A man posing as Heath Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger, fooled Tom Cruise, the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, and a number of other people. He managed to talk with Cruise for a while. John Travolta was also contacted but according to his reps, he knew the man was an impostor. Looks as if Cruise didn’t have his superpower ring on.

Daniel Craig, aka the current James Bond, is defending the new Bond 22 movie title, Quantum of Solace, saying that name is important to the plot. [China Daily]

This seems like a month of celebrity passings. Actor Christopher Allport died at age 60 after apparently being trapped in an avalanche. Allport has appeared in numerous movies (TV + theater) and TV shows since 1973. He’ll also appear in 2008’s Garden Party. [EFlux Media via Bitten and Bound]

Linsday Lohan has a $1000/day shopping budget. Must be nice. [Cele|bitchy]

Barry Sonnenfeld won a DGA Awards prize this past Saturday for directing an episode of Pushing Daisies, one of the best new shows on TV. AP says that it’s for “television comedy”, but the show leans more towards dramatic comedy. [AP/Google]

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the theater. I went to see a movie and ended up at a thrill ride. But I paid for 85 minutes of Cloverfield and only got about 7 minutes of thrill. And what thrill that 7 minutes was.

Cloverfield, which topped the box office on its opening weekend but dropped to fourth this past weekend, is unlike any movie I’ve ever seen. But that’s neither a compliment nor an insult. Actually, it’s both. This is the third completely different review I’ve written for Cloverfield because I have had a hard time capturing it exactly.

On the one hand, I have a review full of “bitter critic” banter at not trusting my gut instinct about how crappy this movie would be. In my long experience of watching movies, I’ve learned not to go see any movie that’s been as hyped as Cloverfield has. And it really stinks. Sort of.
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

Give me a break dept: Apparently the relationship between Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal is drawing negative response from Ryan Phillipe (her ex), Kirsten Dunst (his ex), and Naomi Foner (his mother). If this story is true, then Kirsten had hoped to reunite with Gyllenhaal. And supposedly his mother had hoped he would find a younger woman. Meoooowwww. Witherspoon turns 32 in March. What an old bag. Gyllenhaal will be 28 in December. Dunst will be 26 in April.

Witherspoon with appear in Tokyo Suckerpunch and Four Christmases this year. Gyllenhaal will appear in Brothers this year. Rumor is that they’re getting closer to an engagement.

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore might be cutting their ties with Kabbalah. According to MSNBC, they used to have an “impeccable attendance record” at the Kabballah Centre in L.A. but have not shown up for months for any services or Shabbat.

Kutcher will appear in What Happens in Vegas in 2008 and Personal Effects in 2009. Moore will provide voicework for the TV movie The Magic 7 in 2008.

Was a drunken Sean Young actually ejected from the DGA Awards on Saturday? (Not to be confused with the SAG Awards on Sunday.) That’s the word from a Variety blog, Red Carpet District.

This kind of reminds me of the story that goes around that there’s a scene in Blade Runner where Young is crying because Harrison Ford struck her after getting fed up with her behavior on set. I just don’t get why she’d do that, but then who knows why all the bad behavior in Hollywood these days.

Young will appear in three movies this year: The Man Who Came Back, Darkness Visible, and Harvest Moon (in talks). The video clip below is from Darkness Visible. Warning: disturbing scenes.

Actress Sally Kirkland was hospitalized for exhaustion this past weekend but has been released. [TMZ]

The WGA writers’ strike might be coming to an end, with the DGA contract agreement having broken the ice. There’s nothing definite yet, but negotiations are supposedly resuming. Please end this now!! I’m sick of reality shows. [CBS News]

Is the blackjack movie 21 is an example of how Hollywood takes a real story and “glamorizes” it? Top Socialite suggests it is, taking the two Asian main characters in the book and changing their race and even gender, casting Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth.
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

It appears that Guillermo del Toro has not in fact been confirmed for the two upcoming The Hobbit movies. At least considering that the Hollywood Reporter is saying that he’s in talks to direct them back to back. He’s on the shortlist., and considering what he’s done with at least Pan’s Labryinth, Hellboy and Blade 2, I’d love to see him direct. Peter Jackson has previously indicated that because of other obligations, he’s only executive producing.

While there’s only one The Hobbit book, which takes place before The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy (which Jackson directed), there are two movies planned. The first would follow the book. I’m guessing that the second might be a speculative story that bridges The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

Given the current WGA writers’ strike, the 2008 SAG Awards must have managed a private deal. (Else they would have been canceled like the Golden Globes were.) Here’s a summary of the awards, which includes both movies and TV series. (The video clip at the bottom of the list is a memoriam for the actors and actresses that have passed away.)

Best Picture. Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

• Winner: No Country for Old Men.
• Runners up:
  • 3:10 to Yuma.
  • American Gangster.
  • Hairspray.
  • Into the Wild.

Best Actor. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

• Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood.
• Runners up:
  • George Clooney, Michael Clayton.
  • Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl.
  • Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild.
  • Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises.

Best Actress. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

• Winner: Julie Christie, Away from Her (2006).
• Runners up:
  • Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
  • Marion Cotillard, Môme, La.
  • Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart.
  • Ellen Page, Juno.

…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

Did I call it or what? Of the movies that opened this past weekend, Meet the Spartans topped the box office receipts, with Rambo in second, then Untraceable. Here’s the top ten in terms of box office receipts. (Notes:”[+]” means a movie was not in the top 10 last week, and “[-]” means the movie was just released. Rank considers box office receipts for the most recent weekend only, not cumulative since release.)

1. [-] Meet the Spartans. Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra.
2. [-] Rambo. Sylvester Stallone.
3. [2] 27 Dresses. Katherine Heigl.
4. [1] Cloverfield. Lizzy Caplan.
5. [-] Untraceable. Diane Lane.
6. [4] Juno. Ellen Page, Michael Cera.
7. [3] The Bucket List. Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman.
8. [+] There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day-Lewis.
9. [5] National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. Nicolas Cage.
10. [7] Mad Money. Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah, Ted Danson.

It was no big surprise that Cloverfield was number one the previous weekend and also no big surprise – to me – that it has dropped to #4 this weekend, despite all the over-inflated hype. I’ll have reviews of Cloverfield and Untraceable today and tomorrow, respectively. A review of Meet the Spartans, National Treasure, Juno, Bucket List and I Am Legend should follow later in the week.

I’ve always had the utmost musical respect for legendary Led Zeppelin frontman/ rock god Robert Plant, whose songs have been used in several movies. Until now. Zep is one of my all time fave bands, but Plant was apparently at some bar in the UK and didn’t like the music. Plant apparently said that Radiohead were “rhyming crap” and Red Hot Chili Peppers were “nursery rhymes”. He asked for Captain Beefheart, best-known for the experimental rock album Trout Mask Replica, produced by another rock legend, Frank Zappa. The video clip below is of a Captain Beefheart song, Electricity.
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!