devil. He weaves truth and lies; every scheme is designed to wreak havoc on multiple layers, including ones that aren't always evident at first; he can also make you feel downright sorry for the guy as he weaves one of many autobiographies spins during the course of the film. He's a master manipulator, and wherever he is, he's the smartest guy in the room. Yes, he's insane, but he's going to let you think he's think that crazy equals reckless and unintelligent. He is neither.

Of course, a lot of what I've just discussed is as much a testament to the writers of The Dark Knight as Ledger. What Ledger adds to the mix is something he's clearly picked up from this version of The Joker. Just as Batman's archenemy has no moral code or fiber, Ledger has completely ripped to shreds everything he and we have come to accept and settle for when it comes to a portrait of evil. He has dismantled the status quo of how bad guys have been played in the past, and delivered a big whopping "Fuck You" to every overacting, mustache-twirling ham who thinks that simply slicking back your hair and wearing dark clothes is the way villainy should be played in film. Watching Ledger move like a rabid animal or subtly flick his tongue like an angry serpent is to behold something you have never seen on screen before and probably will not again in your lifetime. Joker saga is more than just the greatest superhero movie ever made (and that it certainly is), but it's the year's finest crime drama, greatest character study, and greatest acting performance.

Not to oversell Ledger's work (too late!), but seeing his version of The Joker actually made me mad at Jack Nicholson for not taking it far enough. Nicholson made a career out of being edgy and no-holds barred, but he and Tim Burton decided to make The Joker a clown instead of a true maniac. I'm sure it was not Nolan's intention, but his film made me dislike a film I once enjoyed because I now see that Nicholson's Joker is a pussy. I still think Michael Keaton was a decent Batman, but Christian Bale has such great pent-up (and sometimes not so pent-up) rage in him this time that no one can hold a candle to the dimensions he's adding to either side of his identity. Bruce Wayne gets as much time on screen as his costumed alter ego (maybe even more).Maggie Gyllenhaal steps into Katie Holmes' role from the first film as Rachel Dawes, Wayne's childhood sweetheart and one of the few civilians who knows about his secret life. I guess I understand why the Batman films need a strong female presence, but the truth is, I've never liked any of the women in any of the Batman movies. Gyllenhaal's Rachel comes the closest to having a purpose other than slinking things up a bit and providing evidence that our hero is more than a shallow playboy (that said, Dark Knight's running joke about Bruce hooking up with the Russian Ballet is priceless). Rachel is torn between her true love and her new love, the "White Knight" district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart, in easily the finest performance he has ever given). The film's recurring theme of man's duality obviously comes to a head when Dent's face is severely burned thanks to a booby trap set by The Joker, but it's also driven home with The Joker himself, who makes the interesting observation that he and Batman are just different kinds of crazy. And Batman doesn't argue".

Source: www.aintitcool.com

‘Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist’


Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist hits theaters October 3, 2008.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Reese shopping in Santa Monica.

Reese Whitherspoon going from shopping to Fred Segal in Santa Monica.

100 FHM sexiest women

The 100 Sexiest Women according to FHM magazine:


100. Holly Willoughby 99. Marion Cotillard 98. Victoria Beckham 97. Roxanne Mckee 96. Nicola Roberts 95. Dannii Minogue 94. Billie Piper 93. Kylie Minogue 92. April Scott 91. Kirstie Allsopp 90. Amber Heard 89. Kristen Bell 88. Odette Yustman 87. Hannah Spearritt 86. Ellen Page 85. Gloria De Piero 84. Katie Holmes 3. Katherine Jenkins 82. Michelle Ryan 81. Anna Kournikova 80. Agyness Deyn 79. Mary Elizabeth Winstead 78. Gwen Stefani 77. Denise Richards 76. Chelsea Davy 75. Petra Nemcova 74. Stacy Keibler 73. Tricia Helfer 72. Eva Green 71. Fearne Cotton 70. Sienna Miller 69. Mandy Moore 68. Nadine Velazquez 67. Milla Jovovich 66. Kimberly Walsh 65. Emily Scott 64. Ali Larter 63. Alexa Chung 62. Holly Valance 61. Vanessa Hudgens 60. Cameron Diaz 59. Charlotte Mckenna 58. Marisa Miller 57. Jennifer Garner 56. Mischa Barton 55. Abbey Clancy 54. Evangeline Lilly 53. Shakira 52. Carmen Electra 51. Emma Griffiths 50. Rachel McAdams 49. Nicole Scherzinger 48. Kristin Kreuk 47. Monica Bellucci 46. Halle Berry 45. Katherine Heigl 44. Alesha Dixon 43. Nadine Coyle 42. Bar Refaeli 41. Lindsay Lohan 40. Heidi Klum 39. Natalie Portman 38. Olga Kurylenko 37. Avril Lavigne 36. Sarah Harding 35. Eva Mendes 34. Kelly Brook 33. Emma Watson 32. Sarah Michelle Gellar 31. Britney Spears 30. Maria Sharapova 29. Rachel Stevens 28. Charlize Theron 27. Jennifer Aniston 26. Jessica Simpson 25. Salma Hayek 4. Sophia Bush 23. Ana Ivanovic 22. Gisele Bundchen 21. Adriana Lima 20. Christina Aguilera 19. Jennifer Love Hewitt 18. Gemma Atkinson 17. Beyonce Knowles 16. Rachel Bilson 15. Alessandra Ambrosio 14. Eva Longoria 13. Jessica Biel 12. Kate Beckinsale 11. Rihanna 10. Keira Knightley 9. Angelina Jolie 8. Hilary Duff 7. Cheryl Cole 6. Scarlett Johansson 5. Hayden Panettiere 4. Elisha Cuthbert
3. Keeley Hazell 2. Jessica Alba
1. Megan Fox Winning debut: There’s not a woman alive who looks better bent over a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro in a denim miniskirt. With a sultry glower, capricious pout and six tattoos, she’s the junior Angelina Jolie (but without the orphan addiction).

Source: www.fhm.com

Michael Cera and John Cusack

"Everyone loved Ellen Page’s performance in last year’s movie sleeper, Juno. But Michael Cera was equally impressive, in my opinion, as the down to Earth would be boyfriend. There’s no funnier young actor in Hollywood than Cera and it looks like he is going to continue his rise to stardom in the highly buzzed Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Here’s a look at the film’s first poster. Very Juno-esque. Props to MTV Movies Blog for the image.

Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist, based on the best-selling novel, centers around Nick O’leary (Cera), group member of the Jerk Offs, and his chance encounter with Norah Silverber (Kat Dennings), who he asks to be his 5 minute girlfriend so that he can avoid his ex.Cera is money in everything he does. He doesn’t mug for the camera in his dramatic roles and might be the best thing to happen to romantic comedies since John Cusack. (Think Say Anything and High Fidelity.) Everyone with a pulse has seen him in Superbad. But if you haven’t seen him on Arrested “Development”, “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job”, or his own hysterical web series “Clark and Michael” then you owe it to yourself to check it out". -by Adam Sweeney
Source: www.filmschoolrejects.com
"He made his feature film debut at 17, acting alongside Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy in the romantic comedy Class (1983). His next role, as a member of Anthony Michael Hall's geek brigade in Sixteen Candles (1984), put him on track to becoming a teen-flick fixture. Cusack remained on the periphery of the Brat Pack, sidestepping the meteoric rise and fall of most of his contemporaries, but he stayed busy with leads in films like The Sure Thing (1985) and Better Off Dead... (1985). Young Cusack is probably best remembered for what could be considered his last adolescent role: the stereo-blaring romantic Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything... (1989).
In 2006 when Total Film magazine asked him for a "Top 5" list of his movies, he answered with The Grifters (1990), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), High Fidelity (2000) and Max (2002/I).
Source: www.imdb.com

Artist on Artist: John Cusack and Diablo Cody

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Christian Bale in "The dark knight"

"Since taking on the mantle of Bruce Wayne and Batman for the 2005 summer blockbuster Batman Begins, Christian Bale has become one of the more respected actors to take on the role, but before starting work on its sequel, The Dark Knight, Bale went to work with German filmmaker Werner Herzog on his latest dramatic film Rescue Dawn. Bale took a break from shooting The Dark Knight to talk to press about the Herzog film, but he took some time to answer a few questions from ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! about the sequel-in-progress.

Superhero Hype!: You seem like an actor who is always looking to do something new, so how hard is it for you to go back and play Batman, a character you've already done? Is there something new you feel you can bring to him?
Christian Bale: You got to see with the other versions, it didn't really keep it going, but Chris Nolan who I'm working with for the third time now, he ain't going to be making a movie if he's not going to be doin' something very different with it which he's achieved in spades. I'm actually liking very much the idea, because I haven't reprised a role before, so I know it already and obviously there'll be progress. We've got a great cast as well. Chris and me work very well together, so I know we'll be fighting an awful lot to add to it. The last thing it is is treading water. Now the people support us completely too so we have all that extra support behind us, to just kind of let rip.SHH!: As an actor, how important is it to have a franchise character that you can go back to which allows you to do things like this movie?
Bale: Well, I've been doing things like this movie anyway. It's not like if I didn't have the franchise, I'd say, "No I can't make 'Rescue Dawn.'" What it does allow though is that something like "Rescue Dawn" you know Werner and me have been talking about making it for two and a half years, but I doubt it's a huge coincidence that we got the finance pretty quick after I'd been in Batman. So it does mean that I can do these things in a much easier fashion verses a number of years back where like "American Psycho 2," it took two years, just because they didn't want me. Certainly it helps with that, but in and of itself, I really like what Chris has done and working with him on Batman. I tell you, it's the only time in my life that I've been actually planning the future, because usually you know what you're doing for the next two months if you're lucky. After that, you have no idea. I've gone times when I've really needed to work, and there was no work coming in for me. I didn't work for a year and a half or something. I guess having a franchise is the only time you can actually kind of sit back and go, "It's alright. It's going to be okay." Even if nothing else happens, I know that that's going to come along at some point. You don't even know that actually because they could dump me in a second. But, it's a good bit.SHH!: How about working with Heath as The Joker?
Bale: Absolutely. He's a great choice for it. I like him personally, but he's got a real craving for playing that role. I think he's going to do something really very different. We worked together briefly in the Todd Haynes movie.
Source: www.superherohype.com
"The moral dilemma of how far do you push the line when dealing with crime and corruption figures heavily in The Dark Knight story. "It's the circumstances," offered Bale on Batman's thought process. "As we see in The Dark Knight, if there's the possibility of having the system work and of having somebody like Harvey Dent be an elected official who can actually solve the problems that Batman's trying to do himself, then obviously Batman is obsolete at that point. So he believes in the system. It's just that the system in Gotham is broken."

Does Bale live within the system? "Everyone would want to live in a system that works but when it doesn't, I think everyone would like to think that they were able to affect some kind of a change themselves, and answer problems for themselves instead of being completely useless," answered Bale. "Whether that's the correct thing to do in the long term or not, I'm not sure. But certainly when it comes to protecting things that you love, then it's black and white. You don't really care too much about the long term consequences. You're going to do what is right for the people around you in that instant which is, of course, always the conflict between what is right for the individual and is that right for society in general. It's what's so great about being human. We're not ants. We do have individual streaks and we will do what is right for ourselves and not just toe the line."

Source: movies.about.com
Christian Bale and his daughter Emmeline.Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and their daughter Ramona.




Source: blogs.hoycinema.com