Leslie Nielsen Dies

Actor Leslie Nielsen died Sunday at the age of 84.
Associated Press reports the actor passed away from complications from pneumonia at his Fort Lauderdale, Fla. home.
The Canadian-born Nielsen began his career as a journeyman actor in numerous dramas, his biggest early roles being in the 1956 sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet and as Col. Francis Marion in the Disney television series Swamp Fox.

A few years after co-starring in the 1972 disaster classic The Poseidon Adventure, Nielsen would find a whole new career -- and generations of new fans -- as a comedic star when he played Dr. Rumack in Airplane! and its sequel. Nielsen's expert deadpan delivery -- epitomized by his classic line, "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." -- redefined his identity as actor, and from there the comedy floodgates opened for him.

Although it was a failure when it began as the TV series Police Squad, Nielsen's stint as bumbling cop Lt. Frank Drebin found greater success on the big screen in The Naked Gun film series.

Nielsen played similarly bumbling, befuddled old men in comedies such as Mr. Magoo, Repossessed, Surf Ninjas, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Spy Hard, 2001: A Space Travesty, Scary Movie 3 and 4, Superhero Movie and Stan Helsing.

Anne Hathaway and James Franco to Host Oscars

The Oscars are taking a very different approach this year, as they've recruited Anne Hathaway and James Franco to host The 83rd Annual Academy Awards. After years of comedians like Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart and Ellen DeGeneres hosting, the Academy first thought a bit outside the box with Hugh Jackman in 2009, before the duo of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosted together this past year.

Hathaway and Franco though particularly stand out, first and foremost thanks to their young age – the 32 year old Franco and 28 year old Hathaway are notably younger than most Oscar hosts. Others will ponder the lack of experience the two have in this kind of performing - and certainly neither have any standup comedy in their background. On the other hand, they've proven to be adept comedic performers on SNL, among other projects.

Hulk Placed on Terrorist Watch List

Actor Mark Ruffalo has been added to the terror advisory list.

San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Shutter Island and Zodiac actor -- soon to be seen as the Hulk in The Avengers -- was placed on the list earlier this year after promoting and organizing screenings for GasLand, a documentary about natural gas drilling.

Ruffalo's vocal opposition to drilling and his concerns over how it may affect national water supplies reportedly raised the ire of Pennsylvania's Office of Homeland Security enough to place him on the terror watch list.

But the actor is laughing off being labeled a national security threat, telling GQ Magazine, "(It's) pretty (expletive) funny."

The Hobbit Set for McKellen and 3D

It appears that Ian McKellen will indeed return to The Shire for the two-part adaptation of The Hobbit. McKellen recently said that he had yet to sign a contract for the two-part film

TheOneRing.net points out this update at McKellen's official site that seemingly confirms his return as Gandalf: "The Hobbit's, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in February 2011. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth."

Deathly Hallows is Breaking Records

It doesn't open until midnight Thursday, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 is already breaking records.

The penultimate Potter pic will open in 4,125 theaters and on over 9000 screens, which Deadline says is a "November record for the Harry Potter franchise."

The film's already made $25 million in advance tickets sales, with Fandango reporting that it's now sold out 2200 showings and MovieTickets.com claiming that Deathly Hallows - Part 1 it's sold out over 1900 showings.

IMAX says Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1: The IMAX Experience will open as the largest IMAX release to date with 239 IMAX screens domestically, simultaneously with the film's wide North American release. The movie will also open on 117 IMAX screens internationally, 97 of which will open this Friday, with the additional runs debuting over the duration of the following four weeks. More international theatres will be added as pending bookings are confirmed.

War Machine Solo Film Rumored

Rumor has it that one of the most popular characters introduced in Iron Man 2 may be spun off into their own solo film.

Pajiba claims that a pitch is now out to screenwriters to go out for the job of scripting a War Machine spin-off film. The site adds that the rumor could end up being denied -- most comic book movies rumors are at some point -- but that scribes are being sought for it.

Frankly, a War Machine solo film kind of makes sense given that the character and the actor who played him in the sequel, Don Cheadle, won't be appearing in The Avengers. Jim Rhodes could still return for Iron Man 3, which is now at Disney. It seems like War Machine would be set-up there as well if the project really does happen.

Spielberg's Harry Potter Plan

With the impending release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 marking the beginning of the end for the Boy Who Lived's big screen adventures, Warner Bros. topper Alan Horn recently looked back at the franchise's origins and spoke to the press about what might have been.

In a chat with the Los Angeles Times blog Hero Complex, Horn recalled how a certain Oscar-winning filmmaker was originally eyed to direct Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone before Chris Columbus landed the job.

"I did think it would be worthwhile for Steven Spielberg to direct," said Horn. "We offered it to him. But one of the notions of Dreamworks' and Steven's was, 'Let's combine a couple of the books, let's make it animated,' and that was because of the [visual effects and] Pixar had demonstrated that animated movies could be extremely successful. Because of the wizardry involved, they were very effects-laden. So I don't blame them. But I did not want to combine the movies, and I wanted it to be live action."

Zookeeper (2011)

In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes (Kevin James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship – animal style. The film also stars Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb and features the voices of Cher, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, and Sylvester Stallone.

Titans. Will. Wrath.

Clash of the Titans 2 is reportedly looking to land a pair of stars to join the gods of Olympus.

Movieline points out a tweet from Production Weekly that claims Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and former Spider-Man cast member James Franco (currently winning raves for 127 Hours) are said to be up for roles in Titans 2, which they also claim is now titled Wrath of the Titans.

Bavier is rumored to be playing Ares, the god of war. Franco is supposedly being considered for the role of Agenor, who by some accounts in Greek mythology was the son of Poseidon and Libya.

Jonathan Liebesman will direct the 3D sequel from a script by Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson. Sam Worthington and Gemma Arterton are both expected to reprise their roles from the first film.

Hugh Jackman Not Hosting Oscars Again This Year

Man, the Oscar producers really like Hugh Jackman. After they successfully got him to host two years ago, they approached him last year to host. But ol' Jackman didn’t want to dip into the well two years in a row so he declined. Hosting duties went to Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin instead, and it went fairly well. Now that he’s had a buffer year, Jackman shouldn’t have an excuse. Except he’s prepping the sequel to X-men Origins: Wolverine and will be filming around the time of the Oscars.

Daily Shuffle: Lindsay Lohan Wants To Open Up Other Rehabs

Dina Lohan told Matt Lauer in an interview on Today this morning that Lindsay wants to "start her own facilities [to] help other children" since she's "so public." Dina also said Lindsay wants to fulfill her entire sentence and stay in treatment until January 3rd because "she's learning the trigger points and why she turns to something - drugs or addiction.

Exclusive Salt 2 Update

While Salt didn't exactly set the box office alight, the action-drama did respectable business around the globe. That take, combined with the film's cliffhanger finale, has lead to inevitable speculation about a sequel.

We therefore went straight to the horse's mouth and asked producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura about the chances for Salt 2, and he seemed keen on the idea of putting Angeline Jolie in yet more ridiculous disguises.

"We're definitely talking about the possibility of Salt 2" he explained. "Angie, I know, loved that character, and would love to explore the character some more first and foremost.

"I think that, in a way, that character in the first movie had to play it under wraps, playing somebody she's not. It'll be very interesting to see what Salt is when Salt gets to be who she is. It's just the tip of the iceberg."
So would you guys like to see more Salt on the big-screen? Let us know in the comments below.

Lady Gaga to get 8 Madame Tussauds wax figures

Lady Gaga is to be immortalised in wax - a whopping 8 times.
Madame Tussauds will launch replica models of the singer, 24, at several locations on the same day next month.
Each of the figures - which will cost £1.2million to make in total - will be dressed in a different outfit.   
'She is the perfect subject for the biggest launch in Madame Tussauds' history,' a spokeswoman tells the BBC.
The Lady Gaga waxworks will go on display in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

True Blood‘s Joe Manganiello is rumored to be up for the role of Clark Kent in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot. While appearing at EyeCon this weekend, the actor revealed that he is in talks with Warner Bros. to take over this iconic character. Manganiello took to his personal Twitter account to clarify his comments however as he may just be vying for a role. Here is what he said:

“Just to be clear… as of today, I am not “negotiating” to play Superman …but keep your fingers crossed and thanks for the wishful thinking!”

A casting announcement is expected soon because the studio wants to get it into pre-production before the legal things kick in with the rights hitting back to the Shuster family. Movieweb spoke to former Watchmen star, Patrick Wilson and asked him if he’d like a possible role in his former director’s Superman film.

“Oh man, who knows? I love seeing all the Jon Hamm comments and Jon is like, “What? I’m over forty, this is ridiculous”. So I don’t know? That is such a big thing, who knows? I remember when Watchmen came around I didn’t think I was really age appropriate or right for that but then when I jumped into it I was able to make it work. So who, knows? I would be happy to do anything with Zack again.”

I do not know about Manganiello because I just have this memory of him playing the dumb frat toll in a lot TV shows. I haven’t seen him on True Blood so I have no comment on that but he does look the part. I do love Patrick Wilson as a choice though and think if they are not going to go with Tom Welling or Brandon Routh then he’d an okay choice. In fact Routh is my favorite choice right not caring this is a reboot or not. Throw in John Hamm, Armie Hammer and Matt Bomar too. We shall see soon enough.
Who do you want to play Superman?

Kim Kardashian: Voice on 'leaked' track isn't mine

Kim Kardashian is fuming over reports that her debut song has leaked, and she's branding the engineer who said the track is hers "a liar and a fraud."
On Thursday, a song called "Shake," supposedly featuring the reality TV star's vocals, surfaced online, fueling speculation that she is launching a music career.
Kardashian is angry she's been linked to the clip, and she is adamant it is not her work. In a post on her website, she writes, "A song called 'Shake' was released on the Internet today and some websites are claiming it is my voice on the track. It is not my voice.
"I don't know who this 'audio engineer' is claiming that he worked with me on this song, but he is a liar and a fraud. I never was in the studio with him, and he is using this to gain notoriety.
"To give quotes to the media and lie about meeting me, let alone lie about recording with me, is just wrong! I have never met this guy or worked with this guy, and that is NOT my voice on this song. It's really sad what people will do for a little publicity. I want you guys to know the truth. Please don't believe these rumors."

New Michael Jackson album set for December release

Michael Jackson is set to top the charts from beyond the grave: A posthumous album will hit stores in time for Christmas.
"Michael" will be released on Dec. 14 and will include songs recorded during the final years of Jackson's life -- as well as a few tracks which were completed by others after his death in 2009.
The first single from the album, "Breaking News," will stream on Jackson's official website from Monday.
"Michael" is part of a $250 million, 10-album deal with Sony Music, which Jackson estate executors signed in March.
The "Thriller" hitmaker's former manager, Frank DiLeo, has previously stated that the star's vaults contain more than 100 unreleased songs, including collaborations with Akon, will.i.am and Ne-Yo.

No 3D for Deathly Hallows Pt. 1

n a statement released today, Warners announced it would release Part I only in 2D, in both conventional and IMAX theaters. The studio said it simply wouldn't have Deathly Hallows converted to 3D in time for its November 19, 2010 release date.

Warners said, "Despite everyone's best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010 as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate Harry Potter experience.

The studio promised, though, that the final installment of the film franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, will still open as scheduled July 15, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters in both 2D and 3D formats. 

No Kneeling Before Zod in Superman

Info about Zack Snyder's Superman reboot continues to come out in drips and drabs, with the latest bit being that rumors of General Zod showing up as the villain of the film are "just wrong."

An interview Snyder did with Empire is making the online rounds today, and in it the director exhibited typical tightlipped fashion. But when the topic of Zod came up, he said that the rumors about the classic villain going up against Supes are not correct and that "the Internet has no idea what's going on." Hey now!
"It's a different story," Snyder also said of the script. "I won't say there's a break from the canon or anything like that, but there is definitely an approach that makes you go, 'O.K., that's a way to get at it. … [Scripter] David [Goyer] is very respectful of the canon and stuff like that. It has its roots in the canon and again, like I say, it has a point of view about who he is. I'm being cryptic, I know, but it's the best I can do."

As for whether or not this will be a young Superman tale, Snyder oddly replied that it's too early to say. So the script doesn't indicate that? Or it does and it may yet change? Hmmm.

New Uncle Ben & Aunt May Cast

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy-winning West Wing actor, 70, has been cast as Peter Parker's doomed Uncle Ben in the Spider-Man reboot. And if there's anyone besides Cliff Robertson we'd believe lecturing Peter about great power and great responsibility, it's the sanctimonious President Jed Bartlet.

The Hollywood Reporter has followed up their earlier scoop with another one, this time with the news that Oscar winner Sally Field (Forrest Gump, Brothers & Sisters) has been cast as Peter's beloved Aunt May. With the casting of Sheen and Field, it seems clear that the Spidey reboot is going the way of the Ultimate's younger, hipper Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

Marry Jane Watson isnt in Spiderman (reboot)

Mary Jane Watson -- longtime love interest of Peter Parker – will not be in the Spider-Man reboot at all. We'd previously heard that both MJ (played, of course, by Kirsten Dunst in the Sam Raimi trilogy of Spidey films) and Peter's other famous girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, would be in the new movie. Emma Stone has since been cast as Stacy.

"Evidently, there had been some discussions about Emma Stone playing red-haired MJ, but once she was cast as Gwen Stacy, the filmmakers decided to trust their instincts and stick with one love interest," adds the site.

So they're going with their original script and not rewriting on the fly? What a novel idea.

McKellen Not Signed for The Hobbit

Sir Ian McKellen is waiting, Mr. Jackson.

The actor, who played the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, tells Broadway World that he "is not under contract" to appear in Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit.

"I'm not going to say any more than that because it might complicate things! So, I would say - at the moment - no, I am not under contract," said McKellen. He added, laughing, "I'm not saying any more than what I've said!"

Oh, but of course he did say more than that. McKellen added cryptically, "I'm keeping myself open for offers for 2011. I gather The Hobbit starts shooting in February."

And we gather McKellen either wants to know for sure he's onboard for it or move onto his next gig. Consider yourselves warned by the great Gandalf, powers-that-be!

Saw 3D

First Place - Lionsgate's 'Saw 3D' - A strong Monday gross of $1.98 million puts Jigsaw on top with a five day total of $26.2 million.  The seventh and final installment of the profitable horror franchise had a weekend performance that was nearly double the amount of its predecessor "Saw 6" and the 3D component was the key.  Fully 92% of the $24.2 million opening weekend revenue was generated by 2,100 3D theatres.

Pitt to Reteam with Dominik for 'Cogan's Trade'

News of a new Andrew Dominik project ramped up on Tuesday when Deadline reported that Brad Pitt is negotiating to star in and produce Cogan's Trade, a comedic crime saga that Dominik will direct.

Earlier in the day, The Playlist had been tipped that Dominik was putting the film together and, referencing an earlier comment by Casey Affleck, said it appears the actor would also reteam with his and Pitt's Assassination of Jesse James director.

Says Deadline, Pitt will play Jackie Cogan in the adaptation of George Higgins' novel. Cogan is a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that takes place during a high stakes poker game held under the protection of the mob.

Walking Dead Sets Ratings Record

Good news for people who enjoy good things. Good, undead things! The season premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead, "Days Gone Bye," scared up some monster ratings last night. I know we usually don't do ratings reports here at IGN, but this one got us excited.

Dead managed to pull in a 3.7 HH rating netting over 5.3 total million viewers making it the largest audience for any original series on the network. 3.6 million of those viewers were a part of the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic - making it the highest delivery for any cable series premiere for 2010.

Tom Cruise Has a More Exciting Life Than You

Tom Cruise got high this past weekend. Real high.

Like, almost 3,000 feet high off the ground, as he dangled from the tallest building in the world while filming an action scene from his upcoming Mission: Impossible sequel, Ghost Protocol.
Now, everyone loves to make fun of old Tommy boy, but let's give him some credit here. This past Saturday, Cruise celebrated Halloween by "hanging precariously from the observation deck of the building, which is 124 floors high, as fans watched in awe and terror from the street below." He ran across the windows of the tower, jumping over another actor/stuntman, while a helicopter hovered about ten feet away.

And he got paid a lot of money to do it, too. So what'd you do today?

Tim Burton's Superman Lives!

Remember when Tim Burton's Batman movies were the best Batman movies around? When it seemed like a good idea for the director to helm a Superman reboot, even though the Nic Cage casting left us scratching our heads?

SlashFilm.com has images of costume tests from the failed project, posted by Steve Johnson, Lives' visual and makeup effects guru, on his Facebook page. The images show that Burton's Superman would have used Lite Brite tech and a metal "S" logo for the chest piece. (Also, you can see an early version of the suit modeled on a mold of Nic Cage.)

Burton's Superman movie was a big deal in the mid to late 1990s; as most of you already know, Kevin Smith was hired to write a draft of the screenplay at one point. Burton's project went bye-bye, and Warner Bros. turned their attention to what would become Bryan Singer's Superman Returns instead.
 

Is Hulk back on TV....................

Is the Hulk really set to return to TV? It was recently reported that Marvel and ABC were working together to develop a new TV series about the comic book character. Now, EW.com is saying that, "Insiders caution to EW that any speculation about the return of the big green man is premature, though interest from ABC is apparently there."

Conan the 3D BarbarianConan the 3D Barbarian

By Crom! Conan is slashing his way back onto the silver screen -- and now in 3D!

Lionsgate has slated Conan 3D -- previously known as Conan the Barbarian -- for an August 19, 2011 release date, just the latest of several high profile movies slated for a 3D release that summer.

Marcus Nispel directs Conan 3D for Nu Image/Millennium Films. Jason Momoa plays the eponymous barbarian opposite a cast that includes Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan and Rachel Nichols.