Hottest Hollywood Celebrity News

Daniel Day Lewis Tapped to Play Abe Lincoln

2010-11-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Abe Lincoln now has a face for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" movie. The film had been in production limbo for years and originally had actor Liam Neeson as the first choice to play the American president. But after Neeson pulled out of the project, Spielberg had to find a new Lincoln, and, lo and behold, they got Daniel Day-Lewis which fans described as the perfect Lincoln!

Day-Lewis came as a surprise since the reclusive actor isn't always in the limelight and selective in the movies he makes, but if you look at the actor's recent photographs, you will see that he does indeed have the physical characteristics essential to play Honest Abe. He's tall with a chiseled face that is similar to Lincoln's. It's not as square as Neeson's but it's got the same intensity. You can see how similar the faces of Day Lewis and Lincoln are in this simple graphic comparison that follows with Day-Lewis "color-sprayed" to give him a beard and a hairdo similar to Lincoln's.

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Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg: Cartoon Character

2010-11-20T02:47:00.000-08:00

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg with Robert Scoble.

Did you like the movie The Social Network? If you did, then you must realize that it's not farfetched that Facbook founder, Mark Zuckerberg is going to get another break into visual media as a cartoon character. He's just getting to be such a popular character that he's now bankable as a drawn character in a short animated film that tells Zuckerberg's story after the success of Social Network. It is intended to be released for television, but who knows how far it will get? Perhaps a full-length animated film in 3D?

Hayden 5 Media and Bluewater Productions are teaming up for the project. It was Bluewater which came up with an initial comic book based on Zuckerberg and when Hayden president Todd Wiseman heard about it, he said his company just had to "get on board." Wiseman says it's a chance to retell Zuckerbergs story in a way that can be appreciated by a broader audience. The comic book is written by Jerome Maida and drawn by Fritz Saalfeld. The cartoon will be like the science-fiction production, A Scanner Darkly.

In the cartoon, Zuckerberg will of course have to make crucial decisions involving money and people many of whom he cannot trust and will in fact betray him. Wiseman thinks it will not be the last retelling of the Facebook Founder's story. Zuckerberg has been portrayed as a cartoon before in The Simpsons. This attention he's getting makes us wonder what he's got that makes him so appealing as a cartoon. Perhaps it's his boyish looks?

Why girls wear false personas on Facebook.

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Superman Movie for Director Zack Snyder

2010-10-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

When you hear the word Superman movie, many people who grew up in the 1970s and 80s will think Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve. For those who missed that era, what comes to mind are Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh in the 2006 major movie incarnation. After almost five years, fans have been left wondering when the next movie will be released? They also have a lot of questions now, including who will be directing. But fortunately that's been answered already. Zack Snyder will direct! But that's not the only thing fans want to know. For one, they are also curious as to who will play the Man of Steel!

If the hearsay and gossip are to be taken seriously, then it seems Routh is out of the picture now for the new Superman movie since his contract to play the iconic hero in another movie expired in 2009. He says he's willing to reprise the role if given the chance. But due to the low earnings of Superman Returns (it only grossed $200 million in the US against it's budget of $270 million), that may not happen at all.

Subsequent projects of Routh (left) haven't had much success in terms of exposure and in boosting his popularity. It's kind of like George Lazenby playing James Bond once and then afterwards being forgotten by movie goers. But it's nice to know Routh won as Best Superhero as Superman in the 2006 Spike TV Awards. Unfortunately, that might not be enough to clinch him another Superman movie. But Routh was touted by Newsweek as an actor who "effortlessly laid claim to the iconic role," so who knows? Routh would still be okay for a lot of people as Superman!

But let's go back to director Snyder. He's really underrated for the most part but now that he's dishing out slam-bang exciting movies like 300, Watchmen, and Sucker Punch, you definitely must say he's got something up his sleeve when it comes to making movies. He's one blockbuster director in the making, if hes' not that already and more! Producers say they want this new Superman movie to be darker - like The Dark Knight perhaps. But we've heard all that "dark" talk before about movie reboots and remakes. The only thing audiences can do is watch and wait. That in itself is entertaining enough, don't you think?

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Jim Carrey Gets Penguins

2010-08-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's story written by Richard and Florence Atwater in 1938. It's about a house painter who gets to take care of twelve Adelie penguins in his small house. What is his family to do with ice-loving swimming birds? This big problem calls for a big solution and something must be done with the penguins before everything in the house is eaten up or worse! It's a story worthy of the big screen!

Now this book is now a family comedy movie simply called "Penguins" and actors Jack Black, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson were all in the lineup of possible comedic leads - but they bowed out in favor of Jim Carrey when the comedian finally gave his commitment to the film. In the book, Mr. Popper solves one problem at a time as the penguins come in with the very first one coming from an Antarctica explorer. Soon eggs are laid and the penguins take over an otherwise normal home (and office). What is Mr. Popper going to do? For sure, Carrey will be all over this film, which isn't bad at all.

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Why Were So Many People Seaching for "Demi Moore Bush" Online in 2009 and even in 2010?

2010-04-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just discovered that one of the top keyword searches late in 2009 and even now in 2010 were the words demi, moore, and bush. Together, they make "demi moore bush". Now you would think that is something racy - maybe a paparazzi picture or something similar, but you never know with those keywords.

I wondered what the fuss was all about and I discovered that Comedy Central, or rather its host, Daniel Tosh (left), had this thing going by posting a video online of himself asking people to search online using those keywords. He kind of did the "approved for all audiences" way, first telling people to search "demi moore george bush" then asking that the "george" be dropped. Then he gave a few more examples, still dropping words and leaving you with only "demi moore bush." He said Comedy Central was trying to distance itself from Comedy Central Gold and that if you search for what he specified, people will see a picture that he promised to be disturbing.

Well, then it was obviously some promotional viral thing concocted to promote the Comedy Central video show and most people would have said, "Yeah, so what? I won't fall for that!" But still, deep in the back of people's minds, they wanted to know that Tosh was talking about. It's human nature! Even so, I don't recommend that you search for it. It's not safe online. Why not just find out what Demi Moore and Kim Kardashian were arguing about on Twitter? It's in the video on top.

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Ben Stiller Makes Fun Of and Gives a Fitting Nod to Avatar in Presenting Best Makeup in the 2010 Oscars

2010-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Funny actor Ben Stiller came up looking blue on stage at the 2010 Oscar Awards to present the Best Makeup Category (top). He was made up as a Na'vi of James Cameron's Avatar. He did an imitation of the native Na'vi tongue and translated it as: "This seemed like a better idea in rehearsal." The audience laughed.

In spite of the obvious fun Stiller and the producers of the Academy Awards wanted to make of Avatar, he was serious and made a valid point when he said, "I'm here to present the award for best makeup. The ironic thing is that Avatar isn't even nominated." After that, the camera focused on director Cameron (left) in the audience, who's face remained neutral. Stiller then went on to say how Star Trek, which also had pointy ears, was nominated. He added that he should have worn his Spock ears but changed his mind since that would have been too "nerdy." He then said that looking like a Na'vi was much cooler. More laughter.

Maybe it was scripted and just for fun and laughs, but Stiller did deliver a fact about the movie awards that would have been a bit sensitive if he were to have done his presentation in a more formal and serious manner. It reminded people of the dilemma that the awards committee went through on whether to classify Avatar as a valid entry into Oscar categories like Best Actor. Of course we all know what the decision was, in spite of Cameron's team's protests and explanation. As a computer-generated film, it's true that the lead actors weren't exactly "themselves" for the most part in the movie and there was the problem. Hopefully, as more motion-capture movies are made, the contributions of their superb actors and actresses will be recognized at the Oscars.

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The New Karate Kid Should Have Been Called The Kung Fu Kid?

2009-12-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

Anyone who's familiar with the original The Karate Kid Movie starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio knows that the remake starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith is not something that fans of the old version would appreciate. Sure, it will have an impact on a new generation of movie goers who have not seen the first one, but many think it should never have been marketed as a remake. Insiders even think it should have been titled The Kung Fu Kid.

In an interview with star Jackie Chan (left), he mentioned that the movie was indeed to be called The Kung Fu Kid but when the trailer came out and the marketing machine of the movie revved up, it was still called The Karate Kid. As a Chinese kung-fu artist, starring in a movie about karate and one titled The Karate Kid must really have been something to think about. Perhaps it's one reason why the setting was changed to China and the martial art changed to kung fu.

In the movie, the only connection of Jaden's character, Dre (left), to karate is his basic knowledge of the martial art. Enamored with a Chinese girl, he gets the ire of a rival who knows kung fu and gets beaten up. Of course, he's saved in time by Chan's character, Mr. Han. Dre moves from karate to kung fu under Han's tutelage. Despite the use of kung fu, the new The Karate Kid still makes use of old elements that we've come to expect from the original, albeit a bit campy now.

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Watch original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, express his views about being an actor in this video from Talk Stoop.

Johnny Depp Promotes Public Enemies Movie But Admits to Not Watching It

2009-12-10T02:08:00.000-08:00

Actor Johnny Depp, who plays Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in the movie Public Enemies, admitted to not having watched the movie yet as he promoted it in Japan. Good words about the movie reportedly got to Depp himself supposedly after the summer release of the movie in the US. He explained how he didn't like to see himself performing in his movies. He said he only liked the movie-making process.

In his promotion of the movie in Japan, Depp admitted that he considers Dillinger as an idol owing to the charismatic nature of the criminal. He says he felt a connection with the man, who was declared public enemy number 1 by authorities, because his grandfather also got involved in illegal activities like moonshining, which is the brewing of banned liquor.

Depp made it clear, however, that he doesn't have enemies like Dillinger did. He said the greatest enemy is within and that is to allow oneself to conform to something that is expected by others. This philosophy is likely one of the reasons why he is such a versatile actor. He easily breaks free of the conformity that lets people see him as the Johnny Depp and puts on the face of a different person every time he acts. Just look at him as The Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It's amazing.

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Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan Play Medusa and Chiron Respectively in The Lightning Thief Movie

2009-11-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

Uma Thurman as Medusa? Pierce Brosnan as centaur Chiron? Hmm, interesting. These two popular actors will be playing these mythical Grecian characters in the movie adaptation of the young adult novel, The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. For the followers of the career of Thurman, the actress playing a mythological character from ancient Greece is nothing new.

As a young actress whose career has just begun, she appeared as a nude Venus in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Now she's Medusa in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Thurman's hair is red and full of green leaves in Batman Forever as Poison Ivy. Now in this movie, we will all want to see her head full of snakes and turn people into stone.

Fellow actor Pierce Brosnan also seems ideal as a centaur. He's got the right lean body for it and his well-chiseled face is perfect for such a noble race of half-horse warriors. He would look good even with a down-and-out look like in this still picture from one of his western movies, Seraphim Falls (left). He doesn't play a horse in that one - he rides on one.

It's been a while since movies based on Mediterranean mythology have been made. The last most-memorable one made is probably Clash of the Titans, and there's already a remake of that one (2010). Perhaps we'll see more movies like that.

Uma Thurman is in this cast of Kill Bill action figures. Get the whole set and also get her yellow-attired character! Click here or on the image to place your order.

Hugh Jackman Breaks Out of Character in Play to Express Displeasure with Ringing Cellphone

2009-09-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you're an award-winning actor in an intense scene in a play and a ringing cellphone rudely disrupts everything?

Hugh Jackman certainly knew what he would do. He broke out of character in a scene of the acclaimed two-man play, A Steady Rain (also starring Daniel Craig), about the relationship between two policemen. "You want to get that?" he told the owner of the phone. After the ringing persisted, he said, "Come on, just turn it off."

Jackman waited for about a minute, pacing the stage of the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in NYC before the ringing finally ended. He resumed the play right after. Jackman is known for his portrayal of the comic book hero Wolverine. It was a good thing he didn't turn to this angry character to deal with the situation on the stage and kept his temper at bay. Audiences should really keep their distracting gadgets off in a show.

Rupert Grint Gets a Kiss from Maggie Smith

2009-07-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Red-haired Ron Weasley, who was down with swine flu recently, gets captured in a photograph in which Maggie Smith gives him a kiss on the cheek. He seems a bit flushed in the picture (pls click on the link). Is it from the flu or because of the fact that he didn't expect that kiss?

Anyway, the Harry Potter stars are all grown up now and we've seen how there's never a movie before that clearly shows and documents how kids grow up in a single series like Harry Potter. It's amazing, and with another Potter movie coming soon, the formerly-young cast may not look like students anymore.

Yes, the Harry Potter stars are no longer kids and they'll be in other films soon where they'll be playing young-adult roles. Remember how Leonardo diCaprio finally shed his teen image from Titanic with mature roles? Well definitely see something similar with the young Potter stars.

See how Emma Watson's gown gets wet during the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Leicester Square premier.

Michael Jackson’s Death Overshadowed Passing of Other Celebrities

2009-06-29T04:10:00.000-07:00

There is plenty of media attention around the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, but he’s not the only celebrity who passed away in the same week. There’s also popular host Ed McMahon (below, left) and Farah Fawcett of the original Charlie’s Angels.

While Farah’s demise wasn’t exactly a surprise, it still came as a shock to fans worldwide, just like Ed McMahon’s. Like Fawcett, McMahon wasn’t exactly in the limelight at the time of his death but both are also pretty much remembered for their past achievements, with Fawcett as having the most-popular pin-up poster of all time (left), and McMahon as Dick Clark’s partner on TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes.

Celebrities come and go, as they are human after all in spite of their larger-than-life tv and movie personas. But the attention they get after death get seems to depend on the impact they had on people in the height of their careers. In the opinion of some, it may be painful to some that their idols, like Fawcett and McMahon were not given enough due respect in their passing like Michael Jackson.

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Director Rob Zombie Getting Popular with New Movies Like Halloween 2

2009-06-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

White Zombie band founder and horror movie director Rob Zombie is now getting more popular as a movie director with movies like the remake of the Halloween series, the first two of which has been helmed by him. It's hard for Zombie to hide from fans and cameras with his long blond hair and beard and a lot of them have been following his moves .

In previous years, Zombie had been bothered by picture-taking paparazzi, once while eating with his wife, horror movie actress Sheri Moon (the Scream Queen) at Madeo restaurant in Beverly Hills in 2008. Now that Zombie's becoming acclaimed as a horror movie director with a new approach and style to projects like giving Michael Myers a reason for being in Halloween 1 and 2, it's likely he's going to get more attention in the coming years.

What follows is an original Rob Zombie Halloween Michael Myers action figure with motion-activated Halloween movie sound! He's also got two knives to play with. Collectors are grabbing it like mad, so order yours now by clicking here or on the image! If you don't like horror figures, then just pretend it's Lt. Commander Data of Star Trek Generations, mutilated by bad Romulans!

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Guillermo del Toro Misses Out on Thor but Likes Loki

2009-06-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Director Guillermo del Toro became famous after helming the Hellboy movies. Because of his fondness for comic book characters, he was approached to direct the upcoming Thor movie. But he lost to Kenneth Branagh, known to many of us as the actor who played Dr. Frankeinstein in a previous movie adaptation of the Mary Shelly novel.

According to del Toro in an interview, he was fascinated by the winged-helmeted character and the mythology behind Thor. But says he likes Loki, Thor's brother and god of mischief (top). Del Toro is busy as a director of the tw0-part Hobbit movies, but if he has his way, he'd probably come up with a Loki movie called God of Mischief! For now, he's hoping to get funding for two other movies which he has set his eyes on. One is a remake of Frankeinstein and the other is a take on H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madnesss.

Loki is Thor's brother. He's no less a god but is just as collectible as an action figure. If you like Loki better than Thor, then click here or on the picture to place your order! The god of mischief is really cheap!

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Bret Michaels Steals the Scene at Tony Awards with Head Banging Accident

2009-06-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

The recent Tony Awards (2009) at the Radio City Music Hall became the talk of the town because of rocker Bret Michaels. At the end of his performance, he turned to exit only to be hit smack in the face by a descending stage backdrop that caused him to land flat on the floor like a knocked down boxer. It was simply poor timing which may not have been anticipated during rehearsals.

Michaels, who sang with his 80s group Poison, suffered a fractured nose and a cut lip. Host Neil Patrick Harris immediately joked about the incident right after, saying Michaels gave new meaning to "headbanging." Backstage, the injured rocker was in good spirits and simply laughed the incident. He had stitches later and a CAT scan. It's no secret that he had a previous neck injury. Watch the video of Michael's accident above.

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Angelina Jolie Bumps Oprah into 2nd Place as World's Most Influential Female Celeb

2009-06-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

Oprah Winfrey used to be at the top of the Forbes annual list of the most influential celebrity actresses. But her time may have come and gone because now it's Angelina Jolie at number 1. This doesn't seem to come as a surprise since the Tomb Raider star has been getting so much attention lately from hubby Brad Pitt but it's her humanitarian efforts which takes her celebrity status pretty much to the same level as the late Princess Diana's. It must also help that paparazzi like to take her picture.

The Forbes Celebrity 100 list now has Jolie at number one although Oprah is still tops having raked in $275 million in the past year. Jolie came up with only $27 million from combined revenue flows from movies like Kung-Fu Panda and Wanted. She has an upcoming spy movie called Salt. Producers apparently like to cast like her in the spy movie genre.

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A New Tomb Raider in Place of Angelina Jolie

2009-05-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

We've all gotten used to Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft the "tomb raider." But the next movie will not have her for the lead role. As an origin movie, the new movie will be having a young Lara Croft who is likely going to be portrayed more realistically in comparison to the previous ones. According to the producers, it will be a character-oriented film. Fans will likely be treated to a more believable story. Remember how they did that in Batman Bagins?

It's still a mystery as to how young the new Lara Croft would be, but it's likely there will be several Lara Croft actresses who will portray the budding gun-toting archaeologist at different ages. She will likely be shown getting training from mentors. Otherwise, she'll be on an unlikely mission where she must save someone or something from the hands of the bad guys.

Megan Fox has been rumored to be the replacement for Jolie, but it's too early to tell. She was even said to be cast as Wonder Woman and a poster of her in the Amazonian hero's outfit circulated over the Net, but it was just a hoax. Fact is, rumors can have a life of their own but most turn out to be false. But sometimes, if they're not hoaxes, they do have some basis on fact.

Whoever the new Lara Croft actress will be, it is still the "generic" Lara Croft that will always have an appeal to fans old and new. You can have the sexy adventurer talk to you with this finely-detailed action figure. You can order it now by clicking here or on the picture. It's a bestseller, so reserve yours early.

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Who Left the Script for Twilight Sequel New Moon in a Trash Bin?

2009-05-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

In a hotel in St. Louis where shooting was being done on the George Clooney movie Up in the Air, two precious scripts where discovered by a businesswoman (beauty salon owner) Casey Ray while waiting for her husband. One was for the movie called Memoirs and the other was for the sequel to the blockbuster hit Twilight - called New Moon.

No one has revealed who made the blooper and left the scripts behind or how they ended up in the trash bin. Twilight actress Anna Kendrick (left) is also part of the cast of Up in the Air. Another question is why someone was rummaging through a trash bin in the first place. Ray returned the scripts to the production studio, Summit Entertainment LLC. Her lawyer said she had wanted to keep the scripts as collectors' items or maybe take them to the tabloids, but changed her mind.

Ray was given the privilege to attend the premiere of the two movies as a reward. According to Ray's lawyer, she did not want to get paid. Summit spokesperson Paul Pflug said that "Summit doesn't comment on any of the deals it does." He said that Summit was thankful that Ray had done the right thing.

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Owen Wilson Gets Pushed to the Sidelines by Hairy Co-stars

2008-12-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Owen Wilson has got a holiday movie this year and he's complained in an interview released in an entertainment report that his co-stars - particularly the hairy ones, stole the scenes from him. "They're like scene stealers," he described them. He adds that it's a tough job but that somebody's got to do it. Sometimes, he even carried them in his arms during filming!

He didn't really mention any names, but you can guess who the hairy co-stars are once you know that the movie is called Marley & Me and involves four-legged creatures that are humans' best friends! Yes, he's talking about the cute Labrador dogs he worked with. He describes the skinny-dipping scene with the dogs as a kind of good day for filming because he wasn't the focus. Owen Wilson stars in Marley & Me with Jennifer Aniston.

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Natalie Portman Reportedly Moody and Hides from Photographers on the Set of Love and Impossible Pursuits

2008-11-17T01:36:00.000-08:00

Natalie Portman is currently shooting her new movie Love and Impossible Pursuits and she's apparently giving the paparazzi who love to shoot her an impossible time.

Natalie Portman is reportedly moody and hides from them. It's not the usual Natalie Portman who's usually welcoming of the camera with partly revealing outfits. This is one of the reasons why she's a favorite of photographers. Her photos are pretty much valued even when she's not doing any movie.

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Joaquin Phoenix Announces Retirement from Acting and New Passion

2008-11-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

Johnny Cash "Walk the Line" Oscar nominee actor Joaquin Phoenix announced his departure from acting to focus on something that he's always been passionate about - music. He revealed his plans in an event honoring Paul Newman.

Previously, he showed to the media both of his knuckles (top) where he had written the words "Bye" and "Good." We'll find out soon enough if indeed he retires. After all, he's not the first actor who had announced retirement only to appear again in future films.

Yes, the picture at top is really that of Joaquin Phoenix (in shades). It's not Jack Black.

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High School Musical Star Zack Efron Tapped for Footloose Remake

2008-10-28T00:18:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a price for starring in a musical movie with dance sequences and it's a big one. In the case of Zack Efron (middle, top), star of Disney's High School Musical 3 with controversial young actress Vanessa Hudgens, it's a deal to star in another dance movie, one that starred Kevin Bacon.

The casting of Efron was reported in Variety. The remake is set to be directed by Peter Sollet, who helmed Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. The movie will retain most of the classic songs (Footloose by Kenny Loggins [left], of course), but it will also have new ones to appeal to the new generation of dance fans. There's still no word if Loggins will do an updated rendition of the theme song.

The remake of Footloose may set a new trend in movies. It's likely we'll be seeing more of these dance flicks. How about another Xanadu?

See Vanessa Hudgens in Movie Cast Pictures

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First Look at Eric Bana as Pointy-Eared Villain in Star Trek 9

2008-10-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

Eric Bana has played some strange-looking characters before, like The Incredible Hulk and Hector in Troy (left). Now, he's playing another weird-looking character in the J.J. Abrams science-fiction flick, Star Trek 9.

He's a bald, pointy-eared alien (Vulcan or Romulan?) who apparently has dark plans against our heroes aboard the Enterprise. Just look at his pose while sitting on that throne-like chair with his scepter/spear - he's definitely a powerful one, and he's up to something... bad.

Why is it that a lot of characters (particularly aliens) in Star Trek have to be bald?

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J.J. Abrams's Star Trek Revives Sixties Fashion

2008-10-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Director J.J. Abrams apparently knows that the Star Trek franchise wouldn't be "Star Trek" if it did not have costumes inspired by the sixties, when the original series was made.

His 2009 Star Trek version definitely takes off from the original series, even if the plot takes place at a much earlier time. The writers admitted that the show's costumes captured the feel of the "Beatles/Kennedy's 60's" and that it was their wish to keep the "rebellious" spirit of the era. But the costumes are tame against Kirk's (left).

But in spite of the retro costumes, the Enterprise bridge has a more contemporary feel even if it does depict design lines of the sixties. The original series ship bridge used themed colors that shouted psychedelic and it did not have the mall-like lighting of the new design.

The picture shows actor Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, seated in the captain's chair. Standing to his left is the brooding Doctor McCoy played by Karl Urban, who may be too big for the DeForrest Kelly character.

The smaller picture show's William Shatner as the original Captain, apparently admonishing an alien woman warrior about the virtues of submission. Yes, the original series did have a thing for pretty women, and Shatner's Kirk was definitely a womanizer. We'll see if the version by Pine is any more.

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Beautifying Program Has No Effect on James Franco

2008-10-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

There's this program developed intended to morph a person's face to conform to "ideal beauty" based on accepted or perceived proportions of beauty that's been translated into an algorithm. For most people, it seems to work - shrinking what needs to be shrunk, chiseling what needs to be chiseled, and adding to what's lacking in the face (left).

It was tried on James Franco's face (top), but instead of noticeable changes, there's hardly any noticeable at all. Does this mean his face is perfect in terms of generally-accepted beauty standards? If you look closely, however, you'll see that his face is narrowed just ever so slightly by the beauty algorithim.

Bridget Bardot, on the other hand, had been touted in the past as beautiful with her trademark pout. But apparently, the beautifying engine disagrees, and it fixes her face with less upper lip (left).

The program was also used to fix a young Marlon Brando's face and it turned out like an alien's from a Star Trek movie. But to be fair to the program, Brando's face in the photo used was angled. The program tried to reproduce facial symmetry where it shouldn't have.

The makers of the program, researchers from Tel Aviv University (one pictured at left), made it clear however that the algorithm was not developed to argue that the "fixed" faces are more beautiful than the original. It has been based on a digital library of pictures of people who have been judged "attractive" but changes done on a case-to-case basis.

See how Marylin Monroe's face fits snugly in a Marquardt Beauty Analysis map.

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