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Sequel News: Muppets, Chronicles of Riddick, Underworld and More


The Muppets: If you enjoyed Jim Henson’s characters in their popular “Bohemian Rhapsody” video, you’ll probably love them in their new Muppet movie. James Bobin, a co-creator of Flight of the Conchords, has been tasked with helming the family-friendly project written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller.

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Box Office Breakdown: Avatar Dominating the Globe

Avatar

An absence of new movies meant very little change for the overall box office standings. A lack of competition, though, meant lots of movement for .

Over the weekend, the sci-fi extravaganza packed an additional $68.5 million to its already-impressive domestic total. The figure - a record for any entry in its third week - brought the film that much closer to becoming one of the top domestic grossers ever. Avatar ($352.1 million) is now only days away from passing 10th place finisher Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith ($380.3 million).

Internationally, is just a few rungs away from one of his other films. In just 17 days, the 20th Century Fox release has pulled in approximately $1.02 billion. That places Avatar behind only Titanic ($1.84 billion), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.12 billion) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($1.07 billion).

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Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: Sherlock, Avatar Both Winners

Sherlock Holmes

A collection of wide releases contributed to the biggest weekend for movies in box office history.

Over the past three days, theatergoers shelled out over $275 million—a good portion of that going to . Despite slightly disappointing results last week, an improvement in weather - and strong word of mouth - helped the sci-fi flick pack on another $75.2 million to its $212 million domestic total.

Meanwhile, debuted in second place with first place-like numbers. The Guy Ritchie directed-film started its run with a record breaking haul on Christmas Day, only to fall behind the sci-fi entry. But Warner Bros. really has nothing to complain about. Holmes still closed the weekend with $62.4 million in ticket sales.

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Read More | Variety

Nine Addict Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz on the set of NinePenelope Cruz found working on her latest film, Nine, addictive.

The Broken Embraces actress formed a strong bond with her co-stars on the musical, which included Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard, and particularly enjoyed their dance training.

“It was scary, but it was so much fun. It was great seeing that we were all feeling the same way. There was a great support system on that set, all the actors with each other and with Rob Marshall, the director. I had danced classical ballet before, so this was very different from what I had studied. We had a room in our building and we were all taking different classes. We would all pass each other in the hallway. All day, training. We all felt so free and so happy. Music was so present everywhere. That elevates people, music. It was so addictive, that experience.”

Rob admits he was amazed by the actress’ work ethic and dedication to giving the best possible performance while filming: “She knew we had to get in there and really be great, so she came in and worked like nobody’s business. She was the first one there and the last one to leave. She’d always want one more take. She’s a real perfectionist.”


Daniel Day-Lewis Scared of Singing

Daniel Day-Lewis with co-star Marion Cotillard in NineDaniel Day-Lewis didn’t think his singing and dancing was good enough to star in new musical movie Nine.

The Oscar-winning actor, who plays Italian film director Guido Contini in the hotly-anticipated film, had a crisis of confidence and asked the director Rob Marshall if there was anyone else who could take his role, because he had no confidence in his voice.

“I did say to Rob in the early stages, ‘Is there anyway of getting out of this? I have a list of actors who could do it tomorrow!’ He tried to convince me I could sing and I said, ‘You’ve no idea if I can sing or not!’ I sang feebly a couple of times, and on the grounds of that Rob managed to convince me it was worth pursuing.”

The 52-year-old actor, who is famous for his method acting, also joked that dancing was difficult because his body is so “creaky”: “I can do a lot of stuff, I can climb, I can run, I can cycle, I can box, but I can’t dance. I used a lot of 3-in-1 to lubricate those stiff joints. It’s not natural grace - that’s sheer effort of will. My limbs are a mass of scar tissue through years of doing things I shouldn’t have.”

Daniel stars in Nine alongside Penelope Cruz, Dame Judi Dench and Nicole Kidman.


Sneak Peek: New Video Clip From Nine

Rob Marshall’s new film Nine is epic.

For one, the cast is impeccable: Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson. That’s 7 Oscar wins and 11 Oscar nominations between them!

Secondly, this video—spliced with rehearsal footage and new clips of the film—just makes me more excited for musical (that could be my Chicago and Moulin Rouge fangirl in me). Having been partially based on Federico Fellini’s autobiographical 8 1/2, I can’t see why it won’t please audiences.

I suppose we shall find out on its opening day, December 25th; in the meantime, enjoy the video!

Read More | LA Times

Sequel News: Alien, The Strangers, Wanted and More


The Strangers: There will never be a shortage of beautiful couples for masked strangers to target. A year after Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman were terrorized comes word of a sequel for The Strangers. Production on the film, which will be directed by Laurent Briet, will begin this fall. No details on the storyline have been disclosed.

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Find the Weight on Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz in Nine

Let me start by saying that I agree with actress Nia Vardalos. Too much emphasis is placed on women and weight in Hollywood. But every once in a while, I come across a story like this and I can’t help but laugh.

During the production of Nine, several of the cast members were asked to gain weight for their roles in the musical. According to singer Fergie, it was suggested by director Rob Marshall that she and Penelope Cruz each add on 17 pounds. “We were eating our brains out. We ordered everything fried and full of fat and salty,” she told Allure magazine.

While it’s easy to see from the trailer that the Black Eye Peas performer did reach at least part of her goal (I highly doubt that was 17 pounds), I’ve been struggling to see - from any angle - what the Oscar-winner put on. Can anyone help me?

Read More | Us Magazine

First Look: Daniel Day-Lewis and All His Women in Nine Trailer


What would do to get past his Academy Award-winning role as Daniel Plainview? He’d move on with a bevy of women.

In , the There Will Be Blood star trades in the oil industry for a life behind the camera. Daniel plays Guido Contini, a Venice director who struggles to complete his film while handling all the women in his life. It’s a part that was once given to Javier Bardem.

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Getting Into Character: Penelope Cruz and Daniel Day-Lewis in Nine

Penelope Cruz and Daniel Day-Lewis in Nine

Here’s a snapshot of Penelope Cruz and Daniel Day-Lewis in , Rob Marshall’s (Chicago) latest contribution to the musical genre.

In the movie, Daniel plays a director (Guido Contini) who has to deal with the many women - a wife, a mistress, a deceased mother, a muse - in his life. The Broadway adaptation also features Nicole Kidman, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren in the supporting roles.

The Weinstein Company production is scheduled for release sometime in 2009.

Read More | Bauer-Griffin

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