Movies

Bones Exclusive: Who's the New Gravedigger?
Ashton Kutcher in Twitter Fight with Village Voice Over Child Prostitution Statistics
Holiday Movie Predictions: Bay's Rolling in Robot Dough
Thor 2 Lands Screenwriter Don Payne
Anna Paquin Dishes About Her On-Screen Love Scenes With Her Husband
Little Willie John's Short, Influential Career Documented in New Book -- Excerpt
Federal memo: Medical-marijuana dispensaries are prosecution targets
Movies: new releases not reviewed this week
Beyoncé Rocks Central Park with Girl Power!
Jen Aniston at 'Horrible Bosses' Premiere: 'I'm Beyond Thrilled'
Q&A: Giuliana Rancic Talks 'Fashion Police', Babies, & Beauty
The Dark Knight Rises to Film Skydiving Scenes in Scotland
How to grow (and serve) the perfect July 4 cantaloupe salad
Chris Rock Joins What to Expect When You're Expecting
The Smurfs Take Over Sony Pictures Animation - Part 1
Ron Howard Teams with The Amazing Race Producers for TNT Reality Show
Terry Gilliam Describes Andrew Garfield's Unique Approach To Portraying Spider-Man!
Frank Miller Looking to Create Controversy with Holy Terror
'Octomom' Nadya Suleman Cries Poor, Makes $28K In June
Beady Eye's Liam Gallagher Reveals Six Months of Sobriety

Bones Exclusive: Who's the New Gravedigger?

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 11:24 AM PDT

If you think Bones' seventh season is just going to be about diaper-changing and nap time, think again: The show is introducing a new villain, TVGuide.com has learned.

Check out Bones and more of last season's best cliff-hangers

"This is someone who is an extremely odd and fearless foe," executive producer Stephan Nathan tells us, comparing the character to such past serial killers as Gormogon and The Gravedigger. "Only he's going to be much more of a 21^st-century, tech-savvy foe."

Fox announced last week that Bones won't premiere until Nov. 3, which will allow...

Other Links From TVGuide.com

Holiday Movie Predictions: Bay's Rolling in Robot Dough

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 11:21 AM PDT

America's most patriotic holiday is here, and moviegoers have their pick of the summer's blockbusters to watch over the Fourth of July weekend.

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is looking like it will cash in as the number one movie this weekend. "Larry Crowne" and "Monte Carlo" will both make wide release debuts as well, and if all goes well with fans wanting to see the lovable duo of Hanks and Roberts, the comedy is expected to pull in a whopping $30 million. The remaining movies topping off the box office top five during the long weekend will go to Disney's "Cars 2," in the number two spot, followed by "Larry Crowne," "Bad Teacher," and "Green Lantern" and "Super 8" tied for fifth. Here are the box office projections for this red, white and blue weekend! 1. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon": $100 million 2. "Cars 2": $49.5 million 3. "Larry Crowne": $30 million 4. "Bad Teacher": $20 million 5. "Super 8" and "Green Lantern": $10 million

Thor 2 Lands Screenwriter Don Payne

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:14 AM PDT

Thor 2 lands screenwriter Don Payne

One of the big news items yesterday was Marvel and Disney's announcement that Thor 2 is moving foward, with a release date set for June 26, 2013. Today, the studios hired screenwriter Don Payne to write the script for their new sequel.

Don Payne was one of the credited writers who worked on Thor, which has taken in over $437 million worldwide since its release in May. Marvel and Disney still need to find a director, though, since yesterday's report indicated Thor director Kenneth Branagh is not returning for Thor 2.

Aside from Thor, Don Payne wrote the screenplays for My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He also wrote for TV shows such as The Simpsons and Men Behaving Badly.

Our story from yesterday also indicated Chris Hemsworth is returning to Thor 2 as the title character. No other cast members have been announced yet for the superhero sequel.

Thor 2 comes to theaters July 26th, 2013.

Anna Paquin Dishes About Her On-Screen Love Scenes With Her Husband

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Anna Paquin recently opened up about filming love scenes with husband and "True Blood" co-star Stephen Moyer. She explained, "Maybe it should be weird, simulating sex with your husband in front of...

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Little Willie John's Short, Influential Career Documented in New Book -- Excerpt

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT

Filed under: Exclusive, Book Club

GAB Archive/Redferns

Before there was Motown, it took a pint-sized dynamo named Little Willie John to put Detroit on the musical map. One fellow performer insisted that it was John, not James Brown, who should have been called Soul Brother Number One. He recorded the first version of 'Fever,' the great torch song, and the original 'Need Your Love So Bad,' now a blues standard. Many acts, including the Sonics, Elvis Costello and a foursome called the Beatles, covered another of his songs, 'Leave My Kitten Alone.'

Although he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, the consummate showman is not well remembered today. That's largely because of his premature ending: He died at age 30 in 1968 in a Northwest prison, after serving time on a manslaughter conviction. In 'Fever -- Little Willie John: A Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul,' longtime Detroit-based rock critic Susan Whitall tells the previously untold story of the diminutive man who set the bar absurdly high for Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and so many others. The following is an exclusive excerpt.

With the Upsetters behind him, Willie could not be stopped. Jerry "the Iceman" Butler witnessed the act many times. With his group, the Impressions, he had already been on the bottom of several bills under Willie. Butler was in awe of him, although he was only two years younger. "We had grown up listening to Little Willie John as a star," Butler said. "So to work with him, wow! That's Little Willie John! It was kind of the relationship the rookie has to the star quarterback. Here we are, five guys out of Chicago, Illinois, never been anywhere in particular, all of a sudden we're sharing a stage with one of our idols, one of the guys that we grew up listening to." Butler watched and learned. "He was a little guy, but he was a big guy, in the sense that he was small physically but his stature, in terms of the industry and in terms of command of the stage and knowing how to perform, he was a giant."

Federal memo: Medical-marijuana dispensaries are prosecution targets

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:56 AM PDT

The Obama Administration has taken its strongest stance yet in declaring that medical-marijuana dispensaries are legitimate targets of prosecution.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Movies: new releases not reviewed this week

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:05 AM PDT

A light weekend features a pair of films with aviation at their hearts.

Beyoncé Rocks Central Park with Girl Power!

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:39 AM PDT

Beyoncé rocked Central Park for "Good Morning America's" Summer Concert Series on Friday morning! The superstar songstress brought the girl power in a bright yellow crocheted mini dress as she sang songs from her new album, "Run the World (Girls)." Check it out!

Jen Aniston at 'Horrible Bosses' Premiere: 'I'm Beyond Thrilled'

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:43 AM PDT

At the premiere of "Horrible Bosses" in Hollywood Thursday, Jen Aniston lit up the red carpet in a sexy Balenciaga LBD... without boyfriend Justin Theroux by her side. Theroux chose not to walk the carpet and was snuck inside the theater, but judging by the smile on Aniston's face, it was obvious he was close by.

With her new-found love and film career still going strong, Jen beamed, "I am thrilled with everything right now, yes."

The actress, who plays a naughty boss, admitted, "I'm pretty thrilled cause you kind of dream of a juicy little role like this."

Jen, sporting some new ink, also talked about her tattoo on her foot that says "Norman" in memory of her Welsh-corgi terrier mix who died last May at the age of 15. "I've never been a person who ever thought I'd get a tattoo. It was one of those things I said what can I do to pay tribute to him forever and that's one of those things that is forever," Aniston explained.

Did Sudeikis Date Aniston?

Aniston's co-star, Jason Bateman, dished about going on a double date with Jen and her new man. "Justin [Theroux] is one of the greatest guys in the world and I've known she's been like the greatest girl in the world, for a very long time. It's long overdue and I couldn't be happier for both of them."

Trailer: Scantily Clad Jennifer Aniston is a horrible boss!

Jason Sudeikis also talked double dating with Jason Bateman and his rumored involvement with Eva Mendes -- he says they are just friends -- but his story was quite different. "I went to dinner with friends and I was just trying to keep up, you know, with Bateman and his wife, and Eva... good lookin', smart people. I just sat there and pitched in every now and then, and then I paid for my part."

"Horrible Bosses" opens in theaters next Friday.

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Q&A: Giuliana Rancic Talks 'Fashion Police', Babies, & Beauty

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:36 AM PDT

"E! News" and "Fashion Police" beauty Giuliana Rancic is not only reporting the latest celebrity news and scoring exclusive one on one interviews, she is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's elit...

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The Dark Knight Rises to Film Skydiving Scenes in Scotland

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:31 AM PDT

The Dark Knight Rises shooting skydiving scenes in Scotland and looking for extras in Pittsburgh

Christopher Nolan is currently shooting his final Batman adventure, The Dark Knight Rises, at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, England, which is the new home of Wayne Manor. However, another unit of the production is shooting at the Cairngorm Gliding Club in the Highlands of Scotland for several skydiving scenes. The secretive shoot happened at the Gliding Club's Feshie Bridge site. Here are some excerpts from a recent article.

"Parachutists dressed in black and using a private jet painted black have been in action at Cairngorm Gliding Club's site at Feshie Bridge.

The club declined to comment, but sources have told BBC News Scotland online that the filming is for Batman.

A former US military C130 Hercules transport aircraft linked to The Dark Knight Rises has also been making flights from Inverness Airport.

Feshie Bridge was reported as the location for filming earlier this month by Gavin Musgrove, editor of the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald.

It was not known if this week's activity at the gliding club was for scenes in the film, or preparation work ahead of proper filming."

Also, The Dark Knight Rises is seeking extras in the Pittsburgh area for an August 6 shoot. The extras will be used in a football game scene, involving the Gotham City high school team. Here's a description of the scene below.

"The scene we're in will be a football game, but not just any football game. We'll be cheering on the Gotham Rogues as they take on their rival team the Rapid City Monuments."

It isn't known how this scene will play out in the movie quite yet. clickHere for information on how to become an extra in The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises comes to theaters July 20th, 2012 and stars Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan.

How to grow (and serve) the perfect July 4 cantaloupe salad

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:25 AM PDT

A gardener and a chef team up with advice on growing and serving muskmelons, or cantaloupe, including a recipe that can star in your Fourth of July cookout.

Chris Rock Joins What to Expect When You're Expecting

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:18 AM PDT

Chris Rock joins What to Expect When You're Expecting

Chris Rock is the first male actor to join the ensemble adaptation of Heidi Murkoff's best seller What to Expect When You're Expecting, from director Kirk Jones.

The comedian-turned-actor is joined by actresses Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Brooklyn Decker, and Anna Kendrick. Chris Rock will play Vic, the leader of a group of expectant husbands who lectures his fellow dad-in-training on what to expect and how to act.

Production is expected to start on What to Expect When You're Expecting before the end of summer. More male actors are expected to be announced soon.

What to Expect When You're Expecting comes to theaters May 11th, 2012 and stars Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Chris Rock. The film is directed by Kirk Jones.

The Smurfs Take Over Sony Pictures Animation - Part 1

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:15 AM PDT

Like many children of the early 1980s, many of my afternoons were spent watching Smurfs, those little blue creatures which sprung from the mind of Peyo. I can still hear that "La la la la la la (repeat)" verse in my head to this day. I can't help it. Smurfs were an indelible part of my childhood, and, thanks to the magic of CGI and the wizards at Sony Pictures Animation, The Smurfs are coming to life once again, with a new 3D adventure hitting theaters on July 29. A few weeks ago, I headed down to the Sony Pictures Animation studios to catch an early glimpse of some footage from The Smurfs, and talk to some of the folks who brought this new CGI/live-action hybrid to life.

We kicked off this smurfy day with a footage presentation, which included the first five minutes or so of the movie. They do a really nice job of encompassing the scope of this Smurf village, which is apparently protected by some Matrix-y hologram thing in the Enchanted Forest. We then stumble through (quite literally) most of the village by following Clumsy Smurf (Anton Yelchin) as he inadvertently wreaks havoc upon several of The Smurfs' daily routines... including the Narrator Smurf. It couldn't come at a worse time either, as all of The Smurfs are busy preparing for the Harvest Festival. However, Clumsy Smurf isn't the only one throwing a monkey wrench into their plans: Gargamel (Hank Azaria) shows up, which causes the Smurfs to flee. Sadly, many of them follow Clumsy Smurf, who takes them down a path no Smurf is supposed to go, which leads them to a mysterious portal. With Gargamel and Azrael hot on their tail, this small group of Smurfs have no choice but to jump into the wormhole which takes them into the "real world" of New York City.

The next clip we were shown takes place at the home of Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace Winslow (Jayma Mays) a seemingly normal/adorable young couple living in New York City. Somehow, The Smurfs end up at their apartment, and all heck breaks loose, including a rather funny scene with the Smurfs tying up NPH. The next scene took place in the famed NYC toy store FAO Schwartz, where Patrick and Grace are helping the Smurfs try to find a "stargazer" i.e. telescope. The scene features Grouchy Smurf (George Lopez) falling for a stuffed blue M&M while the rest of the Smurfs and the Winslow's try to escape from Gargamel. The last scene we saw featured an innovative collaboration of Neil Patrick Harris and the Smurfs playing Rock Band. It starts off with a smurfy spin to Walk This Way by Run DMC and Aerosmith, and transitions into a rap/rock version of The Smurfs' theme song. They also play off the famous Marilyn Monroe skirt scene from The Seven Year Itch, this time with Smurfette (Katy Perry).

After the footage presentation we were able to speak with cast members Hank Azaria and Jayma Mays. Hank Azaria has a long history of portraying colorful characters, although mostly just their voices. For the past two decades, he has been lending his voice to several of The Simpsons characters, including Apu, Chief Wiggum, Moe, and my personal favorite, Comic Book Guy, just to name a few. He has been seen plenty in live-action roles as well, although his hilarious portrayal of Gargamel seems to be the first role which is essentially a hybrid of a live-action and animated character, and it's a lot of fun to watch. Jayma Mays has a long history of being absolutely adorable, from roles in Ugly Betty, Heroes, and the current Fox sensation, Glee. She provides the perfect, lovable contrast to Neil Patrick Harris' uptight Patrick as Grace in The Smurfs. Here's what they both had to say below.

Hank Azaria and Jayma Mays:

Can you talk about how you really get into a character, whether it's someone you are creating, or someone we all know as Gargamel?

Hank Azaria: I always start with the voice, and there was some debate on what kind voice this man should have. They always thought of him as this old, failed, Shakespearean actor. I had trouble energizing that, and I wanted him to be more sarcastic, like Eastern European. Then we settled on what you saw, which in the end, is very much like what Paul Winchell did in the cartoon. I saw him more laid-back, more mellow, but you can't play Gargamel and not be very upset about Smurfs, so, when you energize that, it can sound a lot like the cartoon.

Did you base the Gargamel character on any person in your life, perhaps, as you have done before?

Hank Azaria: No, but, I found in playing him that... I'm going to get in trouble for this, but there was a fair amount of my mother in there. Only that I remember her running and yelling and being upset at kids a lot. There is some of that in Gargamel. I related to my mother when she was upset with the kids.

How often do you discover a brand new voice? You've done so many voices throughout your career, how often does a fresh one come your way?

Hank Azaria: It's been years, honestly. The first 10 years of The Simpsons, it was once a week, then it became less and less. Honestly, I hit a point about five or six years ago, where every sound I can make has been used. I think I even played a fortune teller once in The Simpsons that sounded like Gargamel. Even ones that seem new to me, it's like, 'Oh, no, I've used that one.'

You get more of a chance to marry the physicality with the voice. Do you get physical when you're doing The Simpsons too?

Neil Patrick Harris surfs the Internet with The Smurfs

Hank Azaria: Yes. You can't do it and not be physical, but not as much as this. I'm enjoying this new world. The prosthetics aren't that new, but the CGI world like they did in Alice in Wonderland or Avatar, to become a living cartoon, I like that whole idea. Once you create the voice, you can literally become a new character on film.

Can you both talk about working against nothing? How many takes did you typically do, like in those scenes at FAO Schwartz?

Jayma Mays: Oh, FAO Schwartz was a few long nights. We were shooting those in the middle of the night. I found it really tricky and challenging in a way that my brain hasn't been challenged before. First, I was actually alone, and I did feel like I was going crazy. There are just stickers and things that we were working with. I enjoyed the challenge, but it was really, really hard. There weren't any more takes than normal, but if there were, it was more about getting the technical part right and making sure you're looking where they Smurf is going be. It can be tricky when there can be six Smurfs running around the room, and you don't know where they are. It's tricky.

How is this character different than any other you've played before?

Jayma Mays: I'd say she's my most grounded character, besides the fact she talks to little blue creatures. I've never really played a really motherly role before, and, for me, Grace Winslow is ready to be a mother, and it just so happens that these little blue creatures come into her life right before she's about to have a baby. I don't know that I've played someone so grounded before.

It seems that Neil Patrick Harris' Patrick isn't too thrilled about becoming a father. Can you talk a bit about that dynamic and how The Smurfs kind of invade that?

Jayma Mays: Right. I think he's a little apprehensive about becoming a father, he's a little nervous about that. All of these little creatures coming into his world, makes him realize that he's about to have the same thing. He needs to be a father and be parental and he needs to be OK with things not going the same every day, with things being out of order a bit. It's a nice story for Patrick and Grace Winslow, learning how they're going to become parents.

Is there room for you to go off script at all? Obviously you can't improv with a dot, but maybe in your takes with Neil Patrick Harris?

Jayma Mays: I feel like there was less improv.

Hank Azaria: First of all, it is insane playing to nothing, but after years of animation work, there's nothing there either. I'm kind of used to that, where you imagine a scene and do it. This had the added thing where it was right there. You can't really improvise because there's no one there to work from. I guess you can, but you'd be literally insane at that point. I came up with a lot of little alternate lines I would try. You just throw them out there and see what works. I do that a lot when I play characters as big as this, because you never know what's going to be funny. There is one that comes to mind where I have Papa Smurf and I'm about to do bad things to him. I have a two-year-old son, and I boop his nose a lot, and I booped Papa Smurf's nose. I don't think it made it into the movie though.

How large did the original Saturday morning Smurfs loom in your pop culture experience?

Jayma Mays: My mom loved Smurfs, so she would make me watch every Saturday morning (Laughs). Just to make her angry, I would always say that Gargamel was my favorite. That was my experience.

Hank Azaria: I had the opposite experience. I was a little too old for Smurfs. I mean, I was an animation fan and I was aware of them, but I didn't particularly love them. I particularly found Gargamel lacking as a character. I did. I was actually kind of annoyed by the animated Gargamel. It's ironic that I am playing him, and I wanted to make it a more pleasant experience for the viewer here.

What more did you want from him in the cartoon?

Hank Azaria: I found him to be too one-note. I wanted him to have a little more dimension. It was a man who lives with his cat. I wondered about that. Why are we just accepting that this man exists this way? He's always yelling. My goal with Gargamel, actually, was to not yell, to play him completely underneath it, but you can't really do that. I tried to give him that other side though.

Can you talk about the collaborations in developing your characters in those initial meetings? How much collaboration was there as far as informing the character, changing dialogue?

Hank Azaria: For me, there was a fair amount of that. I had a very specific take on a couple of ways I thought Gargamel could be funny throughout the script. They liked those ideas, so I sat with the writers for awhile and tried to infuse that, particularly with the "married" relationship between Gargamel and Azreal. I wanted them to be like an old married couple who were bickering a lot. Then it was more about fitting the voice I had.

Could you talk about your thoughts about Paul Winchell, who was one of the greats in animation?

Hank Azaria: I didn't like Gargamel, but I loved literally everything else he did. As a kid, he was one of my heroes. Of course, as a child, you don't know who he is, but I could always recognize his voice. I had an ear like that, where I could always recognize if one guy was doing multiple voices. I knew that Mel Blanc was doing Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. I particularly liked Knucklehead, that ventriloquist dummy he had, I loved that when I was a kid. He was hilarious, but it felt, with Gargamel, that he wasn't allowed to be funny. He was so funny in everything else he did, and Gargamel was just this straight villain.

Can you talk about how the scenes with Azrael played out? Did they have an actual cat there that they animated over?

Hank Azaria: All of that. There was a real cat, there was a semi-fake cat, there was no cat, there was the suggestion of a cat...

Jayma Mays:... I played the cat...

Hank Azaria: Yes, it was all of the above. Usually, we would try a take with the real cat, and then try a take with nothing.

Can you talk about working with Neil Patrick Harris and sharing these imaginary Smurfs in your scenes?

Jayma Mays: I think we had a good time laughing at ourselves. 'Where are you looking?' I think that's the thing we said the most, 'Which one are you looking at?' He was wonderful. I've been a big fan of his for a really long time, which is why I was so excited. It was great. We had a lot of fun together. I got the feeling that he hadn't really done anything like this either, working with all these little animated things working around. I think we had fun with the technical side, because it can get a little laborious after awhile. It is quite technical, marking out where the smurf is, and it takes time to get it right.

How many answering machine messages have you done as various characters?

Hank Azaria: Moe usually does the messages. At least once a month.

Stay tuned for the second part of my visit to Sony Pictures Animation, where we chat with The Smurfs producer Jordan Kerner and director Raja Gosnell, plus an extra special Smurfy surprise.

The Smurfs comes to theaters July 29th, 2011 and stars Sofía Vergara, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Anton Yelchin, Alan Cumming, Paul Reubens, Katy Perry, Hank Azaria. The film is directed by Raja Gosnell.