News : Los Angeles Dodgers Will Have New Owner After Frank McCourt Makes Deal To Sell

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Nov 022011
 

If Frank McCourt’s fight to remain owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed long and arduous, it was — after all, he had to fight his ex-wife Jamie with one hand and baseball commissioner Bud Selig with the other. If the end of that fight seemed to come fast and easy, well, it kinda did. Here’s the release from Major League Baseball that came out tonight announcing a deal to sell one of the most popular and lucrative franchises in sports:

“The Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball announced that they have agreed today to a court supervised process to sell the team and its attendant media rights in a manner designed to realize maximum value for the Dodgers and their owner, Frank McCourt. The Blackstone Group LP will manage the sale process.”

mccourt 20110428151915 150x150 News : Los Angeles Dodgers Will Have New Owner After Frank McCourt Makes Deal To Sell

According to the L.A. Times, the sale would include the team, Dodger Stadium and its parking lots, which McCourt paid $421 million for in 2004. McCourt has put the current value of the team at more than $1 billion; Forbes said it is worth $800 million. Any new owner would certainly attract a lucrative TV rights contract — one worth more than the reported 20-year, $3 billion deal McCourt negotiated with current rightsholder Fox Sports that he said would have given him the cash to keep the team. Selig rejected that contract, however, saying too much of upfront cash was going to McCourt (the league later claimed in court documents that McCourt “looted” the team to the tune of $189 million since taking ownership in 2004; McCourt denies the allegations). MLB took over financial operations of the Dodgers just after opening day 2011, and McCourt took the team into bankruptcy protection in late June to force a TV rights deal. Now, any TV deal would come via an open auction that could draw Fox Sports and regional rival Time Warner Cable as well as potentially DirecTV and Dish Network to the nation’s second-largest TV market.

 Posted by rishi at 12:11 pm  Tagged with:

News : Genesis Rodriguez Takes ‘The Last Stand’ With Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Nov 022011
 

 

rodriguez genesis thelaststand News : Genesis Rodriguez Takes The Last Stand With Arnold Schwarzenegger
With cameras now rolling, looks like there was one more part to cast in Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s “The Last Stand.” Genesis Rodriguez may not be a familiar name just yet, but 2012 should change that. She raised eyebrows earlier in the year, appearing frequently undressed in the trailer for “Man On A Ledge,” and with roles in the Will Ferrellcomedy “Casa de mi Padre” and “What To Expect When You’re Expecting.” Her profile is set to rocket to those who haven’t kept up with her travails on the Spanish language dramas “Doña Bárbara” and “Prisionera.”

Variety reports she’s joined Kim Ji-woon‘s Hollywood debut, lending a bit more estrogen to the testosterone-heavy cast. the story follows a disgraced LAPD cop (Arnie) in a new job in a small town, who is trying to stop a drug cartel leader, Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), who has just busted out of prison and is trying to make it across the border with $400 million bucks. Zach Gilford and Rodrigo Santoro are the team of cops on the small town force working with Ahnuld, and together they will team up against Peter Stormare who works for Cortez. Rodriguez will play an FBI agent (and though the trade says she’s partnered with Noriega, that’s an error, since he’s a villain in the movie unless they’ve accidentally revealed some kind of twist). Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker and the always awesome Harry Dean Stanton round out the cast.

Lensing is underway in New Mexico, and as big fans of the wickedly grim “I Saw The Devil,” we’re looking forward to this. “The Last Stand” hits on January 18, 2013.

 Posted by rishi at 12:10 pm  Tagged with: ,

News : RZA Says Eddie Griffin The Favorite To Play Ol’ Dirty Bastard In Upcoming Biopic

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Nov 022011
 

 

eddiegriffin oldirtybastard rza News : RZA Says Eddie Griffin The Favorite To Play Ol’ Dirty Bastard In Upcoming Biopic
With the recent buzz about the gestating Tupac and N.W.A. biopics, we kind of forgot this was happening at all, but waaaaay back in 2009 Wu-Tang Clan member, actor, director, chess master and producer RZA first hinted that a biopic about the eccentric and amazing Ol’ Dirty Bastard was being bandied about. “We have talked about [a biopic film]. His estate is pretty confused, like any estate is in our country. The estate is kind of confused on what to do, and all the rights and all that shit, but it’s definitely been talked about,” he said. And it looks like that talk has developed into something substantial.

The folks over at XXL (via Shadow & Act) recently caught up with RZA, who had some pretty interesting updates about the project. First off, a script by rapper and ODB’s cousin Raeshawnis done, and one actor has already signed a letter of intent, and it’s a choice that’s kind of surprising.

“[Raeshawn]‘s been working on it for two years now,” RZA said. “[In fact] I think Eddie [Griffin]’s already signed on with a letter of Intent—I signed on, of course. So you know [Raeshawn] got my blessin’ to make it happen.”

Eddie Griffin? The “Malcolm & Eddie” star whose last film was the straight-to-video “Beethoven’s Big Break”? Uh, ok. Not exactly who we pictured, but then again, it’s hard enough to picture anybody trying to replicate the unique personality and style of ODB. But in confirming Griffin as the favorite for the role, RZA also mentioned one other choice that is actually pretty inspired. “Eddie Griffin is down” he said. “Me and Eddie talked about it, laughed about it. Tracy Morgan, he wanna do it [too]. I said ‘Ya’ll both kinda can do it.’”

Wait, so they can both do it now? Which one is it, RZA? Of course, if/when/who/how this gets made remains to be seen. Just like hip hop albums, hip hop biopics seem to get pushed back all the time, so who knows when this might happen. As for RZA, he’s busy finishing up his kung fu flick “The Man With The Iron Fist,” produced and co-written by Eli Roth and starringRussell Crowe, Lucy Liu and Pam Grier. That should be all kinds of bad ass.

 Posted by rishi at 12:09 pm  Tagged with:

News : U.S. Trailer & New Clip For NC-17 Rated ‘Shame’ Starring Michael Fassbender

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Nov 022011
 

 

News : U.S. Trailer & New Clip For NC 17 Rated ‘Shame’ Starring Michael Fassbender
The domestic trailer for “Shame” has arrived, and if you’re a keen follower of this film, you’ll realize this trailer is pretty much identical to the the U.K. version you’ve already seen. But the point is spreading the word for a controversial sexual drama that’s been stamped with the dreaded NC-17 tag (though some are already posting this could work in the film’s favor and calling it a “badge of honor”).

Moreover, “Shame” features what is easily the most striking performance of the year by any male actor. Michael Fassbender‘s turn as a lonely sex-addict in New York who cannot connect with people beyond a sexual encounter is some incredibly haunting stuff. If it weren’t for the fact the film had an NC-17 rating, you could pretty much slot him in as a lock for an Oscar nomination. But as such, the NC-17 rating, the male nudity and some of the relatively shocking (not really) sexual scenes, could prove to be a challenge for more conservative Oscar voters.

Frankly, the male nudity in the film is tame and overstated. Just brief shots of Fassbender walking around naked; nothing that anyone should blanche at, but clearly some prudes have already taken some kind of umbrage with the frank and sometimes raw depiction of sexuality in the film (it’s not like there’s close-ups of dongs or penetration or anything). Co-starringCarey Mulligan, “Shame” is English director Steve McQueen‘s follow-up to “Hunger,” the film that placed both the filmmaker and Fassbender on the international map. It is also, without a doubt, one of the best films of the year; McQueen’s work illustrates that he is the real deal and that “Hunger” was no fluke. In fact, he’s one of the most exciting new filmmakers working today. Here’s the official synopsis and here’s our review from Venice:

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control.

What’s nice about this minimalist synopsis is that it strikes at what “Shame” is really about. See the title for Christ’s sake; describing it as a sex-addiction film is far too reductive. If you want to get pretentious about it (or allow me to do so), this is about a man who is desperate to connect with people, but his despair, inner torment and self-loathing (and his past) only allows him to find brief solace through fleeting sexual gratification. And what’s left unspoken in the picture is just as important as what’s said (some have stated that Fassbender’s performance is too minimalist, and they must be entirely missing the point). Fox Searchlight is releasing “Shame” on December 2nd. The picture will begin in a limited release first (likely New York and L.A.) which will be followed by a slow expansion plan. Make sure you catch it when it hits your city. Go to Apple to check out the trailer in HD or watch it and an extended scene below.

 Posted by rishi at 12:07 pm  Tagged with: ,

News : ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Pair Niels Arden Oplev & Noomi Rapace Reteam For ‘Dead Man Down’ With Colin Farrell

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Nov 022011
 

 

Colin Farrell Noomi Rapace To Star In Dead Man Down, From Dragon Tattoo Director Niels Arden Oplev News : ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Pair Niels Arden Oplev & Noomi Rapace Reteam For ‘Dead Man Down’ With Colin Farrell
While his Lisbeth Salander, played by Noomi Rapace, used her turn in the Swedish Millenium trilogy films to break into Hollywood with roles in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows” and “Prometheus,” original “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” director Niels Arden Oplev hasn’t fared quite as well. While he’s been attached to quite a few projects—“Game Theory,” “The Keep” and “The Last Photograph” (though Zack Snyder, who developed the movie has now decided to direct it himself)—none have really taken off, but it looks like his old leading lady is coming back with a much bigger star in tow get his next project moving.

On the floor at the American Film Market this week will be “Dead Man Down,” with Oplev to direct Rapace and Colin Farrell in the picture. Penned by J.H. Wyman (”The Mexican,” “Fringe”), it’s another tale of vengeance, with the thriller seeing Farrell play Victor, right hand man to an underground crime lord in New York City who is seduced and blackmailed by Beatrice (Rapace), a crime victim seeking retribution. Their intense chemistry leads them spiraling into payback delivered in violent catharsis. So, “The Girl With The New York Tattoo”? Okay, maybe that’s reductive, but hell, if Oplev and Rapace need to use that familiar thematic cachet to get a project moving, why not.

The film is being produced under “Fast Five” and “Total Recall” producer Neal H. Moritz’sOriginal Film banner along with Wyman’s Frequency Films, and IM Global will be wheeling and dealing the sales on this one. While we’ve made our feelings known on the Swedish trilogy of films, it’s clear that Oplev and Rapace share some chemistry, and if he managed to pull out that kind of attention-grabbing turn from the actress, we’re intrigued to see what he does here. As for Farrell, it continues his journey out of arthouse fare and into more steady paycheck stuff like the aforementioned “Total Recall,” and if he can bring the same charisma as he did in his slept on turn in “Fright Night” (in fact, the movie was unfairly dismissed, in this writer’s opinion anyway) “Dead Man Down” could be some genre-based fun.

Filming kicks off in early 2012.

 Posted by rishi at 12:06 pm  Tagged with: , ,

News : Taylor Lautner To Produce & Star In Gus Van Sant’s Next Film

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Nov 022011
 

 

gusvansant taylorlautner News : Taylor Lautner To Produce & Star In Gus Van Sant’s Next Film
While this might seem totally out of nowhere, there were clues bubbling up that the unlikely duo of Taylor Lautner and Gus Van Sant would be working together. There was a very minor controversy recently when in an interview with Australia’s GQ magazine, Lautner related that he had a dinner meeting with Van Sant and “Milk” screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, prompting the publication to bizarrely ask if either of them hit on him. Obviously, not exactly the brightest thing to say, and the matter made the blog rounds and then went away, but it looks like that dinner date has borne some very real cinematic results.

THR has learned that Lautner is set to produce and star in an indie flick that Van Sant will direct based on a non-fiction New Yorker article the actor optioned. Lautner reading the New Yorker—now there’s an image. More details are expected to come later this week, including who has been tasked to write the script, but we think we can make a pretty obvious guess as to who that is at this point.

Now, the Van Sant and “Twilight” star connection isn’t that odd either. Way back whenSummit was first looking at directors for “Breaking Dawn,” Van Sant and Sofia Coppolawere approached in addition to Bill Condon for the gig. So perhaps that’s where the idea first sparked for Lautner to pair up with the director.

We’re not even sure what to think about all this. It’s cool Lautner is using whatever clout he has left to get a project moving, but it seems going indie is his only option at this point since no studio is going to back a vehicle centered around the actor after witnessing the hard flop of “Abduction.” As for Van Sant, he’s coming off what is arguably one of the worst films of his career in “Restless” so it’ll be interesting to see what stylistic switch he goes for and what the tone and tenor of this piece will be. Slick and stylized? Gritty and lo-fi? As for Black, while he’s got an Oscar for “Milk” he’s yet to make a statement with a followup. His directorial debut “What’s Wrong with Virginia” made a disastrous TIFF premiere last year, and the feedback on “J. Edgar” is still up in the air (though with an AFI Fest premiere happening shortly, the critical consensus will soon surface).

So, a lot of factors at play here, but this one is moving fast. Production is slated to begin early next year.

 Posted by rishi at 12:05 pm  Tagged with:

News : Arrested Development Complete Series for $29

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Nov 022011
 

 

ZZ6E314C8F News : Arrested Development Complete Series for $29

Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the Day today is Arrested Development – The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3) for only $28.99, 68% off the $90 msrp. The price will only be good until midnight tonight, so act fast!

 Posted by rishi at 12:03 pm  Tagged with:

News : Director Announces ‘Lawless’ and ‘Knight of Cups,’ Both With Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett

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Nov 022011
 

 

Christian Bale and Terrence Malick Austin City Limits header News : Director Announces ‘Lawless’ and ‘Knight of Cups,’ Both With Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett

I don’t know what meds Terrence Malick started taking last year, but I like the result. From 1973 to 2011, the director released only five films. Now he has another four in the pipeline. Malick took years finishing The Tree of Life and is still reportedly working on the IMAX doc Voyage of Time. That latter film is new project number one.

He has already shot a film that may or may not be called The Burial, which featuresBen Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem and Rachel Weisz. That’s number two. And he has been prepping a movie with Christian Bale and newcomer Haley Bennett, which shot partially at the Austin City Limits fest in mid-September. That’s number three, and the title has been revealed as Lawless.

In addition to those, he has a fourth film on the docket, also with Bale: Knight of Cups. Details on both of those last two films are after the break.

Let’s go all press release-style first, as FilmNation has announced these projects as part of the American Film Market:

FilmNation Entertainment is continuing their relationship with acclaimed director Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life, The Thin Red Line) and handling international sales and distribution on his next two films. LAWLESS will star Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March) and boasts a supporting cast that includes Academy Award WinnersChristian Bale (The Dark Knight, The Flowers of War), Cate Blanchett (The Hobbit, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) plus Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network) and Haley Bennett (Marley & Me, The Haunting of Molly Hartley).

The second film, KNIGHT OF CUPS, will star Christian Bale with a supporting cast including Cate Blanchett and Isabel Lucas (Immortals, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen). Both films are currently in pre-production and will shoot back-to-back in 2012. Sarah Green (Untitled Terrence Malick Project, The Tree of Life, The New World, Take Shelter, Mud) and Nicolas Gonda (Untitled Terrence Malick Project, The Tree of Life, The New World) will serve as the producers on both films with FilmNation Entertainment handling international sales during this week’s AFM.

So, to sum up: two films, Lawless and Knight of Cups, have been announced with plans to shoot back to back in 2012 with Bale and Blanchett, plus Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett (in Lawless) and Isabel Lucas (in Knight of Cups). Insanity!

And note that I’m assuming that Lawless is the same movie that Malick was shooting at ACL with Bale and Bennett not long ago. If not, he’s actually got five films in the offing, rather than four.

FilmNation has a lot going on at the AFM — it is also selling domestic distribution rights to the Zhang Yimou WWII film with Christian Bale, The Flowers of War, and started rolling on a post-apocalyptic thriller from writer/producer Oren Peli, which is also being sold at the market.

(Note: You might see Badass Digest using this same headline; Devin and I both started to use it independently of one another, and both of us like it too much to let go. So we’ll share!)

 Posted by rishi at 12:02 pm  Tagged with: ,

News : Michael Caine in ‘Now You See Me;’ Olivia Wilde & Steve Buscemi in ‘Burt Wonderstone;’ Possible Choices for ‘Riddick’

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Nov 022011
 

 

michael caine 1 News : Michael Caine in ‘Now You See Me;’ Olivia Wilde & Steve Buscemi in ‘Burt Wonderstone;’ Possible Choices for ‘Riddick’

Louis Leterrier‘s magician heist movie Now You See Me keeps getting better. The movie features a story about a group of illusionists who rob banks during their performances, and then give at least some of the proceeds out to the audience, even as the FBI is hot on their tail.

The cast already includes Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco, and now Michael Caine has signed on to play Arthur Tressler, the sponsor of the illusionists. The film will be released on January 18, 2013, and unless we see a trailer that looks simply horrible, Now You See Me will be high on our list of anticipated popcorn movies until that date arrives. [Moviehole]

After the break, Olivia Wilde and Steve Buscemi join the cast of another magician film,Burt Wonderstone, while Vin Diesel and David Twohy continue to try and perfect the magic trick of getting a third Riddick film made.

Burt Wonderstone is a comedy in which Steve Carell plays a failing magician who has to deal with a more aggressive rival. Or, more specifically, per THR,

The project is set in the world of rival Las Vegas magicians. Carell is a more traditional magic man who is dethroned by a hipper illusionist doing dangerous tricks and breaks up with his partner then must find a way to rediscover his love for magic.

Olivia Wilde is now in talks to play Carell’s partner in love and business, while Steve Buscemi is in talks to play “Carell’s longtime friend and partner who quits the act.” Also in the cast are Jim Carrey and James Gandolfini. Like Now You See Me, Burt Wonderstone is scheduled for a January 2012 shoot. Don Scardino will direct.

Finally, there is a set of rumored offers out to actors for Riddick, the third film featuringVin Diesel‘s character of the same name. David Twohy wrote and is set to direct, with Diesel returning and Karl Urban set for a role in the R-rated sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick. Bloody Disgusting says Katee Sackhoff has been offered the role of Dahl, “a Nordic merc tracking Riddick;” Andreas Apergis has been offered Krone, “commander of the dark theocracy;” and Bokeem Woodbine and Dave Bautista have been offered unnamed roles.

Trouble is, TMZ says that production in Montreal has been shut down because One Race Films — Diesel’s Company — hasn’t paid its bills at the Montreal studio where the film is set to shoot. We don’t know what the full story is — are cash troubles really hampering the production or is this some public ploy to work out some financial wrangling that should have stayed behind the scenes?

 Posted by rishi at 12:01 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

News : Infographic: Michael Bay’s Bayhem

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Nov 022011
 

michael bay on transformers 3 550x366 News : Infographic: Michael Bay’s Bayhem

Michael Bay is well-known for his use of explosions, helicopters, and sheer budgetary mayhem. But what is the breakdown, by movie, of the use of some of those factors? And which of the films managed to turn Bay’s excess into financial gain?

An infographic called The Formula for Complete and Utter Bayhem breaks it down. Check it out below.

The figures for budget and profit aren’t quite right, because they don’t take advertising and other factors into account, instead tallying just raw budget reports (which might also be incorrect) and box-office performance.

I do, however, like seeing that the use of explosions has steadily increased since Bay started the Transformers films. Since he says his next film is to be a much smaller thing, could it be his first to avoid some of these factors entirely?

 Posted by rishi at 11:59 am  Tagged with:
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